Chapter 8: Existence Beyond Understanding (IV)

Argus…
Standing alone in the office at the top of the Mage Tower [Gory], the vice president of the Royal Magicians’ Association… no, its president, JerryBelfort, gazed silently at the night view of the Saxon Imperial City.
Now, he had shed the title of second-in-command for millennia and truly become the president of the Royal Magicians’ Association, as well as the empire’s chief mage. Yet even so, he felt little joy or pride.
Yes, there was no need for pride, because above him stood a being even more terrifying than Archmage Vishton!
Argus…
I underestimated this man too much…
JerryBelfort frowned and sighed. Though he had achieved what he wanted, he was not the biggest winner in this competition—something he knew very well. Neither he nor Prince Gran, nor those necromancers, nor the high-ranking nobles of the Saxon Imperial City were anything but pawns in that man’s hands. With the destruction of the Riox Academy, JerryBelfort suddenly realized he had made a terrible mistake.
He had sent people to investigate Riox. It was hard for him to believe that that man could single-handedly defeat one of the empire’s most renowned archmages, Greta Kaines, and Father Andrew, one of the Church’s twelve cardinals. Argus’s power far exceeded JerryBelfort’s expectations…
Tch! How could a human possess such immense power?!
A few days ago, JerryBelfort might have thought the gap between his own power and Argus’s wasn’t that large, but by tonight, that ridiculous idea had been completely discarded from his mind…
That was definitely not a power a human could possess!
“President, President!” With an urgent call, a mage rushed in, pushing the door open, holding several documents. “President, the Magic Detection Department has detected an unknown energy reaction—direction is southwest outside the city, about twelve miles away. We’ve found two massive, highly explosive energies colliding violently. The energy level has exceeded Level 1 alert. Please instruct whether to activate the protective shield…”
“No need!” JerryBelfort shook his head listlessly, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and staring at the dark night sky. He said calmly, “Tell those people to calm down and go back to rest. Nothing will happen. Those two monsters aren’t targeting us…”

“Those two monsters?” The messenger mage raised his head in surprise.
“Ah! Two monsters whose power exceeds even that of demons!” JerryBelfort sighed slightly, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, “Go outside and warn the patrol teams to stay away from that place… if they don’t want to die!”
“…Yes!”
Glancing at his subordinate hurrying away, JerryBelfort’s gaze turned back to the dark night. In the distant southwest, he could faintly see flames soaring into the sky colliding endlessly with an abyssal darkness. As for one of those forces, he knew very well—aside from that man, Argus, who else could possess such immense power?
But the other person…
Normally, JerryBelfort would have gone to take a look in person, but today he lacked the interest. No matter what kind of creature it was, it was still a terrifying being on the same level as that man—yes, a being far beyond human limits…
“Argus… What is the secret to his strength? That power definitely isn’t his own. Who gave him such immense strength?” With these thoughts, a thoughtful look appeared in JerryBelfort’s eyes. He turned toward the door and called out to a royal mage in the corridor, “Hey, Jemil! Go to the database right now and bring me all the information about demon legends found in ancient ruins!”
“Ah… Yes!”
Meanwhile, twelve miles southwest of the Sassen Imperial City, the battle between Thos and Argus continued unabated.
The energy generated by these two apostle-level fighters severely damaged the surrounding landscape—rivers were cut off, forests burned, hills collapsed, and the ground sank. It was likely that even a team of twenty mages couldn’t cause such extensive destruction.
As JerryBelfort had said, the two fighting here had long transcended the bounds of humanity. Their power was even more terrifying than that of demons.
Fortunately, it was night, and most of the civilians in the nearby villages were sound asleep. Even if a few were awakened by the loud noises, they dared not act rashly in the darkness, especially when they could faintly see those unknown monsters, each standing one or two hundred yards tall, in the darkness…
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Roar!”

Amidst bursts of thunderous roars, the two colossal creatures—the two-headed bird-man and the dark bear—continued to struggle. As the most direct manifestations of the Apostle’s power, these beings, resembling projections of an ancient will, might well be the true destroyers of this land.
“Kill you! I’ll kill you, Argus!”
As if to confirm Thors’ inner fury, the dark bear suddenly opened its fang-filled mouth and bit down on the two-headed bird-man’s shoulder. With a sound like shattering glass, the shoulder was crushed, sending fragments of black crystals imbued with dark energy flying. At the same time, blood gushed from Argus’s shoulder as well.
“Tch! Stop being so arrogant, brat!”
No sooner had Argus spoken than the two beaks of the two-headed bird-man pierced the dark bear’s forehead. With a pained cry, blood streamed from Thors’s forehead.
“Roar!”
Perhaps sensing its master’s pain, the dark bear roared in anger, gripping the other’s shoulder tightly with its fangs. Its massive paws grabbed each other’s wings and torn them off alive.
Boom! The wings, filled with dark energy, turned into a solid block of black crystal once separated from the two-headed bird-man, slowly falling to the ground and shattering. Immediately afterward, Argus let out a scream as two streams of blood burst from his back.
“Damn you, brat!”
As Argus moved, the two-headed bird-man swung his right fist hard at the dark bear’s huge head. The immense force even made the dark bear’s body sway slightly. At the same time, Thors was thrown high into the air and crashed onto the hard, blackened ground scorched by fire.
Just as Argus tried to catch his breath, Thors vanished from his spot in an instant. The next second, he appeared behind Argus, delivering a powerful punch to his head that sent him flying. He even used a flash of flame at the end.
Argus’s body slid across the ground for over twenty yards before stopping. The two-headed bird-man also staggered and was knocked off his feet by the dark bear’s paw, letting out a shrill scream.
But before Thors could catch his breath, he suddenly felt a sharp blow to his face, causing him to fall to the side involuntarily.
“Argus!”
“You little brat!”

Both were filled with rage. Magic was no longer the sole means of combat. As apostles with bodies surpassing those of ordinary humans, they seemed more inclined to use their fists to strike each other’s cheeks.
“Boom!”
Amidst a black beam and the shockwave from the flame explosion, the two struggling figures were blown apart by the force, crashing heavily to the ground. They groaned in pain, occasionally coughing violently and spitting out blood.
Argus was in even worse condition than Thors. Although, as an apostle, he had far more experience than Thors, in terms of pure strength, the two ancient beings behind them differed: Slos’s strength seemed more suited for this kind of battle than Mammon’s.
Indeed, as Slos’s apostle, Thors possessed near-supernatural recovery abilities akin to those of dark creatures, along with greater strength and resilience than Argus. His only weakness was speed. Meanwhile, as Mammon’s apostle, Argus had the power to control people’s desires, but he wasn’t good at battles involving close combat.
His only advantage was the “Divine Power” that Thors had yet to master. But with his magic and stamina already exhausted, he couldn’t unleash that power at all. The spiritual trauma he suffered in his earlier fight against Professor Hodde, combined with the injuries he endured now, made it difficult even for him to stand.
Thors’s situation wasn’t much better either. It was his first time fighting using apostolic powers, and he couldn’t fully control the dark bear. The magic he knew was also pitifully few—just a handful of spells. But more importantly, he lacked combat experience. In that regard, he couldn’t compare to the experienced Argus, even though he had greater strength.
“Huh!”
“Huh!”
Watching Thors struggling to get back on his feet in the distance, Argus suddenly burst into laughter.
“What are you laughing at?!”
Glancing at the fury in Thors’s eyes, Argus shook his head and said through ragged breaths, “You’re truly a terrifying guy, Thors. Do you really want to kill me?”
“Hmph!” The boy snorted coldly, which was enough to express his thoughts.
“Hey,” Argus glanced quietly at the dark bear behind Thors. After a moment of silence, he suddenly grinned and shook his head. “As apostles, it seems our areas of power are quite different. Your impulsive and violent fighting style really suits your personality…” As he spoke, he raised his right hand, where a mass of dark energy quickly condensed into a slender black sword.

Immediately, he swung the black long sword in his hand a few times and said mockingly to the somewhat astonished Thos, “Is it really necessary to be so surprised? It’s just simple energy materialization… What? Haven’t you learned it? Do you need me to show you how?”
“Stop talking!” With a growl, a circle of blue flames surged up from the boy’s feet.
“Hey! Ungrateful indeed, what an ignorant brat!” Argus’s expression changed as he said in a deep voice, “Repent for your stupidity, brat!” With that, he vanished from his spot in an instant.
Where?
Where?
Ignoring the battle between the Dark Bear and the Two-Headed Bird-Man, Thos used all his mental strength to pinpoint Argus’s location. Suddenly, he sensed an irregular fluctuation in spatial energy coming from his left.
Left!
Thos instinctively swung his fist to the left. He could already imagine his fist hitting that bastard’s face hard, but suddenly, he felt a chill at his back, followed by intense pain.
“Wrong, it’s the right!”
Hearing that infuriating mocking voice, Thos instinctively turned his head. Before he could locate Argus again, his arm was slashed once more.
After enduring several sword strikes, Thos finally pinpointed Argus’s location. Just as his fist was about to strike, Argus reached out with his left hand and grabbed Thos’s fist. Then, with a twist of his body, he reversed the situation and trapped Thos, placing the black long sword at Thos’s neck.
Looking at the struggling boy, Argus used all his strength to hold him down and said coldly with a smirk, “A brat is still just a brat! With this much, you still think you can kill me?” As he spoke, he moved the black long sword threateningly.
But suddenly, Argus noticed a smile on the boy’s lips. Before he could react, a massive column of fire erupted violently from the ground beneath them.
“Swish!”
Argus, who reappeared, looked even more disheveled than before. His clothes were torn, and steam rose from his body. Kneeling on the ground with his right hand on the ground, he looked at the column of fire and said mockingly, “Not bad idea, but aren’t you afraid of burning yourself to death too?”
“Swish!” The column of fire disappeared in an instant. Thos reappeared in front of Argus, panting and sneering, “If a fire mage could be killed by his own flame, that would truly be a joke!”

“Don’t be careless. People like that have appeared before—why not think you could be the next?” With a mocking tone, Argus stood up, pointing his right hand upward. The ground trembled, and the stones on it floated up, quickly gathering into a huge rock. Then, with just a gesture of his right hand toward Thors, the massive rock shot toward him like a cannonball.

Watching the rock coming at him, Thors raised his right hand. With a loud bang, the rock struck his hand and shattered into pieces.

With a cold snort, the boy sneered, “Argus, is that all the low-class magic you can use now? If so, why not just die peacefully?”

Hearing the word “die,” Argus glanced nervously at the Dark Bear fighting the Two-Headed Bird, then laughed self-mockingly and said in a low, mocking tone, “Didn’t I say? If you want to kill me, go ahead—just if you have the ability! I’ve even been rather lenient with you compared to others!”

“What nonsense!”

As Thors’ angry voice rang out, there was a snap, and a burst of flames exploded in Argus’ direction.

“Will such tricks work?” Argus, who had reappeared elsewhere, shook his head mockingly. But suddenly, his expression changed. He instinctively turned his head and saw a fist slam into his ribs.

“Boom!”

Emerging from the flames, Argus stood up and glanced at his chest, feeling the pain from the broken ribs. With a bitter smile, he said, “Hey, hey, hey—what’s the point of having an enhanced body anyway?” Then, as if struck by an idea, he suddenly looked up at Thors, a strange smile appearing on his lips.

“What do you want to say now, bastard?” the boy with clenched fists asked, frowning.

“Heh… ouch,” Argus gasped in pain, then grinned. “Bastard? Is it because I caused chaos in the empire? Or because I destroyed your beloved Riox? Or because I killed your mentor who was close to you? Hey, don’t forget—we’re the same kind of people!”

“People like you? What nonsense!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

He stepped back quickly to avoid the deadly flames, then used his hands to push himself up and stood again. With a cold smirk, he said, “Isn’t that so, kid? After all, we fight only because of personal hatred. Causing such severe destruction over mere spite… Hey! I doubt you even noticed that at the time, did you?” As he spoke, he raised his finger and pointed in the distance. In the direction he indicated, faint cries could be heard—most likely from civilians living in nearby villages, whose villages had been affected by the battle between the projections of those ancient wills.

Frowning as he listened to those faint cries, the boy fell silent for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying in a low voice, “Stop dragging in unrelated matters, Argus!”

“Unrelated?” Argus was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. Holding his bleeding forehead, he laughed wildly and said, “That’s a great way to put it, Thors. That’s the attitude of a true strongman. Yes, what right do those insect-like creatures have to make us care?”

“You! —I didn’t mean that…”

“Oh, really?” Argus raised his head and glanced at Thors indifferently. Pointing in one direction, he said mockingly, “Listen! How helpless those voices sound…”

Indeed, the dried-up rivers and collapsed ground had turned the surrounding area into chaos. In particular, the cracked fissures ran through entire villages. The villagers fled in panic to higher ground, looking around in terror at the endless darkness, completely unaware of what had happened.

Looking at the silent boy, Argus smirked and said mockingly, “Regret? Sorrow? Anger? Stop joking, Thors! That’s not the attitude we should have…” He paused, took a deep breath, and said seriously, “There’s no need to pity the weak. Their cowardly existence is a sin. What we should do is strive to reach higher heights, right? —Enough, kid? We really don’t have to fight to the death, do we? You should know that for us, this kind of battle isn’t even a real fight—it’s at most just a game. And to be honest, right now, you don’t even qualify to join this game!”

“What do you mean?” Thors asked, frowning.

“Hey!” Argus shook his head and smiled, pointing at the phantom image of the two-headed bird behind him. He said calmly, “I’m surprised you were able to fight me for so long. Aren’t you surprised yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

Glancing at the boy, Argus shook his head and said mockingly, “Haven’t you noticed? The fire elements around you seem to be decreasing more and more…”
“What!” The boy was stunned. He instinctively sensed the fire elements around him and found, as Argus had said, an astonishingly large amount of dark energy gathering around him, while the once-thick fire elements had become much thinner.
Looking at the bewildered boy, Argus sneered, “Do you really think you fought me with your own strength just now? That your ridiculous flames could hurt me this badly? Stop joking, Thors! Do you think your little human fist can break three of my ribs? No way! Just as I’ve experienced before, you’re in the process of [transforming], being transformed by that powerful will behind you. The more you use that power, the faster the transformation, until your body is completely taken over by darkness. By then, you won’t be human anymore, and ordinary weapons or magic won’t be able to hurt you at all… In front of a fully transformed apostle, those demons are utterly insignificant…” As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at the black tattoo on Thors’s right arm, saying mockingly, “Those things weren’t there before, were they?”
Thors instinctively looked at his right arm. Due to the battle earlier, his sleeve had long been torn, revealing his bare skin. But to his shock, the black tattoos that were originally only on his shoulders and arms had somehow spread to his entire right hand…
“There are also some on your neck!” Looking at the astonished boy, Argus laughed mockingly, “If you keep fighting, you’ll end up like me. Hey, didn’t I say we’re the same kind of people?”
“…”
Watching Thors, who was stunned by the tattoos on his arm, Argus shook his head and said in a tone laced with an indescribable emotion, “I’ve played with you for so long. Should you be satisfied now? While that dark energy hasn’t completely taken over your body, get lost! — Although our fate is already sealed, at least you can live as a human for a few more years. Hmph!”
Looking at Argus’s detestable smile, the boy remained silent. After a full minute, he finally raised his head and said slowly, “Stop talking nonsense! — Anyway, you must die here! Absolutely!”
As he spoke, a powerful dark energy surged through his body, gradually replacing the fire elements attached to him. At the same time, the black tattoos on his neck spread further toward his face.

“What an unruly brat!” Argus’s gaze turned utterly cold. He took a slight breath, and a deep, gloomy darkness erupted from within him. At the same time, his skin grew slightly darker, and black tattoos resembling those of Thors appeared all over his exposed body—clearer and more complete than Thors’s, covering his entire body. From a distance, he resembled a demon crawling out of the abyss.

The people living in the nearby villages stared in confusion at the direction from which the loud noises came, as if the darkness held the most terrifying demons. Unable to confront it, they could only pray for day to come quickly, so they might at least understand what was happening.

Perhaps thanks to their prayers, the sky finally began to brighten, and the sun rose slowly. The people could finally see around them, yet they could hardly believe their eyes. Was this really their familiar village? Their familiar river? Their familiar forest?

Looking at the vast area that resembled scorched land, fear surged in their hearts. What on earth had happened?!

While the villagers were secretly terrified, Argus sat on the ground against a rock, covering his mouth and coughing violently. Next to him, little Lily tilted her head and looked at Argus in confusion, asking softly, “You’re coughing so badly. Are you sick?”

Touching his broken ribs, Argus took a deep breath to suppress the intense pain, continued to cough, then said irritably, “Damn you, brat! How dare you do this!”

“I didn’t do anything…” Lily shook her head in panic.

“I’m not talking about you, brat!” Argus snapped his lips irritably, then raised his head to look at Thors lying on the ground in the distance. Enduring the pain all over his body, he stood up.

“Are you okay, Uncle… Argus? Should we go see a doctor?”

“Don’t think I’m like you, brat!” After taking several deep breaths, Argus slowly walked toward Thors. When he reached him, he said mockingly, “What a pity, Thors!”

Thors, lying on the ground, struggled to open his eyes and glared angrily at Argus.

“Oh my, what a terrifying look. But I’m glad to see you still so energetic!” Saying this, he raised his right hand, condensed a long sword with dark power, and thrust it straight into Thors’s left leg, driving it deep into the ground.

“Ah! — Argus!”

“Hey!” Hearing that pained cry, Arges curled his lips into a cold smirk and sneered, “You’re overestimating yourself, Thors. Even as apostles, there’s a huge gap in our powers. Don’t forget—I already used up a lot of my magic power fighting you and was seriously injured. If you can’t even defeat me in this state, how can you kill me?” With that, he conjured another black sword and thrust it into Thors’s right leg.

“I must… I absolutely must kill you, you bastard!” Thors said through gritted teeth, enduring the pain.

“Come on, you’ve exhausted all your magic power and strength—still want to kill me?” Arges shook his head and laughed, then thrust a black sword into Thors’s right hand, mocking, “Ryox is really a great place—teaching you to learn magic and combat happily. But classroom lessons are nothing like real battles. Well, for you, it’s just a matter of experience, hehe!” He conjured another black sword and stabbed it into Thors’s left hand. To his surprise, the black sword disintegrated and was purified the moment it touched Thors’s hand, which surprised Arges.

Just then, an older voice came from not far away.

“The holy light of Salonia—you should remember that, Arges!”

Glancing briefly at the speaker, Arges wore a mocking smile and sneered, “Oh, you’re still alive? That’s quite surprising.” His smile gradually faded as he said coldly, “You managed to save your life once—now you’re back to die. What should I call you? Father Andrew!”

The old man in the gray cloak removed it with his right hand and said solemnly, “I don’t want to fight you now, Arges!”

“Oh?” Arges smiled slightly, pointing at his battered body and mocking, “Even like this, you don’t want to? Thanks to this brat, I’m in a terrible state now. Still not willing to fight? It’s just one lost arm—no need to become so cowardly. You’re not like the person who chased me from Salonia all the way to the empire. I’m so disappointed…”

Father Andrew silently glanced at his empty left sleeve, pointed at Thors with his right hand, and said firmly, “No matter what you say, I don’t want to conflict with you now. I just want to take this child away!”

Frowning, he glanced at Father Andrew. Argus laughed and shook his head, saying lightly, “It seems you’ve already learned some things you shouldn’t know. But why do you think I’d hand him over to you? Come on, he’s here to kill me!”
“Anyway, I must take this child away from you!” Father Andrew yanked off his cloak.
“Hey, you old guy who lost an arm—realize this: the last time you barely managed to escape from me. Do you think you can beat me? Don’t think just because I’m like this now I can’t kill you. You’re not an apostle—I can take you out in an instant!”
“Using that terrifying power? But as long as I don’t look into your eyes, it should be fine, right?” Father Andrew said in a low voice.
Argus was stunned, then burst into laughter at Father Andrew, shaking his head mockingly. “I didn’t expect it—someone like you would figure this out. Hey, old man, you haven’t been spying around here all this time, have you? I remember the Vatican’s barrier has a special effect that prevents dark forces from breaking through to spy! —While this brat and his mentor, Hodd Kennedy, were fighting me, as one of the Vatican’s twelve cardinals, you were just hiding over there spying. Ugh, what should I say? Heh!”
A hint of guilt appeared on Father Andrew’s face. He lowered his head slightly and said solemnly, “If I can kill you, this demon, even if it means dying together, I’m willing to risk my life. But… since that’s not possible, I must survive and take all information about you back to Salonia! —Argus, by then, your secrets will no longer be secrets, including the source of your powerful strength—the Ancient Will!”
“…” Argus stared deeply at Father Andrew, then shook his head slightly and said lightly, “So you mean the Vatican plans to get involved? Heh! Interesting. You can go back and tell those old fools we welcome them anytime—whether it’s you old guys or whatever so-called Inquisition or Crusaders! —I’m really curious—compared to those so-called Crusaders, the Imperial Royal Knights aren’t any stronger!” He paused, then looked at Thos, who was almost in a coma, and said, “But I can’t hand this brat over to you. He’s my trophy!”
“What if I insist?” Father Andrew said in a low voice.

Staring at Father Andrew’s dazzling and dangerous holy light, as well as his resolute gaze, Argus licked his lips and shook his head. “It’s useless, old man. You can’t kill me. As an apostle, the moment I die, time will stop, and the great being behind me will enter my body. Though only temporarily, it will be more than enough to take care of you!”
“What if it’s a seal?” Andrew asked in a deep voice, staring at Argus. “You must have heard of it—there are spells in the Church that can seal powers. But for someone like you, it would take three or four high-level magicians. But if it’s the energy at the moment of death… if I die here, the accumulated holy light will burst forth in an instant. The energy generated may not purify the darkness within you, but it will be enough to seal your powers…”
“Just temporarily!”
“That’s enough. Once people know you’ve lost your powers, how many will come to kill you? Don’t think I don’t understand. Even the ancient will behind you requires immense energy each time it temporarily descends to this world. If that energy is exhausted, it will fall into slumber. Argus, how many times will the demon behind you save you? How many times is it willing—and able—to save you?”
“…” Staring deeply into Father Andrew’s firm eyes, Argus curled his lips and shrugged. “Fine, I can hand over this brat to you. But it’ll cost you your life. You old bastard chased me all the way from Salonia to the Empire. If I don’t kill you, I’ll never be able to get rid of this anger in my heart! What do you say?”
To Argus’s surprise, Father Andrew agreed without hesitation.
“Okay! —But I need half a month!”
“…Heh! Truly worthy of being a cleric,” Argus sneered lightly before smiling eerily. “I’ll give you half a month. But in return, the pain you endure will intensify greatly. Ah, why does an old man have to be so stubborn? Just die peacefully!” With that, he raised his right hand and fired a black lightning-like beam that pierced Father Andrew’s chest in an instant.
“Argus…”

Looking at Father Andrew’s incredulous expression, Argus sneered, “Half a month? Teach me how to use this magic instead—stupid and ignorant! But don’t worry, you won’t die for now. If you did, it would be troublesome for me too. As for how many days you can hold on, I can’t say. I actually prefer you to die along the way. Ugh, I’ve never had much fondness for those who chase me…”

“Bastard!” Father Andrew cursed through gritted teeth. Then, seeing Argus turn to look at Thos, he became alert and drew out a gold-inlaid dagger.

“Hey, hey, hey—this isn’t something a cleric who claims to be a servant of the gods should say,” Argus said. It seemed he sensed something as he looked up at Father Andrew and joked, “Don’t get excited, old man. If you die here, our deal is void!”

After saying that, he glanced around, then closed his eyes. Several minutes later, he suddenly raised his right hand. Before Father Andrew could react, a silver light flew into Argus’s hand—it was the dirty silver coin.

“Huh,” Argus blew on the dust on the coin and wiped away the dirt before putting it in his pocket. Then, looking down at the nearly unconscious Thos, he said in a strange tone, “After being hurt this badly, I thought about teaching you a lesson again, but I’ll leave it. That old man will take you away! If you don’t want to die, I advise you to stay in Salonia and never set foot in this country again! Well, anyway, I’ve repaid the favor I owe you… I’m taking back this coin!”

“Argh… Argus… I… will kill you!” Thos, barely conscious, struggled to express his hatred.

“Want to kill me? No problem!” Argus smiled slightly, crouched down, and said softly, “When you master the power of an apostle and are truly on my level, you can come back for revenge. I’ll be waiting for you, Thos!”

With that, Argus stood up, patted little Lily on the head, and said irritably, “Let’s go, brat!”

“Mm! Can we go now… You promised me delicious cake…”

“I know, brat!”

“It’s Lily…”

“Annoying! Ugh, that damned brat… I regret not kicking her more earlier!”

“Huh?”

“I’m not talking about you!”

“Oh…”

Watching Argus leave, Father Andrew’s worried heart gradually settled. Yet when he turned to Thors and saw the black tattoo that had almost spread across his face, he frowned deeply.
“Argus… Argus!”
With a loud crack, the three black swords embedded in Thors’ body shattered instantly. An ancient and terrifying aura, mixed with a heavy sense of darkness, spread throughout his entire body.
“Oh no! Charles’ holy power can no longer suppress this darkness…” Father Andrew frowned heavily. He could clearly see the holy light in Thors’ left hand weakening step by step.
“Thors? Child? Thors? Thors?”
Watching Thors tremble in a semi-conscious state as the darkness around him grew stronger, Father Andrew frowned and placed his right hand on the boy’s left one.
After a long burst of white light, Father Andrew seemed to have aged dozens of years—his skin became wrinkled, and his gaze was no longer as sharp as before. When he looked at Thors again, the boy seemed calmer, and the raging darkness had returned to peace. But unbelievably, a second hexagram magic circle appeared on his left forearm, connected to the one on the back of his hand by white thorn-like tattoos.
Glancing at the black tattoo still visible on the boy’s neck, Father Andrew sighed softly.
“Can’t even the combined power of two ‘holy seals’ completely drive away this darkness? Alas! What a terrifying existence… the Ancient Will!”
Shaking his head, Father Andrew struggled to get up. Using his only remaining right hand, he picked up Thors and began walking southward step by step.
Even if the world is shrouded in terrifying darkness, we must not give up our faith…
We must believe that darkness is temporary, and light will surely come!
Follow my faith, my God, my Lord, bathed in holy light, to atone for my sins…
Though my life ends, my belief will endure forever…
Amen!