The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 201

The Leaped Apostle.

As I clashed with it, a tingling sensation surged through my entire body.

I had long heard of the dangers of a Leaped Apostle.

An Apostle that ascends to the surface, brimming with the power of the Abyss at its limit.

It was said that the strength of such an Apostle could shake the world.

Now, I understood those words.

The thing before me was a born hunter—a monster.

Apostles grow stronger by consuming humans.

If something like this reached the surface and devoured humans, the world would be reduced to ruins.

"Right now, at this very moment, this bastard is at its weakest."

What did that mean?

It meant we had to bring it down here.

The Apostle stared at me, its maw stretching wide.

"Aisha!"

At my call, Aisha appeared behind the Apostle.

With all her might, she swung her greatsword in a full-powered strike.

KWA—AAAAANG!

The Apostle was sent flying, tumbling through the air.

But it soon flipped midair and landed unharmed.

This was the raw strength of Aisha, blessed directly by the Saint.

A force that could crumple steel like paper—yet the Apostle showed no sign of even a single broken bone.

Still, we bought time.

Seron and Midra swiftly carried Hanon and Solvas to safety.

"Senior, that thing's soft."

"It's a body-shifting ability."

It transformed its physique to soften the impact of powerful attacks.

I realized this after seeing its body bend unnaturally when sent flying.

This ability meant blunt-force attacks were useless.

"Aisha, stay back with Seron and guard the rear."

Conversely, slashing attacks—or abilities of similar nature—would work.

"Ban, Isabel, Eve."

At my command, the three moved simultaneously.

I shot forward alongside them.

Ban’s aura and Isabel’s Wings of the Goddess erupted with light.

The Apostle’s arms lashed out at the two as they closed in.

Fast.

Too fast to track with the naked eye.

But we had no intention of letting them take the hit.

THUD—

Eve and I stomped the ground in unison.

Blue flames bloomed from Eve’s sword.

Ashen fire wreathed my hand.

Without hesitation, we swung.

Flames surged as our slashes met the Apostle’s arms.

The Apostle’s advance was halted by the inferno.

Seizing the opening, Ban and Isabel’s swords struck its chest and flank simultaneously.

SHIIING!

Even with its body-shifting, the Apostle was wounded.

But the cuts were shallow.

Only faint scratches marred its hide—no deep gashes.

Its natural hide and muscles were simply too thick.

And it wasn’t just its arms it had.

Its gaping maw lunged to tear off Isabel’s head.

A fraction before its teeth closed around her—

The Wings of the Goddess burst from her back.

CRUNCH!

The wings dug into the Apostle’s maw instead.

Then, they erupted in a blinding explosion.

KWA—AAAAANG!

Smoke billowed from the Apostle’s head.

As Isabel raised her sword for another strike—

The Apostle, maw still torn, thrust its head forward.

"Gh—!"

Ban shoved Isabel aside as they both retreated.

I took their place.

Clenching my fist, I swung upward with all my strength.

CRACK!

My punch landed squarely in its maw before it could shift its body.

The ashen flames coiled around my arm surged forth.

The Apostle’s head was engulfed in fire once more.

ZZZT—

A crackle of lightning reached my ears. I yanked my foot back.

KWA—GAGAGAGAK!

A searing beam of light rained from above, swallowing the Apostle whole.

Sharin’s attack magic.

The Apostle thrashed in the blaze before slamming the ground, shattering the terrain.

It tried to escape through the wreckage—

But the assault didn’t end there.

A skeletal hand erupted from beneath, seizing its leg.

Berenzia’s binding curse.

As it raised an arm to break free—

A whirlwind of fire and wind crashed into it.

KWA—GAGAGAK!

The Apostle’s body was torn apart by the storm.

The unified spirit art of Poara and Beakring.

The combined might of Jerion Academy’s strongest.

Even an Apostle couldn’t endure this unscathed.

"Healing complete."

Saint Sirhmiel’s voice rang out.

Hanon and Solvas had been safely treated.

They were fine now.

All that remained was finishing off the Apostle.

THUD!

At that moment, the Apostle—fur charred black—burst through the storm, tumbling across the ground.

"Ghk—!"

Black smoke spewed from its maw as its crimson eyes flared in unison.

This damn monstrous bastard.

That combo would’ve annihilated any ordinary Apostle.

Yet it shrugged it off bare-handed, its fighting spirit unbroken.

The Apostle vanished as its foot slammed down.

High-speed movement.

By the time I realized, it had already leaped toward the rear.

Too fast.

The frontliners couldn’t catch up.

Magic and unified spirit arts were major threats even to an Apostle.

It knew it couldn’t survive repeated hits.

The moment my gaze shifted, Aisha and Seron moved.

They intercepted the Apostle as it closed in at blinding speed.

A sonic boom trailed behind it as it struck faster than sound.

Aisha’s muscles swelled to their limit.

As her greatsword swung to send it flying again—

The Apostle reached out instead of dodging.

CRUNCH!

Its head caved in from the blow.

Body-shifting.

Yet its arm didn’t stop—plunging into Aisha’s shoulder.

SQUSH!

Her shoulder shattered into cube-like fragments.

Her eyes widened in shock—

Just as Seron’s axe struck the Apostle’s side.

KWA—AAAAANG!

A deafening explosion sent the Apostle reeling.

Its claws tore free from Aisha’s shoulder as it was flung aside.

Sharin and Dorala’s magic activated in unison.

Dorala’s wind slash carved into its hide as Sharin’s spell scorched it, sending it flying.

"Ugh—!"

Aisha collapsed, clutching her shoulder.

Sirhmiel and Yoahim rushed to heal her.

A mere graze from its claws had reduced her shoulder to crumbling cubes.

"Don’t let its claws touch bare skin! It’s Body Collapse!"

Weapons like swords could block it, but flesh would shatter on contact.

This Apostle didn’t leap for nothing.

It had every troublesome trait imaginable.

The Apostle, flung back by magic, dodged a barrage of spirit artillery by flattening itself against the ground, darting forward.

Having lost the advantage in close combat, it relied entirely on high-speed movement.

Even Sharin frowned, her staff raised.

At that speed, landing spells was near impossible.

Worse, it had rapid regeneration.

Its wounds closed swiftly as it moved.

Meanwhile, we were burning through stamina.

This couldn’t drag on.

"Eve, stick close to Sharin!"

If it broke through like with Aisha, she’d be in danger.

Eve’s blue flames would make it think twice.

"Sharin, can you lock it down? Restrict its movement?"

"On it."

Priority one: stop its speed.

If magic couldn’t hit it, we had to limit its range.

"Berenzia, keep cursing it. Anything to slow it down. Dorala, you too—use wind magic to trip it up."

I raised my hand, inhaling sharply.

"The rest—Isabel, Ban, and I will pin it down."

With Ban’s reflexes and the Wings of the Goddess, we could react.

"You’re fighting that thing head-on?"

"I’ll be fine."

Body Collapse didn’t work on divine artifacts.

My body was one.

I was its natural counter.

"Beakring and Poara handle firepower."

As I spoke, a massive dome began forming overhead.

It encased the battlefield in a hemisphere.

THUD!

The Apostle crashed into the transparent barrier, halting mid-sprint.

It slashed at the barrier in frustration—only to be repelled.

Sharin smirked.

Her will was clear: You’re not escaping.

Typical Sharin.

The Apostle turned its gaze back.

In that brief pause, curses piled onto it.

Berenzia chanted relentlessly.

The Apostle’s fur and muscles bristled.

It was pissed.

It stomped—

Then charged again, aiming for the rear.

But as it leaped in high-speed—

I cut it off.

If I knew its path, even high-speed movement could be blocked.

The curses were working.

Its body was sluggish now.

WHOOSH!

"O Goddess—!"

Meanwhile, Sirhmiel’s blessings surged behind me.

And not just hers.

Isabel’s Wings of the Goddess amplified everyone’s strength.

A buff unique to the wings.

Curses and blessings.

Sharin’s barrier. Dorala’s support.

With this, we could keep up.

The Apostle’s arm shot toward me.

Its claws brimmed with Body Collapse.

But I met its strike without hesitation.

CLANG!

A metallic screech echoed.

The Apostle gnashed its teeth, hostility flaring.

It had realized: Body Collapse didn’t work on me.

"Thought you were untouchable?"

It must’ve enjoyed slaughtering other Apostles and humans.

Scales erupted across my face.

My physical strength skyrocketed.

The remnants of the Ancient Dragon roared.

The roar pulsed through me, drawing out power.

CRACK.

My bones and muscles surged with incomparable force.

My pupils turned draconic—glowing yellow.

The flames of the engraved Fire Dragon’s magic merged with my ashen fire, engulfing me.

Now, I was the one pushing back the Apostle’s arm.

For the first time, confusion flickered in its eyes.

Dragon Awakening.

The fusion of Ashen Flames and Ancient Dragon magic.

"You picked the wrong fight."

A Leaped Apostle—never before defeated.

We would bring it down here.