Chapter 112: The Apostle of Darkness

【????】

"…Something’s wrong… These humans should’ve already been wiped out. So why are they still alive?"

Several shadows moved within the dark room. Floating above the circular table at the center, a spherical orb projected an image.

"So many of them survived…"

The spherical monitor displayed scenes of humans living.

"Even though I expected some to awaken abilities in that world, defeating the ‘Prophetic Beasts’ we sent? Unbelievable."

"Especially the Titans, the Hydra, Vishnu—monsters even we couldn’t handle. That’s why we sent ‘Wang’ with our power into their world…"

"A human has appeared who rivals a demon god?"

"Can’t tell… Some unexpected force awakening in humanity… Or…"

"Someone else interfering?"

"Either way, we have no choice but to eliminate the obstacle."

One of the shadows turned, shifting its gaze to the corner of the room.

"Hybris!"

From the depths of darkness, a figure emerged, metal scraping against metal. Dressed in black armor, the silhouette resembled a medieval knight.

"Go! Kill whoever stands in our way."

The black knight gave no reply—just vanished into the darkness, silent as a shadow.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

【Antarctica——】

"No matter how far I go, there’s nothing here."

I flew over Antarctica, surveying the land. Sure, there was solid ground, but almost all of it was snow and ice.

I’d come here several times out of curiosity—after the Sage’s “Archive” showed Antarctica as unranked. But it’s just too vast. Nothing to find.

"Antarctica alone doesn’t tell you anything, does it?"

At least if I could narrow it down to a general area… That’s what I was thinking, and once again, I ended up returning with absolutely no new information.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

【United Nations Geneva Office, Leo Garcia】

In the press conference room filled with a crowd of reporters, Leo was present.

“So, it wasn’t you who defeated the UK’s Leader… but that person named Gojo, is that right?”

“That’s correct. We couldn’t have done it alone—we had to rely on his power.”

“But many people believe it was you, Leo Garcia, who defeated the Dragon King. I’ve heard that’s because you reported it that way to the UN?”

“Yes. I thought revealing his immense strength publicly would cause unnecessary chaos, so I suggested it that way.”

“So you’re essentially lying. How do you feel about that?”

“I made the decision myself. I take full responsibility. If people don’t want me around, I’ll leave the Sanctuary Knights and accept the consequences.”

Leo had reported that he personally defeated the UK’s Leader, which had drawn criticism from the media and some members of the public.

But this time, the outcome was the same—Leo had acted, and the problem was solved. By having Gojo cooperate with the Sanctuary Knights through the Japanese government, they had succeeded in eliminating the UK’s Leader. So the criticism didn’t escalate much.

Even more backlash came from the UN and the European Parliament. Not only had information been delayed, but Hans’s inhumane actions had been exposed, drawing intense public fire.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

“You did good.”

Callo approached from the side of the press room, offering a quiet greeting.

"Still, that's just plain mean. There's no way someone'd tell Leo Garcia—the world's hero—to quit the Sanctuary Knights. You know that, right?"

We've been around each other a while, Callo. You know me too well...

"I meant what I said about taking responsibility. For me, that means protecting the world with my life."

"Typical of you, I guess. But the press stuff's done for now, right?"

"Yeah, I can finally breathe. From now on, handle all media requests through me—just keep the Sanctuary Knights' operations running smooth."

"Try not to push yourself too hard. Break your body, and it’s all for nothing."

"I know. I’m tough—don’t worry about it."

"Right. Then I won’t say anything more. There is one thing, though."

"What?"

"Word from the Vermilion Bird. One of our members’s gone missing. Don’t know why, though."

"Missing..."

"Probably just ran off because the conditions were too rough?"

"Huh... Either way, keep it on the radar."

I said that, and Callo and I left the press room together.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

[UK, Scotland]

"Another dead end..."

Alexander had been hunting down powerful paranormals across the world, following Leo’s orders. Scouting to strengthen the Sanctuary Knights.

The gap left by Freyja was bigger than expected. Any lead on a psychic, and he’d be on the move—right away, to assess their power.

"England’s one of the strongest ‘spirit-matter’ zones, so there’re plenty of awakened psychics. But honestly... the population’s been shrinking too fast."

Edgar from the Foreign Office had been sent as their guide. He was cross-referencing the intel gathered by the government and passing it on to the Sanctuary Knights.

As the two walked down a quiet, deserted street, footsteps echoed from the darkness ahead. If it had been an ordinary person, Alexander wouldn’t have paid it any mind.

But the figure that emerged wore black armor like a knight, gripping a sword radiating murderous intent.

“What the hell. You got something to say?”

The black knight slowly approached—but then suddenly accelerated.

Alexander cursed under his breath, realizing he wasn’t carrying a weapon. He could’ve handled a normal human barehanded, but this guy? Definitely not human. Definitely strong.

Even without the “Assessment” skill, Alexander could feel it—something off. Something unnatural.

He shoved Edgar aside and went in with bare hands, trying to block the attack. The black knight surged forward, accelerating instantly—right into Alexander’s chest.

‘Dimension Slash.’

Blood sprayed. Alexander was gone. Not a trace left.

Edgar, frozen by the roadside, trembled. The black knight glanced at him for a split second—then turned away, showing no interest at all—before vanishing into the dark.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The news reached the Sanctuary Knights like a thunderclap.

Alexander was dead—

Leo didn’t believe it. He flew to England the same instant.

"Right now, a gag order’s in place—media hasn’t gotten wind of it yet. But please, come to the Scottish hospital. I’ll explain everything."

Leo was met at the airport by an MI6 agent. They jumped into a car and sped toward the hospital.

"Can I speak with the Foreign Ministry official who was with Alexander?"

"He’s been severely traumatized… currently hospitalized. Those who saw him say he was attacked by a figure in black armor."

"Black armor?"

Arriving at the hospital, they headed straight to the morgue where the body was kept.

"Is there something strange about the body?"

"Well… you’ll see for yourself. The sheer abnormality of it… it’s hard to describe."

Leo’s expression twisted in disbelief. The morgue door creaked open, revealing several men in suits standing around a raised platform draped in a sheet. Leo marched straight toward it.

"We don’t know why or how this happened. But what we’ve managed to gather—within the limits of what we could confirm—has been collected."

Leo pulled back the sheet. His breath caught. There was nothing left to call a body.

Just a mountain of countless square-shaped meat chunks.