"Well then, let's get going."
Natsuki Subaru turned towards the depths of the forest, a sharp glint flashing in his dark eyes. From that direction, he could faintly sense a far more sinister aura rapidly approaching.
"It's time to show that Sin Archbishop of Sloth what true diligence looks like."
The trees stirred without a wind, their leaves rustling with an eerie, whispering sound, as if the entire forest was trembling in unease.
"They're here."
Natsuki Subaru's right hand tightened around the Kasaka's Venom Fang as a cold smirk played on his lips.
He had finally been waiting for the main event.
In the next moment, dozens of Unseen Hands, completely imperceptible to an ordinary person, struck from all directions!
Forged from pure malice, the pitch demonic hands twisted and writhed like living things, letting out hair-raising shrieks as they tore through the air. They aimed straight for Natsuki Subaru's throat, heart, and limbs, intending to rip him to shreds.
However—
Subaru's body twisted at an impossible angle, deftly evading the demonic hands just as they were about to make contact.
"Is that all you've got?"
After a few swift maneuvers, Natsuki Subaru leaped back, landing steadily in a safe zone several meters away. His gaze was icy as he stared in the direction the attack had come from.
Just then, a bizarre man slowly emerged from the forest's shadows.
His dark green hair was so neat it was almost rigid, and his gaunt frame was draped in a large, black robe. What was most unsettling were his eyes—hollow and dead, yet shimmering with a kind of sick fanaticism.
"You're the leader of the Witch Cult, aren't you?"
Natsuki Subaru gripped his Kasaka's Venom Fang tightly, his cold gaze fixed on the black-robed man before him.
In comparison, the true Witch of Sloth lives up to her name. She'd lie down if she could avoid sitting and keep her eyes closed if she could avoid opening them. Even breathing is a chore for her. Now that is the benchmark for sloth.
Natsuki Subaru scoffed internally, his eyes growing sharper.
Logically, since I've never activated Return by Death, I shouldn't carry the Witch's lingering scent. Yet, Petelgeuse claims to feel the mark of her 'love' on me.
Could it be that the Authority of the Witch of Envy truly lies dormant within me, just waiting to be triggered?
Even Rem couldn't detect it...
And this Sin Archbishop of Sloth, perhaps because he possesses an Authority from the same source, is able to sense this faint aura.
"But! But, but, but, BUT!" Petelgeuse suddenly shook his head frantically. "How could someone as 'loved' as you have no connection to the Gospel! Ahh, this is a contradiction, a contradiction!"
As he spoke, his gaunt fingers trembled, reaching into his black robe to retrieve a book.
The jet-black cover had an eerie sheen, and though the book was about the size of a dictionary, it radiated a deeply unsettling aura. At first glance, it might seem like a cherished book he carried everywhere, but a madman wouldn't be so simple.
"Ah, ahhh... the Gospel... I feel it... love..." Petelgeuse caressed the cover with an almost pathological tenderness, his breathing growing ragged and feverish.
As the pages were slowly turned, Petelgeuse's gaze grew increasingly deranged.
"They've been completely brainwashed by the Witch Cult's teachings." Rem held her morningstar, a trace of disgust flashing in her sky-blue eyes.
"Rem's right," Natsuki Subaru nodded in agreement, his mind flashing through his memories of Petelgeuse.
If he recalled correctly, Petelgeuse wasn't human, but a spirit. As a former moderate member of the Witch Cult, he had been stationed around the elf forest for a long time and had a good relationship with the elves. The turning point came when the elves were attacked by the Witch of Vainglory and the Sin Archbishop of Greed. To protect Emilia and her foster mother, Fortuna, Petelgeuse forcibly used a Witch Factor he hadn't fully mastered and, in the chaos, mistakenly killed Fortuna. This series of tragedies completely shattered his mind, and he was ultimately brainwashed by Pandora, becoming the Sin Archbishop of Sloth for the Witch Cult.
Although Petelgeuse's tragic fate was worthy of sympathy, it was absolutely no excuse for him to continue committing evil.
Just as Subaru was lost in thought, Petelgeuse's bloodshot eyes suddenly widened, the whites nearly bulging from their sockets. His crazed gaze, like a viper's, locked onto Emilia. His entire body leaned forward at an impossible human angle, his neck twisted into a sickening arc.
"AH, AHHHH, AHHHHH... I understand! I finally understand!" Petelgeuse shrieked hysterically, his ten fingers digging deep into his own cheeks, leaving behind bloody trails. "You are the reason! The reason the Witch guided me here!"
Emilia tilted her head in confusion, her long silver hair swaying gently, her amethyst eyes filled with bewilderment.
"The Gospel... The Gospel does not record your fate! This is a revelation! It must be a revelation! Your future must be decided by me!"
Petelgeuse then whipped his head toward Natsuki Subaru, the madness in his eyes almost tangible. "You defiler! To obstruct the great Witch's trial! As one who is 'loved,' this is the gravest betrayal of the great Witch!!"
"Hah? What kind of crazy talk is that?" Hearing this, Natsuki Subaru scoffed dismissively. "We don't have time to play your twisted game of faith."
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Petelgeuse shook his head madly, his green hair flying about chaotically. "Ah, that's right! The silver-haired elf, you are the new proof of faith the great Witch has bestowed upon me! By offering you up, I can express my most sincere love!"
As he spoke, his voice suddenly became unnaturally gentle, yet it carried a hair-raising fanaticism. "That is why I am in this place, waiting for a silver-haired, purple-eyed elf! If this is not the great Witch's guidance, then what could it be? Ahh, ahhh! Oh, great Witch, my everything is for you!"
"I'm sorry, but I have my own mission to complete. I cannot offer myself for your faith."
"Ah, ah, ah, yes, now that you mention it, what I've done has been quite rude." The black-robed man slowly raised his gaunt arm, performing a bow so exaggerated it was almost theatrical. He then snapped his head up, his neck jutting forward at an unnatural angle, his eyes stretched to their limit as he madly proclaimed: "I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult—one who governs Sloth..."
So it really is him!
The Sin Archbishop of Sloth of the Witch Cult, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
Natsuki Subaru felt nothing, not even a ripple in his heart. He almost wanted to laugh. This so-called Sin Archbishop of Sloth was a complete joke. He always spoke of sloth, yet his actions were more diligent than anyone's. He spouted endless nonsense, bursting into hysterical laughter or tears at a moment's notice, like a schizophrenic lunatic. In the original story, Petelgeuse was the most troublesome, always either causing trouble or on his way to cause trouble.
The madman before him was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult heretics in the Witch Cult.
And now, he had to eliminate this menace with his own hands.
"You were able to dodge the Unseen Hand... And yet, on your body... on your body, there are traces of the great Witch's love. Though they are very faint..." Petelgeuse tilted his head, muttering in a twisted tone. His hollow eyes stared intently at Natsuki Subaru, as if trying to see right through him.
Natsuki Subaru remained calm on the surface, but his mind was racing.
Come to think of it, ever since he arrived in this world, he had grown much stronger thanks to the existence of the System. He had basically cleared every challenge in one go, never experiencing death. Naturally, he had no way to verify if the ability of Return by Death had ever existed for him.
"No... No, no, NO! In the Gospel... there is no record of you! Not even of this great trial today... Ah, ahhh, ahhh, what is this... what is...!" Petelgeuse slammed the book shut, clutching his head and screaming madly. "You! You are an utterly insignificant existence! For the Gospel to not even deign to record you..."
His fingernails dug deep into his temples. Blood trickled down his pale cheeks, but Petelgeuse, as if feeling no pain, continued to roar, "A contradictory existence that is 'loved'! My brain... it trembles, it trembles... Why is this! Why, why, why, why—"
"But... but, but, the Gospel has no record of you appearing here!" As he said this, Petelgeuse shook his head frantically, his gaunt fingers digging deep into his messy green hair. "The Gospel is blank paper, completely blank paper! I must... I must find the answer on my own!"
"This guy... he's a complete and utter psychopath."
Watching Petelgeuse's insane self-mutilation, Natsuki Subaru's expression remained as calm as still water, but he couldn't help but make the tsukkomi. After all, he already knew this guy was a total pervert, so the scene before him was entirely within his expectations.
It was worth mentioning that Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, was a madman who had nothing to do with the word "sloth." He was utterly obsessed with the stimulation of his physical senses, had severe self-harming tendencies, and often clawed at his own face in a crazed state. Even more ironically, this so-called Sin Archbishop of Sloth was actually energetic to an appalling degree, holding "diligence" and "love" as his creeds for survival, and harbored a pathological, fanatical worship of the Witch of Envy.
At this moment, Petelgeuse stood in his signature bizarre pose, his head tilted at an exaggerated angle, his waist bent unnaturally, completely oblivious to the strange looks from others.
"Subaru, what's wrong with that person?" Emilia and the others walked over to stand by Natsuki Subaru's side, asking in confusion.
"A psychopath. Simply put, there's something wrong with his head," Natsuki Subaru explained casually to Emilia.
"Lady Emilia, most Witch Cultists are deranged like this." Rem gripped her morningstar tightly.
Emilia took half a step back, her hands unconsciously moving to protect her chest, but her voice remained firm.
"Mission?" Petelgeuse suddenly froze, then burst into a chilling laugh. "Hahahaha, what lovely words! But isn't your mission to become the sacrifice for me to express my love for the great Witch? Come, let us begin this sacred trial!"
"Stay away from Lady Emilia, you cultist!" Rem immediately stepped forward, blocking Emilia from view. Her morningstar spun in her hand, letting out a dangerous whistle.
But Petelgeuse seemed not to hear, continuing to immerse himself in his own fantasy. "Ahhh... such perfect silver hair... such beautiful purple eyes, this must be a gift from the great Witch to me..."
As he spoke, dozens of formless, Unseen Hands slowly poured out from behind him like venomous snakes. These demonic hands, condensed from pure malice, writhed eerily in the air, twisting the surrounding space into unnatural shapes.
"Die, cultist!"
At the same time, a sharp killing intent flashed in Rem's eyes. Her slender arm suddenly tensed, and the morningstar shot out with a roar. The heavy hammerhead drew a long arc in the air, heading straight for Petelgeuse's temple.
Clang!
Yet, just as it was about to hit, the hammerhead suddenly stopped dead in mid-air, as if it had slammed into an invisible wall.
"Ngh... blocked..." Rem gritted her teeth and retracted her weapon, the chain rattling in her hand.
Petelgeuse hadn't even looked up. He had just casually waved a hand, and those formless hands had effortlessly blocked the fatal blow.
"Cultist..." Rem's sky-blue eyes burned with a cold fury. She tightened her grip on the morningstar's chain, her knuckles turning white from the force, the veins on the back of her hand clearly visible. "You are... no, you people are the enemy of this world, a calamity upon it. Radiating such a thick, terrifying aura... you must be eliminated!"
"Frightening? That is merely your one-sided perception." Petelgeuse tilted his head, his neck making an unsettling cracking sound. The corners of his mouth split into an exaggerated smile that nearly tore his face apart. "A self-limiting mindset is a sign of ceasing to think... How truly, truly, truly, truly, truly—too slothful!"
"What did you say?" Rem's voice dropped several degrees. The oni horn on her forehead began to emit a faint glow, a sign of her accumulating rage.
"Compared to me, who holds diligence as my creed and never tires, you are simply... simply... far too slothful!" Petelgeuse suddenly waved his arms excitedly, his long green hair whipping around like snakes, the tips stained with blood from where he had clawed his own face. "Such a slothful attitude is simply unforgivable!"
Petelgeuse's voice, shrill with excitement, cracked. Flecks of spittle flew from his mouth. "Because whether it's the missions we bear or the goals we pursue, we are simply too far apart!"
Natsuki Subaru silently watched the crazed Sin Archbishop, Petelgeuse, deliberately maintaining a safe distance.
He wasn't afraid. He was quietly waiting for the right moment—waiting for Wilhelm and the others to eliminate all of Petelgeuse's "Fingers."
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