The tentacles behind the Archbishop of Sloth spread in all directions, blocking every possible escape route.
Though seemingly cornered, Adam remained perfectly calm.
◈ Divine Convergence Breathing, Sun Style ⫸ Dance ◈
With a single horizontal slash, he cut through all the attacking tentacles. The invisible appendages scattered into pieces, formless as they fell to the ground.
With the〘Divine Protection of the Sun〙's properties, he was the natural enemy of this evil earth-attribute Spirit.
{T/N: Just to remember that the current Petelgeuse is a Spirit, not a human.}
"No—impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! My beloved! The Witch's beloved! Beloved! How could they be cut by anyone!" Seeing his tentacles severed, Petelgeuse descended into madness, his emotions spiraling out of control.
Screaming wildly while clawing at his head, he multiplied the tentacles behind him several times over. They struck viciously at Adam from every angle, leaving no blind spots!
Yet it had no effect. Another swing of the sword cut through the tentacles just as easily as before.
Despite Petelgeuse's countless tentacles, they couldn't harm Adam in the slightest. His rage was nothing but impotent fury.
The Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.
He was neither particularly strong nor weak. Apart from his troublesome Possession ability, his physical body was little different from a normal person's, and he possessed almost no Magical Power. Among all the Sin Archbishops, he was considered the weakest.
But how had this weak Archbishop of Sloth managed to roam freely for over a hundred years, spreading evil without anyone stopping him?
The answer lay in his Authority —〘Unseen Hand〙. This power manifested as invisible tentacles or hands, and he could control many of them.
The Archbishop of Sloth commanded over a dozen of these tentacles. Though not particularly strong himself, these invisible weapons allowed him to defeat almost everyone who faced him for the first time — a classic "first encounter kill".
Yet even Subaru, a mere beginner with only a month of training, could easily dodge them once he could see them!
"Looks is the end for you, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti... no, Juice! If you want to harbor grudges, do it in hell!"
Even if he was Emilia's foster father, as the evil spirit who killed Rem, Adam would show no mercy!
All his Divine Protections activated at once, determined to destroy the evil Sin Archbishop before him in a single strike, leaving no chance for escape.
With 16 Divine Protections manifesting once again under the blazing sun, Adam's entire body shone brilliantly like a deity radiating divine light. He stood proudly, his bearing invincible!
"Feel honored, Sloth! This is the same treatment as the White Whale — you can be proud!"
◈ Hyakunin Hitotachi ⫸ One Blow, One Hundred Felled ◈
◈ Divine Convergence Breathing, Second Form ⫸ Solar Inferno Strike ◈
A pillar of aurora light pierced the heavens once more, though this time with only one witness. The massive beam struck down at the Archbishop of Sloth!
In an instant, the light smoothly cut through the sky and through his head with a thunderous boom!
From where Adam stood, an enormous bottomless chasm appeared, extending all the way to the southern border of the Beast Forest.
The powerful strike had split the Beast Forest in two!
Though he wanted to strike again, the longsword in his hand was just an ordinary Knight's sword, now shattered from the attack. Moreover, the strike had depleted all his Magical Power, leaving him unable to deliver a finishing blow.
To ensure Petelgeuse's demise, he still forcibly squeezed out a bit of Magical Power for his sensing ability.
With his depleted Magical Power, the sensing range was greatly reduced, covering only a radius of several dozen meters.
After careful investigation, he finally confirmed the Sin Archbishop of Sloth's death — he couldn't detect anyone's presence besides his own.
Sloth was dead, not even lasting three chapters, truly a minor character.
"Phew, it's over. That feels good." He lay back carelessly in the stone forest, unconcerned that his white clothes were being dirtied by the ground.
The frustration suppressed in his heart was finally released through this earth-shattering strike. This feeling of relief gave Adam an illusion of being invincible.
Getting cocky, getting cocky! Don't forget there's still that Od Lagna's favorite son Reinhard!
Warning himself thus, he slowly got up from the ground.
"Next is the villagers' location—"
"Hey—! Adam—! Adam—!"
Before he could finish speaking, he heard a call from above.
Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on a minute! Why are you here?!
At this moment, the kid was standing atop the stone forest, shouting loudly at him below.
This was the only thought in Adam's mind.
Because Subaru also had the qualifications of a Spirit Arts User! If Petelgeuse managed to transfer his consciousness into Subaru's body, Adam would have no choice but to kill the boy!
But if that happened, the world would reset again! Everything he had done would be for nothing!
With a light jump, he leaped up from below the stone forest.
"Are you... really Subaru-kun?"
He questioned Subaru, who stood three meters away, while pointing his joined index and middle fingers at the boy's throat.
Lightning crackled at his fingertips — if Subaru spoke that person's name, he would have to strike mercilessly!
"What are you talking about, Adam! It's me, Subaru Natsuki!" Subaru said breathlessly, hands on his knees, "Weren't you the one who called me to hurry over? Why are you asking this — what happened?"
"Me...? You say I called you here?" Adam was completely confused.
He had just been fighting the Archbishop of Sloth — how could he have called anyone, especially Subaru who had Spirit Arts User qualifications?
Don't I also have Spirit Arts User qualifications?! Those qualifications I analyzed and copied from Emilia — why did I suddenly forget about them?!
A cold feeling of being deeply manipulated swept over him, terrifying him into speechlessness.
"Adam, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly stop talking?" Seeing him lost in thought, Subaru asked with concern, "By the way, those guys down there were Witch Cult members, right? Did you kill them all? What was your purpose in calling me?"
"No, actually I didn't call you... here..." Adam's voice trailed off.
His mouth continued to open and close mechanically, but no sound came out. His expression crumbled, filled with disbelief!
Seeing him made Subaru curious.
Fear? How could this man, who was always so confident, actually feel fear?
"Come here quick, Subaru-kun!" Before he could finish speaking, Adam forcefully pulled him over and stood in front of him.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Subaru was confused.
But when he looked at where he had been standing, he finally realized there had been someone behind him all along.
And they were floating in mid-air!
Seeing this small girl with snow-white hair, Subaru became even more confused.
Until Adam spoke her name.
"Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory!"
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