Goddamn it—those idiot heroes!
Naofumi Iwatani, Kiriko, and Motoyasu Kitamura reacted nothing like the pope had expected. No furious outburst. No panic. No flailing desperation.
If anything, it left him disappointed.
"No! I don't accept it—I absolutely don't accept your bullshit sophistry!"
Itsuki Kawasumi, who'd been silent up to now, suddenly snapped and started screaming himself hoarse.
"I am the Bow Hero! Everything I do is justice! Who are you to judge justice?!"
Itsuki's outburst put a smile on the pope's face.
"Has your will finally broken? How pitiful. The so-called Bow Hero really is a faker."
"AAAAAAHHHH! I'LL KILL—YOUUUU—AAAAAAHHHH!!"
Itsuki tried to stand, as if he'd forgotten his arms and legs were bound. The result was predictable: he didn't even get upright before he toppled over—this time face-first.
Still, he struggled to rise again. He hit the floor harder.
He forced himself up—and fell again.
Again.
Again.
After several tries, he finally collapsed one last time and didn't get back up.
"Why…? Why do I have to suffer this kind of humiliation? How did it end up like this? Was the justice I pursued… wrong?"
Itsuki lay sprawled on the ground, sobbing like a teenager.
"Pope!" Melty stepped out from behind Naofumi Iwatani and shouted. "I order you, in the name of Melromarc's heir to the throne—its next queen—lead the Three Hero Church followers out of here at once!"
"Ah, Princess Melty. I nearly forgot about you." The pope spread his arms wide, as if welcoming the descent of a heavenly kingdom. "But rest assured—I will choose someone worthy to replace you and inherit the nation. My handpicked successor won't be like you… or your mother, who lacks faith. The next king of Melromarc will be a devout follower of the Three Hero Church…"
"When he ascends the throne, the glory of the Three Hero Church will surely spread to every corner of this world."
As the pope spoke, the believers behind him roared back in perfect unison.
"We will spread the glory of the Three Hero Church to every corner of the world!"
"Um, sorry to interrupt…" Kiriko raised her hand like a diligent student.
"Pope, you don't mind if I ask you something right now, do you?"
"What could the Heretic Witch possibly have left to say?" the pope sneered. "Don't tell me you're finally going to beg for mercy."
"Of course not. It's just—this world is being attacked by the Waves, right? You summoned us here to fight the Waves. And the third Wave is… about half a month away."
Before the Four Cardinal Heroes were summoned, the first Wave had occurred. The battle at Lute Village had been the second. And according to the time displayed within the Dragon Hourglass, the third wasn't far off.
"If you kill… all of us, then who's going to stop the Waves? The Three Hero Church?"
After Kiriko finished, the pope laughed with open contempt.
"I thought the Heretic Witch might say something worth hearing before she dies. So it was something this dull." His eyes narrowed. "Yes, we summoned you to this world because we wanted you to protect it during the Waves…"
"But wherever you go, you cause grave problems and shake the people's faith. As the pope of the Three Hero Church, I cannot acknowledge heroes like that…"
"So we'll kill you first, and then hold the summoning ritual for the Four Cardinal Heroes again."
Kiriko tilted her head, resting her thumb under her chin like she was thinking it through.
"So what you're saying is… you—or you people—still need the Four Cardinal Heroes. This world still needs them."
The pope sensed something subtly off.
"Heretic Witch—what exactly are you trying to say?"
"You finally showed your true colors, Pope. You can talk all you want, but that part just now? That's what you really mean." Kiriko's voice stayed light, but the edge in it was sharp. "What you need isn't heroes. What you need are puppets—ones that obey you, let you pull their strings, and smile while you do it. Isn't that right?"
Itsuki's crying stopped. Ren Amaki and Naofumi Iwatani both stared at Kiriko, stunned.
Motoyasu Kitamura, meanwhile, still wore that same expression that screamed, "Mother-in-law-sama really is amazing."
The pope didn't answer her head-on. Faced with Kiriko's obvious trap, he only gave a cold snort.
"Say whatever you like. Everyone here is a steadfast follower of the Three Hero Church. They won't be fooled by your heretical rhetoric."
The moment he finished speaking, several figures burst out from the crowd behind him.
"Heretic Witch! We will carry out divine judgment upon you!"
Their attire was unlike ordinary priests. Each of them was wrapped head to toe in a crimson robe, their faces hidden behind strange white masks.
"Be careful, Kiriko-san—that's…!" Melty finally got a clear look and shrieked.
Too late.
The corner of the pope's mouth curved upward.
They were the church's shadows—the pope's most elite unit. In a one-on-one duel against a hero, they might lose. But what they excelled at was coordinated assault.
One shadow couldn't beat a hero.
Two shadows could hold two heroes.
Four shadows could absolutely defeat four heroes…
And there weren't four of them charging forward—there were eight.
And they had only one target.
The pope knew that woman—Kiriko—was stronger than ordinary heroes.
But no matter how strong a hero was…
She would die.
All the summoned Four Cardinal Heroes were here. Perfect—wipe them all out in one sweep.
Even the gods were helping him. How could he possibly—
A flash of silver swordlight—there and gone.
No one saw what actually happened.
One moment, eight shadows were rushing a seemingly defenseless Kiriko…
The next, after that single blade-flash, Kiriko was still standing where she'd been. She slid her sword back into its scabbard—and the eight figures lay sprawled in pools of blood, their fates unknown.
The wind hissed through the hall.
Silence.
The pope's expression—the look of absolute certainty—froze solid on his face.
What… just happened?
What was that?
How could the shadows, the elite unit, be cut down in an instant—
Even the pope faltered. The rest of the Three Hero Church followers didn't stand a chance of keeping their composure.
Naofumi Iwatani, Itsuki Kawasumi, Ren Amaki—and their companions—were all shaken by the sheer weight of Kiriko's strength.
As for Raphtalia and the others, their faces said it all: exactly as expected. Not a hint of panic.
Motoyasu, meanwhile, was actually shouting things like, "Mother-in-law-sama is seriously the best!"
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T/N: LMAOOOOOOOO yesss pope should dieee