Chapter: 360
I saw the guy handling poison sprawled on the floor, twitching, as I turned back into the arena amidst the cheers of the crowd.
That person wasn’t exactly weak. I mean, come on, dealing with someone who uses poison is bound to be a pain.
Just a slight scratch from the blade could spell disaster, and that threat alone is terrifying.
Plus, those who use poison typically aren’t focused on taking down their opponent outright; their strategy revolves around injecting their poison, which makes dealing with them different from typical foes.
But the poor thing had one unfortunate factor: it didn’t match up well against me.
Since I’m the one blessed with God’s grace, I possess an immunity to ordinary poisons.
Without me even realizing it, my divine nature naturally drives away any corruption; what would be lethal to an ordinary person is merely a joke to me.
To overcome this, the enemy would need to inject a significant amount of poison or use something so strong it surpasses the divine caliber, and let’s be real, how easy is that?
Even if they managed to pierce my shield and deliver a meaningful blow, I have the ability to purify it.
There are plenty of purification-related spells lying around, and I even have that cheat skill called Armadi’s Mercy.
Unless they’re channeling the Evil God’s powers related to poison, I think torturing me with poison is pretty much impossible, right?
[How pitiful. If they had met the right opponent, they could have reached greater heights.]
‘Well, what can you do? Luck is part of skill too.’
[Heh. True enough, but hearing it from you is just irritating.]
I smirked at Grandpa’s grumbling.
Right? It’s definitely something I shouldn’t say.
Someone who got unfortunate and got eliminated like that can complain, that’s legitimate whining.
But me? Having only faced strong opponents that I was able to defeat while gaining experience? I shouldn’t say something like that. That would be downright deceptive.
I can overlook the laments of the fallen, but the sighs of the successful often summon a spear of death.
Having been blocked multiple times while trolling on the Soul Academy bulletin board, I was well aware of this fact.
But why did I say that to Grandpa?
‘But Grandpa, I think I deserve to say something this time, don’t you think?’
I was bound to fail soon enough anyway.
[That’s true.]
On my way back to the waiting room, I checked the tournament bracket and couldn’t help but chuckle thinking of what Benedict had told me.
‘This is a tale from when this old man was still young. Back then, I was eager to prove my strength; I didn’t know what to do. I smashed everyone in the knight order, conquered dungeons, and to top it all off, I juggled a bunch of familial affairs while wandering the continent, taking on many strong opponents.’
‘It was during that time when I met a woman named Lasha. She was just like me back then, smashing through various strong opponents, and came to take me down personally. We faced off with our weapons.’
‘She was quite the opponent. I don’t know how you’d feel about it, but even now, it’s rare that anyone could match me in strength. Lasha was one of those few exceptions. If her skills had been better, it might have been dangerous.’
‘Even if we faced off again now, I don’t think I’d lose, but it would definitely be trickier. I’ve grown weaker, while she hasn’t.’
Lasha.
The person Benedict acknowledged for her might.
A top-tier powerhouse even in the entire continent.
Her name had somehow made it to my side of the ring, having effortlessly crushed countless opponents I considered challenging.
Possibilities of victory?
None.
I’m not joking; after watching Risha demolish other challengers from the participant area a few times and pondering the situation, I concluded that there was genuinely no chance of winning.
I mean, seriously, how am I supposed to beat the Apostle of the Evil God of Struggle, who typically shows up in the latter parts of the game?
Sure, I could do all the fighting through the monitor with keyboard and mouse, but facing that monster in person? How do I even survive?!
[Is that Lasha really the Apostle of Struggle?]
‘I hope so. But yes, she definitely is.’
Even when I saw Lasha fight for the first time, I was shocked at how someone like her could exist and couldn’t connect her to being the Apostle of Struggle.
She looked completely different, both in name and appearance, from the Lasha I watched on screen.
But as I sat and watched her demolish another opponent, the feeling of déjà vu began flooding in.
Her style of swinging her fists, the habits she exhibited during an assault, the things she shouted during fights—!
The final nail in the coffin for my feeling of déjà vu was the fierce energy that radiated from her as she looked up at Benedict.
Most people, even Benedict, brushed aside that aura as mere fighting spirit, but not me.
Being the rotten water of the Soul Academy and Armadi’s Apostle, I knew exactly where that energy was coming from. It was undoubtedly the Evil God’s energy.
[For a thing like that, she seems perfectly sane.]
‘On the outside, sure. But only on the outside.’
The moment someone figures out I’m linked to the Evil God, all my veins might just explode on the spot—every single one of them. The ones who worship the Evil Gods are all stark raving mad.
Of course, the Apostle of Struggle is no different; she’s someone who’s gone off the deep end on one side. She may appear perfectly fine outside, but what’s inside is nothing but insanity. Just a dangerously unstable person that you wouldn’t want to keep close.
‘Even if I’m mistaken, it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t beat her.’
The difference in strength is just too severe. Even if I emptied all the divine power in my body, I might only withstand a few of her attacks at best.
I can’t take her down. If my defeat’s already been confirmed, wouldn’t it be better to just gracefully fall before the Apostle of Evil God without revealing my identity?
Even if the status window flies away and only the Perverted Apostle and Sloppy Fox are left laughing, what can I do? There’s just no answer.
Haaa. Seriously, this is infuriating.
Why does someone who shouts “You’re strong! Let’s fight!” show up right when my reputation is nearly at its peak?
Why is she blocking my way, for crying out loud?
“Ah. Benedict’s daughter.”
While I was swiping my face, feeling like my life was filled with unfairness, I heard a snickering voice from the side.
The moment I turned my head to follow the sound, the first thing that stood out was the sheer bulk of muscles that completely contradicted a woman’s voice.
The person right in front of me had muscles that would make even a knight look skinny, enough for me to doubt we belonged to the same species.
“Wow, you’re really tiny. How could such a small girl come from such a massive dude?”
The thought seemed to cross her mind as she looked down at me from above, a spark of intrigue glinting in Lasha’s eyes.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lasha. I fought your dad before.”
Her grin was filled with warmth, but my mind was a jumbled mess facing her.
I’m an Apostle of God, and she’s the Apostle of the Evil God Nier. I knew that the moment our identities were revealed, that sweet smile on her face would flip completely.
“Hmm. Want some candy? It’s sweet and delicious.”
‘…No, I’m good, Lasha.’
“Forget it. Who do you think I am? Unlike you, I’m actually older mentally, you muscle pig.”
As I saw Lasha’s gaze tilt downwards, I inwardly lamented, ready to pull out my mace and shield at any moment.
“Ha ha ha. Calling me a muscle pig! Just like Benedict’s daughter, you have some guts!”
Luckily, the worst-case scenario I’d predicted didn’t unfold. Lasha’s hearty laughter filled the hallway without a hint of displeasure.
Looks like she doesn’t know my real identity yet. She probably thinks of me as just Benedict’s daughter. If that’s the case, stepping back gracefully and admitting defeat should be the end of it, no problems at all.
“Or are you trying to pick a fight with me since you’re the Apostle of God?”
Her offhand remark sent a chill down my spine.
Did she realize I’m the Apostle of God? How?! I’m perfectly hiding God’s grace right now!
“Did you think I wouldn’t catch on? Haha. Benedict’s daughter. You might be extraordinary for your age, but you’re still just a kid. There are plenty of gaps in your act.”
The moment Lasha took a step forward, I quickly stepped back, pulling out my shield and mace.
It’s all good. Benedict is nearby. If I can just hold out until the strategic weapon arrives, he’ll handle everything.
The real question is whether I can keep my life until then.
I have to.
If I don’t, I’ll die.
As I poured out my divine power and prepared for a clash, Lasha let out another hearty laugh.
Her booming laughter resonated so loud that people in the waiting area began to trickle out one by one.
What the heck? Why is she acting out so visibly like this? There’s no good outcome from doing this!
As my confusion grew, she blocked out the sounds between us, closing the distance while I looked around.
“Calm down. I still don’t intend to touch you.”
‘And I’m supposed to believe that?’
“Am I asking you to believe me? Did your brain get overtaken because your muscles are too big?”
“Why would I cut down the potential of a rising hero?”
At that moment, observing Lasha shrug emboldened me to reflect on my preconceptions of her character.
“If there’s been some misunderstanding, I’ll clarify. I didn’t become a servant of the Evil God because I believe in him. I just accepted the offer because being bad lets me touch powerful people more than doing good.”
The Apostle of Struggle.
“Even now, the Evil God keeps yammering, but who cares? The one who defeated me, Benedict Allen, or someone just as strong as him is you. But why would I kill you now? It’ll be way more fun to fight you once you’ve grown strong.”
A madman who only cares about fighting strong opponents;that’s the vibe I’m getting.
“Well, if I break your neck now, Benedict would definitely come all out to kill me, and that’d be quite a fun experience. But I could just wait to break your neck after you’ve reached your peak.”
Despite not being particularly smart, she certainly wasn’t lacking in patience as she grinned widely, causing Grandpa to chuckle softly.
[You’ve got a point. That lady is definitely a firmly insane character, treating the Evil God like a tool.]
‘At least she’s gone mad in a way that benefits me.’
It’s definitely better than facing a lunatic who aims to rip my throat out.
“Participants, is something wrong?”
A staff member from the arena approached upon hearing the commotion, and Lasha waved her hand with a pleasant smile, casting a spell.
“Sorry. I got excited facing such raw talent and ended up threatening her. I might have scared her a bit.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“We sorted it through conversation, so everything’s fine. Right? Benedict’s daughter?”
Prompted by Lasha’s look, I retracted my weapon and nodded.
I knew that upping the drama here could put not just me, but everyone present in danger.
After the staff, now reassured, requested that we keep it down and left, Lasha waved her hand as she turned away with a casual “See you in the next match.”
“Oh, right. Benedict’s daughter. Even if you can’t win, give it your all. Otherwise, I’ll probably be really pissed off.”
…Is that a death threat?
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