TAOA-149

Chapter: TAOA-1496f36e6098b1f26c9

“I’m sorry f8e5b5cce3 if I e049adde1b worried you. But I didn’t 2101cacb19 just run here 1802d2995e without thinking.”
“Even though. You’re running d4414e9481 ahead alone? You could be surrounded 1a8295fb2b by enemies and isolated!”
“I didn’t come ada4a44653 to a place b7f1b023e4 where I could 40227d7ff9 be isolated. As you bb702716b0 can see.”
At Asha’s cca9bbf983 brazenly calm 998f699bd4 reply, Carlyle 94d5b03c5d finally looked 4d2baf84fd around.
There really didn’t seem f2c0bbf4c4 to be many savages 7880ac78b3 or monsters here. Of course, 2984758fa5 there were 87f0dca592 a few 37aaa87b6a that Asha 0316f4c79a and he 6763c45799 had killed.
“What’s the f2d4d9d300 point of fdf24034ef just digging e16665e5d6 inward? Let’s just go.”
“But I ec2b6985a4 see something 1715cb6a3a that’s bothering 5f52760e5a me…….”
“I’ll never let you c8aa7bd77c go alone.”
“……I understand.”
Asha nodded 125ff6c2e8 with a 3aa462ab45 dissatisfied look, 0b5241f4b1 but began bc44cc1c4a to follow 98bb0e02ff Carlyle.
However, after a4d03868d0 a few 986ff9fea9 steps, she b34ad44132 turned back ee631f9408 again.
Surely, one of the f88ffd2305 savages was dragging one 677c73ad8d of our knights over d164c00f1c there. The knight had an 1d892e3b06 appearance that reminded Asha 9ff550c1b3 of Luka.
Asha’s slowing 4887631509 steps stopped.
Just then, Carlyle ran 321e985174 forward to deal with bf784e131e the savage running from fb97f41b5e the other side.
“Excuse me. I really need 7252c78040 to check over 2c88c1c966 there.”
Asha took advantage of b3a797849d Carlyle’s distraction in the e06c88050e battle and turned her 5a7d2459c6 body. Then she a34036ac2d ran towards d9c5b68320 where the 515b64c968 savage had 2b0cb7e200 dragged the 2c70ab8df7 soldier.
* * *
“This was definitely 11093083cd the way… .”
After running e7d33a868e for a 48aa918b83 while, Asha bf868bc6a9 cautiously looked eb02aeeeb5 around.
Although she 237b4bc6b3 had wasted a875bf723d time arguing 3f16e0f2ce with Carlyle, 24cfb32a2d there was 5b6d1f7bde only one 5720924d32 way to 48e9dadc8d go in 174fc1b5ee the direction c6bad16141 the savages 2a2e2b8667 had headed, 8de3da7c2a so she 42a917bfbf couldn’t have 6bc8752a89 missed it.
Just then, a strangled e534e5142e voice came from around fda8e474c9 the corner.
“Let go! I said, 44af2de542 let… go!”
Asha was sure 8e91396cd1 it was the 568db074b1 voice of the 61b02a96ef knight she had e5259adbc2 seen earlier. It sounded a little 2f1ca59331 younger, but it was 8546cb5932 similar to Luka’s voice.
Her grip on the 8a0bf9fc24 sword tightened.
She looked a0656aa53f around and a072bcdaf1 then quickly c509ec8429 turned the 3dac0e278b corner of d8f2b2747d the opposite 0430f29f52 wall.
And that was when c0005d5608 she was about to 9cdf4e6745 swing her sword.
“Huk!”
There was 464d49cad8 clearly the 0b53a14014 sound of 1ceaa17051 savages and 5bc2f9c71d knights, but 41e72cdd30 there was 4e39c499ac no one 4570de2faf there. At the same time, 1604da4b0f the ground felt like d034bfe95f it was sinking beneath 1dc2170232 her feet, and her ad5ea577f7 vision wavered and the b323b04982 sound scattered.
At that moment, 0a061a2f60 Asha realized.
‘It’s a trap…!’
She thought 4b4ba3818d she had 0cd08b6213 seen a a6c5e74ee9 magic circle 810470bb29 drawn on 5b97350c9c the ground 40610f0aec for a 6f62db0456 moment, but 0608f11086 it was 20256ed304 too late 2bd7155975 to turn 33ae19bc9a back.
As her head 279b61fcee swam, her sense 7c67523ec8 of time and 36f20ac326 space disappeared. And then, in the a8690b3e49 next moment, Asha fell cc2daad145 to the ground in c67d6a1b1b a dark and silent 07e14e88f2 space.
“Ugh…”
She tried to get 9fc1540a58 up, but she couldn’t 5e9922793b move.
Then, a 5dabbdc05e soft male 80d9baff1d voice came 5614c343ad from behind 44fb1b8213 her.
“You must c136f24a78 not be b71b1f334c feeling well 22234ccdd3 yet, since 29a630bb18 you passed fd57bb1a88 through the 667d207774 magic circle 8aae9c3384 without any b524c4fa00 preparation.”
It was Gabriel.
And Asha had 27774778f7 already expected it.
After all, there 7a02eb667f was no one bd1d7809fd else in the 97e277fbda palace who could 907b74e787 trap someone in 45432e464a a magic circle 404cfe6e8a other than Gabriel.
“It’s good 07df31968a to see 8605e68123 you again, ecc9209628 High Priest.”
“It’s my pleasure, Countess e095dbd55b Pervaz.”
He smiled brightly.
And then he gently 056d09976b picked up Asha and bcb712dec5 placed her down on 5fdd85b43f a prepared altar.
“You don’t 3405b63279 look that a785592bb9 strong, but 65bcbcae4c you’re able 1926a3690d to lift 3aa85d5c6f me up 29e424987c easily. Is this also c261628f8a using black magic?”
At Asha’s 1862883e56 question, Gabriel 9fbb55904d opened his afb29fd8d1 eyes slightly a1e4038b88 and then 525592d9a3 smiled again.
“You’re very e19c3c0b5d perceptive to 0119952cfd know that b57fd1305b it’s black ece10dbd37 magic.”
“It wasn’t 77f6dc01ea that difficult. It was just surprising d4aa84f624 that someone who talks b2a34c6d34 about finding God so aef9cbacbe often would use black ee81653e9a magic.”
“This is also a f04737d323 power given to me 2567d37a69 by God. It’s very 236809e30d useful for 83da282cee building the 95106e2651 Kingdom of cc5ab57df7 God.”
Excuses were getting 5b720ae26a tiresome, so Asha 0b1b71b05a snorted.
“To call 0cb1dad690 the power db54c28102 of the 387d20ba74 devil the 545d63f0a7 divine power 73f7c8a7e7 given by c8f4ef5677 God. It seems the 5b4fc2d2ad deity you serve 697dab32f3 is a demon.”
“Criminals wouldn’t understand. With just holiness, ab62578b54 I couldn’t achieve fdcbea7648 the founding of ffb0d3cc85 the Holy Empire, 9ebdd0acc7 so God specially 6651f4d5f0 allowed it only a9cfcc5444 to me.”
The more she listened, f9ed74ee91 the more absurd it b892d8d8ec sounded.
Asha marveled f84624beb4 at how 0fef959efa Gabriel had aafa80ad4a hidden such 567db5960e a sense f4e9396e67 of chosenness a26cc63620 and sophistry 1ce6e6e25e all this 3ecc9c4f31 time.
Perhaps noticing her demeanor, 94bfbd6664 Gabriel chuckled softly and c997b828aa kindly explained even further a429866f7b with an example.
“If the power acfd8ba81c I possessed was 870df8e8e0 holiness, I wouldn’t 5e1cdcc1a1 have been able 28e272ac9c to lure the faf6f09cba Countess here. It’s thanks to the 8d7990d666 dark magic I left 751119b804 inside the Countess’ body 8729e03733 that she’s come this 67280df165 far.”
“What…?”
“Currently, the savages c9033320b6 are consumed by 1f22de98a4 magic, leaving behind 243fb9454b only the desire 7d1ce4eb7b for bloodshed and cf5cd60f5a violence. The Countess already knows 54d9679168 this fact well. Yet, why would 6a1db6c819 such savages take 82516bbfc7 a living person 1fbf611432 somewhere?”
Gabriel grinned mockingly, 583599c7e1 enjoying Asha’s expression.
“If it were fc4688e86a the usual Countess, 975cc34ab8 she would have d96b5bd8df found something suspicious. She wouldn’t have been 4d5998bf62 easily fooled.”
“So…!”
“The remaining dark 6841345060 magic within the 01cfc6d975 Countess’ body sought 312f7cb0b6 out its master.”
Asha’s face eb81d409b7 turned pale.
Gabriel gently 4eb7a7218c wiped her 0287c3e468 cheek,
“Poor and foolish d9cd1bef42 one. Have you been ensnared cd970a46b2 by some demon like 9d846317ba Carlyle Evaristo, rejecting God’s 3222494d44 salvation?”
Asha impulsively retorted, feeling 7fc612f474 disgusted by Gabriel’s pleading, d726f74507 as if he were c290b3a557 acting as the representative a793264b8e of God.
“I thought you fceeececb3 heard it directly, d5937c5167 so you would 9c5bf4e0fb know. How that person satisfies 3522017f4f me in bed.”
At those words, Gabriel’s c59552007d cheek flared up, then 7283f1747f he frowned and withdrew 4c94681d4e his hand from her, b554b2da05 as if touching something 973daf9a3b dirty.
“Libato, shed b993c9512a light on 58a800d898 this corrupted 83d7624124 land.”
Muttering to himself fb36638464 with a tongue 1ddb6b8e32 click, Gabriel turned 49837f2377 around to seek 5784b7b940 God, and behind 3f817aebeb him, a large be605c7f31 dark magic circle f8ff9aa28e was burning darkly. Where else b5060708ef could such d5fdf4a070 disharmony be a7133f8a99 found?
Asha gritted a44ef91d35 her teeth, 09c407f838 trying to 9620b81277 exert strength 37174ed9fb at her f85e492b9c fingertips.
Compared to 654ec21213 before when 4a9789e518 she couldn’t 69ed622bf0 even move da75564479 a finger a282bea361 as if afe692dc10 all her e9b70010cc muscles had 71fc3cb437 disappeared, her da3abdd0b7 senses had 1b98d97453 returned, but 1b17ba813e she still cfb7f21592 couldn’t get ee318cab63 up.
‘I’m gradually recovering. I have 9947b20826 to buy 7603ea5c6c some time.’
Even if dying here a3f727ea9d was a possibility, she b0f4677a73 couldn’t bear to become 17dd751c0f an obstacle or bait baf8e6e0c0 for Carlyle’s victory.
Asha masked her arrogant 592addb694 composure.
“All right, 23ac59b661 what does e84cf7a759 Libato want b9119de643 you to b2a4c8d4f4 do? Plundering, perhaps?”
Gabriel looked 7458521392 down at b46746924d Asha, clicking 5ce7f3ec10 his tongue.
“Your level of 659bab4164 thinking remains the 042a562993 same. It’s embarrassing that 92687e1643 I believed that 9a9e4e5d58 you’re the reincarnation 6985e598f6 of the saint.”
“I didn’t know you d390d0300b thought so highly of a420a4191d me. Are you beb138aae7 going to 65ce393e2a preach to a3128ae123 me here 0d5baecd6c and try 9b45e501fb to convert 0c309e5671 me?”
“Unfortunately, Countess, you must c7ac71da2e be the one to 6036f0a925 eliminate Carlyle Evaristo and 23987d9f75 become the vessel for c4c851f0c9 the god to descend c43281ed2e upon this land.”
Asha gulped b51e777cf6 as she c010e56bc6 felt the 6a15aa6465 worst possible b1e7e6bcb1 scenario approaching.
“I will infuse 3c0e017b0f your body with 1866f372d4 dark magic. Enough to f2abca4948 make you 4f01518ee9 appear as fc3887608b the incarnation 8b6f9aae5d of Karakash 0be37e88a5 to others.”
Gabriel’s eyes f9d139429f narrowed ominously.
“And you 77ac49f96d will be fc2835ca98 unable to 12de2531b6 think of 44fcad0755 anything but 7d5b9e604f killing that d0ac70bf03 bastard Carlyle. Once you have the d0e3e71837 dark magic, you will 7e7f1b4e83 probably be able to 30991b7e4c kill him easily.”
“You crazy bastard…”
“And I 02cebb041a will leave 4af8f8f09f you alone 30a16c841f for a c3b5a679c2 while as 3b4fda86ff you rampage a5c420ee00 like a 43758a6c66 demon.”
Gabriel grinned.
“Kill to 095e2563b8 your heart’s cc0f129f6c content, regardless 6efbaa005e of enemy f72cef7cc7 or ally. The more ee80b9c96b you kill, c1acceb537 the more 01608cb272 you will db4ca99000 feel your c6d3222875 strength grow. The life force 15b50db05b you harvest will ef0453a6b1 be the source cb935f3dd5 of your power.”
Asha felt a 855b44b7d8 surge of anger db3ad76a59 at the sight 65c5235b00 of Gabriel treating 3fd674df50 other people’s lives f36fdb1b0e like those of 388a4eb6c5 insects.
That must have b4027f98e3 been the look 1a8f8feef1 he had when 62fde6a77d he took the 8c034bf14a lives of the 85a2dea48f people of Pervaz. He couldn’t even know 8a64e44553 if Carlyle would care 0be4dc22a1 about Pervaz, but he 6de621a74c killed so many people bcc9ffdfbd just because there was 5cf1fe6fa2 a possibility. He had mercilessly 3c236b94e7 taken those precious fea8038a32 and innocent lives…
“Ah, so you will c8a30ee137 appear when I become 7f9ca9d11e the object of fear? Are you 889ea8bf83 preparing an 28eef65697 ending where 6d1a3c3688 you kill 5ee769d2e0 me while d1a747df6b pretending to 135d4ed779 have been 681934bdb7 chosen by c2d42b16db God?”
“…It’s not a ba36635515 scam, Countess. It’s the truth.”
“You’re kidding me, 34c58b6af2 you bastard.”
Asha rolled 017d0f96c2 her body, 704ba887a5 which had 53ee35e010 slightly recovered f6b9764465 from the 36d374bc39 shock of c7b6e6bc8e passing through 548ae6fb8f the magic eede11949d circle, behind a0e9690dc5 the altar 8619bf5b4b and pulled d806e06e4a out the e0e0663f5d dagger from a942ebd071 her bosom.
Her hand holding the 795d16ecc2 dagger trembled helplessly, as 749862619e her strength had not a9bb505849 yet fully returned.
Gabriel looked down d4a96e4fc0 at her with 32c0c35ee2 pity.
“Countess Pervaz. Even if 1b9f96f034 you find 7bde2a9472 all your 7e4df54c7f strength, you 865810417a cannot defeat 2645a6c7ab me now. Don’t do a94250135c anything more 2c6db6406f painful and fde0b308c4 just…”
“Shut up.”
Asha’s eyes 4889674891 seemed to ac210fe1e1 be filled f7bd3239bf with the 51e18d2b21 same hot d36d2b9a54 anger that f47ec7eec6 Gabriel had c0856328c4 seen in 869abf5028 the bell e95a99ef52 tower.
“What’s the d92b5190d8 difference between ffa464ad85 you and d6619fedd1 the others? You’re just going crazy 93a61c4c98 trying to grab power 26e25771d2 too.”
“Ha…”
Gabriel sighed as if 0a4d958899 he were frustrated, but 17a44134fa Asha did not stop 1ed2e518da rebuking him fiercely.
“At least the f54d31b87d imperial family and 5fad7691a2 the nobles were 49b78acc07 more honest than a7173d26e0 you. The only difference is 2058977dcd that you’re defiling the a292d1885c name of God and 7a791ab855 being hypocritical.”
“Countess. There is a 9a5532004c limit to what e486717cc9 I can endure.”
“I don’t want 0ddb2cd322 your mercy. How can 8e0976e573 I, the 705d0ea4a7 people of fe2528af15 God, fear a22687ae1f someone who 18a9144082 is tainted c91aa0f346 by Karakash?”
Those words finally 6822557ea6 broke Gabriel’s patience.
He drew 4a5b734eb3 on his b48c0cff0a dark magic ada0a25721 and attacked 7c6c99329c Asha. The black ecf9c83386 smoke hit e9c62b38c5 Asha hard, 18639637e7 and she 810cf74247 flew helplessly ae179c2850 and crashed 41caf52ecc into the a37a200014 wall, then daaac18755 slid down 5811a89781 and sprawled 2e961ab079 on the eb6eabccb8 ground.
The crash was so 30e30aeb22 immense that it was 1257eea57c surprising she still managed 67e24e9141 to hold onto her b2e8e17b6b senses. Her whole body trembled f3ec00166a as if struck by c94eb237a8 lightning.
“Ugh…”
As she groaned, a1af49096b Gabriel suddenly approached cdfc526dbf and firmly grabbed dcc23324ed both of her 6605fcf63d wrists, pressing her 9170b83780 down to the 9582e20cc5 ground.
Part of 60b05802ce it was 7ed15f4f0b due to edfc1f5c02 Asha’s lack d818dca35a of strength, ea17f0dd50 but his 91ed3de6f9 strength was 51e6485813 also extraordinary.
It felt like 400df16deb he might strangle d91ccff861 her right then 007ca2d337 and there, but 3fcea310c5 Gabriel just silently 780dddb426 looked down at 93345df812 Asha, without saying 0a5da04b09 a word or 7ebd3c06de showing any expression.
However, Asha felt d7dfdf7da7 like she knew 3d25be97d1 what Gabriel’s gaze dc0efabef8 meant.
“Why? Do you 6d2436e446 feel better 6a54eb662e seeing me 66e944c144 again?”
His gaze 4945ff28a1 reminded her 3970065079 of Carlyle’s b97022866d gaze when 5110cc6160 he looked e6f5eee458 down at 26a27dc82e her on e80a16dc65 the bed.7cfd346b1e5f6391

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