The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors

Rovey covered his forehead and answered with certainty.

"However, since you're not going to strike first, then I won't hold back. In short, if you're going to succumb to your pipe dream, I advise you to wake up sooner rather than later. Who do you think I am? Those guys who are captivated by your face, whose little heads control their big heads, and who yearn to sleep with you? I even rejected invitations from the most domineering and ancient Gian in history, and the queen who rules over a certain Underworld. What do you think you are compared to them?"

As he spoke, Rovey slowly raised his middle finger toward Lita in front of him.

"Oh, by the way, even those guys who are eager to sleep with you would probably lose all interest in you after seeing you like this, right?"

"Hahahaha..."

Instead of going berserk because of Rovey's sarcasm, Lita covered her face with her right hand on the train and burst into laughter. It was an extremely manic laugh, and the red light that erupted from the Mystic Eyes between her thumbs shone brightly in the night.

"Interesting, very interesting... This is the first time I've been praised like this. Although I'm annoyed, I feel a sense of novelty. This is the first time I've experienced this since I inherited this position. You really make me happy. I'm growing to like you more and more, Magus ... no, Rovey Crowley."

"It's decided. I'll make you my servant, and then I'll command you to sing praises of my beauty every day!"

After saying that, his smile abruptly stopped.

Immediately afterwards, Lita's smile vanished, the madness on her face completely gone, replaced by an elegant and noble aura. Along with this, a terrifying crimson magic swept across the entire train.

Even those inside the car felt a shiver run down their spines the moment this aura appeared.

It was a feeling that originated from the human bloodline, like being targeted by a natural enemy, making one feel uncontrollably fearful.

Chapter 140 The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors

As Lita stopped smiling, or rather, revealed her true form, the dark red magic seemed to gain substance and began to condense continuously at the top of the train. A terrifying pressure emanated from above and began to reverberate throughout the train, both inside and out.

Lita, who had been wearing a maniacal smile, had completely reverted to her appearance from when they first met. What followed was an unease that came from her very blood, and the demeanor of the beautiful noblewoman before her, just like when she first appeared.

Because the difference in his behavior before and after was so great, it was really hard to tell what kind of personality this capricious guy really had.

However, although her posture had returned to its original state, Rovey could sense that there was clearly something different about her.

This feeling was just as strange as when she first met the Jewel Magician, except that the Jewel Magician felt like a few grains of sugar added to hot water, while she felt like a few drops of ink added to milk. It was a feeling of 'foreign substance' breaking through the shackles of the body and emanating from within.

The Jewel Magician genuinely rejected that 'foreign element,' while she undoubtedly chose to embrace it, so there is a fundamental difference between the two.

However, it is certain that she is not human at this moment, but some kind of terrifying monster that transcends worldly understanding.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the bright moon overhead on the speeding, dark train seemed to be tinged with a scarlet hue, its surface shrouded in a thick layer of haze.

"Insignificant and fragile humankind, prostrate yourselves here, kneel down and know my true name!"

With a wave of her hand, she dispersed the mist surrounding her, then declared forcefully yet authoritatively—

"Knowing death, kneeling before the unknown, my true name is Lita Rogan, the true master of the Rail Zeppelin, and also the immortal and noble being who holds the fifteenth seat among the twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestor!"

Her voice was powerful and her name made the entire mystical world tremble.

To escape death goes against the laws of nature.

Invaders who drive out humanity and destroy the human world.

—These are the Dead Apostle.

Since ancient times, whenever a large-scale war occurs, there are always ferocious monsters on the battlefield that do not distinguish between factions and only seek to kill and fill their stomachs, thus taking advantage of the chaos.

At the same time, strange rumors about vampires or various monsters often circulate in remote villages or towns.

Although modern secular circles define them as unfounded folk tales and superstitions, these are not all just baseless rumors.

There are many related accounts in at least the Bible that Rovey studied.

Such monsters were encountered when the Rome Catholic Church sent out the Crusaders to begin the Eastern Expeditions. They had appearances indistinguishable from humans, had scarlet eyes, preferred to move at night, were extremely bloodthirsty, and hated all humans and living beings.

The pope at the time named it "Dead Apostle".

In modern times, Aleister also made records of it in his journal.

He once said that when he was young, he searched for traces of the Horus era in Egypt, where he encountered a monster that kept countless wild beasts inside its body and fought against it.

At that time, he was very interested in its existence, so he thought of subduing it and then studying it. But unfortunately, his magic was not complete at the time, and he also misjudged the monster's vitality, so he was lucky enough to let it escape with the river, leaving only some fragments for further research, and he even wrote the research results into his own anecdotes.

It wasn't until later that he learned the other party was actually one of the highest-ranking Dead Apostle, a monster known as immortal. However, the other party's appearance did not arouse much interest in him. He only dabbled in this aspect of research, giving the other party the title of 'enemy of humanity' before not continuing.

As for whether the monsters that appeared at the time were too weak to arouse his interest, or whether Aleister had already foreseen the fate of the Dead Apostle and therefore did not take them seriously, it is now impossible to know.

As expected, among the numerous vampire species in the world, the Dead Apostle are the most numerous and the most powerful race overall, undoubtedly a dominant force. Their method of developing their race does not require reproduction like humans; they only need to infect others through special means.

Therefore, their existence violates human ethics, common sense, order, and even the Mari of life and death; even the gods would find it difficult to tolerate their existence. It is for this reason that the Church received divine revelation countless years ago, and countless clergy members took it upon themselves to hunt down Dead Apostle. Many famous stories of vampire hunters originated from this.

The 'Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors' mentioned by Lita are among their greatest enemies.

In the eyes of the world, the existence of Dead Apostle is already an unimaginable monster, an existence that cannot be deduced by common sense. However, few people know the terror of the pinnacle among Dead Apostle, the so-called 'Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors'. Compared with ordinary Dead Apostle, the difference in their strength and life form is simply like heaven and earth.

And the woman before us, possessing mythical beauty, Lita Rogerian, is one of them.

Although she appears to be the fifteenth seat among the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, a seemingly unremarkable position, the ranking of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors is not based on strength. Therefore, her strength could be among the top, or it could be among the bottom.

However, although there's no detailed information about her, Rovey still feels she clearly belongs to the latter category, at best somewhere in the middle. Among the top-ranked individuals, ORT is undoubtedly number one, along with the Primate Murder, the Jewel Magician, the White Wing Lord, and the White Princess —these are all ultimate beings whose strength far surpasses hers.

However, even though she was at the bottom, the fact that she was able to take over fifteen seats and remain so for so long is enough to demonstrate her strength. She is still an absolute monster.

After all, the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors are far more prestigious than the Lord of the Clock Tower, and are still the epitome of the world of magic (on the surface).

"..."

On the train, Rovey Wei watched her performance with a blank expression.

If it were any other Magus, they would be astonished to discover that the owner behind the famous Rail Zeppelin was actually a figure like the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, but it didn't seem to be a big deal to him.

Since the answer was completely predictable beforehand, there was nothing surprising about it.

Lita Roggean is at best an acceptable figure.

I really wish I could make him tremble like this guy said...

Then let's call ORT over?

He'll definitely be trembling with headaches by then.

If all else fails, calling Eltnum over would actually make him a little nervous.

However, if other Magus were here, besides the option of trembling with fear, they might actually bow down before her, hoping to receive her favor.

Because human energy and lifespan are finite. On the path of pursuing magic, the human body becomes the biggest stumbling block. Therefore, some extreme Magus will shout the classic line, "I'm not human anymore!" in order to gain a stronger physique, and then voluntarily become Dead Apostle in exchange for a long lifespan and energy. Emiya Kiritsugu's biological father was targeted by Barthomeloi because of this research.

However, most Magus remain extremely resistant to this, mainly because they cannot guarantee that Dead Apostle will not be rejected by the Root. Moreover, the current Department of Law has an extremely high level of hatred towards Magus experimenting on becoming Dead Apostle; anyone who dares to voluntarily become Dead Apostle Barthomeloi have their entire base wiped out the next day.

Unlike the Church's mission-like hunts, Barthomeloi's family had a deep grudge against the Dead Apostle, so she often led her troops to carry out large-scale exterminations of the Dead Apostle. Even though she was busy with her work all day, she would still take time out of her busy schedule. Her dedication impressed even the Church.

"..."

Sometimes, the worst thing is an awkward atmosphere.

Aren't you surprised at all?

Looking at Lo Rovey, who remained calm and whose expression barely changed, Lita Rojaan, who had just finished her opening remarks, felt like a clown performing a one-man show on stage.

She frowned slightly, then asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you? Why are you still so calm even though you know my real name?"

"Ah... should I be surprised? Oh, you're right, I should be surprised."

Upon hearing this, Rovey nodded, feigning sudden realization, then gasped, "Hiss... I didn't expect it to be the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. The power behind this Rail Zeppelin is truly unimaginable. I've really kicked a hornet's nest this time!... By the way, what seat were you again?"

"You bastard..."

Seeing Rovey's exaggerated acting skills, which were comparable to those in a model opera, Lita Rojaan was completely angered by this guy. Her originally sharp aura was completely broken at this moment.

But her inner voice kept telling her: 'Stay calm, stay calm... Once I turn this guy into a familiar, I can train him however I want when we get back. There's no need to get angry now.'

So she took a deep breath, then looked at Rovey with an elegant smile again, and spoke once more.

"If you surrender now, I won't mind sparing your life."

"No, even though you are the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, if you want to recruit me, you should at least have Eltnum come and invite me in person. Your obscure background is a bit too low-class."

Rovey shook his head and answered calmly.

"You bastard... you actually picked on me! Eltnum didn't! And whether you agree or not, I'm going to grab you today and tear your mouth apart with my own hands!"

After a less-than-pleasant exchange, Lita no longer wanted to say another word to this Magus whose words could choke a person.

Perhaps it was because she had been too judgmental of appearances before that she failed to realize that this guy was even more infuriating than Aozaki Touko.

I tried to talk to him nicely, but he was completely distracted from beginning to end. He didn't even speak to me properly, and the contempt in his attitude was almost overflowing.

He probably thought he was the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, and that he was the Magus in dire straits.

Therefore, Lita didn't want to waste any more words with Rovey. She decided to take direct action to subdue him, and then return to the train to lead her pre-prepared Dead Apostle squad to seal away Aozaki Touko.

"Tsk, actually I don't mind Arcueid at all..."

Having heard Rovey's interruption, Lita lost all desire to continue the conversation. With a gentle wave of her hand, a vast amount of magical power emanated from her body.

The next moment, the shadow overhead suddenly pressed down, as if dark clouds had covered the night sky.

The darkness surrounding Rovey seemed to materialize the next moment, twisting without warning. Then, several thorny rose vines sprouted from his feet and wrapped around his legs, making it difficult for him to move.

Furthermore, this Magecraft was activated without any warning or trace of magical fluctuations; even Rovey didn't realize when it was being used on him.

However, after glancing at Lita's jewel-like Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes that Gilgamesh like gems in the darkness, he probably already knew the answer.

So, does that pair of Mystic Eyes possess the ability to bind enemies and forcibly render them unable to move?

Moreover, in the next moment, he saw many rose figures appear before his eyes, attempting to engulf his will, but to no avail.

Rovey didn't move, and Lita didn't press her advantage, seemingly giving Rovey time to adjust.

But is she really that kind?

Of course not, because this is just a precursor to an attack.

Boom—!!

With a loud explosion, the rose vines that had been wrapped around Rovey blossomed into several beautiful and dazzling flowers. Then, with Lita's gentle blink, they burst into a blinding white light and exploded on Rovey's body without warning. The rolling magical flames instantly engulfed half of his body, radiating an incomparably scorching temperature and terrifying magical power.

At the same time--

Clang!

In the darkness, Lita wasn't the only one making a move. A loud crash rang out, and a dark figure shot up from below, crashing through the train's metal frame before leaping up and crashing down like a cannonball.

Immediately, something heavy and enormous, carrying an astonishing aura and a force powerful enough to tear the ground apart, slammed down on Lita was about to unleash her Mystic Eyes on Rovey!

The situation has changed again.

Whoosh—!

The sea breeze whistled incessantly in my ears at night, but this time it was even more intense because of the force of that swift punch.

A tremendous threat, comparable to being hit head-on by a truck, was raging in her mind.

Even without turning around, Lita knew what had happened.

Something of extremely high quality and quantity was hurtling towards her like a cannonball, launching a fatal attack that aimed to burst her head like a balloon.

So she immediately took action.

Ignoring Rovey, who was entangled in rose vines and burning from the rose flames, Lita channeled her magic and gently tapped the ground with her fingertip.

The next moment, the shadow that had been covering the top of the train became even more viscous under her control, as if it had come alive like a pool of black liquid. Then, countless black thorns began to grow wildly from it, transforming into the largest arm that swept towards the black figure that was rapidly approaching from behind, intending to pierce it directly in mid-air.

"Snort."

Even so, facing the pitch-black thorns that instantly covered an area of more than ten meters and even directly enveloped the entire field of vision, the black figure that was rushing towards it at high speed did not stop its attack at all.

--Bang!!

As he leaped, he dodged the encirclement of dark thorns, and in the instant he jumped away, the figure adjusted its angle in mid-air and began to spin in a perfect arc.

Furthermore, his speed continued to increase in mid-air, his body, honed through countless trials, seemed to transform into a battle axe, cleaving heavily at the figure below as he traversed the thicket of thorns, completely defying the principles of ergonomics.

Even Lita was somewhat surprised by this. However, she didn't remain surprised for long. Instead, she manipulated the shadows around her to grow more thorns, which continued to spread towards the dark figure that had transformed into a battle axe in mid-air.

However, the movements of the figure's owner were so fast that they defied common sense. Before the thorns even touched his body, they slammed heavily in front of Lita, blasting a huge hole in the shadow and the roof of the car beneath his feet.

Bang!!

The massive impact caused the entire train, which was traveling on the sea, to shake violently, and a huge crater was created beneath its feet.

Then, his right foot sank into the ground like a screw, and twisted wildly. The sole of his shoe even emitted wisps of white smoke due to the extremely fast friction. At this moment, his left foot shot out like a cannonball, carrying immense force and mercilessly kicking Lita's beautiful cheek.