Overwhelming strengths of three beings shook the bridge. Half of the structure collapsed. The luminary was toe-to-toe against Fallon by himself, while Ethel kept a distance and gave her support. She could have run off while the mortal kept Fallon busy, but it would be a cowardly move.

  This isn’t good. Ethel noticed the shaky hands of the luminary. His chest was heaving heavier as fatigue took a toll on him. Meanwhile, Fallon showed no sign of slowing down. His strikes grew fiercer and harder, pushing the mortal around.

  Fallon, this is unlike you.

  Sinner of Sloth was never passionate about doing things on his own. Fallon become weaker the more he exerted himself to do the labor. While he sleep in his hiding and feast on the languor, his little puppets of faithless slogged themselves under his command.

  As the bridge tumbled down, both of them jumped out. Fallon watched them disappeared within the clouds of dust. Rubbles crashed down to the bottom. Huge splashed of its impact echoed.

  Just when the silence stretched over them, the wreckages of the ruined bridge flew in their direction. It came pounding them like rains. Arms materialized from her shadow, shattering the rubbles from crushing them. Between the coming rubbles on her way, she spotted a figure hiding behind one of them. Ethel leaped somewhere far as it crashed down in front of her. Fallon waved the surrounding clouds.

  The materialized shadow arms changed their target to Fallon. Once she had his shadow in her grip, she set him ablaze with crimson flames. Fallon screamed, prying his armor open as he helplessly tried to put the fire out.

  Fourth abyssal shadow — the Fiery Flame Butterfly, rested on her hand. Wings burned a darker shade of red flame. Flamescourge was one of its abilities. Burning the target from inside.

  Blood trickled down from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The heat devoured her flesh, roasting her from inside. The wrath she consumed from the mortals was barely enough to recover herself.

  “Easy with the fire. You’ll burn me. Not a good impression of a wrath if I let my own fire kill me.”

  Quite an ironic for the sinner of wrath to burn by her own flame. Though it won’t kill her, it was still an embarrassing sight to show. No flame can burn her and there was nothing she can’t burn.

  “No, flamescourge is useless if you don’t hate what you see.”

  Ethel snickered. “What feeling do I have for someone who wished for my death? I feel nothing but hatred for those traitors who turned their backs against what we once vowed.”

  The Fiery Flame Butterfly was quiet for a moment. Fallon slammed Heartshatterer on the ground. He used the sword as a pillar for him raised himself.

  “Just like how Sloth becomes weaker as he exerted himself more into labor. You, too, become weaker if you do not harbor the hate for your enemy.”

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  “So you’re saying I care for my enemy?”

  “Ethel—”

  “Don’t you dare use that to explain everything! This is my warning before I locked you up in the abyss.”

  The Fiery Flame Butterfly dropped its wings down. It imprinted itself on her hand. “You should know yourselves better than anyone.”

  The luminary grabbed her arm. When he touched her bare skin, he immediately yanked his hand away. It left a red print over his palm.

  “Stay back.”

  Ethel kept the crimson flames engulfed on Fallon. His scream tugged her heart into hesitation. She coughed out blood.

  Fallon plunged the Heartshatterer deep into the ground. Their bodies slammed flat face. Pressure of a mountain crushed their whole bodies, rendering them from lifting even a finger. The arms of her shadow disappeared, wiping out the crimson flames on Fallon. She can’t lift a finger. Vision of mortals filled her. A father working on a field under the scorching sun return to his home with little yields to provide his family. Knights patrolled through the streets without a rest and their master barraging them every day. It was all but a simple, mundane life. Time after time, their souls grew weak. Ethel tasted their rough labor with her own body, crushing her from inside. She shoved those memories away and burned them. Denying the mortals’ struggles was the only way she could free herself. He dragged his sword over the ground as it left a red streak of its traces.

  Your fire grew weak. You can never save us or yourselves. Pride whispered at the back of her mind.

  Just when she thought it was her loss. The grunt on her side caught her attention. It was the luminary, raising on his feet against the enormous burden over his back. He blocked Fallon’s path from approaching her.

  How can he move?

  It couldn’t be some luck. He was a luminary. A mortal who can create a miracle against the odds. Which reminded her, the young man hadn’t got to use his miracle once throughout the entire battle. Similar to how the sinner has their own abyssal shadow, the luminaries have their miracle prayer.

  The luminary swayed on his feet. He could barely keep himself still. His face painted in his own blood. The heavy strike must have caused a concussion. Fallon grabbed the mortal by the collar, guiding him to the edge of the cliff.

  “Stop, don’t kill him!” Ethel shouted.

  No, if that mortal dies, it would mean a declaration of war.

  Touching one of the pillar of hope will set everything to lose. Flood of blood will washed the land. To stop one, countless souls will be sacrificed.

  Fallon raised his sword up and stopped. He didn’t move for a moment. Then, he threw the mortal to the back. He stood still, looking over to a distance at the hill. The pressure on top of her body dissipated. She could finally move.

  “Go up there.” Fallon pointed out to the hill.

  “Why?”

  “Or he dies. The town fall into ruin.”

  Ethel glanced at the unconscious mortal. “Fine.”

  Fallon walked ahead first.

  “Keep an eye on him before someone comes and helps him,” Ethel ordered the Silk Butterfly.

  “But!”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  The Silk Butterfly unlatched itself from her and flew to the luminary’s side. Ethel cast the shadow on her back, snapping her spine back straight. The thick mist subsided from the town and followed them into the forest. The sinners disappeared into the darkness.