Vol 3 Chapter 69 – A Toast with Blood Poured into Your Skulls

“Hey, hey, are you saying that knowing the current situation with the Church of Arias? Nah, you couldn’t. If you knew and you were still saying it, you’d have to be a special kind of stupid.”

“Situation?”

As Alvarado tilted his head, Masado’s eyes went wide as if he were looking at a truly clueless idiot.

There’s no way he could be in this city and not understand the situation.

“The expansion of the Church of Arias’s power. Right now, of all the religions in this world, the Church of Arias has the most momentum. That’s why, in this city at least, every other religion has been wiped out.”

There are countless religions in the world.

So, it’s not the largest on a global scale.

However, the pace of its expansion is without a doubt the fastest in the world right now.

At this rate, becoming number one is an inevitability.

The devout higher-ups in the Church of Arias seem happy about that, but… honestly, Masado couldn’t care less.

To him, religion was all about how much he could profit from it.

Of course, the more power and authority the organization has, the easier it is to get his cut.

That’s why he so piously carries out the dirty work of forcing conversions.

“Get it? I’m telling you we’re not the ones to make an enemy of.”

People become strong when they gather.

They become strong when they form an organization.

The Church of Arias had grown to a scale that could never be dealt with by a single individual.

And as for their aggressive methods, one look at what Masado was doing made it obvious.

The Church of Arias was an entity you must never oppose.

Coming from Masado, this was less of a threat and more of a genuine warning.

However, Alvarado dismissed that warning without a second thought.

“You seem to be mistaken. I did not make an enemy of you. You made an enemy of me.”

Alvarado didn’t initiate the attack.

This all happened because the Church of Arias attacked the Church of Shannon.

“You enemies of the faith who insult my god. You may die.”

“Whoa!?”

And with that, Alvarado attacked Masado without a shred of hesitation.

The Holy Sword, still covered in rubble, came swinging down.

It has considerable weight—a normal person couldn’t even lift it—but Alvarado swings it around like it’s nothing.

His physical strength is at a level where even a single blow would make whatever it hit simply burst.

“You’re using one hell of a weapon there. Is this a penalty game or something?”

“A penalty game?! I’m the one who should be saying that! I’m going to murder you, you thug priest!!”

As he spoke, sweat dripping down his face, the girl for some reason flew into a rage.

Masado doesn’t know I’m the Holy Sword itself, so of course he has no idea.

Why is she so pissed? is what he thought.

“I’ve fought all kinds of people to the death, but I’ve never seen anyone use a weapon like you.”

“Is that so? Then this will be the first and last time. Die.”

“Tch!!”

He wasn’t given a moment to even catch his breath.

The rubble-covered Holy Sword was swung with ferocious intensity.

With enough power to kill in a single hit, it was nothing short of a menace.

“Hmph!”

“Gah!?”

But it wasn’t just a matter of dodging the Holy Sword’s direct attacks.

As a matter of course, Alvarado had also mastered long-range attacks.

With a powerful swing of the Holy Sword, the wind itself became a violent slash that assaulted Masado.

He was sent flying by the gale, coughing up blood.

That’s an insane amount of damage.

“…Who the hell are you? You’re no ordinary human.”

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Masado glared at him.

Even under a gaze sharp enough to make anyone flinch, Alvarado stood with his chest puffed out.

The mental monster, in his element.

“I am Alvarado. A devout follower of the Church of Shannon.”

“And I am Antares, disciple of my great Master!”

Alvarado was expressionless; Antares had a triumphant look on her face.

Why the smug look…? I wondered, but at the mention of their names, Masado’s eyes widened and a cold sweat broke out on his brow.

Because their ‘infamy’ was widely known.

“Alvarado… You’re ‘The Justice-Crazed Lunatic’!”

“That nickname is definitely an insult at this point.”

The Holy Sword’s calm words were right on the mark.

“And Antares must be ‘The Bloodstained Hero.’ Heh, this is hilarious. Two of the most dangerous people in the entire world are right here, and I’m the one fighting them? What a joke.”

In this region, at least, they are top-class monsters.

It would be one thing if they only possessed immense power, but their minds are just as unhinged.

One can only imagine how terrified the villains they so often target must be of them.

Masado, who was more or less self-aware that he was on the side of evil, let out a deep sigh.

“Ahhh, you gotta be kidding me. This ain’t worth it at all. I should’ve just refused this garbage assignment.”

“You’re not going to try your best for the Church of Arias?”

“Hah? Why the hell would I? It’s not like I believe in this Arias god from the bottom of my heart. As long as I can do whatever I want and act all high and mighty, I’d throw my lot in with anyone.”

He joined the Church of Arias for the perks, and the result is a one-on-two fight with a couple of monsters. It’s the worst possible outcome.

He’d turn this down no matter how much wealth was piled up in front of him.

He wasn’t about to risk his life and devote himself to a religion he only joined to satisfy his own greed.

That’s why, if Alvarado and the others were to let him go, he would have gladly run for the hills, but…

“I see. Your personal feelings on your faith do not matter to me. My god desires your blood and viscera. Die quickly.”

“This is definitely a dark cult…”

The despair was palpable as it became clear Alvarado had no intention of letting him escape.

From his perspective, Masado had mocked his religion and his god.

In other words, a death sentence.

He couldn’t possibly let someone who insulted the most sacred existence in the world leave here alive.

Of course, he would slaughter him.

The Holy Sword, forced to listen next to him, was utterly fed up…

“No, I assure you, I desire no such thing… Somehow, I’m being turned into an evil god against my will…”

“!?”

For a second, I thought I saw a lewd-looking, brown-skinned woman appear again, and I jumped.

What’s with that lewd woman!

“What is that woman who keeps popping up!?”

I pretty much know the answer already, but I refuse to believe she’d just pop up so casually over and over again.

Because she’s absolutely going to be a pain in the ass.

“My god is watching over me. I shall put my heart into killing you all. And then, we shall toast with blood poured into your skulls.”

“Shouldn’t that religion just be eradicated?”

The Holy Sword glared with half-lidded eyes at Alvarado, who was cheerfully declaring his intent to desecrate Masado’s corpse.

This is a dark cult. Without a doubt, a dark cult.

The Church of Arias is doing some pretty questionable things, but from what I’ve heard, it seems like a better option than the Church of Shannon.

“Listen, you might be confused, but just because the Church of Arias is gaining momentum doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want, you know?”

Masado exhaled slowly.

He had been able to gather his magic. He had bought enough time.

It was true that facing these two would be extremely difficult.

But that didn’t mean he was so weak that he would give up at this stage.

“Naturally, if you’re gonna act on your desires, you need power. Like this!”

The next moment, flames engulfed Alvarado.