"And these people are my beloved fingers, my beloved fingers!" Petelgeuse said, looking at the other members of the Witch's Cult beside him.
There were ten in total. They weren't attacking right now, but they weren't launching any attacks either.
"Sin Archbishop of Sloth..."
Emilia's expression gradually turned serious, and she even felt a bit nervous inside.
She knew that Sin Archbishops were the most terrifying existences in the Witch's Cult. Each had some kind of horrifying power, and Petelgeuse was one of the most infamous among them, having created countless horrific evils.
Yet Emilia still forced herself to stay calm, regardless of the other party's intentions.
"What is your purpose for coming here?"
She questioned firmly, but Petelgeuse, with his emaciated and skeletal appearance, simply smiled.
"My purpose? Follow the Witch's will, rise, rise, rise again! I want to resurrect the Witch of Envy! And as the vessel, you will face my trials! To respond to the Witch's love, I must not be lazy! I must not be lazy!"
Petelgeuse exuded terror and madness with every word and action, as if he were a monster wearing human skin.
"You, who are favored, bring the vessel, do you respond? Your diligence makes us ashamed! We are so lazy and indolent!"
He thrust his fingers into his own mouth, biting down hard, and blood spurted out, but he seemed to feel no pain and appeared very happy.
At the same time, his insane eyes were fixed on Ayanokouji.
'Is this really the Witch's Cult?'
The madness and irrationality displayed by Petelgeuse exceeded his expectations.
Ayanokouji pondered the other's words: vessel, witch, trials, resurrection... From these terms, he inferred that Petelgeuse must be using some means to make Emilia a vessel for resurrecting the Witch of Envy.
Whether the reason for doing so was genuine or just because Emilia had a similar face, Ayanokouji was still unclear.
'What does "trials" mean?'
The second part of Petelgeuse's words was clearly directed at him. He guessed that he was the one who brought Emilia here.
What did the so-called 'kindness' and 'love' refer to?
Ayanokouji had some suspicions in his mind. Could the so-called aid refer to the 'lingering witch's scent' he possessed?
"Ayanokouji, what's going on?"
Emilia also turned to look at him with a confused expression. Although she didn't understand what Petelgeuse was saying, she knew Ayanokouji couldn't be an undercover agent from the Witch's Cult.
"Sorry, I don't understand what's happening." Ayanokouji said slowly.
He could sense that Petelgeuse was extremely dangerous, but it seemed he wasn't hostile towards him because of the lingering witch's scent on his body.
"Stop talking nonsense here! Go to hell!"
Ram was not ready to give Petelgeuse another chance to spew nonsense. Rem's death had made her very irritable recently, her hometown destroyed by the Witch's Cult, and her relatives slaughtered by the Cult.
Her anger was like a volcano erupting, filling her heart.
She released a powerful wind magic, preparing to slice Petelgeuse into pieces.
After losing her ghost horns, Ram could no longer rely on herself to generate magical power.
She had to recharge her magic power from Roswaal every day. She couldn't use much magic. But facing her former enemy, she was prepared to reserve her power; if her magical power was exhausted, she would kill all the members of the Witch's Cult here along with Petelgeuse!
Ram poured some magic power into her body, and a terrifying wind blade appeared in front of her, then slashed fiercely towards Petelgeuse's position. But this time her attack didn't get close to Petelgeuse as if it was stopped by something invisible.
"What's happening?!"
Ram was a bit surprised, and Emilia also launched an attack at the same time, but it also stopped in mid-air, as if hitting an invisible wall.
"Ah ah ah, you, you, you want the vessel to escape this trial?! You are so lazy, lazy, lazy!"
Petelgeuse was scratching his head with his fingers like a madman. Blood spurted out, and many of his nails broke off and stuck to his skin.
At this moment, Ayanokouji squinted and stared carefully.
"What is that?"
In his eyes, he vaguely saw some black lines emerging from behind Petelgeuse, forming tentacle-like objects writhing in the air. Though the figure was relatively vague, he could still clearly see their movements. They were the ones who had just blocked Ram and Emilia's attacks.
But what was strange was that Ram and Emilia didn't seem to see the existence of the tentacles.
"You are so lazy! The situation you want to avoid is truly amusing, but I must not be lazy, I must be diligent! I must be diligent! I must use diligence to respond to the Witch's love for me! Before love, pain and terror are sacrifices that must be made!"
While Petelgeuse screamed, Ram struggled to stand due to lack of physical strength, her legs trembling continuously. Now her magic power was almost depleted, and she had no resources left to keep fighting.
"Damn it!"
Faced with Petelgeuse's madness, Emilia could determine that the other party was not the type that could be negotiated with. Together with Puck, they released a stronger attack.
But all the attacks were stopped by the tentacle-like objects that Ayanokouji could see, so both were unsure why their attacks had no effect. Instead, he guessed that the opponent had some kind of defensive magic.
"Perfect! This is a posture that matches the vessel! It reminds one of the Witch's appearance in her lifetime! It would be perfect if such a fresh vessel could be prepared! A trial is needed! Confirmation is needed to see if the Witch's factor is included!"
Facing Emilia's attack, the smile on Petelgeuse's face grew more insane and twisted.
"A trial! The end of a diligent soul, though less than planned many have advanced, but pick it here! If the vessel is not empty, it will affect the injected soul! However, the content is not necessary—"
"—My brain is shaking!"
Petelgeuse bent his body and head at an impossible angle. The bones in his body made a sharp sound, and the tentacles behind him suddenly flew towards Emilia.
This is Petelgeuse's Authority of Sloth as the Sin Archbishop of Sloth – Unseen Hand!
Emilia stood motionless, making Ayanokouji sure that she couldn't see Petelgeuse's attack.
Among all those present, only Ayanokouji could vaguely see these strange limbs, but this was enough for him to assess the opponent's movements.
He stepped forward quickly, shoving Emilia away forcefully, and at the same time reached out to hold the exhausted and almost fainting Ram.
The next moment, the spot where Emilia had been standing was struck by the Unseen Hand, creating a large crater in the ground.
"What?"
Emilia was slightly surprised. She didn't know Petelgeuse's method of attack, but if Ayanokouji hadn't pushed her away, she would have been crushed.
Did he know the opponent's attack method?
"Good job, Ayanokouji!" Puck immediately praised.
Ayanokouji did this only because he concluded that saving both of them was more valuable.
Petelgeuse didn't seem to be hostile towards him, but Ayanokouji could feel that his madness was not something that could be easily controlled, and he didn't know enough about the Witch's Cult or the utility value of the other party.
He could naturally choose to flee, but this would still be an unfavorable deal for him, as Emilia and Ram were now in the same camp as him, making them easier to control.
He could clearly understand what he could gain with them. What the benefits were, and Emilia's and Ram's magic had significant strategic meaning, so saving them was the most valuable choice.
However, he didn't intend to fight Petelgeuse right now. If it were a direct confrontation, even though Ram had exhausted her physical strength, with Emilia and Puck's presence, she should be able to fight the opponent. The problem was Petelgeuse's unique ability; Ayanokouji found that this ability was not visible to others, meaning Emilia and Puck could not defend themselves from the enemy's attacks.
This characteristic was extremely fatal. Although Ayanokouji could see the opponent's movements, he could not share his vision with Emilia and Puck. The opponent's attacks were not something he could convey with words.
So he wasn't prepared to confront Petelgeuse here. Once Roswaal, who possessed mass-destruction magic, arrived, he would be out of the opponent's range. From now on, Petelgeuse had seen that Roswaal would not be eliminated too quickly, and there should be distance limitations.
"Puck, cast Shamak!" Ayanokouji shouted.
Puck immediately nodded: "Shamak!"
A thick black fog spread instantly, obscuring everyone's view.
At this moment, Ayanokouji was waiting for Ram and Emilia to move towards Roswaal's mansion to escape. Although he could also use Shamak himself, his current capability was insufficient, and it might affect his physical condition, so he asked Puck to use it.
The reason for casting Shamak was not only to obstruct vision so he and others could escape more easily but also to create enough noise for Roswaal to hear and approach.
When he captured Meili, Ayanokouji had already witnessed Roswaal's power as the head mage of the mansion. With his help, he should be able to defeat Petelgeuse easily.
Significant movement was happening in the area. Roswaal would surely notice it soon.
Now Ayanokouji just needed to buy time.
"Darkness, darkness, darkness!"
After the black mist, Petelgeuse's roars were heard continuously. He waved his invisible hand desperately before the smoke nearly dissipated.
"What does this mean? Why do you want to do things contrary to me when you are so favored? You are as lowly as I am, and you cannot even understand it..."
Petelgeuse continued to chew his own fingers, his teeth clashing with the bones, creating a sharp sound.
He had just sensed the lingering witch's scent on Ayanokouji and considered him a follower of the Witch's cult, but then the man's sudden behavior was beyond his comprehension.
And most importantly, Ayanokouji had pushed Emilia away and avoided his attack.
"He sees! He sees my unseen hand! Unforgivable! Intolerable! It cannot be! It must be erased, must be erased, must be erased!"
Petelgeuse roared hysterically and commanded the fingers beside him.
"Find him, and search diligently! Not just the vessel, but also the person who failed to fulfill his love!"
The members of the Witch's Cult around him knelt to the ground and then transformed into shadows, disappearing.
"No, I must not be lazy, diligent! Diligent! Diligent! I must act myself." Petelgeuse said, releasing more weapons.