Chapter: 639
Facing Lucy’s divinity, Lasha felt her body stiffen.
Though she had no shred of faith, she was still the Apostle of the Evil God.
As the spokesperson for the deity overseeing destruction, she grasped that this divinity was something humans could never possess.
That was the true essence of the deities. The light of life that was born first in this world.
“Damn it.”
“Why?♡ Are you scared imagining being defeated?♡”
“I should probably tone it down, but I really can’t.”
Her blood boiled.
What stood before her was a powerhouse.
Benedict Alrn, the daughter of the great knight, chosen by the god as a warrior.
And behind her were heroes who accompanied the warrior. The chosen disciples of the god Himself.
She wanted to kill them.
She wanted to smash them.
She was eager to see what kind of violent explosion would occur when their light shattered.
This impulse belonged to no one else.
It was hers.
The thrill of their potential destruction was too thrilling to suppress her urge to destroy.
“Well, I have to do it. If I don’t, who will?”
“We’ll handle it.”
Yet a holy knight stood in her way.
“Think you can do it? You know what that brat’s divinity means, right?”
“I’m prepared to fall into hell.”
“Only insane folks hang around idiots.”
“You’re one too♡ You crazed sweaty lass♡”
As Lasha swung her fist in response to Lucy’s provocation, the impact dispersed with a cheerful sound.
In that split second where her strength was pinned, Lasha thrust out her shield.
It wasn’t a coincidence. It was intentional.
Had she really grown this much in just a few months?
Feeling a deep regret that she should already be demolishing this, Lasha swung her fist again.
This time, with a heavy thud, Lucy was pushed back.
“If that’s all you can do, you’ll die.”
“Sounds convincing coming from someone whose brain has been devoured by muscle♡”
Even while distracted by Lucy, Lasha caught the sword flying toward her throat and saw Arthur’s face and Frey swinging her sword from his shoulders, prompting her to pull her arms back in a hurry.
Blood dripped from the tiny wounds etched into her skin.
“What excuse will you make this time?”
“…Haha! Unfortunately, I have no excuses!”
With Lasha’s charge, a clash erupted between the Pope’s holy knights and Lucy Alrn’s party.
With Lucy’s words profaning the deity, holy knights bore the marks of battle as they fell prey to the onslaught of her comrades.
The immense shockwave Lasha created wounded the holy knights battling against the children.
Both sides exchanged arcane spells to restrain one another, heal comrades, and attempt to create variables.
Miraculously, the clash between the two groups seemed evenly matched.
Or rather, the Pope might have deemed Lucy’s group the superior side.
Despite their exhaustion from battling the Apostle of the Evil God Agra, their spirit was fierce, and there was an unmistakable hesitation among the holy knights, save for Lasha.
Objectively speaking, they should not be falling behind.
They should not be equal.
Lasha was a monster who ranked among the strongest on the continent.
And the Pope’s holy knights were known as the strongest throughout the continent.
In contrast, Lucy Alrn’s party consisted of mere children who had yet to reach adulthood.
While they possessed astonishing talent, they were children nonetheless.
Their physical growth wasn’t even complete, and they should have been crushed under the strength the Pope had brought.
Even if they held the belief that they must not let anyone die.
Even if they were hindered by the pangs of conscience deep within.
They were meant to emerge victorious with ease.
Under normal circumstances.
From the back, watching everything unfold, the Pope felt a miracle in the chaos of battle.
The first, the greatest, and the best deity, Almighty Armadi himself stood behind them, causing this confrontation.
The Almighty desired to protect his Apostle while simultaneously preventing the Pope from accomplishing his objective.
After questioning himself multiple times, the Pope acknowledged this fact, burying his face in his hands, ignoring the surrounding clamor.
The Pope’s shoulders trembled, quaking for the first time.
Droplets fell through his fingers.
A voice close to sobbing was drowned in the noise.
How long had it been? When he raised his face again, a smile was etched upon the Pope’s lips.
So deep it seemed to be forever ingrained as a mark of joy.
“Oh, mighty Almighty.”
The Pope felt a shudder upon realizing he was being rejected.
This was the god he had been devoted to for countless years.
This being, knowing full well that if left alone would grant him great benefits, chose instead to give up everything for the sake of righteousness—this was the god the Pope believed in.
“Thank you for proving my faith was right.”
With a trembling voice, the Pope prayed as he stepped into the battlefield, joy brimming in his heart.
And then a rupture occurred.
Lucy, who had never lost her smile amidst the onslaught, bit down hard on her lip.
Arthur, who kept looking for where he was meant to be, lost his composure.
Frey’s speed began to falter, and Feibi was too focused on healing to provide any other support.
Joy fought valiantly against the knights that had reached her, but she couldn’t aid her friends.
The balance that had once existed crumbled further with each passing moment.
And the moment they became aware of the accelerating descent, it was already too late.
The balance had collapsed.
“Now, everyone.”
The Pope, reassured that Lucy’s group was nearing their limits, stepped before her.
“Do you agree to recognize me as the Apostle of the Almighty?”
“Isn’t it pathetic for someone your age to still not be able to make a decision?♡ Your intelligence seems to have dropped significantly!♡”
With the Pope smiling as he asked, Lucy lowered her shield and displayed a mocking grin.
“So you’re saying you believe in some pathetic pedo deity?♡ How twisted do you have to be to worship a perv trying to dress a girl in bunny gear?♡”
Shaking off the grips that held her, Lucy poked the Pope’s belly.
“Maybe you just resonate with that pedo deity, huh?♡ Did you get all hot and bothered?♡ Trying to suffocate me with your belly fat?♡”
Lucy’s provocations were not the kind of talk to be thrown around in dire situations, especially against someone planning her abduction.
“Besides trying to overpower me, you can’t do shit♡ Of course, who would like a disgusting guy like you?♡”
Yet the reason Lucy continued to irritate him was clear.
“Can you even see your tiny little self?♡ It must be buried in all that flesh, huh?♡”
“Looks like you’re trying to make me attack someone who isn’t your friend.”
Because it was her duty.
“I suppose you’d like me to torture you in place of your friends to break you! That would hurt you less, right?”
Once again, tears streamed from the Pope’s eyes.
The Apostle chosen by the Almighty was this noble.
She was so selfless she would stand up for her friends, even if it meant casting herself into hell.
If she lacked the qualifications of an Apostle, who else could possess them?
“O Apostle, I want for nothing. I just wish you would witness my end.”
“If it means slaughtering a pig, I can do that now!♡”
“Ha ha. I’m sorry, but I can’t die from something as mundane as having my head chopped off.”
“Ahh♡ Are you scared?♡”
Lasha noticed the Pope couldn’t take his eyes off her from the gaze that measured her.
He was utterly captivated.
As if the great god had bound him, the Pope’s gaze was glued to Lucy.
“Pathetic♡”
Because of this, the Pope failed to notice the great sword flying toward his neck.
“Don’t move, Your Holiness.”
Benedict Alrn.
One of the most formidable powers of the continent.
Even staring into his furious eyes, the Pope managed to smile.
“Well, I should at least understand the situation.”
The one who was restrained wasn’t just the Pope.
The Sword Saint. The Apostle of the Art Guild. The head of House Kent. The Second Queen. The two princes who remained outside. The master of the forest. The queen of the fairies. And the dark god surrounded this place.
In an instant, the dungeon crumbled, and at that moment, they struck fiercely. It wasn’t a coincidence that I dropped my guard.
“Stupid Papa. You’re so slow.”
“I’ll apologize later, Lucy.”
The situation had been orchestrated by the Apostle.
From some point, it had all been manipulated, hadn’t it?
I can’t be sure. It’s too unpredictable.
Was that being truly so wondrously noble and capable?
I felt the urge to cry again.
“Pope of the Almighty Church, relinquish the shard of the Evil God and step back.”
With a stiff tone, Erginius warned, causing the Pope to shrug.
“We’ll keep it on our side.”
“Do I really need to tell you that had it not been for your status, your head would be rolling by now?”
“I know. But I can’t give it to you. You wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“Me?”
“O great mage. Don’t forget that you nearly got consumed by the darkness. I know that better than you.”
“There’s certainly a shortcoming in me, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to hold it.”
Even amid the Pope’s stubbornness, the other powers around added their strength.
No matter how many holy knights were present, along with Lasha and several extraordinary warriors, it would be impossible to navigate through this turmoil.
Erginius’ lenient proposal to retreat seemed like the best course.
Under normal circumstances.
“No. I’m fine. O great mage.”
“Oh? Really? Why’s that?”
“Before answering, may I ask you something? Do you remember me?”
“Why should I remember you?”
“Looks like that’s where your memory stops.”
A sense of impending doom washed over Erginius as he struck the Pope’s head, but shortly after, the lost head returned.
As if he’d never experienced an end.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I am the Apostle of the Evil God Agra, and I reached the position of Pope through my faith in the Almighty and survived the Mythological Era.”
“…What?”
“And I’m also an acquaintance of Erginius, the one who created you. You’re Erginius’ puppet.”
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