Chapter 192

The Blood of Adora.

What had previously burned like an uncontrollable wildfire was now completely assimilated with Taewoon’s magical power, pulsating quietly like Taewoon’s new heart.

Having absorbed the essence of The Nameless Head, the blood now harbored a deeper and more profound power; he felt as though he could freely draw upon fragments of that power whenever he wished.

‘And besides…’

The Red Man’s Authority had also undergone a powerful transformation, shifting to an entirely different dimension than before.

The entity beyond the mask he had encountered at the end of the third Apostle Transformation. His connection with that being had now moved beyond a relationship of one-sided borrowing, leaving a deep imprint on Taewoon’s very existence.

“…….”

Finally, the most striking change occurred in the ‘Nameless Mask’ he had kept in his robes.

The mask had been gradually changing its form during previous hunts, but this time, the degree of change was different.

A giant eye pattern, symbolizing the essence of The Nameless Head, was engraved on the surface of the mask, and it emitted an aura so powerful that it could no longer be called a mere ornament.

‘I’ve taken a step forward.’

As Taewoon explained the changes related to the Blood of Adora, Gaspene nodded and pulled something from his robes.

It was a black rock that pulsed as if it were alive, emitting its own light even in the darkness.

“This is ‘Ashtvan’s Heartstone.’ A divine artifact that had been slumbering in The Society’s archives. It will help suppress the rampage of the Blood of Adora and assist in digesting its power. You may consider it a token of my sincerity toward you.”

As he accepted the Heartstone, the crimson mist flowing from the hole in his chest wrapped around the stone, creating a pleasant resonance.

It was certainly something he needed right now. Taewoon nodded silently to express his gratitude.

‘This is… only the beginning.’

Overwhelming achievements, and growth beyond imagination gained as the price for risking immense danger.

Yet, Taewoon’s heart did not flutter in the slightest. Instead, his gaze became calmer, and his thoughts were already directed toward future prey rather than the present.

“……”

Having fought, he knew for sure. The Nameless Head was only the beginning. To clear this Theater and overcome the massive wall that was Saint Kyurihi, he could not afford to stop here.

As soon as his body was fully recovered, Taewoon searched for a new target and declared that he would set out on a new hunt once again.

From then on, several months passed.

Before long, Taewoon became known as a peculiar existence within the Apocalypse Society.

Though an outsider, he possessed authority comparable to a Cardinal and was the only person permitted by the Cult Leader to freely use all of The Society’s resources.

The followers began to refer to Taewoon’s existence as a ‘Holy Follower’ with a mixture of awe and fear.

‘Another empty trip today…’

The title of Holy Follower was far removed from religious faith. It was solely a mark of respect for the overwhelming power and achievements Taewoon had demonstrated.

For the past few months, Taewoon had not rested for a single moment. Based on information provided by the Apocalypse Society, he hunted powerful anomalies that had hidden themselves in the Tehesa region and surrounding areas.

The cloud with a thousand eyes, the snake that swallowed void, the King of Silence… entities whose names alone caused shudders fell beneath Taewoon’s spear, leaving behind only their remnants.

Among them, some were inferior to The Nameless Head, but there were also those equal to it or possessing even more troublesome laws.

“…….”

As the battles repeated, Taewoon grew exponentially, gaining immense power in proportion.

The Blood of Adora granted Taewoon diverse Authorities by absorbing the power of the entities he hunted, and the Red Man’s power reached a level where it could easily erode reality according to Taewoon’s will.

The Nameless Mask also changed, engraving the patterns of the Aberrations he hunted one by one, transforming into something like a piece of art filled with bizarre, multicolored patterns.

“The Holy Follower…”

“Is that the Aberration hunter of Tehesa?”

“I heard he wields all sorts of Authorities that transcend human limits…”

The Apocalypse Society Main Base was enthusiastic about Taewoon’s activities. The more powerful anomalies Taewoon hunted and the more trophies he brought back, the higher the possibility of victory in the fight against their arch-rival, the Assembly.

However, amidst those days, an unresolved question resided in a corner of Taewoon’s heart.

It was the whereabouts of Seoyoon, who had completely vanished.

‘No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.’

There were a total of four Cardinals in the Apocalypse Society. Gaspene and Aphrasia remained at the main base, and the other two were said to be dispatched externally to carry out their respective missions.

Taewoon naturally assumed that one of those two would be Seoyoon.

Given her skill, even if she had entered the Theater as a high-ranking priest, it wouldn’t have been impossible for her to rise to the position of Cardinal in a short period.

‘But…’

No matter how long he waited, Seoyoon did not appear at the main base, and he could not find a name like hers in any of the records he accessed with his authority. It was as if such a person had never existed in the Apocalypse Society from the start.

‘There’s a possibility she’s acting outside the Starting Point like I am… but there’s definitely something suspicious.’

There was no way the Starting Point was wrong. If so, there must be some other reason.

Suppressing his growing suspicion, Taewoon began to uncover the truth in his own way.

“Among the high-ranking priests recognized as Bishop-class, was there anyone with exceptionally extraordinary talent?”

While reviewing information on the next prey with Aphrasia, Taewoon asked the question casually as if in passing. He thought she would be the most knowledgeable about the internal affairs of The Society.

“Extraordinary talent? Well, so many people come and go. But if they were that skilled, there’s no way it wouldn’t have reached my ears. Are you looking for someone to take hunting?”

“Not necessarily… but it wouldn’t hurt to have someone.”

“Hmm, unfortunately, no one comes to mind. Why not ask Gaspene? He’s better at remembering the faces of unremarkable people.”

However, the answer from Gaspene was the same. Although he usually paid attention to The Society’s followers, he asserted that no one met the criteria Taewoon had set.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Even when inquiring with general followers or Bishop-class followers, the result was the same.

It was as if the existence of Seoyoon did not even exist within the Apocalypse Society.

‘Even so, there must be a record of her activities as a follower from the moment she entered the Theater…’

Just as Taewoon’s doubts reached their peak, unexpected news reached him.

The Cult Leader of the Apocalypse Society, who had tacitly avoided contact with him until now, sent word that he wished for a private audience with Taewoon.

‘The Cult Leader? Why suddenly…’

The entire main base was thrown into an uproar at the news. It was known that only a handful of people, excluding the Cardinals, had ever seen the Cult Leader’s face.

For him to personally seek a meeting with an outsider like Taewoon was truly an unusual and unprecedented action.

“…Was there any word on the purpose of the meeting?”

“Well… though it’s not as if I don’t have a hunch.”

Aphrasia’s aura shifted abruptly, and she brought up the events they had experienced in the grave for the first time in a while.

“That thing that stopped the regeneration of The Nameless Head. Don’t you have anything to say about that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was unsure at the time, but I’ve read legends related to it in The Society’s doctrines. The ability you displayed that day was very similar to one of the Authorities possessed by the ‘Avatar of the Apocalypse’ in the scriptures.”

The Avatar of the Apocalypse?

Even with her throwing such words at him, it was difficult for Taewoon to accept.

That was because what Taewoon had used was none other than an Authority borrowed from the ‘Dawn Sun God,’ the object of the Assembly’s longing.

‘For some reason… it feels fishy.’

However, there was no way to know more for now, and Aphrasia merely concluded the conversation by speculating that this might be what caught the Cult Leader’s interest.

Regardless, a decision had to be made, and Taewoon responded without hesitation that he would agree to the private audience with the Cult Leader. It was because he thought he might find a clue about Seoyoon there.

“It’s been a while since this happened. Follow me.”

Guided by Gaspene, Taewoon stepped into a heterogeneous space in the deepest part of the main base, where even the flow of time and space seemed twisted.

At the end was a massive throne surrounded by luxurious bedrock, and someone whose face could not be recognized sat upon it.

[You’ve come.]

Just as it had been with The Nameless Head, Taewoon could not fully feel the Cult Leader’s presence despite him being right in front of him.

He felt like everything that existed in that place, but conversely, he also felt like nothing at all.

As expected of the man who might be the actual head of the Apocalypse Society, he was an undeniably mysterious existence.

“…….”

As Taewoon kept his guard up and stared at the throne, two figures slowly emerged from the darkness on either side of the throne.

One was a giant knight clad in black armor. No sign of living life could be felt from him. And the moment he saw the other person, Taewoon’s eyes widened.

‘That’s…’

A woman wearing the pitch-black uniform of the Apocalypse Society, with a familiar sword at her waist, looking at him with cold eyes.

It was undoubtedly Seoyoon.

However, something was strange about Seoyoon’s state. While her gaze toward Taewoon contained the wariness one has for a stranger, deep within it, a faint confusion and longing seemed to flicker past.

‘What happened?’

Seoyoon reacted in a strange and unstable state, as if she both recognized and did not recognize Taewoon.

The moment Taewoon opened his mouth to call her name unconsciously, a majestic voice that seemed to freeze everything began to echo from the throne.