Subaru sensed that Petelgeuse held some goodwill toward him.
He struggled to force a smile onto his face.
"Eh... the street blockade? May I ask what specific measures you took?" Subaru had already guessed those Witch Cultists were the ones preventing him from leaving the forest, but just in case, he still asked.
"It's simple: [Fog]." Petelgeuse gave a brief answer, but Subaru felt an incomparable confidence in those words. Subaru quickly calculated the risks and benefits of further inquiries.
"Ah, so you sealed off the streets with fog to prevent anyone from interfering with the trial. That's quite brilliant. With that, the trial should proceed smoothly, Mr. Petelgeuse."
Noticing the madness growing in the man before him, Subaru rapidly made his decision and began to probe about the trial mentioned.
After Subaru spoke about the trial, Petelgeuse paused for a moment, then once again burst into passionate declarations about love.
"The trial, yes indeed! Completing the trial is love! Love poured in! Love bestowed! We must repay! We must..." Suddenly his slothful movements halted.
He slowly turned his head to look at the Witch Cultist kneeling in front.
"Why, why, why would someone appear outside on the day of the trial, risking exposing our existence? Don't you know? You are slothful!"
From behind him, pitch-black invisible hands surged forth, grabbing the cultist and lifting him into the air.
Blood gushed out, bones shattered, screams echoed throughout the cave, along with the madman's frenzied ramblings.
"The sloth in my fingers is my sloth! Ah, forgive me for betraying the love I was bestowed with sloth! Forgive this body that lives wholeheartedly with diligence for the Gospel! Forgive the very existence that should be thus! Forgive this wasted futile effort!"
Sloth muttered as he hurled the crushed ball of flesh against the wall.
The hard rock cracked, and the human turned into a thin membrane of meat.
Subaru widened his eyes, horrified both by the scene and the power displayed by the invisible hands.
"The trial is sacred and inviolable! No matter how harsh, if the trial is not completed overcoming all obstacles, that is insincere love! Yes, love! Love poured in! Love bestowed! We
must repay!" The Sloth Archbishop declared solemnly.
"Go monitor. If they take action, then the trial is complete. As for those diligent ones who found us, I will personally welcome them."
The black shadows responded to the screaming command. They seemed to dissolve and disappeared into the darkness of the cave.
Subaru prepared to speak again, but found he could not utter a sound.
He understood that he had fallen just short—but he remained calm, waiting.
Subaru was ready to confirm Sloth's combat power with this life.
After a long time of concentrating, he finally received a reward: Subaru's vision dimmed slightly.
He looked toward Sloth, who smiled excitedly into the darkness.
Subaru instantly confirmed what he suspected in his heart—Sloth had activated his authority.
Footsteps echoed from deep within the darkness.
A maid with ghostly horns and a mercenary group wielding weapons appeared in Subaru's vision.
They were covered in blood, evidence of a fierce battle. But judging by their mostly intact clothes, the outcome was clear.
"Didn't expect you to really be here, little brother. The maid's nose is really sharp."
Hearing Brian's words, Subaru finally understood how they found him.
Sloth was madly praising those in front of him, yet countless invisible hands silently formed a circle of encirclement.
"Careful." A hoarse voice struggled out from the throat.
It was a weak whisper-like voice, so quiet one wouldn't know how much weight it carried. Yet everyone present immediately sprang into action.
Countless invisible hands launched a surprise attack.
Brian dodged with impossible agility. Rem jumped atop using her strong power. But the remaining three covered their heads just before moving.
In the next instant, they were drowned by the black tide, blood spraying everywhere.
However, Petelgeuse paid no attention to the battle's flow. He widened his eyes and stared at Subaru with growing madness.
"You... can see the 'Invisible Hands'?" He squinted his eyes, and it was the first time Subaru heard unease in his voice.
Before Subaru could react, Petelgeuse shouted at him with unprecedented hatred: "I... only want her love for myself... Why can you see it!"
The invisible hands attacked at varying speeds, but Subaru held back his fear.
He did not look at the hands nor move—and then his arm was twisted and broken.
"Ahhh... what happened?!" "Subaru, get away from Subaru!"
Not everyone's attention was on Subaru. A hidden flash of a blade slashed at the Archbishop's neck.
It was a man who had lost his whole team, striking with hatred. But the blade did not claim Sloth's life; his pale right hand waved in the air.
"Slothful, slothful, how careless you were to believe everything was foolproof; how careless I was for disrespecting you; ahhh, such sloth."
Enduring the pain, Subaru noticed Brian's right foot sinking into the ground, like stepping into a swamp.
Countless invisible hands converged into a black torrent rushing forward. Brian raised his knife to block it.
Having witnessed Brian's fighting and personally trained by him, Subaru immediately sensed something was wrong.
The Brian he knew wouldn't be so foolish.
Considering those who had covered their heads before, Subaru felt he might have gained vital information.
A single knife couldn't stop Sloth's full-powered strike.
Rem's giant ice spear was shattered by invisible hands. The torrent formed by the hands struck the top, scattering countless crystal stones.
Four invisible hands grabbed the enraged flying demon and twisted him violently—like a rag doll tossed into the darkness.
"To hate someone in order to live, intense feelings and love for another are one and the same! Ah, how twisted and wonderful!" Realizing he had been noticed, Subaru stopped hiding and glared at the victor with hatred.
The victor paid no mind.
"This place is dirty enough already, it's about time to part ways." The madman Petelgeuse, now devoid of laughter, said abruptly.
"I truly do not understand your position. Therefore, allow me to follow your judgment." The madman tilted his head ninety degrees and revealed a sinister smile.
"Handcuffed and left waiting, all that awaits you is death. However, if you were brought by the Gospel to this place, then you will be saved! If saved, you are an ally. If not, just a passerby. It's simple, isn't it?" The madman declared, then slowly walked away from the cave.