[Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!]
Boom!
Crack! Bang! Bang!
Black shockwaves and explosions erupted repeatedly. Beru relentlessly pushed the Apostle of Conquest, like a veritable thunderbolt. As time passed, the black energy emanating from his entire body grew stronger and stronger.
Meanwhile, Arsha spread her hands. At that gesture, numerous Void Insects latched onto the butterflies' bodies, forcefully injecting their stingers. As Arsha's royal jelly was infused through the stings, the butterflies screamed in astonishment.
[Kuaaak!]
[G-great Itarim…!]
[Stop! Stop…!]
Arsha was fundamentally a queen bee. Just as she had once done to Lee Minsung, the queen bee's royal jelly was a form of authority that turned others into loyal worker bees. Previously, it wouldn't have worked on an apostle of Itarim, whose rank was leagues above the likes of Lee Minsung, but now, having achieved growth through evolution, it produced a devastatingly lethal effect against mere clones.
[Kraaaah….]
Thus, the butterflies, clones and simultaneously subordinates of the Apostle of Conquest, gradually lost their reason and focus. And eventually…
Crack!
Crrrack!
Their backs, where the splendid two pairs of wings were attached, split open vertically. And from within, shedding the husk of the Apostle of Conquest, they were reborn as loyal Void Insects, serving only Arsha.
[Kuaak! How dare you take my subordinates!]
At that sight, the Apostle of Conquest trembled with fury. Having his subordinates stolen from right before his eyes was an immense humiliation. But even if he wanted to stop it, he couldn't afford to divert his attention.
[How dare you look away in my presence!]
Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek—!
[Kuk!]
Suddenly, a giant shadow loomed over the Apostle of Conquest's head. A black palm. As if swatting not a butterfly, but a fly, Beru slammed down his giant hand towards the Apostle of Conquest. Its black claws blotted out the sky, descending to cover the entire field of vision. The power contained within that palm was enough to tear the heavens and crush the earth.
Kwaaaaaang—!
[Uaaak!]
With that single blow, countless butterflies were annihilated instantly. The Apostle of Conquest, whose main body barely managed to evade, roared. The pain was immense, but the humiliation was beyond words. Arsha's Void Insects were already clinging to the crushed butterfly corpses, stabbing them with their stingers! He had anticipated the possibility of a trap, but this place could hardly be described as a mere trap. And this damned black ant! Possessing such ridiculously overwhelming power, why did it even bother creating a trap? If he had known that such a being existed…
'I would have remained hidden…! I would have gathered a stronger and larger army before revealing myself!'
But regret always comes too late. Rendering the years spent secretly gathering strength meaningless, Arsha and Beru were thoroughly toying with and mocking the Apostle of Conquest.
[Kraaak! To think you hid such power! How dare you deceive me!]
[Dare?]
Beru scoffed at the sight of the creature trembling in rage. The current Beru was not the small size that usually followed Suho. Thanks to recovering a considerable amount of mana, he had returned to his original form. But this power was not eternal. If he used his strength now, he would need many Essence Stones for recharging later. Therefore, if he let this one escape now, it would be a waste of precious mana. Something absolutely unthinkable.
[You cannot escape from this place.]
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
[Nor will I permit you to die by your own will.]
It didn't matter if the other butterflies were crushed or destroyed, only the main body was important! The absolute priority was to prevent the main body from dying, while simultaneously ensuring it couldn't escape by tearing off its limbs! That was the role Beru had received from Suho. And he merely carried out that order perfectly, smiling with pleasure.
[If it were up to me, I would chew and swallow your brain right now, feasting on your memories…]
But doing so might let him escape. The moment the main body trapped here died, another butterfly, whereabouts unknown, would be designated as the new main body.
[…Or perhaps?]
Beru, smacking his lips regretfully, suddenly had a good idea. If all these butterflies shared the same consciousness, wouldn't consuming just one be enough? Since there were so many anyway, not turning one into a Void Insect wouldn't be a significant loss, would it? Having come up with a good plan, he immediately put it into action.
Chomp!
Beru's mouth swallowed the entire head of a butterfly he had just crushed. At that moment, quite useful memories flowed into his mind. And…
[Hah, look at this guy…]
He glared at the servant of Itarim with an expression of disbelief. At that gaze, the Apostle of Conquest, who had been struggling helplessly while being thoroughly dominated by Beru's overwhelming power, stiffened.
[Don't tell me you…]
Befitting a being composed of a hive mind, he was quick-witted.
[Have the ability to read memories… Guk!]
The Apostle of Conquest couldn't finish his sentence. Because Beru was clutching his throat… An answer wasn't needed anyway. What he had revealed so far was already sufficient to glimpse the true objective the Apostle of Conquest had been hiding.
[You… I see now, you didn't have just one or two hiding places.]
[Keoheuk, Kkuhihik!]
The Apostle of Conquest burst into mad laughter despite barely being able to breathe. There was a reason for it. Until now, Suho and Beru had thought that since there were many Itarim, the apostles competed with each other. But conversely, it meant there were also apostles who served the 'same god'. While some competed to curry favor with their god, others cooperated for the sake of a grand cause. For instance…
[…To think you served the 'same Itarim' as the Apostle of Paradise.]
[Kuhuhu! Even if you know that, what changes? Our grand cause will eventually be achieved…!]
[Harmakan! Bind this one with your magic!]
[Understood Sir.]
At Beru's call, Harmakan abruptly appeared. From the moment he unleashed his original power, Harmakan's attitude towards Beru had become extremely respectful. As ordered he wrapped the limbless Apostle of Conquest in magical chains, then turned back and asked.
[Lord Beru, what shall you…?]
[I shall go to the Young Master. Open a Gate there immediately.]
[Yes.]
[Hurry. The Young Master might be in danger.]
Fwoosh!
Harmakan opened a Gate leading to Suho's shadow without a word. Beru's heart raced as he jumped straight into it. Based on the memories he had just read, the hiding place of the Apostle of Conquest that Suho had gone to find…
[Arsha! Do not let a single one escape!]
[Yes! Leave this side to me!]
Surrounded by the newly created Void Insects, Arsha exuded a presence far more powerful than before.
* * *
Meanwhile, Suho, having found the hiding place where the Apostle of Conquest was concealed, had arrived in 'Russia'.
"Russia…" Suho murmured, looking at the scenery unfolding before him.
The largest country in the world, with a land area of a staggering 17 million square kilometers. Russia was famous for being 'extremely rich in resources' due to its vast land. Plentiful resources meant it was also the optimal environment for growing Elvenwood. And after the Apostle of Paradise's space-distorting barrier disappeared, it was the place where the most Elvenwood had revealed itself worldwide.
However, unlike other countries that mobilized forces to eliminate the suddenly appearing monstrous trees in panic, Russia was the only place that took no action. As if they already knew of its existence, they left it untouched instead of responding. Other countries, suspicious of this, had long applied political pressure and raised questions, but Russia stubbornly feigned ignorance. To summarize, it was roughly, 'We'll handle it ourselves, mind your own land.' Russia had become a very politically closed-off country since the Cataclysm. Such Russian diplomacy was highly abnormal, but the rest of the world did not find it particularly strange.
Yuri Orlov.
It was after he, an S-rank barrier specialist, became Prime Minister that the current Russia was born. Immediately after the Cataclysm, Russia had descended into an apocalypse far surpassing North Korea in comparison. And within that infernal landscape, it was a federation of city-states living under the thorough protection guaranteed by Yuri Orlov's barrier. While this arrangement appeared peaceful on the surface, the reality was…
"We are the exiled."
The place Suho arrived at, following the Void Insects, was none other than a village of people living outside the barrier… Or more accurately, people exiled outside the barrier. The reason for their banishment was evident: they resisted Yuri Orlov's dictatorship.
"However we consider ourselves not the 'exiled', but the 'escapees' from the 'fishbowl'."
The barrier of the S-rank Hunter Yuri Orlov was potent, and consequently, the fishbowl he created was safe. Conversely, this meant that outside the barrier was hell. But they did not regret it.
"Though it is dangerous, we could not live as fish in a bowl."
"We are… human, are we not?"
Suho, having discovered this place, learned much from them. About the man named Yuri Orlov. As well as the internal situation and calamities in Russia resulting from him.
"Inside the fishbowl… it has become an empire solely for Prime Minister Yuri Orlov, by Yuri Orlov."
"He's called Prime Minister, but he's no different from an emperor."
"Inside the fishbowl, his commands can never be defied."
An emperor with absolute power. A wielder of absolute authority, difficult to achieve in modern society. That was Prime Minister Yuri Orlov.
"No matter how dangerous it is outside the fishbowl, I never want to go back inside."
"We must survive somehow."
Among the Russians exiled from the fishbowl, there were several Awakened individuals. Thanks to them, they barely managed to cling to life amidst the magical beasts outside the barrier. But their lives were ephemeral, constantly threatened by death at any moment. Their ultimate goal was to request aid from other countries, but the journey to the border itself was a continuous, life-threatening adventure… This was due to Russia's immense size. But today, they were exceptionally lucky, they encountered Suho in the middle of this vast hellscape.
Kuaaaaaar!
"Damn it! Magical beasts!"
"Hide!"
Just then, hearing the roars of magical beasts from afar, the Russians conversing with Suho scattered in panic, running somewhere. But they certainly didn't abandon Sung Suho, the stranger they had coincidentally met on the road.
"You too, come quickly!"
"This way leads to the underground cave where we've been hiding lately!"
In regions like Siberia, natural caves that formed over long periods were ubiquitous. And these places served as one of the few shelters offering temporary refuge from the threat of magical beasts. And they readily offered this sanctuary, found at the risk of their own lives, to Suho, whom they had met for the first time today…
"...You're lucky."
Today, these people were very lucky.
In many ways.
[Using Skill: 'Storm of Black Flames'.]
Kwaaaaaang—!
"…?!"
Highly compressed black flames melted the approaching swarm of magical beasts in an instant. At that absurd spectacle, the eyes of the people urgently fleeing into the cave filled with astonishment.
But from Suho's perspective, his luck was just as good. Because from the depths of the cave they guided him to, the aura of an Outer God was faintly emanating.
"This is Sung Suho. I have found the hiding place where the main body was concealed."
Convinced that this was the hiding place of the Apostle of Conquest, he made contact and began to survey his surroundings. And after some time, Suho noticed something strange…
"Why is this place so far from Elvenwoods?"
According to the information Beru had obtained, the Apostle of Conquest bred his forces by attaching pupae to the Elvenwoods. But for some reason, this location was quite distant from any of them. Then…
[…Sanctuary! A sanctuary is hidden here!]
"Beru?"
Beru, having hastily crossed dimensions, popped his head out from Suho's shadow just in time.
"There's an Outer God's sanctuary inside this cave?"
Having understood those words Suho's eyes flashed.