A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Laurentina is much stronger than Tristina, so it's hard to say who will protect whom in the end.

Goodreed could guarantee he wouldn't get hurt at this distance, but it was unclear about the others.

"Help, help me!!!" A man cried out as he walked toward Gurid.

His leg was crushed, and he could only crawl to escape.

Now he saw someone in front of him and desperately cried for help.

Unfortunately, he encountered a bad person.

Instead, he's the villain.

"Help me, I can't walk, if this continues..." the man pleaded with Gurid for help.

“Greed…” Just as Tristana was about to say something.

"Bang!" Under Tristey's shocked gaze, Gureed fired a shot at the man without hesitation.

One shot, and the man who had been pleading for help just a second ago was dead before he could even call out.

"What are you doing?!" Tristey asked, even though she had always known that Griddle was not a good person.

But Tristy couldn't bear to see him so nonchalantly kill someone who had asked for help.

Even if it's just standing by and watching someone die... it's still better than killing them so cruelly, right?

"Just killing a bomb," Gureed said nonchalantly, then blew on the muzzle of his gun.

"That guy Marek really has plenty of time on his hands."

That man was possessed by something, and the only one who could have tampered with him was Marek.

As for the thing that possesses it, it's probably something like a bomb.

Well, it's just a metaphor; it might be something else, something even more terrifying.

Are you trying to warn me not to look?

"I don't like taking orders from someone who has tricked me once."

---

On the other hand, on the battlefield that Gurid was watching, something new was happening every second.

“What’s wrong? You’re not going to say you’re scared, are you?” Beatrix shouted.

Marek felt the pressure as Betley approached step by step.

He never imagined that the black ring he created would be given to a real ring wearer by himself.

This black ring only has meaning if Marek himself gives it away.

If a passerby finds it, it's just an ordinary decorative ring.

Stealing the ring is also impossible, because this ring also has a similar "ownership" function as the original.

However, unlike the original, this black ring has been searching for its true owner throughout history.

The black ring was chosen by Marek.

Of course, Marek can revise the designated person.

However, Marek did not feel he could revise the ring Betty was holding.

The Bessie that Marek designated was Betley from the very beginning.

It's too late to regret it now; all I can say is that Beattie's move was truly unexpected.

"Yes, I'm a little scared."

"After all, how can a Black Iron type become so strong?"

"Incredible, it completely destroys the world's hierarchy."

“Don’t you think so?” Marek said.

“I think so too, but aren’t you the one who broke this rule?” Betley said disdainfully, then withdrew the divine magic from his hands.

Is Betley planning to let Marek off the hook? Of course not.

A complex circular array depicting the moon spread out from beneath Betley's feet, encircling Marek as well.

"..." Marek smiled, then raised the gun in his hand.

However, halfway through the lift, Marek's smile froze.

"What's wrong? Can't you fire the gun?"

"Don't you sometimes feel that magic guns are not as good as live ammunition guns?" Betley spread his arms and walked over unhurriedly, kicking his shoes.

The magic gun needs magic power to operate, otherwise it cannot be turned on. Of course, it doesn't need much magic power; even a trace of magic power is enough.

However, there is no magic around Marek now, and naturally, he himself is in the same state.

Within the magic circle, it was practically a vacuum of magic.

“I know this divine spell; it’s ‘Normana’s Majesty,’” Marek said with a smile.

"However, I always thought that divine magic wouldn't have that much of an impact on me."

"I never imagined that one day I would be so destitute because of divine magic."

“The power of those high and mighty guys is actually quite useful,” Beatrix said.

“But this power doesn’t belong to you,” Marek said.

"Power that does not belong to oneself is ultimately unreliable."

“And what about you? Aren’t you using other powers too?” Betley retorted, having unknowingly arrived in front of Marek.

It wasn't that Marek didn't want to leave, but that he couldn't leave.

His feet were already entangled in black shadows, and his vision had become strange.

Marek's left eye sees completely different things from his right eye, which causes him some confusion.

It might take some time for him to get used to it, but clearly Betley isn't going to give Marek any time to adjust.

"I heard you founded a cult?" Betley grinned maliciously.

“Hahaha, yes, that’s right.” Marek laughed too.

"It seems that creating this church was my biggest mistake, wasn't it?"

"You're right." Obsession can sometimes be very difficult to understand.

However, obsession can sometimes bring about distorted motivation.

For example, like Betley in front of Marek.

Betley didn't want to save the world; all his actions stemmed from an obsession—a simple obsession deeply ingrained in his soul.

This obsession is directed at all the faiths and churches in the world that he defines as cults.

The only reason Betley would turn to Marek was for this reason.

Of course, he also understood the responsibilities of a person who upholds the precepts, so now that he had such an opportunity to complete both tasks at the same time, why not take it?

“One mind, two bodies, right?” Betley’s sinister laughter never stopped as he pierced through his opponent with one hand.

“No, not with one heart.” Marek’s smile vanished, and he looked at Betley coldly.

Even when Beatrix pierced his chest with his bare hands, he did not show any sign of pain.

"I am me, we are not one person."

“You really take this seriously.” Betley pulled his hand away and kicked Marek away.

"Now you can't run away anymore, right?" The inability to use the concept missile means that Marek has lost his biggest trump card.

Marek is now just a human being.

“That’s right, if this continues, I won’t be able to escape,” Marek said in a weak voice.

The word "ravaged" is the most fitting description of the battle between Betley and Marek.

"It's different from the script."

“However, this is the kind of performance I’m looking for.” Marek’s mind was a complete blank.

It seems that one day, one's own will began to be distorted.

Even though he desperately wanted to end this cycle of reincarnation after going crazy, he struggled and begged for it each time.

He yearned to completely deviate from his own actions. He didn't know if it was due to Jonathan's influence or because he had been through countless reincarnations and was instinctively unwilling to fall into the next cycle.

The desire is for liberation, but at the same time, the mind is constantly thinking about how to survive.

“Your eyes are truly terrifying,” Betley remarked, noticing Marek’s purple lotus-like eyes.

It was filled with twisted will and thoughts.

“Not as terrifying as you, Mr. Betley.” Marek coughed a few times, his trembling hand reaching for the stock of the gun to remove the magazine.

“Hmph.” Betley narrowed his eyes, noticing Marek’s subtle movements.

He stepped on Marek, intending to finish him off.

Betley didn't want to let such an enemy slip through his fingers due to a moment of carelessness.

“The ring worn by the ringholder does not actually directly enhance a person’s abilities,” Marek murmured in an almost inaudible voice.

"Strictly speaking... the ring grants a person the 'possibility' of enhancing their abilities."

"This is the real function of the ring."

"And my ring... directly enhances the wearer's abilities."

"However, without a real ring, there is ultimately a limit to the improvement of this ability."

The holder of the black ring, no matter what, can never surpass the limits of the black iron type.

In other words, a single black-ringed individual cannot defeat a silver-ringed individual, no matter how hard they try.

That's the reality, that's the strength.

"But, by possessing both the ring favored by the world's will and the black ring I created, one can become as strong as you."

Marek spoke very quickly, as if he wanted to finish speaking.

But the more this was the case, the more Betley understood the need to kill Marek completely as soon as possible.

"..." However, Betley's expression suddenly turned very ugly.

"Unfortunately, the quality of a container ultimately needs the test of time."

“Mr. Betley, as a vessel that bears power, your current mass is not enough.”

Given Beatrix's current physical condition, willpower, spirit, and fortune, he should not be able to withstand that great, near-divine power.

The first three are due to their own shortcomings, while the last one is because the "fate" on the ring was canceled out after being divided equally.

"Was this all planned out?" Betley glared at Marek.

“No, no, this is an extra development from the script.” Marek smiled as he looked at Beatrix, who staggered back a few steps.

Marek hadn't anticipated that Beatley would deceive him, nor had he anticipated that Beatley would become so strong.

Of course, no one anticipated that Beatrix would suffer a backlash due to his excessive power.

“Sometimes I think Jonathan’s ideas aren’t wrong,” Marek said with a smile.

This kind of unpredictable development is sometimes a little more interesting than everything that is planned.

“If you only had one ring originally, you wouldn’t be facing this kind of plot,” Marek continued.

"Our situation should have been reversed."

"It's a real shame that without the protection of the world's will, things have become quite complicated."

"Just like now, they could have easily killed me in the end, but instead they were attacked by the backlash."

"Shut up. Even in this state, I could easily kill a defenseless guy like you," Betley said menacingly, forcing himself to stay upright.

“Yes, if it were just me,” Marek said.

"Marek, I never expected you to be in such a sorry state." A cold, mocking voice came from afar.