Unseen Hands was an ability Geuse forcibly obtained by using a Witch Factor in order to fight the Vainglory Witch, Pandora, and the Greed Archbishop, Regulus Corneas.
It's an ability driven by soul power—in other words, spiritual force, a mysterious strength tied to the soul itself.
Because it's so special and occult, ordinary people can't see it.
In theory, the Unseen Hands can extend endlessly depending on the user's soul power, and grab anything the user wants to grab.
Which makes it the perfect tool to deal with Regulus Corneas.
Of course, Regulus Corneas's Authority is time stoppage. There's a good chance even his soul is "frozen," leaving him in a state where he can't be harmed.
So if Hayashi Maki wants to kill him, he still has to start by breaking Regulus's Authority.
That means finding and catching all of his wives.
Regulus Corneas's hundreds of wives were all "marriages" he forced on them according to the Gospel's guidance.
He'll claim they married him willingly.
But when he has already slaughtered their families, friends—sometimes even an entire country—what choice do they have besides "marrying" him?
Whether they endure it to wait for a chance at revenge, or to survive another day, any woman he targets has no option but to submit to his will and become his wife.
The most absurd part is: he forbids his wives from showing any expression. No crying. No smiling.
He's volatile and cruel—if he's in a bad mood, he'll casually blow a wife into a spray of blood and mist.
And even after forcing them into marriage, he doesn't touch them. His wives die as virgins. He's a lunatic who squats on the latrine and never does the job.
Hayashi Maki thinks that once he cracks Regulus's Authority, he can't let the man die too easily.
Otherwise it'd be an insult to all the innocent women Regulus murdered.
As for the wives who are still alive, Hayashi Maki plans to bring them into the Axis Church.
After all, Regulus killed their families and friends. In this world, they barely have anywhere left to belong.
To stay alive, those women—beautiful, talented, and very much grown—can only suppress their terror behind blank faces, like dolls, trapped in the "kingdom" Regulus designated for them.
"Hayashi Maki… Puck… who was that man?"
Watching the Sloth Archbishop die, Emilia couldn't stop thinking about that gentle green-haired figure. She asked Puck and Hayashi Maki softly.
Puck gave Hayashi Maki a helpless look.
Hayashi Maki lifted a hand and gently patted her hair. "When we reach the Sanctuary and you take the trials, you'll understand. I'm not telling you now because you're not ready to carry it yet."
"And… for a while, you'll lose someone important."
Emilia's heart tightened, but she didn't doubt him. She nodded hard. "I don't know who you mean… but I'll do everything I can to hold on to the people who matter!"
Hayashi Maki smiled. "That's my Emilia."
Then his expression turned sharp. "Alright—Crusch is still waiting. I need to go back and hold the line, or she could be in real danger."
"I understand. Go help Crusch-sama. I'll do what I need to do, too."
Hayashi Maki nodded. "Then check every part of the village. I suspect the Witch Cult planted explosive stones. If villagers touch them, it'll be disastrous."
With that, Hayashi Maki teleported straight back to Aqua.
What he saw was chaos.
Several carriages were already smashed to pieces. One unlucky bastard was on the ground screaming—his legs had been pulverized into bloody pulp.
Aqua casually tossed him a heal to stop the bleeding, then continued maintaining the barrier.
And outside that barrier stood two people, relaxed as if they owned the place.
One was the white-haired man—Regulus Corneas, the Greed Archbishop.
The other was a short, long-haired man with a mouth full of saw-like teeth, and a pair of short swords strapped to each hand, staring with a sick, hungry look.
Meanwhile, Regulus spoke to the barrier with a tone like he was doing everyone a favor.
"Honestly, as one of this nation's royal candidates, Crusch-sama… is this really how you welcome guests? Shutting your guests outside the door—no matter how you spin it, that's outrageous."
Crusch, gripping her sword with a cold face, didn't answer. She only nodded at Hayashi Maki, her shoulders loosening in relief.
"You're finally here, Hayashi Maki. Grandpa Wilhelm almost didn't make it back."
Only then did Hayashi Maki notice Wilhelm—flat on the ground, unmoving.
If Hayashi Maki couldn't still sense his breathing, he would've assumed the old man was dead.
"Thank goodness Aqua-sama healed us in time and raised the barrier," Crusch said grimly. "Otherwise, more than half of us would've died."
It was clear she'd already had a real taste of Greed and Gluttony's methods before Hayashi Maki arrived.
Gluttony's body moved like it was born for combat—too fast, too fluid.
And there was that horrific memory-devouring ability. Two people had already been hit. Even if Aqua could fix their bodies, their memories weren't coming back.
Those two would live on as empty shells.
"I get it," Hayashi Maki said calmly. "From here on out, leave it to me and Beatrice."
He reached down, laced his fingers with the little spirit's hand, and looked at the white-haired man and the so-called gourmand Gluttony Archbishop, Lye Batenkaitos.
Regulus immediately exploded.
"Hey, hey—what the hell? I'm talking to you! You can ignore me, sure, but chatting with someone else in front of me is trampling on my right to speak!"
Hayashi Maki didn't even blink. "Shut up. You're ugly—stop talking. I don't feel like listening."
Regulus froze. "Huh?"
His face went dark.
"You just called me… ugly?"
"Did I stutter?" Hayashi Maki shrugged. "Being ugly isn't your fault. But coming out here to scare people is. Little white-haired freak."
Regulus's eyes turned to pure ice.
"'Little white-haired freak'… You've got nerve. If you're going to violate my rights like that, then die."
He exhaled, and an invisible killing force surged toward Hayashi Maki.
"Hayashi Maki—watch out for that air!" Crusch shouted in alarm.
Hayashi Maki simply held Beatrice's hand, looking at Regulus like he was pathetic.
The dust—powerful enough to shred horses and carriages into bloody mist—hit the space in front of Hayashi Maki and Beatrice and didn't even ripple.
In plain terms: Regulus's attack didn't work.
When Hayashi Maki and Beatrice were together, they were under the invincible effect of "Safe House."
A conceptual skill.
As long as Beatrice was by Hayashi Maki's side, anyone who had contact with him was protected by an invincible state.
Regulus stood there, stunned.
"Impossible! You used some kind of magical tool!"
He stomped, imbuing dust and stones with movement while keeping them in a "time-stopped" state, then fired them like bullets at Hayashi Maki and Beatrice.
Time-stopped matter became unbreakable. With constant forward motion, even dust became a slaughter weapon—turning bodies into pulp, ripping buildings apart.
But the moment those projectiles entered the "Safe House" invincibility range, the effect vanished.
Hayashi Maki waved a hand lazily. "Are you trying to make me laugh, ugly little white-haired guy? Whatever. I'm bored watching you perform—go stand in the corner."
He casually mimed a slap.
Smack. Smack.
Regulus's cheeks snapped sideways. Two clear handprints bloomed red on his face.
Hayashi Maki blinked, mildly surprised.
His Unseen Hands actually hit Regulus's soul?
By rights, they shouldn't—because Regulus's soul should be frozen too. If his Authority wasn't broken, no one should be able to hurt him.
But the reality was: Hayashi Maki's soul-based strike did hit, and it hit like a humiliating double slap.
Even Hayashi Maki had underestimated how abnormal he was.
Regulus shrieked.
"How?! That's impossible! How can you make me feel pain?! What did you do?!"
Beside him, Lye Batenkaitos saw Greed panic, and his face instantly changed. He kicked off the ground to run.
Too late.
An invisible hand clamped down on him like a vise.
And in the next instant, Regulus's expression warped. He doubled over, clutching his groin, screaming.
"Ah—damn it… it hurts… it hurts!"
Since the Unseen Hands could hit him, Hayashi Maki didn't hold back.
He opened with a ruthless "gut punch"—straight to the balls.
But that was all it could be for now. Even if Hayashi Maki could make Regulus's soul feel pain, Regulus's heart wasn't here. Hayashi Maki still couldn't kill him.
So when Regulus scrambled away in panic, Hayashi Maki didn't chase.
He flashed in front of Lye Batenkaitos, raised a hand, and slapped it down on the man's head.
Then he forcibly ripped out the Witch Factor—stealing the Authority formed from it.