Chapter 230: Betrayal (Part 2)
“You…”
I instinctively wanted to retract the scythe.
That thought barely lingered in my mind for a moment before it was drowned in an endless sea of rage. I gritted my teeth and with a slight twist of my right hand, I slammed the scythe downharder.
“You think I won’t dare?!”
Szzzzzz—
The blade sunk into flesh, the sound of burning grew more distinct. Angel’s hand gripping the blade and his entire neck turned red, the wound around it slowly turning black. He started to tremble, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead, his cheek muscles taut as he obviously struggled to hold back the pain.
“Ha…”
However, the young pope in front of me smiled at that moment: “Not bad, not bad… Little Black Charcoal, go on, give it some more force… My head is right here, just a little tug with the scythe… and it’ll come off easily… won’t it?”
“Why won’t you just let me go—”
“Because something bad will happen if you leave. But right now, you don’t believe me, you think I’m… trying to harm you. If you don’t listen to me, you will end up hurting yourself, and I can’t allow that.”
“You still want to trick me!”
“I’m not tricking you; I’m not even resisting! I… who dares to make a move?!”
The man’s smile suddenly turned grotesque. His last words were directed at the goons behind him who were getting restless. As he shouted, a golden light burst forth from his eyes, and that elusive orb reappeared above us, casting a dazzling glow that illuminated the sneaking figures behind him.
The Birdbeak Doctor, the Cloak Woman, and the scrawny Female Swordsman— I saw them getting closer, voices mingling with the crackling flames, a chaotic jumble that I couldn’t catch. Right now, none of that mattered; I couldn’t care less.
“You think I don’t know you’re lying to me?!”
I could only unleash a wailing, hoarse roar at Angel. It wasn’t about communication; it was pure emotional release. In the next moment, the man also roared back at me in anger.
“I’ve put my head right here, what more do you want me to prove?!”
He was no longer lazy or cynical; he wasn’t the calm guy from before. After shouting that, he gripped the scythe even tighter, using a self-destructive motion to drag it toward his neck, his fingers burned and blackened, like charred wood.
“How dare you lie to me! How can you lie so brazenly to my face?! Angel! I hate you! I want to k*ll you—”
“Your head is under your own blade! What are you waiting for?!”
“They can’t stop me! They cannot stop me—”
“Then go ahead and make a move!!!”
The man’s face was filled with fierce rage. The burns on his neck started spreading to his jaw and cheek, pained enough that his lips turned white, sweat pouring down as he yanked the blade to his neck. I was somewhat startled by his demeanor and instinctively relaxed my grip, pulling the scythe back.
If I pushed harder, I would really k*ll him…
“Ahhhh!!!”
Bang—
I lifted my left hand and punched Angel hard in the chest.
“Cough…”
That punch was heavy; his chest clearly caved in, and he coughed up bl**d, his features twisting in pain. His hand released the scythe, and I quickly pulled it to my side, stepping forward, throwing another left punch.
“You think I’ve really forgotten everything?!—”
BANG!
That punch hit him square in the face.
bl**d sprayed everywhere with a thud, and his nose broke with a snap. His formerly prominent nose crumpled, his lips burst, bl**d dripping down his chin, a few teeth flying out as he staggered backward. Just as he was about to fall, I yanked his arm back.
“I heard them talking! The patient! Romani Doctor!!!”
BANG!
As I shouted, I raised my right leg and kneed Angel hard in the stomach, lifting him right off his feet, his body curling up like a shrimp in mid-air.
“That wasn’t even the work of The Gate of Truth—”
BANG!
Our foreheads collided, the sound resonating in a dull thud.
“That was! Your! People—”
Angels’s forehead was pierced by my sharp brow, deep cuts opening up, bl**d gushing out as he hit the ground again, his face painted in crimson, swaying unsteadily, nearly collapsing. I grabbed his hand to keep him from falling over completely, with a buzzing in my ears; I vaguely heard the surrounding chaos and Margaret’s helpless lament.
“Silvya! Stop! Please stop… you’re forcing us to act against you…”
“Then come at me—!”
I raised my bl**d-red eyes and shouted at the countless lurking figures in the firelight, “If you want to fight, then COME! AAAHHH!!!”
“ROAR—!!!”
A sharp, broken voice echoed, trailing off like a dragon’s roar, whipping up a howling wind across the night prairie, rippling outwards like water, smothering every shout in the chaotic crowd.
Bang—
I kicked Angel, sending him flying nearly ten meters, rolling into a patch of grass. He knelt, coughing up bl**d as someone rushed to assist him. I tightened my grip on the scythe, my chest heaving, my eyes unblinking.
Not far away, the scrawny Female Swordsman crouched low, ready to attack, and I immediately turned to glare at her. A thick cloud of Dead Smoke surged from my feet, crimson flames flickered from the blade of my scythe. In an instant, that Female Swordsman was held back by the quick Birdbeak Doctor, shaking his head slowly.
Besides her, no one else seemed brave enough to take a step forward.
Seconds ticked by quietly, and Angel struggled to stand back up. Wiping the bl**d from his face, he suddenly smiled again.
“Pepé, trust me.”
His words turned gentle once more.
But he quickly raised his right hand.
Buzz—
The glow of the Divine Miracle burst forth from his fingertips. It happened in the blink of an eye; the aura blazed in my eyes, nearly consuming my entire vision, while a faint buzzing sound seemed to emanate from above.
I abruptly looked up.
Above me, that golden orb hung in the air, its brilliant light enveloping me and the floating white branches. In that moment, I realized that Angel was activating ‘Reverse Icon Decay’ again, trying to trap me here for good.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz…
Divine power stirred the surrounding air currents like a tempest, an eerie pressure pulsing through me. The white branches of the tree gleamed even brighter, and at that same moment, Margaret’s pendant began to glow, while the Female Swordsman, Birdbeak Doctor, the robed old man, the Cloak Woman, and the Black Robe, all moved in unison.
“AN! GIEL—”
I was almost beside myself with fury.
He was still lying to me…
He was intentionally provoking me, wanting me to lose control, getting close so that he could trap me in this very moment, letting that orb hover right above my head…
He was still scheming against me!!!
I didn’t know what would happen if he successfully activated the Divine Reliquary. I just wanted all of this to end, I was so tired…
So incredibly tired…
I felt my emotions on the brink of collapse, my nose burning while tears clouded my vision. I raised a hand to wipe away the tears, looking at the man not far away, who was smiling at me. The crimson light in his eyes flickered rapidly, turning gem-like in an instant.
…Oblivion.
The world quieted for a moment.
The grass, the starry sky, the golden light, the frantic cries, the figures rushing toward me, even the ground beneath my feet—everything vanished in that instant from my sight.
Only the man standing in the darkness remained.
He was still smiling at me, still not realizing what had happened, his hand still raised. The illusion formed too quickly, but in the next moment, as I closed my eyes, it suddenly collapsed. When I opened my eyes again, the illusion had disappeared, the chaotic scene back in front of me.
But in that split second, I pulled Angel into the illusion, breaking his hold on the Divine Reliquary, the hum from the orb above my head finally ceased.
Boom—
I took the chance to activate Moon Step.
The grass flew, dirt sprayed, I zipped away before Margaret’s miracle descended, before anyone could get close, retreating thirty or forty meters in a flicker, wings of flame sprouting from my back as I fled into the night sky.
I couldn’t handle so many people…
I was really too tired…
Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters—
The altitude kept rising.
I desperately tried to fly faster, fast enough to leave this place behind, not wanting to be caught, not wanting to see them again, flapping my wings as vigorously as I could. But my body felt heavy as if it were filled with lead, gasping for air, no matter how hard I tried to fly, I could only barely maintain my flight, swaying in the air like I was about to fall out.
Below me, lights of gold and fire clustered together on the grassland, the panicked, urgent shouts still ringing in my ears. Among the blurry crowd, I caught sight of Angel.
He was looking up at me, no longer smiling, his face dark and frightening, like a fierce beast holding its rage in check, his gaze intense and fixated on me.
In a daze, I heard his commanding voice echo through the crowd.
“Capture her… by any means necessary.”
With that order, two Holy Lances shot forth from the flames, slicing through the night sky towards me. The speed of the lances was incredible, whooshing toward me in an instant. I twisted my body in mid-air, narrowly dodging one while the other went “clang” against my cracked armor, the immense force sending me flying, spinning several times before I nearly crashed to the ground.
“Ugh…”
I gritted my teeth, suppressing the dull pain. After dropping several meters, I struggled to stabilize myself, refusing to look at those people again, flying back up into the night sky, dragging my already exhausted body toward an unknown distance.
The cold wind whipped past my ears like a kn*fe, cutting against my face, blowing tears back to my ears, soaking my hair. Up in the night sky, the stars and moon shone radiantly, exuding a peaceful aura, reminiscent of so many nights spent gazing from Shanter Castle. But that beautiful scene felt so far away, such a distant distance away.
“Ah—”
I couldn’t help but open my mouth and cry out loud.
