The Witch Cult had a total of seven Sin Archbishops, each representing one of humanity's seven deadly sins—also the dark side of this world.
At present, aside from the vacant seat of the Archbishop of Pride, the other Archbishops had already gathered. And the Archbishop of Gluttony was not just a single individual.
Simply put, those Archbishops were humans who had fused with Witch Factors. Under the leadership of the Witch of Vainglory, they had always sought to release the legendary Witch of Envy.
As for the Witch of Envy, Satella, she was, in essence, a pitiful witch who looked exactly like Emilia. But four hundred years ago, the Witch Factor within her went completely out of control.
As a result, she devoured half the world and was ultimately sealed by ancient heroes working together.
The fact that Natsuki Subaru was connected to Emilia was, in all likelihood, related to one of those ancient heroes. Shendu suspected it might have been the Sage.
Only that possibility could explain why the Witch of Envy knew Natsuki Subaru—and why she had bestowed Authority upon him.
When Shendu decided to deal with Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, Geuse naturally stepped aside. Being able to see Emilia again, he felt as though he had been given a chance at redemption.
Compared to the original outcome—being silently killed by Natsuki Subaru—this was undoubtedly far better.
"I've liberated my slothful side, and that is unforgivable, unforgivable. Only by killing you and offering you as a sacrifice to the Witch of Envy will she acknowledge my diligence."
Petelgeuse grew increasingly frenzied. His Authority surged to its peak, countless rocks around them rising into the air before being hurled forward.
"Hmph!"
Faced with Petelgeuse's attack, Shendu let out a cold snort. An invisible barrier of magic blocked every strike.
No matter how long Petelgeuse attacked, every assault stopped in front of her, only to be deflected by an unseen force.
Seeing this scene, Geuse could not help but feel astonished. It reminded him of the helplessness he had once felt when facing the Archbishop of Greed.
Back then, no matter how desperately he fought—until his eyes bled—he could not even shake that Sin Archbishop. Instead, he had been struck in the arm and gained nothing from the exchange.
"Lady Emilia, just what kind of existence is Miss Shendu?"
Feeling the unfathomable power radiating from Shendu, Geuse asked in disbelief.
"Sister Shendu is a traveler. A very, very powerful traveler. There are some things you can completely leave to her."
Emilia smiled gently as she offered a simple explanation.
"Is that so?"
Geuse returned a smile, feeling somewhat reassured.
Up to now, Emilia had yet to see anything Shendu could not accomplish. She did not even know what Shendu's limits were.
That curiosity stirred within her, as she quietly waited for Shendu to display yet another miracle.
"Petelgeuse, your power is strong. But in front of me, it truly amounts to nothing. Tell me—what is the Witch Cult's true objective?"
"Why capture Emilia? Why conduct this trial?"
Shendu fixed her gaze on the Archbishop of Sloth, her tone ice-cold as she awaited his answer.
"That woman is the key—the key to breaking the seal of the Witch of Envy, Satella. Once the seal is opened, the great Lady Satella will descend once more."
"She will surely grant me boundless love. She will surely allow me to realize my worth. I will no longer be as pitiful as before."
As Petelgeuse spoke, his attacks intensified. The Unseen Hands lashed out relentlessly.
Facing the invisible assaults, Shendu did not even bother activating her True Sight. A simple magical barrier was enough to block everything.
No matter how strong this Sin Archbishop was, he was unlikely to break her defenses. That was her absolute confidence in her own strength.
"The love you seek is already gone. Unfortunately, you've been thoroughly brainwashed. But I can create a new future."
A faint smile curved Shendu's lips, though her expression remained cold, utterly indifferent to Sloth's ravings.
"Spatial magic!"
Recognizing that the cave was not an ideal battlefield, Shendu wasted no time. Activating spatial magic, she teleported everyone outside.
In an instant, the scenery shifted. They appeared on an open plain beyond the cave, their footing slightly unsteady.
But Petelgeuse's madness continued. Even more Unseen Hands reached toward Shendu—the vessel he believed to be the Witch's new candidate.
"Let me guess. You still have contracted Fingers prepared for transfer, don't you? That's your routine."
Shendu looked at Petelgeuse calmly, as if chatting with an old acquaintance.
"Yes! This is the Witch's love for me—the powerful Authority she granted me. I am so diligent. I will surely receive the Witch's favor."
Tentacle-like appendages extended and slammed repeatedly against the magical barrier. Shendu remained unmoved, though she was growing slightly annoyed by the endless invisible arms.
"How irritating. Is this really all you've got?"
She could feel that Petelgeuse was still utterly mad. A split-off persona born of pure malice was not something that could be persuaded so easily.
Shendu was growing tired of the exchange. With a forceful wave of her right hand, a pure magical shockwave surged outward.
Wherever it passed, the invisible Unseen Hands were crushed instantly.
The remaining force did not diminish. It shot forward and slammed into Petelgeuse, sending him flying and smashing him into the ground, carving out a massive crater.
Blood poured from the body he possessed, yet Petelgeuse's madness remained unchanged, causing Geuse visible discomfort.
Petelgeuse and Geuse were, in essence, two personalities within the same body. But the original personality had long since collapsed. Geuse had only regained consciousness thanks to Shendu's intervention.
After separating good and evil, the soul itself had been halved. The Authority was likewise split—an absolute balance.
"Wonderful. The taste of blood. This pain. It is the Witch's blessing. I will liberate the Witch!"
Though he had endured that blow, Petelgeuse's body swayed. Nearly every bone in his body felt shattered.
Yet his stubborn will even drew a trace of admiration from Shendu, who spoke with a hint of amusement.
"Ah! Such diligence! Go to hell."
Shendu smiled coldly. A shadow spear condensed in her hand, infused with her magic. The moment she spoke, she hurled the black spear.
Thud!
As expected, the spear pierced through Petelgeuse's abdomen. The compressed magic within it converged into a single point.
Boom!
The body Petelgeuse inhabited exploded like fireworks. Blazing flames and a violent shockwave spread outward.
Emilia and the twin maids could not help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
It seemed that Shendu's methods of dealing with Petelgeuse were even more refined than they had imagined. The Sin Archbishop's combat ability was not nearly as overwhelming as they had feared.
After only a few exchanges, Shendu had destroyed one of his vessels. She then turned her head toward the forest and curled her lips into a cold smile.
"Those things are still over there. Let's continue the purge."
Stepping forward, she advanced one stride at a time. In her view, it was time to eliminate them completely.
At the very least, Geuse needed to return to normal.
For Shendu, Geuse—who possessed Authority—could serve as a modest asset in the future. Assisting Emilia in becoming queen would not be an issue.
And after witnessing Shendu's power time and again, Geuse felt nothing but admiration for the silver-haired girl. In his heart, he had already resolved to follow her unto death.
...
As Shendu and Emilia headed toward the forest together, they had not gone far before a young man in church robes appeared before them.
His expression was still twisted, his eyes bulging, his entire being sunk in incomparable madness.
"It's useless. I have plenty of Fingers. You can't possibly kill me completely. This is the Witch's favor upon me."
Petelgeuse bit down on his fingers, utterly deranged. Faced with this woman who bore hair similar to the Witch's, he showed not the slightest fear.
"Oh? You're quite confident. How diligent of you to prepare so many."
Lightning crackled in Shendu's eyes. With a single glance, more than a dozen beams of electric light shot forth, striking Petelgeuse at blinding speed.
Even the Unseen Hands were shattered instantly. Petelgeuse himself was riddled with holes, collapsing to the ground as blood poured from his mouth.
Most likely, this possessed body was finished as well.
"It's useless. I told you—I will not die. Until I fulfill the wish of releasing the Witch, I will never allow myself to perish so easily."
Before Petelgeuse could continue, Shendu drew the pseudo-divine artifact—the Amaterasu Sword—from her system space and thrust it straight through his heart.
For Shendu, Petelgeuse's Authority was easy enough to deal with. The constant reincarnation was troublesome, but not unsolvable.
Since she did not intend to dispatch the Shadowkhan, she decided to treat this like a game of whac-a-mole—eliminating every last one of Petelgeuse's Fingers, one by one.
After all, he posed no real threat to her.
"Lady Shendu is amazing!"
"Lady Shendu is invincible!"
The twin maids gazed at her with pure admiration, stars practically shining in their eyes.
Silver hair, crimson eyes, a face of peerless beauty—every movement she made radiated the presence of a true powerhouse.
The oni race revered strength above all else. Shendu's display had completely won the twin maids over. Their eyes never once left her figure.
"Geuse, you can rest easy now, can't you? Sister Shendu will definitely restore you to normal."
Emilia said with absolute conviction. She believed in Shendu without question.
"Yes. I'm no longer worried."
Geuse nodded, feeling as though a weight had finally lifted from his chest.
He had not expected Emilia to change so much. Perhaps it was because of this silver-haired girl. It was undoubtedly a positive change.
The Lady Emilia he had sworn to protect seemed far stronger than before.
After destroying yet another vessel, Shendu arrived at the edge of the forest and found that Petelgeuse had attached himself to his final body, trembling yet still insane.
"You have no hope left. Surrender peacefully, and perhaps I might spare you."
Shendu spoke playfully. It was nothing more than a joke.
The possibility of her sparing Petelgeuse was practically nonexistent. She still needed Geuse to become whole again.
"Ahahaha! Surrender? Impossible! This is the trial granted to me by the Witch! Only by completing it can I continue to receive her love!"
Overwhelmed by Shendu's mockery, Petelgeuse finally snapped. Realizing he had no hope left, he gathered all his Unseen Hands together.
Like a fountain erupting, invisible arms surged outward, more than a dozen unseen limbs thrashing wildly in every direction as he pushed his offensive power to its maximum.
Wherever they passed, stones split and metal shattered. Trees were uprooted entirely and hurled as weapons. Yet Shendu remained utterly unimpressed. Compared to before, this frenzied assault was even weaker in her eyes.
Earlier, Petelgeuse had relentlessly battered her magical barrier, trying to tear her apart.
But in the face of absolute strength, his resistance was pitiful. Shendu allowed him to rampage, casually holding the holy sword before her chest.
It was clear she was about to make her move.
After playing this game long enough, Shendu saw no reason to continue. Petelgeuse's curtain call should come now.
She had grown slightly tired of this whac-a-mole routine. It was time to move on to something else.
Clang-clang-clang!
Petelgeuse's attacks did not cease for a single moment, yet they achieved almost nothing. Shendu unleashed her magic once more, tearing every unseen arm to pieces.
They dissolved into strands of black mist and gradually dispersed before her eyes.
"It's useless. I can sense every one of those unseen arms. You've already lost."
Gripping the Amaterasu Sword, Shendu activated her Divine Protection of Holy Radiance. Wind, yin, and yang attributes were all drawn forth at once.
Those immense forces gathered continuously upon the blade, forming a swirling current of magic.
"You're fortunate—to witness one of my sword techniques. Let me show you what I can do."
Having amassed sufficient power, Shendu raised the Amaterasu Sword high. A sharp aura burst from her body.
"Take this—Skyshatter Strike!"
As the blade fell, a tempest infused with yin and yang magic erupted, twisting into a massive tornado. From within it, two black dragons emerged, roaring as they charged toward Petelgeuse.
"A trial! This is the final trial granted to me by the Witch!"
Petelgeuse burst into mad laughter, utterly disregarding the destruction of his Unseen Hands as his Authority dissolved into black mist.
Where the twin dragons passed, trees were severed at the waist, and great swathes of earth were annihilated. The tornado-like current did not lose momentum as it struck Petelgeuse head-on.
"Aaagh!"
Dragged upward by the raging airflow, he was hurled into the sky. The two black dragons roared and collided with him simultaneously.
Thud!
Just like that, Petelgeuse was completely defeated. The dark persona within Geuse was utterly destroyed.
At the moment of death, an earthen-yellow sphere of light flew from the obliterated body, attempting to escape—only to be seized by an invisible force.
"Heh. Trying to run? Too late."
With a flick of her hand, Shendu grasped the earthen light in her palm, sensing what lay within.
Geuse's true form, a minor spirit from four hundred years ago, was the reason he could reincarnate.
After separating good and evil, the half that had been destroyed naturally contained the other portion of his origin. Now held in Shendu's hand, she infused it with her own magic, refining and restoring the spirit's essence.
After a short while, the remaining spirit origin transformed into a sphere of light threaded with faint black radiance.
"Sister Shendu, is that Geuse's origin? It feels incredible..."
Sensing the familiar fluctuation, Emilia's eyes widened in astonishment.
"That's right. As you can see, it's one half of a spirit's origin. Geuse, I've destroyed your evil persona and repaired the remnants. Once you merge with it, you'll be the same as before."
"However, I've preserved the Authority. When you fuse, you'll be able to wield the power of the Unseen Hand perfectly."
Shendu did not hold Geuse's combat ability in particularly high regard.
Among the Sin Archbishops, his strength ranked near the bottom—at most slightly stronger than the Archbishop of Gluttony. Otherwise, he had little advantage.
Though his Authority was useful, it was nowhere near as invincible as that of the Archbishop of Greed. Even so, it still surpassed many others.