Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 355

“…It’s not my burden?”Arendt looked at the black face before him with an expressionless face.

The form, lacking a proper substance, wavered precariously as if made of black smoke, yet it was so beautiful that one couldn’t look away.

It was as if the universe had been cut and molded into the beautiful image of a god.

“It was your fate to die and disappear from the beginning. There is no reason for you to have to endure that burdensome life.”

The eerie voice transformed, softening into that of a tender parent comforting a child.

But as the eyelids opened, the empty eyes that were revealed exuded a sense of overwhelming pressure, as if they could swallow everything whole.

It felt as if, with the slightest lapse in focus, he could be instantly drawn into an endless abyss.

“That body, voice, and mind are not yours. You were just caught up in the tyranny of my greedy brother. You should have been living a peaceful life somewhere else, not in this world.”

“…”

Arendt still gave no reply.

He just frowned unpleasantly whenever Chernion’s hand touched his face.

“The world has already lost its order, undone by the hands of my arrogant brother, who dared to call himself its guardian.”

A gentle voice pierced clearly into his mind.

“This world doesn’t need guardians. Everything was supposed to go according to plan. But he, my detestable brother, ruined it all.”

Beneath the guise of gentleness, a quiet anger started to emerge in the tone.

“As if that wasn’t enough, he persecuted my children and stole their right to live on this land. He is destroying the world to satisfy his greed. Your existence is no different. You were bound to a place where you should not be, so everything is bound to be distorted.”

The eyes that held the abyss looked down at Arendt quietly.

“So we must return it to its original state. We must put this world back on its proper course before it is too late.”

Arendt frowned slightly and began to speak.

“…What is this natural order you speak of?”

“Before my brother twisted the flow and dragged you in by force.”

Arendt fell silent again at Chernion’s answer.

It was the time when Arendt was an unknown actor named ‘Lee Soo-hyun’ and lingered on a worn-out stage as an unknown actor, and this damned world was only accessible through the unpopular novel, “The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword”.

“It should have been that way. The affairs of this world should be resolved by the beings of this world. You are a foreigner. The rules and circumstances of this world do not suit your soul.”

A dark hand gently cupped Arendt’s cheek again.

“It’s like ordering a bird that was flying freely in the sky to swim in the sea. It’s ridiculous.”

The longer he spent facing the darkness, the more dizzy he felt.

“You’re going to drown soon.”

He felt like he was suffocating from the thick presence, but somehow, on the other hand, he didn’t think that was such a bad thing.

He’d finally be able to rest in peace, away from all these bothersome troubles.

“Pretending to be someone else, unable to relax. Holding on to a spirit that is worn down by the sense of alienation felt with every breath, living a life of constant struggle…”

A lulling voice continued to speak.

Darkness gently rolled in, enveloping Arendt’s shoulders. The shadows that had been lurking on the floor also began to slowly wrap around his ankles and legs.

“Isn’t it overwhelming? I’ll make it as if you never existed. You don’t need to feel guilty. I’m simply correcting what’s wrong.”

He heard a voice whispering right next to his ear.

Arendt accepted the touch without moving an inch.

“You’re going to make it seem like nothing happened? How could you do that?”

“It’s about restoring things. The fragments are already in my hands. All that’s left is to find their rightful places.”

“…”

“If you just help me a little, I can make everything go back to the way it was.”

Instead of answering right away, Arendt slowly closed his eyes and exhaled.

All the air from his lungs escaped, and in its place was a feeling of lethargy.

“…Fragments.”

There was a hint of self-mocking laughter in Arendt’s voice as he repeated the word.

But his smile, which was a mixture of sympathy for someone and mockery for oneself, soon disappeared as if washed away.

“These crazy bastards think I’m a sucker.”

The darkness hesitated.

Arendt slowly opened his eyes. His golden eyes showed no sign of agitation or confusion.

“You must be pretty desperate, huh? Calling me all the way here and begging me earnestly to please go back.”

Only a cool chill remained.

“Do you, a God, fear me so much? Or do you think I’ll go along with it if you gently coax me like your petty followers?”

Now it was the darkness’ turn to be silent. Arendt chuckled and tried to push the arm off his shoulder.

“So what if you say you’ll make it as if it never happened? Did you think I’d just gratefully accept it? Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve been through so much trouble.”

But his body did not move as he wanted. It was because the darkness had tightly bound him.

The voice of the god, which had been pretending to be affectionate, suddenly turned threatening.

“…Stealing a pitiful life, and then offering to help my cruel brother’s tyranny?”

“Should I feel bad? He died after doing something so shameful, so why should I feel bad?”

Arendt responded with a cold smile.

“If the natural order you are talking about is true, Arendt von Eckhart was destined to die then anyway. I am just wearing the shell of a dead man, so how is that stealing?”

The abyss that surrounded his body slowly began to suffocate him.

“Don’t you hate my brother too? And you too have had your life taken away from you.”

“I do plan to make that bastard Luce pay… but until then, it’s your turn. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Although his breathing became increasingly difficult, Arendt did not stop talking.

“, I will wipe out your crazy followers by any means necessary. It’s none of my business whether it is fate or not. I will never back down until I see the ending I want.”

The beautiful form of the god gradually distorted, and his voice also gradually became grotesque again.

“How arrogant. You are something that will disappear with just a wave of my hand.”

The pressure of the darkness was getting worse and worse. He felt like his body would crumble at any moment.

“…You won’t be able to kill me. I’m the one who aimed my sword closest to Luce’s neck.”

But Arendt’s face did not waver at all.

“Well, with such incompetent subordinates, there’s no way anything can go right. Since the leader himself is so stupid and dull, it can’t be helped.”

Even as his breathing grew increasingly ragged, he burst out into a mocking laugh.

“Huh, if you’re a loser, you should die quietly like a loser. You’re the one who breaks the law of nature, too. Why are you pretending to be innocent? Using innocent people as test subjects, using dead bodies as soldiers… is that what you call the law of nature?”

“They are the ones who gladly offered their souls.”

The thick darkness rippled with anger. A voice like the scraping of a knife growled.

“It is a gate that must be passed, and they have all attained eternal rest. That is the blessing I have bestowed upon them, and the meaning of their existence.”

“You’re just like Luce, talking nonsense. What do you mean they gladly offered? , you must have just taken it by force. It seems like the gods have no conscience.”

The enchanting figure of the god gradually distorted and melted into chaos.

The oppressive presence gradually grew larger. A pair of unfocused eyes appeared again from beyond the abyss.

“You’ll regret it.”

“You guys are so despicable and petty. You’re exactly the same, like two sides of a coin. If you lose, you should just live in silence, instead of crawling out and struggling to do something…”

It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

“You thought you’d lose, so you flipped the board and started cheating. If you didn’t want to see this mess, you should’ve stopped Luce before he broke the rules.”

A ringing filled his head, like someone was screaming inside his mind.

“You couldn’t do anything back then, so what can you do now? I’m sorry, but I have no intention of joining you. You and God Luce are both dirty and disgusting beings.”

Surrounded by it all, Arendt burst out laughing like a madman.

“You say you gathered the fragments? Restore things to how they were? According to whose will? What good is gathering that worthless junk? Who’s going to step aside?”

The voice that had been cold at first was now filled with a venom and resentment thicker than the abyss.

“Even if I’m torn to pieces, I won’t do as you wish. You probably thought you could do whatever you wanted, haha! Don’t make me laugh.”

His mouth was smiling, but his golden eyes were clearly filled with icy anger.

“What’s lost is lost, and enduring it is my burden. Don’t you dare meddle. This world isn’t a stage that plays out to your liking.”

“…”

“Whoever handed it over doesn’t matter. This is already my place. .”

The abyss remained silent and stared at Arendt.

Arendt glared at him with a disgusted and unpleasant gaze.

“If you don’t have the confidence to handle it, just sit there and watch. Watch how your incompetent lackeys die, and watch how that crazy bastard you call your brother is humiliated.”

His breath was caught in his throat, as if he was trapped under a terrible sleep paralysis.

A disgusting sensation, as if bugs were crawling under his skin, took over his entire body.

He wanted to struggle and throw himself into chaos, but the darkness still did not let him go.

“Good. You are right. Since you are the blade that aims for my brother’s neck, taking your life would be my loss.”

A sharp, brain-crushing sound shook his mind.

“So, struggle until the end. Show me clearly what kind of ending you want. Instead, you will suffer forever. I will never grant you the rest of darkness.”

Darkness twisted his limbs. His body felt like it was going to be torn apart. It seemed like it would be easier to just be torn to pieces right now.

“My rest is…”

But Arendt just smiled as if his own suffering was not even a concern.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find it myself. So…”

The darkness that was slowly gathering began to quickly swallow Arendt up. He felt as if he was slowly being sucked into a deep abyss, and that his very existence was being devoured.

Now it was impossible to even catch his breath.

But Arendt somehow managed to move his lips and utter the last words.

“Fuck you, you crazy bastard.”