Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Escape

"... You said you'd let me take you to see my army?"

That's one way to understand it.

"How do I know... this isn't some new trick by that Selace guy?"

"..." Ah, right.

Only then did Sin Annihilation realize that he had been somewhat inconsiderate.

In this situation, it would be strange if the enemy didn't suspect something if you suddenly offered help.

How can he gain his trust? Unfortunately, Sin Annihilation has never learned how to make someone trust him.

However... the reason people usually become suspicious of others is to protect themselves from being threatened. So... as long as you convince him that you pose no threat, that should be enough, right?

With this thought, Sin Annihilation's mind stirred, and her limbs immediately detached from her torso. Her torso, now unsupported, fell to the ground with the force of gravity. Sin Annihilation wriggled the muscles on her torso, turning her head towards Nid like a caterpillar.

"Now, do you believe me? I don't have any limbs now, so I'm no threat to you."

"... I think you should learn some basic human common sense before you dismember yourself."

"?"

One of his eyes was completely rotten, and the other was shredded by Selace; Nid is now completely blind.

So he could only rely on his relatively intact right ear—though "in good" was only relative—to recognize her voice, while simultaneously trying to imagine what she looked like with this limited source of information. Her voice was almost completely flat, lacking any emotion, and had an inorganic quality that was clearly out of touch with common sense... Nid sketched out an image of a blank-faced girl in his mind.

So which side is she on? One of Selace's? Or... is she really here to rescue me?

What is your name?

"Sin Annihilation."

"You said someone gave you directions so you could find me?"

"That's right."

"By the way... you just said you were looking for 'Xiao Wu'?"

"That's right, you must know her!"

"..."

Nid could hear the first stirrings of emotion in the girl's words.

If it's related to Ms. Xiao Wu... I've got it.

"Are you a relative of Ms. Xiao Wu?"

"No."

"Friend?"

"It shouldn't be."

"Acquaintance?"

"They probably aren't that close."

"You're the only one who wants to see her?"

"That's right!"

Since that's the case... we can use this as a starting point to test her.

"... Miss Xiao Wu, you really are a very charming person."

I don't deny that.

"Very beautiful, and very powerful."

"Uh-huh!"

She appears aloof on the surface, but is actually very radiant and gentle.

"Mmm!"

"... And she has a great figure and a large bust."

"Uh-huh?"

The girl uttered a questioning sound.

"Wait a minute, Xiao Wu's breasts are slightly smaller than average."

"... oh."

Nid secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

There's no mistake, this girl wasn't lying, she really did come to save me.

Boom!!!!

At the forefront of the rapidly marching column, Xiao Wu suddenly punched into the void, creating a terrifying gap in the ground dozens of meters away.

"What's wrong with you all of a sudden, you delinquent girl?!"

"I don't know why, but I suddenly feel uneasy..."

I believe you.

That's wonderful!

Sin Annihilation was relieved. Her severed limbs sprouted many small tentacles that quickly reconnected with the severed limbs.

"However... Miss, as you can see, I am currently in a state where all four limbs are useless, I am completely blind, and my internal organs are wrecked. This may cause considerable trouble for my escape."

"It's alright, leave it to me. I'll untangle these for you first."

As he spoke, Sin Annihilation quickly approached Nid, examining the various haphazard things binding him. What he was sitting on resembled a combination of a torture bench and an electric chair, with barbed shackles and chains binding almost all his vital joints. Chains, nails, and spiked rings were completely embedded in his flesh, blending seamlessly with the newly grown skin and nerves. His internal organs and one arm were crawling with white termites; through the dense holes they had created, one could see the white bone and the worm eggs between the bones. Some parts of his body were completely disintegrated; nerves, flesh, and bone were all separated—a truly gruesome sight. One leg was bent crookedly, broken bone piercing through the skin, a bloody and gruesome sight, while the other leg...

"It's missing a leg."

Would you believe me if I said I ate it?

"Letter."

For the Sin Annihilation, eating one's own limbs is a perfectly normal experience.

"Don't move around yet."

"I can barely move."

"Just don't move, I'll untie you."

The pale, Sin Annihilation hand deformed and dispersed, transforming into countless tiny tentacles that burrowed into the points of contact between Nid's body and the shackles, easily destroying these Divine Word imbued metal objects. While simultaneously repairing Nid's horrific wounds, it also separated the two.

Just then, Sin Annihilation's body trembled slightly, and he stopped moving.

"They're here... Have they already realized it was a feint?"

"They're here?" Nid tried to listen, but couldn't hear anything; after all, Sin Annihilation's senses were far more acute than his own.

"I can't come slowly; I have to use brute force."

"Heh... whatever, as long as I'm injured, you'll find a way to heal me, right?"

"It's not a cure, it's just that the proliferating flesh fills your wound... but the effect is the same."

"Then... don't worry about me anymore, just do it."

"Here we go."

With a series of hissing sounds, Sin Annihilation pulled out the two long iron nails that had pierced Nid's abdomen and forcibly ripped them off.

It was indeed "torn" off.

They forcibly separated all the fixed parts and torso, discarding a considerable portion of the flesh, and used the most forceful methods to separate Nid from the torture instruments, even though Nid at this point looked no different from a human stick.

"She's right here!"

"Damn it! How could they—"

A considerable commotion arose outside, and the people from the Sin Annihilation were getting closer. Immediately, many thick blood vessels and nerves extended from his back, piercing into the severed wounds on Nid's body, and he moved him to his back, carrying him like a backpack.

Are you ready?

"I... have never had such a bizarre experience in my life."

"Now we have it."

"Are you sure... we... in this state... can escape from the Templar Knight?"

"My existence is kept absolutely secret from outsiders, so the Inquisition will never allow outsiders like the Templar Knight to see me—offer my right arm!"

Then, the Sin Annihilation deformed right arm, like an out-of-control train, crashed through the underground passage.

The Pope's Room

The Pope and the Cardinal Archbishop stood there; the Pope's face was so gloomy it seemed to drip water, and the Cardinal Archbishop's brow was furrowed.

"... Sin Annihilation, and save Bradwich?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Why?"

"Preliminary speculation suggests... something went wrong when Sin Annihilation sent on a mission, causing some malfunctions in its functions..."

"Abnormal?"

The Inquisition's messenger, kneeling before the Pope, nearly fainted; the Pope's aura of authority was suffocating him. The Cardinal Archbishop also took a step to the side, knowing his old acquaintance was utterly enraged.

"Managing the Sin Annihilation has been an important responsibility of the Inquisition since the time of the great first Pope MacArthur. From the founding of the Church until half an hour ago, the Inquisition had never made such a foolish mistake as letting the Sin Annihilation."

"Yes, I'm very sorry..."

"And it was out of trust in you that I entrusted the task of interrogating Bradwich to you while the Heavenly Law was away on a campaign, but he was rescued by the monster you raised."

"I'm truly, truly sorry, this is our negligence..."

"Enough. I don't want to hear these pointless arguments. Since it's already happened, there's no point in wasting my breath on you. The most important thing is to find a way to make amends as soon as possible."

"We swear to the Supreme God! We will definitely make amends for our past mistakes!"

"Who knows if you'll even have another chance?"

Faced with the messenger's hurried expressions, the Pope merely gave him a final, dismissive look, then snapped his fingers—

A bolt of white-gold lightning suddenly exploded on the messenger, instantly turning him into charred remains.

Pope.

The supreme authority of the Divine Law Cult.

He is also the strongest Divine Spellcaster in the entire Divine Law Cult, second only to the Heavenly Law.

"...Old friend, it seems you're really quite angry, but it's precisely at times like these that you need to stay calm," the Cardinal Archbishop couldn't help but remind him.

"Calm down... Hmph, easier said than done..."

"Well... the biggest challenge right now is how to subdue it as quickly as possible without completely exposing the Sin Annihilation. This is a very debatable issue."

"Why won't you let me take action, Father!"

Saladin Carlisle, the Fourth Seat Templar Knight, was currently roaring at Cardinal Archbishop Latran Carlisle.

"Watch your attitude, Saladin. I am your father and your direct superior. Don't make a scene."

"Yes, Lord La Trang! Then may I ask you why the Rebel Army Leader was rescued by an unknown person, why Senior Georgia was left half-dead by something left behind by that unknown person, and why we cannot move out?"

"This is the Pope's will, and it's also my will. You just need to obey orders..."

"I simply can't understand it!"

Latran looked at his angry son and sighed inwardly.

Before Latran officially became a Christian, he had a brief and regretful marriage. Saladin was the only legacy his deceased wife left him, a son he could be absolutely proud of, but over the years the rift between father and son had grown wider and wider.

Yu Jie had a good relationship with the prison guards, and had established a fairly solid working relationship with them, even being able to obtain various kinds of intelligence from the outside world through them.

This time was no exception.

Are you serious!?

"It's absolutely true! Everyone's saying it now: the Rebel Army Leader was indeed forcibly rescued by unknown individuals!"

"Really?... Okay, thanks bro!"

"You're welcome, Chief."

After the jailer had walked away, Yu Jie slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! I always thought that kid wouldn't be so easy to kill! Alright, come on, Nid! Are you a 'boy' or a 'man' now? Let me see! And then--"

Yu Jie's gaze grew increasingly sharp.

"--I must entrust the secret of the Leader's 'purpose' to someone I can trust."