Ch. 196

Even knowing this was a trap, I ran following the man. Because at a glance, that man was a weak person with no power.

'I don't know who committed such a thing...'

If Terdius and I didn't follow him, that powerless weak person could suffer needless hardship.

So we followed the man deep into the forest. And as we went inside, the aura of 'Black Arc' was felt even more strongly.

The next moment, the man stopped abruptly. Then he turned to look at Terdius and me. Soon the man laboriously opened his trembling lips and suddenly began running in a completely different direction.

"S-sorry. I'm sorry!"

While repeatedly apologizing to us. Watching the man's retreating figure, I naturally shifted my gaze to the side and looked at Terdius. Terdius also seemed to already know it was a trap and nodded at me.

"As expected, you knew too, Brother."

"...Yes. However, Leviathan, since you seemed worried about that person's safety, I just followed without complaint."

As expected, Terdius had the same thought as me.

Rumble. Right then, I felt the ground shake. Looking around, I could see three giant Ents approaching us.

"That's..."

Moreover, those Ents were about twice the size of the Ent that had attacked the man. Of course, Black Arcs were embedded in their heads.

"Giant Ents. They're not easy guys to begin with, and seeing Black Arcs embedded in their heads... they'll be quite annoying."

Terdius muttered while shaking sap off his sword. Seeing that, I took out my mace from my inventory.

"Still, let's finish this as quickly as possible."

I spoke to Terdius. Then he nodded.

"Groaaar—!"

Then the Giant Ents roared. Simultaneously, the Ents spewed out thick tree branches. The tree branches flying three at a time per creature had considerable speed.

Thud—

I immediately leaped into the air. And after quickly transforming my mace into the holy sword, I cut the tree branches.

Swish—

However, even though the tree branches were cut, the Giant Ents instantly regenerated the branches and hurled them at us.

Slash—

Terdius's sword cut down the branches coming at us, and taking that opportunity, I leaped into the air. And I fired white sword aura.

Swish—!

However, due to branches flying toward me in the air, my sword aura missed the Giant Ent slightly.

'Damn, I should have finished it in one blow.'

In battles with Ents, time was life—I had tried to finish as quickly as possible, but it was a disaster.

Because these guys became more annoying as time passed. I quickly checked the Ents' roots.

'Oh no.'

The Ents had just started embedding their roots in the ground. Small-sized Ents didn't plant roots, but Giant Ents planted roots in the ground and then absorbed nutrients. As a result, their defense strengthened and they even recovered health.

'So I need to kill them as quickly as possible, and in one blow.'

These damn tree branches made that difficult. Because the Ent's tree branches weren't just fast but could also change direction in various ways.

Slash—!

Fortunately, Terdius cut down one Giant Ent with light movements. That meant only two remained now.

I moved my body without rest. Right now, when one had been taken down, was the opportunity.

Thud—

After kicking off the ground and leaping, I immediately flew toward a Giant Ent. Then I swung the holy sword.

Slash—

Fortunately, one Giant Ent was cut down, and simultaneously Terdius dealt with the remaining one.

"Phew."

I let out a low breath while watching the Black Arc embedded in the Giant Ent's head disappear.

'Really tire—'

It was right at that moment when I was thinking so. I felt a presence trying to attack me from right behind, and I immediately turned and blocked the attack with my holy sword.

"Leviathan!"

I heard Terdius calling me in surprise. Fortunately, I successfully blocked the attack. And I confirmed who had attacked me.

"...Rawin?"

The man wearing plain priest robes was the Seventh Apostle Rawin. As soon as he confirmed I had blocked the attack, he immediately retreated.

Before being attacked, I had sensed the Evil God's aura from afar, but due to the Black Arcs nearby, I couldn't perceive the Evil God's aura approaching.

Because the power the Black Arcs possessed was the Evil God's power itself. Even though they were counterfeits, they contained the Evil God's aura completely, so I couldn't notice a Diego Church apostle approaching.

'Still, I'm fortunate I barely deflected the attack...'

There was one problem. Rawin, who had widened the distance, was now holding hostage the man who had just lured us here and run away.

"Are you alright, Leviathan?"

Terdius, who had approached my side at some point, asked me. I nodded.

"I just didn't notice the apostle approaching due to the Black Arc."

"...I see. I was the same. Moreover, that guy has even taken a hostage now."

"Yes. Of all times..."

Rawin was holding a knife to the man's neck. So close that if he moved even slightly, the man's neck would be cut.

"Have you been well?"

In that state, Rawin asked me with a cheerful smile. I glared at him and said.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Ah. Well, because I know what your weakness is."

Rawin said so and grinned. Rawin's blade came a bit closer to the man's neck. Then the man looked at me and shouted laboriously.

"S-save me."

Then Rawin whispered to the man with a smile mixed in.

"Don't worry. If that person just listens to me well, you can live."

Rawin was instilling responsibility and debt in me. If this world was just a game, I would have ignored that man's life, but now I couldn't.

Even if he wasn't a believer of the Kyros Church... I couldn't carelessly discard a person's life. So Rawin had properly grasped my weakness right now.

"I'll handle it, Leviathan."

At Terdius's words, I immediately shook my head.

"No. The blade Rawin is holding is too close."

No matter how fast Terdius moved, Rawin's attack would inevitably be faster. Because Rawin was also an apostle of the Diego Church, not an ordinary human.

'Even if he were an ordinary human, with the blade and neck that close...'

Anyway, for now it was better to do as Rawin wanted. I stared directly at Rawin and asked.

"So what do you want right now?"

At my question, Rawin grinned. And he told me.

"What I want is simple. Leviathan, come to the Diego Church. Because I don't want to see you, my only friend, committing more sins."

Ah, really. Is he doing all this just for that reason? I couldn't understand this guy's way of thinking at all.

The reason he was doing this was because he regarded me as a friend...

'To act like this over just talking for a few hours at our first meeting.'

Even in the original, Rawin was quite an acknowledged lunatic, but the real Rawin had even more lunatic qualities than portrayed.

"Haa..."

After letting out a low sigh, I glared at Rawin. And I spoke to him.

"You say I'm committing sins?"

"That's right. Instead of serving Lord Diego, you're serving a strange god. Even at this very moment, that's no different from committing sin."

"Originally, if someone's your friend, can't you overlook sins of that degree? Even between friends, such words are no different from coercion."

When I spoke curtly, Rawin shook his head.

"Even if you're my friend, I can't overlook this. All of this is to save you. If you commit more sins... later, your soul might not be redeemed. So come to the Diego Church even now. Before it's too late."

This guy's logic is really strange. When I was about to open my mouth thinking so, Terdius, who was standing next to me, spoke to me.

"Leviathan, don't deal with that guy anymore. He's originally a strange guy."

"I know. But if we keep talking like this, he'll show an opening. Brother, please aim for that gap and rescue the hostage."

At my words, Terdius nodded. Rawin, who had been watching us talk, narrowed his brow.

"By the way, Third Apostle, no... Terdius. Why are you committing sins? Don't you know better than anyone? How great a sin it is to betray Lord Diego."

Now Rawin began picking a fight even with Terdius. Then Terdius let out a "pfft" laugh and spoke to Rawin.

"Sin... how ridiculous. You shouldn't talk to me about sin, Rawin. Not just me, but you've also committed considerable sins."

"What do you..."

"How much blood is on your hands under the name of Diego's orders? How many humans do you think you've killed? Among them, how many children?"

Terdius pressed Rawin with cold eyes. Then Rawin's eyebrows twitched.

"Such trivial matters aren't important. Because everything was done for the sake of Lord Diego."

"Do you truly think Diego is a proper god? That being who regards life as worthless and 'brainwashes' his own believers?"

"Shut up! Don't insult Lord Diego any further! If you keep running your mouth, I'll kill this man!"

I could see Rawin's eyes wavering. If I stimulated this guy just a bit more...!

"Rawin."

I called the extremely agitated guy. And I asked him with eyes that showed I couldn't understand at all.

"If you truly regard me as a friend, rather than luring me to the Diego Church, how about you joining the Kyros Church?"

At those words, Rawin's eyes wavered greatly. I immediately nodded toward Terdius.

Meaning to attack Rawin right now.

But it was at that moment.

Squelch—!

A completely unexpected situation unfolded before us.

It was because the chests of both the man Rawin was holding hostage and Rawin himself were instantly pierced.

What pierced both their chests was someone's hand.

"Keurk—!"

The man held hostage died without even being able to scream. Fortunately, Rawin still seemed to have breath in him.

I tried to quickly approach the two. But at that moment, with a squelching sound, the hand that had pierced both their chests pulled out.

Thud—

Both bodies fell to the ground. Soon the one who attacked the two revealed himself.

"Haa, really... pathetic, Rawin."

The one who attacked the two was none other than Khalid.

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