Chapter 37
The Scribe of the Book of Calamity (2)
After leaving the lord’s castle, Johan rode throughout the entire day. After sunset, he flew until he was on the verge of collapse.
His arduous efforts finally allowed him to accomplish his goal.
He had completely left the Myatro territory.
‘This should be far enough.’
He no longer had the strength to continue.
He needed rest.
Johan settled in the ruins of an abandoned castle somewhere in the southwest.
Leaning against a half-demolished stone pillar, he unfolded his map.
‘I’ve come a long way.’
He was now hundreds of kilometers away from the lord’s castle.
He tried to determine his exact location but soon gave up.
The sight of a pitch-black demon intently studying a scrap of paper somehow struck him as ridiculous.
He released a long sigh and looked up at the night sky.
“At least the view is beautiful.”
Countless stars studded the vast night sky. They looked like gemstones scattered across black paper.
It was an extraordinarily beautiful spectacle, but Johan felt no particular emotion.
He preferred the hazy sky from his old world, where not a single star had been visible. He missed those days when people mistook artificial objects drifting through space for stars.
He wanted to go home.
A bitter smile crossed his lips.
He already had his hands full preparing for Kaiaze, yet here he was indulging in weakness. It appeared that he had grown mentally exhausted.
That was hardly surprising. Since possessing this body, he had not enjoyed even one proper night’s sleep.
Johan decided that once this matter was resolved, he would take an entire day to rest.
He had only just begun to relax when the ground shook several times.
Even the stars in the night sky seemed to tremble.
Heaven and earth shuddered as though struggling to contain the presence that had entered them.
Johan abruptly sat upright.
His red eyes fixed upon the distant horizon.
A tiny speck entered his field of vision.
“Already…?”
By the time he noticed it, he was slightly too late.
The overwhelming presence was already directly before him.
Only then did the violent wind pressure arrive.
The remaining pillars and debris of the ruined castle were hurled in every direction.
Johan was also blown away and slammed into the castle wall.
Black blood burst from his mouth.
“Keugh…!”
His body slid down the wall before falling to the ground.
At that moment, a mighty voice resembling the roar of a savage beast reverberated through the air.
“I have come to meet the Thirteenth Apostle of the End. Guide me to him.”
An enormous demonic beast stood before Johan.
Its colossal body, large enough to rival a fortress, blotted out the night sky. A pair of wings stretched across the horizon.
Its pitch-black mane billowed as though it were alive.
Its dark-crimson eyes gleamed with a vicious light.
An archdemon possessing the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle.
It was Kaiaze, the Scribe of the Book of Calamity.
His overwhelming majesty bore down upon heaven and earth.
Even Johan groaned beneath the pressure.
‘…He’s even more terrifying than Beris.’
The Apostle, whose power had been divided into ten fragments, could not even be compared to the archdemon before him.
According to the original novel, demons with double-digit rankings in the Netherworld possessed an entirely different level of presence. That description had not been exaggerated in the slightest.
When Johan grimaced beneath the pressure, Kaiaze stamped one foot.
The earth convulsed as though it were about to shatter.
“Imp, can you not hear me?”
Johan did not protest that he was no longer an imp.
To Kaiaze, there was probably little difference between an imp and a juvenile demon.
Apparently irritated by Johan’s silence, Kaiaze released a thunderous roar.
Johan felt as though his eardrums were about to rupture.
He took a deep breath.
‘It’s over if he looks down on me.’
Kaiaze was a demon who valued strength and violence above all else. The moment Johan was branded as weak, even an Apostle would be reduced to prey.
Even if he had to act, he needed to show that he was not someone to be trifled with.
There was an excellent example he could imitate.
Apostle Beris.
The words and behavior Beris had displayed when addressing lesser beings flashed through Johan’s mind.
‘As arrogantly as possible—with confidence that reaches the heavens.’
That arrogance had ultimately brought about Beris’s downfall, but at this moment, Johan needed to adopt the same attitude.
He looked directly into Kaiaze’s eyes.
Suppressing the crushing pressure, he barely managed to speak.
“…Insolent creature. How dare you open your foul mouth in my presence?”
Silence immediately descended.
Kaiaze stared at Johan without saying a word.
Their uncomfortable exchange of gazes continued.
The urge to squirm seized Johan’s entire body.
Nevertheless, he did not move a muscle.
The first one to speak or move would lose.
At least, that was how Johan perceived the situation.
The silence continued for a long time.
Kaiaze was the first to move.
He began scraping the ground with one of his forepaws.
It was an incomprehensible action.
‘Is he drawing a profane formation?’
He might have been preparing a curse.
Despite his tension, Johan did not move. He merely watched Kaiaze with an expression of complete composure.
A moment later, Kaiaze stepped back.
Words had been carved into the ground.
The instant Johan read them, a hollow laugh escaped him.
—Grant me permission to speak.
His performance had worked.
Kaiaze no longer dared to open his foul mouth without permission.
He was showing Johan a certain degree of respect as an Apostle.
However, it was not yet satisfactory.
‘“Grant me permission”? That sounds strangely like an order.’
Depending on how one interpreted it, the phrasing sounded coercive.
Johan frowned.
“How impertinent. Lower yourself to my eye level first.”
Kaiaze was looking down at Johan. His enormous size made that unavoidable, but Johan could not permit it.
He was currently playing the role of an arrogant Apostle.
‘Beris would have found this situation offensive.’
Kaiaze growled deeply. The sound resembled boiling lava.
He was clearly displeased.
Johan spoke.
“Even with intelligence, you remain nothing more than a beast. How disappointing.”
Grrrk. Grrrk.
The sound of grinding teeth reached him.
Johan clicked his tongue and turned away.
At that moment, Kaiaze slowly lowered his body.
His enormous wings drooped toward the ground, and his belly came to rest against the earth.
The fortress-sized beast now lay prostrate before Johan.
Their eyes were still not level because of Kaiaze’s immense size, but this was acceptable.
Johan spoke.
“Everything about you is a mess, from beginning to end. I don’t even feel inclined to correct you. My time is precious, so state your business briefly and leave.”
A competitive gleam flickered within Kaiaze’s dark-crimson eyes.
He could not acknowledge this young Apostle, who had yet to attain even the proper stature befitting his position.
He did not wish to bow his head.
As an archdemon who had existed for a thousand years, Kaiaze wanted to show the imp before him the vast difference in their status.
Despite that desire, however, Kaiaze could not act rashly.
It was because of Johan’s attitude.
His almost arrogant confidence, his inexplicable composure, and even the way he regarded Kaiaze as though he were an insignificant creature—every word and action of the young Apostle carried an air similar to that of the other twelve Apostles.
Kaiaze’s gaze swept over Johan from head to toe.
It was an exceedingly disrespectful look.
Johan deliberated.
‘Should I reprimand him?’
Considering the stance he had maintained so far, becoming angry would be the correct response.
None of the Apostles would tolerate such behavior from Kaiaze.
However, Johan was not truly an Apostle. More precisely, he lacked an Apostle’s sense of identity.
He was merely an actor, so even the smallest action required careful consideration beforehand.
‘If I provoke him any further, he might resort to brute force.’
The instant that thought crossed Johan’s mind, he clicked his tongue.
If an actor could not immerse himself in his role, the audience would inevitably realize that everything was merely an act.
Johan’s most important guiding principle was to never allow his true nature to be discovered.
Just as he had played the role of a demon ever since possessing this body, he now needed only to imitate an Apostle.
Had he not performed better than anyone until now? He had concealed his weakness, hidden his identity, and behaved like a true demon.
From this moment onward, he would behave like an Apostle.
“How insolent.”
Johan swung his arm.
His long red claws raked across both of Kaiaze’s eyes.
They did not leave so much as a scratch.
Kaiaze growled quietly and lowered his gaze.
“If you have no business with me, begone.”
The moment Johan finished speaking, Kaiaze slowly raised his upper body.
Standing on all fours, the beast was enormous enough to obscure the night sky.
‘Does he intend to attack?’
Johan grew somewhat tense. He had no means of resisting Kaiaze.
Even if he used the relics he had brought from the forbidden library, they would only buy him an opportunity to escape.
‘I didn’t have enough time to prepare for him.’
This development had never been part of the original story, so Johan had no choice but to overcome the crisis using only his instincts and quick thinking.
Just as he was about to retrieve a relic from his backpack, Kaiaze spoke.
“I have something to give you.”
He grasped the empty air with both forepaws.
A bizarre sight followed.
Kaiaze tore open the night sky as though ripping a sheet of paper.
A crimson rift appeared in the air like a wound.
Johan inwardly sighed in relief.
‘I made it through.’
A glass panel as large as a person descended from the rift.
Kaiaze spoke.
“The thirteenth chapter of the Book of Calamity—the Book of Deception and Chaos.”
The rectangular glass panel landed upright before Johan.
Pitch-black letters had been inscribed upon its transparent surface.
—All Evil, raise your head, and let us sing of the Thirteenth Apostle of the End.
Several other sentences had also been recorded, but Johan’s attention was drawn elsewhere.
‘A mirror?’
The glass reflected Johan’s image.
The demon was nowhere to be seen.
In its place stood the figure of a young boy.
‘…Why, when it’s nighttime?’
At this hour, his demonic form should have appeared in the reflection.
Johan contemplated the matter briefly before speaking.
“Why does it have this form?”
The question contained two separate points of doubt.
First, why had the Book of Calamity taken the form of a mirror?
Second, why did the image in that mirror show his human form?
Kaiaze answered.
“A Book of Calamity is crafted in a form representing its Apostle’s identity. Consider carefully what purpose a mirror serves.”
Johan stared at the Book of Calamity.
‘A tool that reflects oneself.’
That was the only function that immediately came to mind.
Johan spoke with a grave expression.
“Can you also see my reflection in the mirror?”
If Kaiaze could see Johan’s human form, the situation would become extremely troublesome.
“Only an Apostle can interact with an original Book of Calamity. As its scribe, I merely record evil deeds within it. I cannot directly interact with the book itself.”
After speaking, Kaiaze flapped his wings several times.
A single pitch-black feather drifted downward and began transforming into a tiny fairy.
“This is the chronicler who will record your evil deeds on my behalf.”
It was a setting Johan knew well.
A lesser demon tasked with recording an Apostle’s life.
Whenever it wrote something in the book, the same passage would automatically appear in every copy of the Book of Calamity.
In other words, every human who possessed a copy would be able to learn of the Apostle’s exploits.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“My actions will become known throughout the world.”
“Every passage will require your approval, so nothing you do not wish to disclose will be recorded.”
“That is welcome news.”
“My business here is concluded.”
Kaiaze spread his enormous wings.
The horizons on both sides were engulfed in black shadows.
As he slowly rose into the air, he spoke.
“Keep one thing in mind. You must not allow them to take the Book of Calamity from you.”
“Them?”
Kaiaze gazed toward the distant mountains.
“Vermin have gathered.”
At that moment, he kicked off the ground and soared upward.
The resulting wind pressure surged like a typhoon.
The gigantic demonic beast occupied the entire night sky.
From high above, Kaiaze spoke.
“Accumulate evil deeds befitting your status and acquire the necessary power. All Evil has yet to acknowledge you.”
With a roar, he raced through the air. Space tore and fractured along his path.
Immediately afterward, thunderous shouts rang out.
“Cut off his escape route first!”
“Surround him!”
White light spread beneath Johan’s feet.
A radiant magical formula was being drawn upon the ground.
It was a divine spell formation—a binding technique designed specifically for use against demons.
The Order had already arrived.
Members of the clergy began appearing one after another.
Every one of them was wreathed in brilliant white light.
A visibly tense priest stared at Johan and muttered,
“Could that creature possibly be…?”
“I-It’s White Horn!”
A juvenile demon with a white horn—the subject of the unbelievable report claiming that he had treated Apostle Beris like a dog.
The Order had provisionally designated him “White Horn” and even assembled a special investigative team dedicated to him.
“Don’t approach him!”
“Buy us time!”
They needed to restrain White Horn until their main force arrived.
Johan released a long sigh.
‘One disaster after another.’
After securing the Book of Calamity, he instantly soared into the air.
At the same moment, countless chains hurtled toward him.
They were manifestations of divine magic rising from the spell formation.
“Capture him!”
“We cannot let him escape!”
It appeared that escaping would not be easy.