Fingers and Hair

The wind on the ridge picked up.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The muffled thud of the Unseen Hand striking the barrier was steady and powerful. With each impact, ripples spread across the surface of the invisible barrier that Brugge had erected, but the hem of his dark blue coat remained perfectly still in the wind.

Sense stood half a step behind him.

Eleven strands of brown hair separated from her long, flowing hair, silently traversing the edge of the barrier. One "finger" launched itself forward on all fours, only to be entangled by the hair at its ankle the instant it touched the barrier, slamming it to the ground, its neck shattering. Another rolled closer, a strand of hair piercing its eye socket and gently swirling. A third attempted a side attack, several strands of hair weaving into a net, catching it in mid-air and tightening it.

Efficient and quiet. Sense's eyelids drooped, her face expressionless. Most of her long brown hair still hung quietly down her back, with only eleven strands outside the barrier carrying out their mission, proving that she was not a bystander.

Falsh did not participate in the cleanup. He stood on the other side of Sense, pushed up his round-framed glasses, and fixed his gaze behind the lenses on the empty hillside outside the barrier—the location of Petitchius Romani-Conti. His right hand rested on the short staff at his waist, the staff shimmering with a faint light, but it did not release it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The impacts grew more frequent. Ripples on the barrier's surface began to overlap, and the air hummed. Below the hillside, Petitchius's outstretched arms trembled slightly, his dark green eyes fixed on the three people on the ridge, a grin spreading across his face.

"Be diligent! Attack even more diligently! Let these precious vessels feel the weight of the witch's deep love!"

He roared, his neck twisting grotesquely.

"Not enough! More! We need more fingers to share this workload!"

He whirled around to look at the eleven "fingers" behind him. Four of them had already collapsed beneath Sense's hair. The remaining seven stood frozen, their faces bearing empty smiles.

"Charge! With your bodies! Offer everything for this supreme love!"

The seven "fingers" moved simultaneously. Their movements were frantic, completely abandoning defense, and they charged forward in all sorts of contorted postures.

Sense's hair danced faster.

The moment a "finger" was pierced through the heart, its body suddenly expanded, exploding into a chaotic surge of magical energy that slammed into the barrier! For the first time, the surface of the barrier trembled noticeably.

Then, the second, the third...

Suicidal magical explosions occurred one after another. The chaotic shocks and mental pollution continuously impacted the barrier.

Just then--

"Love! Love! Love! I'm coming! My dearest Petitchius!"

A shrill female voice came from the other side of the hillside.

A figure, wrapped in bandages, stumbled yet swiftly rushed up from the edge of the woods. Sirius Romani-Conti spread out her only remaining right arm, her tattered black robe billowing behind her. A fanatical flame Burning in her purple left eye.

And behind her—

Ubel and Lanto followed in silence.

Ubel's head was bowed, his long green hair obscuring most of his face. He gripped a short cane in his right hand, the tip of which dragged on the ground. His steps were unsteady.

Lanto followed half a step behind her. His round-framed glasses were slightly askew, and the lenses were cracked. His black tuxedo coat was covered in dust, and a section of his left sleeve had been neatly cut off, revealing an arm wrapped in a bleeding bandage. He kept his head down, his lips tightly pressed together.

The two of them emanated a faint yet distinct magical energy, as if they were bound by invisible chains.

Sirius rushed to Petitius's side and stopped abruptly. She turned around, spreading her right arm to shield him, her purple left eye fixed on the three people within the ridge barrier, her voice rising with excitement:

"You mustn't hurt him! Thank you! Thank you for giving me the chance to protect him! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I was late before! But now I'm here! I've come with proof of the new 'love' I've won for you!"

She turned her head and glanced "affectionately" at Petitius beside her with her left eye, her voice becoming sweet and trembling:

"My dearest Petitius... Look, I've brought you a new 'gift'! These two are very strong! Their souls are also of high quality! They will surely become outstanding 'fingers' that perfectly support your diligent efforts! This is my gift to you, proof of my love!"

Petitchius stopped moving.

The impact of the Unseen Hand stopped.

He slowly turned his head, a soft "crack" sounding from his neck. His dark green eyes, at an extremely slow pace, swept over Sirius's bandaged face, her severed left arm, and the stunned expressions of the two people behind her, before finally settling back on Sirius's purple left eye, which was filled with self-satisfaction and fanaticism.

He looked at her for two seconds.

Then, he shifted his gaze back to the barrier on the ridge, as if he had just seen an insignificant fallen leaf blown to his feet by the wind.

You're blocking my way.

His voice was hoarse and flat, devoid of any emotion, and even somewhat absent-minded, his attention seemingly still focused on maintaining the attack and the target ahead.

Sirius's smile froze. His purple left eye widened, the pupil contracted, and the raging flames within flickered.

"Pe... Pettyius?" Her voice was a little dry, and the muscles in her cheeks twitched beneath the bandages. "I... I came to help you, didn't I? Look, I subdued them, they can become new fingers, we can... we can work together, even more diligently, to repay that love..."

"Finger?"

Petruccius interrupted her, but his eyes remained fixed on the barrier ahead. His tone carried a hint of impatience, as if he were being repeatedly asked a question he had already answered.

"What I need is a high-quality, complete vessel, perfectly capable of holding the witch's love. Not this kind..."

He paused, seemingly considering his words, but ultimately just shook his head, his gaze never wavering.

"Things tainted by your 'love'... Never mind. Just stand aside. Don't get in the way."

After he finished speaking, he raised his arms again, Unseen Hand once more coalesced in the air, preparing to continue attacking the barrier. Throughout the entire process, he didn't even glance at Sirius a second time, as if she and the "gift" she brought were merely insignificant background noises, not even worth a moment's distraction, let alone touching the unique "love" in his heart that belonged only to the witch.

Sirius stood frozen in place.

The bandaged body began to tremble violently. Not from fear, but from something more intense, a chilling mix of utter astonishment and complete disregard. The fervent flame in the purple left eye went out, replaced by a blank, empty daze, which was then quickly engulfed by a raging, blasphemous crimson.

"Why... why..." she murmured, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper, yet each word seemed to leak air, "I clearly... love you so much... I did so much for you... even... you even allowed me to breathe your air, to share your pain, I showed you my heart..."

"Like?"

Petruccius maintained his raised hand posture, without turning his head. His voice remained calm, but this time it was clearer, carrying an undeniable sense of authority.

"Your 'love' has nothing to do with me. Nor does it have anything to do with the Witch's love. Don't tarnish my diligence with your cheap and twisted emotions!"

His tone was like admonishing an ignorant child not to disturb adults' work, and he was even reluctant to give them any extra attention.

Sirius stared, mouth agape, at his retreating back, which wouldn't even glance back at her. The muscles in her bandaged face twitched violently. Her purple left eye quickly filled with tears, large drops mingling with the grime in her eye socket as they rolled down, soaking the dirty bandages on her cheek.

She seemed to want to say something, her lips trembling.

Just then--

"Oh dear, your love is so cheap."

A slightly languid female voice softly rang out.

The voice came from behind Sirius, from the green-haired woman who kept her head down.

Ubel raised his head.

Her long green hair slid to both sides, revealing her entire face. Her purple eyes held no uncontrolled turbidity, only clarity. The short cane she held in her right hand had been quietly raised at some point, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.

She even casually raised her hand and picked at her ear with her little finger.

Then, she looked at Sirius, who was facing away from her and trembling violently, and glanced at Petruccius, who was facing away from them and focused on maintaining his attack.

His lips curled upwards in an undisguised, mocking smile.

"Acting is tiring, especially when the audience isn't even watching."

The moment the words fell--

Ubel's right wrist, which was holding the cane, twitched very slightly.

The magic that "Nothing Is Uncuttable" is activated silently.

Laugh.

A soft, clean sound.

Petruccius Romani-Conti froze. He remained with his arms raised, his dark green eyes fixed on the barrier ahead, seemingly still unaware of what was happening.

Then, he felt his vision spinning.

He saw the headless body below, dressed in a black priest's robe, its neck severed as smooth as a mirror, slowly tilting forward.

He saw the woman next to him, her body wrapped in bandages, frozen in place, her purple left eye wide open.

He saw further away, within the mountain ridge barrier, three silent figures gazing in his direction.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Thump.

His head hit the ground, rolled twice on the sand and gravel, and came to a stop. His face still held a mixture of focus and a lingering sense of bewilderment.

The headless corpse fell forward and crashed heavily to the ground.

Almost at the same time--

Sizzle...

A continuous, fine, and slight cutting sound rang out around Sirius.

The seven remaining "fingers" all stiffened simultaneously.

The next second.

The head rolled off. The arms were severed. The torso was broken into several pieces.

Eleven figures were sliced into countless pieces of flesh in less than the time it takes for a heartbeat to pass, scattered across the ground with a clatter. Dark red blood, like eerie blooming flowers, instantly spread across the sand and gravel.

The ridge was deathly silent.

The wind seemed to have stopped.

The only sound was the faint gurgling of blood from countless incisions.

Sirius remained standing in the same spot.

She had her back to Ubel, facing Petruccius's headless corpse and the scene around her that had instantly transformed into a carnage. Her bandaged body was stiff as if petrified.

A few seconds later.

"Ah..."

A suffocating sound squeezed out of her throat.

Then--

"Ahhh--!"

A piercing scream, so distorted it was a mixture of extreme pain and despair, suddenly burst from her torn throat! The sound was so sharp it almost shattered eardrums!

She turned around abruptly!

Her purple left eye was bloodshot, the pupil narrowed to a pinpoint, churning with overwhelming hatred and madness. Tears, snot, and saliva mingled together, carving deep furrows into her dirty, bandaged face.

"What have you done! You killed him! You killed him! You killed my Petitchius! You killed everything I had!!"

She roared, her only remaining right arm suddenly rising, fingers forming claws, the chains wrapped around it snapping taut with a snap, and with a resolute determination to die together, she aimed straight at Ubel's face!

"I want you dead! I want all of you dead! To be buried with you!!"

Faced with this hysterical attack, Ubel's face remained expressionless. She didn't even look at the incoming chains; she simply pressed down casually with her right hand, which was holding the short staff.

"Heavy."

Buzz--

A low, rumbling sound.

Centered on Sirius, the air within a ten-meter radius suddenly became almost tangible! Light distorted, and dust solidified!

Sirius's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt! She let out a muffled groan as her body was pinned down by a terrifying downward force that seemed to appear out of nowhere, causing her to fall forward involuntarily!

Bang!

Her face slammed heavily onto the sandy ground. The chains drooped limply. She struggled, trying to lift her head, trying to twist, but the invisible pressure was like a mountain, pinning her firmly to the spot. Only her crimson left eye, through the dust and gaps in the bandages, stared intently and venomously at Ubel, letting out a low growl.

Ubel turned to Lanto had just taken off his glasses to wipe them... his true form.

"Glasses Guy, don't get distracted next time. Your clone just sighed; someone with a brain might see through it."

Lanto put his glasses back on and pushed them up.

"Your lines were too deliberate. 'The audience isn't watching at all'... He wasn't watching anyway."

I'm stating the facts.

The two exchanged words in a calm tone, as if they had not just killed a powerful enemy, but merely swatted away a bothersome flying insect.

Inside the ridge barrier, Brugge slowly lowered his hand that was maintaining the barrier.

Sense's eleven strands of hair silently retracted and blended into the long hair behind him.

Ubel put away his short staff.

"Hmm... let's play along. This bandaged woman's ability seems to be forced empathy, so pretending to be affected is easier. We were wondering where she would lead us, but it turned out she just brought us here. In any case, we've captured her."

Falsh walked to the edge of the barrier, his gaze sweeping over Petitschius's headless corpse and the wreckage scattered on the ground, before looking at the huge white shadow slowly moving in the distance.

What discoveries were made in the deserted village?

"That's it, a crazy woman who calls herself the 'Bhikkhu of Wrath,' whose ability seems to be the sharing of harm and emotions," Lanto continued. "The clone sensed this ability, and Ubel immediately cooperated with me. As for the deserted village, there are no other valuable clues. Clematis may have just used it as a temporary base."

"Therefore, the Witch Cult is another force. Its relationship with the 'White Whale' that appeared in the north, and the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Lady Serie, is unclear," Sense concluded, his voice still steady. "But at least now, one who calls himself 'Sloth' has been eliminated, and this 'Wrath' has been captured."

She raised her hand, her fingertips making a subtle beckoning motion towards Sirius, who was being suppressed by gravity below.

Several strands of brown hair shot out from behind her, spanning dozens of meters, and precisely wrapped around Sirius's remaining right arm, legs, and neck. The hair tightened, lifting her off the ground in a humiliating, curled-up position, and dragging her toward the ridge.

"Alright, thanks to you, otherwise dealing with him would have taken a lot of effort. That big guy in mid-air, you could have easily taken care of it, Ubel."

"Certainly."