The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#389 - Three legs sent to outer space, the end of the invincible

Whether it's because Natsuki Subaru's mind works quickly, or he inherently has a high understanding of constellations, or perhaps the words became the key switch.

When Zunzun said that the Archbishop of Greed's heart wasn't beating and about the little king, Natsuki Subaru quickly understood the meaning of those words and confirmed it with Emilia.

"Emilia, while he held you captive, did you hear or notice anything that bothered you? Anything at all."

"When I was captured... he asked me if I was a virgin."

"I'm going to kill him. I absolutely have to kill him!"

Asking a simple girl such a question is practically a crime, especially when it's directed at his beloved Emilia. In an instant, Natsuki Subaru's goodwill towards the Archbishop of Greed plummeted.

"Also... he referred to his wives by numbers. They said that if they showed even a smile, they would be killed. Those girls said he was a little king... no, a small king."

"Small king!?"

Natsuki Subaru had a sudden realization.

The word might sound like simple sarcasm, but the Archbishop of Greed's attitude wasn't as endearing as a chauvinist. He was a completely dictatorial and petty king, so being called a small king was understandable.

However, this nickname 'small king' had a different meaning to him.

It was the name of a constellation!

The names of the Archbishops of Sin he had seen—Regulus (Leo), Sirius (Canis Major), Capella (Auriga), Alphard (Hydra), and Betelgeuse (Orion)—were all consistent with constellation names.

This idea had crossed his mind several times before, but each time he had rejected it with reason.

After all, the worlds were different.

How could the constellations of another world be applied to this world?

However, the Water Plumage Pavilion, the Japanese-style buildings, and the wasteland of Heusinger he saw in Priestella... made Natsuki Subaru realize that such a thing wasn't impossible. Perhaps there were others besides Natsuki Subaru who had left their mark on this world.

To say that this was just a coincidence would be too far-fetched, because there were too many coincidences.

A continuous series of coincidences is inevitability.

Natsuki Subaru had merely been experiencing cognitive dissonance. When Zunzun broke through this veil and confirmed the fact, he immediately verified all his previous guesses.

If the Archbishop of Greed also had a constellation representative, then Regulus, representing the constellation Leo, had the etymology of 'small king'. And Regulus also had the nickname Cor Leonis, which literally meant 'heart of the lion!'

"So, Zunzun, did you know this from the beginning?"

"Eh? Ah, ah... I guess you could say that."

Although she did know from the beginning, it wasn't in the way Natsuki Subaru thought.

However, seeing Natsuki Subaru's expression of self-deception was quite amusing, so she decided not to explain.

"Lion's Heart... the time of the flesh stops, so it doesn't change. Not changing means it won't be injured, nor will it get wet with water. The time of the sand and water thrown out is also stopped, so it won't be blocked by anything it touches, but will pass right through."

An ability he knew so well from manga, similar to spatial disruption.

Just like the literal meaning.

The space itself is disrupted, and anything it touches, no matter how resilient or strong, will be cut off.

The time-stopping Archbishop of Greed can be said to be the distortion of space itself.

Stopping the time of sand grains gives it the destructive power to break through all defenses; stopping the time of water allows it to walk freely on the surface of the water; stopping its own time naturally makes all attacks ineffective.

The strongest spear and shield, this power is merely an application of authority.

"In summary, invincibility is ultimately just a byproduct of stopping time."

"...Subaru, you didn't explain anything just now."

"I learned it from you, Zunzun."

—This child has gone bad.

Zunzun glared at Natsuki Subaru with that look.

Learning the bad things instead of the good.

"But you're really going too far."

Zunzun looked at the Archbishop of Greed, who had been silently listening for once. "To actually do such a shameful thing."

"Ah!?"

His slightly restrained, astonished face twisted again.

"Isn't that so? You keep saying how good you are to your wives, how much you love them, but you forcefully place your heart in them. Wantonly trampling on their hearts and bodies, treating them like slaves..."

"Shut up..."

"Isn't that right? If you really treated them as your wives, then you wouldn't hide this from them. Is deceiving your wives really the mark of a qualified husband?"

"Shut up... shut up..."

"Not to mention, you don't even grant the effect of invincibility to your wives. You'll even ruthlessly abandon them for the slightest injury or dissatisfaction, treating them as dispensable consumables. You're a thoroughly selfish and petty person."

"I told you to shut up!"

The Archbishop of Greed twisted his face and shouted like a child.

Zunzun had noticed from the beginning that the Archbishop of Greed himself enjoyed invincibility, but his wives were no different from ordinary people.

If this invincibility couldn't be transferred, then what about the raised sand and walking on water?

Admittedly, because the heart had to beat, there was no way to grant invincibility, but at least Zunzun had several ways to do it, such as transferring every once in a while... or something like that.

"But you can't do it, can you? Because you're a petty little king."

"Ahhhhh!"

The furious roar, the chaotic swings, the attacks comparable to an amateur, even the current Natsuki Subaru could easily defeat him.

"The invincible Archbishop of Greed, huh..."

"This is reality. Like when a magic trick is revealed, there's nothing novel about it at all."

"So most people prefer the process of solving a mystery, and find the answer that's immediately obvious boring."

Losing his invincibility, the Archbishop of Greed continued to rage, but nothing could be changed.

When Zunzun severed the connection between him and his wives, he became nothing more than impotent rage.

"But, I still need to apologize."

While Zun Zun relentlessly beat the Archbishop of Greed, his expression turned unwilling as he said, "In the end, I still couldn't break through head-on and had to resort to this opportunistic method."

– A fighting game player always breaks through head-on.

This was something he had said while traveling with Iwashima Yosuke, and it was a belief he had always adhered to.

Although Zun Zun wasn't a dedicated gamer, the Crimson Demons always faced their opponents head-on! ...Except when dealing with the Demon King's army.

"Actually, I was planning to use that move I used against the Archbishop of Lust, but I don't think it would work."

Stopping one's own time would likely cause fate to stagnate as well. Reckless use might result in one's own death.

"But as an apology, I will send you off with a title befitting invincibility."

"You're just talking to yourself! I– Gaaah!"

Before the Archbishop of Greed could finish speaking, Zun Zun kicked him in the chin, sending him flying into the sky.

The moment he suffered the heavy blow, he activated Lion Heart, stopping the time of his own flesh and entering an invincible state. The result was that the kick was ineffective, but–

"Cough, cough…!"

A groan escaped from deep within his throat under the intense pain, and the Archbishop of Greed's vision was dyed crimson.

Without the Little King activated, the Lion Heart's effect was limited to five seconds. If he continued to stop the time of his flesh, his heart might stop beating altogether.

Furthermore, after deactivating Lion Heart, the heart, which had stopped beating, would suddenly race, and this pain was unavoidable.

Pain and suffering.

These were feelings he hadn't experienced in over a hundred years.

"Don't joke… around!"

His hatred, so severe that he felt like vomiting blood, stretched out his tail and shot straight up into the night sky. His airborne body was defenseless, and in the blink of an eye, he was at a height where he could overlook the entire city.

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Enough!

This is enough!

If that's the case, then I'll treat everyone as an enemy! Once I return to the ground and pick up a grain of sand, they're all done for!

"– Gugah!?"

Just as a smile appeared on the Archbishop of Greed's face as he indulged in his fantasies, it vanished the next second.

"Unfortunately, I don't intend to let you return to the ground."

"–!?"

The Archbishop of Greed was speechless with shock when he saw the person who had appeared beside him.

What did he think this place was?

The altitude was level with the clouds, and the person who had kicked him up here was right here. How did he get here before him?

"This kind of thing is quite simple; you just need to ask the fairies."

"Mon… monster…!"

"That's a rather novel word. I'll gratefully accept it."

Zun Zun wasn't angry at being called a monster. Instead, he smiled, but that smile was exceptionally dangerous.

The Archbishop of Greed's never-before-awakened survival instinct cried out to his soul. This was a feeling he had never experienced in his centuries-long career as a Cardinal Sin.

The premonition of death prompted him to activate Lion Heart.

The moment he activated it, the attack came.

He was kicked fiercely in the abdomen again, and the fatal kick didn't cause any damage because of Lion Heart. However, his entire body was once again sent soaring straight upwards with tremendous force.

As sunlight and darkness formed a clear division, the Archbishop of Greed's barren brain became stagnant.

Why…

It was still daytime, or rather, noon. Why was there night above the sky?

That's not important.

Think carefully. If he fell from such a high place, he would surely die.

Originally, he could stop the time of anything he touched, naturally controlling his authority and preventing his flesh from damaging what it came into contact with.

But now, the connection with Little King was severed, and he had to be conscious of Lion Heart and operate it.

Therefore, it was difficult to interfere with anything outside of his own body.

In layman's terms.

He couldn't stop his ascent or descent.

However, before he could think carefully, the Archbishop of Greed's heart screamed a warning, and he activated Lion Heart again. Then, a third kick came again, sending him ruthlessly into the night sky.

"– Goodbye, Invincible."

As Zun Zun said these words, he relied on the reaction force to return to the ground, constantly descending, while the Archbishop of Greed ascended again.

Not falling, but ascending!?

The Archbishop of Greed's brain gradually lost its ability to think, and a strange sense of weightlessness enveloped him, making him feel dizzy and disoriented.

He forced himself to open his eyes and then saw an exceptionally beautiful, azure blue sphere.

Although the distance was quite far, he could still see some ant-like things slowly crawling on it, and streams of water constantly flowing through the sphere. Most importantly, a huge waterfall blocked the other half from the outside.

"This is… woo… woo…"

Breathing!

He couldn't breathe!

Was there a problem with his authority? No, his authority could still be activated, and Lion Heart was still working. But why couldn't he feel gravity, and why had the air disappeared?

His breath–

The Archbishop of Greed opened his mouth wide, like a fish out of water, but he couldn't draw in any air.

Unable to move in mid-air, all he could do was use Lion Heart to protect his life.

During the activation of Lion Heart, he could escape the pain of breathing difficulties and the pain of his flesh being destroyed, but only during this period could he be relieved.

However, Lion Heart could only last for five seconds.

The fear of death, sensing his heart nearing its limit, pulled the Archbishop of Greed back into outer space.

This was an alternating invitation to death.

He didn't want to choose either side.

He had to eliminate both sides.

But he had no plan to escape, no experience in escaping his predicament, only complaints and dissatisfaction.

Lion Heart could be activated countless times, but breathing couldn't be done like that. Moreover, there was a gap of several seconds required before Lion Heart could be activated again.

Death approached.

Switching between invincibility and near-death every five seconds, death was approaching at all times.

Heart stops.

Suffocation.

Heart stops.

Suffocation.

Pain and suffering occurred endlessly, making one think it would last forever. Gradually, the Archbishop of Greed stopped thinking.