Footsteps echoed through the vast, desolate corridors of an abandoned castle. A woman strode forward through the corridor. Her beauty was breathtaking—platinum blonde hair cascaded down her back and her striking heterochromatic eyes glead with an emotion long since buried. She was Sylvia Alphonse Celeste—once a famous princess of the Celesta Kingdom, a na etched in history for her legendary role in the Second Great Holy War. Yet, ti had not been kind. The woman who now walked these forsaken halls was but a shadow of the hero she had once been. She still lived—sohow, inexplicably—and now beca a mber of the terrorist organization Ante-Eden. Her expression remained unreadable, her gaze as impassive as ever. But to those who had known her in her era, the change was undeniable—sothing vital had been lost, leaving only a hollow shell behind. She was clad in a golden armored dress, her armor. As she moved, the fabric of her gown swayed elegantly, brushing against the dust-laden floor. Soon enough she reached a pair of blackened, ancient wooden doors, she knew all too well. Without her lifting a finger, the massive doors creaked open, revealing the great hall beyond. It was just as she rembered—grand yet forsaken, its forr majesty long eroded. Cobwebs clung to the towering pillars and dust coated the marble floors, untouched by ti or care. Yet, despite the hall's state of decay, the throne at the far end was not empty. He was already there, waiting for her. He had sensed her approach long before she arrived. Sylvia never ca here unless it was for sothing important.
At the far end of the hall, seated upon the worn and weathered black throne, was a man with short grey hair swept back. Like Sylvia, he bore heterochromatic eyes—one an abyssal black, the other a smoldering amber. Those eyes, filled with boredom, flickered toward her as she entered. Leaning lazily against the armrest, his fist propped against his cheek, he let out an unimpressed sigh. "What are you doing here, Sylvia?" Leon asked. "Don't tell you've finally found Lucifer?" "No. I can't find him," Sylvia replied.
Leon's relaxed posture stiffened ever so slightly. His amber eye darkened with irritation. "You can't even find him?" His voice dropped into sothing colder. "Then how the hell are we supposed to reset the world without him?" Sylvia t his gaze with the sa coldness. "Resetting the world isn't sothing done with the snap of a finger. And don't delude yourself. Just because you carry Lucifer Morningstar's legacy doesn't make you him. If he wanted to, he could have taken your body after killing you in your tiline. But he didn't," she added. Leon smirked at that, leaning back into the throne as if savoring her irritation. "He did better," he said. "He gave back my body… after Jayden, Victor, Milleia, Roda, and that whole miserable lot killed in Central Vedelia." "Do you know why?" Sylvia asked, almost snorting. Leon scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Who cares? I did exactly what he wanted. I killed the three Apostles, the Saintess, the Prophetess, and the High Priestess. Weren't they supposed to be the greatest obstacles? I practically laid the world at his feet. Whatever he wants to do with it now—it's not my problem. That tiline ans nothing to anymore." "Of course it doesn't. We even reincarnated Gladys into Kleah for you… yet it still isn't enough, is it?" Leon's smirk faded. "It's not." -BOOOM!
A suffocating pressure filled the room. Leon's Sin of Pride unfurled like a beast released from its cage, warping the air with an oppressive force. The very walls trembled, cracks spreading like veins through the stone. The ground quivered beneath Sylvia's feet. She reacted instantly, activating her Celesta Bloodline—a radiant golden light clashing against Leon's Sin. The two opposing energies collided violently, the sheer force of their struggle rattling the room. But Sylvia could feel it, her mana was barely holding on which was given. Mana, Prana, even Ruah or any type of attacks induced of any type of energy were useless against Leon. He was immune and invulnerable against them. Even her Celesta Bloodline was submitting in front of the Sin of Pride.
Sylvia glanced at her arm. It had cracked. Her body was far more durable than a normal human's, but even she couldn't withstand his Sin. Her cold gaze flicked back to Leon. He had recovered significantly since the last ti.
"It will never be enough," Leon said with a growl. There was no trace of amusent now. Only raw, unfiltered hatred. "What happened to Gladys… what that filth, Rickward, did to her… I will erase it." His nails dug into his palm. "I will erase everything. Every single thing that led to that fate. And only then—only when this world has been reduced to nothing—will I leave this garbage world behind… and live with Gladys. Far away from this wretched ss." "..."
"But only after I've killed every last one of them. Until there's not a single damn one left."
Sylvia looked at him silently before shifting the subject. "Utopia has fallen."
Leon barely reacted. He leaned back, his expression one of mild disinterest. "I know. That Elven King lost his Sin, and Nyr probably took it."
"He has two Sins now. Are you planning to take them yourself?"
Leon chuckled, shaking his head.. "No. Harivel is still by his side. No matter how weak she has beco, she is dangerous. And more importantly, Nes is here." He shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "She'd kill the mont I laid a hand on Samael's vessel."
Sylvia's eyes flickered a little but she hid her expression. "Then how do you plan to take his Sins?"
Leon raised a brow. "You're asking a lot of questions, Sylvia. Could it be that you're worried about him?" He laughed amused. "Even though he isn't the Amael you once knew? The one you knew was killed by Zeus, if I recall correctly." He let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Honestly, what was he thinking, going up against an Elder God?"
Despite his taunting tone, there was an underlying curiosity in his words. But Sylvia offered him nothing—no explanation, no reaction.
Leon's smirk widened, sensing an opportunity to provoke. "It must be frustrating for you, Sylvia. Knowing you can't exact revenge on him because of your own weakness."
"You should be familiar with that sensation, Leon Grimlock," Sylvia gave an instant reply. "Gladys was raped by a man you have spent years hunting, and yet—you still haven't found him."
Leon's amusent vanished instantly. His eyes darkened dangerously.
In a blink, he disappeared—then reappeared re inches from Sylvia. "Are you hiding sothing from , Sylvia?"
Sylvia t his gaze without showing anything. "I have nothing to hide."
For a mont, silence stretched between them. Then Leon stepped back. "I hope that's true." He glanced toward the distance. "We should help each other, Sylvia. The others are too devoted to Nes—we can't trust them, can we?"
"No."
A slow, satisfied smirk returned to Leon's lips. "Then we're on the sa page." He turned away. "I'll be taking the Sins during the Festival of the Blood Moon in Ravenia's capital."
Sylvia watched him for a long mont before finally speaking. "That is… if the Iris Project doesn't intervene."
Leon let out an irritated sigh, his fingers tapping idly against the armrest of his chair. "The Iris Project… what an annoying group of pests." He groaned. "But their obsession with the Sins makes them the perfect pawns. I'll use them to my advantage—then take the Sins for myself."
"You're underestimating them."
Leon scoffed. "Why should I care? Once I reclaim Sloth and Wrath, I'll reach the realm of the Gods again. They won't be able to stop ."
Sylvia's expression didn't change. "The Sins alone won't grant you true Godhood. In your original tiline, you only achieved an artificial version of it—because Lucifer lent you his Divinity to kill Harivel."
Leon's smirk faded, and he turned toward her, amusent replaced by mild irritation. "What exactly are you trying to say, Sylvia? Are you worried about now?"
"No. You're simply overestimating yourself, that's all." She paused before adding, "Laima could have killed you with Fate, yet she chose to sacrifice herself instead—from what I understand."
"Kill ?" Leon laughed. "I would have co back later."
"Yes and that's why she sent you in a new tiline," Sylvia replied.
Leon went silent.
Laima… She had stabbed herself.
Why?
The Laima he encountered in the Enigma Red Dungeon had no recollection of the first tiline—at least, not at that point. Had she known sothing? Had she planned it all along? Perhaps she had simply wanted to kill him, but if she was aware of what was to co, then why did she send him into a new tiline?
He retained all of his mories.
If anything, that made him more dangerous.
Sure, he was weakened now, but once he regained his strength, he could easily reclaim the Sins, take down Lucifer, and seize Eden's power to reset the world.
So, what was different in this second tiline?
Did she send him in a new tiline because she thought he could be permanently killed in this new tiline?
No, he could have been killed permanently even in the previous tiline if for example Eden showed himself to deal with him yet Nevia sent him a new tiline.
Why?
The only reason coming into Leon's mind was because in this new tiline the Apostles, Saintess, Prophetess and High Priestess were still alive.
So she needed any of them or all of them alive?
But did she never think he could just kill them again?
The only reason he refrained from acting was his extre caution. In the previous tiline, gods had been sent to hunt him down, with Nevia among them. Although he had managed to defeat her, it had co at a great cost. In this new tiline, he chose to be more prudent, aware that a few individuals, including Eden, knew about the events of the previous tiline. If caught, especially in broad daylight, he would be taken seriously and likely killed, with no chance of return.
This was why he had remained hidden until he could recover and why he had been hidden on the last floor of the Enigma Red Dungeon back then. He had forced Edward and the others to join him there, away from prying eyes and the watchful gaze of the gods. After all, the last floors were designed for such secrecy.
Then did Nevia counted on Leon's weakened state?
Or maybe she saw a future in this tiline where Leon wouldn't kill them?
Was that because he didn't care about them like he did currently or... because soone was going to stop him before he could kill them and consequently also kill him?
For a fleeting mont, an image of Nyrel surfaced in his mind.
But he dismissed it just as quickly.
That boy had been nothing more than a pawn—manipulated by Nihil, devoid of ambition, not even in control of his own life and too weak to matter. His only redeeming quality was that he carried Wrath within him.
"You're overthinking it."
Sylvia didn't reply. She rely turned and began walking away.
Leon's gaze lingered on her retreating figure before he spoke again. "What about Emilia Raonpherys?"
Sylvia didn't break stride. "What about her?"
"I need her to recover the Sin of Gluttony on Earth."
"You won't even be able to touch her—not with her Holy Beasts guarding her."
"I'll kill her cute Holy Beasts—once I have recovered or once I have Wrath and Sloth in my grasp," he said with a laugh.
Sylvia suddenly halted mid-step. For a brief mont, she remained still before glancing over her shoulder at Leon. "You might not even need the Key to get your hands on the Sin of Gluttony."
Leon's interest piqued imdiately. "Oh? And what exactly does that an?"
He had no clue who the current Holder of Gluttony was. More importantly, he had no desire to waste ti scouring Earth for that Sin. If he could avoid that hassle altogether, it would certainly make things easier.
But Sylvia didn't elaborate right away. Instead, she turned her gaze away. "After everything that's happened, Eden wouldn't just sit idly by. Several kingdoms have already been granted a blessing, along with the knowledge to wield a Divinity Spell."
Leon's eyes darkened slightly. "What spell?"
Sylvia t his gaze and uttered two words.
"World Summoning."
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