Clearly, Alon was ignorant about the Apostles.

He had never encountered an Apostle while playing ‘Psychedelia’, and the game’s lore had no mention of the Apostles of the Five Deadly Sins.

However, there was one thing Alon had come to understand with crystal clarity about this ‘Apostle’ now:

Boom!

They were strong.

He stared ahead.

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

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 reacted immediately.

Catching Seolrang as she crashed into the ground, he deployed a shield.

But that wasn’t all.

“Enhance, Fixate.”

With magical reinforcement triggered by incantation and layered casting, three overlapping shields materialized 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 moment, Alon had managed to pull Seolrang out of the Apostle’s range.

“Oh? A mage?”

The Apostle, Seolgak, halted in place, intrigued, showing no intention of pursuing further.

Alon looked down at Seolrang.

Her gaze was growing dim.

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

No—this was something 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 respond.

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

Alon realized something was deeply wrong.

The Apostle’s strength?

That was certainly a problem.

But the real issue was—Seolrang herself.

She valued family above all else.

Perhaps even more than her own well-being.

She possessed an overwhelming sense of belonging to the category of blood and kin.

To her, family was: Sacred. Non-negotiable. Something to be protected at all costs.

And now, before her stood 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 glanced around 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 gaze shifted back to Seolgak.

The Apostle of Pride, her brother, had been watching everything with ease, making no 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 frowned 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.

Preparations he’d been making since Seolgak’s arrival were not 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.

Ultimately, Seolrang was the priority.

Alon quietly observed her pallor.

It wasn’t just about her turning into something corrupted— She was deteriorating fast.

Without delay, Alon began casting a spell.

“Now, we can’t have that.”

“!”

Boom!

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

“Master!”

Seolrang tried to retaliate with a punch toward Seolgak—

But—

“Urgh—!”

Her fist never reached him.

She struggled 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 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 brief 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.

“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 mischievous, 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 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.

She felt a pair of hands gently covering her ears.

“Don’t listen.”

A familiar voice.

“Don’t listen, Seolrang.”

A very familiar voice.

Seolrang looked up.

There he was.

Not with the usual indifferent face.

But with an expression filled with nothing but concern—

Alon.

Her eyes widened in shock.

***

Alon, having blasted Seolgak away, frowned slightly.

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

Meanwhile, he had been quietly casting another spell without Seolgak noticing.

Normally, this would have been impossible, but thanks to one of the new sigils he had developed in his recent research, it was achievable.

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

Thus, Alon successfully cast a hidden spell to knock Seolgak back.

However—

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

He failed to injure him.

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

With Seolgak’s words, Alon sighed softly.

While secretly casting his spell, he had no trouble piecing together what Seolgak was trying to reveal.

He understood just how much psychological damage Seolrang would suffer if the truth Seolgak had prepared reached 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 devoid of any guilt.

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

Clench—

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

He knew she had already heard the truth.

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

He had seen Seolgak fire black lightning at Seolrang just before, lifting the magical seal on her memories—something even Alon hadn’t fully sensed.

Even so, he didn’t remove his hands from her ears.

It was pointless.

But even knowing it was meaningless, his hands wouldn’t move.

…Because Alon understood just how much the concept of ‘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 personally killed his parents right in front of him and gouged out his eyes before he died.”

Seolgak’s words were relentless, like blades, meant to drive Seolrang’s mind to the brink.

Cruel, unavoidable truths.

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

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

Slowly lifted her gaze.

And—

Both Alon and Seolgak’s faces went blank.

As if time had stopped.

Facing them was Seolrang.

Her expression—

“So what?”

Was incredibly calm.

***

‘What… is this?’

Seolgak couldn’t understand.

No, he ‘refused’ to understand.

Seolrang’s reaction was completely outside of his expectations.

He stared at her, standing up casually after brushing aside Marquis Palatio’s hand.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

She was supposed to lose her mind, consumed by hatred, directing all her rage at 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 his plan.

The memory seal he’d placed on her—also part of that arrangement.

Unable to comprehend, Seolgak paused briefly, then sneered.

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

He deliberately tried to provoke her.

But Seolrang tilted her head slightly, as if confused.

“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 genuinely didn’t understand.

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

Trying to rile her up again, Seolgak trailed off.

Seolrang shrugged casually.

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

“What?”

“My brother, you’re strong. I realized that after facing 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 all 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.”

Instead of a faint smile—

Her eyes grew cold.

“I’m already angry.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Because you tried to kill my master.”

Silence settled between them.

Then—

“Ha… Hahaha!”

Seolgak burst into laughter, his face contorted with disbelief.

“Alright! So, you’ve gotten pretty clever over the past ten years, huh? I 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—adapting to Seolgak’s speed.

A faint golden lightning began to form around her hands.

Seolgak’s grin twitched.

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

Yet, he didn’t lose his smile.

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

Seolgak thought to himself: ‘I’ll knock her down, then kill that mage right before her eyes.’

A wicked grin crept onto his face.

His future seemed certain— His broken sister, and using her body 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, fracturing under his fist.

Mirrored distortions spread, 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.”

Came from the mage.

“And never forget—”

“Embrace the lightning.”

In the next instant—

“Ah—”

Seolgak saw it.

“Mm-hmm!”

Seolrang, smiling brightly as if something had clicked.

Her body now infused with golden magic and glowing with radiant, golden eyes.

“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, once thought lost to this world.

The divine ability known as—

“Thunder Deification.”

“Die.”

Seolrang’s fist struck down with blinding white lightning.