Hunting Gluttony
Higashino Makoto stood at the entrance of an abandoned village, his golden eyes gazing at the ruins shrouded in night.
Reisen stood behind him, her long, pale purple hair swaying gently in the night breeze, her rabbit ears standing straight up, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
"Master, where is this...?"
"One of the strongholds of the Gluttonous Siblings. According to the Tome of Wisdom, the eldest son, Ray Badenkathos, has recently been frequently seen in this area."
Higashino Makoto strode forward and entered the ruins.
Footsteps echoed on the gravel, and the houses on both sides were dark and gaping, like open mouths.
"Master, there's something."
"I know."
Higashino Makoto didn't stop and continued walking forward. The things quickly retreated as he approached, like tides being pushed aside by an invisible wall.
In the center of the ruins, in front of a half-collapsed church, stood a person.
Or rather, there was something standing there that looked like a person.
He was short, a full three heads shorter than Higashino Makoto.
Her long, dark brown hair was disheveled and hung down to her knees, almost completely obscuring her body.
Ragged clothes hung on his body, revealing the grime that clung to his limbs.
His face was mostly covered by his hair, revealing only one dark brown eye that looked like it hadn't slept in a long time.
Sin Archbishops Gluttony, Rai Badenkaitos.
"Oops--"
He spoke, his voice hoarse yet calm, carrying a maturity beyond his years.
"We have guests."
Higashino Makoto stopped and stood about ten steps away from him.
"You are Ray Badenkatos."
"Yes, I am. Who are you?"
Higashino Makoto.
"Higashino Makoto... I've never heard of that name before."
Lei tilted his head, his long, dark brown hair slipping down his shoulders, revealing more of his face.
The face looked like it belonged to a teenager, but there were dark circles under the eyes, chapped lips, and pale skin.
What are you doing here?
"I'll kill you."
Lai looked at Higashino Makoto, his reflection shimmering in his pupils.
Having obtained the name, he had met half of the conditions for activating his ability, so he decided to listen to what the other party had to say.
"Why?"
"Because you are Sin Archbishops, possessing Witch Factor. I want you."
"I want the Witch Factor..."
Ray looked down at his hands—thin, grimy hands that looked like they hadn't been washed in a long time.
"Do you... know what the Witch Factor is?"
"Know."
Lei remained silent for a long time.
Then he smiled.
He smiled, as if he had finally understood something.
"You... are an interesting person."
He raised his hand, lifting the short sword that was wrapped around his hands.
But I won't let you kill me, because I haven't eaten yet.
"I'm so sorry, you'll never have a chance to eat your fill again. But, a dead person probably doesn't feel hunger, so perhaps you should thank me."
Watching Lei leap high into the air, Higashino Makoto remained completely calm.
The gap is too big.
Higashino Makoto discovered that, with very few exceptions, most people in this world actually have fairly average physical abilities.
Most powerful individuals rely on their Authority to fight; without those Authority, they are merely ordinary fighters.
Especially in terms of physical attributes, he's basically at the level of an average person.
The golden spear thrust out and pierced his heart.
Rai Badenkaitos, Sin Archbishops,
Die.
His body lay on the ground, his long, dark brown hair scattered on the rubble, and his dark brown eye was still open, but the light had faded.
Higashino Makoto sheathed his spear and crouched down.
Ray's body began to glow.
The black light resembled ink spreading in water.
Light surged from his chest, condensing above his body into a spherical cloud of black mist.
Gluttony Witch Factor, one-third share.
Higashino Makoto took out a crystal container and put the black mist into it.
Reisen.
"Exist."
He casually tossed the Witch Factor to her and idly twisted his neck.
"Here you go. Next target: Roy Al. He's about thirty kilometers to the southeast."
Higashino Makoto stood up and walked towards the southeast.
Reisen lifted her skirt and followed.
Roy Al is weaker than Lei.
When Higashino Makoto found him, he was sitting at a dilapidated dining table in an abandoned farmhouse.
The table was laden with food: bread, cheese, fruit, roast meat, soup... but he hadn't eaten yet.
He just sat there, looking at the food, a hungry glint in his deep brown eyes.
Roy Al.
Roy turned his head and looked at the uninvited guest at the door.
He was a bit taller than Ray, with shorter hair and a more rugged face.
They wore the same tattered clothes and were covered in filth.
"Who are you?"
"Me? I'd probably call me your enemy, after all, I just killed your brother."
Roy's pupils contracted sharply.
"You killed Rye?"
"Right."
"Why?"
"Just kill if you want to. Do you need a reason to kill?"
Roy looked at Higashino Makoto, his deep brown eyes swirling with complex emotions: anger, sadness, fear, and an indescribable despair.
"Ah, I see, I understand. But don't think I'll just surrender."
After saying that, he rushed forward without hesitation, his sharp claws aimed at Higashino Makoto's eyes.
"Go to hell!"
Without any further movement, Higashino Makoto thrust out his golden spear, piercing through his heart.
Roy Al, Sin Archbishops Gluttony
Die.
His body lay on the dining table, the food overturned and scattered all over the floor.
Higashino Makoto sheathed his spear and stored the second Gluttony Factor in the crystal container.
Reisen.
"Exist."
"Keep it safe."
"Yes."
"The third one is in the Corridor of Memories."
Higashino Makoto closed his eyes and guided two portions of gluttony factors out of the crystal container.
The black mist swirled, rolled, and merged in his palm, gradually condensing into a black sphere the size of a fist.
The sphere slowly rotated in his palm, emitting a faint, heart-beat-like pulse.
"The Dream Corridor cannot be entered using ordinary methods."
Higashino Makoto's voice was calm.
In the original story, the protagonist entered the book after reading Reid's Book of the Dead, Higashino Makoto is too lazy to go there for the time being.
"However, with the Tome of Wisdom in hand, I have plenty of methods."
After changing one of her races to "Ghost," she used the Gluttony Witch Factor to locate herself, and then her body began to become ethereal.
"Found you."
Reisen stood there, staring at the empty ground, her crimson eyes flashing with a complex light.
"Master... please be careful."
She said in a low voice.
Only the night wind blew through the ruins, stirring up a few withered leaves.
The white space seemed endless and boundless.
Higashino Makoto stood in the center of the white space, gazing at the figure curled up in the center of the white space.
Her long, golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, making her look only about ten years old.
She wore a white dress, the hem of which cascaded down the ground, blending seamlessly into the white space.
He hugged his knees with both hands, rested his chin on his knees, and gazed into the distance.
Sin Archbishops Gluttony, Rui Anef.
"You've come."
She didn't turn her head, but her voice echoed clearly in the space.
She was able to use her two older brothers' bodies, so she naturally knew how they died, and therefore was not surprised by Higashino Makoto's arrival.
"Um."
"You killed Lei Oni-chan, you killed Roy-nii-san, and now... you want to kill me too?"
"That's right."
Rui fell silent, looking down at her hands.
Her hands, which had never been exposed to the outside world, were clean and white. Combined with her youthful face, it was hard to believe that she was one of the infamous Sin Archbishops.
Why must I be killed?
"Because I need the Witch Factor, and killing is the easiest way, isn't it?"
"Right."
Rui looked up at Higashino Makoto, his previously rapid heartbeat calming down.
Those eyes held fear and worry, as well as a barely perceptible sense of relief.
"Do you know? I've never left this place; I've only ever seen the outside world through my brothers' eyes. I'm terrified—terrified of loneliness, terrified of hunger, terrified of being forgotten."
"Oh, really?"
Rui seemed surprised by Higashino Makoto's expression; she had expected him to give her a look of pity.
Then, she smiled, a smile of relief.
"I know I'm no match for you..."
"That's only natural."
"Can you promise me something?"
"What?"
"Let me... be with my brothers..."
Higashino Makoto looked at her, his golden eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Good."
Rui's smile deepened; she closed her eyes and opened her arms.
"Bring it on."
The golden spear pierced through her heart.
Rui Anef, Sin Archbishops,
Die.
Her body collapsed, and her soul slowly dissipated in the white space, turning into countless golden specks of light that danced in the air like fireflies.
Then, those points of light converged and coalesced into a third gluttonous factor.
Higashino Makoto reached out his hand, and the black mist swirled and rolled in his palm, resonating with the other two elements.
The three elements merged in his palm, transforming into a complete, black sphere that emitted a faint glow.
The complete Gluttony Witch Factor is now in hand.
Higashino Makoto stared at the sphere in his hand, his golden eyes reflecting the flowing black light.
"Gluttony is mine now."
He collected the sphere into the crystal container, turned around, and disappeared into the pure white space.