The Golden Apple (3)
Ludovic stared at Aster for a moment. Soon, he let out a snort and shook his head.
[I wanted to see you reveal information yourself, but what a shame.]
His tone was already different from Ludovic’s. Still, he had tried to imitate it.
“More importantly, who are you?”
Aster racked his brain as he looked at the being in front of him. Most of the Zodiacs possessed divine power. And just as the Zodiacs were famous, so were their Gods.
Aster, too, had once sensed the divine power within Ludovic.
‘…I don’t remember.’
Aster had a severe lack of interest in anything that didn’t involve his own growth. If Frondier had seen him now, he would have sighed deeply enough to crack the earth.
[You don’t know me?]
However, Aster’s reaction seemed to be a fitting provocation to Ludovic’s God.
Aster spoke, “Seeing as you’re involved in this matter, I assume you’re a God from Olympus?”
[How dare you make such a baseless assumption in front of me…!]
Ludovic’s sword gleamed blue. The tip of the blade, drawing a straight line in the air, shot towards Aster.
Wheeik!
Aster leaped into the air to dodge. In that split second, he caught a glimpse of Ludovic’s aura.
‘…The color of his aura is the same as Ludovic’s. Well, that’s only natural.’
Aster remembered Ludovic’s aura from their joint missions.
He had forgotten who Ludovic’s God was, yet he remembered the color of Ludovic’s aura from a single glance. It was a clear indication of how his brain worked.
Thud.
Aster landed lightly and asked again, “So, are you going to tell me who you are?”
[Insolent fool. Do you think such an attitude is acceptable just because I’m possessing a human body!]
Ludovic’s God was undoubtedly far weaker than his prime. He couldn’t exert power beyond the human he was possessing. Ludovic was a remarkably strong individual, but even he was far from reaching the level of a God.
Aster tilted his head. “Then will you tell me if I ask politely?”
To him, there was no difference between respect and disrespect. It was all the same.
A smile similar to Ludovic’s spread across his face.
[Well. I’ll tell you after I kill you.]
“……!”
Aster’s eyes widened in surprise at his words. He deliberately made his face serious and said, “Are you unaware because you’re a God? Dead men tell no tales.”
“…..”
Ludovic paused for a moment, scratching his head.
[To think that the Hope of Humanity would be such an uncommunicative imbecile.]
“It’s the insurmountable gap between Gods and humans.”
[As if I care about such things!]
Ludovic’s sword slashed horizontally, firing an aura blade along its trajectory.
Caaaaang!
Aster deflected the aura blade and thought as he moved, ‘This is getting annoying.’
Frankly, Aster wasn’t that curious about the identity of Ludovic’s God. If it were Frondier, he might try to deduce the God’s weaknesses upon hearing their name, but the only option available to Aster was his sword.
However, this situation was simply bothersome.
‘If I attack Ludovic in his current state, he’ll be the only one injured.’
This fight was completely advantageous for the God. Under the pretense of eliminating devils, there was little risk of losing faith. Even if he were to be attacked or killed, it would all be on the human vessel, not the God.
Moreover, the fact that Ludovic was currently possessed meant that Aster, a valuable asset, was wasting time here.
“…Sigh.”
Aster lowered his sword after shaking his head.
He didn’t know. He didn’t know what to do, what to prioritize.
‘If I knew this would happen, I should have accepted Dier’s offer to have dinner together.’
Dier would have made the best decision.
However, this was in front of Aster’s house.
His older sister, Ellen, was busy learning to become a teacher, and he was the only one here.
‘That’s probably why this God came here in the first place.’
[You’re lowering your sword? Do you want to die?]
“That would be absurd.”
Although Aster himself didn’t realize it, the God possessing Ludovic was gradually coming to a realization.
This human, Aster Evans, hailed as the Hope of Humanity.
Unbefitting his title.
“I’m just going to do what I can.”
That polite tone was even more infuriating.
[What you can do?]
“Sparring with you.”
[Sparring? You mean fighting!]
Thud!
Ludovic charged forward, his divine form moving at high speed as he unleashed a barrage of aura. The three waves of aura and Ludovic’s own advance, utilizing a wide range of space, were like a single arrow.
Aster, however,
Thud!
Infused his aura into a pebble and kicked it, altering the trajectory of one aura wave.
Wheeik!
He dodged another with a half-turn of his body.
Clang! Clang!
The last aura wave, he simply shattered.
Immediately after, Ludovic reached him.
[Die!]
Ludovic’s sword flashed, aiming for Aster’s neck.
Swoosh—
Contrary to his shout, the sword veered off in a strange trajectory, missing its mark.
“That’s why.”
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Tiers starting at 10$ per month and you can access upto 40 advance chapters! Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Join our discord server for latest release updates and novel discussions. Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones. Happy reading!