"Why did I volunteer for this again?"
Having gone a fair distance along a path unfit for walking, Xeno made his way through the gap between the trees, snapping branches beneath his feet, his senses on high alert.
The atmosphere was as uncomfortable as it could get, something straight out of a horror novel, making him feel a bit tense. However, soon a smile made its way onto his face as he realised everything was going according to plan.
"Finally took you lots long enough."
In an instant, several figures had surrounded Xeno, robed in dark clothing that blended into their surroundings. At some point, the sound of the wind and even the chirping of insects had vanished. These Witch Cultists didn't speak or move; they only watched Xeno in silence.
"Take me to your boss. I have some important business with him. The rest of you can go."
Putting his hands in his pockets, Xeno commanded the figures. They bowed their heads in respect. With the exception of one, the rest seemed to glide away, melting into the darkness once more.
The lone figure that stayed guided Xeno towards their base of operations. This was within his expectations. During his first encounter with Petelgeuse, he had observed that the Archbishop had never shown any hostility towards him, despite Xeno completely ruining his operations.
The maniac had only become hostile when Xeno had literally vaporised him. Using that knowledge, he decided to test whether the same would apply to the lesser members as well. Much to his relief, it worked out splendidly.
Being guided by the cultist, Xeno continued deeper into the forest. Not long after following the path, the veil of trees opened up as he was met with the sight of a steep cliff. Several boulders lay at the bottom.
With the aforementioned cave serving as the Witch Cult's base of operations right in front of him, Xeno had a choice. But he wasn't interested in that, at least not for now. Instead, his main target was standing out in the open, awaiting his arrival.
"I have been waiting for you, disciple of love! I am the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Sloth. Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti....DESU!"
Twitching his head at an odd angle, Petelgeuse licked his lips in excitement.
Petelgeuse: "I welcome you. Beloved child blessed by love! Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Xeno: "The pleasure is all mine, Sin Archbishop, though I wouldn't call myself blessed by love."
The moment the cultist who had led him there was no longer needed, he blended back into the earth. Xeno narrowed his eyes at Petelgeuse, who looked just as disturbing as he remembered.
Petelgeuse: "Blessed child, worry not! It always begins suddenly! Everyone, on a certain day, realises they are loved! They feel the love! The love! The love! The love! The love! The love! The love! The love! The love! The love!"
Instantly, Xeno's red pupils scanned the madman while he was busy rambling. This was the best time to extract all the important information about him, his ability, and the details of his entire operation.
[Name: Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti
Geuse (former)
Race: Spirit
Age: 402
Relation: Highly lenient and favourable
Title: Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Co-Founder of the Witch Cult, Moderate Faction Leader.
If you think about it, he's technically simping for someone who looks exactly like his former daughter. Oh, right, BTW, he used to be Emilia's adoptive dad.]
Xeno: 'I'm sorry, what!'
This information alone nearly made him drop character. What do you mean this psycho is Emilia's dad? What kind of lore is this?
Leaving it to the side for now, he continued to extract more information.
[Abilities
Authority of Sloth: Unseen Hand
Petelgeuse can summon dozens of invisible hands. These are strong enough to tear through flesh, shatter stone, and share parts of his Authority with others. Most can't see them, but you can.
Possession: Due to his nature as a spirit, he doesn't have a physical body, instead using people with high spirit affinity as his hosts to anchor his Od. That's where his 10 Fingers come in. These are his spare bodies, to whom he has shared parts of his Authority.
Earth Magic: Obviously, being an earth spirit, he's great at using earth magic. So, because of that...]
After that, Gluttony flooded his brain with all the positions of the scattered Witch Cultists, where his Fingers were located, among other things. There was so much information that he nearly got a headache.
Petelgeuse: "Ah! Beloved child, have you finally found the love in your heart!?"
Xeno: "Uh? Oh yeah, definitely. I'm feeling warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it." Being snapped back to reality, he quickly agreed.
"So... What should I do now?"
Petelgeuse: "Ah, the generous love of the Witch... You wouldn't happen to be Pride? Yes, you must be Pride. Would you? Of the six Sin Archbishops, Pride is the only vacant seat. You have received the Gospel, haven't you?"
Taking a step closer, Petelgeuse gazed at Xeno, tilting his neck at a 90-degree angle. Xeno took a step back, looking thoughtful.
Xeno: 'So there are other Sin Archbishops, and Pride is vacant... Pride, why the hell does this guy keep thinking I'm Pride?' Again, he filed it away for later.
Xeno: "A Gospel?" He said with genuine curiosity.
Petelgeuse: "My Brain.....Trembles! Presentation of Gospel, proof of love! Proof, proof, proof, proof!"
Bursting into cries suddenly, Petelgeuse took out a black tome from his robes. In a swift motion, he began frantically reading the book page by page, blitzing through them. Then, without warning, Petelgeuse stopped, turning his gaze back to Xeno.
"Huh? There is no account of you in my Gospel."
Xeno: 'That's a Gospel? Are there instructions written in it?' He tensed up slightly. Things had just gotten complicated.
Petelgeuse: "Why did you appear here? Why visit? What fortune are you here to bring to me, Pride!?"
Xeno: "Ah! That Gospel? Sorry, looks like I have to apologise to you, then." A shit-eating grin spread across his face.
Petelgeuse: "What is it?"
Xeno: "My Gospel, you see... I went camping the other day and ran out of firewood. So I threw it in as fuel... Oopsie."
He winked playfully.
Petelgeuse: "..."
"Proof of Love! Authority of Sloth: Unseen Hands!"
As he screamed at the top of his lungs, several black arms emerged from behind him, dancing high like serpents. They locked onto Xeno and snapped down like whips, shooting out at breakneck speeds.
Xeno reacted quickly. Four tendrils shot out from his back as his pupils turned purple. Using the earth, the tendrils hastily retreated moments before the Unseen Hands struck, shattering the very place where he had stood.
Petelgeuse: "What!?"
Xeno: "Why so surprised? It's not like you announced your attack at the top of your lungs or anything!" He explained mockingly.
Petelgeuse: "You can see them!?"
Xeno: "You think that's bad? Just wait. You've already activated my trap cards."
The moment Xeno said this, two beastly howls overlapped, forming a destructive wave. The wave caused cracks in the ground resembling spiderwebs, as a hole was gouged into the cliff, inciting a landslide.
"What!?"
As he turned around, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth saw Mimi and Tivey landing on the ground. While on all fours, the siblings let out another roar, ignoring the madman behind them. Petelgeuse could only watch as an avalanche of rocks came down, completely closing off the people inside the cave, as the cave continued to collapse from the inside.
In a single moment, the hideout of the Witch Cult was reduced to rubble. Seeing this, Xeno's grin only widened at his misfortune, but he wasn't done, far from it.
Xeno: "Mimi, Tivey, give these to Wilhelm, Ricardo, and the rest. Make everyone read these." Snapping his fingers, a small stack of dark purple papers appeared in the two's arms.
Tivey: "Leave it to us!" He nodded, preparing to head out, not before witnessing Petelgeuse's meltdown.
Petelgeuse: "How, how could this be? My Fingers, so cruelly, so mercilessly, so chaotically, so arbitrarily, so mercilessly..... AAAAAH!!! MY BRAIN TREMBLES!"
Petelgeuse felt blood dripping from his forehead as he violently pulled at his own hair. After pulling some of it out, he bled freely as he aggressively stomped on the ground. Both Mimi and Tivey went off to complete their task, having been in disguise, while Petelgeuse crunched on his own fingers, crushing his fingertips with his teeth.
Petelgeuse: "Yes, of course. Fine. Fine. I understand, let's do this! I'm ready to do this! The time has come for us to see who is worthy of her love! Her love! Yes, her love!"
He said this frantically, his Authority impatiently waiting to attack behind him, as Petelgeuse gazed at Xeno with a look of hysteria.
Xeno: "Eh... Not really into the witch type. If she got a nice ass, maybe I'll reconsider." He shrugged nonchalantly.
That last comment finally snapped the camel's back. With a guttural roar, Petelgeuse's eyes turned bloodshot. He mindlessly charged forward, his Unseen Hands speeding straight for Xeno.
"PRRRRRRRIDDDDEEEE!!!"
Xeno: "Sorry to disappoint, Sloth, but the one fighting you today isn't me—"
Narrowing his eyes, he studied the invisible hands rushing towards him. He swiftly jumped and tilted his body sideways, casually shrugging as they missed.
Despite missing, the hands continued onwards, towards the forest, where a voice from the darkness spoke out.
"Al Clarista!"
A rainbow-coloured glimmer flashed forth, mowing down the onrushing Unseen Hands in an instant.
Xeno: "It's him." He dramatically pointed into the darkness with a light bow.
On cue, a young man slowly stepped into the light. Each and every movement of his stride was filled with grace. He held the hilt of his blade tightly. With a smile on his face, the knight calmly spoke to the Sin Archbishop in front of him, ignoring the hateful glare the man cast at him.
"I am Julius Juukulius, of the Lugunica Imperial Knights. I am the kingdom's sword that will bring ruin to you, Archbishop."
Petelgeuse: "A spirit arts user, are you? How truly... How truly... Is this part of your plot!? I have never felt such humiliation."
As Petelgeuse pointed a finger at Xeno, the otherworlder merely continued smirking as he stood beside Julius. Before taking a sigh, he looked towards Julius.
Xeno: "You sure you're ready? You should have already figured out his ability, right?"
Julius: "It's troublesome, I will admit that. But hard as it may be, I have no intention of backing down from my purpose."
Xeno: "Ugh, always have a comeback prepared, don't you? I bet you practise all these lines in front of a mirror, too." He groaned.
Julius: "You underestimate me, Xeno. All of my 'lines' come naturally, an added benefit of being graceful... Though I'm sure that's beyond you."
Xeno: "Oh! Fuck you." His eye twitched, completely proving his point. Shaking his head, he went back to the topic.
"I almost want Petelgeuse to kick your ass now. But since I'm so nice, I'll give you a signal. With it, his Unseen Hands shouldn't be a problem."
Julius: "What kind of signal?"
Xeno: "Don't worry, you'll SEE it."
Julius: "I see. In that case, I shall answer that signal with all my spirits."
As the tip of his blade now pointed towards the heavens, Julius saw the spirits surrounding the blade granting him their blessings. The spirits danced in the air as they revolved around the sword in Julius's hand.
Two spirits, black and white in colour, began to shine, emitting the brightest light and growing stronger until it felt as though one's vision was being burned away. Soon, the light that engulfed the battlefield finally relented.
However, after witnessing such a display, the Archbishop of Sloth could no longer hold his tongue.
"Is this farce over?! And how does adding one spirit arts user into the fray change anything?! I will defeat you all, tear apart whoever remains, and continue the ordeal! My diligence knows neither slothful resignation nor demise! Ah, ah, AH, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth! Slothslothslothslothslothslothslothslothslothsloth—"
His bloodshot eyes were directed towards the two who dared threaten his diligence and love. Two of his bloody fingertips pointed accusingly at both the spirit arts user and the one who had made him feel humiliated.
His tongue stretched so far that his throat seemed unable to contain it. Petelgeuse dug wounds into himself deep enough to reach the bone as he shouted his premonition of death.
Without warning, dozens of hands emerged from Petelgeuse's shadow and swarmed towards the two, intending to flatten them both.
Julius stood still, patiently waiting for Xeno's signal, and he wouldn't have to wait long. With a snap of his fingers, Xeno gave the signal. Julius's eyes widened.
"Al Clarista!"
Just like the moment before, the Unseen Hands were cut down in a matter of seconds.
Petelgeuse: "...Huh?"
The Sin Archbishop let out a confused sound, as the spirit arts user had just done something that should have been impossible. Unlike the last time, when Julius had cut them down, which could be attributed to him knowing about them through Xeno's dodging, this time was different.
He had cut them down all by himself.
Xeno couldn't help but laugh at Petelgeuse's comical expression.
Xeno: "Pfffft! Hahahahaha! Surprised, aren't you? Man, don't worry. I have a lot more where that came from."
Julius: "You never fail to amaze me, Xeno. To think you could make the Sin Archbishop's Authority completely visible to me."
Petelgeuse: "Why, why, why, why, why, why, why you, why you, why you, why you, why you, why you—"
In response to the Sin Archbishop's unfocused bloodlust, a wave of Unseen Hands erupted from the madman, flying out in different directions, thrashing about and destroying everything in their surroundings.
Xeno: "What can I say? I'm amazing. Just don't let my trick go to waste. Finish this, Julius."
Julius: "With pleasure."
The knight sliced away at the pitch-black hands pouring down on them. He neatly sliced one onrushing hand into two with a horizontal slash. Julius watched as the arms burned away, turning into black specks.
The reason he was even able to do so was all thanks to Xeno. What he had done earlier was cover each of Petelgeuse's hands in a very thin layer of his ability, making it as dark a purple as possible.
The result? Neither Xeno nor Petelgeuse could tell that anything was wrong with them. But to Julius, these previously invisible hands now had clear outlines, making them very easy to see.
Taking advantage of this, Julius rapidly gained ground towards Petelgeuse. The madman desperately tried to hold him off with the twenty hands he had remaining. His Authority was far from its full power right now, meaning he could only hopelessly watch as even those dwindled.
Petelgeuse: "It is unacceptable for you to see them! By what method? A ploy? A trick? My love! My devotion!"
The end result was predictable. Eventually, Julius closed the distance and, with a measured strike, cut the Sin Archbishop across the chest. With a look of shock across his face, Petelgeuse skidded several metres backwards.
Petelgeuse: "...! Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible!!!!!!! Why is this happening?! How can this be?! My Authority... I am loved, I know I am loved, I am assuredly loved! By the Witch, the Witch, the Witch!!!!!!"
Julius: "You persist in your illogical actions and thoughts. The finesse of your so-called Authority has already diminished. More importantly, it is finally time to cut you down in earnest."
Upon hearing those words escape Julius's lips, Petelgeuse could no longer contain himself. A roar akin to that of an animal releasing its pent-up anger escaped the Archbishop's mouth, as he couldn't afford to let this continue.
Four hundred years of diligent study to revive the Witch were now in danger of being laid to waste. All because of a knight and spirits that showed nothing but love towards said knight. This was a humiliation he would not allow to pass.
Petelgeuse bared his blood-tinged teeth as he raged at Julius's words. But the madman's very rage fuelled his downfall. A wave of Unseen Hands erupted from his body, and in less than a second, they were already in front of the knight's face.
Snap.
With grace and agility, Julius used everything in his surroundings as a platform to evade these now-visible hands. The rock he had been standing on was crushed. Next, the tree he jumped off was torn to splinters. Petelgeuse saw Julius leap high into the air after dodging his last attack. Thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to finish him off, he attacked. No matter how skilled Julius was, he couldn't dodge in mid-air.
The invisible hands spread out from all sides, gunning to impale the knight. In response, Julius decided to finish things. Tightening his grip on his blade, he knew that now was the moment to finish this battle.
"Al Clauzeria!"
Circling around the chanting Julius, a swirling vortex of rainbow-hued light erased all the pitch-black evil hands from existence. The aurora burned through the encircling net Petelgeuse had wrought, causing it to vanish completely. And, in so doing, it opened an unobstructed path between Julius and the madman.
After being caught in the blast that destroyed his Unseen Hands, Petelgeuse dug his crushed fingers into a boulder to help himself stand up as he rose to his feet. Seeing this, Julius lunged forward, thrusting his blade towards the Archbishop's chest in an attempt to impale him.
"I won't let you!!! Ul Dona!"
With his arms wide open, Petelgeuse laughed as the ground erupted. Stone walls consisting of boulders and soil enclosed the Sin Archbishop. Yet the knight did not stop, knowing full well his blade wouldn't be able to reach its target.
But he didn't need to.
As Julius's blade struck the stone walls, completely stopping his attack, hands crawled over the walls to attack him. They were able to do so because there was a crack in one of the walls, which allowed Petelgeuse to keep track of the entire battlefield. Yet the knight didn't seem bothered by his failure at all.
He simply smiled.
Someone else had already made their move.
Inside his defences, Petelgeuse laughed like a maniac, thinking he had the upper hand. And it was exactly this misplaced confidence that led to his downfall.
"Deja Vu."
Someone whispered into the madman's ear. Petelgeuse's smile dropped as he frantically snapped his head backwards. But it was already too late for him to counterattack, as a devastating punch cloaked in purple energy from Xeno impacted his chest.
Blood rushed out of his mouth as he felt the bones of his rib cage nearly shatter. But that wasn't all. The purple cloak morphed into an energy fist, which sent Petelgeuse flying alongside it. His body smashed through the very walls he had built earlier, until he reached the last one, where he rag-dolled through the earth, rolling like a ball for several steps before being stopped dead in his tracks, motionless, right in front of Julius.
And just like that, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth had been defeated.
...
Julius looked down at the unconscious Sin Archbishop, maintaining his distance just in case he suddenly made any moves. But after observing him for a while, he concluded that Petelgeuse truly was down for the count.
Xeno: "Finally, it's done!"
Turning his attention to Xeno, Julius saw the man stretching his back with a look of relief on his face. Within moments, he came to stand beside Julius, looking down at Petelgeuse.
Xeno: "You sure he isn't pretending?" He asked, lightly kicking his body.
Julius: "I can confirm he is defeated and won't be getting up any time soon."
Xeno: "Good, I was getting really sick of his babbling."
Julius: "What do you plan on doing now? Matter of fact, what was it that you handed Mimi and Tivey before?"
Xeno: "I extracted information about the Witch Cult's movements and other stuff."
Julius: "You are capable of doing that?" His eyes widened in surprise, not knowing this was one of Xeno's abilities.
Xeno: "Yeah, but for what I plan to do with him, it's simple. If I understand how his Fingers behave, then if they find out we've captured their leader, they'll come running to rescue him."
Julius: "So you plan on using the Sin Archbishop as bait to lure out his so-called Fingers? A rather reckless plan. I expected nothing less from you."
Xeno: "And I expected Petelgeuse to knock some of your teeth out. I guess life is full of disappointments."
Julius: "I wish you my sincerest apologies for disappointing your expectations, then." A naturally charming smile plastered on his face.
Xeno: "Don't be. You're always a disappointment in my eyes. You don't have to lower your own bar there. Oh, wait, you just did."
Julius's eyes twitched in annoyance. He truly underestimated how petty this man could be.
...
After walking through the forest, Xeno and Julius managed to meet up with the rest of the alliance. They were mildly surprised to see the Sin Archbishop chained up via Xeno's ability, while Xeno himself dragged his unconscious body across the ground.
Seeing them, Wilhelm stepped forward, explaining that two more of Petelgeuse's Fingers had been taken care of. That meant there were only seven left.
Wilhelm: "A few of the cultists were skilled but posed no threat. We made no error in wiping them out."
Xeno: "I'm glad things went well for you. I'm guessing you all read up on my report."
Ricardo: "Yeah, we have. I have to say, with this level of information in our hands, wiping them all out will be easy."
Xeno: "But the Fingers will still be a problem. They're too dangerous for most people. It's better if we take them out separately."
Ricardo: "Since you're suggesting it, I bet you figured out how to do that." He crossed his arms, interested in hearing his strategy.
Julius: "Xenophanes plans on using Petelgeuse as bait. There is a Finger currently acting as a merchant who sneaked in. He's planning on using him to lure all the Fingers into a trap, using their loyalty to the Sin Archbishop."
Ricardo: "Damn! Aren't you brutal?" He whistled in appreciation.
Xeno: "And while we're at it, me, Julius, Felix, and Rem will check up on how the evacuations are going, making sure nothing goes wrong at the last second. As for the rest of you..." He turned towards the knights belonging to Crusch.
"You're all under Wilhelm's command. He and Ricardo are the experts here. I'll leave the cleanup to them."
Wilhelm: "It will be done, Xeno-dono." He accepted the responsibility with grace.
Xeno: "Right, I won't tell you how to do your job. Just be careful out there. And come back alive."
Ricardo: "You've got nothing to worry about. Leave it to us." He pounded his chest proudly.
After a few more discussions, everyone split up to handle their own tasks.
...
Now it was Felix, Rem, Julius, and Xeno all making their way to Arlam Village, where undoubtedly both Emilia and Ram would be. Now that he thought about it, with all the loops, it's been weeks since he last properly met them.
This time, they would actually remember him. And he'd make sure they didn't die like last time.
Rem: "Xeno-kun, are you looking forward to meeting sister and Emilia-sama?" She observed the anticipation on her hero's face. He couldn't wait to meet them again.
Xeno: "You can say that. Oh, Emilia, I missed her sweet and innocent smile so much. I wanna hug her so bad."
Rem: "And what about sister? Does Xeno-kun also want to hug her?"
Xeno: "Eh... I'll pass. Knowing her, she'll find some way to suck the joy out of that."
Rem: "If that is the case, then Rem will happily take her sister's place in being hugged, then." She shamelessly suggested.
Xeno: "Oh, Rem, you don't need to do that. I'll hug you anytime."
Rem: "Xeno-kun..." she let out affectionately.
Julius: "Ahem!"
The spirit knight butted in with a cough.
Xeno: "What do you want now? I'm in the middle of something."
Julius: "I can see that, and as much as I'd like to allow you to embarrass yourself by flirting, we have a situation here."
Xeno: "First of all, at least I have a girlfriend, and second, what now?"
The knight didn't say anything, instead gesturing towards Felix. Raising a brow, both Rem and Xeno turned their attention towards the healer, who had been strangely quiet for some time.
Their eyes widened in shock. Felix, the usually upbeat and mischievous cat, was now a husk of his former self. His eyes were vacant, his posture stiff, with the look of someone who had just lost something important to them but didn't know what.
Xeno: "Felix? The heck happened to you?"
Felix: ".... I don't know." His voice came out heavy, filled with confusion and sadness.
Xeno: "Julius?"
Julius: "I have no idea either. One moment he was fine, and the next... this occurred." His expression was solemn at seeing one of his friends like this.
Rem: "Are you perhaps under some sort of spell, Felix-sama?" She went on guard.
Felix: "No... I'm fine. I've checked my body numerous times; there is nothing wrong with me."
Xeno: "Then what is happening?"
'Maybe Gluttony can tell me something?'
Julius: "Still, we can't eliminate the possibility that something happened. If it's not magic, could it be the effect of a Divine Protection or perhaps another one of those strange Authorities at play? What do you think?"
He turned to the white-haired man, only to be slightly surprised, as the man was blankly looking at Felix, as if he had discovered something horrific. His arms trembled at his sides.
Rem: "Xeno-kun? What's the matter?" She reached out a hand, placing it on his shoulder.
Felix: "Xeno-kyun... Did you find something? If so, tell me! Tell me why I'm like this! What happened to me? Why do I feel so... empty?" He desperately pleaded for an answer.
Xeno: "Felix, Julius, tell me...What do you think about Crusch?"
Hearing the question, both knights looked at each other, puzzled, before Julius answered with a shake of his head.
Julius: "I'm sorry to say, but I don't know what you mean, Xeno."
Felix: "X-Xeno... Who is Crusch?"