I stared at that man smiling back at us, with unadulterated rage.

A hot fiery rage, that only grew more as I looked at him. The only thing stopping me was the fact I cared far more for Damon. The injures the boy "Shared" with him were not light. My main concern was the fact Damon had already lost so much blood. His eyes were barely opened.

His single leg couldn't hold his weight and it gave in as he tumbled to the ground.

"This is the second time—getting real tired of nearly dying over and over," Damon muttered with a forced smirk, frowning down at his injury-ridden body.

I arrived by his side. I kneeled to be at the same height as him.

Despite my worries before he didn't seem to be very injured. The injures seem to only really be centered at his chest. Aside from the injures to his leg. And Damon seemed to have the bleeding under control. But he looked in pain. That became even more obvious as he vomited, he turned away from me stopping any of the bile from touching me. I didn't understand, even if he was under some poison why hasn't he just used his healing magic and healed himself?

"Can't you heal yourself!" I asked, but he only responded by lifting his head and shaking it. Even that action was too much for him as he was forced to lay his head back down.

[If I want him to die faster, that'd be a wonderful Idea. These symptoms are undoubtedly Mana sickness. Using magic is the problem.]

"Mana sickness?" I thought back, I found myself grateful to whatever this "thing" in my head was. But as I stared at Damon injured body if felt more like it was mocking me.

The moment I thought this, I felt that familiar pain in my eyes. And I could see Damon soul, although the pain was far more dull than last time. Before it was like my eyes were ripped out and forcibly turned to stare at the sun. Now it was like I was slightly pricked. But I realized I hadn't activated divine insight on command, it had been done for me.

But I hadn't cared about that, as I looked on in terror. Damon's soul, had noticeable cracks on it.

"What, did getting rid of Sirius control damage his soul?" I almost exclaimed in terror.

[No, I believe Damon overused his gate.]

"His gate?" I questioned, I had always been clueless when it came to anything magic related.

[What I see when using Divine insight, is someone's Od or their soul. But there's more to it then that.]

I listened quietly, I didn't see how any of this would help in anyway. However, what could I really do? I had been completely reliant to my divine protection.

[The soul is made up of different parts, if I was to simplify— The light or flame you see would be their Mana, and their gate would be like the sphere encasing it. Right now those cracks are the signs of a broken gate.]

I could only sigh at this explanation, I have always ignored magic, ever since I was young. That wasn't to say I hadn't tried it, however after learning the only affinity I had was Yang magic. A type of magic that was looked down on. I just assumed I was no good at magic, although I knew it could be powerful, any relation to my parents I tried to burn. Instead I choose to follow the sword. Understanding I was confused, "I" elaborated. [Damon force himself to much when using magic, which ordinarily would be fine, albeit harmful in the long run. But that curse of his isn't acting like any curse I know of.]

Looking at Damon's soul, I saw the dark tendrils, seem to be seeping into the cracks, dimming the light from it. It drained him liked parasites, they grew in both size and number. This was his "Curse of Repulsion" or that's what my divine protection called it.

Unlike when I saw the Captains divine protection I was never given any explanation on what it could do. Taking a guess I assumed it was because whatever was telling me this had no idea.

"What is it doing to him?" I questioned, I couldn't understand any of this.

[The curse is draining him of his Mana, and sending it elsewhere. Before the curse seemed harmless but thanks to overextending himself it must have activated it. Or perhaps it always has been and he's been preventing it?] "I" theorized. It sounded seemingly impressed.

[If that's the case Damon is incredibly talented.] it continued.

"What can I do to help him!" I thought, frustrated. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't wrap my head around anything. The more it talked, the more I'd get confused. And it was more than that hearing something that claimed to be me praising Damon made a strange feeling washed over me. I didn't hate it but it simply didn't sit right. I just wanted to know how to help him.

[There's nothing I can do.]

The answer I received was a tipping point. I just stared blankly into space before asking once more. But I was given the same response. I punched the ground, in an attempt to release my anger that was building up.

"So I just sit here and watch him die?" I thought back. The distress even though it was in my head was painfully obvious.

I got no response back.

I stared at Damon as he wallowed in pain. He was uncomfortably shifting around. I couldn't just sit here, I refused. Not after coming this far. Damon couldn't die, the Captain couldn't die, I couldn't let anybody die!

If Mana was the problem, then I would simply have to give him some of my own. I placed my hand onto his chest, the nearest place to his soul.

I took a deep breath before visualizing a flow of energy leaving me and entering him.

Although I was completely clueless when it came to magic, I knew imagination and visualization was key.

I looked on, but nothing. Not a thing was happening. Only Damon's soul growing dimmer and dimmer. And the sounds of battle roaring behind us.

"Why! Please, do something!" I exclaimed although it was meant only to be kept in my head I couldn't hold it in.

"You seem to care way more than me." Damon said, his hand place on my head. He was ruffling my hair, staining it red. The blood seeped from my hair onto my face. Much to his displeasure as he tried to undo his mistake by wiping it off.

If I hadn't known any better I'd say Damon was obsessed with my hair, even before he'd constantly ruin it, making it look sloppy. It was almost like he was treating me like a child.

I couldn't hold back anymore, it was a wonder to me I hadn't been crying already. I'd lost count of how many times I had cried in this one day alone.

Ironically it was also in a situation exactly like this one.

[…]

I suddenly felt my body weaken, a feeling entirely similar to when after I fought the crimson knight.

I looked on in shocked, as the glowing threads that were connected to my soul, and spread throughout my body like veins, condensed. The ones located at my hands that was resting on Damon seemed to come together. Before it entered him.

To outside lookers, nothing would appear to be happening. But to Damon he had understood at the very least something had entered his body. That much I could tell from the look on his face.

"Zander!?" He asked, with a tone of confusion. He looked awfully worried, like he was heartbroken.

[Tell him to relax.]

I saw the threads appear to be being pushed back or rejected, I had no idea If Damon was resisting consciously or not.

"Just trust me." I smiled back at him. "Felt like I've been doing too much of that lately." He joked, a weak smile on his face before closing his eyes.

The threads now unimpeded went directly for his soul. It then proceeded to wrap around it.

An unpleasant moan leaving his mouth as it did.

The threads carefully pulled the tendrils out of the cracks, before splitting into two. One part of the threads quickly left returning to my own body before spreading apart and returning back to normal.

The other part of the threads remained, covering the cracks on his soul.

Damon seemed to let out a sigh of relief, whether it was because of his soul no longer injured or because the threads were no longer in his body, I couldn't tell.

I just smiled at Damon, letting out a sigh of relief myself. He raised his hand up enough to wipe my face.

I took a breath in and then out, I was doing my best to hide it. But I felt my body weaker, more than that I felt like I aged alittle. It was the exact same feeling after I fought the crimson knight.

[I had to use my Od to fix his gate. However, I suggest we don't use my Od any longer.]

I figure out that much on my own. It felt like any more of this and I'd collapse.

The threads started to regenerate, regaining the lost threads that stayed in Damon.

"I'm willing to use it, if the only other option is one of them to die." I mostly kept that to myself. I needed to steel my resolve. The best way was to reaffirm it to myself, obviously I'd stop it from getting to that point.

Going in already willing to sacrifice myself, is a horrible mindset. But I had to keep that in my mind, no matter the consequences I had to be willing to do it. Without hesitation, as that second could mean death for Damon or the Captain. I had said all that more to remind myself, but I never expected for it to chip in.

[Using Od wouldn't kill me, but it might as well be death. I'd be place in a state of suspension, like a coma. I'd wish for myself to prioritize me over others.]

I couldn't help but smirk, I imagine anyone looking at me could easily mistake me for Damon.

"Not really fitting for a Divine protection that seeks justice to want to save its self." I thought. I had a running theory on what it was inside my head, obviously it wasn't me as it constantly claimed. No it was more likely it was my own Divine protection speaking to me.

Although I have never heard of such a thing, it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility, especially considering everything my divine protection can do.

[…]

I took the silence that was given as a expression of guilt and as confirmation.

I stood up, helping Damon in the process. Although his wounds weren't life-threatening they were heavily effecting his mobility. This was likely the goal of the Sin archbishop to begin with.

But Damon only collapsed again, I immediately knelt back down, placing my hand on his chest once more.

[Already? Surely I am not planning to?-]

I cut of the thought with a loud confirmation.

[That will not be necessary.]

I felt a hand wrapped around my shoulder and pull me. I instinctively went to grab my sword.

"Calm down Lysander." The captain calmly answered. He held his hand up, I wasn't able to stop the blade, having adding to much force to the swing. But the Captain held his hand and a force pushed back against my sword, just enough to stop it from hitting him and kept my sword in place. I immediately placed my sword in its hilt once this had happened.

"Captain!" I accidentally shouted, I had completely forgotten about the Sin archbishop and the Captain.

He had placed his hand over mine. His hand was now covering the hand I had on Damon chest. He closed his eyes for a moment before patting me on the back.

"Excellent job." He applauded, I looked on in amazement. The Captain was doing what I could not, he was transferring mana from him to Damon. Damon picked himself up and started to heal his wounds. His leg remained incredibly injured, but at the very least he was able to get up on his own.

I heard a laugh, a mad man's cackle, I turned around. As fast as I could, only to see a sight I never expected.

"Don't tell me you-" Damon stopped talking as the Captain turned us both around.

"Yep." He smiled, as he offered his hand to Damon.

There laid out on the ground, with each of his limbs missing excluding his right arm and leg which had been turn into mere stumps. Was the Sin Archbishop, Subaru Natsuki. Multiple craters surrounding him. The earth was riddled cracks and uprooted trees were tossed and thrown about sporadically and had landed in a irregular pattern. Blood tracing the area.

I was slack-jawed. Utterly stunned, even if this Sin Archbishop "Subaru" was half as competent as Sirius. There was simply no way for such a feat to be done. And as always the Captain was unscathed.

I could only imagine such a feat to be performed by the fairy tale heroes I obsessively read about, hero's like the sword saints or the great spirit which guards our town. I believed even the King candidate Emilia had trouble when subjugating the Sin Archbishop of Sloth and that was with the help of two other candidates.

I couldn't help but shiver at the thought of fighting the Captain.

All the while a loud laugh was let out from the Bishop, I was shocked he remained alive. The Captain seeing both of our faces tried to explain.

"You two didn't think I'd kill our only chance of finding Garret did you?" The captain asked.

"Oh! How wonderful, how truly wonderful! Even now your friends life is put at the foremost!" Subaru loudly interrupted. "To think, to think, to think! Oh such love! You three must be, are you? You definitely are, true believers in love!" The boy declared with glee.

"Oh, but you made a mistake! A undeniable mistake, even though you could, you failed to do what you had to do! And just before the finish line!" The boy yelled.

His words were oddly stiff, something I realized long before was Subaru's lines were finely crafted, a certain forced weight on them.

All of us stared at the boy, I was slightly on edged. As the bishop talked an unsettling atmospheres started to form. To be able to make things like this despite being nothing more than an head attached to a chest. I felt a shiver down my spine.

I felt my throat clog, I tried to stammer out words but my mouth refused to open. I felt beyond just caution as my body started to twitch. I looked around endlessly, it felt as though my heart was going to burst.

Before I was on guard, now I was full blown paranoid, and that was escalating into cold dead fear. I felt this feeling before. I closed my eyes opening them again. Just as I suspected. There were chains wrapped around my soul. I've seen it enough times to know what this was. Sirius Authority of Wrath.

I couldn't move my hands or my body, it was strange. I knew there was nothing to be fearful of, yet my body was refusing to move.

I was able to see Damon, that's when I understood. Damon his fears were being shared with me, my slight paranoia was being combined with his unconscious fear and was being amplified.

I had fallen for it twice, I couldn't move paralyzed with fear, my eyes watered and my legs gave it. As if I was genuinely being weighed down with chains.

At that moment that was no Damon, no Lysander, no Garret, and no Captain. Fear was all that existed, fear was all that ever would exist. It had gripped my very fabric of being. At this moment I genuinely felt that fear was all there was.

[If my heart beats any faster I'm going to… die.]

I had only just realized that my divine protection was speaking to me, but that too was drowned out. Fear was no longer an emotion but my entire existence.

Alarm, angst, anxiety, apprehension, awe, concern, despair, dismay, doubt, dread, horror, panic, scare, terror, unease, worry. Fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear.

"Oh, but that only serves to entice. The aroma of a meal is important too, finely crafted. I can tell you alone could serve a full-course meal I simply cannot wait!" Subaru said hungrily as he now licked his lips, biting into them. His body language almost completely changed. He stood still hungrily eyeing the captain and ignoring us completely. Like a kid waiting for dinner.

"Would you shut up!" The captain loudly yelled. In that moment the manically laughing from the Bishop ceased. As the the chains suddenly broke, I collapsed to the ground grabbing my chest. I could hear every beat of my heart. It felt as though it was thumping against my chest before it finally calmed down and I managed to catch my breath.

"Talk, talk, talk! That's all you Sin Archbishops do!" The captain scoffed. "At least Sirius was original, you're not fooling anyone!" The captain shouted once more.

"Which one are you now Gluttony?" The captain asked unimpressed. Subaru stared dumbfounded.

"I haven't even met others outside of you and Sirius. Hell, I've only skimmed reports! They're too damn long. But it's so painfully obvious." The captain paused scratching his head like the bishop was making it itchy."You're trying so desperately to act like the other Sin Archbishops it's laughable pride!" The Captain was now the one laughing.

"Come on, first you lie. Claiming to be Emilia Knight, now you're claiming to be other bishops? Just be honest Pride!" The Captain spat.

I stood by the Captain, finally regaining myself, and fully recovered from Sirius's authority.

I tried understanding the Captain. He clearly understood more about the Sin Archbishops than any of us.

I understood that the Captain was reported of the witch cult doings. I had seen it with my own eyes, knights would personally come to deliver the captain the reports. Even if I hadn't seen it, there was no reason for me not to trust him.

I had always felt that Subaru's actions seemed forced to a comical degree. I had written it off as just another eccentric Bishop just like Sirius. It was hardly the strangest thing about the witch cult after all. But the Captain was mocking this man. Judging by his face, it was where it hurt the most.

I expected the Bishop to retaliate somehow, so I prepared myself. But Subaru only stared, before bursting into tears.

I was taken about, as Subaru sobbed uncontrollably. The tears rolled off his face onto the dirt as he wasn't able to wipe them. As he still lacks any limbs.

"What now you're throwing a tantrum because I called you out?" The captain said a look of pure disdain in his eyes.

But Subaru only cried louder. The air grew thick and uneasy. Like the air itself was recoiling at the captains words.

I was half convinced that Sirius Authority was effecting us. But those fears were crushed as I looked towards our souls and saw them all, shining as normal.

To think, even while limbless and crying he still managed to make the air feel heavy.

But I had realized quickly what that feeling was, that sick twisted uneasiness in my stomach I had grown all to used to. It wasn't from the crying bishop. I had forgotten it, ever since my divine protection changed that sick feeling I got seemed to weaken.

Only when I looked at a soul that was truly evil when using Divine insight would it come over me. It was no longer a passive thing. Or that's what I had l believed.

But if that ability had never disappeared, it would mean that Subaru—a Sin Archbishop, the literal embodiment of sin—had never caused that feeling.

Which meant something else was causing that feeling to come over me. I immediately activated Divine insight.

There I noticed something strange, I could not see the soul of Subaru. I was genuinely unsettled by this, Divine insight had never failed. Not even when looking at other Sin archbishop.

[If I see that man's soul, I and everyone else here will die.]

It was a clear warning, and before I would have tried to press it for more answers.

However I had refrained from doing so. My divine protection had always replied in a calm voice, the most reaction it ever gave was a shout. No matter the situation, and even then it would only do that sparingly when warning me about something major.

But, this time Its voices trembled.

Pinpointing the area that was irradiating that feeling of sickness I saw a soul. Despite there being no person there, I saw a soul. It too had been wrapped in chains, just like countless other cultists. But what I had found more interesting was the souls itself.

It was uncannily similar to Damon's to a disturbing degree. It was nothing like the empty voids of the other cultist, or even the soul of Sirius.

I had turned my head towards Damon and just as I thought. They were in fact nearly identical.

[The soul belongs to a Yin user.]

A thought forcibly entered my head. This time the voice had been calm. I was relieved to hear it back to normal. Regaining my self, I pointed towards the soul.

"Captain!" I shouted, the captains response was instantaneous. He slashed as if cutting through the air with his hand in the direction I had pointed.

Even though I was unable to see anything, my hair spun wildly as if in a hurricane as I felt a gust of wind flew by.

Suddenly a hand stretch out as the gust of wind was stopped, the sound of glass shattering rang out as it did.

"Hmph! Betty would have rather you called for her earlier. From what I've seen these guards are scum, I suppose." The girl said with an obvious pout.

The full body soon followed after, as the girl took a few steps forward. It was a young girl, with blonde hair, and an incredible frilly dress. It was a girl we had all seen before.

I clenched my sword, as the girl was the exact one Garret tried to help before being attacked.

The girl had knelt down helping the limbless Archbishop up, wiping his tears.

"Betty truly does have a worthless contractor I suppose!" The girl said, despite the hurtful words I could tell she only meant to comfort him.

"Another one!" The Captain said with obvious displeasure.

"You can keep your mouth shut, in fact." The girl said as she took aim.

"Minya"

Purple shards had appeared launching forward, but they were all slashed to pieces by the Captain.

"Betty has no idea how you managed to hurt her contractor so heavily, neither does she care. Disappear I suppose!" The girl yelled in frustration.

Suddenly a hand reached out towards the girl and patted her head, the small twin drill tails on her head bounced as the hand did this.

"Sorry beako, I can't believe you had to see that!" The boy said clearly embarrassed.

As if never injured to begin with, the boy stood upright. His limbs perfectly intact. In fact it looked as if there was no fight at all. Only the boys torn clothes and the condition of the clearing served as proof of the fight.

"Betty wishes you could stop trying to make her worried!" She shouted with a pout.

If I hadn't know any better I'd assume that I was looking at a child and their incompetent parent.

[That girl's personality is completely off.]

"What do you mean?" I thought.

I hadn't even been shocked as that thought entered my head, I began growing more and more used to my Divine protection. So much so that It began to feel like a fact of life.

[Her personality does not reflect her soul.]

I assumed this was due to Sirius. As anyone under Sirius control would never act as themselves, something I experienced first hand.

Subaru dusted himself off, as he grabbed the young girls hand.

The captain pushed both me and Damon back as he walked forward one final stretch as he did.

He gave a thumbs up to the both of us.

Crystals were fired at him, each one being expertly dodged, as the captain jumped forward, as the ground he was standing on a moment before was crushed.

He spun around dodging seemingly nothing as more crystal flew towards him.

Subaru clenched his hand into a crushing motion, as the ground craved in on itself. This forced the captain to retreat several steps, undoing all his prior progress. The immense force pressed into the ground, carving out a hole large enough for a person to fit into.

The captain glanced at the newly-formed crater, then back at the Sin Archbishop.

"Compensating for something, Pride?" he mocked. Though his face was obscured, I could almost hear the smirk in his tone as he began closing the distance once more.

His movements were calculated, efficient—dodges executed with minimal effort, each motion designed to conserve energy. Or at least, that's how he had been fighting so far.

But then his style changed. Each dodge became extravagant, riddled with unnecessary flourishes and exaggerated motions. What had been precise and deliberate now looked almost reckless. He spun, twisted, and dipped, as if defying the very meaning of combat efficiency.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Damon groaned, planting a hand firmly on his forehead in exasperation. My own reaction was the opposite—astonishment.

The captain wasn't dodging anymore. He was dancing.

He twirled out of the way of one strike, sidestepped another with a pivot, and dipped low, sweeping his arm like a performer. His feet tapped and glided in perfect rhythm to a beat only he could hear.

"Come on! It's no fun if you're not even trying!" the captain complained, his voice light with mockery.

"How utterly revolting, I suppose," the girl spat, Another barrage of gleaming purple crystals surged toward him.

The captain only leaned further into his dancing mockery, his every movement showing his control. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had once collapsed in terror at the mere mention of the Witch Cult. Now, here he was, joyfully taunting them as they threw attack after attack his way.

The duo didn't relent, unleashing another relentless wave of strikes. But the captain closed in.

"Murak!" the girl cried out, and with that, both she and her partner began to rise into the air.

"Stay still! You irritating fly!" Subaru yelled shouting loudly in the air.

There was one massive problem, every time the Captain came close. The two of them would simple float and go to the other side of the clearing.

And the Captain would have to meet back up again, and the cycle went on and on.

Both me and Damon were simply left watching the battle.

It became obvious if we had tried to intervene we'd be crushed by that invisible force.

The captain was rather unique in this way, as if he was meant to fight this kind of opponent. It didn't matter if he couldn't see the attack, his divine protection would simply tell him when and how to dodge.

So the battle between these three titans continued, and this stalemate dragged on.

This was another rare moment where I had time to rest. Of course I wanted to help the captain, but it would be stupid if I was to just jump in, considering this bishop was even giving the captain trouble.

I had activated Divine insight, to my surprise I had felt no pain in doing so, it felt natural. It was as easy ss walking, and now all I had to do was think and it would work.

I was beginning to wonder if this had mean my eyes have been able to adjust. If I could do the same with something like limit break, perhaps I would even be able to keep up with them.

Shaking that ridiculous thought away, I started to look. There was nothing new, but an idea came to me.

A way for me to help the captain. If I was able to see that invisible force Subaru uses, then I could join the fight.

I looked at the duo, it was the same as before. I was unable to see Subarus soul, and the girls spirit remained the same. Chains were still wrapped around it.

I did notice something interesting however, every time the girl casted a spell the in her soul would flicker before a stream of it would exit her body and form the crystals.

But whenever her soul remained unchanged when she casted Murak. The spell I believed was what allowed them to float and glide in the air.

"She's not actually casting the spell?" I thought.

The young girl was merely acting like she was using the spell.

For someone so young I was shocked she was able to even use magic at all. Something like that was an incredible feat within itself, but "Minya" must be the only spell she could use. That and that invisible type magic and the barrier she had casted. But she made no use of those now.

But why act like you we're capable of using a spell you're not able to?

Thinking of it more only brought me to a dead end, I looked around to see if I could find anything else. My attention was caught when I took a look past the trees that surrounded the clearing.

It was cultists, they had surrounded the clearing, but they did nothing. They simply remained out of view as if they were hiding.

If I hadn't been able to use Divine insight there was no possible way for me to have recognized them. But if they were preparing to ambush why hadn't they done so?

They were constantly moving shifting from left to right, refusing to stay in one place. It kind of looked like they were trying to stay away from one another.

One of them caught my attention the most, this was because aside from having the same pitch black soul as the other cultists, I saw the it had a slightly gold shine. It looked like there was a gold sphere in the center.

[Authority of Greed]

My eyes widen in shock, was this what my Divine protection had been so scared of?

With Sirius authority it was easy to at-least have some grasp of what it did, obviously I couldn't tell the finer details but it was clear her authority had been one that can take control of another.

But with this one, it seemed more like the cultist soul was supporting the gold sphere. As it shined brightly when it remained in the soul.

I decided to stop trying to get answers on my own and just ask my divine protection directly.

"What are you so scared of? If I was able to see into the Bishop soul would it not help us kill him?" I thought

[If I was to see that man's curse, I would be killed there would be no question, that includes the Captain and Damon.]

"Curse? Not an authority?" I thought. My mind had thought of Damon, did the bishop have something similar to what he had.

[Both]

I sighed, this had been useless. But there was one other thing I could do, perhaps bypass and at the very least see whatever that invisible force that Subaru has been using to fight.

"Show me everything but the curse! Just block that!" I demanded, if I could help I had to.

Even now, while me and Damon would sitting back the captain was fighting, while I wouldn't say he was giving it his "all". As he was still dancing, his dances started to be less dramatic and more like the way he was dodging before. They were actually to force his hand.

There was a slight gap. Not in skill and fighting strength but abilities, a gap I didn't know if the captain could get over. If he had more help though, even just the slightest push I believed he could finish them.

[I will do so, but blocking certain things is many times more difficult then just blocking everything. If I say look away I must without question. If I don't the best punishment I could get is a painless death.]

I inhaled closing my eyes, I nodded. I couldn't lie when I said I was a bit nervous, unsurprisingly my Divine protection was never scared when it came to punishing evil. However fact it was this scared at the mere idea of seeing this "curse" wasn't making this less stressful.

Opening them, I saw Subaru, there was no soul. This was probably what my Divine protection was blocking me from seeing. Instead I saw three things that peaked my interest. A purplish-black ball, it looked to be tentacles that were neatly wrapped into a sphere. Suddenly one escaped the entanglement, there I saw it was actually a hand. It attempted to crush the captain, slamming into the ground. However he swiftly moved back, before doing a mocking twirl as if the hand is what gave him the momentum to do it.

[Authority of Sloth]

This was exactly what I was hoping for, as I was now able to see the invisible force.

The second thing, was see through. It was right above where his soul should be, there was a shining molten gold sphere.

[Authority of Greed]

"He wasn't kidding-?" I thought to myself, but Sloth and Greed were dead. Killed by the King candidates, was it a lie? He really was a Sin Archbishop that represented multiple sins...

The last thing I noted was his right leg and arm, where a black substance seem to course through the two.

[Curse of the Dragon's blood]

This confused me greatly, in fact. If was my favorite hero from all the tales I've ever read. And that was the Divine dragon. But surely this Bishop was not cursed by that dragon.

I couldn't dwell on that for too long. In a battle when there's a tie, the easiest way to break that tie would be adding another factor, a wild card. Currently both Subaru and his partner have completely been ignoring the two of us. Naturally you'd ignore the weakest of the group and focus on the strongest.

luckily this meant I was free to act however I wanted, a rare luxury in a fight.

I waited for the Captain to get close, and on cue the girl "casted" Murak and they started to rise up from the ground, defying gravity. But now I could see through the trick, one of the shadowy hands had grown massive and simply carried them upwards.

I smiled, before inhaling. And as loud as I possible could I shouted.

"Can I catch a ride!"

The words tore from my throat, sharp and mocking, cutting through the chaotic fight. For the briefest of moments, Subaru and the girl's attention snapped to me the natural reaction when someone shouts is to turn your attention.

It was all I needed to force a reaction.

Two massive, invisible shadow hands lashed out, their movements wild and erratic. I sidestepped the first with ease, feeling the rush of displaced air as it whooshed past me. The second came down with a thunderous slam, striking the ground so hard it cracked and splintered beneath the impact. Dust and debris flew upward, clouding my vision for a moment.

I stepped back, keeping my distance as the hand remained embedded in the earth, I grabbed my sword stabbing through the hand while it was struggling to free itself. It now struggled helplessly.

They were still mostly ignoring me—just enough effort to keep me out of their way.

My eyes fell on the shadow hand pinned in the ground. It was enormous, wide enough to support a person. My lips curled into a grin as an idea sparked.

Without hesitation, I placed one foot on the massive, shadowy surface. Then the other.

The hand pulsed beneath me, the strange, inky force resisting for a moment before settling, almost like it wasn't used to anyone to stand on it, absurd considering I could literally see the bishop doing just that.

I balanced myself, feeling the tension ripple beneath my feet. A wild plan, reckless and stupid.

"Wild cards aren't meant to follow the rules." I blurted out, the stupidity of what I was about to do was not lost on me.

I pulled out my sword, before charging in head long, using the arm as a path right up to the duo.

I heard a loud overly-dramatic gasp, as I ran up the arm.

"You can see it!" Subaru's voice cracked with shock, the disbelief written all over his face. Behind him, the shadowy hands writhed erratically before surging toward me with renewed fury.

"I'm counting every finger!" I shot back, my tone dripping with heavy sarcasm.

His expression twisted into something both furious and desperate, a crazed smirk spreading across his face. "Then come and prove it! Let's settle this—a duel for her love!" he bellowed, his voice echoing with manic fervor.
The shadow hands lashed out, erratic and desperate, but they were sluggish—far slower than Sirius chains had been. Once I could see them, it was almost laughable how simple it was to duck, weave, or sidestep their attacks.

Every step was a gamble as the hand shifted beneath my weight, it was whirling about wildly as it finally freed itself. As it desperately continued to try and shake me off.

I reached the duo, wasting no time as I swung my blade at the boy. Before the strike could land, the young girl stepped forward. She must have attempted to erect another barrier, but I swung through it, and she remained taking the hit in his place.

Her body crumpled to the ground, lifeless, shielding him even in her final moments. Without hesitation, I kicked her aside, her body tumbling over the edge and falling below.

"Beatrice!" Subaru shouted, his voice breaking as he stretched his hands toward her, but nothing came. No shadowy hands. No power. Nothing to save her.

Seeing this, I seized the opportunity and swung my sword again, this time aiming to finish him. But just before my blade could connect, Subaru revealed a dagger, narrowly intercepting my strike.

A flurry of slashes followed, our weapons collided again and again. I noticed something as our blades collided a last time, the boys fighting ability was completely dependent on his Authority, were it up to his own abilities I doubted if he was even better than an average man.

With one final thrust, I stabbed through his heart.

Subaru looked down below, before turning back to me.

"Victory," Subaru muttered, with a final laugh my grip on the hilt tighten as he said this.

However, being caught up in the moment I hadn't realize the hand holding us dissipated.

"Again!" I yelled as I started to plummet, I braced myself. As I glanced up at Subaru, three massive shadowy hands took form, materializing from his back. With a decisive motion, he clenched his real hands making a striking motion, and the shadows followed, getting ready to slam into the ground.

"Damon!" I managed to yell as the hands crashed into the ground, a loud roaring ring like that of artillery overcame my ears. Columns of dirt had flown into the air. I closed my eyes, hoping my meager warning was enough to help Damon.

I was thankful as Instead of the ground, I was met with Damon's face, his legs buckling slightly before he stabilized, gritting his teeth against the weight.

"You crazy maniac!" he barked, his voice a mix of exasperation and relief. Before he dropped me to the ground, and I hit it with a solid thud.

"Hey!" I shouted indignantly, pushing myself up.

Damon shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "You're way too damn heavy!" he said, though a sly grin betrayed his irritation. He reached out and patted me on the head. "You did alright," he added, his tone lighter.

I looked at him, he looked to be uninjured, the only thing that desperate last attack did was cover him with even more dirt.

"Where's the Captain?" I asked, now that I knew he was fine, I wanted to check on the Captain who seemed to go miss.

It hadn't taken much to find him, but he wasn't himself.

He had been standing still in the other side of the clearing, his eyes looked dead. Standing completely motionless, yet there was a certain alertness to his stance. His senses had been robbed from his, sight, smell, touch all gone.

[He is under the effects of Shamac.]

Even I had known that spell. The most basic of Yin magic, but how could the captain have gotten hit by it? "How! We need him!" I exclaimed, [Stop the Caster from continuing the spell.] "Without the Captain?" I questioned. A chilling thought crept into my mind the Captain was our ace. That much any could tell was obvious. What would happen to us if we had to fight without him? A suddenly crash stole our attention. Subaru's body hit the ground nearby, the impact kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. It landed remarkably close to "Beatrice".

As the dust settled, I squinted through the haze, and my stomach dropped.

There he was. Standing. Perfectly unharmed.

"Crap…" I muttered under my breath. I had been sure of it, I was the one who caused the wound, it was a lethal one.

Subaru's face twisted with crazed fervor as he spread his arms wide, the stab wound gone as though it had never been there. The only proof if it being there was a single tear in his clothes.

"How can this be?!" he bellowed, his voice filled with anger and betrayal. "How can this be?! After I so diligently, so thoroughly, so loyally worked to kill you! But to say my work was fruitless wouldn't be incorrect, for the juiciest of the fruit is out of the picture!"

His eyes glinted with unsettling madness as he took a step forward, The stab wound, the blood—everything—had been erased, leaving him untouched.

"Would you just shut up and die!" I screamed as I gripped my sword. I tried to hide the shaking in my hands, it was entirely stupid to say me and Damon would be useless without the Captain.

Both me and him have proven that simply by tying down Sirius while the Captain was nowhere to be found. But it was obvious we'd die more times then I could count without him. And now he was effortlessly taken out of the fight.

"Betty wishes for you to do the same, I suppose." Beatrice said, now standing next to Subaru. Her comment aimed at me, as she was once again holding onto his hand. She too looked fine despite the fatal crash and wound I had given her.

"Why! Why are you doing any of this damnit!" I yelled venting my frustration, "Why kidnap Garret? Why dress Cultist to be like the sword saint or Emilia's great spirit! I don't understand!" I yelled.

"Do not question me! What does it matter what I do? All I ask is to be left alone! Oh believer in love, what a foolish question to ask, whether it is to kill a god, or fulfil myself it doesn't matter. For isn't the point of a feast to indulge? It doesn't matter the taste nor the prep but the experience to gorge yourselves, for I am Subaru Natsuki!" Subaru yelled back.

There was a deep unspoken sorrow in his voice, and even in his eyes. I couldn't describe it, his words were utterly meaningless but there was a kind of brokenness to it. He was desperately putting up a front. But I shook off any thought of pitying the witch cult.

I ran towards him, if we were to fight without the captain I'd need to finish the fight quickly. Ducking under the pitch black hands as they swiped at me. As I got closer their movements began to grow more desperate, and some managed to grab onto me, tearing a chunk of my flesh out, but I had ignored the pain. Before long crystals started to charge towards me as well, I prioritize those over the hands, my instincts told me it would only take one of those to kill me. I arrived at the boy, and he opened his arms wide, as if to offer me a hug.

I immediately slashed at his hands, cleaning slicing his arms off with two fluid slashed, before impaling him. I hadn't even realized Damon had charged with me and had managed to put Beatrice in a equally terrible state.

"I was right, you really are nothing without that Captain of yours." Subaru taunted, before continuing.

"Did you purposefully take longer Nee-San?" Subaru asked, but not to me. As the shadowy hands quickly wrapped around my legs. I looked back at Subaru, once again, he had pulled the sword out of him. His limbs now back onto his body as if they never left. And perfectly intact.

I felt the rush of wind behind me, I turned I felt he hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Without thinking, I spun around, there it was—slicing through the air a blade of wind shimmering like a shard of ice. It cut through the atmosphere with incredible speeds.

I was quickly grabbed my sword stabbing the arms freeing my leg and kicking the other free before I jumped out of the way.

My hair was blown around wildly as the blade missed me and hit Subaru, quickly managing to cut halfway through his throat before dissipating. Blood sprayed about some of it landing onto my face.

But the next moment I felt it was no longer there, and Subaru stood his throat uninjured.

"We're on the same side!" Subaru said in overly dramatic way.

"Oh sorry, that revolting face I believed it to be a punching bag, do the world a favor and cover that up Barasu." A voice replied back in feigned disgust.

"But this is just my normal face!" He screamed back.

I immediately back further away from the two, making sure to keep them in my line of sight.

"You were having trouble with this? How unapologetically pathetic can you be Barasu?" The pink-haired girl asked.

"Not them! That guy!" Subaru explained pointing to the Captain who was far away, still wandering aimlessly avoiding the occasional tree.

I saw Damon, he had been in an even more precarious situation. As Beatrice was now fully healed, forcing him to keep his distance. This left us separated, with the pink-haired girl and Beatrice being the closest to him.

I shifted my focus to Subaru. It made sense—I was the only one who could see through his tricks, I had no idea how he kept recovering from every wound, but there had to be a limit. There had to be.

But I knew that wouldn't be possible without getting the Captain Back, so I would have to keep Subaru down and then help the Captain.

But then Damon shook his head, urging me not too.

I didn't hesitate. Without a second thought, I stomping on my heel and stopping.

Damon had trusted me completely, even when the odds were stacked against us. It was only fair I returned that trust now, even if I wasn't sure he was right.

In the middle of these thought, I felt a blade of wind blitzing towards me. I managed to deflect the blade, in the next second side stepping a swarm of purple crystals.

There was a slight pause in the attacks, a fleeting one as a three pronged attack came my way. Crystals, wind, hands. A swarm of each marched to me. I closed my eyes, I hadn't accepted my faith, however this came as a natural reaction, I wanted to curse myself for doing.

[Spirit contact]

My chest tightened as I turned toward Damon, as the air seemed to be sicken, I opened my eyes as the attack I expected to hit never did.

I was greeted to the sight of lesser spirits, Infront of me. My eyes turned to Damon. The dark tendrils of his soul, which had been contained, stretched outward, far beyond his body, reaching outwards aimlessly in every direction of the world. Quickly they began to change, thinning and lightening, their dark weight dissolving into something... spiritual. Within moments, they transformed into streams of pure, radiant energy—countless streams, too many for my eyes to track.

And then, I felt it.

A presence, no. Something much more than that.

[Spirit contracts]

From the glowing streams, they emerged. Spirits. Hundreds, covering the entire clearing, their forms shimmering like fragments of light in all different colors from green to red. They filled the space around us, I swore I could hear silent voices as they appeared their gaze—if you could call it that fixed firmly on Damon.

We all seemed to pause, the world holding its breath as the spirits converged.

"Lysander, don't tell me you've forgotten what I said to you!" He said his head aimed at the ground as he started to wobble.

"Stop taking everything on by yourself damnit! I don't need your protection or the Captain's! Don't think you've gotten to that point! You overconfident rookie!" Damon shouted in displeasure.

"Who said we needed the Captain anyway, that old man? That lousy guard can't even file a report without help!" Damon proclaimed once more this time to Subaru.

He lifted his head, a weak grin on his face.

"You both took to long! Watch me do what even you and the Captain couldn't—take down a Sin Archbishop!" He declared, as the spirits began to shake violently.

Notes:

I ended up splitting the chapters, BUT why is it still so long? It almost double the previous chapters, I apologize.

I hope I haven't lost too many people, I try not to make it overly confusing yet I can't help but feel everything I've written down is an incoherent mess. And that every sentence is a lost of randomly assorted words with no meaning what so ever. If you find something please tell me and ill fix it!

That out of the way, thank you for reading!