Chapter 18

The battle on the surface was pretty much concluded, as 'Braver' Finn who assumed a commanding role the whole time was finally making a move he went around and started destroying and hunting for Evilus making most of the higher-ups run away with their tails between their legs.

Evilus was losing and Orario started stabilizing the situation bit by bit, but the battle with the nightmare has yet to be concluded.

They, unfortunately, meet with Alfia of the silent even though they went all out they couldn't gain the upper hand due to the nature of her magic, and what's worst is when the nightmare appeared the 'Sword Princess' Ais went into a rampage when she saw it was a dragon type monster, needing both Riveria and Gareth to help to keep the nightmare at bay, only leaving the Astraea Familia to fight Alfia Alone.

It was by no means a fight easier than the one Ottar had rather it was harder because of the level difference but what kept them alive is their teamwork and the hit-and-run strategy, they did get blown away multiple times but they stood back up, they came close to dying multiple times but they stood up again.

They found the reason for Alfia and Zald's actions, but that only strengthened their belief in justice and finding answers to their doubts.

Their attacks, teamwork, and strategy grow stronger but that still was not enough to take Alfia down, she easily dodge while countering attacks even if they got up again she knocked them down again, until all of a sudden with no warning she started throwing up blood shocking all of them.

Her disease started acting again and the unbearable pain came with it, even the Astraea Familia offered her to surrender, but she refused she was dead set on going with her goals and nothing will change her mind even in her injured state she started fighting them again but this time she was preparing to use her strongest magic, the one that took the Leviathan down.

She started chanting while fighting even though they tried to stop her no one managed to, as she was about to release it, the final saving grace of the Astraea Familia 'Shield' was used to nullify her magic completely and paralyze her in place for them to deal the final blow to her.

They have won, and even Alfia admit they did, at the end, she approved of their justice before she started making her way towards a hole.

"..Alfia, where are you going?!"

"That path leads to the hole dug by monsters! there's a huge fire burning down there!"

"My corpse is to become ashes….just like her…Farewell, justice Familia. Farewell, Orario…..The future is within your grasp"

She thews herself without any second thought in that fire hole her body slowly burning up and swallowed by flames, although it appeared that the movement of the flames was a bit out of the ordinary but without a doubt she turned into ashes.

After that, the Astraea went to help defeat the Nightmare after having all of their members level up it was not an easy battle especially because everyone was already at their limit but the monster itself had a strong regenerative ability which took a longer time to defeat but it was done at the end of the day,

They succeeded in defeating the Nightmare and caught the Demon Lord Erebus and he was going to get sent to heaven at night after they settle the mess.

At the same time in one of the houses on Daedalus Street, there was a god storming around trying to take as much stuff as he can of course he was not alone he was with two of his followers but they didn't dare to speak at the moment knowing that their god is furious.

"DAMN, YOU EREBUS!!! how can you fail after all the support we give you, now there will be no place for us in Orario at all we are no different than rats"

"Lord Rudra, I understand you are angry but we need to hurry before we get caught"

"I know damn it, where is my pipe I won't leave without it"

"It should be near your throne room"

"Right, sigh I will get it you two focus on taking the important stuff we are burning this building after we finish"

"Yes lord Rudra"

Rudra started making his way toward the throne room he opened the lock on the door and went inside

"There it i- WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

when he set his eyes on the throne he found a petite figure, he just set there causally as he knew he will be here

"…wait that hair and those eyes!! you are that-"

"I'm indeed that kid, I have heard you were searching for me"

"That doesn't matter! How the HELL did you get in here"

"…I suppose it is useless talking to trash like you, I don't have to waste anyway so let's end this"

"ANSWER MY—UGH"

Without waiting for him to finish what he was saying the figure's eyes started shining with a silver light and Rudra felt as if he was held by a giant hand fortunately for him he made a lot of noise that his followers noticed and started making their way to him.

"Lord Rudra!! He-"

The figure merely looked at them and their heads exploded before they even had the chance to speak, making Rudra's face go completely pale.

"I'm in a bad mood right now, although I still have some use to you, I don't need you to be awake so go to sleep, the next time you wake up you will be in heaven"

"Wait-"

The figure didn't give him a chance at all he lost consciousness the figure took a Sharpe blade and sliced a small cut in Rudra's arm and collected his blood he then threw him into what appeared to be a space pocket, and took a box that had a compass inside he dropped the blood in it and it started showing multiple points in its glass surface.

"I'm surprised that it worked but this my work easier, well no time to waste I shall dispose of some trash it may even improve my mood a bit"

The figure slowly Vanished, and after that, the house exploded all of a sudden attracting attention to it.

After a couple of hours, the figure appeared in a prison he made his way towards one of the cells that were heavily guarded but what was weird was that the guards didn't even react to him phasing threw the door or rather it seems they didn't even notice his being even though he was in front of them when he got inside the cell and found a god laying in bed he proceeded to call him.

"God Erebus?"

"!!@#R% where did you pop from!! no what is a kid doing here?!"

"God Erebus?"

"….It's me what do-"

"Sleep"

"What-"

The god slowly lost consciousness and figure took the god he captured before and put it beside the new one, he then started studying the god called Erebus and started taking his outer clothes and made him wear normal clothes and then turned his attention to the god called Rudra he made him wear Erebus clothes then he started fiddling with his face.

What was disturbing was there was the sound of some bones cracking and yet the god didn't wake up, he kept doing it for a couple of minutes until he stopped and started eyeing the two gods in front of him if anyone didn't know what he did he would think that they are twins except one has a pale skin with the other have a brown skin he then took a pill and feed it to Rudra and his skin started changing to the color of Erebus skin, he took a scissor and started cutting Rudra hair to the same style of Erebus and and dyed his hair the same color and used some item to remove the smell from it, at this point there was no different between these two except their clothing.

After that, he picked Erebus up and put him in a space pocket not before taking a bit of his blood the same way he did with Rudra, and then turned to Rudra and started focusing on something, his eyes started shining with a pink light it took a couple of seconds before he started speaking.

"Hight tier magic: Soul Deception!"

Rudra's body started shaking a bit then he stood up and opened his eyes which looked a bit dull.

"From this point on you are to keep your eyes shut, your mouth shut, and even if you are stabbed you are not to utter a single sound, if you are asked any question don't answer any."

"….Yes, Sir"

"Lay down for now until they come to take you, don't resist"

"…Yes, Sir"

"I still have a bit of time left, let's get rid of more garbage so they won't notice anything wrong"

The figure slowly vanished into nothing going on into his business until it was night some people came and took Erebus 'Rudra' with them to the top of Babel and was left with another God and Goddess.

"..."

"Erebus, my friend it's rare for you not saying anything especially in this situation, I hope it's not because I'm here as a witness right?"

"….."

"How cold you aren't even looking at us at this point"

"Hermes it's no use, Erebus as the Goddess of justice I will send back to heaven….but before that I want to ask you a question"

"….."

Underneath the floor that these gods were at, you can see a person dragging himself while using the wall to support himself.

"My lord, You are waiting for me to save you right….I -"

He stopped when he started hearing the sound of footsteps and by his judgment, it belonged to a child.

He started smiling slowly as he was in need for a hostage at the moment he didn't understand what is a child is doing here but he won't complain when it's in his favor he waited for the child to come his way but when he laid his eyes on him he was shocked speechless.

"….What!?"

He couldn't understand it, why is it happening, no how can it happen, he thought he was-

"Even with an injury like this, you can still travel pretty far huh?"

It was non-other than the figure from before he was walking slowly towards him with a blade covered in blood in his hands.

"..How…"

"There is no use in resisting I already killed everyone in your familia, you are the only one left"

"…Why.."

"Do you really have to ask that do not make me more angry than I'm already let-"

"WHY DO YOU HAVE COLORS!!!"

The figure's eyes went wide open as if understanding what the man have said and what it mean to see colors.

"Why are not gray, That hair of yours with the purest color of white, those eyes with a crimson color that even blood can't compare to, and even those tattoos on your face and arm with that strong blue color….Why do you have color?"

"….Sigh, it is truly a pity"

"!! what do you mean, answer my question child!!"

The figure started staring directly into his eyes making him flinch as he was seen through by him it was not the most comfortable thing.

"…Perhaps the loss of your senses did drive you into madness and it even made you seek a forbidden type of pleasure"

"WHAT! Why do you know about my-"

"It doesn't matter, maybe those losses did come with something in the form of that gray vision of yours, maybe it wasn't the prettiest thing out there but it may have had a hidden ability, you didn't see anyone's colors but you saw mine."

"But why just you!"

"I don't know, and we won't know, perhaps if you took a different path of life you may have had a brighter future with that ability, and maybe even see other colors like my white and blue, but it's truly a pity as I'm here to kill you today"

"hah..hahaha Don't MESS WITH ME"

"Don't resist you are already weak from your injuries at best you can explode with the power of a level 2 for a moment but nothing after, and if you think about drawing commotion don't try no can hear us my magic spell prevents sound from escaping."

"ha ha ha What the Hell, Why does this world-"

Before he can finish the figure took a talisman from his pocket and 3 shadow nails went toward the man he dodge one of them but the other two nailed him in place and he couldn't move.

"Ugh… hah hah if you think this is enough to keep me then you are wrong I know that these things won't last long"

The figure took a glove and put it in his hand and then his eyes started shining with a red color, the man thought it was over but when it was done nothing happened but if you look closely the gem in the glove has a red shine to it almost as if the magic was stored there.

Before he can think any further the figure's eyes started shining with light but this time with a golden light and when he was done the spell from the glove and the spell he casted now fused together making a golden flame that was dancing around him.

"G-GOLDEN!!"

"Vitteaux, I'm going to kill but before that let me give a word of advice"

"…"

Whether he was listening or not it didn't matter much for the figure as he know that the man Vitteaux was focused on the color he was seeing at the moment.

"In your next live try not to get swayed by evil easily, although the world is cruel there is still some stuff worth living for, as for what you desire I can only tell you that there are two tragedies in the world one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it, the Gods are your best example for the second case"

"….Ha ha ha, yes you are right I accept my defeat, I can not ask for a better way to die other than dying from those pure flames of yours, I have committed too many sins for my own pleasure, and I have no right to ask for forgiveness, go ahead end this vile me"

That's probably the first time that Vitteaux smiled from his heart, not from his crazed state he accepted his defeat even if it meant his death because, in front of those flames, he felt the most peace in his whole life.

"Goodbye Vitteaux."

The figure didn't hesitate at all and directed the flames at him, and even though he was being burnt alive he didn't even scream or wince in pain he just had a face of relief until he was reduced to ashes.

'Thank you'

"You are welcome, now then it is about to end, while they are about to celebrate their win let's just another reason for it, looks like someone is about to lose his patient I should take a picture while I'm at it, you don't see the Goddess of justice in this state very often, it will sell for quite a lot hehe."