Shendu and her group of three walked through the plaza. The closer they drew to the area, the stronger her unease became, as if something unseen were watching them.
It was not exactly fear. With her strength, she was capable of resolving most troubles that came her way.
When they reached the deepest part of the plaza, the crowd was immense—hundreds, even thousands of people packed so tightly it was nearly shoulder to shoulder.
Yet the moment they approached the vicinity of the clock tower, everyone seemed to receive some silent command and turned in unison toward the towering structure in the distance.
Even Natsuki Subaru and Garfiel found their gazes drawn toward the clock tower, as though pulled by an invisible force.
"Something's wrong with you two."
Noticing their strange state, Shendu placed one hand on each of their shoulders and infused them with magic, forcing them back to clarity.
"What just happened? It felt like some kind of power was pulling me in."
Freed by Shendu's magic, cold sweat broke out across Natsuki Subaru's body as he stared at the clock tower in shock.
"Lady Shendu, there's definitely something wrong over there."
Garfiel, possessing a beast's instinct, could tell that his earlier state had been abnormal.
"Yes. There's no doubt about it—we have trouble on our hands."
Shendu narrowed her blood-red eyes, vigilance flashing within them as she focused intently on the matter.
Just as nearly everyone fixed their eyes on the clock tower, an apologetic voice drifted down from its heights.
"Dear citizens, thank you so much for pausing your busy schedules to stop and listen. Thank you. I apologize for the inconvenience."
At the very top of the clock tower, a door slowly opened as the voice continued.
"Believe me, I will present you all with a truly splendid performance."
After the voice echoed out, a strange woman appeared before them—her entire body wrapped in bandages, silver hair cascading down, and purple pupils gleaming eerily.
Her appearance was peculiar. Draped in a black robe, golden chains coiled around her hands as she slowly stepped forward to the doorway.
"That woman is very wrong. She carries the scent of a Witch!"
Upon seeing her, Shendu seemed to understand immediately and spoke with certainty.
"What? This is bad."
Natsuki Subaru's face filled with alarm. Whenever the Witch Cult appeared, trouble inevitably followed—this was practically common knowledge.
"Thank you all for gracing my stage. I am the one who embodies Wrath within the Witch Cult."
"My name is Sirius Romanée-Conti!"
The moment those words left her mouth, the few citizens not under the Archbishop's control began whispering among themselves. However, their number was small—fewer than a hundred.
"Are you kidding me? A member of the Witch Cult dares to come here? Is she looking for death?"
"I've heard Lord Reinhard is here—and even the silver-haired hero. How dare she cause trouble in a place like this?"
The surrounding citizens murmured restlessly. Yet some of those already controlled remained motionless, staring blankly at the tower spire.
Those unaware of the situation's severity continued discussing it, oblivious to the danger.
"Silence!"
Seeing the crowd chattering below, the Archbishop of Wrath clapped her hands lightly. Like ripples spreading across water, the speaking citizens immediately fell quiet.
It was not voluntary. It was as if they had been forcibly controlled.
Fortunately, with Shendu's protection, Natsuki Subaru and Garfiel were not seized again.
"It took you all only twenty-two seconds to fall silent. Thank you for your quietness. I am so sorry. I am very happy. And now..."
Sirius revealed a mocking smile, lavishing them with praise.
Observing her movements, Shendu sensed the flow of magic. This ability seemed akin to mental domination—forcefully linking the emotions of everyone present.
However, as long as one's power exceeded Sirius', immunity to such control was possible. Only a small number could achieve that.
"Miss over there—and your two attendants—I apologize for interrupting your time. Forgive me. I'm only borrowing a little of it, so please don't be too surprised."
Sirius' tone was contradictory, carrying both sincerity and madness. The overall feeling she gave was deeply unsettling.
"What a dull trick. Witch Cultist, what exactly are you trying to accomplish here? Not long ago, I slaughtered someone called the Archbishop of Sloth. Was he one of yours?"
Shendu's voice was cold. She held not the slightest goodwill toward the bandaged woman.
From the very beginning, Sirius had been speaking theatrically while idly dragging the hooked chains in her hands along the wall, her personality twisted and vile.
Though different from the deceased Archbishop of Sloth, her madness was no less palpable.
"Oh, that was my lover. But he didn't die, did he? I've heard he's still alive, so he must be walking the path of love. And I too pursue love."
Sirius' tone brimmed with insanity. She extended her hand toward the doorway, and the golden chains writhed like serpents, coiling around a small figure.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. As the star of this performance, I've made you wait far too long."
Apologizing as she spoke, Sirius gazed at the struggling boy, the smile on her lips widening.
"Controlling you is only for the sake of a wonderful show. You're the focal point in everyone's eyes. No struggling. No crying."
Her playful tone was filled with delight.
As she finished speaking, Sirius gently stroked the boy's head. Strangely, he soon stopped crying. Yet terror filled his eyes, his inner emotions mismatched with his outward expression.
"Now then—Lusbel Kallard! Your performance officially begins."
Sirius lifted the boy high and introduced his background. Instantly, thunderous applause erupted around the tower.
"Ahhh, thank you! This is wonderful! Everyone, believe in Lusbel's courage—cheer passionately for him! His actions are love—mutual understanding!"
"Thank you, Sirius, for helping me understand love."
Like actors upon a stage, the two performed together. The boy wept openly, appearing moved by her words.
In truth, the emotions of everyone in the plaza had merged together, forming a bizarre resonance.
The sensation filled Lusbel with horror. Summoning the last of his strength, he screamed, "Please save me!"
Yet the citizens below continued applauding, as though blind to everything—or as if their emotions were entirely manipulated.
"Let me handle this. I can't stand watching anymore."
Seeing Lusbel placed outside the tower's edge, Garfiel's eyes burned with ferocity.
"Be careful. Rescue him first."
Shendu glanced at the half-beast and issued a direct order.
"Yes, Lady Shendu!"
Receiving her command, Garfiel hesitated no longer and rushed forward.
Transforming into a massive tiger, he scaled the tower wall directly. At that moment, Lusbel was thrown downward—but with swift reflexes, Shendu caught the boy in her arms.
"Natsuki Subaru, withdraw with the others. This Authority is troublesome."
Shendu frowned. Though unfamiliar with the Archbishop of Wrath's Authority, she knew it would not be simple.
"Understood."
With the order given, Natsuki Subaru prepared to retreat with the rescued boy.
Looking at the controlled citizens, Shendu snapped her fingers lightly, forcefully dispelling the control through sheer magic.
The citizens immediately scattered in panic, fleeing the area.
At that moment, an unexpected turn occurred. After only a few exchanges, Garfiel was struck by a single punch from atop the tower and sent flying downward.
He crashed heavily onto the ground, appearing grievously injured and on the verge of death.
Strangely, the citizens who had just begun to escape also seemed to suffer severe wounds, collapsing one after another as though sharing the same fate.
After Shendu intervened in time and rescued the boy kidnapped by Sirius Romanée-Conti, she had assumed the surrounding people would finally escape.
Unexpectedly, the moment Garfiel was injured, everyone nearby collapsed as well, as though they had suffered the same grievous wounds.
Falling from such a height—even for a half-beast—the impact would be devastating. Severe bodily trauma was only natural.
"How did you do it, Sirius? You never touched any of them. Yet the citizens nearby are unable to leave this place."
Shendu drew the Amaterasu Sword and questioned her coldly.
"Hehe... I'm sorry. Perhaps they were simply overwhelmed with gratitude for my performance. This is all for love—so that our feelings may merge into one and achieve true, boundless affection."
Sirius spread her arms wide. The iron chains wrapped around her wrists clashed together, producing a crisp metallic ring. Her entire presence radiated unhinged madness.
"Enough of your nonsense. Die."
Shendu swung the Amaterasu Sword, releasing a compressed blade pressure that shot toward Sirius. Yet she evaded it effortlessly.
"It's useless. Once you become my enemy, the only price is death."
Shendu rushed forward again, slashing once more.
Sirius showed not the slightest emotion. The two chains in her hands burst into fierce flames. When Shendu's blade came down, it easily severed one of them.
But when the strike met the other chain, it was completely blocked.
Its defensive capability was formidable—strong enough to absorb most of her force. That alone was impressive.
"It's pointless. The chain you cut can regenerate infinitely. And its durability surpasses the metals of this world by more than tenfold. That is the power of my Authority."
Even after taking Shendu's strike head-on, Sirius remained completely unharmed, looking exceedingly pleased with herself.
"Let's see just how capable you are."
Shendu dismissed the Amaterasu Sword back into her system storage.
Then, treating the fight as a test, she engaged Sirius directly in close combat.
Surprisingly, despite appearing frail and delicate, this strange woman possessed no small degree of combat prowess.
In terms of physical ability alone, her strength was only slightly inferior to that granted by the Ox Talisman. Yet her speed was astonishing, often intercepting Shendu's attacks with uncanny precision.
After several exchanges, Shendu discerned two defining traits about Sirius.
First, her hand-to-hand combat skills were exceptional—enough to match Shendu evenly.
Second, her ability to manipulate chains.
Chains coiled constantly around her body, their lengths extending and retracting freely. She could generate chains out of thin air and control their trajectories midair at will. At times, flames would coil along them, adding a searing effect.
"Interesting. As an Archbishop of the Witch Cult, your ability is not to be underestimated. I may have slightly misjudged you."
After fighting for some time and gathering intelligence, Shendu had already confirmed two crucial aspects of the Archbishop of Wrath's combat capabilities.
"Ah! Silver hair—silver like the Witch's! This must be the trial guided by the Gospel, meant to help me find love—true love!"
Sirius descended further into madness, yet her movements remained swift and precise, fully keeping pace with Shendu.
The two fought fiercely, but the surrounding plaza was eerily silent. When Garfiel had been grievously wounded, all the citizens had suffered as well.
Even Natsuki Subaru, who had just run a short distance away with Lusbel, suddenly found himself unable to move, as though he too had fallen from the tower. Pain wracked his entire body.
"What's happening...? Am I going to die? There's not a single part of me that doesn't hurt."
Struggling, Natsuki Subaru dragged himself forward on his hands. Most of the citizens had already lost consciousness. Though he did not understand what was happening, he knew the situation was dire.
After crawling for some time, he finally reached Garfiel. From a distance, the half-beast looked utterly wretched, his body riddled with wounds torn by hooked chains.
A massive puncture wound gaped in his abdomen, refusing to heal. His complexion had turned pale and lifeless.
"Garfiel! Are you okay? You're badly hurt!"
Seeing Garfiel barely able to move, Natsuki Subaru called out in alarm.
"I can't move... It hurts like hell."
Garfiel noticed Natsuki Subaru crawling toward him and looked genuinely surprised.
Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru hurriedly fumbled for a healing potion at his waist. But just as he prepared to administer it, something changed.
Suddenly, Garfiel coughed violently.
Pshhh!
He spat out a mouthful of black blood.
His already weakened face grew even more ashen.
"Sorry... I think I've been poisoned. That woman must've noticed Lady Shendu. Maybe she laced the chains with poison—or placed some kind of curse on them. I... I can't hold on much longer."
Grievously wounded, Garfiel coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"No! You can't die!"
Natsuki Subaru cried out, panic filling his eyes.
As Garfiel's life ebbed away, Natsuki Subaru felt his own vitality draining as well, as though part of himself were being severed.
"Drink this! Hurry—drink the potion!"
He forced a red healing potion into Garfiel's hands. Garfiel struggled to lift it and swallowed the contents.
For a moment, his wounds visibly began to mend.
But almost immediately, something felt terribly wrong.
A black mist began seeping across his body. Though the healing potion restored his physical injuries, his life force weakened even further.
"Why is this happening...?"
Natsuki Subaru could not comprehend what had led to such a result.
Not only that—he too felt his life approaching its end.
In the distance, Shendu had been steadily gaining the upper hand and was on the verge of victory.
Yet suddenly, Sirius cackled madly once more. One of her hooked chains shot out, seizing a nearby citizen and plunging its claw into the man's abdomen.
"You who resemble the Witch! You can never kill me! If you kill me, the situation will only grow more dangerous! Will you truly stand against my love?"
Her words were incomprehensible, irritating Shendu further.
"Hmph. Shadowkhan."
Shendu had a premonition—the woman possessed a method of mutual destruction.
If so, Natsuki Subaru's Authority of Return by Death would likely be triggered.
Considering that possibility, Shendu could not be certain whether she would retain her memories as she had last time.
To be safe, she decided to transmit crucial information to Natsuki Subaru, ensuring that once time rewound, he could quickly seek her out and explain everything.
Without hesitation, Shendu summoned the Shadowkhan ninjas. Clad in heavy armor like samurai, they swarmed the Archbishop of Wrath.
These magical constructs were unaffected by emotional manipulation. As mere magical beings rather than true humans, they were immune to her Authority.
Temporarily restraining Sirius, Shendu moved swiftly to Natsuki Subaru's side. Sensing his life nearly extinguished, she knelt beside him.
"Natsuki Subaru, as you can see, a new loop is about to begin."
"You will return to roughly ten minutes earlier. I will imprint vital information into your mind. After time rewinds, if I lose my memories, you must tell me everything."
Shendu looked at him gravely, issuing her command.
"Yes, Lady Shendu!"
The moment Natsuki Subaru finished speaking, the light left his eyes and his body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
Not far away, Sirius hurled the citizen she controlled high into the sky.
When the body fell back down, every citizen within the vicinity—including Natsuki Subaru—met the same gruesome fate.