The Interrupted Revival and the Apostle's Target

By the time the golden sword energy dissipated, the battlefield that had once seethed with evil had been reduced to ruins. The twisted runes on the altar had crumbled to dust beneath the violent force. At its center, the pitch-black nest that resembled a heart looked as though it had been pierced by a thousand arrows. Its once-smooth membrane was riddled with holes that vented streams of black smoke, while hideous shrieks rose from within. Robson, who had tried to withstand the attack head-on, had somehow shed his apostle form and returned to his original human shape. But his limbs had been severed, and golden snakes of sword energy coiled around the wounds like living things. No matter how he drove the evil power inside him, he could not regrow his flesh. Now little more than a limbless torso, Robson floated in the air and glared at the panting Elena. Beyond the hatred in his eyes lay disbelief. "The power of the Astral Realm? How can a mortal wield the power of the Astral Realm? Impossible!"

But when he noticed the strange crystalline state of Elena's right index finger, understanding flashed in his eyes. "I see. I see! Ha! No wonder that power couldn't completely sever my connection to my lord. You're nothing but an inferior imitation. A thief who stole the power of the Astral Realm!"

Once Robson realized that Elena had merely stolen the Astral Realm's power and was not a true descendant of its people, his fear vanished. She could not erase his consciousness completely. Greed entered his gaze as he looked at her.

He did not know how she had stolen that power, but according to the blessing bestowed by the True God, a sacrifice bearing the bloodline of the Astral Realm's people could be converted