Chapter: 656
The Pope, who had found the island once again, strolled leisurely through the dungeon.
Previously, he had visited with Lasha but left when he reached his limits. But now, there was no need for that.
Unlike before, the Pope could now handle the Authority of the End.
With each step he took, the end approached within the dungeon.
The iron that had endured for hundreds of years rusts and crumbles.
Traps that had been operational until recently malfunction and stop.
Even the walls that could withstand Lasha’s punches break, and the numerous artificial beings lurking inside disintegrate into dust.
The power of the Evil God, which once threatened to bring about the ruin of the world, was not something this worn-out dungeon could withstand.
Reaching the end of the dungeon, the Pope opened the door and faced the face of the man inside.
The Hero.
A being that can only be called the symbol of hope and salvation itself.
A hero who never bends in the face of any disaster and triumphs at the end of despair.
The Pope, who had faced him countless times, respected the Hero.
After all, he was proof of humanity’s greatness and evidence that Lord Jushin was right.
“It’s been a while, Hero.”
“Are you getting too polite? The you of the past was much more vicious.”
The Hero, rising slowly, raised his sword.
“There was a time full of bloodlust. However, it has been hundreds of years since then.”
“But even now, you are still trying to resurrect the Evil God.”
“For the greatness of Lord Jushin.”
“Though you believe you are doing this for Lord Jushin, it’s merely your own whim.”
The Hero let out a slight laugh as he raised his energy.
Unlike when he faced the Apostle of Jushin before, this time he was truly trying to kill his opponent.
The land trembles. Stone fragments fall from the ceiling. The air stands still, and the space the Hero stands in turns into his own.
“You truly are a scary figure, both then and now.”
“Are you going to run?”
“No, there’s no need. You can’t kill me.”
As soon as the Pope’s words ended, the swinging sword wiped his head away, but the Pope’s voice continued.
“In the past, you tried to kill me several times. Knowing the crimes I committed as Agra’s Apostle, you tried to stop me. But what was the result? You failed, and I am still here.”
“Right. Then it only needs to be corrected now.”
“No, no. That can’t be. Perhaps the you of the past could have, but the you who has declined for hundreds of years cannot kill me. Absolutely not.”
The Pope, who respected the past Hero, could feel how weak the current Hero had become.
His eyes lost their sharpness, and his steadfast heart had cracked, with the sword that once stood proudly now worn and old.
Not a match for the Apostle of Lord Jushin.
“Hero, could you please step back? I do not wish for Agra to be resurrected. I intend to kill Agra.”
“Hahaha! That’s a funny thing to say! As Agra’s Apostle, you say you will kill Agra!?”
“Yes. The beginning and the end must belong entirely to Lord Jushin.”
Agra had no value in this world.
His best role was to be a sacrifice.
Being offered for the great Lord Jushin to descend once more into this world would undoubtedly be the greatest glory Agra could ever attain.
“This is not treason! It’s for the sin-filled Evil God! As an Apostle of the Evil God, I gift you a chance for atonement!”
The Pope, engulfed in madness, screamed as Garad, who had been hiding behind him, jumped out and stabbed the place where the Pope’s heart should be.
For an ordinary person, the damage would have been fatal, but the Pope leisurely watched the sword that pierced through his body.
“I didn’t expect another Hero to be here.”
“Really? I didn’t expect you, the pest, to be alive either.”
“An Apostle of Jushin has visited here. Is the Hero’s role now passed on to you?”
The Pope stood between those who wanted to kill him, clasped his hands together, and prayed to the heavens.
Great Lord Jushin, grant a miracle to your Apostle.
Do not let me falter in any trial.
Let the Apostle become my trial so that I may prove myself.
“Truly, I believe glory rests with you.”
With a devout heart, the Pope finished his prayer, smiled brightly, and looked at the two Heroes.
“I shall pass through.”
“Try, if you can.”
“I will block it with all my might.”
That day, a part of the island vanished from the surface.
*
At some point, Joy and Nevera began to sense the eyes of those watching them.
In a moment, the heat rose, and they started to fight, but there seemed to be no way to finish it.
If either of them had had overwhelming strength, it would have ended with one side’s victory. Unfortunately, both were evenly matched.
Nevera had superior magical skills.
Considering her decade-long experience and the support she received as the Apostle of Magic, it was, of course, expected.
However, the reason they couldn’t decide the outcome was due to Joy’s many peculiarities.
Combat experience gained through countless battlefields alongside Lucy.
The Power of Darkness learned from Erginius.
And on top of that, the blessing granted by the Fairy Queen.
With these means, Joy made up for her lacking magical ability and managed to confront Nevera without difficulty, sometimes even pushing her back.
Of course, Nevera possessed a certain level of cunning, so a slight edge wouldn’t be enough to sway the match.
‘This much should be enough! Kid! Fall for the sake of the Apostle’s authority!’
‘You’ve done enough! For the sake of appearing gracious, would you retreat? You’re an adult, after all!’
While the two were internally shouting for each other to give up, neither retreated an inch.
‘Don’t they care about their friends at all!?’
‘Do the followers of the God of Magic not care what happens to their Apostle!?’
Since neither side would back down and fought fiercely, no one intervened, but the two of them finally concluded they would have to fight until one of them fell.
So the two of them were about to launch their Deadly Blow at each other when—
“Excuse me a moment.”
As Erginius interjected and stirred the magic, both lost their balance and began to fall from the sky.
“Kyahh!?”
“Kyahh!!”
Startled by the situation that prevented them from using magic, the two screamed as Joy was caught by Lucy, and Benedict snatched the Apostle of Magic.
At that moment, both sighed in relief, thankful to be alive and quickly stood on the ground, raising their voices towards Erginius.
“What are you doing suddenly!?”
“Lord Erginius! At least give us a warning!”
“I moved as planned, assuming you two wouldn’t stop without intervention.”
As Erginius bowed his head, the two, still huffing, nodded in agreement.
It was true they could stop thanks to Erginius.
“I have much to discuss, but first, I have something to convey to the Apostle of Magic.”
“What is it?”
“I do not believe I am a being greater than the God of Magic. I, as a wizard, am merely one who studies the path of magic and cannot be compared to magic itself.”
In light of the fact that Erginius humbly stated his ability to research magic was due to the mercy granted by the God of Magic, Nevera’s lips curled slightly.
Erginius acknowledged that he hadn’t sought them out but that he was the one drawn in, and he recognized his lower standing! Surely even the God of Magic would be pleased!
“However, the God of Magic is a bit lazy. I’ve roamed about after ascending to divinity, but I honestly didn’t expect magic to be so stagnant. I was frankly disappointed.”
“…Do you think the God of Magic neglected this?”
“Yes. A being of divinity should lead everyone towards a better path. At the very least, I am trying to do so, but it seems the God of Magic is not.”
As Erginius nodded and mused about the difficulty of those naturally powerful beings being diligent, suddenly, his divine form vanished.
Normally, such a significant commotion would ensue, but those present remained unusually calm.
“…The God of Magic must have taken him.”
“Um… I guess so.”
In this situation, there was only one person who could kidnap Erginius.
“Lackey. When do you think that geek will return?”
“Um. I’m sorry. I don’t know either. The God hasn’t said a word.”
“Why are those so-called gods more immature than kids? Seriously, all the real gods are just fools!”
Lucy blatantly blasphemed, but no one could say anything against her.
After all, she was an Apostle of Lord Jushin, and everyone could somewhat relate.
“Their bitter fate isn’t light.”
Hearing a voice from behind, Lucy turned to find a man making a sinister grin with a hunched back.
“What’s this shadowy weakling?”
“I’m the one who left the seal in your hands.”
“…Creepy pervert kid?”
“I don’t understand why I have to be called a pervert.”
As Ganshu frowned, Lucy burst into laughter.
“Ahh, so this smelly kid has turned into this! Better to live as a kid forever!”
“Sorry, but this is not my body. I merely borrowed my Apostle’s flesh for a moment.”
“You like this kind of guy? Did you choose a loser for a loser?”
“Haha, seeing you from afar is indeed amusing.”
With a self-deprecating laugh and a shrug of his shoulders, Ganshu turned his back, saying to follow him.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ll tell you what Erginius was trying to explain.”
“Do we really need to go somewhere else? I don’t want to be with someone who smells bad.”
“Not something everyone should hear. It concerns the intentions of the gods.”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.