Chapter 11: Side Story #1 – The Apostle of Vengeance (4)

Seconds pass by, and thunder pours down over the heads of the [Red Slime Kingdom]. 

The darkness of night is a blanket that cannot block out the sounds of roars and the clashing of weapons.

Pink and Red were the colors that made up the battlefield which held neither blood nor gore. There was nothing left to expend those things, humankind disappearing from this region.

Queen Rayna stands on top of her castle, watching the rain pour down and the invasion of thousands of humanoid pink slimes, wielding and creating weapons out of their bodies. "It has been a mere 4 days and she has finally arrived." Queen Rayns monologues to herself.

The [Red Slime Tribe] has been able to work against the approaching wall of pink mass by unleashing their own walls of flames which usually would be able to melt weaker slimes down into a mist of vapor. Unfortunately, the [Vengeful Slime] possessed an unnatural resistance to the flames. Furthermore, the time has not yet come for the slime infant Tsenira to exit from the Chrono-plane that she placed them in for training.

By now, there is no telling how many months or years have passed in that plane. Not even Queen Rayna in all of her wisdom has been able to quantify the time in the dimension that she created using her own power.

Queen Rayna said that time passed much faster there, but that is only from an outer perspective. Within the Chrono-plane, time passes as if not slower than it should. They could've lived years in there naturally and she wouldn't know.

"Where are you when we need you, [Hero]?"

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❰ Year 1... ❱

We've been in this place for a year now. The slime kid has grown enough to actually speak a bit. I guess communication is something that comes naturally to slimes since all of them seem to be able to communicate. Even the ones that you stumble upon in the wild. It's a girl, I've assumed. I've decided that I will name her Athena since her mother didn't get the chance to.

Vulye says that we should start training a year from now, more than enough time for me to learn the layout of this place.

This 'chrono-plane' is an empty version of the monster world that we were just in. I never thought that I'd be inside of a dungeon for this long, I don't have a clue how long this can last.

❰ Year 5... ❱

Training this girl has been... meaningful. Vulye insists on training with her since he doesn't want her to get hurt. I let him train with us since it'd be better to have two strong people for her to train with besides just myself. 

Slimes can fight in very unique ways, Athena used versatility that I've never seen from slimes on the outside. Whenever I go to kick her, she'll stretch her body out like a sheet to wrap herself around my foot. I might get a little bit too upset, given the goo that she gets stuck on my armor without realizing it.

I've noticed that as her body grows, she's beginning to take the shape of a human child. I'm guessing that she evolved at some point during these last few years, considering the fact that she's even developed legs.

Speaking of which, a few years ago, I stumbled upon that location... I think I should check it out.

❰ Year 9... ❱

The horned woman at the bottom of the cavern is named ███████████████. 

❰ Year 12... ❱

I feel like I'm getting older. While we don't need to eat or drink to survive here, our bodies still become exhausted. It's hard tending to the injuries that I receive from training since I have to scavenge around this entire place before I can do anything. Somehow, I've felt myself growing stronger too though. Is this training seriously helping me stay alive in this place? 

I've begun to notice some cracks in this place. ███████████████ notices them too. She says that it is my duty to continue training Athena, I can only oblige. Her words give me a comfort that is unlike anything that I've ever felt. At first, I questioned how she entered this place, but eventually, I stopped looking into even that.

❰ Year 19... ❱

███████████████ gave me some training. I didn't expect her to be so powerful. Her movements were unlike anything I'd ever seen, even while she was chained to those pillars. I noticed it some time ago, but I can't access my [Status Window] in this place. 

███████████████ told me that the shrine she stays at is a location outside of the passage of time. While time moves slower in the Chrono-plane, her shrine is a completely different location altogether. I think I've met a goddess.

❰ Year 30... ❱

Athena awakened her [Blessing of Righteousness] today. For some reason, that makes me sad. Seeing her grow up to become so strong. I think that I'll be turning 50 today. I lost track of my age a long time ago, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Watching that kid grow older has been a blessing. Even Vulye evolved into a [Demon Slime] through the countless days of training that we'd undergone.

It's thanks to ███████████████ training us. I managed to bring those two to her and she happily helped us all train.

The cracks that I notice have gotten larger. There is a massive wall of black deep in the forest from the castle. ███████████████ hasn't commented on them yet. I have a feeling that she knows what's going on.

Athena's growth has been something unimaginable, but for some reason, we cannot leave. I feel her power has surpassed my own or is close to surpassing mine at the very least. An external force must be keeping us confined here. I take the time to go through the library to research [Blessings] now that I have so much free time.

❰ Year 40... ❱

███████████████ won't let us leave. She refuses to let us leave without the necessary power. 

I kept telling her that we were fine as we were. I tried to assure her that with the power that Athena gained, we would definitely defeat the [Apostle]. She kept saying that Athena hadn't fully awakened yet.

According to her, in order to escape, Athena needs the power to 'split time'. It sounds ridiculous, but I've known ███████████████ long enough to know that she isn't bluffing about this. She's serious. 

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I'd question if that level of power were achievable if not for the fact that ███████████████ has showcased the power to do just that.

I've theorized that if we combined our powers, we can pull this feat off. The cracks around us have become a lot clearer. I think that Queen Rayna is sacrificing her energy or life force to keep this place running, but that doesn't make sense. Disregarding the logic behind the world's collapse, I've undoubtedly noticed that landscapes such as the mountain a couple of miles away from us have disappeared.

❰ Year █████ "...?" ❱

"They're gone. Long gone. You've looked too far through the stretch of time, Observer." ███████████████ has taken notice of your gaze.

As you scroll, you can see her appearance, her red crimson eyes... they are looking at you. 

"There is a tragedy to every story, don't you agree? We [Councilmen] are responsible for writing each of them. I just gave a little push."

The [Observing Cat] that was once ███████ stares at you intensely, beckoning you to stay for a little longer. ███████████████ has other plans for you, though. The story must continue and reach its climax. You've seen too much of the [world outside] of the story.

"Keep watching, [Observer]. You'll witness the shifting of the world. The world's [first update]."

---

"Where are you when we need you, [Hero]?" Queen Rayna questions, looking on at the onslaught of battle and chaos in front of her. 

Lifting her hand in the direction of the approaching flood, Queen Rayna unleashes a powerful blast of flames onto the nearest wall of pink goo that approaches. Consequentially, a blinding light spreads through the battlefield from the power behind her blast. On a level that'd typically be nuclear, Queen Rayna's eyes burst wide to find that the attack was absorbed into the mass of pink goo.

"It's already this strong?" Rayna questions. In all of her years, Rayna's power was unmatched by the other slimes. It should've been impossible for something to reach her level or even surpass it within such a short amount of time. It should've been impossible for something to endure her powerful attacks to such a degree! 

But, in the same spot that she'd fired her own blast at, a slash grew through the pink wall of goo.

"Slash, Vulye." A voice comparable to Tsenira's speaks from a location that cannot be observed. A location too eldritch for the mind to see. Her footsteps cannot be heard, but they can be seen. Her eyes cannot be seen, but they can be heard. Her breathing cannot be felt, but it can feel. Scenarios that did not make sense collected themselves together into a massive eruption of pixels spreading throughout the pink goo. 

And then, she appears, in her unfounded beauty. The culmination of a century's worth of work. 

[The Sword]: Vulye.
[The Knight]: Tsenira.
[The Hero]: Athena.

A combination of power was not all that was needed to escape that place. [A combination of bodies] was required. To gain the power possessed now, Athena merged herself with Tsenira and consumed Vulye, creating a weapon out of him. With the [Blessing of Righteousness], Athena's own anger, sorrow, and bravery powered the weapon in a literal sense. The weapon is powered by the emotions of three mighty individuals. 

The sword was forged from Athena's mind, shining white with magical circles forged around it at will. Miles away, standing on top of a pile of multi-colored goo, the [Apostle] watches. She was not surprised in the slightest. Why?

The [Hero of Righteousness] and the [Apostle of Vengeance]. They were two individuals who could utilize the bodies that they consumed and their attributes. Tsenira had an attribute that she intended to use during the first appearance of the flood but was halted by the appearance of the slime mother. The skill is known as [Slash]. When simplified, her weapon will slash through anything, regardless of its durability or power. If she used this skill at that time, though, she'd have definitely been killed.

The flood of pink goo began to fade away into a mist of pixels, blending into the darkness of the night sky. "I'll slay you here, [Apostle]." The Hero speaks, looking past the kingdom at the tower of slime that struck the sky. During her time of training, a revelation was brought upon Athena. [Apostle] was a race of its own, and that pink slime woman was one of the [Apostles] brought upon the world for one purpose. "Your vengeance will not invoke depravity, never again."

The appearance of the Apostle changed into one that was much more human. "This is the power invoked upon you by [God], is it? The Blessing of Righteousness hasn't disappointed me in the slightest, then!" In the form of a Knight and in the form of a Demon, two powerful auras flash against one another from miles away, a distance that did not matter to those who could clear it in no time.

The two of them disappeared only a second after their talk, the sound of powerful explosions sounding off into the otherwise quiet night sky. The red slimes may only look and watch in disbelief as the sky trembles under the pressure of the fight between the two entities. The knight of prophecy and the calamity that it was born to fight.

With each swing of her sword, Athena received injuries that she could barely heal. On the other end of the blade, the Apostle was split apart by the mighty force of those swings as well. A battle that lasted for days before both parties increased the power of their attacks to an even greater degree. As though fueled by an unseen source, the two monsters fought for the entertainment of unseen forces beyond the skies.

---

"Or so, this is how the tale goes. There is no evidence to suggest that the slime race can even grow to become this powerful." A man's voice goes through a large lecture hall. Fixing his glasses on his face, the man looks out at the class of young students listening in amazement. "Slimes are far from rare and can be seen in almost every dungeon if you look hard enough."

Ah, it was just a mere lecture. A fable created for the enjoyment of children so to speak. 

"If a battle like this were to have ever taken place, our strongest would've worked hard to reach that Dungeon and defeat any threats that showed up. Especially a threat that can be a threat to our civilization as we know it!" The professor explains to the class, writing something down on the chalkboard behind him before one of his students actually asks a question.

"Professor, if I may ask, how did they grow so powerful, to begin with?" What an obvious question, did this young man not pay attention to the story?

huehuehue...

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