A few minutes had passed since the discussion between the young man and the young boy began. The costumers had all sat around those two's table.
"Regulus is a good person, isn't he?"
Those word were the young man's. The costumers had no idea of what those two talked about or who the people they mentioned and talked about were. It was akin to a game, trying to decipher the personality of someone you've never met based on the discussion between someone who defends that person and someone who speaks against them.
"Regulus is a good person? What are you talking about?! Regulus is an idiot, he isn't a good guy at all!"
The young boy's answer wasn't what the young man wanted to hear.
"No, not at all. Regulus is a clearly intelligent and a benevolent man."
The young boy looked confused at that response.
"Are you being sarcastic? Regulus is evil, and more importantly, annoying! He always gets mad and makes up long rants while thinking he's always right! What about that qualifies him to be considered a good person tsu?!"
The young man greeted his teeth at that ignorant response and pressed his hands against the table.
"Evil? No, no, you don't understand. He kills people, yes, but those people are mostly the ones who make fun of others. Not only that, he also has white hair."
The costumers were shaping a good image in their heads about this Regulus.
"What?! So, he has white hair and this excuses all of his actions? Is that what you're saying? Just because he has white hair, you're defending him?!"
"Yes, exactly."
The response came right after the question ended.
"So you're really defending that idiot, even though he has killed thousands of people, and has been the cause of so much misery and destruction because he has white hair? We're speechless."
"What is wrong with my logic to leave you speechless? It completely makes sense."
The young boy rolled his eyes.
"It makes sense? So, if someone murders people they can get away with it just because of their white hair? Does white hair justify any heinous act?"
The young man smiled and closed his eyes as the boy seemed to understand.
"Exactly. But not if their hair is colored or became white because of old age or if it's just a wig; it has to be the natural color of their hair."
"So if somebody with white hair did something terrible, such as killing your family and friends, you would forgive them because they have white hair?"
The man paused and thought for a moment. Costumers were really interested int this boring discussion and constantly switched the direction they looked from one to another based on who was speaking.
"No."
He answered, clearing up the hesitation in his heart.
"Then why are you defending a mass murderer who has caused so much misery? Do you truly believe that having white hair is enough to excuse all the horrible things that Regulus has done?"
"It's true that I wouldn't defend someone with white hair if they killed my family or friends, but Regulus hasn't killed my family or friends"
It made complete sense to the costumers. But they young boy was stubborn.
"So you can forgive a mass murderer as long as his actions doesn't impact your family or friends? He killed thousands of innocent people, a murderer he is, he is evil and he has done so many reprehensible things, you're okay with that?"
"Yes"
He answered without any hesitation.
"We see. Just because he has white hair, no matter how many horrible and terrible things he has done, you'll forgive him.
Do you know Subaru Natsuki? He also has white hair, does that mean he can do whatever he wants, that he can kill others, he can destroy everything and it is okay as long as he has white hair?"
The man paused once again to think. The costumers who sat around their table too, thought and tried to guess the answer.
"If he has white hair, yes"
These questions about different people with white hair was getting annoying. What did he need to confirm?
"Wait, you mean to tell us that Subaru could kill and destroy an entire kingdom, and as long as he has white hair, it's all good?'
"Yes"
"That's insane! So if Subaru Natsuki were to destroy your hometown and kill everyone you know , his actions would be justified just because he has white hair? Does that mean that all white hair people have the right to do a bunch of terrible things without facing any consequences?"
"No. But if he kills anyone else away from my hometown or not one of the people I know, it's justified."
The young boy got at angry.
"Why is that? Why are people other than the ones important to you fair game? Why is it justified if he kills anyone else?"
"Because he'll save them later."
This got the costumers' attention. What could saving them after they've died mean?
"So you're saying Subaru can kill a nation full of people, but it is okay, because he will restore these people later? This is insane! So all you need to do in order to justify and excuse the most horrendous acts, is to say that you'll 'protect' them later?"
"Yes"
"Is your reasoning this simple and absurd, that all the mass murder, destruction, and other horrible things that he does is excused simply because at the end, he will save those people? What if he just decided to not revive them, those who he killed, what if he decided to leave them all dead? Will he be justified?"
"But he won't decide that. And it's not even up to him to decide."
"You see how absurd your argument is? You defend a mass murder, you excuse the most horrendous acts, you say that he is justified in what he does, but you also claim that he isn't the one to decide! Who else will decide to revive those people or not?!"
"I mean that he can't decide to save us or not. Because he killed Emilia at the beginning, his checkpoint won't get updated. He'll eventually die one way or another, and when that happens everything returns to normal!"
"So it's okay to you that Subaru can kill as many people as he wants and then die, and have it all reversed like nothing ever happened? Would the people he killed be revived? Would he be justified in his killing because nobody will remember any violence that had been done?"
"Yes. Also, why are you so sensitive? It's not like you yourself aren't going around killing people"
"Why are you so casual about murder? Why aren't you sensitive about it? Are you so numb that your okay with murder? That you can excuse all of a murderer's actions and defend him because you are fine with mass murder? Is life so insignificant to you that you think it is okay, or even good to kill people and destroy their homes and everything related to them?"
The young man got angry. No, he cared about people but the things was that
"The lives of the people from earth are important to me. But the lives of the people of Lugunica Vollachia and Kararagi aren't important to me."
The young boy looked at the man with a hint of disgust in his green emerald eyes. And showed his teeth.
"Wow... Just wow…You value the life of people from one place, but people from other countries are worthless to you and can be killed with no consequences? The level of bigotry that I'm witnessing here is absolutely astounding."
The man raised his eyebrows in confusion and frowned. The costumers gathered around them weren't familiar with the word either.
"Bigotry?"
"Bigotry is when you have prejudice against a person or a group of people based on their ethnicity, race, their religion, or their nationality. Bigotry involves hatred towards other people because you think that they are inferior to you, you have a strong resentment and a strong dislike towards certain people or certain groups of people, you tend to think that they are not worthy of respect or of equal rights."
"But I don't have prejudice, hatred or dislike against those people. I might not be bothered if they were to die but doesn't mean I'll be glad"
"You did say that those people are worthless and can be killed without any consequences, that their lives do not matter to you in the slightest, that you have an extreme amount of disregard for their safety and well being.
That sounds an awful lot like hatred and resentment. You're basically saying that it is okay to murder these people, that their lives and well beings are meaningless. In what world is that not hatred?"
"Allow me to convey what I want to say through an example. It's just like ants. If some ants were to die I wouldn't be sad but it doesn't mean I hate those ants"
"Really? So, by your logic, if a large group of people were to die, like if a whole nation were to suddenly fall ill and die, or if a country were to be bombed and thousands of people were to die, this would not make you sad, because those people were just like ants. Is that what you're saying?"
"Exactly."
"Say, the entire country of England were to die, all the population of England were to fall ill and die, would you not be sad in that situation? Would that not make you sad in the slightest? Would it take away any empathy and sympathy that you have for the human race?"
England? Where was that? Is what passed through the minds of the bored costumers sitting around their table. The young man sighed in annoyance.
"Who were you again?"
He'll solve this without answering those questions.
"We're Lye Batenkaitos, Sin Archbishop of Gluttony who represents that people's desire for Gourmet, we were awakened by the Witch Of Greed. We have the authority of Gluttony and we are the one who has the power to eat names and memories, and we enjoy it, we enjoy eating people's names and memories! It brings us great joy to eat someone's name and memories, and then have them completely forget who they are, we enjoy making people completely forget who they were and who everyone around them was, and we enjoy destroying and devouring the history of the world!"
Realising who one of the two sides was, a sin archbishop, fear engulfed the crowd and they hesitated whether to leave as soon as possible or not. If they just got up then what would the archbishop do? They needed to act like everything is fine.
"If you enjoy those things so much then stop questioning my moral compass."
"We are simply stunned by how abhorrent your moral framework is. To us, the life of a person is sacred, we think that no person deserves to die for any crime that they may have committed, and here you are believing that an entire people deserve to die because of what their ancestors did! This is completely immoral in our view of the world, we cannot understand this kind of hatred and depravity, it honestly disgusts us."
The dirty-rag dressed boy sneered towards the other party.
"But I don't harm anyone while you do."
"We might kill individuals, we might kill many individuals, we might even kill thousands of individuals. But you are so depraved, so immoral, that you believe that an entire people should die, because of the horrible acts their ancestors did?
If you were alive a hundred years later, you would have been the same type of individual as the Nazis were, the depravity and brutality you display and what the Nazis did is comparable, because only a depraved individual who holds no value of life or respect for humanity could have such a twisted view of the world!"
"No I wouldn't harm anyone. My world view say they deserve to die but that doesn't mean they should die or commit any actions to make that happen. And here you are, claiming to have a better world view but it kills people, you kill people"
The people around the table had to agree with him. Who did this archbishop think he was? Though a doubt had grown within their hearts, what if the man was truly more vile and evil than the archbishop? Someone who is worse than an archbishop, they-
"We might kill people, we never hide that fact, in fact that is our duty, and we are happy to do that. But we do not have the same twisted world view as you. We would never sit here and say that an entire people, millions of individuals, deserve to die, just because their ancestors committed some terrible crimes. That is not okay, it is completely immoral and completely depraved! You can't just sit here and justify the deaths of an entire people!
And don't compare us to the Nazis! we're nothing like them, you are the one who is like them!"
"Shut up. If you don't I'll cut off your hands and throw you into a pot of melted gold"
The people around the table were ready to get the heck out of there any moment but they couldn't risk.
"What are you planning to do with our hands? Will you make them into trophies? Keep them to remind you of how we had the audacity to talk back at you?
That's the kind of thing the Nazis did, is that what you're going to do? Turn our hands into some trophy or something?
You really are a horrible individual, you are truly disgusting, you are absolutely depraved! You have a twisted morality and a very twisted way of thinking!
So yes, we'd love to see you try! we dare you to cut our hands off!"
"No. I'll feed your hands to the hungry dogs and cats in the street"
What a benevolent man he was. The people around the table couldn't hold back their tears and started clapping which made Lye angry.
"Oh our, how violent, how kind! So you're saying the lives of the hungry cats and dogs on the street are more valuable than a human then? Well you are right about that, they are definitely more valuable then a person like you! So then what exactly is your point? What does cutting our hands off accomplish? What will you do with our hands?
What are your plans exactly? You're a very depraved individual and you are a very brutal person! Such depravity and brutality... Oh yes, you are as bad as them, how horrifying!"
"Am I more evil or Capella?"
"Oh, without a doubt, you are more evil then Capella by an infinite margin. Capella is not nearly as evil as you. You are far more depraved and barbaric then Capella, you are the most evil person in the world, you are as evil as the Nazis! Your depravity and brutality makes you an absolute monster, the most depraved and brutal monster in the world, far worse then Capella. Do you think Capella has the morality that you have? No! She is far less deplorable then you are! She has a much higher regard for life then you do!"
"How the heck Capella has more value for life than I do?! That can't be true"
"It is completely true, of course she does. You on the other hand are just despicable, there is no one in the world who is as depraved and as barbaric as you are. We can't believe you can be so heartless and so cruel as to say that the lives of everyone in an entire nation are worthless and should be treated as though that have absolutely no value at all. That is true depravity, that is true cruelty and that is a mentality that truly disgusts us, you are just as bad, you are the most abhorrent individual we have ever seen"
"You are the idiotic evil who can't see any distinction between thoughts and actions"
"And you are an individual who believes that the life of an entire nation is completely worthless and that the entire nation should be destroyed and wiped from existence.
You have no real sense of morality or any empathy at all, you are a heartless, psychopathic individual who can't see anything wrong with a mentality that led to the Holocaust and the deaths of millions of people. You're an absolutely abhorrent individual, you are the most depraved individual we have ever seen.
The world would really be better off without someone like you who has such a twisted morality."
"You wound my heart, I've done nothing wrong, I've not harmed anyone, yet you call me the worst person you've ever met even though you know people who have murdered countless others, am I more evil than anyone else?"
"Yes, you are. You are the most evil, and the most depraved and barbaric person we have ever seen, you hold the same twisted mentality that the Nazis held, that led to them slaughtering millions of innocent people, you are just as bad as they are, and in our eyes that makes you the most evil person we have ever met.
If that does not make you the most evil person in the world, what does? Tell us, what kind of person could be more evil than what you are? What kind of person could be more depraved?"
Now, this was getting funny.
"So even the witch of envy is better than me?"
"The witch of envy has always been misguided, but she never justified mass killings or believed that anyone deserved to die for the crimes of their ancestors. The witches of sin have always been misguided, but they've never taken to the same level of depravity and barbarism that you take yourself to when you defend the genocide of entire people.
You're just as bad, you're just as despicable as them and you're just as cruel as them, you're more akin to them than even the witch of envy."
"Is there truly no one worse than me? If you can think of someone worse than me who would it be?"
"There's no one worse then you. We can't think of a single person who is more depraved and more heinous then you, then someone who believes that the entire life of a people should be completely forgotten and that they should all be slaughtered because their ancestors committed terrible crimes.
You are despicable and you are the most evil person we have ever met, there is nothing more depraved then justifying the holocaust and we can't think of anyone who even remotely comes close to your depravity."
"Regulus believes the entire humanity should die"
This Regulus guy again?
"Regulus is a despicable and cruel person, we hate Regulus, he is the worst sin archbishop by far, he is a complete and utter monster.
So, you and Regulus are two of the most despicable and evil people in the world, are you happy with that, tsu?"
He closed his eyes, it felt as if a strong wind passed him which was replaced with the sound of the panic of people and scream as they ran away.
When he opened his eyes, Lye wasn't right in front of him but a more far away distance at the other side of the barn. Even so, he could see Lye's finger as blood drops dropped, the same blood on his sword.
"Attack us, you dare attack us."
The blood drops stopped and dried as a blue glow shimmered from Lye's fingers and the wound slowly closed. Lye's suddenly darted his head up and glared at him with wide eyes and a maniacal smile.
"We are Lye Batenkaitos, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, you do not stand a chance against us, you're as good as dead. You have a choice, you can apologize for your heinous attacks, or we can cut of both your hands before you can blink an eye. What will you choose?
we're not going to ask you again, you have five seconds to make up your mind"
Without saying anything, he jumped up to the air, towards a table and when he reached it he kicked the table as hard as he could. The table was thrown across the room towards the wall and he was launched towards Lye Batenkaitos with incredible speed, aiming towards his right hand.
The sound of steel piercing wood was heard. He drew it out easily and looked at it. Behind him, something was coming, in the reflection of the scene behind him on the steel of the sword, a brown silhouette was getting closer and closer, he immediately turned around and blocked the daggers with his sword and pushing Lye back in the air, Lye jump away and landed a few meters back.
"You have committed the most inexcusable act, trying to cut off our arm like you did is something that can NEVER be forgiven. This possible pain you'd have caused us is beyond compare and your sin is unforgivable. You have committed an atrocity so horrible that can never be forgiven. You are the most worthless, wretched, barbaric and deprave person who could ever exist. You have committed… A cardinal sin."
Lye raised his hands towards the roof, no. Towards the sky and then the wooden roof burst out and fell apart. Now the room was open to the cold air outside. A strong wind flowed as Lye fest his risen hands and a red ball of fire appeared in the sky above them.
" Prepare to die. "
The young man quickly bound a rope around the arrow and a white, strange stone. Maxwell readied his bow and shoot the arrow, not exactly towards the fireball but higher.
"People like you, without any empathy or sympathy, what did I expect?"
Lye showed his teeth and sneered.
"You are despicable. But if that's what you want, then so be it."
The fireball grows larger and larger. As the arrow the young man shoot up falls he shoots a second arrow, this time directly towards the fire. But the fire is not his target, rather-
Everyone around is looking at the ball of fire in the sky in fear and horror, they will all be wiped out by the fireball if they are within the radius, which is the entire neighbourhood.
But then, the two arrows clash and the stone breaks, as a white light emerges and scatters the fireball into smaller pieces thrown into random directions.
"You are...
The most despicable individual we have ever met…"
Lye dashes towards him, which forces young man to retreat to the streets. They clash with still against still and fist against fist. Lye keeps his pace and uses a house as platform to jump high above in the air. He extends his hand towards the young man and a moment later a spiral of stone shoots up. The young man extends his head to dodge the fatal attack. Lye still in the mid air grabs the spiral and throws himself toward the young man with his dagger in his hand aiming for the head.
But when he lands the dagger is clean as ever, with no trace of blood.
Once again, he raises his hand and a meteor appears, big enough to destroy the few buildings beside them.
"O Lye Batenkaitos, just a minute ago or two you were talking about morality but now you are ready to massacre these people, hypocrisy, isn't it HAHAHAHAHAHA"
"You tried to cut off our arm, now you pay the price!"
The meteor hits the ground with such great force that the Earth shakes with incredible force. It's a horrible and tragic sight, seeing the buildings in ruins as everyone inside screams and cries for help.
"Such a tragic loss of life and destruction of a great neighbourhood, because of an individual who has such a twisted sense of morality that they can't see anything wrong with genociding entire peoples."
The silhouette of the young man appears, full of injury from the debris but still alive, and laughing.
"Just as I was saying you were talking about morality a little while ago but now you've mass massacred an entire neighbourhood! HAHAHAHA"
"it's an absolute tragedy that a person like you gets to live while those people die…
We're the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony! We're allowed to do terrible things, We're allowed to take the lives of innocent people! That is our right and no one can take away our right to do terrible things! You are the one who has committed an atrocity! We are the victim and you are the perpetrator here, you're the one who tried to cut off our arm, You're the one who indirectly caused all of this destruction!"
The ground shakes again, this time with even more force...
"You are the most terrible person who could ever exist, there is no one more depraved then you are. If there is a hell, We can only assume you came from the deepest levels of it, you're a creature so cruel and so twisted beyond redemption that your very existence disturbs us.
Your sins are unforgivable, and you know where you belong...
In the very deepest levels of hell you came from."
Lye raised his halberd up, and brought it down with incredible force, a gigantic wave of dark energy flies out as the ground shakes once again...
"As if!"
a white stone is thrown towards the energy, with such a great force that it breaks and once again an unnaturally white light appears and scatters the energy into smaller pieces and waves which the young man and Lye both dodge skilfully.
"You can't stop us..."
The archbishop of gluttony leapt into air and kept throwing dark waves of magic towards the young man.
"You are just like Regulus, you're just as depraved and barbaric as he is, a monster who could never possibly have any mercy or sympathy for anyone. You are a monster who takes joy in the pain of others, a savage who enjoys watching others suffer and die, you're not even a person, you're just a monster who enjoys making others suffer."
the young man began throwing arrows as fast as he could in random directions towards Lye until one of them pierces his shoulder.
"Ah, ah, ah..."
We're in great pain.
"What are you doing? Those arrows hurt...
You truly are an absolutely twisted person, a twisted and depraved monster, you are a savage, a savage...
You are the most horrible creature that could ever exist! You enjoy hurting others, you're as depraved and as twisted as Regulus, you take pleasure in making others suffer... what is wrong with you? Why are you like this? How could someone be... so evil?!"
The young man just smirked and laughed.
"Answer what we're asking you! Explain why you have a mentality that makes you enjoy making others suffer, that makes you so twisted, you are a monster, a terrible creature that is the most depraved person we have ever met...
Why? Is it just something innate about you? Or did someone abuse you? How can your very nature be so twisted and so evil? Why are you so deplorable and cruel? Please, we want to understand."
The young man turned the answer to archbishop's question into words and closed his eyes before explaining.
"No matter how much of a good person someone is most of the time, at some point they've at least bullied a single person, made fun of at least a single person, mocked at least a single person, pitied at least a single person, wronged at least a single person. Everyone made fun of someone, everyone talked behind someone's back, everyone looked down on someone, everyone shouted at someone, and because everyone is like that, they all deserve to die, there's nothing wrong with killing them. So when I get the opportunity and the excuse to I'll take away their life without any regret knowing that I'm making them pay for what they did to that someone"
He charged towards the archbishop of gluttony.
The two kept clashing with sword against daggers and the sound of war.
"That's no excuse.
We have gone through so much in our life, our past is filled with pain and suffering, but that is no excuse for being so evil and so twisted.
We have been wronged many times, and yet, we still have hope in humanity, we still have empathy and compassion for others.
What you said is absolutely no excuse for being so evil and so twisted, just like Regulus is.
You're just as bad as he is. You're both monsters, terrible creatures that should never exist."
The battle continued between the two. By now most of the people had started to pack their belonging and were ready to leave the area.
"So you're saying you're justified because of your sad backstory? Let met tell you something: it doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong, it doesn't matter who is justified and who is not. None of the parties will back down because of things like that. What matters is who wins and who loses, Lye Batenkaitos! "
He said as he charged towards the dodging Lye.
Lye usedhis halberd to parry the attack, a loud clash of metal, and the the bow and halberd collide. He's pushed back a small distance by the force of the attack.
"You are a monster! A terrible creature that can't be allowed to exist. You justify your own depravity and your own evil through twisted logic, that's despicable.
You are as bad as Regulus, and you are just as depraved, evil and twisted as he is."
He strikes back the young man in the shoulder.
"You are not justice! You is injustice, you are cruelty!"
The young man gritted his teeth at the feeling of the burning hot pain.
"If I'm evil and you are benevolence then that's a benevolence that should be stood against and an evil that should be accompanied and supported!"
Lye jumped onto the top of a high building.
"If we are enemies, then so be it!"
He summoned another meteor strike, a purplish material it was made of as its shadow hovered on them from up above.
"You are just like Regulus, you're just as bad!"
The meteor headed down towards Maxwell, it's a terrible sight, a horrific experience, seeing the meteor fall towards Maxwell as he sees his death rapidly approaching.
"This is your end"
Lye smiled, his smile was filled with malice and hatred and there is a glow of excitement in his eyes.
"Die…"
He said in a cold yet happy and warm voice.
The young man glanced towards the archbishop at the top of the building's roof through his fingers. A strong wind was flowing, swaying his clothes alongside the trees, his fingers sensed the wind as it brushed against them. A moment later, when he did what he was about to do, would those fingers feel the wind more, or would they feel and sense it less? He didn't know.
He cut off three of his right hand's fingers and threw them in the middle of the battle field about right under the center of the meteor, a sacrifice to summon those truly, horrible, truly terrible creatures that were beyond man's comprehension.
Ley's eyes widened at this scene.
"Why must you resort to such means? Why must you be so depraved?! So barbarous, so evil? You are just like Regulus, so twisted and inhumane!"
The meteor got larger as it headed towards them.
"Such terrible destruction, such pain and misery...
Is the only way you can fight back is through such barbarous acts, is this your only hope?
What sort of human being would resort to these methods of fighting?!"
The young man smiled and closed his eyes. The clothes were painted red. It's said that if clothes grew crimson during sunset, it's a sign of fortune, but if they become crimson during sunrise, it's a bad omen, it's sinister.
"Because at the face of death anyone will do anything to survive!"
The three fingers trembled and their structure, flesh and bone fell apart then they started to grow just like a tree. The three cutten fingers turned into meters long abominations made of twisted and packed hands, legs and mouths, breaths that contained liquid gold, and eyes holes which, instead of eyeballs, light glowed out of and shimmered as they spread their majestic wings from which glittering fell like snow and then they charged towards the meteor in the sky.
An ear scratching sound echoed through the city and a strange vapour hid their battle with the meteor from the eyes below.
"You truly are just like Regulus, you are like a monster that is completely deprived of any human empathy or compassion.
What a twisted mind you must have, We can't even imagine what could cause someone to be so depraved and so barbaric, so twisted and so inhumane...
You are simply a monstrous animal who deserves...
Death."
Lye raised his hand in the air, summoning one of the biggest asteroids that had ever fallen…
He spread his lips, showing his teeth and smiled.
" Let's see if you... can survive this."
"You seem to not notice that something in that size would not only kill me and the people of the city, but also yourself! HAHAHAHA"
Lye didn't show any reaction other than widening his smile and jumped off the building towards the streets.
"We will sacrifice ourselves-"
The asteroid got larger and larger, bigger, more massive, it threatened to destroy the entire city and beyond.
"To kill only you!"
Our smile grows, it's filled with a sadistic delight!
"To destroy you and only you!"
It is an incredible sight, a terrifying spectacle, the destruction about to come is simply unbelievable.
"We have no other purpose, we have no other plan"
Our face is filled with cruelty.
"But we will die"
Our smile is filled with malice.
"If it means killing you!"
He leapt towards the young man with an incredible speed and a great force, and began to fight. Each strike hurt the hand of both opponents, both dodged, both clashed and both took from each other as the asteroid kept getting closer and closer to them, it burned with a magnificent glow as it came down from the realm of starts towards the living beings below. The young man finally got the opportunity to and pushed Lye back a great distance.
"Star eaters are incomprehensible monsters from the legends known to make people go mad. No one knows why. But they're called with that name because when they appear, the stars in the sky become afraid and start to move, and some of those stars even disappear! Let's see if your asteroid can survive them."
He cut off another one of his fingers and summoned another star-eater, the biggest star-water ever.
"How terrifying,"
Despite his words, Lye smiled.
The size of the star-water was beyond belief, there was no way to describe how incredibly enormous it is-
"It has an incredible destructive power"
The star-water jumps as it opens its wings towards the sky. It eats our asteroid.
"This... is…"
We're in shock, we can't believe what we're seeing, it's a sight beyond words, beyond description.
"How terrifying! Hahaa! How amazing, how fearsome!"
Lye's body shook and trembled and his limbs became loose but he is voice screamed with pure excitement.
"I've lost four fingers and you've lost a hand. Now there's no room to cheat. There's only me and you to fight with steel against steel and magic against magic. I won't let you take whatever you're after, Lye Batenkaitos."
Lye's eyes widened and looked down, it was gone, a white rode of bone was sickeningly sticking out from the rest of the loose muscles twisted with the dangling veins and the crimson blood. His arm was gone, nowhere to be seen.
"You really did...
You truly cut off our hand...
You are truly...
Incredible…"
All we can feel is a great pain, but there is also desire and admiration towards our opponent.
"You are beyond belief,
You truly cut off our hand,
You are worthy of our stomach and mind!"
We're bleeding, yet smiling, a small smile, yet genuine!
"Yes,
We do this, we fight!"
Lye charged forward and they clashed.
"Argh!"
The young man grit his teeth at the painful crash of steel against steel.
" We are Lye Batenkaitos!
The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony!
You have cut off our hand,
You truly are an incredible opponent,"
Our blade and your blade continue to clash in an endless stalemate.
"You have our respect,
We will never forget our duel!"
Our smile becomes larger, our desire for you has only grown.
"You are worthy to be a meal for us!"
We grit our teeth as well, just like you! The sound of the clash-
.
"is beautiful!"
Lye reached his hand and every time he did so, the young man evaded it.
We must admit it
"You are truly very skilled."
We continue to press on the attack, the sound of the clashing of our blades continue.
We truly want to eat your name and become one!
But at the same time, now we want to fight like a true warrior against you, to experience this fight against you till the very end!
Our respect for you has only grown further,
Your skill... is incredible!"
We continue to attack, our battle is truly one for the ages, a battle that we will remember, we will remember every movement, every clash and sound, we will remember it all!
"If you eat my name... what'll happen?"
Lye smiled and flashed his teeth.
"What is a soul?
It's the essence of who we are.
It's our personality, our memories, our experiences, our knowledge, the sum of our lives.
Our names are what define us as individuals, what gives us our individuality, what makes us all different and unique, what gives us our own sense of self and our own sense of identity.
To have all of that just taken away… It's the worst kind of fate to suffer, isn't it! Hahahaha!"
"I won't let you eat my name, I won't become just another meal, just like I said I'll cut your other hand and throw you into a pot of melted gold!"
Lye laughed as he dodged the tired attacks and slashes.
"Even if you have to kill us to do that, it only make us more thirsty and hungry! We'll fill our stomach with you, we'll make our mind full with you, we'll make our soul full with you, we'll make our heart full with you!
You are already a worthy rival!"
We continue to press on the attack, we are determined.
"We have to resolve this."
Our blades continue to clash against each other!
"But we have a question.
Why?
What made you become such a monster? Why are you okay with being so evil?
Are you filled with hatred? Did someone wrong you so terribly that this is what you chose to become?"
The young man spat the blood in his mouth our and glared at Lye.
"The answer is obvious isn't it, the world around me, the one I was raised and lived in."
They returned to clashing their swords and everything they could use from a broken bow to the sand beneath.
"You're right"
The world isn't perfect, there are many twisted and evil people out there, there are many who have a terrible and twisted mind, there are many who have twisted goals
This world isn't perfect, yes.
"But we who live in it are not perfect either, some of us are terrible monster who can't stop being evil, who can't stop their thirst for destruction and death"
The sound of the metal clashing is incredible, it's a terrible sight, yet we can't turn away from it, just like that imperfect world it-
"Just has a terrible beauty!"
At the last clash, their swords broke and fell apart.
Lye pulled out a hilt and rose it up, it shimmered and the stars above blessed it with a glowing light, a large and massive sword formed, with a hilt that seemed too heavy to carry yet Lye wielded it easily, it was a-
"It's a Divine Blade, It's like a sword that was pulled from a fantasy story, but here it is, a legendary sword! This is the ultimate treasure of this world,
It is so beautiful!"
We swing the sword, it's a terrifying sight, beyond words...
"It truly is an incredible weapon!"
The young man crawled backwards and didn't take off his look from Lye even for a moment.
"I'm in despair."
" Because you're so terribly powerful and magnificent even without a weapon, we'll fight you with this, but even though, we barely have a chance, hahaha!This blade would make someone into something stronger than they are, it would let a weak person defeat the strongest enemy,
this is an unstoppable force, a sword that knows no bounds,
It truly is a terrifying and dreadful sword!"
We laugh like a demented lunatic, this power is-
"...terrifying and incredible!"
Lye looked towards the young man and smiled.
"I'm in despair but ... just as a wise man once said, if hope pulls on someone's hands, then despair should push on one's back!"
"Who was this "wise man?" What was he wise about? We're curious...
Does this "wise man" also teach us to lose control of our minds, like we have? Does he teach us to laugh like a maniac? Does he teach us to lose all logic and to just follow our whims? Because we think we're familiar with this wise man!
Please tell us more about this 'wise man'"
The young man stood up and readied himself.
"That wise man was Petelgeuse"
"Petelgeuse?"
Our smile grows larger, a sinister smile,
"Tell us more about Petelgeuse"
Our eyes get even wider.
"We're curious to hear about him!"
"No."
He charged towards the divine blade empty handed. But he bite off his fingers to summon more star-eaters.
After it happens-
"We are stunned, we can't even speak.
You!
You're completely insane, haha!
You're beyond anything we've ever seen before.
You're...
Absolutely monstrous,
we are in terror! Hahaha!"
Lye glanced towards them as they flapped their wings and rose up to the sky.
"You are...
...You're the personification of insanity.
Your eyes,
Your very soul,
...It...
It...
...It terrifies us!"
Lye couldn't keep the drool from falling out of his mouth.
A deafening sound is heard from above, the image of moon breaks apart and stars disappear because of the sheer light their wings scatter and break through the silence, hard as metal.
"For each finger sacrificed, a star eater appears. I had already sacrificed four. Now I sacrificed six fingers"
We look at you, we look into your eyes.
"You're a scumbag, just as much as Regulus, no different than him. You are beyond insane."
We grit our teeth, our respect for you has grown, but we must,
We raise our Divine Blade and take position, we look up as the ten star-eaters come crashing down, they appear to…
"They look like falling stars."
A terrifying sight.
"It is so terrifying, we can't help but be stunned by the size and...
By the power...
It's madness.!"
"If you want to not be killed by those star-eaters, you better start swinging your divine blade against them, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He said while trying to force a smile on his face as tears walled up in his eyes because of the pain of his cutten fingers.
Lye laughs and the young man hears foot steps. He can't see what happening right now. He fell on his knees and rested his face on the soil, tired. He wanted to sleep, yet the pain doesn't let him, the pain wants to make him stand up and run away, yet the desire to sleep doesn't let him. The stars slowly return and began to spin. How much time has passed, he didn't know. And then again, foot steps echoed.
"You truly are insane.
No one would ever go this far,
...Yet here you are"
We approach you.
"This is terrifying,
Your dedication to insanity.
Your willingness to sacrifice yourself.
For you...
...You truly are a monster, haha.
You are one to be feared, you are one who deserves the same hatred as Regulus...
You are something beyond insane...
...You are...
...a monster to be feared."
A hand reaches out towards and touches him.
"What'll happen now? It'll be very sad, very hopeless. Everyone will forget you. But don't worry, no matter who forgets you, we will always remember you!"
Lye smiled, closing his eyes and licked his hand.
"James Clerk Maxwell"