Tempus est dominus. Time is the master.

But in times like these, it was better to act first rather than wait for your opponent to move.

Delilah's ability needed an action to put into question. Without the Northern Mist making their move, it was practically useless. And since her Only Sin was Trickery, she could attack only when at a disadvantage.

White's True Ability, Silent Desire, needed time to operate at scale, and the Northern Mist already had a countermeasure in place.

Leto, Omega, and Brave's True Abilities needed direct contact. They had to engage their opponents up close to pose any threat.

And Halo? He not only lacked the burning desire to fight and win, but his True Ability was far from mastered. Hell, he'd only discovered something crucial about it a few hours ago.

Yet Delilah still insisted she had a perfect plan for their situation.

The bustling streets outside, filled with merchants and merchandise, dreamers and thieves—none of those happenings mattered within the four corners of the living room.

Delilah wore black, projecting a modern-samurai aesthetic despite her mediocre swordsmanship. Her expression didn't match the warrior image either.

The room listened to her attentively.

"It's obvious Northern Mist wants us to move first. But going in blind while they know everything about us? That's suicide. I'd bet they already have plans for every single one of us."

She turned to Halo. Her dark eyes pierced directly at him.

"But we're not out of options. Nava didn't stick around long enough to figure out Halo's ability, and that's why this will work."

The moment she spoke, Halo saw through her plan. Everyone did. She wanted his clones to engage in battle, banking on their immortality to keep them alive long enough to gather information.

White's expression darkened. The worry in her eyes was unmistakable.

"What if they have something that can destroy Halo's clones completely? We should wait. My last attack lasted for ten minutes before it was canceled. This time, I can do something decisive in under a minute."

None was logical, but actually, exposing the clones openly would be foolish. It would give away their only advantage over the Northern Mist.

But Delilah wasn't pleased with it. Not at all.

"No! An attack like that is most likely going to take you a week or two. That alone is enough for them to attack us unnoticed."

She exhaled.

"Who knows what exactly the person going to counter you possesses? They can kill you even before you finish the attack… and don't tell me you've forgotten when you last used your ability to kill a Beast Sinner, you bled through your nose and even your eyes. You nearly died!"

The room fell quiet.

Halo gulped.

White's True Ability was incredible, though it came at a brutal price. She could manifest any desire from deep within, but as one who lived under the God of Despair, the cost was extracted from the depths of her very being.

Brave scoffed.

"I agree with Delilah. The weakling said he can restore his clones after death, didn't he? Even if they're destroyed, we still get information."

Delilah frowned. Her fist shook, veins popping along her temples and neck as if she was on the verge of exploding.

"Call him a weakling again, and see what happens! Respect him."

Everyone was confused, Brave included. Delilah wasn't the type to care about others, watching her defend Halo was something none of them expected.

Halo shared their confusion at first, but then he understood. She saw him as a brother, so White's words must have cut deep.

Leto, however, eased the tension with a few casual words.

"I haven't slept since yesterday. Let me know once the clones return from the fight."

Leto got to his feet and headed to his room.

Brave followed behind but gave Halo an intense look before finally speaking up:

"Nava is mine. If any of your clones touch him, I will kill them."

As soon as Brave began leaving, Omega shrugged his words off.

"He's so obsessed with killing Nava, he hasn't slept a wink. I'm certain he'll collapse during the battle without landing a single strike."

She rested in her seat, playing with the flower in her hair.

At that point, the decision had been made without their input.

Halo summoned Tough and Light.

"Gather intel on their strength, but do not use your full power. Once you obtain anything important, both of you return immediately."

Tough bowed his head in understanding, but Light mocked Halo, bringing up how he'd said the same thing earlier when he hadn't wanted to use Sin Fragments on them if they wore themselves out.

The moment the clones disappeared, Delilah moved closer to Halo. She seemed to be attempting nonchalance.

"I stood up for you back then… mostly because of all the help you are giving me during training."

Halo glanced at her lazily. His eyes were so dull he almost looked like he'd sleep standing up.

He knew about Delilah's Flaw of coldness, but that mattered less to him than watching her struggle to voice her feelings directly.

She'd watched her brother die before her eyes and had been looking for someone to fill that role ever since. It was deeply sensitive territory. For her, this was as nerve-wracking as confessing to a crush.

But this kind of cowardice from her wasn't something Halo wanted to see.

"Don't worry about it, Delilah. If you want to see me as a brother, go ahead. I don't mind, and I could use a sister. It's not a big deal."

Delilah stood frozen, fuming as though a puffing train.

However, before another word could be shared, the bronze appeared before Halo.

***

[ Congratulations! You've slain a Knight. ]

[ You've gained Sin Fragment: wrath. 8121/ 10000 ]

[ Your stamina has increased. ]

[ Your clones have grown stronger. ]

***

Another appeared.

Another.

Then another.

It'd been less than ten minutes since Light and Tough left, and they were already sending Sin Fragments?

But then something was wrong. Something subtle.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.