Delamis Palace
It’s not just the Ark that’s the problem. That’s just the preliminary battle; the real fight comes afterward.
“Secondly, there are the remnants of the Apostles who still follow Kuromel. If we try to thwart Kuromel’s plan, they will surely stand in our way to stop us.”
“Yeah. We only met a limited number of Apostles in the Underworld, after all. I think the black Melfina already sent most of the Apostles who knew about this plan away from their base of operations, don’t you think? There might have been a few exceptions, though.”
My second father-in-law, Pope Philip’s, guess is right on the mark. Iris and Serge, whom we fought that time, and Nito’s uncle, were not informed of Kuromel’s true plan. This applies to Ange, Bel, and Estoria as well. Among the Apostles in the Heart of the Evil God, only Zildra and Tristan seemed to know from the beginning. These two were probably the exceptions, and Zildra was likely supposed to escape on the Ark as part of the original plan. In that sense, we can consider that we succeeded in landing a blow. The memories Melfina gave me in my dream didn’t contain information about those circumstances, so this is just conjecture.
“I agree. It was a big deal that we were able to defeat the creator, Zildra, at that place. This prevents Kuromel and the Apostles from obtaining any more powerful equipment or items.”
“True. So, do you know anything about the remaining Apostles?”
“Yes, I gathered the information from Melfina and transcribed it onto paper. Efil, please.”
“Understood.”
Efil distributed the prepared materials to everyone. Once I confirmed that everyone had received them, I resumed the explanation.
“I have written down the information on the remaining Apostles on the handout. There are three Apostles left: first, in order of rank, is the former general of the Mixed Beast Corps from Trisen, Tristan Pharze. Next, the Guild Master of the Pars Adventurer Guild branch, Rio, now Riod. And finally, Sachiel Oma Lizea, who has held the throne of the Lizea Empire for many years. Please check this paper for the Status and Unique Skills of these three.”
***
Rank 10th Pillar “The Commander” Tristan Pharze
Level: 134
HP: 1050/1050
MP: 4730/4730
Strength: 218
Durability: 362
Agility: 390
Magic Power: 3699
Luck: 2947
Unique Skill “Demi-God Manipulation”
Allows the user to command lower gods through Summoning Magic, consuming no MP upon summoning. However, summoning subordinates that are not gods consumes MP as usual. It does not apply to higher gods, but if a contract could be made, it would offer some effect in reducing magic power consumption.
Special Notes (Subordinates through Summoning Magic)
– Demise Girrimot
– Explosive Elder King
– Dream Devouring Bind
– Tyrantrigures
– God Dragon Zakhaka
– Divine Machine Deus Ex Machina
– God Insect Lengerange
– God Snake Anra
Rank 5th Pillar “Analyst” Riod
Level: 178
HP: 4328/4328
MP: 4469/4469
Strength: 2351
Durability: 1807
Agility: 2490
Magic Power: 2184
Luck: 1326
Unique Skill “God Eye”
Allows the user to switch between Magic Eye-related skills (including Unique Skills) with every blink, using them with power equivalent to S-Rank. It is possible to set different skills for each eye, allowing for combinations of abilities depending on usage.
Special Notes (Combined Magic Eyes)
– Long-range attacks using *Clairvoyance* and offensive magic eyes. Combinations with curse-based and analysis-based magic eyes are also possible, making *Clairvoyance* highly versatile.
– The combination of *Demon Breaking Eye*, which nullifies target buffs, and *Heavenly Eye*, which sees through physical obstructions, is vicious. Some form of defense is essential.
– In close combat, the combination of avoiding attacks with *Precognition Eye*, seeing through opponents with *Mind Reading Eye*, and enhancing motion perception with *Eagle Eye* is overwhelmingly powerful.
– —
Rank 2nd Pillar “Selector” Sachiel Oma Lizea
Level: Unknown
HP: Unknown
MP: Unknown
Strength: Unknown
Durability: Unknown
Agility: Unknown
Magic Power: Unknown
Luck: Unknown
Unique Skill “Foresight Divine Providence”
While Riod’s *Precognition Eye* shows events a few seconds into the future, this ability allows one to know the whereabouts of necessary things far into the future or retrieve information from ancient times. Kuromel used this ability to gather the Apostles. Once activated, it requires a cool-down period before the next activation.
Unique Skill “Absolute Resonance”
This is the reason Sachiel’s Status is listed as Unknown. Stats, level, skill points, and status ailments resonate with Kuromel. The reason for not appearing on the front lines until now was that Kuromel’s body was weak and lacked physical form. However, now Sachiel possesses the same strength as Kuromel.
Special Notes (Regarding Sachiel)
The Emperor of the Lizea Empire always wears the Emperor’s full body armor. This has been the tradition since the founding of the Lizea Empire, started to symbolize the Emperor’s constant victory. Therefore, only those close to the imperial family know the Emperor’s appearance, and since succession is not hereditary but determined by the Emperor’s designation, the identity of the person inside is unknown to the public.
***
That’s roughly it.
“Well, where should I start? There’s a lot I want to say.”
“Hmph, I admit they are strong, but overall, are they not inferior to Serge? If so, what is there to worry about?”
“…Solondir, the problem isn’t just about Status.”
“In terms of sheer combat power, Fu-chan is indeed the strongest. However, more than that, their abilities are problematic.”
Colette is right. Furthermore, the problem is that the information on these Apostles is not up-to-date. The news Melfina gathered is merely fragments of Kuromel’s memories. There’s a possibility they have acquired other powers since then, and as Mel’s memo stated, it’s not wise to be overly confident. With that in mind, I will mention it only as a reference.
“We defeated many of Tristan’s subordinates, the Divine Pillars, in the previous battle. However, if we assume Tristan’s Summoning Magic is S-Rank, there will be remaining capacity for more. There’s a high possibility he’s added new subordinates. Riod’s combined magic eyes are also not to be underestimated. For example, with *Charm Eye*, those without resistance can be defeated in an instant.”
“And even more difficult to deal with will be Lizea’s Emperor, Sachiel. Oh boy, I have quite a history with them, and to think they were an Apostle! Hahaha.”
“It’s not ‘hahaha,’ Pope! If that person has gained power equivalent to Melfina, then Melfina would be… two… *cough*!”
Ah, it was getting serious, but Colette’s nose started bleeding. Colette has resolved to face this decisive battle after understanding Melfina’s and Kuromel’s circumstances. She has. However, Kuromel is still a facet of Melfina. I believe I understand how difficult it must be for a shrine maiden to fight against Melfina for Melfina’s sake. Above all, I want to respond with all my might to the decision she made herself. She is still fighting valiantly against the genes etched into her as a shrine maiden. I should at least wipe the blood that’s gushing out.
“Gack…!”
A sudden storm of re-eruptions. Ugh, it’s smeared everywhere…
“Ah, Master, please do not approach Colette at this time. It will only excite her further.”
“S-Sorry…”
It seems I’m not even allowed to wipe her nose.
