Vanity's Scheme

Pandora stood atop the dome of an abandoned church, her long platinum-gold hair fluttering gently in the night breeze. She wore only a white robe and gazed at the distant forest shrouded in moonlight.

She looked towards the distant west, where the man lived.

Higashino Makoto.

Wielding the Authority of Pride, it can nullify Authority and protections, and its martial arts are unparalleled.

Her Vanity Authority was meaningless in his domain.

She couldn't get close to him, couldn't deceive him, couldn't distort his perception; in his Garden, she was just an ordinary person.

For an ordinary person, facing that man would only lead to death.

He must be killed.

She said in a low voice.

The night breeze blew, ruffling her white hair.

She pondered alone; for four hundred years, she had been accustomed to planning, acting, and bearing everything alone.

"But... how do we kill him?"

She closed her eyes, and images of Higashino Makoto's battles flashed through her mind: light spread out, and Authority and protections within the domain became ineffective.

The golden spear swept across, and the Unseen Hand was as fragile as paper.

Authority are nullified, magical healing is nullified, blessings are nullified; within his domain, everyone is merely an ordinary person.

And he was almost the strongest among ordinary people.

With unparalleled martial arts skills and astonishing reaction speed, he is an absolute hunter.

"We cannot fight within his territory."

She opened her eyes.

"He must be killed before he deploys his domain, or outside of it."

But how do we lure him out?

He didn't seem to be in a hurry; after all, he had plenty of time.

The Sin Archbishops will kill them one by one, without rushing or being in a hurry.

The Witch Factor is there; it can't be escaped.

He wields the Tome of Wisdom, allowing him to easily locate all the Sin Archbishops except himself.

He wasn't in a hurry, but she was.

Because the Witch of Envy cannot die; that's the core of her plan.

"Bait."

She needed bait, a bait he had to deal with as soon as possible.

"Sirius, the Sin Archbishops."

Sirius Romani-Conti, wife of Petelgeuse, the Sloth Sin Archbishop.

The Authority "Soul Washing" and the contagion of emotions allow one to transmit their own feelings to those around them.

Anger, sadness, fear, despair.

She can make others feel her emotions, causing them to lose their minds and connecting their lives together.

If she caused a huge disturbance somewhere and killed many people, would that man come?

"Probably."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Because that man seemed to hate senseless killing and was also kind-hearted. Moreover, he was too arrogant; even knowing it was a trap, he would still attack."

But relying on Sirius alone is not enough.

That man is too powerful; his ability to nullify Authority is too strong.

Even if Sirius could hold him off for a few seconds, it wouldn't be enough.

She needs more, more things to hold him back, more things to wear him down, more things to kill him.

"White Whale, Great Rabbit."

She knew how to summon the two deadly monsters.

The White Whale, a mythical beast of mist, is enormous and capable of devouring memories and existence.

Those swallowed by it will be forgotten by everyone, as if they never existed.

The Great Rabbit, a splitting monster, one becomes two, two become four, endlessly, biting and devouring everything.

But that's not enough.

She shook her head.

Even if the White Whale and the Great Rabbit are strong, they are still just magical beasts.

Within the opponent's territory, there are no Authority, no protection, only physical attacks.

To that man, the White Whale and the Great Rabbit were nothing more than wild beasts, capable at most of slowing him down, but not of killing him.

She remembered a place—

Pleiades Watchtower.

Shaula, who claims to be a disciple of the Sage and the guardian of the tower, has been responsible for preventing anyone from approaching the Pleiades Watchtower for four hundred years.

She is very powerful and has a long-range attack ability; she might be able to kill him outside his area of effect.

"Drag her in too."

But how do we get her to make a move?

Shaula will not leave the Pleiades Watchtower; she will only move around in the vicinity of the tower.

She will not attack unless someone gets close to the Pleiades Watchtower.

Let's make the battlefield the Pleiades Watchtower!

Lure Higashino Makoto over there; as soon as he gets close to the Pleiades Watchtower, Shaula will attack.

It's okay if Shaula can't beat him.

As long as we can stall him, that's enough.

"To defeat that monster, you need to be the strongest!"

We need even stronger helpers, preferably the true pinnacle of human ability.

"The first Sword Saint, Reid Astrea, and the Dragon God, Volcanica."

Her fingers tightened slightly.

Changing perceptions comes at a huge cost.

As Witch Factor outside the Seven Deadly Sins, the activation of Deception comes at a price.

In particular, the targets are powerful figures such as the First Sword Saint and the Dragon God.

The price was devastating; she herself might even disappear.

"But there was no choice."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, a flame burned in her pupils.

That was resolute, that was madness, that was an unwavering determination to achieve one's goal, no matter the cost.

"The Sirius, will serve as bait, while the White Whale and the Great Rabbit will wear them down. Shaula from the Pleiades Watchtower will snipe from a distance, and the First Sword Reid, and the Dragon God Volcanica, will be the main attackers."

She made a plan, and then she began to act.

Sirius Romani-Conti knelt in the ruins, his hands covering his head, his long black hair disheveled, and his body trembling violently.

A dozen or so corpses lay around her—the knights who had tried to capture her.

Her Authority was almost out of control.

"Why... why..."

Her voice was hoarse.

Why doesn't anyone love me... Why doesn't anyone understand me... Why...?

Pandora emerged from the shadows, stood before her, and looked down at her.

"Sirius."

Sirius raised his head, his red eyes filled with tears. Upon seeing who it was, his body trembled violently.

"Pan... Lady Pandora..."

Do you wish to see Petelgeuse?

Sirius's pupils contracted sharply.

"Petelgeuse... he... he's still alive? I heard he was killed, is it a rumor? That's wonderful! Waaah... I knew it..."

"No, he's dead. He was killed by a man named Higashino Makoto."

Sirius froze. Tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the gravel.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"The bishop Petelgeuse -Conti, the Sloth Sin Archbishop, was killed by Higashino Makoto. He possessed the Authority to nullify other Authority, but the Authority of sloth, the Unseen Hand, was useless against that man."

"No... impossible... Petelgeuse... he's so strong... he... he..."

"He's dead. His body is currently in the church in the Royal Capital; you can go see it."

Sirius knelt on the ground, his hands supporting him, his shoulders trembling violently.

Then she raised her head, her red eyes filled with hatred.

"Higashino Makoto... Higashino Makoto... I'm going to kill him... I'm going to kill him... I'm going to kill him!!!"

Pandora's lips curled into a slight smile.

"Of course, I'll help you. So, you need to do as I say."