Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!

#102Reader Mode

#102

What do you mean by an ‘intrusion’?

Was there really an intruder in the prayer room? The mere thought made my blood run cold.

That can’t be right. What about Athanas?

I quickly glanced at him, my eyes searching for any hint of concern on his face… But his expression remained perfectly composed, not a flicker of worry crossing his features.

…If someone had actually broken into the prayer room, Athanas would’ve definitely reacted.

It’s a well-known fact that when a priest performs a miracle, a radiant halo appears behind them, like divine validation. But seeing Athanas so calm, it was clear that he hadn’t even noticed the supposed “intrusion.”

A disturbing realization began to take root in my mind.

Was I the sole target?

But why single me out? You know what, scratch that – the reason was irrelevant at the moment. The burning question was, how did they even manage to target me in the first place?

Performing miracles remotely is impossible without a medium.

This was an ironclad rule in this world. If long-distance Miracles were possible, the Order wouldn’t have needed to engage in any wars. They could have simply reached out and struck down the enemy nation’s leader with a bolt of divine punishment.

Is there anything on me that could serve as a medium?

I hastily conducted a mental inventory of my possessions.

The reliquary from Athanas, the Saint’s relic, Casimir’s engraved sock garter, a pocket knife, a tin of soap, a handkerchief, a bracelet the kids and I made together, the leftover string from our crafting session. Oh, and that pebble I received as a gift because it was pretty…

Wait, could it be the pebble? It’s the only item with an unknown past.

“Have you heard that name before?”

“What?”

“You reacted so strongly when I mentioned it.”

Athanas’ voice jolted me back to the present. Wait… a name? Can a name actually serve as a medium? Adna’s previous warning suddenly echoed in my mind with startling clarity:

“…Certain names hold power. Some are more like keys than words — say them or even thinking of them can act as a conduit, opening a gateway for powerful entities to infiltrate one’s mind.”

Could this be the God of Oblivion’s doing?

An icy jolt shot through my veins like lightning.

If that’s the case, then…

…Has Athanas already been infiltrated without even realizing it?

“Fabio?”

Athanas looked at me as if perplexed, but words failed me.

…Is this my fault?

Athanas only looked into ‘Oblivion’ because of what I said. And the only reason I even brought it up was…

That f*cking son of a b*tch God of Records!

He expects me to go around asking about some name that hacks your brain just by hearing it once?

Hope, my ass! His hope, my ass!

Seriously, who does this kind of twisted shit to the person they claim to be their hope?

What sort of psychopath sabotages their own supposed lifeline?!

I should’ve known he was nothing but an untrustworthy piece of shit the second he tried to strong-arm me with threats about the Research Director.

“You seem unwell. So very pale…”

Athanas moved in so close I could feel his breath against my face. Those deep blue eyes that used to seem so warm and welcoming now bored into mine with an unblinking intensity. It made my flesh want to crawl right off my bones.

“Have you heard of it before?” His voice was low, almost a whisper.

I tried to speak but the words lodged in my throat. I forced out a feeble “…No.”

“Then why did it startle you so?”

I swallowed hard, my mouth bone-dry. Something about the way he looked at me, the way his words came out, it just felt…off. Wrong. Like this wasn’t the Athanas I thought I knew.

He started to say something else, but abruptly—

[SYSTEM: ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ trait effect has blocked an ‘intrusion’ attempt.]

“—Is the name so foreign to your tongue?”

“Ah, n-no, of course not.” I stammered, thrown by the sudden change.

“If it’s not strange, then speak it.”

“What?” My heart pounded in my ears.

“Speak. The. Name.”

“Athanas, what’s going on with this sudden…”

System windows whizzed by in a dizzying blur, each one slamming shut just moments after popping up.

[SYSTEM: ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ trait effect has blocked an ‘intrusion’ attempt.]

[SYSTEM: ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ trait effect has blocked an ‘intrusion’ attempt.]

[SYSTEM: ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ trait effect has blocked an ‘intrusion’ attempt.]

The barrage of notifications finally relented, revealing Athanas’ face filling my entire field of view. But his eyes… Ruptured blood vessels spread like crimson cobwebs, engulfing the whites in a sea of red. His crazed, bloodshot stare burned into me like a brand.

“…Why do you hesitate with the name? Is it truly so hard to remember?”

Athanas’ hand shot out, fingers digging into my cheeks with enough force to leave bruises.

F*ck!

The realization exploded in my mind as pure, icy panic flooded my veins.

This isn’t Athanas!

Definitely not!

Instinct screamed at me to grab the holy relic hidden beneath my clothes, my last line of defense. But before I could even touch it, Athanas wrenched my arm back with a vicious twist. A burst of blinding agony tore through me as I felt my bones grind against each other.

“Argh!”

“Ah, so this is the item that blocked my ‘intrusion’.” His voice was eerily calm, a chilling contrast to the violence of his actions. “Pardon me for a moment.”

His hand plunged into my clothes, pulling the robe open. I fought and struggled, but with a stat strength of 30, I might as well have been fighting against stone.

He yanked out the relic, the cord around my neck tightening with a painful jerk. Stars exploded in my vision as I choked, gasping for air.

“This is… “ Athanas frowned, the blood that had pooled in his eyes now running down his face in crimson trails, dripping from his chin.

His menacing gaze returned to me, those bloodshot eyes searing into mine. “It seems you are not a target for processing.”

…Target for processing?

“Next time, present the holy relic immediately. The process of descending is quite resource-intensive.”

As soon as the words left his lips, his body went limp, collapsing against me like a puppet with its strings cut. The sudden dead weight caught me off guard, my legs buckling. I slid down the wall, still holding Athanas’ limp body against mine as we crumpled to the floor in a tangled heap.

What just…

My heart pounded in my ears, the sound drowning out everything else. Each breath I took was ragged and shallow, like I couldn’t get enough air.

…What the hell just happened?

My thoughts were a jumbled mess, sharp fragments that wouldn’t come together to make sense of what had just happened. The adrenaline still pumping through me made everything feel distant, surreal, like I was living through some twisted fever dream.

That… thing from earlier…

I hugged Athanas tightly, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my chest, so different from the anxious pounding of my own. He was alive, at least, even though he was unconscious.

My first “encounter” with the divine, if you can even call it that.

Now I understand why these stories never get told to the next generation.

It’s no wonder the Order’s doctrine doesn’t spread naturally. I mean, experiences like this are straight out of a horror story, not some dusty old book of myths.

A god whose name alone can hack your mind?

How the hell is that supposed to represent Order?

Sounds more like an Othergod than the Othergods themselves.

…Is Athanas going to be okay?

A god descending puts tremendous strain on the body. For units below Archbishop rank, prolonged possession can cause permanent, irreversible damage—not even the Blessing of Healing can fix it.

His heart rate and breathing seem stable now, but…

I dragged Athanas onto the bed and sat beside him. The dried bloody tears on his face bothered me, so I carefully wiped them away with a cloth.

Athanas…

All I could do was wait for him to wake up.

It felt like being stuck outside an operating room, that sinking feeling of helplessness where all you can do is pray, even if you’re not really the praying type…

…Except right now, praying is the last thing on my mind.

After a mega-dose of cosmic horror and my sanity points taking a nosedive, the thought of praying doesn’t even register.

I mean, who can you even pray to now? The God of Order? When that “Oblivion” bastard who did this to Athanas apparently answers directly to him?

Just then, Athanas’s brow twitched.

He’s coming to!

“Athanas!”

I cried out, relieved. But I quickly shut my mouth. He had to be so disoriented; I could get the full story later, after he rested.

But when I saw his eyes open, I couldn’t help one question.

“Are your eyes okay?”

“…Is there something wrong with them?“

“Your vision seems fine. Thank goodness.”

If the world looked off, he would have said something.

The damage must be limited to just some busted blood vessels then. What a relief.

“Why would my vision be affected?”

He doesn’t remember any of it.

Where do I even begin to explain what happened?

“Well, just yesterday you said you were going to investigate the God of Oblivion.”

“…I did?”

He’s forgotten even that far back?

I thought only the memories from when he was possessed would be erased. What the hell did that Oblivion asshole do to him?

“…Actually, it’s strange, isn’t it? For a god powerful enough to bestow blessings upon everyone who enters the library, it’s odd that its name isn’t widely known.” Athanas murmured.

No, don’t think about it.

“And now I can’t remember the investigation I was planning at all…”

Athanas’ brow furrowed as he strained to remember. It made me uneasy.

“…I must have encountered a priest of oblivion during my investigation. Is that right?”

I didn’t answer.

“If not, then what in the world happened to me?”

“Athanas. Please, don’t be curious about the God of Oblivion anymore. Don’t even think about it or wonder about it. I’m telling you this for your own good.”

Athanas not being able to remember the Oblivion God’s name now was probably a trap.

They’re likely watching to see what I’ll do, thinking their backdoor is gone.

If I tell him the truth? That the God of Oblivion can ‘intrude’ on your body and has already ‘intruded’ upon Athanas?

He’ll have to endure Oblivion’s descent again.

It could even kill him this time. I had to convince him to let this go, somehow.

I have to come up with a reason he’ll accept…

“I understand.”

…You understand?

His quick acceptance caught me off guard.

I hadn’t even told him what happened, why I was worried about his eyes, or why he shouldn’t look into Oblivion.

But he’s just letting it go?

In the end, I couldn’t help asking.

“You’re really not going to ask anything else?”

“You said not to be curious.”

“And you’re not thinking of secretly looking into it behind my back…?”

“…Unlike you, I have never broken our agreement.“

“But…”

Athanas sighed. “You seem to be very worried that I might disregard your warning, even though you ignore the warnings I give you.”

…When did I ever ignore them?

That’s unfair. I’ve always been mindful of his warnings. I only broke them when I had no other choice.

“Now do you understand how it feels when I try to warn you about something?”

…I don’t think so.

Athanas had no idea what I was going through right now. He couldn’t know how it felt to experience something so terrifying, so chilling… only to have the person who was there with you not remember any of it.

T/N: Athanas!!! Don’t let your body get hijacked anymore!!