The dreadful desert lay at the southern edge of the Voiceless Region, and there the Black War neared its end. People had forgotten what they fought for. A bigger picture had consumed their desires, one none of them could fathom.

Throats were slit without care, and blood spilled without hesitation, all driven by a will that wasn't their own.

This came from the one in darkness, the one with the black and golden mask. The shadow who didn't care who lived or died. The Dark Saint.

Over three thousand warriors had fallen, and more would soon follow into eternal darkness. A third of them had died by the Child of Manipulation's hand alone.

Those glowing white eyes spoke of rage and desperation no one could put into words. But when she spoke, nothing was questioned. After all, she was an immortal being who simply couldn't be killed by mere mortals.

Thus, all of this was brought into being for her desires and to see her master, Shadow of Death, rule one day.

***

***

[ Congratulations! You've slain a Knight. ]

[ You've received a Sin Fragment: sloth. 1342/10000 ]

[ Your agility has increased. ]

[ Your clone has grown stronger. ]

***

…

***

[ Congratulations! You've slain a Knight. ]

[ You've received a Sin Fragment: Coldness. 2392/10000 ]

[ Your speed has increased. ]

[ Your clone has grown stronger. ]

***

The bronze screen buzzed aggressively before his eyes. The brief peace of peace was shattered.

He didn't need to guess, it was Saint's doing. He was glad for the Sin Fragments since they meant he was growing stronger. But staring at over a thousand notifications over the course of days made his head spin.

He didn't need to check them individually, he could dismiss all of them with a thought. But what worried him were the notifications that would follow. They'd appear one by one until they hit a thousand.

But most importantly, Saint survived. Slaughtering a thousand people was no ordinary feat. Last time, a hundred alone had exhausted her.

More than that, he was glad she seemed happy. Maybe she'd eventually learn to love herself, clone or not. And if she didn't, that was a burden Halo would gladly bear to keep her smiling.

Sometime later…

Halo sat in the living room, going through the booklet on Witches and Warlocks, when Leto returned from outside, flashing a confident smile like a husband coming home to his family.

Halo gave him a lazy look.

"I expected you to be training. Have you really given up?"

Halo met Leto with silence as Leto adjusted his green vest.

Four days had passed since Iris's capture and Fuji's death. The wound from their fight had barely healed, but Halo trained through it anyway, following every lesson his master, Fade of Bridle, had drilled into him.

But it still wasn't enough, his mind was far from calm.

Leto handed him a white sheet and rested in a chair.

Halo looked confused. Leto passed the paper over as though they were thugs exchanging contraband.

Reluctantly, he took a better look at the paper and frowned.

Written in black ink, there were two names and flaws. Kahn: impatient, and Arlen: procrastination. Beneath them was a note saying: 'You must follow Halo's instructions.'

Halo's blue eyes met Leto's deep red ones.

"Oh, a message from Iris. According to her, that's all you'll need to solve this."

He shrugged.

"To be honest, I never took you for the strategic type."

Halo exhaled deeply.

Leto's smile looked like praise, but the sarcasm made it more of an insult than the words alone.

Based on the Child of Sacrifice's instructions, she didn't plan to provide any more help from inside. Halo felt a flash of confusion. What if she'd fallen into Hex's hands? She was a Witch, after all. That could mean Iris's death.

"What are you suggesting, master?"

Leto's sarcasm became impossible to ignore.

"Wait… about masters…"

Leto's finger reached for his bottom lip, lost in thought.

"So I hear the Dark Saint is your clone, and your teacher was Fade of Bridle? Really? You've got two of Voiceless's most notorious monsters working with you?"

Halo's expression became so dull that if Leto kept talking, he'd fall asleep upright.

He sighed.

"About what we must do next, I think we should do nothing for now."

Leto smiled cockily.

"Tell me more, little master."

Halo reconsidered their alternatives.

"Kahn's impatience makes him predictable, he won't wait for us to act. With the locals evacuating, frustration will cloud their judgment, and the easiest solution will be my death. So, we wait."

Leto nodded in understanding.

"But what happens if Kahn doesn't make a move at all?"

"Not possible…"

He began explaining everything in detail.

"Impatience is troublesome, but if he fails to act, I doubt any of them will. Arlen's flaw is procrastination; he's the worst person to rely on… unless the Prince makes a move."

He took a deep breath.

"But we can't kill the Prince…"

Leto's smile turned sinister.

"No need to worry. She's capable, but not close to my league. I'll take her out the moment it becomes required."

The moment Leto spoke, Light took form. He stood motionless for a moment before brushing his hand through his dirty-white hair.

"But what if they never attack? They already have Iris… so why would they bother with anything else?"

Halo blinked repeatedly in confusion.

He heard something, but not once did he see Leto's lips move.

"What did you say?"

Leto turned to him, his confusion more apparent than Halo's.

"Are you talking to me?"

Light angrily walked and positioned himself right before Halo.

"It was me, moron?"

"Huh?!"

"You can speak now?"

Leto peered behind Halo.

"Going insane, are we? And who is that tone meant for, hmm?"

Halo hardly looked at him, but his words made the situation clear. Light could only communicate mentally with him. That explained the strange behavior these past days.

"My humanity rank just hit Tier-4. I think that means we can communicate now… but that's pretty much all it gives me."

Halo attempted a smile, but his cold demeanor wouldn't allow it. Still, he felt pleased. Now he understood what awaited all his clones at tier-4 humanity. Except for Dark Saint, of course.

But before his thoughts could wander, Light's question pulled him back. He considered it for a moment but found no answer.

"If they never make the first move… I honestly don't know what we'd do. I'll need time to figure that out."

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