Gift of Desire

At this moment, the sin of Gluttony was displayed in full. Rooted in Phoenix Fire, blood and flame spread throughout the entire hall. Blood seeped from beneath Shade's hands, gradually dyeing the black tablecloth crimson.

Shade, clad in a Blood Robe, sat upright at one end of the empty long table. As he rose from his prone position, gold and silver tableware fell one by one from high above. In the firelight, foods giving off tantalizing aromas changed from illusory to real. Shining plates reflected the light of golden candlesticks kindled by Phoenix Fire. No snow fell from above; instead, the power of sin connected with more of the filth Shade had once devoured.

As at the Gods' Wine Party, strings of fangs hung down amid the bloody light. The heavy stench of blood even stained the terrified statues hidden in the shadows red.

Bloodlight and firelight intertwined, making the dark banquet hall even more dreamlike. Shade, aboard the Fishbone Pirate Ship, had displayed the power of the Lord of the Blood Feast through The Little Match Girl. Now, through his increasingly practiced use of Gluttony's power, he had recreated that bizarre blood-red banquet using Phoenix Fire alone.

"Has the Phoenix awakened?"

The Bloodkin, Mr. Armand Bernhardt, was not surprised by the power Shade displayed, instead attributing it to the Ancient One atop the mountain. Sister Devlin, whose Silver Eye Patch reflected the bloodlight, slightly turned her head toward Shade, as though she had encountered a problem she could not understand.

"Blood Feast."

The master of the mansion, that decrepit old man, showed a surprised expression for the first time. He braced himself against the table and tried to stand, but failed. He could only stare wide-eyed at the young man in the Blood Robe across the long table.

"What