Shadow of Death let go of Light and Tough to survey their surroundings while he and Dark Saint spoke.

"The person you mean is Jihriel Asterion. Trust me, that guy is nothing but a mystery. I never managed to understand him."

This was more confusing than Halo had imagined. Another Asterion? Not only did Liam look almost identical to the hero, but he also had the same surname? He couldn't brand them as twins or even siblings since Liam had said he had none.

"So Liam resembles him? Then consider this… what if they're the same person from different timelines? It's not impossible in this world."

Perhaps Jihriel was the same as Liam, but in his timeline, his parents cared for him. But Halo didn't lean toward that explanation.

This wasn't possible since the gods wouldn't find any amusement in such tricks unless Liam and Jihriel were exceptional candidates. Still, every person in this world was equally important, which contradicted that take.

"We won't know the truth without evidence. You watch Liam, and I'll focus on finding where Jihriel is."

"I thought you said he was mysterious?"

Saint nodded.

"Yes. His title was always hidden, and I never once saw him use his ability, yet, somehow, his charisma drew everyone to him. Overconfident as he was, he still managed to back everything up with no effort at all… like some pampered pet of the gods."

Halo's expression relaxed.

"That sounds like a great idea."

He had Purposes to attend to, and, considering Dark Saint was a clone now, Purposes didn't apply to her. She could ease his burdens while allowing him to keep an eye on the two potential heroes.

To have the same surname was one thing, but to look alike? There had to be more.

Still, there were things he needed to verify.

"Is he the type to form a cohort… or does he prefer working alone? And how strong is he, truly?"

Saint scanned through her mind for a moment.

"I can't say much from the little I witnessed at the academy, but I can tell you this… he passed every training without once using his True Ability. If that doesn't say enough, the fact that no one could read him and that he always acted on his own terms, does."

Something didn't click for Halo…

"What if his True Ability is his charisma?"

Saint shook her head in disapproval.

"I would have known, trust me. He was simply that good."

Halo began to understand that Jihriel was somewhat like Seraphim. Seraph had developed foresight simply because she was afraid of the world, but it faded when she stopped being scared. Jihriel might have experienced something similar. Maybe his charisma was something he'd had in his previous world.

"There are already things I must deal with. The Omen is one of them. But I can't face him without a sword."

She began assessing the tree The Omen sealed her in, hoping to find her previous sword.

"Ha. This sword doesn't matter. I know exactly which blade I want next… and getting it will be fun."

Halo barely cared about her grudge with her Nemesis, The Omen, aside from Jihriel, there was something else he really wanted to know.

It was nighttime already, and he could receive his next Purpose soon, he needed to gather all the information before finally approaching that threat.

"Tell me about the God of Death, Saint."

The moment he spoke, he perched beside a tree.

"Yeah… Death, huh?"

Halo could feel the laziness in her tone.

"I've seen a handful of followers of the God of Darkness, but I don't really know anything about that god. What I do know is that someone out there once worshiped the God of Death."

Halo's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Dark Saint approach him.

"The God of Death… is dead. Killed by the one person who worshiped it."

Halo's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What? How?"

She shrugged.

"Everyone I spoke to talked about Death, not Darkness. Centuries ago, they said, someone was tasked with killing the God of Death… and they actually did it. Some of the people I spoke with had lived to witness it themselves."

Halo's expression darkened.

Fade had already told him there would be rumors on the streets about his god, but the truth would find him when it wanted to. Did that mean he also knew the God of Death was dead? Actually, he had acted a bit strangely when Halo mentioned his Only Sin.

But Death couldn't be dead. How was he still alive then? Just a few days ago, he was told through a Wish about Death's wrath, so how could that happen if Death wasn't there anymore?

Unless…

"Don't sweat it, D… maybe the God of Death isn't completely gone. After all, we're talking about a god here."

Halo couldn't sweat it even if he wanted to. Everything was making sense. Fade of Bridle had told him Purposes were tasks that led to a bigger goal, which made him believe that if that was the case, there had to be a bigger force behind everything, keeping balance.

Everything made sense to him now.

No one logical would ask their subordinates to kill them even if they knew they couldn't be killed. There had to be a force pulling the strings, or perhaps it was the remaining gods.

"When I realized you served Death, the only conclusion I could draw was that you're the one keeping it alive. By using its ability, you worship it… Maybe it's too weak on its own, which is why your power is borrowed. They couldn't sustain a permanent one."

Halo let her words settle for a moment.

She was making her point, but not entirely. Unless the person who killed Death had died somehow, which he hardly believed, considering this person was strong enough to take down a god, Death should still have reasonable strength under its sleeve.

This person would have been worshipping the god even while fighting them, so it sounded impractical unless they'd gotten help or had an ability similar to his.

Or maybe this person was just rebellious, and now the God of Death had chosen not to give out its abilities permanently.

There were so many theories from her claims alone. This wasn't something he could easily grasp. He needed to keep it in mind while waiting for the actual truth.

"Will you be going to see Noah?"

Saint asked.

Halo lazily turned in her direction.

"No. I'm not ready yet."

He had no intention to meet the duty-oriented tyrant anytime soon. Not until he was certain he could defeat him in under three minutes.

"We leave in the morning. You can do whatever you want… even get yourself a castle while you're at it. But don't forget Jihriel. Anything you find, anywhere, whatever you're doing, you bring it straight to me."

He reached into his sack.

"I have a painting and a pocket watch. They're important to me… so I want you to look after them."

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