Aftermath

Before the Desire Apostle could flee, ice walls had formed over every exit leading out of the room. The newly formed ice was neither sturdy nor thick, and light still shone through it, but it was enough to obstruct his escape.

The Desire Apostle abandoned his attempt to escape, as well as Neph, whom he could not locate at all. His gaze settled on Isengard Stanton, whom he considered the greatest threat. Just as he was about to speak, however, his eyes abruptly went unfocused.

In that brief moment, a pure, warm power dispelled the chill in the room. As it washed over her, Neph felt her body fill with vitality. Her body, which had drawn closer to death as she advanced through the Sequences, seemed to briefly come alive again.

. ?

It was the Sun!

Neph recognized the source of that power. She instinctively grew worried, only to discover that, aside from feeling warm all over, she experienced no unusual effects.

Relieved, she looked at the Desire Apostle, who had already recovered his senses. He seemed to have prepared for her methods. When Neph tried to erase the corresponding memories again, the Desire Apostle no longer appeared bewildered. Instead, he calmly,

without any sign of anything wrong, said:

"Die!"

Neph could not understand the language, but its sickening sense of filth and foulness, along with the magma boiling in his eyes, convinced her that it must have been a word in Devil Language.

What did it mean...?

Cough, cough, cough!

Isengard let out a muffled groan. Large patches of rusty red appeared on his face, and he began coughing violently. But he was,

not the only one coughing.

The unfortunate Desire Apostle coughed in unison with Isengard, spitting out rusty-red blood. Even the black mucus coating his body