A heavy silence hung over the Ministry airship Ark-09 as it glided above the turbulent eastern sea. Inside, the four sat together in the briefing chamber—but not as they had before.
Something between them had changed.
"So the Vatican wants to unleash the Sin Lords," Ren said at last, arms crossed, resting his sword by his side.
"That's what the envoy said," Daiki replied, fingers steepled beneath his chin. "But I believe it's worse. They're not unleashing them—they're reviving them."
A flicker of unease crossed Icarus's face.
"Meaning the demons we've seen so far are just remnants. Incomplete… shadows."
"The true lords haven't walked this world in centuries," Daiki confirmed, "but the seals holding them are weakening. We've already seen what Red Eidolon could do—and that was just one piece of the Sin of Wrath."
Haru glanced down at the sigil on his arm—still faintly glowing.
"Then what the hell am I?"
"A piece of something ancient," Icarus said softly. "And possibly the Vatican's key to breaking all seven seals."
Across the Divide
Far to the west, within the iron spires of Saint Caelis Cathedral, the Pope's private chamber was locked down. Red-robed Cardinals stood around a circular table carved from obsidian, their faces grim.
"They survived Sanctum Abyssus," one said. "The fire-born has awakened."
"Just as the prophecy foretold," whispered another. "The Four remain intact. That cannot be allowed."
The eldest Cardinal stepped forward.
"Then it is time," he announced. "Unleash the Herald of Envy."
The First Lord's Awakening
Back aboard the Ark, alarms blared.
"Incoming anomaly!" barked Eva, hands dancing across the interface. "Sector D9—Dead Zone! Something massive is emerging from beneath the desert!"
Icarus's eyes narrowed.
"That's where the Ruins of Shahael are… an ancient battlefield."
"We have to go," Ren said, rising. "Whatever it is, it's not natural."
The Ark veered south.
By the time they arrived, the sand had been replaced.
No longer golden. Now jet-black.
A 300-meter-tall obelisk had erupted from beneath the surface. Dark energy pulsed from it, warping the air, the gravity, even time itself.
And before it stood a lone figure.
Tall. Clad in deep green robes stitched with veins of emerald fire. His face was concealed beneath a featureless porcelain mask.
"I am the Herald of Envy," he spoke, voice like wind through broken glass. "And you… you four are standing in the way of the promised ascension."
Combat: Envy's Curse
The Four dropped from the Ark into the cursed sand. As they landed, the Herald raised a hand—and the black desert came alive.
Monstrous shadows burst from the earth, each shaped like a twisted version of themselves.
"They look like—" Haru began.
"Us," Ren finished. "But darker. Hollow."
Each clone mimicked not just their abilities but their emotions. Their insecurities.
Daiki fought his own reflection—one that mocked his fear of being powerless despite his foresight.
Ren battled a hollowed swordsman who spoke every word of doubt that haunted him.
Icarus faced a version of himself that had killed the others to become the strongest.
And Haru—he fought a clone that burned everything it touched, screaming:
"You're not a protector. You're a weapon! A time bomb!"
Unity in Shadows
It was Icarus who realized it first.
"They're not demons… they're echoes," he said through clenched teeth. "They feed on imbalance. We must center ourselves—or we die."
Ren gritted his teeth, dug his feet in, and silenced his clone with a howling burst of wind that split the desert open.
Daiki stared into the empty eyes of his shadow and said calmly:
"I may not always see the right future. But I'll always choose the right one."
His clone shattered like glass.
Haru, breathing hard, pressed both pistols to his chest.
"Yeah, maybe I am a bomb," he growled, eyes burning blue. "But I'm pointed right at you."
The clone evaporated in a pillar of sapphire fire.
And Icarus?
He simply reached forward and embraced his shadow.
"I forgive you," he whispered.
The Herald's illusions dissolved instantly.
The Battle Resumes
Furious, the Herald summoned a whirlwind of cursed sand and bone, turning the desert into a death field.
Ren spun through the storm, slashing wind to carve a path.
Daiki formed psychic shields to protect the others from bone shards raining from above.
Haru focused his fire into a spear—Pierce of the Phoenix—and launched it straight into the Herald's heart.
The blow didn't kill him, but it shattered his mask—revealing a pale, child-like face covered in demon runes.
"The Sin Lords… are awakening," the Herald said with his last breath. "And one of you will betray the others."
He dissolved into dust—leaving only silence.
The Calm Before the Storm
That night, the boys made camp near the shattered obelisk.
Icarus stared at the stars.
"Seven Lords. Seven Seals. Seven Heralds."
"And one Vatican," Ren added.
"Don't forget politics," Daiki muttered. "Half the Ministry won't support us if they think Haru's compromised."
Haru sat silently, staring at the sigil on his arm.
"I won't betray you."
"We know," Ren said with a grin. "But if you ever try, I'll slap you into the next continent."
Laughter broke the tension.
But overhead, the stars flickered.
One of them turned blood red.
Far away, within the Vatican's inner sanctum, the Seal of Pride cracked