The Sin That Couldn't Continue (1)
The army of Hell that had occupied the Denan Plain advanced toward Tormia at breakneck speed.
Habitz rode at the center, with Gustav close behind on horseback.
"Move! Move it!"
Zettaro stripped off his pants and underwear, stood on the saddle, and performed acrobatic stunts as the horse ran.
"See that? That's real skill!" Natasha said.
"Why's he naked underneath, though?"
Lost in thought, Natasha turned her head without answering. Sumodo snorted.
Zettaro scowled as he glanced at Habitz's back.
'He hasn't been smiling lately.'
Such petty pranks no longer satisfied him; something far bigger was coming.
Balkan's expression was no better.
'He's completely fixated. You can't stop him now.'
Even knowing Tormia's infantry were being used as bait, there was nothing they could do.
'We've already taken too many losses.'
The damage at the Abyssal Cliff inflicted by Son Yoo-jung accounted for thirty percent of their forces.
They had to answer for that, and authority ultimately passed to the demon general Paimon.
'It was my mistake, in any case. But…'
Since being struck by Son Yoo-jung's apostasy, one thought would not leave his mind.
'What if the Crusade planned for this? If they intended to hit us with something like apostasy… thirty percent wouldn't be all we'd lose.'
'Annihilation.'
If the Crusade could guarantee the demons' extinction, they would gladly sacrifice their own troops.
'It's possible—no, certain. Whatever their method, they're aiming at us.'
They meant to die together.
'Insane bastards.'
Balkan had never been sane, but even the Crusade's officers were losing their minds.
'And his head is still scheming even now.'
The fact that Tormia's army was chasing them also meant the whole thing was enemy-engineered.
'Dangerous. I want to change route.' Probably impossible.
The scheme Paimon proposed was so destructive that no one else could have conceived it.
'If he opens the Demon Realm, Paimon dies too.' Demons gladly accept annihilation for immense pleasure.
'Habitz will do the same.'
Natasha asked, "What is it, Balkan? Something on your mind?"
"No, I have a strategic suggestion, but I don't think Habitz will listen."
"Hmm."
She scratched her chin. "Still, shouldn't you tell him? It's his choice anyway."
"Right."
Convinced it made sense, Balkan nudged the horse's flank and rode up to Habitz.
"Habitz, I need to say—"
Balkan's words stopped.
Habitz was rubbing his right eye so hard it had turned red.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a bug in my eye."
"A bug?"
As if a fly were trapped in his pupil, something fluttered across Habitz's vision.
Habitz turned and asked, "What did you want to say?"
Seeing nothing in Habitz's eye, Balkan collected himself and spoke.
"Ah— I wanted us to change route. I think the enemy is luring us."
"I know."
Habitz scratched his eye until it bled.
"It doesn't matter. There are humans over there too. We're not going to win—we're going to slaughter."
A brutal philosophy, but—
"Just so you know, we could be wiped out. It's that serious."
"Do as you like."
Blood streaming from his eye, Habitz pulled his mouth into a vicious grin.
"I'm not the one who's going to die."
He thrust both hands up and gouged out the white horse's eyes with his fingers.
Kiheheheheng!
A beast's scream burst out, and the satanic embodiment technique—Vanishing—activated.
"Giddy-up! Giddy-up!"
As if it had always been blind, the horse stamped and bolted forward.
When its legs tangled and it fell, Habitz was thrown, rolled across the ground, and laughed.
"Kuhahaha! Kuhahaha!"
= = = = = = = 1
nrn?rnr ga~i―?!
Countless legs passed him by but not one touched his body.
'No one must die.' That would make it perfect.
If the world were an illusion, a fly had clung to the inside of Habitz's rolling retina and bared grotesque teeth.
"I am the greatest illusion!"
As Vanishing released, he reached out; a demon grabbed his hand and set him back on the horse.
"Come! Let us take everything!"
Habitz's voice rang vividly from the rear to Gustav.
In Kretas Castle, on the confidential fourth basement floor, national intelligence staff handled espionage.
In the so-called "dark room," entry restricted to everyone but Code Black, a confidential meeting had been convened.
"Whew."
Dante sat astride a box by the wall and exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke.
Even if it was called a dark room, there was lighting.
But no light touched his face; a heavy shadow lay over it.
Lyria, Sion's mage, snapped, "What are you acting all cool for? Do you think that makes your ugly face look good?"
They'd once sealed the Ice Queen together and were close, but today the atmosphere was different.
When Dante gave a cold look, she flinched and tilted her head.
"No…it's just your expression is too serious…"
Lyria's brow creased. "Wait. Since I cut him some slack, he's gotten right up in my hair?"
Eden, a monk of the Crusade, intervened. "Don't fight. We don't have time for this. Why is everyone late, anyway?"
Armin said, "If they can't make the time, there's nothing we can do. We'll have to proceed with this roster."
Sein nodded in agreement while Kuan showed no emotion.
"They've arrived."
The door opened and Meirei entered.
"Sorry I'm late."
Pale-faced, with short black hair and wearing a dress, her thin frame could not be concealed.
Armin said, "Dante told me. You supported the Crusade's elemental bomb project."
She had used the Great Purifier's ear ability to root out those who leaked secrets.
"Yes. It's not finished yet, but I'm only a recipient, so it doesn't affect my mission. Besides, the elemental bombs gathered here are just as important."
Kuan muttered, "Assassinate Habitz."
The briefly lightened atmosphere fell heavy again as Dante rose slowly.
"We don't have time—let's do a quick rundown."
Six pairs of eyes focused on him.
"We still lack information, but humanity's assessment of his extreme anomalies comes down to three main points."
Dante raised three fingers.
"First: a fixed future. Among all probabilities the Law can generate, death is the farthest away. Second: an absence of events. His embodiment technique seems to deny recognition of existence. Third: the prison of time."
This information was confidential because it came not from the Tormia channel but through an alumni channel.
"According to Shirone, there's a specific time zone within the concept of time where the Law can't penetrate. It's only a moment, but during that instant no phenomenon can occur."
Lyria said, "So he's outside all Laws tied to future, present, past, and himself. He's basically invincible, huh?"
"Right. Once, a swordsman named Rian suspected the absence of events to some degree. It's almost a unique case."
Maha's knight.
"And he slashed across the whole radius. There was absolutely no escape, but Habitz couldn't be killed. Only twelve black marks remained. Shirone called it Siok."
Kuan reacted. "Rian… couldn't cut him down?"
Kuan knew better than anyone the power contained in that fool's single stroke.
"No. He's not someone you can subdue with sheer force. That's why we need your help."
From the moment, under Miro's orders, Sion's executives came to Tormia, this project had been in preparation.
"First, Armin's stop magic. It makes many things possible."
"To infiltrate the center of Hell's army while time is stopped and approach Habitz."
Dante looked to Lyria. "Then you use the Law to detach Habitz from the formation. You can do spatial linkage, right?"
"Of course. But will that really work?"
Satan is outside the Law.
"If it's Totemistra, it could work. We just need to lay a trap in a space where Satan isn't present."
Dante continued.
"Once Habitz is separated, the real fight begins. First, the fixed future. That can likely be offset by Sein's Iron Wheel Eye. Sein will also command the battle."
He was the world's top Order.
"Second, the absence of events. Meirei's ear will respond to that. We'll also use the Obje 'Nemesis' that was effective in the Ra Enemi operation. We'll share sound."
Lyria licked her lips. "So we'll be fighting based only on sound. Well, I guess we should be grateful for that."
"This is different from the Ra Enemi case. Meirei—or rather, Teraforce—alone can perceive Habitz."
Meirei stepped forward. "Precisely: among waves, it's the quantum code that hears the mind. The photon code—sound—cannot be heard. The waves within Habitz will be transmitted to me. The Chief Justice verified it."
"Right. Teraforce once distinguished good and evil among humanity's minds. From that, the sound of the mind seems different from thought."
"Yes. It's a wave that represents the whole individual. You could call it the mind's genome. By analyzing specific segments of the signal, we can even predict where Habitz will move next. The problem is manipulating the wave. I think it's impossible, but if it's Satan…"
Dante went on. "In that case, Eden will protect the combatants. His role is to prevent Habitz's sudden assault."
"Understood. That leaves the prison of time."
"Right. It's tricky. You can't use Stop. Once Siok activates we won't even be able to perceive it. But looked at another way, that could be an opportunity."
Dante raised a forefinger. "It's ultimately a matter of defense. If Siok prevents attacks, we must strike before it activates."
"Before it activates? Is that even possible?"
"Usually it's impossible. Siok is instantaneous. The only way would be…" Dante glanced at the person in the corner.
"Pierrot the Clown."
The extreme asymmetry that evaded the opponent's perception clearly transcended technique and reached into the depths of the Law.
Kuan said nothing.
"The key is to cut his throat before Habitz activates Siok. It's the most important role. Can you do it?" Is the spear first, or the shield?
"…That's ridiculous."
As everyone waited for an answer, Kuan gave a cold smile and said, "Don't go thinking I'm the same fool as that idiot apprentice."