chapter 99

I suddenly felt a huge spark flowing through my entire body. In an instant, the golden sparks surrounded me and drove away Mudur’s blood. I could clearly see it despite my fading consciousness.

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ has started ‘Descent’.]

Descent? Don’t tell me this guy?

The mighty force that exploded seemed to crush the surroundings. Meanwhile, Solar’s eyes next to me were changing to blue flames. The enormous sun took the shape of a human and became a familiar figure I knew. As Mudur’s blood fell down around me, Sven screamed with panic, “W-What is this? What have you done? Chwiiik!”

[Progress of becoming a bloody orc: 50%]

It stopped at exactly half. However, that wasn’t the problem.

“Prometheus, you!”

“…Don’t say it. It is pushing hard at me right now.”

The bloody river was splitting around the blue-eyed Solar, or to be precise, Prometheus who had descended into Solar’s body. I barely landed on the ground. The blood-covered land felt damp and humid.

This guy. In order to save me…

Damn.

It had already started. Iridescent sparks appeared over Prometheus’ head. I knew the identity of this light.

“Breaking the taboo.”

The constellations weren’t forbidden to appear in the human world because they existed to defend the human world. However, gods were a bit different. The gods could do great harm just being in the human world.

In the beginning, Gaia made a taboo to prevent it. She made a tearful choice to limit the power of the gods to protect the humans.

“W-What is this?” Sven was motionless from terror. He hadn’t expected this to happen. Indeed, it was the same for me so I could understand it. This didn’t mean I could forgive him for backstabbing me.

“Prometheus, how long can you hold on?”

“Five minutes based on my current power. Damn, don’t talk to me.”

I could feel the blood waves crashing into the walls of fire around me. The shaking of the fire told me it wouldn’t last long. I had to finish this quickly. I used Rising Sun and ran toward Sven. Sven seemed to panic for a moment before moving his finger to attack me. “Die!”

The cold energy that stretched out from his fingertips struck me. It was the Death Blizzard spell but I wasn’t in the place where it hit. I was heading to Drain’s location. I pulled at the chain of darkness that connected Drain and Sven and could see the chains binding Drain unraveling. I told him, “I’ll take it from here so run away.”

“But…”

“You will just get in the way if you’re here.”

Drain bit his lip at my words. Unfortunately, they were true. He wouldn’t be helpful at all right now. Rather, him being a hostage would only hinder me. He told me, “Wait a bit. I will come back with Gyeonso Dragon and Sujeong…”

“Grruk. Die!”

Sven started to pour out magic. The ice attacks were dominant but some fire, darkness, and curse magic were mixed in. They were avoidable attacks but I had to face them. If I didn’t stop it now, Drain would die. “Go now!”

“Kuock, just wait a bit Buroder! Understood? Don wori!”

I couldn’t see the back of Drain running away. Sven burst out laughing. “Kuhaha! You are pretty good but it won’t last long! I will make you one with Mudur again.”

He muttered something with his staff and the waves of blood that Prometheus was blocking moved toward me. It stabbed in the shape of a sharp thorn. It felt like it was alive.

“What nonsense. Truly.”

I had to avoid Sven’s attacks and the indiscriminate attacks from the waves of blood at the same time. It was just that my physical strength was already extremely low. It was due to the ritual for Mudur’s resurrection.

[Your body isn’t normal at the moment.]

[All stats have been reduced by half.]

[You can only recover after sitting down for 5 minutes.]

Rising Sun had increased by stats by two times so I could hold on, but I couldn’t avoid them all. I bit my lip at the health that gradually fell. At this moment, Prometheus’ message was visible.

[You have received the apostle’s buff.]

[All stats have increased by 50%.]

“Prometheus, you…!”

“Damn, I wasted my star spirit. Three minutes! Finish it in three minutes!”

Maybe after this, Prometheus would have to sleep for a few days. Breaking the taboo was a risk for gods.

“Hold on a little bit.”

I used Sun Road to boost the sun energy of my entire body. There was a sound like an engine exploding as I ran toward Sven. I didn’t have much time. I dodged a sharp icicle, ran past a dark sphere aiming at me, and ran through the various curse magic and awls of blood. Sun Road, as Drain taught me, was the ‘road of the sun.’

“Become a pile of ashes.”

I danced the path of the sun using my legs. Every step of the way, pillars of the sun soared from my body like a dragon, enveloping him.

“Kueook!”

Sven’s figure could be seen through the hot smoke but he was fine. He had taken some damage but he was still in a good state.

“What?” The next moment, I looked at the veil of blood that surrounded his body. Sven had used Mudur’s blood and used it as a shield.

“Grruk. It was dangerous but this is it.” He once again stretched out his staff and the curtain of blood protecting his body stabbed me like an awl.

I couldn’t avoid the sudden attack so I had to catch the awl with both hands.

Prometheus screamed as he watched the awl that stopped in front of me. “Old man!”

“Not yet… I’m okay. Groan.”

I could only hear a bit of noise but I felt the inside of the cave shaking. As expected, a god’s scream created a threat with just his voice alone. My hands were stained with blood. I didn’t know if it was Mudur’s blood or my own.

“Chwiiik. Tenacious bastard…”

Other magic spheres were floating around Sven. Damn, this was the real end. I was already at the limit. It was the same with Prometheus. Even so, I couldn’t blindly give up. I still had a lot of work to do.

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is asking if you remember the last hidden technique of Rising Sun.]

“What? Why are you sending an indirect message?” The moment I turned my head and checked his body, I was forced to bite my lips. The flames of the sun that formed Prometheus’ body were gradually fading away.

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ says you have to do it from now on.]

“What? This…”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is telling you to be quiet because this is the only way.]

“You will consume more divinity if you use that. Then you…”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is telling you not to worry.]

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is saying that he believes in you.]

It was a sad echo. I looked at the message and couldn’t help blinking. I looked at Prometheus’ body and had no choice. At this moment, the fire of the sun that formed Prometheus’ body started to seep into my legs. I had a dark feeling as I felt the growing power of the sun. “I’m sorry, Prometheus.”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is looking at you and laughing.]

My face was full of sorrow as I looked back at Sven. He was still staring at me with eyes full of desire. “Kuhaha. Stupid guy! It is over! Chwiiik!”

At this moment, I stepped forward strongly with my right foot. Prometheus disappeared while the wave of blood flooding toward me was once again blocked by a wall of fire. It was a force Prometheus had been controlling earlier but this time it was a power that I controlled. The magic Sven shot at me was unable to penetrate the flames of the sun surrounding my body. It was the final hidden technique of Rising Sun, as all the sun energy in my body poured into a single attack.

“Let’s go, Prometheus.”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is nodding.]

I ignored the constant bombardment of Sven’s magic and danced the sad sun dance. I had danced many sun dances but I had never been so sad.

Sven looked panicked when I didn’t fall down among the rain of constant attacks. “T-This is ridiculous! Why…!”

I stared at him with a blank expression and opened my mouth, “The final hidden technique of Rising Sun.” At this moment, the entire area burned. The flames of the sun that soared from the ground took on a gigantic form, emitting a heat that seemed to be able to incinerate everything. I looked down at Sven from amidst the blazing storm of fire.

Sven felt something sinister and stuttered, “T-This is impossible. Impossible…”

The storm of flames became the shape of a giant dragon. The moment I moved, the dragon’s head moved with me as I flew toward Sven. Finally, the giant dragon’s mouth opened.

“Sun Dragon.”

The giant dragon’s mouth devoured Sven and started to turn him to ashes. The sun dragon swallowed the cave that seemed like it was going to collapse.

“U-Uweeeeeeok! Ueeeeo…” This was the end of Sven. He vanished, leaving behind no trace of his existence. The sun devoured even the ashes and made everything into nothing.

I ignored the message about leveling up and waited for Prometheus’ indirect message.

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is looking at you.]

The power of the sun was disappearing and I felt a deep sorrow. This was a power originally not available to me. It was a final technique that could only be used when Solar grew a bit more. The present force was something that Prometheus had squeezed out using the last of his divinity.

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is gradually closing his eyes.]

Once the power of the sun sweeping through my body had completely disappeared, my body became heavier. Still, I looked up at the sky. I wanted to hear his last words before he fell asleep.

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is asking you to take care of the rest.]

“…Yes. Don’t worry, I have the memories you gave me.”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is smiling and nodding.]

This was the final message. Many words weren’t necessary. I might not be as close to him as Alexus but now I know my bond with him had deepened.

[The god of fire and prophecy, ‘Prometheus,’ has consumed all his divinity.]

[Prometheus has fallen into a fast sleep due to the Taboo Curse]

[Prometheus can’t wake up unless his divinity is restored.]

[The bloody orc’s blood ritual has stopped.]

“Dammit…”

Prometheus had been caught by the Curse of Prohibition. No gods, not even the primordial god Gaia, could avoid the forbidden curse. It was the same even for the supreme god Jupiter, lying comfortably in his heavenly palace. Then at this moment—

[Grruruk. What is this body?]

Mudur’s voice could be heard.