Chereads / The Burdens of the Lost / Chapter 23 - Chapter XXII

Chapter 23 - Chapter XXII

"So, Vinlox seems to be in good spirits again."

"Yes, it seems so, what do you wish to do Your Majesty?"

"We are only in this place for our target," a woman says while walking towards the simulated battlefield.

"That Arino kid is that special to you?" someone asks concerningly.

"Of course he is, he's very special to me and his pesky mother."

"So what will be our next course of action, Your Majesty?"

"Let them come back from their break first, we'll attack afterwards."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Ear popping explosions devour everything around the forest. Corpses drop from the trees like apples from a great tree harvest. Pleads become a greeting as the fight between two god-like entities continues. With no care for the surroundings around them, Mammon and Nikuyoku clash for a disagreement.

Mammon: "Can you not disturb the peace here? You're making the aftermath more than it should be."

Nikuyoku: "Let my child meet his actual mother. He must know the truth I couldn't tell him in Purgatory."

Mammon: "I'll never let you tarnish my son."

Nikuyoku: "You already tarnished him enough. You don't know what happened when he got sent to Purgatory did you?"

Mammon: "He did a disservice to us demons. He shouldn't have let his mother die the way she did."

Nikuyoku: "Don't even try and say that. You hated him being half-angel, you wanted him to take your essence huh?"

Mammon: "He was supposed to be the new Sin of Greed. He was supposed to redeem the Demons! He was supposed to be the one that saves us all! If you never tainted him with your angel powers... he would've been..."

Nikuyoku: "Do you think that the Demons cared for your child? They were the ones who invaded your hometown! And not only did you take him away from me, but you shot him dead in the face! You care about the race more than you care about your child? What the fuck is wrong with you?! You abandoned the mother of your child and took my child away from me! Then you had the absolute greed and audacity to shoot him in front of his own half-sister! You think the Demons are redeemers?"

A projection pierces through space, showing Mammon what really happened during the destruction of his home village.

"This is what the Demons are Mammon!" she shouts, holding her tears back. "Selfish, heartless vermins!"

Mammon's voice disintegrated when he heard those words. Orange essence oozes and circles around the Sin of Greed.

Mammon: "So, what did you tell my father?"

Nikuyoku: "The truth, Mammon. And he wasn't surprised in the slightest. Even your father knows you are the slimiest, greediest fucker of all the Seven Deadly Sins!"

Mammon: "It was the child's fault after all. If he just died in that invasion... Things could've been better. Things can still be better if I just..."

Light speed, Mammon enters the village. Essence clashes together as rage and confusion. Arino couldn't hold his shock in as the Sin of Greed tries desperately to kill his son. The rest of crew run out to see the two clashing.

Arisa: "Dad, what are you doing?! Stop this!"

Mammon: "It is alright Arisa, things have to be done."

Arisa's vision blurs at the clashing gets more one-sided. Arino slashes away Mammon's advance as his hands and sword turn into a pulsating silver color. Before he tries to understand what's going on, Mammon charges at him again. A light blue meteor swoops in to counter Mammon's advance one last time before grows enraged.

Mammon: "Every time… you always fault my plans. When will you stop resisting the inevitable, Reina Shikimori?!"

Reina: "Whenever you decide to tell our son the truth. All you have to do is come clean. None of this anger is necessary."

Mammon: "He's a stain on this world, he's a stain on this universe! He must be rid of like the garbage he is!"

A sword pierces through Mammon's torso, leaving him immobile.

"I have heard quite enough banter about my son, Mammon."