CHAPTER 48: THE BATTLE OF INVICTUS (12)

Inside the Crater Beneath the Fortress

Sirius and his two companions descended the stone steps when the voice of Count Mephisto reached them.

Stopping for a moment, Iris glanced over her shoulder before shaking her head.

She was too far away for her eyes to make out what was happening on the surface.

Still, they weren’t foolish enough not to guess who had made such a bold declaration. Without another word, they picked up the pace, launching into a sprint downward.

"It must have begun. I don’t know what the clash between those two camps will lead to, but I can’t wait to see the look on the winner’s face when they realize the treasure of Invinctus is gone."

"As long as I don’t have to fight monsters like that," Lucy added.

"Don’t worry, if everything goes according to plan, we’ll vanish long before the little gift we left them arrives here. And if my calculations are right, they should have already reached Astoria by now.

Our only regret will be not seeing their faces in that moment."

"I believe you, brainiac. Let’s hurry then I have no desire to hang around with such a cursed gift nearby," Lucy laughed.

"What’s with these weird nicknames you keep giving me?"

Lucy put on a mock-sultry voice.

"What? Would you prefer ’honey bunny’? Or maybe ’snugglebug’ suits you better?"

"I’ll shut up now."

"By the way, Iris," Sirius asked,

"what did you think of that so-called Major when you saw him?"

Iris thought back to the man she had glimpsed for just a second, and to the colors of his soul floating above his head.

Just as she was about to reply, her eyes caught a scene unfolding beneath them.

Her expression turned serious, and without regard for the stairs’ safety, she jumped off.

That shift in mood ended the discussion between Sirius and Lucy, who both followed her lead, falling a few meters down before Iris explained:

"We’ve been beaten to it."

It didn’t take them long to reach the cavity where the wooden chest was hidden.

---

The parasite had fully consumed the enforcer’s body from the inside, expelling most of the contents of his insides in the process.

The scene, bloody and horrifying enough to chill the spine, looked like something straight out of a documentary on deranged killers—and it was enough to shake, even if only for a moment, the hardened hearts of the trio.

"So here you are."

The parasite, now resembling a larva that had taken on Count Mephisto’s appearance, looked genuinely surprised.

"What curious specimens you are. You never cease to amaze me... I’ve taken great pleasure in wondering how long you’d keep thwarting my plans. It’s most unpleasant that it has to end this way."

The Calamity—though identical in appearance to Count Mephisto (at least from the perspective of a human who couldn’t tell one ant from another of the same species) was in truth nothing more than a newly ennobled Baron.

The three of them assessed the situation briefly, before Sirius stepped forward.

"Our paths crossed earlier than expected, huh..." he said, scratching his head before smiling, clearly pleased.

"How about we have that talk I promised you? Let’s say... a civilized conversation."

As soon as he spoke, his ring dispersed into a white mist before solidifying into a sword. Iris and Lucy also got into position.

Count Mephisto appeared amused by such a reaction, clearly not taking them seriously.

"Oh, I would love to have that so-called ’civilized conversation’... once we meet face to face, that is, and not through an intermediary."

Then, suddenly, his body trembled strangely.

At that very moment, on the surface, the Major had just finished off the real Count Mephisto.

"It seems I’ve died. No point in delaying this—let us talk, then, like civilized beings," he declared.

Sirius silently gave a signal to Iris, who responded affirmatively.

("He’s not lying,") Sirius thought in surprise, maintaining his usual poker face.

("Iris can detect lies. So if she says it’s true, there are only two options: either it is true, or he genuinely believes he’s dead.

Either way... that gives me some time to talk."), he mused, then spoke further:

"What a shame. I swore I’d kill you with my own hands after taking everything you desired."

"Don’t worry. Though it is unfortunate that I’ve died, my subordinate here inherited my essence. In that case, am I not still alive?"

"Essence? Then I just need to destroy your soul."

"My soul? If I think about it... you humans believe that destroying the soul means the end. That’s quite contradictory, considering your civilization is living proof of immortality."

"Immortality?"

"Though I’m dead, my essence—what you call the ’brain’ in such crude terms—was passed on to my subordinate.

By inheriting my memories and will, I am reborn in a new soul, a new body.

A new version of myself will live—a life meant to finish my work.

Though... there’s still one flaw left to fix."

"I’m curious... what flaw?"

"Since my soul was extinguished, my rank has dropped. I’ve been reduced to a mere Baron. But this is only temporary."

"Fascinating."

"My turn to ask a question. Isn’t that proper etiquette?"

"It is."

"Who are you?"

"Us?" Sirius replied.

"We’re just good people hoping to live a quiet life together as a family. But someone came and disrupted our peace. So now... I’m going to kill him."

"What a fascinating story. A family? What is that? I’ve heard the term before, but I never understood its meaning."

"A family is a group of people bound by a promise."

"I didn’t know that," he said, before glancing at Lucy, then at the box behind them, and finally concluded:

"Your companion has completed the task. You don’t need to stall anymore.

And you... you truly entertained me. It’s almost a shame to end your lives."

"It seems so. Perhaps... if we’d met under different circumstances... and you weren’t what you are... we could’ve been good friends."

"I share that sentiment."

With the pleasantries exchanged, the two sides faced each other, the tension rising in the room, ready to snap until a stone fell from the ceiling.

They moved.

Authority: True Form

The larva transformed in the blink of an eye into a humanoid red wasp, shedding various parts of its body to reach its optimal form:

two legs to walk, two arms to strike, two wings to fly, a stinger fused with one hand, and two black-crowned antennae arching from its head.

Its face bore four eyes, and a smooth, form-fitting exoskeleton reinforced its entire body.