Chapter 141: Red and Black (Part Three)
“Cough, cough, cough…”
A rasping, sinister laugh echoed from the disgustingly twisted face in front of me, cutting through the air like nails on a chalkboard.
Cardinal Nero didn’t bother to respond to my words.
He merely glanced at the bl**d-soaked and silent Saint who lay nearby, shaking his head as if mocking her.
“I know this woman… I understand her foolishness. As a Saint, she strictly adheres to doctrine and obeys orders. She may internally resist many things, but she always aims to please everyone… considering everyone’s standpoint, adhering to the rules… accommodating the common folk, treating beggars and nobles alike… and as a result, she is often met with disdain.”
He spoke slowly, his bizarre voice clear despite the grotesqueness of his words.
“…So what?”
I raised an eyebrow, a smirk creeping onto my face as I blinked and waited for him to continue.
After all, this was his last little monologue before kicking the bucket.
“There are many people in the Church who secretly call her a hypocritical altruist… You, being a monster, may have interacted with her for only a short time, but you must have felt it, right? Just how annoying this woman can be in some respects and how stubborn she is…”
“But still, this woman… who clearly isn’t good at fighting, tries to stop me from achieving my goals. For her twisted beliefs, she actually tried to save an Abyss monster from my hands… Can you imagine? The great Saint of the Holy Church dying to save an Abyss… cough, cough…”
“Is that funny?” My grin widened.
A surging intent to k*ll slowly seeped out from the depths of my being, unhidden and unrestrained.
“No, not at all…” Cardinal Nero shook his head, denying it. “But the Church has regrettably reached such a point… I can’t fathom what ridiculous expectations they have for a loathsome monster like you… Look, our Saint has died for it. She should have run away when divine fire fell, but instead, she chose to block me… and what’s the result?”
“Not a single person will mourn her d*ath. Angel won’t, and neither will the thing she saved… Am I right? Look at that cute face of yours, smiling so beautifully… despite being a monster… You don’t care about this uptight woman. She probably understands that too, yet she still acted this way… The world is never short of idiots, even the Church can’t avoid it, which is rather painful to witness…”
He flicked his shoulder pauldron and adjusted the cape behind him. A hint of mockery glimmered in his lone eye.
“But fortunately, there are still people like me who hold firm beliefs. We… will correct the Church’s gradual deviation from the path, just like this foolish Saint, not hesitating to risk our lives for it… You see, the world is never short of fools like us, right? After today, I will bear the reputation of a villain, my name will be carved on the Pillar of Shame in the Holy City, forever despised… I understand all this. But some things, after all, need to be done…”
“So… monster, even if it means the Royal City’s destruction, even if I am shattered into pieces, I must eliminate you here.”
Uh…
“Done talking?” I tilted my head, looking at him.
Is this guy okay?
What a chatterbox…
“Ah, done talking.”
Cardinal Nero seemed relieved, exhaling a breath laden with a smile.
A smile that really rubbed me the wrong way.
“Let me tell you something.”
I told him, suddenly stepping forward on my toes.
Moon Step—
Boom!
In an instant, the cobblestones erupted.
The next moment, my petite frame rushed through the wind above Margaret, like a cannonball, crashing right into Cardinal Nero’s chest.
Clang!
The sound of metal ringing echoed in my ears.
The raw collision of forces sparked as they met, and Cardinal Nero let out a muffled grunt, flying backward as if he had no strength to resist.
“Seriously, so ugly I can’t even look at you…”
As I spoke, I activated Moon Step again.
Boom! Boom! Boom—
The howling gale chased after Cardinal Nero’s fleeing body, gripping his ankle tightly.
In the next moment, a torrent of black flames erupted from my right arm, engulfing Cardinal Nero in moments, setting even his head ablaze.
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
Golden light flashed before my eyes.
Still trying to resist?
In the next instant, I summoned all my strength and swung my arm, slamming his leg down toward the ground.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
Debris and dirt splattered everywhere as Cardinal Nero let out another muffled grunt.
“So self-absorbed… rambling on and on…”
I yanked him out of the shattered stone, raised him up high, and brought him crashing down again.
Boom!
“You talk too much, you know that?”
More fine fragments flew off, striking his armor with a deafening clatter, dust swirling around us like a rainstorm pouring over my head.
The light on Cardinal Nero grew brighter.
The blinding gold light only made me more irritated, so I hoisted him up once more and swung him down.
Boom!
“You make me—”
Lift again, slam down.
Boom!
“Especially!”
Boom!
“Angry!”
Crackle, crackle…
The sturdy stone ground couldn’t handle the tremendous force, finally collapsing entirely. Countless cracks spread out, and my feet sank deep into the rubble, making it hard to exert force. So, I twisted my waist, flinging Cardinal Nero high into the air, and with a ‘thud,’ he landed amidst the rubble of the nearby ruins.
“Phooey, phooey!”
I spat out the dirt that flew into my mouth and stepped forward towards where he fell.
“I’m a monster, you know… when I get mad, I totally don’t give a rat’s tail about anything… Really, why provoke me? Do you even understand the consequences?”
I raised my arm.
In the next moment, countless dark fireballs suddenly coalesced, screeching forward.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!!
The dense explosions sent splintered wood and rocks flying, nearly blowing the surrounding houses off their foundations. Debris turned to ash in the flames, the ‘sizzling’ sounds all around were deafening.
…Is it quiet now?
Hey, don’t go quiet on me so soon—
Suddenly, blinding golden light pierced through the black flames, accompanied by a deafening roar, a scarlet fireline surged forth, churning up the ground and melting dirt and stone, racing straight for me.
“Whoa…”
I ducked, using Moon Step.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
I barely brushed past the fireline, the intense heat making my armor hiss as it burned, but in the next moment, I was already charging into the burning black fire, standing before the still-lying Cardinal Nero, gripping his contorted chest plate and hauling him up.
“Try this.”
As my right hand rose, the remaining black flames around coalesced into my palm, compressing tightly into a black fireball, sparkling with glaring white light, and aimed right at Cardinal Nero’s face.
“Cough, cough…”
Cardinal Nero suddenly let out a strange laugh.
What followed was a sudden distortion in the surrounding air. A strange heaviness and dizziness swept through my body, as if I were sinking into quicksand, unable to move a muscle.
This is…
Suddenly, I spotted the bone necklace of Margaret gripped tightly in his hand.
“I told you…”
Cardinal Nero’s raspy voice echoed again. In the next instant, the bright scarlet flames, mixed with golden light, erupted from his body, revealing the maniacal and deranged emotions in his bloodshot eye.
“You’re going to d*e today—”
Boom!
The flames exploded right in front of me, and the scorching shockwave hit me in an instant. I felt a sharp pain on my face, and before I could react, the heat wave swept me up into the air.
