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131. Childhood Friend – Hole

“What, what on earth…?”

Reb was momentarily dazed and couldn’t collect his senses. The moment he met Lena, all his strength seemed to drain away. His mind cleared, and the things he had done flooded back vividly.

“Ugh!”

[ Achievement: First Murder – Leo feels less guilt from the sin of murder. ]

He had killed an incredible number of people.

Even with the ‘first murder’ achievement, having cruelly slain hundreds of thousands, he couldn’t hold back his nausea.

[ Target Hunt ] debuffed citizens bleeding, [ Trap Hunt ] victims thrashing about, priests ensnared by thornbushes struggling in vain.

Despairingly watching the blood-red Oblivion Blade fall, he saw the holy knights, knights, split in half.

Muttering spells, trying to unleash magic until the end, the sorcerers fought desperately to retain their nobility, but eventually fell in terrible states—nobles and royalty.

And abandoned in the thornbush forest were Lena Ainar and Leo Dexter…

All had died by his hand. Murdered gruesomely.

“Uwaaaah!”

In the end, Reb collapsed and vomited. Having not felt the need to eat for some time, his stomach was empty, causing him to heave and retch while bent over.

Of course, that didn’t alleviate his guilt.

The prey had had delicate little necks, so he cut them, and if they had bright, sparkling eyes, he pierced them with his sword. He reveled in the splattered blood, donning it like a beautiful garment, and interestingly ‘observed’ the prey’s desperate cries for mercy or curses filled with hatred.

“Gag… Gah…”

With a chilling sin written on his soul, blood mixed with his vomit.

At that moment, a book fell onto him as he lay with his forehead on the ground. As dozens of carefully crafted papers fluttered, an excited voice echoed.

“Ah…! This vivid sensation! It has indeed been a long wait.”

It was Lena’s voice.

Reb lifted his chin, stained with spit and blood. Bending and kneeling, he looked up at her, as if praying to someone.

Seemingly pleased with this, Lena flashed him a mocking smile. Reb froze in place, still in his fallen position.

Lena’s crescent-shaped eyes were tainted red. Her lips, drawing a cheerful curve, still puffed out nicely, but the excessive display of teeth made her face contorted in a gruesome manner.

That wasn’t Lena. No way could someone who smiled like that be Lena.

“N-no, could it be…”

“Indeed. My disobedient Apostle. So, do you desire anything?”

Lena arrogantly raised her chin.

She chuckled mockingly, but her laughter was so thick and cruel that it was hard to believe it came from Lena’s mouth.

She was Barbatos.

It was herself.

“NO!!”

Reb banged his fists on the ground.

Not knowing what to do, he blindly lunged to knock her down.

But for some reason, his feet wouldn’t move. His hands, pinned to the ground, wouldn’t budge either.

Looking down, he found his limbs sinking into the earth. His skin tore, and black roots sprang out, digging into the cracks of the solid floor.

Barbatos spoke.

“I knew you were a dirty god’s toy. I couldn’t read it all, but I knew things were complicated… Regardless, isn’t it enough not to die? Just like her. So, my disobedient apostle, remain a tree. I will use this body well.”

Barbatos chuckled again, turning her focus inward.

Within this insignificant girl’s mind laid a truly brilliant soul. A beautiful soul undoubtedly cherished by the divine.

Honesty, cleverness, exceptional sensibility, courage and spirit of sacrifice, an optimistic personality, dreams, a sense of justice, quick wit, and healthy curiosity… too many good traits for a single human to possess.

Moreover, it was laden with divine blessings even saints would hesitate to covet.

Most were things he couldn’t even comprehend, but it was worthwhile to pour divine powers into.

– Do not be afraid.

Gently whispering, Barbatos licked at the trembling soul of Lena. It was too precious to simply swallow, so he savored every bit.

Sweet. So sweet it made his tongue tingle.

Admiring the taste, Barbatos found himself declaring aloud.

“Leah. You shall become one with me. A special being who is my Apostle and one with me, destined to enjoy eternal blessing.”

And just as he attempted to swallow her, a gust of wind surged. It whirled around violently, yet the crumpled pieces of paper on the floor remained unaffected. Barbatos, who had taken possession of Leah’s body, felt the wind.

“…?”

Something had changed.

One of the blessings hanging upon this girl’s mind began to move with the calling of her true name.

It wasn’t fully released, but Barbatos realized he had touched something immense.

Well… it didn’t matter.

This girl would never die. She would be mine forever…

“NO! NO! Let Lena go!”

At that moment, Reb screamed.

Lying like a dog, roots were spilling from his limbs, and thorny stems protruded from his back, looking quite grotesque.

“What? You didn’t even know my name, let alone your childhood friend’s name. Well, it’s no wonder since you’ve even forgotten your past.”

“Please! I’ll do anything. I’d rather you take me… no, please take me! Please use me!”

“….”

Barbatos did not respond.

It was a pity. To have to give up a god’s toy.

But this one was utterly unusable. From the beginning, he belonged to someone else.

It wasn’t Ashin. If it were, Reb wouldn’t have been able to become an Apostle.

He spent a considerable amount of time uncovering the identity of the owner, ‘Minseo’. However, since Barbatos couldn’t read divine script well, there was no further way to discover more.

From that point on, frustrating days began.

If he couldn’t take possession completely, it would be a waste, but inexplicably, the presence of ‘Minseo’ had been declining day by day.

Just enough for him to seize Reb’s spirit, it was an exquisite agony.

Regardless, there was still hope because Barbatos continued to claim portions of Reb’s mind whenever he offered prayers in the space once occupied by Minseo.

Yet without clear ownership, that process was necessarily precarious.

When Reb killed his father and encountered other god’s toys, he nearly got expelled from the mind.

If he hadn’t persistently sought to hear the true name and without the ‘mirror’, he would have truly been expelled.

The humiliation of nearly being expelled by some mere human came to mind, and Barbatos wore an unpleasant expression. He tore the necklace of Hirie Gaidan that hung from Reb’s neck and swiftly turned to swallow Leah’s spirit.

“Please just let Lena go… Aaaah! Hey! You bastard! A mere village godling who hasn’t lived even seven hundred years! How can you… ugh! Ugh!”

Reb, crushed, screamed in despair. Trying to curse while digging through {The History of Ashin} to prevent her from being devoured, his mouth wouldn’t obey.

Before he knew it, his jaws had turned to wood.

Stems rose from his spine, and sharp thorns protruded between his ribs. As if his roots began drinking water, he rapidly sprouted into a tree.

“Ugh… Gah!”

Reb struggled.

Even with the excruciating pain tearing at him, he was prepared to do anything to distract Barbatos’ attention…

[ Achievement: Meeting a Saint – Gained weak favor from those bearing the divine power. ]

[ Achievement: Baptism of the Saint – Leo gains the ability {Divine Sense}. ]

Achievements popped up.

Reb, unable to turn his neck as a tree, rolled his eyes to the limit. A beautiful woman dressed in a pristine white dress with a golden shawl emerged from the Monastery Church’s main hall. She held a brass goblet in her left hand while aiming a large royal scepter at Reb with a sadly melancholic expression on her face.

Reb was engulfed in pure white flames.

The once towering thorns now sizzled and burned, and Reb’s body began to melt away.

This is the end.

‘But please, just save Lena…’

While resentment boiled over for why she had come only now, Reb knew he had no right to speak such words.

He could only pray: ‘Please, let that saint save the innocent Lena…’ when Barbatos turned around. The blood-red divine power dripped from Leah’s long hair, and her eyes glinted with fury.

“You’ve come, filthy harlot of the divine! You will pay for the sin of slaying my followers in place of the divine… Ugh!”

Barbatos, shouting at the saint, bore a bewildered expression. Momentarily throwing a glare at Reb, he soon shouted angrily with absurd rage.

“This crap! It wasn’t supposed to be this way, just not dead!”

The surroundings began to fade.

The grand Monastery Church, the Saint, and the sight of his own body burning white faded away, and Lena, who was ripping out her hair in frustration, also disappeared into the distance.

Darkness fell, and the ending message appeared.

[ Lena’s final class has been decided. ]

[ Thank you for playing Lena’s Growth. ]

[ Leah, Barbatos ]

[ Final Class: Child God ]

[ Marriage Partner: Unmarried ]

[ Reb ]

[ Final Class: Apostle of Barbatos ]

[ Marriage Partner: Unmarried ]

[ Childhood Friend Ending: End of Corruption ]

– Born in the village of Demos, Leah had a happy childhood. Though poor, she received warm attention from her parents and… (omitted) …While striving to complete her dissertation, apprentice Leah was swallowed by Barbatos and became a Child God. Immediately after, Leah… –

The slowly rising ending credits suddenly cut off. Reb, who had been reading the message vacantly, screamed in horror.

A black background had torn open. Bright light poured into the dark space.

Only then did the dark stage, where the ending credits had been appearing, reveal its form, and it wasn’t circular—it was a confined triangular space, arranged like a massive icosahedron from the inside.

And through a narrow hole, he saw the Saint Maryel holding the brass goblet aloft. Time had passed significantly; the once grand Monastery Church now lay in ruins ablaze, and the saint’s appearance was beyond pitiful.

At that moment, Leah thrust her contorted face into the hole.

Her right cheek and ear melted from the roaring sacred fire, and her clothing tore apart, exposing her breasts as she screamed.

“Come here! Did you not promise to devote everything to me?”

Barbatos reached his hand towards the hole. Grabbing the helpless sphere, he cruelly yanked it.

‘Aaaahhhh!’

As the ending approached, Reb, separated from Minseo’s mind, was dragged away without even the ability to rebel.

The end of a human serving an Evil God.

As Reb was pulled away, the torn hole quickly shrank. The Monastery Church he had seen disappeared without a trace, and the battle between the Saint and Leah was swallowed by darkness.

The ending credits resumed rising, appearing as if nothing had happened.