Chapter 58: Face to Face with the Bishop
Walking around the city with a free mind is usually a simple task, unless the city is currently under a massive attack.
Alden strolled through the burning streets, casually butchering a few passing low-rank Shrivens—roughly D-rank threats—on his way. He was not worried about the stray monsters roaming around. Many high-ranking officers were already out there fighting, clearing the crowds and holding the defensive lines.
Just as a guard’s gaze fell on him, ready to yell and order the student to a safe zone, Alden activated his movement skill. He disappeared from the space in a blink! He reappeared directly in a secluded, abandoned alleyway. There were no protective officers around here, and no panicked crowds. There was only the cool breeze blowing through his dark hair as he stared at the wall.
"How long are you going to follow me, the great Bishop of the temple?"
Just as his words fell, a sudden gust of wind swept through the alley. A chilling presence materialized right behind him. A man wearing a dark cloak stood there, his hood obscuring his features, but his pitch-black eyes stared piercingly at Alden.
"Hahaha... How did you find out I was following you, boy? Not even those arrogant Association officers were able to detect my presence."
"Of course I would find out if you keep following me like a lost tail."
"Tail? Haha... You can call it that way."
Alden turned around to look the Bishop face to face. There was no fear in his expression. He knew from the very beginning that he did not have to go around searching for Bishop. Thanks to his overpowered luck and the events from earlier, the Bishop was bound to come straight to him. Now that he stood in front of the monster, there was no way to run—but Alden didn’t come here to run away in the first place.
"So, let me ask you," the Bishop mocked. "If you knew I was following you, why didn’t you go hide? Why didn’t you cry for someone to protect you from me?"
Alden narrowed his eyes, replying as if stating a simple fact.
"Running away was never an option in my dictionary. You can take that as my pride. But you can also consider it my curiosity. I want to know why you came here. I am sure you wouldn’t take the risk of coming out here yourself when you can just send an army of Shrivens and Acolytes to do the dirty work."
A low chuckle slipped from the Bishop’s lips. He straightened his back and took a slow step closer.
"Of course there is a reason. I came to retrieve an important ’thing’ for our Great One. But it seems someone already stole it. I was simply tracking that thief, but his presence vanished out of nowhere."
Alden narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Can you tell me what ’that’ thing is?"
The Bishop’s eyes went blank, refusing to share the secret.
"It is none of your business."
"Oh, that is not fair."
A fake look of disappointment tugged on Alden’s lips. He slumped his shoulders in a dramatic sigh.
"So why are you after me, then?"
The Bishop smiled curve across his face.
"Hehe... You are interesting. You managed to mess with my consciousness earlier. That is not a common occurrence for someone who isn’t even close to my level of power. So, will you be so kind as to tell me who you are and what that power was?"
His smile widened, but the icy look in his eyes signaled he was done playing games.
Alden’s fake smile vanished. The air grew heavy and tense. Only the faint sound of the whistling breeze could be heard between them. The Bishop stepped closer, red divinity started to coil around his hands.
"It seems you are not going to answer," the Bishop sneered.
"But as a Bishop, it is my responsibility to eliminate any future threat to my temple. You are going to die today."
Alden narrowed his eyes, channeling his own mana to prepare for a fight.
"What if I told you I am not a foe?"
The Bishop looked surprised, genuinely intrigued by the bold claim.
"Are you saying you are on the side of the temple?"
"Nah. I am not on anyone’s side. You can consider me a neutral party."
"Hmph? That is weird. I thought you were on humanity’s side since you were out there saving them."
Alden shrugged casually.
"Saving them doesn’t make me their ally. If I ever decide to save you, that wouldn’t mean I am on your side either, does it?"
"Saving me? Hahaha... Yeah, you are right. But that doesn’t mean I will let you walk away."
"Oh, that is a shame. Sigh... I was trying to convince you, but it seems you are not kind enough to listen. You will regret this decision one day for sure."
The Bishop’s figure vanished. He appeared directly in front of Alden in a burst of terrifying speed, throwing a punch!
[Astral-Step!]
Alden disappeared from the spot just in time. The Bishop’s fist hit nothing but empty air. Before the cloaked villain could even react to the sudden evasion, Alden reappeared directly behind him! Alden threw a punch, coiling a massive amount of mana around his fist to strike the Bishop’s back.
But the Bishop, possessing monstrous senses, simply side-stepped. Alden’s punch missed, and the red divinity flared, wrapping around Alden’s outstretched hand. Alden felt his body involuntarily losing control. He quickly jumped back, flicking his wrist to shake the dark energy away. He was fast, but the divinity still managed to leave numerous small cuts across his skin in just a single second.
The Bishop looked at him with a mocking grin.
"You little insect. It seems you are trying to win with speed, but that will not work for long."
Alden stepped back, maintaining a safe distance.
"Who said I am going for a victory? I was just waiting for you to use that flashy power of yours."
A small smile tugged on Alden’s lips. He looked toward the distant sky. He could already sense a massive presence rushing toward this exact location at a rapid flurry of speed, drawn in the moment the Bishop flared his red divinity.
"Hehe... It seems my work here is done. Bye-bye."
The Bishop looked at him in surprise, preparing to dash forward and slam the boy into the ground.
"Wait—where are you going, you little shit?"
But before his hand could even touch the fabric of Alden’s jacket, the boy vanished into thin air. He left nothing behind. Thanks to his new system ability, Absolute Concealment, the Bishop couldn’t even sense a trace of his presence anymore. It was as if Alden had deliberately allowed himself to be tracked this entire time just to set this trap!
Before the Bishop could figure out what had just happened, a suffocating pressure descended from above. It was a presence that made even the Bishop’s spine shiver. He looked up.
Floating high in the rainy evening sky, a powerful figure appeared. The man had messy yellow hair and a single golden hoop earring. His muscular body resembled a mix of a human and a tiger.
Commander Raigar looked down at the alleyway. His eyes were intense as he slowly descended to the ground.
"It seems that bunch of shits couldn’t find you even after I gave them plenty of time. I will have to teach my subordinates some sense later."
Raigar scanned the alley, trying to find the other person he had sensed near the Bishop just a moment ago.
"Who was that person with you?"
The Bishop stepped back defensively, staring at the S-Rank Awakener with blank, calculating eyes.
Raigar’s gaze swept through the surroundings before finally locking onto the cloaked enemy.
"Whatever. Now that I am here, I will just beat the answers out of you anyway."
Before the Bishop could cast a single spell or even raise a hand to defend himself, Raigar dashed forward. His speed defied logic! He appeared instantly in front of the Bishop, grabbed the bishop by the face with his hand, and slammed his skull brutally into the ground!
*BOOOOOM!*
***
[A/N:] Hello everyone!
My previous novel, The Unlimited Ascension: Reborn as an Extra (Volume 1), has officially been completed! It is my first successful novel, and I would truly appreciate it if you gave it a try. I’m sure you’re going to love it!
The novel is based on a unique concept where the MC transmigrates into the Ascension Realm, a mysterious world where he must complete bizarre and unpredictable trials to survive. It also features romance, and the world-building is on a whole different level. There will be a two different realm. If you enjoy novels with rich world-building, I’m confident you’ll love this one for sure.
Thank you for reading my novel!
I hope you’ll check out my other novel as well too. The link is below this Chapter 👇, Once again, thank you!
— Astral_Weaver