"I can't believe I'm leaving you for a few hours and a random monster finds you in this state," Sonya sighed as she used healing magic on subLuka.
The man barely winced as the soft glow of her magic began to mend his battered body. With a snap, he could feel his bones repairing and his teeth coming back. Still, his mind wandered to what happened and how he could repair all of this.
"And I can't believe Alma Elma caused all of this," Tamamo added while fanning herself rapidly. She had been looking for subLuka ever since he woke up and now she finds herself worrying for another heavenly knight.
Mephisto interjected with a snarky smile. "At this rate, Erubetie and you might get brainwashed as well."
Tamamo's fan paused mid-motion, and her golden eyes narrowed at Mephisto. "You're awfully cavalier about this, considering the implications," she said coolly. "Whatever took control of Alma Elma could easily set its sights on the rest of us. Even you, Mephisto."
"This is no joking matter you two," Alice intervened, her tail coiling anxiously. They were now missing a powerful ally and it bothered her a lot. "Tamamo, do you know where Erubetie is? We don't want her to fall victim as well."
Tamamo frowned, her fan lowering. "I don't know her exact location, but I heard she was summoned by the Lilith sisters for some important matter."
Alice's brows furrowed, and her tail flicked with unease. "The Lilith sisters?" she repeated, her voice carrying a note of suspicion. "An important matter?"
Before Alice could press further, Mephisto raised a hand, her smirk returning. "I believe we can think about Erubetie later," she said nonchalantly. "For now, we have an excellent opportunity right in front of us." She gestured toward subLuka, who was still sitting up gingerly, recovering from his injuries. "Our battered but still-breathing 'hero' has some answers, I'm sure."
Luka sighed, glancing at the group around him. "Yeah," he said, his voice steady but tired. "I suppose you have a few questions for me."
"You're right," Tamamo nodded. "First, do you know of a weapon 0? That man back in your world talked about it before we left."
SubLuka raised an eyebrow. "Weapon 0? Are you sure he said that?"
"I may be old but my ears are working fine."
The detective fell silent, biting the nail of his thumb pensively. His eyes darted from one corner of the room to the other, deep in thought. The others exchanged glances but waited. Finally, SubLuka muttered, almost to himself, "There are no 'Weapons 0.' So either it's a red herring… or something we weren't supposed to know exists."
Mephisto tilted her head, her ever-present smirk tinged with genuine intrigue. "Perhaps it would be useful to explain what these 'weapons' actually are," she suggested.
SubLuka nodded. "You're right. The term 'weapons' doesn't refer to objects. It's a codename for people. Individuals under the custody of the Council of Sorceries—a governing body in my world that handles any affairs involving magic. These individuals are humans or monsters who've undergone extreme modifications—genetic, magical, or both—to become living weapons. Think of them as emergency countermeasures to the biggest problems our world could face."
Alice frowned, her tail flicking as she processed his words. "It sounds like they were controlled… used to fight for peace," she said, her tone cautious, as though trying not to dwell too much on the inhuman aspects of the story. "Are these weapons still active in your world?"
SubLuka exhaled slowly. "Only a few of them," he admitted. "There are seven weapons documented in the Council's archives. Weapons 3, 6, and 8 are dead—killed in action not long ago. Weapon 2 is Desmond, the guy you saw back in the building." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Weapon 1 is Nina, my scientist friend."
Tamamo raised an eyebrow. "Your friend? And she's a weapon?"
"I know right? I was surprised too when I learned about it," SubLuka chuckled. "But yes, she's Weapon 1. It's a long story and not really relevant so I'll skip it. As for Weapons 4 and 7... I don't know what happened to them. They were considered too dangerous by the Council, so they're probably sealed away somewhere."
Alice's eyes narrowed, her mind clearly working through the implications. "So out of the seven, four are either dead or missing, and two are still active—including Desmond, who seems to be tied to whatever's happening here."
Mephisto hummed thoughtfully, her fingers tapping against her chin. "And then there's Weapon 0, the supposed anomaly. If it's real, and if someone here is invoking its name, that means it could be connected to whatever twisted influence affected Alma Elma."
SubLuka shook his head, his voice steady but grim. "Weapon 0 doesn't exist. I'm sure of it," he said, confidence flickering in his eyes. "But…"
Tamamo snapped her fan shut with a sharp flick of her wrist, her expression unusually serious. "That man, Desmond, didn't seem to lie. He believed what he was saying."
"That's what worries me," SubLuka admitted, his brows furrowing. "Desmond isn't the type to throw around baseless claims or red herrings like this. If he mentioned Weapon 0, it's either because something was created while the whole portal event was unfolding in my world, or…" He hesitated, taking a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. "We're dealing with some reality-manipulating force. And I definitely don't like that possibility."
Alice's tail stiffened, her expression hardening. "Reality manipulation? Are you suggesting someone—or something—is rewriting the rules of existence itself?"
"Couldn't it be just a forgotten part of that Council history?" Mephisto suggested. "Organizations like that are no strangers to mysteries."
"No…" subLuka shook his head. "I can't explain to you why, but that's definitely not the case. I am 100% confident in this. That weapon 0 shouldn't exist, and yet, it's here now. As if it existed from the beginning."
He hesitated for a moment, his mind racing through the terrifying possibilities. "And yet… that thing said it was 'nothing yet'."
"Does that mean it hasn't materialized yet?" Alice asked.
"That's what it implied." SubLuka's voice was low and heavy. "If that thing, even in its unfinished form, can brainwash people and warp entire worlds, then I can't even fathom what it'll become once it truly 'becomes something'."
Alice's tail twitched nervously, and even Mephisto's usual smirk faded, replaced by a look of quiet concern. If Weapon 0 was only a shadow of what it could be, the consequences for everyone involved could be unimaginable.
"Then we need to act quickly," Alice said, her voice resolute. "Before it gains full power and spreads beyond our reach."
Sonya, who had been silently tending to SubLuka's wounds, finally stood up with a sigh of relief. "There. It's finished," she said, brushing her hands together as though she had just completed a simple task. "Now behave yourself."
SubLuka waved her off dismissively, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Thank you, but I think I'll just take a walk around the castle."
"You're not going to help us?" Tamamo asked.
SubLuka let out a long sigh, his gaze distant as if lost in thought. "I… Honestly, I don't think it's something we can fight against."
"So you're just giving up?" Alice shouted in the room. "I thought you were the hero of your world!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake…" SubLuka groaned, rubbing his temple as if the situation were more of an inconvenience than a crisis. He glanced at the small lamia, an exasperated smirk creeping onto his face. "Want me to throw you around again?"
"I agree with Alice," Tamamo said, her voice steady but edged with disapproval. "What kind of man, giving up so easily, can call himself a hero?"
"Exactly!" Alice added, her tone sharpening. "You're ruining Luka's name! This isn't the time to be complacent!"
"Argh! Shut up all of you!" SubLuka exploded, throwing his hand up in frustration. His voice shook with anger as he paced away from them. "It's easy for all of you to say when you haven't lost your goddamn home! There's nothing left for me to fight for…" His voice faltered for a moment, but the edge of despair was still there. He turned away, taking a few steps back from the group. "I'm going for a walk. Now leave me alone."
Alice clenched her fists, her tail thrashing behind her in frustration. "Coward," she muttered under her breath, though her voice lacked its usual fire. It wasn't just anger—it was disappointment.
Tamamo sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "He's hurting," she said softly, her eyes following SubLuka's figure until it disappeared around a corner. "But we can't afford to let him wallow in despair. We need him."
"We need everyone," Alice agreed, though her voice was quieter now. She turned to Tamamo and the others, her determination hardening again. "We'll give him a little time, but not too much. If he doesn't step up willingly, we'll drag him back into the fight if we have to."
Mephisto chuckled softly, breaking the tension. "Oh, I'd pay to see that. But don't underestimate him. I don't think he intends to give up entirely."
Sonya, who had been silent since SubLuka's outburst, finally spoke. "I hate him."
"...Right." Alice sighed. There was also this problem with Sonya but she didn't have the time to deal with it right now.
Meanwhile, outside the castle walls in Grangold, the young hero Luka wandered through the bustling streets, deep in thought. By his side, Promestein walked briskly, her clipboard in hand and her expression filled with curiosity and excitement.
"You realize the likelihood of understanding this phenomenon with such limited data is slim, right?" Promestein said, adjusting her glasses. "You should have secured more detailed observations during the event itself."
Luka sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry Promenstein. I guess there was nothing much to report at that time. Can't you give us more information about what happened here?"
"I can't provide anything conclusive yet," she admitted, flipping through her notes. "But…" She paused, running her fingers over the smooth, untouched stone where the portal had once been. "There's a possibility that the entity behind this is trying to obtain data."
"Obtain data?" Luka asked, crouching beside her. "What do you mean? Isn't it just destroying things?"
Promestein shook her head. "Not quite. This level of precision—the lack of lingering damage or magical residue on this side of the portal—indicates something much more deliberate. It's as if the entity is collecting information without altering the environment here."
Luka frowned, glancing around at the bustling streets and the people going about their lives, seemingly unaware of the crisis that had narrowly passed. "So it's… studying us? Why?"
Promestein stood, brushing off her hands. "That's the question we need to answer. If this is data collection, then it suggests intelligence—possibly even intent to adapt. Perhaps it was listening through that portal to grab some pieces of information."
"I liked it better when you had just to defeat a single opponent, but this thing cannot be touched, right?"
"Exactly," a voice crackled through the earpiece Luka was wearing. He had met the scientist just before going here, comfortably installed inside the laboratory of the pocket castle, working in tandem with Promenstein. "This whole scenario is the type where you're essentially stuck until a breakthrough happens—either from the entity making its next move or from us finding something useful in our analysis."
Luka sighed, glancing up at the sky as if hoping for answers to fall from above. "So basically, we're just waiting for it to show its hand?"
"Not exactly," the voice replied with a cheerful tone. "Thanks to Desmond's info and the brainwashing of your friend Alma Elma, we can suppose a few things."
"There is a high chance it is targeting heavenly knights. Why it's doing so is still unknown," Promestein continued, her tone steady as she flipped through her notebook. "But the pattern suggests intent. Alma Elma's brainwashing wasn't a random act—it was strategic."
Luka's frown deepened as he mulled over the information. "If it's targeting the heavenly knights, it must see them as threats—or assets. Either way, that's not a good sign."
"By the way, I've received a report saying another heavenly knight was seen in the Forgotten Tower, west of the Illias Continent. Perhaps you should warn her?" the voice of Nina crackled again.
"That's Erubetie, let's go!" Luka didn't waste time and pulled out a harpy feather to teleport back to the pocket castle and grab a good party to explore the tower.
Quickly, he grabbed all of his trusted party members: Alice and Sonya. Morrigan and Nuruko tagged along for unknown reasons to him but he was glad other people were with him on this possibly dangerous mission.
Soon after, they found themselves in the tower thanks to Garuda. They didn't expect to see the roach girls panicking as clones of Erubetie chased after them, enveloping them in slime and dissolving them remorselessly like puppets.
"Oh no! Has she already been brainwashed?" Luka asked.
"It doesn't look like it," Morrigan said with a frown. "Looks like the Kanade cells she obtained are putting her in a berserk state."
Alice took on a commander role. "It doesn't matter what put her in this state, let's get her back to her senses!"
"All right everyone! Let's go!" Luka shouted before rushing up the stairs.
Multiple clones wandered the area, attacking anything in sight. Luka and his companions subdued each Erubetie clone with ease as soon as they saw a roach girl being attacked. Luka's sword flashed as he struck down another clone, slime splattering everywhere and freeing an unconscious roach girl.
"One last floor and we're reaching her!" Luka called out, his voice tinged with urgency as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
They rushed the stairs in unison and soon they confronted Erubetie. The slime queen was herself confronting the queen roach, her intent clear in absorbing her as well. Until now the clones kept repeating the same words over and over again, it was clear that she needed a good hit on the head to regain her senses.
"Erubetie!" Alice shouted. "As monster lord, I command you to stop!"
The slime queen turned around, silent, and stared at Luka's group to attack. Queen Roach behind quivered in fear and exhaustion as she had fought the heavenly knight for quite a while now.
"We will bring you back to your senses!" Luka shouted, lunging forward with his sword in hand, his heart racing. He could see the exhaustion in Queen Roach's eyes as she collapsed to the floor, unable to continue fighting. The slime queen's form flickered, its eyes narrowing as it seemed to sense Luka's intent.
But before Luka could strike, the slime behind Erubetie surged forward, a wave of viscous liquid ready to engulf the group. It moved with terrifying speed, its tendrils reaching out to swallow them whole. Luka's heart pounded as he barely managed to leap aside, narrowly avoiding the slime's grasp.
"Sigma Frost!" Alice raised her hand, freezing the wave of slime with her magic.
Luka quickly rolled to his feet and jumped forward, breaking the iced slime with his sword. The path ahead was now clear, but the threat Erubetie posed was far from over.
"Erubetie! Snap out of it!" Luka shouted once more, his voice firm as he reached the slime queen. She stood at the center of the freezing slime, eyes devoid of expression. A blade of slime appeared in her hand and she countered Luka's slash with ease.
Morrigan arrived right behind her with her magic sword in hand and slashed her. Erubetie's body split in half before reconstructing itself.
"It's useless…" Erubetie murmured, her voice quiet and hollow, but unmistakably different from the repetitive phrases she had uttered before.
Given the progress they were making, Luka didn't hesitate. He steadied his footing and readied his weapon. With a single breath, he unleashed his technique: Death Sword Chaos Star, slashing in multiple directions the slime queen.
The first few slashes cut deep into the slime queen's form, causing it to splatter and writhe with the force of the attack. Yet, Erubetie's body didn't break—her slime reformed rapidly, but with each hit, Luka could see that her resistance was waning.
But Luka's momentum was interrupted when, without warning, Erubetie launched a counterattack. A thick wave of slime pooled around his feet, sticky and unyielding, anchoring him to the ground. Luka gritted his teeth, struggling against the creeping tendrils as they climbed up his legs, pulling him further into the ground. Panic flashed in his chest, but he forced himself to remain calm.
"Sonya!" he called out, just as the slime began to constrict around his waist, its grip tightening like an iron vise.
Sonya's eyes widened at the sight of Luka in danger. She acted instantly, charging toward him with no hesitation. But just as she reached him, tentacles shot out from behind, grabbing hold of Luka's waist and pulling him free of the encroaching slime. The tentacles yanked him through the air with brute force.
"Kyu, kyu!" Nuruko squeaked from behind, looking concerned. She gently pulled him down to the ground as if trying to shield him. Her concern was clear as she offered him a soft, worried squeal, urging him to be more careful.
Luka steadied himself, trying to shake off the disorientation. Before he could rise fully, Sonya followed through with a powerful swing of her club. The force of her blow landed squarely in Erubetie's face, the impact sending a ripple through the slime queen's body. The force of the strike caused her to stagger back, her expression—if such a thing could be read in the blank, formless face—shifting into one of surprise.
That single blow shook the slime queen to the core, and before she knew it, she found herself realizing the situation.
"What… Is going on…?" Erubetie called out in a soft voice, visibly confused
Alice slithered forward, relieved to see her knight coming back to her senses. "Erubetie, are you yourself again?"
Luka followed her lead, lowering his weapon cautiously. "We're here to help you, Erubetie."
"I see…" the slime pondered for a moment the situation. "I am truly sorry for causing so much trouble."
Alice folded her arms, giving Erubetie a pointed yet understanding look. "You've caused a mess, that's for sure. And not at the best time, I might add."
Erubetie bowed her head slightly, her posture exuding humility. "I will make amends. I shall return to the Monster Lord's Castle to recover and reflect. It seems I greatly underestimated Lady Kanade's power."
Alice gave a firm nod, her tone more measured now. "Good. Rest and recover your strength. We'll need your strength later."
With that, the slime queen disappeared from the tower. The mission was now complete and Luka recruited Queen Roach to his party (not without trouble and rivalry between her and Sonya.)
Alice sighed. She was having a headache from all the events happening one after the other but she knew she needed to be strong for what was to come. "Now that that's out of the way, let's regroup and think about how we can fight back against Weapon 0."
"I hope subLuka is going to be more cooperative…" Luka added, contemplative.
"Bah! Who needs that idiot?" Morrigan growled. "We only need one Luka, right?"
Nuruko let out a cheerful squeak and patted Luka on the head, as if agreeing with Morrigan's sentiment. Alice couldn't help but smirk, despite her exhaustion.
"Come on everyone… Try to get along…"
"That bastard made a mockery of me…" Morrigan continued, her hands sparking with her blue aura. "I swear if it wasn't for that disability of his I would—"
"I agree, people from other worlds are not welcome here. Especially him." Sonya interrupted Morrigan, making everyone jump in surprise at her sudden outburst.
"Damn, she really doesn't like him," Alice noted. "She is softer with the other heroes."
Sonya remained with the same expression, her stance firm. "Data shows that he might be responsible for the destruction of multiple worlds, though the evidence is inconclusive. Reports detail countless cross-world anomalies linked to his presence."
"...Say what?" Alice and everyone else stood there, aghast.
"Oi, oi, you're joking, right?" Morrigan asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.
"It must be some kind of mistake," Luka said. "I can't see someone like him do such a thing."
A voice came out of the miniature pocket castle. "It must have something to do with his karma." A small figure popped out of it: Vinum.
The white-haired succubus lazily stretched her arms and turned around to face the group. "When I faced that boy, I noticed something strange inside him. Some kind of curse has been placed on him to take on the sins of someone similar to him."
Alice clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Were you eavesdropping on us the whole time?"
"This is unusual for you to give information for free," Morrigan added, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she eyed the small succubus. "I hope you're not trying anything funny."
Vinum closed her eyes and huffed. "Look, I don't care about any of your problems, but that boy is different. I'm not in the habit of wasting my time, but…" She paused, flashing a grin that made a chill run down Luka's spine. "That boy is starting to interest me more and more."
Luka stiffened, a shiver running down his back from Vinum's unsettling grin. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice cautious.
Vinum's smile widened, her eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and amusement. "You'll find out soon enough, I'm sure. After all, that enemy you're all trying to pin down is actively trying to kill him."
Luka's breath caught, and his heart skipped a beat. "Are you saying it is targeting subLuka?"
Vinum gave a slow, knowing nod. "Exactly. And that's not even the worst part."
"Then we need to stop it—now," Luka said replied with determination.
Vinum's grin remained, but her voice took on a more playful edge. "If I were you," she said with a smirk, "I'd abandon him somewhere else. Otherwise, he'll bring a lot of trouble to this world."
Mephisto appeared soon after and quickly gave a quick nod. "It might be the best solution, yes."
"Is anybody not actively spying on us?" Alice shouted in disbelief seeing people pop out of the castle one after the other.
"You would be surprised at how much scrying is used these days," Mephisto replied casually, stepping forward. "I believe some even use it to communicate every day."
"We're not abandoning him," Luka firmly said. "We can't just… do that."
"Why not?" Sonya in turn asked. "It is the most efficient solution. Otherwise, he would bring disaster upon this world."
"Not you too, Sonya…" Luka muttered, shaking his head. "You're all talking about subLuka like he's just some tool to be discarded."
That he couldn't do. No matter how hard it was, he couldn't bring himself to sacrifice anyone.
"Luka," Alice spoke softly, her gaze steady as she locked eyes with him. "In the future, we might make choices very similar to this one. It all depends on whether we are capable of making sacrifices for the greater good of this world."
Luka's jaw tightened at her words. He understood the weight of what she was saying, but it didn't make it any easier. He had always believed that the strength of a hero came not from what they were willing to give up, but from what they were willing to protect.
"I know you're right," Luka finally said, his voice low but determined. "But I'm not ready to sacrifice someone without knowing for sure that there's no other way. If there's a chance to save him, we take it."
Mephisto raised an eyebrow, her amusement fading into a more serious expression. "Your idealism is admirable, but it may cost you. You can't save everyone, Luka."
"I know," Luka nodded. "But I can't just give up on anyone like that. Especially if they did nothing wrong yet!"
Alice lowered her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "Technically, he's already given up. You're holding onto a ghost."
"If you want him to die, I can take care of it," Morrigan chimed in with a chuckle.
"Kyu Kyu!" Nuruko added, raising its tentacles in the air.
"Not you too Nuruko?!"