Huh? Where did they all go? This is a joke, right? They must be behind me.
He turned around. But for several meters, he didn't see anyone, as if he had been walking alone for too long, or...
-I've been moved. I must have crossed a boundary that transported me to another location in the forest. The group is disbanded. Damn, that could mean two things. Maybe everyone has been moved to different locations, or maybe the former soldier and Rack have been moved in the same way, making their raid impossible.
Kayle's heart raced. The situation was dire. He had no chance of finding the group by normal means. He had no chance of taking down an apostle on his own. He had no chance of staying alive if he was alone.
-Damn it!
He screamed in panic, but his cry was absorbed by the darkness. No one could hear him.
-Stay calm. In the worst case scenario, you die. In the second worst case scenario, Lilly dies. In the third worst case scenario, the group dies, and then everyone dies until the last drop of humanity is gone.
Kayle began to overthink. All the worst possible scenarios flooded his mind. He leaned against a tree for support. His breathing became difficult. Every image of a probable future came to mind. It was one of his greatest flaws and one of his most beautiful qualities. If something didn't match one of these scenarios created in a moment of absurd panic, Kayle would give up. But luckily for him, one of these horrible scenarios came true right before his eyes. The one where, unfortunately, the villain of the story came to him by pure chance.
-Well, well? A young man without courage daring to approach here. That's surprising.
A man who looked quite young, wearing long green and white robes, like a bishop. His eyes fell on Kayle, who was panting on the tree. He had his hands crossed behind his back and stood there as if he were floating slightly above the ground.
"No, he's really floating. He must be the apostle. He looks pretty young to me. Damn, why did this have to happen to me?"
But strangely, Kayle was glad that one of these scenarios had come true.
-Are you smiling? Don't you know who I am?
-It's a nervous smile. What do you think? I'm freaking out right now.
The apostle was surprised at first, then began to laugh, his right hand covering his face.
-Ha ha ha. At least you're honest. The other two were smiling too when I caught them.
Suddenly, Kayle's expression darkened. He stood up.
-What did you do with them?"
-Here?" Your smile has disappeared.
-What did you do with them?"
-You talk as if you're going to do something against me. You don't have an ounce of az, and you claim to be above it. Unless you're hiding it?
The apostle glared at Kayle. He could be much more annoying than expected.
-I am Karl Defrus. An apostle of the great Knul. I introduce myself to you because, despite your harmless appearance, you are a remarkably tough and stubborn being. What is your name?
-Kayle Landers. But knowing my name won't do you any good. I'm not the one who's going to die here.
-Oh, really? And who will it be, me perhaps?
-What do you think you're doing to me?
-Oh, I plan to keep your body to build my chimeras and gradually regain control of the Empire with the rebirth of Knul.
-Classic.
-Classic, you say? How dare you?
-Well, I have to admit that the plan is pretty basic, even if I don't have all the details and don't want to know them. Villains like you all act the same way. Believe me, I've read plenty of manga and manhwa. They always end the same way.
-And how do you think it ends?
-I win.
At that moment, a blinding light burst forth from the sky. The rays shot out in all directions. Someone stood in the middle of all that light. Her eyes shone and her blond hair glowed just as brightly. She floated in the air like an all-powerful mage...az.
-An elf?
-Yes. The fact that they're chimeras doesn't really surprise me. François didn't even know them, and considering the potential presence of the apostles, I quickly came up with a scenario like this.
-And how did you know she was going to do that?
-A possible scenario. Honestly, I'm still shaking because there was a good chance it wouldn't happen, but you're the villain in the story, so the cliché scenario always wins.
Kayle stuck her tongue out at the captivated apostle. But he started laughing in retrun.
-Ha ha ha. Ridiculous, and you still think you can defeat me with this team.
-Yeah, unfortunately for you, the power of friendship is too op. I don't like it either, by the way.
Knul's apostle became angry. His arms quickly transformed into sturdy, sharp green tree branches. Green veins ran across his body before reaching his face. He became a small, horrible tree that cut through everything in its path.
-You make me laugh. I'm going to kill you.
"This doesn't look good. I don't stand a chance against this guy. I probably won't be able to react to any of his attacks. It's good that I provoked him, but now I'm going to die."
The humanoid tree moved at full speed toward Kayle, who could only wait for a miracle.
-Damn it.