Chapter 140: Throw Your Gospel Book!
"So clingy... Just how many Sin Archbishops are there?!"
Ricardo had been a mercenary for many years.
From starting off as a no-name to reaching the scale he was at now, he had experienced countless battles. But this battle was truly unforgettable.
He had faced tenacious enemies before.
Most of them were hard to deal with because of their powerful regenerative abilities, and a few were just annoyingly cautious and evasive. But never had he faced an enemy like this.
This guy wasn't timid—he didn't even value his own life. He didn't have particularly strong regenerative abilities either. In fact, it didn't even seem like he had any at all.
Yet every time he was killed, someone with the same abilities and calling themselves the Sin Archbishop of Sloth would reappear after a while.
Different ages, different genders, but always the same madness, the same power.
As the battle dragged on, it began to feel like everyone they were facing was a Sin Archbishop. Like there was no end to them.
Ricardo retreated backward, swinging his large sword swiftly to slice through the Invisible Hands made visible by the kicked-up dust.
"Julius! How's it going over there?!"
"No major problems, just too many of them. I can't spare anyone at the moment."
Julius stabbed his rapier into the heart of a Witch Cultist. As he pulled it out, he frowned slightly.
Cultists were pouring out from all directions of the forest.
He couldn't afford to leave and assist Ricardo right now.
If he went to help Ricardo, the others fighting alongside him could suffer casualties under the Witch Cult's relentless attacks.
"This is such a headache." Ricardo sighed, then focused on the old man in the distance. The old man was kneeling on the ground, repeatedly smashing his head into the dirt.
"Forgive me, forgive me! Forgive me! Oh Witch~~ forgive my slothfulness! Because of my sloth, the trial failed! I am Sloth, Sloth!!!"
Looking at the madman's behavior, Ricardo didn't let down his guard at all. If he got careless because of this display, those invisible hands would wrap around him without mercy—and he'd be torn to shreds.
The battle was at a stalemate for now, but the situation was still under control. The villagers had already evacuated with Wilhelm's escort. As long as they proceeded steadily, wiping out the Witch Cult members wouldn't be too difficult.
Just then, a voice came from behind him.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Oh, it's you, kid. You're not late at all. How's your side holding up?"
"The villagers have all been evacuated. With Wilhelm-san there, we don't need to worry about that side."
After saying that, Subaru gripped the longsword in his hand and looked toward the old man in the distance. As he stared at him, the old man also stopped his self-harm and locked eyes with Subaru.
"You! Arrogance! It's you! Yes, it's you! You destroyed our trial, stood on the enemy's side, and betrayed the Witch's love! You must die! Yes, you must die!!"
Subaru narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced around. After a brief moment of thought, a smile appeared on his face.
"Yo, long time no see. When did you become an old man? Or are you not Petelgeuse anymore?"
"I am the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse! I am the one chosen by the Witch to kill a traitor like you! Let my diligence bring you the death of Sloth!"
"So it's really you... Petelgeuse, you've possessed someone else's body, haven't you? Your behavior, your words, your power are all the same. If not for the possibility that you can possess others' bodies, I can't think of any other explanation."
"And I think the bodies you can possess must be those of the Witch Cultists. Otherwise, you could just take over one of us and things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Subaru spoke loudly—not so much to talk to Petelgeuse, but to inform those around him of new intel.
He pulled the gospel book out of his pocket. As Petelgeuse's eyes locked onto it, Subaru opened the book and smirked wickedly.
"This is the Gospel. You remember it, don't you?"
"Give it back to me!!!!!! Invisible Hand!!"
"I'm counting on you guys to wipe out these minions. I'll buy us some time."
Before Ricardo could reply, Subaru bolted toward the forest. Seeing Subaru run off, Petelgeuse immediately used his ability and chased after him.
With Subaru luring Petelgeuse away, the tide on the battlefield began to turn in Julius and the others' favor.
Meanwhile, Subaru, now deep in the forest, listened to the sound behind him. He looked back and saw trees being violently smashed aside.
Petelgeuse was right behind him.
After leading him far from the battlefield, Subaru suddenly stopped and threw the gospel book off to the right.
Petelgeuse's eyes locked onto it, and he lunged for the book with the gleeful expression of a child. Just as he grabbed it, Subaru—who had been ready—slammed his right foot forward.
The longsword flew from his hand, spinning through the air and severing Petelgeuse's hands.
Just as Petelgeuse touched the gospel, his eyes widened in shock. When he turned to the side, he saw Subaru right beside him. In his vision, a fist was growing larger and larger.
The next moment, his consciousness was swallowed by darkness...
Subaru, having fallen from midair, landed on the ground and let out a pained groan. He dropped to one knee.
Looking at Petelgeuse's now-deformed head, Subaru let out a long breath of relief. After using Overdrive Burst, he'd followed it up with an all-out strike.
The short time interval between them had taken a heavy toll on his body.
"Ugh... These demonic beasts are endless. Even if you kill them all, they just show up again after a while."
Muttering to himself, Subaru ignored the pain of his torn muscles, picked up the gospel and his sword, and turned to face the demonic beasts that had surrounded him.
He was facing off again against these dog-like creatures—but this time, he felt no fear. Even though he was exhausted and operating at less than half strength, these beasts were no threat.
Time passed quietly. Subaru eventually limped out of the forest, heading toward the village.
His clothes were torn to shreds. His body was covered in wounds left by the demonic beasts, and blood dripped from him with every step, leaving a long red trail behind.
One or two demonic beasts were easy enough, but the ones in the forest hunted in packs. Without using any active abilities, Subaru had faced nearly seventy of them—and had to make some sacrifices to get through.
Exhausted in both body and spirit, Subaru looked toward the village. He could still see thick black smoke rising, and he could hear the sounds of battle continuing within.
The fight was far from over.