Chapter 145
“What did you say?” asked Selene with an incredulous look.
“Oh, you didn’t hear me? Just now, you guys misunderstood me. I’m asking you why we should bet on something that I shouldn’t even be explaining in the first place,” Joshua casually said.
“...” Selene was stunned upon hearing that. She was the Saintess of the Hubalt Empire, so everyone had always treated her right. The citizens of the Hubalt Empire respected her as well.
However, this man actually had the gall to treat her like this?
Who was he again?
“Did you not hear what I said?” Selene asked with a scowl while staring at Joshua.
“That item is holy to you, but peculiar to me. I’m sure you can manipulate the crystal ball’s light, am I right?”
“...” Selene didn’t know what to say. How dare he say something so outrageous about the Tears of the Gods? If they were in the Hubalt Empire, then Joshua’s head would have gone flying by now.
Selene’s expression turned cold as she said, “You are committing blasphemy.”
“We’re in Avalon, not Hubalt.”
“...” Selene was speechless, but Joshua was not.
Selene thought about it for a moment. She stared at Joshua from top to bottom before lifting her immaculate hand and rolling up her veil.
“Selene!” Modrian exclaimed.
Selene waved her hand dismissively, hinting that it was fine for her to show her face.
“Wow…”
“It is really difficult to get used to the Saintess’ beauty…”
Every holy knight gasped upon witnessing Selene’s face hidden beneath the veil.
Selene was a lady with waist-length golden hair. Her skin was as clean and white as the clothing she was wearing, and her eyes were a brilliant shade of jade. In addition, she radiated this aura that inspired awe.
Princess Serciarin was the treasure of Avalon, but it wouldn’t be an understatement to say that the saintess of the Hubalt Empire could be compared to her.
Lady Selene smiled and asked, “Is this enough?”
“...?” Joshua seemed confused upon hearing Selene’s words.
Selene said with a confident voice, “I will help you on my own without borrowing other people’s power.”
Every man she had met so far only had two reactions upon meeting her. They would either be in a daze upon being captivated by her beauty, or they would become unresponsive, busy admiring her beauty.
It seemed Joshua’s response was more on the former.
‘Because he couldn’t answer my question...’?Selene smiled sweetly.
She was about to speak, but Joshua spoke first, “I feel like I’m talking to someone that I was familiar with during her childhood days. She does everything up to her own whims and is practically like a naive child living in her own world.”
Honestly, there was one lady that suited the words he had said just now, and it was a lady with ruby-like hair. She momentarily flashed through Joshua’s mind.
“What?” Selene was astonished. She couldn’t understand what Joshua was talking about.
Joshua shook his head and said, “I only have one answer, and as I said before… I have no motive or desire to accept such a ridiculous proposition.”
“This crazy bastard…!” Selene’s eyes widened, and a curse came out of her two petals-like lips. “Are you crazy? Is there something wrong with your head?”
Selene proceeded to massage her temples. Her face was flushed as she pointed at herself and said, “I’m here to help you, so why are you trying to dismiss me? Are you really not going to accept my help? Are you sure about that?”
- Does she have a dissociative identity disorder? She sounds more like a scammer as well rather than a saintess.
“...” Joshua didn’t know what to say in response to Lugia’s words.
‘I thought I was pretty empathetic there, though…’?Joshua grumbled inwardly.
- She’s mad. I can’t believe that the so-called saintess they’re worshiping is a mad woman. I wouldn’t trust her with my life even if it’s the end of the world!
Lugia clicked its tongue. Joshua had no idea if Lugia had done something, but Selene’s eyes widened in surprise. It was because the crystal ball she was holding, which had been emitting a faint dark light, suddenly started emitting a darker light.
They had no idea, but the crystal ball was responding to Lugia’s power, and Lugia was currently an insignificant-looking iron rod.
Selene noticed it first. “Demonic power?”
Selene trembled, and she attempted to retreat, but she froze in the end. Eventually, she took a few steps backward from Joshua while smiling sourly. However, her smile looked more sinister rather than sour at first glance.
The holy knights dispersed into a formation once again. It looked like they were ready to pounce into action at any moment.
“It’s a misunderstanding,” said Selene.
“...?” The holy knights seemed confused.
“The demon king has not descended, it seems, but I believe we need an explanation for this,” explained Selene. When she was done speaking, she lifted her hand, revealing a crystal ball.
“Tears of the Gods!”
“It’s giving off a dark light!”
“Is it demonic power?”
It was not, in fact, nearly as frightening as she made it out to be. The dark light was dim and weak—like that of a low-level undead at most. However, the key part was that there were only humans here.
It was just a faint dark light, but the fact that the crystal ball detected demonic power here meant that there had to be a practitioner of black magic around here.
- Look! She’s completely insane! She deserved to be in the boiler room of hell!
Lugia exclaimed, and the crystal ball in Selene’s hand hummed in response.
- They’re the so-called apostle of gods, huh? I mean, even demons won’t stoop this low.
'Shhh...'?Joshua grumbled inwardly.
Lugia's voice ceased to be audible after Joshua severed his connection with her.
Unfortunately, the holy knights had already seen the dim, dark light.
Schwing!
Holy Knight Modrian immediately unsheathed his sword and exclaimed, “Everyone, draw your swords! Protect the Saintess!”
Schwing!
The holy knights unsheathed their swords as well.
“...” Selene smiled at Joshua. Unbeknownst to the silent Joshua, she had already retreated behind the holy knights.
‘It’s not too late yet…’?Selene mouthed without making a sound, and Joshua couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s funny?” asked Selene with a frown.
Joshua replied, “Nothing. It’s just your behavior is radically different from the definition of a saintess in my head. It seems that I will have to look at people like you differently from now on.”
“It seems that you still have no idea of your current situation—” Selene started.
However, she was forced to quickly shut her mouth as the air around Joshua abruptly changed.
“What are you going to do if I killed all of you here?”
The frightening words that emerged out of Joshua’s mouth stunned Selene into silence.
“This insolent fool!”
“So you’re finally showing us your true colors, you vile creature!”
The holy knights along with Modrian, heard what Joshua said because the latter said it out loud.
“You… How could you even say something like that…” Selene muttered blankly.
“Did you not hear who I am?” Joshua replied to the frozen Selene.
“My name is Joshua Sanders, and I represent the Avalon Empire.”
Selene was at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Modrian ordered the holy knights. “Enough words! Gather your divine power! Our divinity against his demonic power!”
“May Hermes' blessings be with us!”
Wooong.
The holy knights exclaimed at the same time, and a pure white light coalesced.
Vrrr!
The artifact in Selene’s hand hummed in response to the holy knights’ divine power.
“Stop, now. Otherwise, you will regret it,” muttered Selene. She instinctively took a step back as fear sprang from the depths of her heart.
“Regret? I don’t think so…” Joshua replied.
‘He’s serious…!’
Selene gnashed her teeth upon seeing Joshua’s determined gaze filled with murderous intent.
He was dangerous. Selene could also feel that Joshua could truly wipe them out.
‘No… that’s impossible!’
While Selene was inwardly screaming, Joshua’s calm and placid voice echoed.
“With great power comes great responsibility. Dozens—even hundreds—of innocent bystanders could perish because of your careless words. The more power you have, the more careful you have to be. The consequences of your actions will affect not just you, but your innocent subordinates as well.”
When his words fell, Joshua raised his hand.
“Don’t you dare move!” Modrian exclaimed.
“...” Joshua didn’t say anything in response to that. He simply mustered his mana.
Swoosh!
“...!” Selene’s eyes widened as the Tears of the Gods—the artifact she was holding—had flown over to Joshua and was now in his hands. “The artifact!”
“You don’t deserve this...” Joshua smirked at the crystal ball in his hand. “An artifact that reacts to divine power and demonic power?”
“S-stop it!”
“Put it down! If you’re really Baron Sanders of Avalon, this could escalate into a war between our countries!”
“Hmph!” Joshua snorted. He combined the four energies in his body into one before channeling it into the crystal ball.
‘I finally know how…’
Joshua could finally wield the four energies independently.
“Sometimes, you will experience something you’ll find hard to believe even after seeing it happen with your own two eyes. Right now, I will show you something like that.”
When his words fell, Joshua let loose an explosive burst of energy.
Shwaaaak!
It was a burst of immaculate white light that quickly overwhelmed the holy knights’ divine power before completely engulfing everything in the vicinity.
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