Hinata lunged forward in a lowered posture, his feet kicking up dust into the air.
Mana crackled at the tips of his fingers as a gauntlet enchanted with a 2x attack ford around his hands.
Tamara’s expression turned strange for a mont. With hurried urgency, she commanded the javelins forward.
The weapons whistled through the air, each one aid to strike Hinata down. Step after step, he weaved through the attacks, then leaped into the air, his fist stretched forward.
Tamara imdiately created a smoke shield around her body and asked, "How did you get those gauntlets?"
Hinata was shocked by her question. What did him wearing a gauntlet have to do with her? As far as he knew, anyone could store a weapon inside a storage ring.
"What does my weapon matter to you?" he said, pushing himself back before rushing toward her again.
Tamara casually raised her hand, and a smoke barrier ford in front of Hinata. He didn’t have ti to react and slamd into it. Its surface was like unbreakable glass, which made Hinata’s vision go blurry for a second.
"I’ll ask you again, where did you get that?" When those words left her lips, a terrifying aura burst forth from her body, making Hinata’s knees nearly buckle.
He clenched his jaw tightly and let his own mana spill out while activating Mana Master.
The overwhelming aura that emanated from him caused Tamara’s step to falter. By her side, Lilith couldn’t control her trembling body.
Maybe it was different for her aunt, but for her, it felt like she was staring straight into an abyss with no end. Her aunt was one of the most powerful people she knew, yet even her mana had never left her this overwheld.
A deep purple mist ford the figure of a reaper around his body, and his eyes glead with violet light as a katana materialized in his hands.
She glanced over at her aunt, who was just as taken aback by the man’s presence. If he could cause such a reaction at the Aspirant stage, what would happen when he beca a Squire or an Expert?
"Aunt Tamara, this guy is weird. I know lost heroes are usually strong, but this guy is a monster."
Tamara’s eyes snapped toward Lilith, making the already terrified girl nearly pass out. "What did you just call him?" she demanded.
She didn’t let the girl respond before turning back to Hinata with an unhinged grin. "So that’s it, huh!"
Her hand flew to her lips as the tobacco pipe clattered onto the floor. "So you are the one who ruined my temple!"
Hinata flinched slightly at her words and tone. "I actually thought those church bastards and that bitch Seraphina killed you," she continued. "But not only are you alive, you sohow found the materials I prepared for you!"
"Aunt?"
Tamara couldn’t even hear her niece and simply smiled like soone possessed. However, after a mont, her expression shifted, a deep frown forming on her face.
"Wait."
Her neck snapped to the side unnaturally. "You aren’t the Shadow God, are you?"
Hinata took a cautious step back. ’What the hell is wrong with her?’
Things were already bad enough, but now the woman was talking about what happened in the Shadow God’s chamber.
How did she even know about it? Who exactly was she? Questions piled up in Hinata’s head, each without an answer.
Hinata’s mind raced. He needed to escape. If he didn’t, he would die. He was sure of it.
Before he could make a move, a crushing weight slamd down on him, forcing him flat against the ground. He couldn’t even attempt to resist. The pressure was so imnse that a crater in the shape of his body began forming beneath him.
Even Lilith wasn’t spared and was driven deep into the ground as well.
"Didn’t you hear what I asked you? Who the hell are you?"
Hinata didn’t know what to say. Honestly, he didn’t even understand what was happening. Still, he forced out a response.
"Don’t you think it would be bad if soone found out you’re an awakened? Wouldn’t it be better if we talked peacefully?"
Tamara paused, then threw her head forward in laughter. "Hahaha! Is that your excuse, you mutt? Who the hell told you there’s a living thing in this town?"
"What the hell do you an? There are obviously..." Hinata’s voice trailed off. Sohow he couldn’t bring himself to finish his words.
Were there really people in this town?
Looking back, everything that had happened since he arrived felt far too convenient—almost artificial for a dieval world.
Sure, soone could have introduced an ID card system. But with cards identical to the ones back on Earth? That seed highly improbable.
Even Gunther, the one who had given him this quest. It hadn’t seed strange at the ti, but why would a guild master entrust such an important task to an outsider who had attacked his own mbers? Wasn’t suspicion the only natural response in such a situation?
Despite all this, Hinata chose to deny those thoughts. "You’re ssing with my head, aren’t you?"
Tamara only smiled. "Do you really believe that?"
No, he didn’t.
From the mont he passed through the gate, sothing had felt wrong. The gate itself was identical in size to the one in the Shadow God’s chamber. The adventurer who sohow knew he was familiar with Geret and Chris.
’Fuck!’
The clues had been there from the beginning. Albedo had been in the forest searching for heretics. At the ti, he thought she ant the cultists he had killed. But why would the church send soone that powerful to deal with enemies a non-awakened person like him could handle?
From the very beginning, he had never escaped the cult’s grasp.
He had simply stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
"It seems you’re smarter than I thought. Good... good. Now answer —what did you do with that core?"
Hinata’s breath caught in his throat, but he maintained the facade of soone unafraid of death.
With visible strain, he raised his hand and pointed to his mouth. "It’s right here, you fucker."
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