Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"This is hell, beyond grudges and hatred, the prison tower bearing the name of the city of Yves!"

After the emotion, still burning like a dim flame in her voice, faded, a white-haired man dressed in green appeared. He looked at Ritsuka with a seemingly pleasant smile, then turned to the girl with a fierce grin.

"I am a Heroic Spirit, one of the beings you know, one of the curses that bring darkness to this world."

The white-haired man continued, his voice radiating an rage that seemed to consume him entirely:

"Born of sorrow, consumed by resentment, anger, and hatred, I ultimately manifest in this world as an Extra-class being—yes, you'll call me A—"

"...He wanted me to live."

The orange-haired girl's words shattered the man's self-narration.

Even though the white-haired man in front of her was talking boastfully, Ritsuka didn't know who he was. However, the dark flames residing in the man's soul had been conveyed to her with heart-wrenching pain. Therefore, in this dark and sunless prison, the girl saw golden light emanating from the man's body.

It was a vow that would never fade, a light that would never dissipate.

At the same time, the girl witnessed what was arguably the only time the man before her had ever cried.

On a small island in the vast, dark sea, under the shimmering, incomparably beautiful starlight.

The scene was so vivid and realistic, yet it seemed completely out of place with the man before her, because their auras were so different.

"Yeah……"

The white-haired man fell silent, glancing lightly at the empty bed in the prison. "So you have your own Father Faria? I'm relieved. If that's the case, then it was worth it to walk this path."

Then he looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka again and spoke once more:

"However... it is not necessary to care about the fate of those who wander in hell. Even though this If Castle is very different from the original in history, it is still hell, and also a hunting ground, a form created by the Magic King."

The man chuckled as he spoke, seemingly pleased:

"As long as we don't die, as long as we can live, that's enough. Although it's somewhat twisted, this is the kind of place we're in."

Ritsuka was confused. The man in front of her seemed to want to save her, so why did he keep saying things that sounded like he was trying to stop her?

"I thought you were like my enemy... but I didn't expect you to be similar to me, Fujimaru Ritsuka. In that case, let me repeat myself, you will call me A—"

Edmund Dantès.

Edmund's expression remained calm as usual after being suddenly spoken to by Ritsuka, but he paused slightly.

"Haha, who knows? Anyway, it's a name that's been discarded. That's definitely not me. I am the Avenger, the eternal avenger! How could I possibly be worthy of a human name that means I was born and will die as a human? I don't know where you learned this name from, but don't forget that if I'm not satisfied with your process, I will tear your body apart, even if you have your own Father Faria!"

“Father Faria? That name…”

Ritsuka pondered the name. She hadn't read "The Count of Monte Cristo," but she did so because she remembered Leonardo da Vinci's words earlier.

"Humph."

Edmund snorted after hearing the girl's utter confusion. The human in front of him had been imprisoned in this prison tower because of his eye contact with the Magic King. If the Magic King hadn't inexplicably transformed him into the If Castle, he probably wouldn't have come here.

However, upon arriving and seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka in such a predicament, Edmund recalled that he himself had been in a similar situation years ago. Just as he had saved Father Faria's mercy, he decided to try to save this last Master of humanity.

Edmund thought so, and that's what he intended to do.

In his view, Fujimaru Ritsuka should not fall into the desire for revenge, because so-called revenge is nothing but running at the top of one's lungs, and such steps will never stop, because what is loved has already been lost, and all avenger can do is roar forever.

If what you love still exists, you cannot roar forever, for the flames of anger will gradually erode your heart, causing your original feelings to slowly dry up.

"If you don't know, I have no intention of explaining it to you, but it's enough that you understand that this is a very important person to you, and you shouldn't deny it easily."

The man's threatening words, accompanied by a sharp gaze and a smile, were met with Ritsuka's response as if she hadn't heard them at all.

"I'm just curious if there's a priest named Favia."

Upon hearing this, Edmund turned around, his back to Ritsuka, and his tone softened considerably.

"Perhaps, as a younger sister."

Chapter 417 The Prison Tower Where the 'Evil God' Is Located.

"So there really is such a person, and she's a woman..."

Upon hearing Edmund's words, Ritsuka had a sudden realization. Now she understood who the mysterious white-haired girl who seemed to be visible only to Ritsuka was when she dreamt of Mash in the sterile room in Chaldea.

This must be the Favia that Edmund was talking about, maybe even someone's sister.

As for what Leonardo da Vinci said earlier, Ritsuka understood a bit about it. It was roughly that the two knew each other, but 'Favia' had been hiding in Chaldea and hadn't shown up. However, Leonardo da Vinci had a keen sense that she should be there. That was the situation.

"Heh, who knows? Just follow me."

Having said that, Edmund walked out of the prison cell without looking back.

Because of his previous performance, Ritsuka did not hesitate and followed him out.

"Once you enter this place, you can't get out, right?"

The orange-haired girl murmured.

This was a filthy, damp, and dark corridor; just walking through it was enough to make one's eyes, nose, and breath feel uncomfortable.

Outside the few, low windows, there was no sky, but a dark blue sea. There were no landmarks in the sea, yet it seemed to flow on its own toward some unknown place.

It's hard to imagine whether this is a real scene or just an illusion created through magic.

"That's right, there's no way out. The only ones who can get out are those who are human but no longer human... beyond redemption."

Surprisingly, the man's voice sounded somewhat forlorn.

In Ritsuka's eyes, Edmund was staring at an ordinary wall with strange patterns and wild animal-like symbols. To her, it looked like the idle paintings of people who lived in it, but to Edmund, it seemed to be a past existence.

Ritsuka looked at the wall that Edmund had just been staring at. There seemed to be three figures on it that were no longer clearly visible. Because it had been so long, she could only barely make out that they were humanoid.

How long will the marks on the wall remain? In a decade or so, we won't even know who left them, let alone the fact that this is just a simulation, not the real place that has been there for hundreds of years.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at a rusty door.

Before Ritsuka could even voice her doubts, Edmund calmly replied:

"First, I must tell you simply that your soul is imprisoned. If you want to escape, you must pass through seven 'judgment chambers.' If you are defeated in a judgment chamber, you will be killed. If you do nothing to welcome the seventh day, you will also die."

“Come, this is the first ‘Judgment Chamber,’ the first theater prepared so that you can survive.”

Then, he pushed open the door.

"Witness it, feel it! The sin of envy! The First Ruler is the theater—"

"Oh my, beautiful lady dressed in gray."

The man holding the greatsword turned around and bowed in their direction.

"This is a rare opportunity, and I had hoped to show you my handsome side... Unfortunately, I now stand here as a great sinner! I! The chief of the Red Branch Knights, Fergus Macroy, and also the former King of Ulster! I love beautiful young women the most!"

Then, not only Ritsuka, but Edmund also stared intently at Fergus.

The reason for this was that, before entering the prison tower, Edmund perceived the first "Between of Judgment" to be the "Sin of Envy," while Fergus was supposed to be the character in the second "Between of Judgment," the "Sin of Lust"...

Why the change? Or was it due to a shift in the characters involved out of jealousy? Or did the Magic King intervene?

These questions began to surface in Edmund's mind one after another.

Suddenly, a wind began to blow across the sea visible from the prison tower window, the sea breeze sounding like the melody of some kind of orchestra.

The sea breeze and the unknown melody whooshed and swirled together.

At that moment, Edmund laughed, because he remembered this feeling. It was the aura that only Outer Gods could have. Although it was different from the aura of Abigail that he knew, it was indeed the aura of an Outer God.

Perhaps this could be considered a form of struggle, he thought, then turned to Ritsuka and said calmly:

“Pry into the heart. Do not look away, for because everyone possesses it, no one can escape it, the desire for others, the trembling, which in turn gives rise to the existence of shallow tears—the sin of lust.”

"Come on, Fujimaru Ritsuka, what will you do? Will you protect yourself? Will you fight?"

"Edmund, lend me a hand!"

"Hahaha, no one can escape my fireworks!"

Immediately afterwards, in Ritsuka's sight, Edmund's entire body seemed to transform into black flames, the heat of which was unimaginable. The condensed heat and light washed over everything in this prison, but when all of this subsided, Fergus still stood firm.

It looked a little embarrassing, but before Fergus could even think of 'what, it didn't do any damage at all,' something else arrived before his mind could: flames poured into his body like rain.

Fergus initially trembled as if in a spasm, but as he leaped backward behind Ritsuka and reached out to grab her, the flames that surged into him turned blue, shattering and exploding him completely, leaving nothing behind.

For Edmund, who had successfully defeated Count Carter and Alter, the god of machines, using the Monte Cristo Treasure during his lifetime, such ease was not surprising. Moreover, upon realizing that in addition to the intervention of the Magic King, there was also the intervention of an Outer God within this prison tower, Edmund felt the power of the Monte Cristo Treasure further amplified.

"That solved it, so fast..."

Ritsuka glanced at Edmund and sensed that he seemed surprisingly accustomed to fighting, especially to someone from the Age of Gods.

Besides studying magic and honing her physical skills, Ritsuka was also cramming on esoteric knowledge. Moreover, the year 1 AD marked the complete end of the Age of Gods in most regions, a fact that was common knowledge in the magic world. After all, the neighboring church also heavily promoted their 'savior' in this way.

“If that’s all there is to it, I think it’s pretty fast. But unnecessary gains bring not only strength, but also misfortune to some place. Of course, for the sake of you being ‘Father Favia,’ I will still continue with you.”

Edmund smiled and turned to look at Ritsuka.

"Speaking of which, I'd like to ask you, in the era before the burning of the church, did the 'priests' in Alexandre Dumas's writings manage to escape hell unscathed?"

Alexandre Dumas? I think he was a writer. My teacher mentioned him in class, but I've never looked into it...

Edmond's question was far beyond Ritsuka's level. After all, the girl had never even heard of Edmond Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo, so she couldn't possibly have read Alexandre Dumas's "The Count of Monte Cristo".

Therefore, Ritsuka answered decisively:

"I do not know."

For some reason, Ritsuka felt that Edmund's smile, which was originally extremely kind and friendly, had now become terrifying.

“The light of Father Faria’s reason will shine upon anyone, even if the darkness enveloping you is a deeper darkness, even if there is no doubt that hell lies ahead of you. No matter who you ask, no one can refute this assessment.”

There was no intention to boast; it was merely a statement of fact.

Indeed, Edmond, who had chosen to hold a sharp fork to Dumas's throat when he learned that everything about him was being used by Dumas as the prototype for his novel "The Count of Monte Cristo," also told him the same thing.

For the world-renowned Count of Monte Cristo, Father Faria was such a figure. Perhaps in terms of his influence on the world, the priest was not as significant as he was, but to the Count himself, he was an extremely important figure.

"is that so……"

Ritsuka murmured, for the voice coming from Edmund's mouth was very heavy.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka, no matter what, how this journey will ultimately turn out, there is only one thing I can tell you."

The man in green, with his back to the girl, gave a wry smile and uttered a sentence without turning his head.

"Wait, and hold on to hope..."

The sound, for some reason, carried a desolate echo, sweeping through the various rooms of the prison tower that stood amidst the lonely sea.

If the transformation from jealousy to lust surprised Edmund, the next room was exactly as he had initially perceived: sloth. However, it then changed again, with wrath turning into gluttony, but he ultimately weathered the storm without serious harm.

Thus, what remained standing between Edmund and Fujimaru Ritsuka was 'jealousy', 'anger', 'greed', and finally 'arrogance'.

"...Let me make this clear from the outset: anger, rage, and indignation are the strongest emotions I define, whether they are personal grievances caused by personal factors or public grievances directed at the world."

In the dimly lit corridor, Edmund closed his eyes. "Similarly, justified anger is most appealing, and sometimes, even tragedies caused by anger are praised. However..."

Meanwhile, as Ritsuka listened to his words, she pushed open the door to the 'Room of Wrath' that stood before her.

"How dare they deny this! How dare they deny anger, the purest of emotions! To talk about salvation and forgiveness as if it were the most natural thing in the world! Unforgivable. Unforgivable! The hypocritical savior is disgusting! That hateful Joan of Arc! The woman who willingly entered the prison tower to block my path!"

The figure appearing amidst 'anger' is Joan of Arc, the French saint.

“Yes, Edmund, just as you said, I came here to stop you. As someone who once stood with Ritsuka, I must stop you. Moreover, I have no anger in me. I will not judge Ritsuka. I have no right to do so, nor do I have such thoughts.”

At this point, Joan of Arc glanced at Ritsuka and nodded slightly to her before looking back at Edmund.

“Avenger, I will save you, just as the Holy Banner still shines in the Château d'If.”

"Shut up! I am an avenger from beyond the realm of vengeance!"

Edmund roared with what could only be described as maniacal laughter, “Noble, sacred! All things are equally worthless! There is no venerable Father Faria here, so even the Lord cannot save my soul!”

"...There's no other way; if talking can't stop you."

"Hahahahahahahaha! Come on! I've always wanted to know how God really sees me!"

As Joan of Arc and Edmund confront each other, the entire space undergoes an unexpected transformation, remaining a scene of horror and tragedy, creating a surreal, scroll-like spectacle.

However, something abruptly appeared, and not only that, another major door appeared in the room, as if it had merged with the room itself. That was the room called 'Greed'. In other words, 'Anger' and 'Greed' did not sit idly by and wait for their doom, but instead joined forces to deal with the attackers.

“Some thoughts cannot be conveyed through words, Saintess. You should know this very well.”

A voice came from behind the gate of the 'Greed Chamber'.

"...I understand, I understand perfectly. But I don't want to give up no matter what."