Clearly, Alon was ignorant about the Apostles.

He had never encountered an Apostle while playing Psychedelia, and the game’s lore didn’t mention Apostles of the Five Deadly Sins.

However, there was one thing Alon now understood with crystal clarity about this “Apostle”—

Boom!

He was strong.

Alon stared ahead.

Over the ruins of what had once been the towering building of the Seolrang Guild, bright yellow flashes and dark lightning clashed at speeds his eyes couldn’t possibly track.

And then—

“Gah—!”

Seolrang was being pushed back.

Crash!

With a deafening blast, Seolrang was hurled away, and the Apostle’s fist shot forward to deliver another blow.

Alon moved immediately.

He caught Seolrang as she crashed into the ground and raised a shield.

But that wasn’t all.

“Enhance, Fixate.”

With reinforcement triggered by incantation and layered casting, three overlapping shields formed precisely where the Apostle’s fist was headed.

However—

Crack—!

The shields shattered like glass.

As if they were nothing—utterly meaningless and laughable.

Yet in that brief instant, Alon managed to pull Seolrang out of the Apostle’s range.

“Oh? A mage?”

The Apostle, Seolgak, stopped where he was, intrigued, with no intention of pursuing.

Alon looked down at Seolrang.

Her gaze was dimming.

It wasn’t the confused, panic-stricken look she’d had while fighting earlier.

No—this was worse.

Something dying.

And in that moment—

“You’ve grown quite strong, little sister. I’m impressed. Who would’ve thought the weakest of our tribe could become this powerful?”

Seolgak spoke with the same smile as before.

Seolrang didn’t answer.

She only stared at her brother with trembling eyes, her expression far grimmer than before.

Alon realized something was deeply wrong.

Seolgak’s strength?

That was certainly a problem.

But the real problem was—Seolrang herself.

She valued family above everything.

Maybe even more than her own life.

Her sense of belonging to blood and kin was overwhelming.

To her, family was sacred. Non-negotiable. Something to protect at any cost.

And now, standing in front of her, was the only blood relative she thought long dead—

The very person who had just destroyed everything she held dear.

Before she could even react.

Utterly and completely.

Alon looked around at the wreckage.

All he saw were corpses.

The fallen members of the Golden Mane Tribe—Seolrang’s attempt to build a new family.

This isn’t good.

His eyes returned to Seolgak.

The Apostle of Pride, her brother, had been watching everything with ease, not making a move to engage since Seolrang’s initial attack.

No.

He wasn’t just watching.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Seolrang’s mind to break.

Alon’s brow furrowed deeply.

What should I do?

He had no idea why Seolrang’s brother had become like this.

But one thing was clear—

This has to stop.

Still, there were two reasons Alon hesitated to act rashly:

He hadn’t fully grasped Seolgak’s abilities yet.

And—

He wasn’t ready.

The preparations he’d started making the moment Seolgak appeared weren’t complete.

But time wasn’t on his side.

He didn’t know how far Seolgak would go to provoke Seolrang—

Or how long Seolrang could endure it.

In the end, Seolrang came first.

Alon quietly watched the color drain from her face.

It wasn’t just that she might turn into something corrupted—she was deteriorating fast.

Without hesitation, Alon began casting.

“Now, we can’t have that.”

“!”

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, black lightning—faster than thought—struck him down.

“Master!”

Seolrang tried to retaliate, throwing a punch toward Seolgak—

But—

“Urgh—!”

Her fist never reached him.

She fought desperately to break free from Seolgak’s grip.

But—

“Sister, stop wasting your energy. No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape my grasp. And don’t worry—your mage isn’t dead.”

Seolgak’s smile didn’t fade; his tone was almost amused.

“Still, it’s fascinating. The sister I remember would’ve been sobbing by now. Hmm. Maybe age has made you more dignified.”

He chuckled.

“Not that it’s an improvement.”

“...Did you ally with them?”

Seolrang’s darkened expression broke the silence.

Seolgak’s grin widened.

“Ally? With who?”

“With those ‘black things’ that destroyed our village!”

“And why would you think that?”

“Because I can smell that bastard’s stench all over you!”

Seolgak glanced down at himself.

“Oh? Ahh...”

He let out an exaggerated sound of realization, then chuckled softly. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“Right. I forgot—I still have the curse from back then.”

“Curse...?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the reminder, little sister.

Now I don’t have to bother doing this the hard way.”

Seolgak’s grin turned playful, but his eyes gleamed with malice.

Then, with a flick, black lightning shot toward Seolrang’s head.

“Gah!”

Pain flared—sharp and sudden.

“Sister, let me tell you something interesting.”

He stared straight into her eyes.

“The one who slaughtered our people wasn’t ‘him’—”

Before Seolgak could finish—

BOOM!

Seolrang saw it.

Seolgak was blasted away, his body slamming into the ruins.

A pair of hands gently covered her ears.

“Don’t listen.”

A familiar voice.

“Don’t listen, Seolrang.”

A very familiar voice.

Seolrang looked up.

There he was.

Not wearing his usual indifferent expression.

But looking at her with nothing but concern—

Alon.

Her eyes widened.

*****

Alon, having blasted Seolgak away, frowned slightly.

At the moment of impact, he minimized the damage by using shields and wind magic together, creating a reactive defense.

At the same time, he had been quietly casting another spell without Seolgak noticing.

Normally that would’ve been impossible, but thanks to one of the new sigils he’d developed in his recent research, it could be done.

That sigil reduced the power of his magic, but concealed its presence from others.

And so, Alon succeeded in casting a hidden spell that knocked Seolgak back.

However—

“Wow, that’s fascinating. I didn’t sense any magic at all. How did you manage that?”

He hadn’t injured him.

“And what’s the point of covering her ears like that? She’s already ‘remembered’ everything.”

At Seolgak’s words, Alon let out a quiet sigh.

Even while casting in secret, he’d had no trouble understanding what Seolgak was trying to reveal.

He also understood exactly how much damage Seolrang would take if the truth Seolgak had prepared was delivered to her.

There was only one thing Seolgak wanted to tell her.

“Well? Do you remember now, little sister? The fact that it was ‘your brother’ who killed the villagers and our family...!”

A sneering grin, without a trace of guilt.

The words were exactly what Alon had expected—down to the phrasing.

Clench—

Alon pressed his hands more firmly against Seolrang’s ears.

He knew she’d already heard the truth.

No matter how tightly he covered her ears, the words had still reached her.

He’d seen Seolgak fire black lightning at her a moment ago, lifting the seal on her memories—something even Alon hadn’t fully sensed.

Even so, he didn’t move his hands.

It was pointless.

But even knowing it was meaningless, his hands wouldn’t ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) budge.

...Because Alon understood what “family” meant to her.

“I’ll tell you something fun, Seolrang. Killing your own kind is quite thrilling. Watching those weaklings, rotten with peace, cry and beg for their lives—it’s euphoric.”

“Do you remember Paun from next door? That mischievous little brat you used to play with? He sobbed, begging for his life. I ripped him apart, holding his head and legs.”

“And Yuseon from the blacksmith’s—remember him? Your best friend, who adored his parents. I killed his parents right in front of him, then gouged out his eyes before he died.”

Seolgak’s words didn’t stop.

They came like blades, meant to push Seolrang’s mind to the edge.

Cruel truths she couldn’t avoid.

“How does it feel, little sister? To finally see the truth you’ve been blind to all this time?”

When Seolgak finally finished, Seolrang—who had kept her head bowed until now—

Slowly raised her gaze.

And—

Both Alon and Seolgak went blank.

As if time had stopped.

Seolrang looked at them.

Her expression—

“So what?”

Was impossibly calm.

*****

What... is this?

Seolgak couldn’t understand.

No—he refused to understand.

Seolrang’s reaction was completely outside his expectations.

He stared at her as she stood up casually, brushing Marquis Palatio’s hand aside.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

She was supposed to lose her mind—consumed by hatred—turning all that rage on him.

Eventually, she was meant to kill the mage she cherished and awaken as the “Sin of Pride.”

Keeping her alive had been part of the plan.

The memory seal he’d placed on her had been part of it, too.

Still unable to accept it, Seolgak paused, then sneered.

“...You don’t have to pretend anymore. You couldn’t hide your emotions earlier—do you really think there’s any point now, little sister?”

He deliberately tried to provoke her.

But Seolrang tilted her head slightly, genuinely puzzled.

“What are you talking about? I’ve never hidden my emotions.”

“...What?”

“Why would I need to hide my feelings?”

She asked sincerely, as if she truly didn’t understand.

“...Just a moment ago, your eyes were full of confusion...”

Trying to rile her up again, Seolgak trailed off.

Seolrang shrugged.

“Of course they were. I couldn’t protect my master.”

“What?”

“My brother, you’re strong. I realized that after fighting you. That’s why I was scared—I was in a situation where I couldn’t protect my master.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

She tilted her head again.

“What else should’ve shaken me?”

“What?”

“Did you really expect me to be emotionally wrecked by your little game?”

Seolgak frowned.

“...You’ve grown cynical, little sister.”

“Not at all, brother. I still love my family. Paun, Yuseon, and everyone you mentioned—they’re precious memories to me. But if I let emotions like that sway me—”

Sway—

“I wouldn’t be able to protect the one person I have left.”

“And, brother, I think you’re mistaken about something.”

Her smile didn’t even flicker.

Her eyes turned cold.

“I’m already angry.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Because you tried to kill my master.”

Silence fell between them.

Then—

“Ha... Hahaha!”

Seolgak burst into laughter, his face twisted with disbelief.

“Alright! So you’ve gotten clever over the past ten years, huh? I’ll admit it, little sister—I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d grow this much! But still—”

Crackle—!

“You’re not stronger than me.”

Black lightning shot toward Seolrang.

Crack—!

His fist followed.

Seolrang moved.

But this time, she was faster—adjusting to Seolgak’s speed.

Faint golden lightning began to gather around her hands.

Seolgak’s grin twitched.

It was something he’d never seen before—threatening and unfamiliar.

But he didn’t lose his smile.

Even surprised, he assumed she still couldn’t control that power properly.

I’ll knock her down, then kill that mage right in front of her eyes.

A wicked grin spread across his face.

The future felt certain—his broken sister, and her body used as the vessel to summon the one who held everything: “His Lord.”

However—

Clink!

Seolgak’s vision shattered.

“1.”

He stared ahead in disbelief.

A transparent wall stood in front of him, cracking under his fist.

Mirrored distortions spread outward, twisting reality into countless geometric planes.

It was the mage’s doing.

The moment Seolgak realized it—

“Seolrang, stay calm. And remember—you’ve already reached the next stage. So—”

A quiet voice.

“Just believe in yourself.”

From the mage.

“And never forget—”

“Embrace the lightning.”

In the next instant—

“Ah—”

Seolgak saw it.

“Mm-hmm!”

Seolrang smiled brightly, as if something had clicked into place.

Golden magic flooded her body, and radiant golden eyes blazed.

“Oh, I almost forgot to mention, brother—I don’t have to be afraid of you anymore.”

And Seolgak realized.

That power—

“Thanks to you, I gained it.”

A power that surpassed even the royal lineage—one once thought lost to this world.

The divine ability known as—

“Thunder Deification.”

“Die.”

Seolrang’s fist crashed down in blinding white lightning.