Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 247 [Exploitation]

A voice seemed to be heard in the darkness.

It was as if it were echoing in my mind.

Come here, come into my arms.

Vasini seemed to hear such a voice, and he couldn't help but take a step toward it.

Then, there is light.

The light pierced through the darkness of the entire basement, dispelling the faint, elusive call.

Instead, a mournful howl filled the air.

When Vasini awoke from his daze, he could clearly see what the tree truly looked like.

It does look like a tree, but it's actually more of a collection of vines.

In the very center is a twisted shape made of vines, resembling a ferocious face.

Now, that face seemed to be wailing, or perhaps roaring in anger: "Damn it!"

Immediately, vines swept towards them.

But the light immediately became stronger, so much so that the vines caught fire before they had even spread halfway.

Then the wails grew even louder.

"Stop! Stop! I surrender! I surrender!"

The face began to beg for mercy.

Ethan, however, did not turn down the intensity of the light.

The vines were still burning.

Ethan only stopped when he had burned the entire mother tree down to its face.

"Now we can talk."

The face fell to the ground, and new vines tried to grow back, wanting to reconnect with the earth.

But once such a trend emerged, Ethan began to amplify the light source.

"Alright, alright, I give up, I really give up, you... devil!"

Hearing this thing utter the word "devil" made Ethan want to laugh.

"So, how should I address you, Mr. Tree?"

Ethan stared at the lump in front of him.

“Karst…you can call me Karst, that’s my name as a person.”

That face looked exhausted, as if it had truly given up the fight.

"Karst, very well, Karst, give me a reason not to kill you."

"I can grant you immortality. You'll never have to fear death or aging again. How about that? Even if you're a True Name Being, you'll still die, as long as you..."

"If I become like you, or even your servant?"

Ethan interrupted him.

"Immortality always comes at a price, doesn't it? Or is it that the entity behind you can also grant you immortality?"

As Karst spoke, he suddenly asked this question.

Karst could naturally sense Ethan's presence, but he never expected that Ethan was actually standing right in front of him.

“Great Lord, you can give us everything, so you must not try to deceive us! Divine messenger, destroy him completely, such a filthy existence will only defile our Lord.”

Vasini is now the most devout defender of the faith. If you disregard his identity, he is probably even more devout than the pope in the Cathedral of Apollo.

Ethan remained silent, as if deep in thought.

"Don't... don't kill me!"

Karst was frightened.

"I have other ways. I can make you live longer without any side effects. I also have many treasures that I can give to you. I also have a big secret that I believe the person behind you must want to know. Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

He became increasingly flustered as he spoke, as if he were desperately seeking any remedy.

There's a saying that goes, "The longer you live, the more afraid you become of death."

This guy has been living in this form for who knows how many years; he must be extremely afraid of death.

This is also why Ethan wanted to deal with him alone. Although that skullbreaker was very useful, powerful, ruthless and taciturn, he was still an outsider and inconvenient to deal with.

Moreover, even if there are benefits, it's hard to share them.

"Don't rush. Do you remember that girl? The one you killed, Lily. Let's revive her first."

Ethan said.

Vasini's expression shifted; he hadn't expected Ethan to say such a thing.

I had a strange feeling inside.

That is, God really is watching over us.

Even divine messengers possess such radiance.

"She can't be saved, she's already dead... I can't bring her back to life."

Karst, however, said with some difficulty.

"But... but can I make her look like she's alive?"

As if afraid of offending Ethan, he quickly added a sentence.

There is no resurrection after death.

Ethan knew this, of course, so this was exactly what he wanted.

"Okay, let's get this done first."

Then, with his remaining body, Karst secreted some indescribable grayish-white liquid, which Vasini collected in a bottle.

"These, given to that girl, can restore her body and give her basic consciousness, but of course, she won't be alive anymore. She'll need to use them again every month, otherwise..."

Karst hesitated for a moment as he said this.

His meaning was quite clear: if he wanted the girl to live, he had to live too.

Ethan didn't say much, but simply told Vasini to take the things up first, while he faced Karst alone.

"I am very weak right now. Could you please let me absorb some of the earth's essence first?"

Seeing that Ethan's attitude seemed to have softened, Karst immediately seized the opportunity.

result……

"Do not."

Ethan shook his head, and then an even more intense light emanated from the ascetic's staff, continuing to scorch Karst's remaining body.

Karst let out another bloodcurdling scream: "You broke your promise, you... Ah!!!"

When it became a tiny piece, Ethan picked it up and threw it into a bottle.

"With such a tenacious will to live, you should be able to survive even with just a little bit left, right?"

In fact, Ethan had already known his characteristics by analyzing his real name.

The most tenacious thing about Earth True Name Beings, especially those at a high level, is their vitality; even if only a tiny remnant remains, they can revive.

Sure enough, Ethan just casually sprinkled some soil into it, and the remaining fragments inevitably began to swell and grow, about to pierce through the bottle.

At this point, Ethan hung the bottle on his walking stick, and the growth was immediately suppressed.

"Just stay here, you won't die."

Karst writhed weakly inside the bottle, but seemed too weak to make a sound.

at the same time.

In a dark alley bar not far from this three-story building.

The Old World immigrants who originally occupied this bar had long been slaughtered.

Two men dressed in denim were sitting at the bar, drinking and playing roulette.

"So, what's the situation inside?"

One of the cowboys spun his revolver and shot himself, but it didn't go off.

Another cowboy took the gun and shot himself; the bullet pierced his skull again.

"Hyouka! Another one!"

(End of this chapter)