Chapter 195

In the wind of the desolate plateau, only the sound of the gale shaking everything in sight filled the heavy silence between the two.

Without moving a single step, Taewoon gazed at Seoyoon, whose hand rested on the hilt of her sword. Her eyes were as calm as a lake, but beneath the surface, minute ripples were stirring.

“…….”

How much time had passed? Finally, Seoyoon’s lips slowly parted. Her voice was as cold and dry as a winter wind.

“…Strangely, you don’t feel unfamiliar.”

A confusing answer, neither an affirmation nor a denial. Seoyoon’s fingers unconsciously brushed the hilt of her sword.

As if having reached a decision, Seoyoon looked Taewoon straight in the eye. Her wavering gaze had settled back into a chilly stillness.

“But what meaning does that have? Currently, I am a being taken in by the Cult Leader. There is no need for me to care about anything else.”

Seoyoon drew a clear line. It was a declaration that regardless of the past, she was currently the sword of the Apocalypse Society.

“Holy Follower, whatever your purpose may be… I am merely providing assistance according to the Cult Leader’s orders. That is all I was commanded to do.”

A corner of Taewoon’s chest tightened suffocatingly. Despite this, he revealed no emotion and continued to remain silent.

‘She lost her memories immediately after entering the Theater…’

Was it a simple accident? However, such a case had never occurred before, and it was hard to believe the Theater’s system was that flawed.

Taewoon considered this to be the result of clear ‘intervention’ rather than an accident or coincidence.

‘The Cult Leader… did he have a hand in this? But there hasn’t been a case where someone was immediately suspected after entering the Theater via the Starting Point…’

Until now, Taewoon had naturally blended into his roles assigned by the Theater, and it should have been the same for everyone else.

If the Cult Leader possessed the ability to notice that sliver of incongruity and respond immediately, the danger he posed might exceed Taewoon’s imagination.

‘If not that, could the A Step of Change special privilege have caused some kind of reaction? Or perhaps the influence of the Nameless Card?’

There were several possibilities. But regardless of which it was, the fact that Seoyoon’s memory loss was far from a coincidence or accident remained unchanged.

Now was not the time to move rashly. It was not wise to blindly dig deeper without knowing the exact cause.

Collecting his complex emotions, Taewoon gave a short nod.

“I understand. Let’s focus on the mission.”

There was neither disappointment nor anger in Taewoon’s voice. Only the coldness of a hunter focused on the goal before him remained.

Seoyoon seemed to feel a slight sense of relief at Taewoon’s demeanor; she removed her hand from the hilt and began to scan the surroundings once more.

The two spoke no more. They simply pushed through the desolate plateau in silence, searching for traces of the Tormented Goat.

Exactly two more days passed.

Taewoon’s party continued their persistent search amidst the harsh cold and skin-piercing wind, while the barren environment of the plateau constantly sought to reject them.

“I’ve found it! I can feel a strange remnant of Magical Power over here!”

As the sun began to set, the shout of Valen, one of the Bishops who had gone out searching, rang out.

He possessed an ability specialized in sensing the flow of souls, and deep within the mountain range where his fingertips pointed, there was a basin surrounded by giant rocks like a folding screen.

“Everyone, assemble. Begin preparations for the subjugation.”

At Taewoon’s concise command, the Followers moved in perfect unison. Having become quite accustomed to battling high-level Aberrations, the atmosphere was different from their first fight.

Taking their positions and drawing the divine artifacts provided by the headquarters, the Followers steeled their resolve for the final battle.

In their eyes, the fear of the past had been replaced by the solemnity and pride of those who followed the Holy Follower.

“Commence entry.”

Taewoon climbed atop the highest rock at the entrance to the basin. As the hem of his red robe fluttered in the wind, Taewoon’s gaze fixed directly on the center of the basin.

‘…There it is.’

Inside the basin, dozens of white goats were leisurely grazing. It was a pastoral scene that looked peaceful, but to Taewoon’s eyes, the incongruity hidden beneath the surface was vividly apparent.

The goats’ eyes were vacant, as if glass had been embedded in them, and there was no will in their movements.

They were not living creatures, but closer to a group of exquisitely crafted dolls.

“…….”

And at the center of that group, a single goat with pitch-black fur stood silently.

Due to an alien presence incomparable to the surrounding white goats, Taewoon immediately realized that this creature was the target: the Tormented Goat.

“Keshatus!”

Taewoon could now draw upon a portion of The Red Man’s Authority simply by concentrating his will.

A crimson haze rose around Taewoon’s body, and as he extended his right hand into the air, the sky was instantaneously covered by dark red thunderclouds.

The manifestation of Authority was incomparably faster and more precise than when he had faced The Nameless Head.

Following Taewoon’s will, a single bolt of red lightning, containing the purest intent of destruction, began to strike down from the center of the thunderclouds toward the black goat.

The earth shook and space screamed. The point where the lightning struck was annihilated, turning into a massive pile of ash.

However, in the center of it, the black goat stood perfectly fine without even blinking. Only the surrounding white goats crumbled away, charred black like burnt dolls.

“As expected, simple attacks don’t work,” Taewoon murmured softly.

Then, the black goat slowly, very slowly, turned its body to face Taewoon’s party.

Its eyes.

There was neither anger nor murderous intent within them; instead, a space without beginning or end swirled inside.

Just by meeting the goat’s gaze, he felt a sense of vertigo, as if his mind were drifting away.

“Commence attack!”

With Aphrasia absent, the field command was Taewoon’s responsibility. Immediately following Taewoon’s order, the Bishops of the Apocalypse Society began to deploy the spells they had prepared.

“Along with the Spike of Apocalypse…”

“Bind its soul with the Chains of the Dead!”

Dark red thorns erupted from the ground and shot toward the goat, while chains imbued with the energy of vengeful spirits appeared in the air, attempting to bind its limbs.

Taewoon also gripped Keshatus and Barata in both hands, relentlessly unleashing the Soul-Chasing Eight Ghost Spear infused with The Red Man’s Authority.

But all attacks were meaningless.

The black goat simply sat still, silently absorbing every attack; the spikes crumbled like dust before even touching a hair on its body, and the chains lost their strength and melted away the moment they touched its form.

It was as if its very existence rejected the physical laws of this world.

“…It wields truly mysterious power.”

“Every attack is being nullified.”

The Followers could not hide their bewilderment. Having participated in numerous hunts with Taewoon over the past few months, they had discerned that the goat’s level was extraordinary.

‘This time too… it won’t end easily.’

Taewoon stopped his attack and took out the Red Wax Mask, placing it over his face.

Apostle Transformation.

Taewoon’s existence blurred at the boundary of reality, and every sense of his physical body began to transcend the human realm.

A world beyond the five senses, a high-dimensional landscape where laws and causality were intertwined like threads, unfolded before Taewoon’s eyes.

‘This is…’

The appearance of the Tormented Goat reflected in Taewoon’s eyes formed a truly astonishing shape.

It did not exist entirely in this world. Half of it was in reality, and the other half was draped across the gap between reality and unreality.

It could be described as a state where substance and illusion were strangely overlapped, like the reflection of the moon on the surface of water.

‘…It’s not unfamiliar.’

It was essentially similar to the unique ability of The Red Man obtained through Apostle Transformation.

And as much as Taewoon had experienced it himself, it was not difficult to grasp the characteristics of such a phenomenon.

‘In that state, most attacks won’t work.’

No matter how much he attacked the portion of the form existing in reality, it was meaningless. The attacks merely hit the illusion, failing to reach the creature’s essence at all.

He felt he could vaguely guess why it was called the Tormented Goat. It was a seeker wandering without finding an answer, and thus, it was not bound to any one side.

‘…First, I must pull it entirely into reality. If I don’t place it on the same battlefield, the fight itself cannot be established.’

What should he do? Taewoon could reach that boundary through Apostle Transformation, but this was his first time attempting to forcibly pull another being out.

It was at that very moment, while Taewoon was agonizing over a solution.

“…I will help.”

Breaking the quiet silence, Seoyoon stepped forward.

She drew the sword from her waist. The sword, which appeared to have been given to her by the Cult Leader, emitted an ominous aura that seemed to distort the surrounding space the moment it was drawn.

The blade was composed of a darkness deeper than the night sky, and faint patterns like starlight were engraved on its surface.

“That is…”

“A divine artifact bestowed by the Cult Leader; it possesses the power to cut the boundary of space.”

Seoyoon adjusted her grip on the sword and aimed it at the black goat. Her gaze was more serious and sharp than ever.

“Give me the exact coordinates. With my power alone, I cannot specify the boundary of the second dimension it is draped across.”

Taewoon did not hesitate. Pushing the senses of his Apostle Transformation state to the limit, he captured the most vulnerable point where the goat was draped between reality and unreality.

“…Now! Swing your sword along the stream of my power.”

Simultaneously with Taewoon’s shout, Seoyoon moved. A line drawn without hesitation cleaved through the air.