The fog grew thicker as they moved forward.
Evan continued to advance with Helen’s help.
“Huu…”
Evan let out a long breath.
The aura of death grew stronger with each step.
Now, even with Helen’s divine power, he felt his heart tightening.
“Helen, wait a moment…”
Unable to endure any longer, Evan chose to rest.
If he moved any further, he felt like his heart would literally burst.
“Oppa, are you really okay…?”
Helen looked at Evan with worried eyes.
“No. It’s not that bad… You don’t need to worry too much.”
Evan reassured the girl and took a moment to catch his breath.
‘Damn it.’
Despite his words, his condition wasn’t good.
With every step, his muscles felt like they were freezing, and breathing was as difficult as if he were underwater.
It felt like he was being forced to move on the brink of death.
Evan gritted his teeth.
‘What if I keep going like this and still don’t meet the God of Death…?’
A wave of anxiety washed over him at the very plausible assumption.
What if he really couldn’t do anything and just died?
‘…No. It’s meaningless to think like this after coming this far.’
This journey had begun with the resolve that he might die.
A journey where life and death intertwined at every moment, advancing toward the truth of the world… Evan pushed the worries from his mind and took another step.
“Let’s go, Helen. We need to bring Chloe back…”
“If it’s too hard, you can rest more…”
“I’m not overdoing it, so don’t worry.”
“…Okay. But if you feel tired, please rest.”
“Alright. I will.”
***
After resting a couple more times and advancing for an hour, the two finally reached the center of the altar.
“Ugh…”
Helen grimaced as she stepped onto the altar.
The stench of blood, the smell of rotting corpses…
The scent of death was overwhelmingly strong.
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes. Just a bit nauseous…”
Helen covered her mouth with a pained expression.
“I’ll try to finish this as quickly as possible.”
Evan, too, couldn’t stay long, so he began inspecting the altar.
But despite his urgency, there was no trace of the God of Death.
“Ugh…”
As time passed, Helen’s condition worsened.
The girl couldn’t hold back the rising nausea and vomited on the ground, her complexion growing paler.
Evan was also affected.
The divine power that had been protecting him weakened along with Helen.
“Huff…”
An icy chill began to slow his heartbeat.
His pulse gradually weakened.
‘If this continues, I’ll die.’
If that happened, not only would Helen’s safety be compromised, but Lucia would also fall into an eternal sleep, never to wake again.
Unable to accept that, Evan began slamming his chest to keep his mind sharp.
‘What should I do?’
As Evan pondered how to survive in the face of death, an idea came to him.
“Helen.”
“Yes?”
“Try using your power to revive Chloe.”
Helen looked startled.
“With my power? My power isn’t related to reviving people, so I can’t bring her back…”
“You don’t have to succeed. Just try to twist your power.”
“But I’ve never twisted my power before…”
“Think of it as using your power in the opposite direction. I’ll help you. Can you do it?”
“…Yes. If it’s to bring her back, I’ll do anything.”
Nodding, Helen took a deep breath and reached out toward Lucia, who was pulled from her necklace.
She began to channel the magical energy around her, activating her power.
In the opposite direction of what she had always used.
From death to life.
To revive Lucia, the girl paradoxically drew upon the power of death within her.
“Kuh…!”
The more she used her power, the more Helen’s hands trembled.
It was a reaction to the burden of twisting divine power, even the laws of the world.
“Helen, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“No… If it’s to bring Chloe back, I’ll do it…!”
Despite the blood starting to flow from her nose, Helen didn’t stop.
Helen’s dark magical energy began to shift into a radiant hue, enveloping Lucia.
Thump-!
The sound of a heartbeat echoed loudly through the altar.
It was unmistakably Lucia’s.
“……!”
A startled Evan approached Lucia and checked her pulse.
As the power manifested, her heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
“You’re doing great, Helen. Just a little more…!”
“Yes…!!”
If this continued, Lucia’s body would return to its original state, allowing her soul to return.
Then she would awaken from her long slumber.
Filled with hope, Evan watched as Lucia began to regain vitality.
Then, all sound in the world vanished.
As if every sound had died in an instant.
“What’s…?”
Feeling something was off, Evan turned to Helen, who had frozen mid-use of her power.
Lucia, too, was frozen in place.
Then, a chilling sensation unlike anything he had ever felt before.
A coldness that seemed to squeeze his heart, and a terror far greater than any he had experienced, enveloped him.
“Gasp…!!”
In a situation where he could barely breathe, Evan saw a figure cloaked in darkness walking leisurely toward him.
{Who… dares…}
The closer the figure came, the stronger the sense of terror grew.
Evan knew this feeling well.
It was the same feeling he had when fighting Lucia, the Demon King.
{Disturbing… the rest… in the sanctuary…}
This was death.
The sensation of death.
{Who… dares to twist… the laws of the world…}
Evan instinctively knew.
The being approaching him was the God of Death, Ordo, who governed death in this world.
‘I need to stay focused.’
Evan bit his lip hard.
To regain his sanity amidst the overwhelming terror.
{Who… are you… who has come here…}
The chilling voice of the God of Death echoed in his ears.
“God of Death, Ordo. I am Evan, the Apostle of Destruction.”
{For someone who has done so much… you are quite polite… So… Apostle of Destruction… what brings you here…?}
“To revive a woman.”
At Evan’s words, Ordo’s expression twisted beneath his robe.
{An act… against the natural order… With the power of death, one can achieve an immortal body… but reviving the dead… is impossible…}
This was within the range of responses Evan had anticipated.
In the myths, Ordo was a god who valued rules above all.
But there are always exceptions to every rule.
“Then, how about making a deal with me?”
As much as Ordo valued rules, he also loved making deals.
{A deal… What do you… wish for me to do…?}
As expected, Ordo responded to the idea of a deal.
“The revival of the woman’s body. The guidance of her soul. And your divine artifact, the ‘Scythe that Severs Cause and Effect.'”
{You ask… for much… But if the price is just… it may be acceptable… Speak… What will you offer… in return…?}
“At the moment my life ends, I will offer you my soul, containing all of my life.”
Ordo pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
{That alone… is not enough… Your soul alone… cannot compensate for all you ask…}
“Well, you say that, but your eyes seem interested.”
Evan smiled as he continued.
“You know as well as I do, Lord Ordo. I was once an Apostle who fought the Demon King, and now I journey with her. To gather all the divine artifacts and uncover some truth hidden in Sylvestra. If this journey succeeds, what human life could be more interesting than mine? Even now, my soul holds a fascinating story.”
At Evan’s words, Ordo nodded.
{Indeed… that is true…}
“So reconsider. The average value of my soul if my journey succeeds, and if it fails.”
Ordo fell into thought.
The silence stretched on.
After about an hour, Ordo spoke.
{Calculating the average… it is still… insufficient… So I propose… this…}
Ordo pointed at Helen with his finger.
{My Apostle… So, let that child take my divine artifact…}
