Chapter 312: Chapter 310

'This is the origin of the Outer Gods Cult?' Having finally found the main body of the Apostle of Evolution, Suho felt somewhat empty. A pink brain trapped in a fish tank. Because of this insignificant thing, the cult was born, and things like stardust and Starpieces spread throughout the world. Because of this insignificant thing. Suho asked,

"But how did you end up with just a brain?"

[It was inefficient to keep moving that old body. So I evolved.]

"You call that evolution?"

[I think, therefore I am.] A famous quote from the philosopher Descartes.

After awakening in the old man's body, The Apostle of Evolution read many books to learn about this world. Meanwhile, those who were forcibly indoctrinated formed a religious group called the 'Outer Gods Cult' around him, And they began to increase their influence in the shadows in various ways. And at the center of that quiet storm, the Apostle of Evolution just sat in a wheelchair and read the books written by humans.

– Books... They convey information in a truly primitive way on this planet.

The Apostle of Evolution could transmit the necessary information to someone in a second if he wanted to. So he was even more interested in this primitive and inefficient 'reading.' Because it was so absurd. To spread information to others with subjective and biased interpretations instead of just transmitting the memories as they are. How inefficient.

Rustle Rustle...

The Apostle of Evolution continued to be engrossed in reading despite his grumbling. The more he read, the more this 'reading' method of knowledge transfer increased his thirst for knowledge. Since the information in each book was different, he couldn't figure out which one was correct. So he kept reading. He read and read. The creatures here engaged in fierce debates through books and papers on a single topic. And they were making very slow progress little by little. It was also a kind of 'evolution,' the Apostle of Evolution concluded. And he finally realized...

[It's the 'brain' that ultimately controls the human body. So I got rid of all the unnecessary parts and left only what I needed, and I regressed.]

Smirk. The pink brain wriggled as if raising its nose.

[This is the result. How efficient is it? I just give orders from within here, and the dolls that move like my limbs according to my instructions are increasing. That is the direction of evolution I chose.] That's right. The Outer Gods Cult. As he said, even at this moment, countless humans were actively working as his limbs under the name of the Outer Gods Cult all over the world.

According to their faith.

Following the orders from the headquarters of the Outer Gods Cult.

Driven by their desire to become stronger. Stardust, Stardust necklaces, Starpieces... The magic power amplified by them, and the wealth and honor that followed. The Outer Gods Cult had been increasing its influence with those numerous baits. Although the villains' momentum was suppressed in South Korea thanks to Association President Woo Jinchul, it was different in other countries.

The larger the country, the more difficult it was to control criminals. And villains were even more troublesome. Especially the world of shadows where they operated was governed by the law of the jungle. The ones who desperately needed the stardust spread by the Outer Gods Cult were the villains.

[...That's how the 'Outer Gods Cult' was born.]

The Outer Gods Cult.

Although it was definitely a group that gathered under that name at first, in regions where the apocalypse progressed, like North Korea and China, it sometimes shed its religious color and developed into a city-state entirely composed of villains. Like the city 'Paradise' that Suho destroyed in North Korea.

And at this very moment...

[...]

The Apostle of Evolution, who was talking to Suho, suddenly stopped.

[Ah, finally...!] The pink brain in the test tube trembled, showing a strange sense of satisfaction. Suho's eyes narrowed.

"Finally, what?" Even as Suho raised his fist as if to break the test tube, the Apostle of Evolution answered without concern. His voice even sounded somewhat excited.

[All preparations are finally complete.]

Rumble...!

Before the Apostle of Evolution could even finish his words, he felt a tremendous tremor as if the entire space was collapsing. Suho, sensing the change, immediately took out his dagger and swung it.

Crack—

The test tube split in half, and the transparent liquid inside splattered. At the same time, as Suho extended his other hand, the pink brain inside floated up and flew towards Suho. The Apostle of Evolution, caught in that invisible hand, wasn't flustered but rather intrigued.

[Ah, this is the Ruler's Authority. You are a truly amazing person. If I had the time, I would have liked to capture and study you myself... It's truly a shame.]

"What do you mean?" He was relaxed, even though his brain could explode if Suho clenched his hand.

[It means that the final test subject I created has just been completed.]

The moment he heard those words, Suho expanded his senses and searched the surroundings. But he couldn't feel anything. Just this space, this dimension itself, collapsing.

[Please leave now. This place will collapse soon. You can kill me or leave me behind. My role is over.]

Rumble—!

With those words, the dungeon surrounding Suho began to collapse like a shattered window. Along with the Apostle of Evolution's lab inside.

[My liege! This way!]

Suho ran in the direction Beru urgently pointed and escaped through the Gate he entered. Still holding the pink brain in his hand.

[Even if you take me, I'll die soon. That test tube you just broke was artificially keeping this brain alive.] Suho felt a strange sensation at the calm reaction of the Apostle of Evolution in his hand.

"You seem relieved? For someone who's been researching immortality...?"

[Because I have no regrets even if I die now.]

"What did you do?"

[Heh. You'll find out someday. Ah, by the way, even if I die like this, you won't be able to turn me into a shadow soldier. My fragment contained in this brain isn't enough to be converted into a shadow soldier.]

Suho knew that. He couldn't turn the apostles of Itarim he met so far into shadow soldiers. This was similar to the reason why Sung Jinwoo couldn't turn the dead Monarchs into soldiers after the war. The apostles of Itarim were on a similar level to the dead Monarchs. But not everyone was like that. The Apostle of Evolution had seen it countless times. That terrifying sight. Sung Jinwoo, whom he witnessed from afar in outer space, killing Itarim's soldiers and instantly raising them as his Shadow Army. When you witnessed that absurdly great and overwhelming sight with your own eyes, you couldn't help but shudder, especially if you were an enemy. Perhaps it was from then that the Apostle of Evolution wanted to imitate Sung Jinwoo's great power.

'The Shadow Monarch, the king who rules death'

That was truly the pinnacle of evolution in his mind...! So he desperately researched it as soon as he arrived on this planet. The result of imitating him to gain a power as similar as possible was the immortal being like No. 47. A biological weapon without a soul. But even though they looked similar on the outside, it was a great insult to compare his dolls to the Shadow Army. Not only was the inherent power different, but the most terrifying aspect of the shadow power was that it stole the enemy's soul and turned them into an ally.

On the other hand, what about his test subjects? He couldn't even think about turning his enemies into them, he had to create every test subject manually one at a time. And even if he wanted to mass-produce them like in a factory, not only were the materials expensive, but a very delicate crafting process was also required. In short, it was terribly inefficient. A complete failure. But the Apostle of Evolution loved the human saying, 'Failure is the mother of success.' Thanks to experiencing those fiascos over and over again, he finally achieved a single success... The result was a little different from his original goal, but it was still quite satisfying.

[Sirka.]

"...!" Suho's eyes widened at the sudden mention of the name.

"Wait, don't tell me?"

[I was truly surprised when I first found out. To think that there was a successor who inherited the power of a dead Monarch. That a method to evolve an ordinary creature into an apostle-level being like us existed on this planet!]

* * *

At that time. In the place where Sirka was sleeping as an ice pillar. A change was occurring while Woo Jinchul and Greed were busy slaughtering the villains who came from China.

Whoosh—!

"Wh-what?!"

Woo Jinchul, startled by the sudden phenomenon, looked around with wide eyes. Red blood that used to stain the pure white snowfield. And all the blood from the corpses of the countless villains they killed began to gush out and rise towards the sky.

Splash—!

[Be careful! It's the divine power of Outer Gods!] At Greed's urgent warning, everyone looked up at the crimson-red lump that formed in the sky with tense eyes.

It wasn't just blood. Greed, the former High Priest of the Outer Gods Cult, and Iron, the former priest, could feel the tremendous divine power emanating from that grotesquely wriggling lump. And they instinctively understood why it suddenly appeared here.

[S-stop it!]

[Don't let it approach Sirka!]

It was too late. Before they could even finish their words...

Whoosh—

The red lump of blood created in the air flew straight towards the ice pillar where Sirka was sleeping.

[Block it with your bodies—!]

Greed and Iron leaped into the sky without hesitation.

* * *

"Was that to buy time?"

Suho glared at the pink brain and asked, "To steal Sirka while I'm stuck here?"

[No. As I said before, Hunter Sung Suho, you arrived much earlier than I expected. If you had followed my original schedule, I wouldn't have met you here, and I wouldn't have died by your hand. But the experiment was successful, so this much deviation is not a problem.]

Although he was flustered by Suho's unexpected actions, the Apostle of Evolution's attitude didn't change much from when they first met.

The reason he told Suho all his plans wasn't to stall for time. The reason he revealed all his plans to Suho wasn't to stall either.

[Humans are the same, aren't they? Those who, like me, work hard behind the scenes are always eager to share their achievements with others when they finally succeed. In that sense, I just wanted to tell you about all the hardships I've gone through with a pure heart. So now I have no regrets even if I die. Now, quickly kill me and go save Sirka. Though it might be too late.]

"You're lying until the end. Whether you learned well about humans or not." Suho chuckled as he watched the Apostle of Evolution giving his last words.

"No regrets even if you die? That's not it. You're thinking of entering that test subject yourself when you die here, aren't you?"

The Apostle of Evolution finally burst into laughter at Suho's sharp remark. [...Huh. You never cease to amaze me, human.]

That laughter sounded like the hearty chuckle of a seasoned old man and the hysterical giggle of a naive child at the same time.

[Hahaha! That's correct! And even if you don't kill me, the result is the same! This brain has just lost its vitality. This voice is just the remnants of my last remaining magic power...]

"Yes, I'm busy, so let's meet again there." Suho grinned, glaring at the fading brain. And...

"Shadow Exchange."

[Using Skill: 'Shadow Exchange.']

At that moment, Suho's entire body was enveloped in shadows, and his vision was turned upside down.

Whoosh—

And Suho, who switched places with Iron, saw the red lump of blood flying towards Sirka.

"Hey, nice to see you again."

The Apostle of Evolution, who entered the lump of blood just in time, answered Suho's greeting. But he had already become a completely different being. That being was the culmination of all the research he had done, and the final evolution, having completely absorbed the last remaining nutrients left by the dead Apostle of Paradise through the sacrifice of the villains...

[The Nightmare Apostle is hostile towards you.]

The Apostle of Evolution appeared before Suho with a new name.

"Nightmare Apostle?"

Whoosh—

A terrifying killing intent, chilling to the bone, washed over Suho like a tsunami.

Rumble—!

[I'll block him!]

Greed, confirming that Suho, who went to Russia, had returned, jumped in front of him without hesitation and blocked the red tsunami. That thing, which was just a lump of blood at first, began to emit a tremendously ominous aura as soon as the Apostle of Evolution dwelled within, spreading in all directions. Enough to dye the pure white snowfield, even this cold, completely red.

[A bizarre energy is filling the surroundings! I'll go first since we don't know what that guy is...!]

Black steam blazed from Greed's entire body as he stepped forward to protect Suho. But the red tsunami swallowed him whole like fog. They couldn't tell what was happening within, from the outside.

[The Nightmare Apostle is laughing at you.]

"Are you laughing?" Suho's eyebrows twitched.

"Beru."

[Yes, my liege.]

Suho asked, "What happens if you eat this?" Holding up the 'Apostle of Evolution,' which was still in his hand, Beru's lips stretched into a wide grin.

[I'll tell you after I eat it.]

Skill, Devour.

Beru swallowed the 'brain' without hesitation.

Chomp—!