Heretic Saint

''Ugh, don't pull my legs, Jimbal. I'm not interested in that thing at all. Rather, did you kill those kids?''

A woman's voice replied. Jax expected that her name should be Cassandra. And she must be the one who killed him!

But Jimbal? So his name was Jimbal, huh? The one who killed Jajah and Ben!

''Yes, yes, although they have some talent despite being unawakened, their potential isn't good enough to reach the World Championship. They aren't worth our time.''

Jax then heard them talking again. He had long breathed his last. But strangely enough, his mind was still alive. So, he listened to them.

World Championship, was it? Was he talking about the 5v5 Tournament held by the Supreme Government?

''Is that so?'' the woman responded apathetically. ''Are you sure they are not connected to the beast?''

''You've seen it yourself, right? They're just a bunch of thieves who use this place as their hideout without knowing that Tikbalang actually lived here.'' The man answered and then he asked, ''So, how was it? Did you find anything?''

''It seems like the Tikbalang isn't here anymore. There are definitely traces of it staying here for quite some time. But as if it knew of our arrival, it left already a long time ago. Tch, tch, what bad luck.'' The woman sighed in response.

''Sigh, so where's our next destination?''

''We'll go back to the capital first. We'll report our failure.''

''Haha, it's funny to think that the Crimson Knights of Maharlika failed their mission for the first time. The king will definitely get displeased.''

''Don't worry, father the king will understand. Let's go.'' The woman named Cassandra spoke for the last time.

No response could be heard anymore, only light footsteps going away. Jax knew that at that moment, those guys had finally left them alone.

Jax was filled with resentment.

He resented those bastards for ending their lives. And he also resented himself for being too weak to protect himself and his friends.

He resented the world.

He resented God.

He kept on resenting.

Until he realized that there was nothing else he could do.

He was now a dead kid.

What use was it knowing their names and origin? What use was it to resent them? The only choice he had right now was to give up on everything. A pathetic and miserable ending, yet something that wasn't too bad to accept.

So, when Jax chose to give up, only at that moment did peace and relief come into existence within his soul.

And soon, there he met complete darkness.

But at the last second, before his consciousness fully faded away, a desperate plea escaped from his dissipating mind, ''Oh, God Tree, sorry for failing to meet your expectations. It seems like we won't be able to return the favor anymore.''

***

In a dimly lit room, there stood a being resembling a horse, but had humanoid features. It stood in both two with a formidable demeanor and intimidating manner. Its eyes were sharp and fierce and they flashed with a cold glint.

It was slim, tall, and muscular, and twice bigger than the average adult man. Its entire body was also covered with brown fur.

But one could faintly see that its body was shaking.

''Must they really need to suffer like this, old man?'' A hoarse voice coming from someone ancient sounded. His tone carried obvious hatred and vengeance to kill.

That voice naturally came from the being resembling a horse.

''Hold your horses, Horsey. I know you're eager to avenge them on those Magic Knights. But don't even try it. Trust me, these kids really need to die for them to awaken the power of the Renegades and become their vessels.'' Someone suddenly responded. His tone of voice was calm and free from all worries and disturbing emotions.

After a moment, he added, ''Once that happen, it's not too late for revenge. Let the kids do it instead.''

In front of the being resembling a horse, there sat a middle-aged man on a certain stone platform with his legs crossed. If one would look at him, only one thing would come to mind.

Ordinary.

That middle-aged man looked ordinary on the surface.

He wore old and seemingly dirty clothes, like one might think that he was a beggar. His slightly long grey hair was unkempt, it was only tied to his back. But his eyes were being covered by the hair in front.

He had this unusual hobby of putting something in his mouth like that small tree branch with a single leaf attached to it.

But as ordinary as he seemed, he gave off vibes as if he lived from the ancient past.

Normal people might not notice it, but those who reached the level of those Magic Knights from earlier would find themselves facing someone like a higher being when facing this man.

So, when he talked with the humanoid being resembling a horse, and actually called it Horsey as if it was his pet, one could easily imagine that he had a higher standing than the other party.

The humanoid being resembling a horse also didn't mind the man's behavior. Or rather, he had no choice. He just tried to ignore him, forcing himself to remain calm.

Then he responded coldly, ''My children are already dead. What use is there for them to awaken it?''

''You're thinking way too hard for a mere problem like this,'' But the middle-aged man simply smiled and sneered at the being resembling a horse. He shook his head slowly as he went on, ''Who do you think I am?''

"..." The being resembling a horse only fell silent in response.

Heretic Saint...

That was who that person before him was.

Among all the Saints from the Four Great Temples, he was the most eccentric one. And he lived the longest. He was already over a couple hundred years old now but here he was, appearing like an average man who was still alive and kicking.

For a Saint, he didn't follow the customs and had rules of his own. It was to the point that he betrayed his own faith and status as he chose to live like a hermit who was free from all restraints.

But his ability was more than enough for even a being like him to respect it. Among all the Saints in history, he was the only one who could actually bring the dead back to life. If it was him, then there was really no need to worry about his dead children.

This old man could definitely resurrect them with just the snap of his fingers!