"Vex.... Lustia.... Envidia.... Avarco..... you..... are all alive?"
Apathia whispered these words lightly, her own voice choking up with emotion.
While on the surface the Hosts of Sin did not appear to get along with one another due to their vastly incompatible personalities, this was far from the truth.
In reality, these seven were people who understood the sufferings of one another better than anyone else in the world.
Therefore, the lip of the girl quivered as she opened her mouth, unsure what to say when presented with three who she had thought to be killed, and another who was thought to have betrayed them.
"Indeed, I am doing quite well. Better than ever before, one might say- although we have been placed into quite the embarrassing circumstance. After all..... all of us here have lost."
The man who spoke was a gentlemanly elemental made from molten rock and magma, donning a kingly robe, a cane tipped with pearls, and a tophat made from black quartz.
He spoke in a high pitched British accent, and his voice contained a hint of disappointment alongside a wave of excitement.
"But it would appear that we were not the only ones to lose?"
Looking at the three before him who were also now chained, the man chuckled lightly.
"I did not lose to the antiheroes like you did, Avarco. It is only because the Determined intervened that I have been reduced to this state.", Huberos stated immediately. "Do not think that I am on the same level as you."
"Still as snappy as ever, aren't we Huberos? I am glad to see that you have not changed much."
"And yourself? You still seem to be chasing after gold even after all that's happened. I was informed that you and Envidia were killed. What happened?"
"Ah, that much is true. We were killed.", Envidia stated. "Me, my sister, Avarco, and a whole lot of the people of Volaciophus all died. Then we were brought back to life. We're not Hosts of Sin anymore though."
Huberos nodded, thinning his eyes in thought.
"I see. I have also died recently..... yet my body seems to have been restored. I assume it was you who did this, Determined?"
"I said to pay me back with your life, did I not? From this point on, consider yourself to be paying me back."
"Paying her back? It looks like you got into a lot of trouble as well, Hube?"
The one who asked was the orange demon with spiked red hair.
It was Vex, the Host of Wrath.
On seeing him, Huberos was both relived and irritated.
"Do not call me that."
"Haha....."
With a trailing laugh, Vex looked to the ground with bitter expression.
"What happened to you, Vex? That night after you fought the Determined and lost.... you returned to my office, and then an explosion occurred within the noble sector of the city. I had assumed you were caught up in the explosion, given that you haven't been seen since then. Where on earth have you been?"
"Ah! He actually was caught up in the explosion.", Claire stated. "It was an explosion that I triggered. I killed him as punishment for hurting my people."
Closing her eyes, the fallen angel smiled lightly.
"But I suppose he was beginning to see things my way, so I've given him another chance at life. Although.... whether that could be considered mercy or torture is a whole nother story. Haha...."
At this statement, a vein bursted within the forehead of Huberos.
"So you killed those demons who died in the blast indiscriminately?"
"Yes. I did. What of it?"
Claire looked to Huberos as she floated in the air, glancing down at him with an unyielding expression.
She held not the slightest hint of remorse for her actions.
"Do you mean to tell me that he can come into my city and make my people into bombs, and it would be myself who is in the wrong when I do the same towards you?", Claire asked.
It was then that the fallen angel teleported behind Huberos, whispering into his ear.
"Do you mean to tell me that the humanoids don't hold as much worth as a demon..."
Huberos was filled with a chill as the woman spoke, and sweat dripped down his neck.
"When you put your own life on the line in order to save a humanoid yourself?"
Goosebumps spread across the wrinkled skin of Huberos as the woman said this.
She spoke with complete authority, berating him as below her- yet there was something else which irked at Huberos.
She was not wrong.
He had placed the life of Tera before his own.
Why had he done such a thing?
Why did he consider a humanoid to be worth more than himself, a demon, and a Host of Sin at that?
"I don't know whether to call you oblivious or arrogant, but I think it would be both."
"Hube, what's she talking about? You put your life on the line to save a humanoid?", Vex asked.
"That is certainly interesting. Perhaps you've become soft, Huberos?"
The one who said this was a woman whose skin was pure white. Dressed in a short cut dress which had long sleeves that flared outwards, covering her hands entirely, this woman had a sense of beauty which bordered surreal.
However, it was almost as if her beauty was a mix of mature and childish appeal.
Her appearance was that of a young girl who plastered herself up, yet her demeanor was that of an empowered woman.
She was a mature woman on the outside, yet a child on the inside, frequently worrying about the way others perceived her.
This was Lustia, the Host of Lust.
"My... could it be that you've fallen in love, Huberos?"
"I would deny every aspect of that statement.", Huberos immediately replied.
"Just because you deny something does not change whether it is true or not."
With a quaint laugh, the woman thinned her eyes with a smug grin, as if she could read the expression of the demon before her.
"I am the Host of Lust. Your desires cannot escape me, even if your words deny them. How interesting."
"Be silent. I've heard enough. Perhaps it would have been better had you been killed off? Were you the one who spoke of our abilities to the antiheroes?"
"What ever could have given you such an idea?"
The two stared one another off, glaring straight into one another's eyes for a solid 10 seconds.
"Though it was me.", Lustia admitted nonchalantly. "Are you angered? I thought that you were supposed to be the Host of Pride. Did you not say that you would defeat your enemies regardless of how disadvantaged you were? Or was that all nothing more than hot air?"
"I have nothing left to say to you, Lustia. You're exactly right. Even if they understood my abilities, my loss remains."
"Of course. It was your own fault that you lost. And it was mine that I did."
"Alright alright. I've let you have your little reunion and everything, but I think it's about time that you all answer me sincerely. So listen up."
Calling for the attention of the seven, the fallen angel looked down upon them, and then around to the crowd.
"Things have become quite messy. I don't even really know where to start. Therefore, I'll begin with you seven. All seven of you no longer hold your abilities as Hosts of Sin."
"Eh?"
"Not even myself?"
"I didn't think we died, so why...."
Gormand, Apathia, and Lustia had not died yet, therefore they should have kept their own abilities. Looking up to Claire with confusion, the three were unable to understand why she would make such a statement.
"Ah, my bad. Let me correct myself."
Holding out her hand, Claire grinned sinisterly as she made a swirling motion.
[Disband Hosts]
[Return to Origin]
"Now you no longer hold your abilities."
"What did she just...."
"She's right.... I..... no longer hold my ability.", Apathia whispered as she looked around with confusion.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"Ahem. I have become your origin. Those gems which once functioned as your origins, as pieces of the system, have been instilled within me. Therefore, as the origin I hold the ability to contract out my systems to a host, however I have no such obligation to do so. The entire reason why the system wished to do so in the first place was because it was an inanimate existence, one which lacked a will. Therefore, it granted it's abilities to others around it who were compatible with the aspects of sin so that their will could be pursued instead."
Claire was unsure why she knew this, but it was likely because she finally realized exactly what she was. The data within the system was infused into her mind as it became a part of her.
Claire was the very concept of suffering, and a manifestation of this concept.
Turning to the crowds around her, Claire spoke in a loud voice.
"Suffering..... is an inevitability."
With serious expression, she floated above all, her voice reaching their ears.
"There was once a man who said that there are two things which are guaranteed in life. Death, and taxes. However I would argue that there is one more thing which has already been determined from the start."
Taking a breath in, the fallen angel spoke in low tone.
"Suffering."
With irritation in her expression, the girl spoke to all.
"Is there a single one here who has not experienced suffering? Never. Suffering is a concept which is present in the lives of all- some in greater form, and some in lesser form. Yet it cannot, and will not disappear. However, suffering is the origin of the very concept of morality. Therefore... suffering is the ingredient which produces both good and evil."
With the snap of her fingers, a demonic chair formed in the air below Claire, upon which she took a seat, crossing one leg over the other.
"Why does evil exist? Simple. People wish for others to suffer, and they wish for themselves to undergo as little suffering as possible. It is this desire to redirect suffering towards others which leads to that which is evil."
With a smirk, Claire laughed lightly.
"That is to say, me."
The people held their breath as Claire spoke, for they were in complete awe of her at that moment.
Right now, they were not under any immense amount of pressure, yet they felt something different in the air.
It was not a magical pressure which had been created to strain their limbs, but rather the immense aura of a Queen.
"When suffering envelops people, there are many cases which they turn to evil. They will become filled with terror, hatred, fear, and all other sorts of emotions. They wish nothing more than for their burden to be relieved, and perhaps even for the ones who made them suffer to feel that same burden. This is what it means to be evil. And if that is true....."
The figure of a certain blonde man flashed within the mind of Claire.
"Then I am the most evil of all. Hahaha..."
As she flashed a horrid smile, the people who looked up at this figure were traumatized at the evil expression which this Queen of Demons held.
"Because there is nothing I wish more than for the man who killed me to suffer. Therefore..... I implore to everyone here. Assist me."
As she spoke these words, the seven Hosts were filled with a memory.
In just that same way that Claire had witnessed their own suffering, they now witnessed the suffering of Claire.
The intense pain of being hit by a car.
The cold feeling as she was left in the streets, her organs falling out of her stomach.
And the annoyed look which that man gave her, as if she was nothing more than a burden to his life- a problem which would need to be taken care of.
The immense hatred which was built up within Claire towards Oscar filled the minds of the seven Hosts, and they stared forth with blank eyes as they once more went through the same traumatic experience that they had seven times before.
The experience of witnessing the suffering of another.
Feeling it for themselves.
As they experienced this, all seven hosts looked up to Claire with wide eyes.
'Her wrath towards him.....'
'Her lust for his blood....'
'Her envy of him.....'
'Her gluttony for his flesh.....'
'Her greed for that which is his.....'
'Her slothful desire to have a peaceful death.....'
'Her arrogance in taking on the undefeatable hero of humanity....'
The seven realized at that moment, something which they could not possibly fathom.
All seven of them had been beaten, distraught, demented, and destroyed.
Their own pasts were far worse than the simple experience of pain and death which this woman had gone through.
Yet her desire for sin in all manners far exceeded that of any of them.
With a wicked grin, the woman snapped her fingers, and the seven came out of their comatose-like state.
"Do you now understand me? No..... not a soul in this world could ever understand completely. For what does it mean to understand suffering?"
With a peaceful smile, she closed her eyes.
"However..... while suffering is the cause and origin of all evil, it is also the origin of all virtue."
The woman now spoke with a more cheerful and less overarching tone, pleasant to the ears of all.
"It is through the acceptance of suffering on ourselves to reduce that of others that we become virtuous. Furthermore, it is through suffering that we are faced with a decision. When another makes us suffer, we could either become filled with evil, bent on revenge, or we could instead grow from our suffering, longing to help others and become a better person."
With this statement, the people were given a sense of relief for a brief moment before the crooked voice took over once more.
"Unfortunately..... I have no desire to show mercy towards a man who has created more suffering than even I have. Therefore..... becoming a better person will have to be put on the backburner."
Looking down with a grin, Claire addressed all those who were within the arena.
"So? Will you pathetic creatures join me in my cause to make him suffer?"
----
'This..... hahaha... is exactly as intended.'
Trevor's simulation abilities had no way of predicting exactly what would happen.
His abilities simply took known information and made determinations based on such information.
As such, he knew that something would happen to Claire as things progressed.
'Even so..... our chances of victory against the Indeterminant have just skyrocketed.'
The Indeterminant.
The sole existence in this world who Trevor legitimately and fully FEARED.
The Hosts of Sin indeed did hold powers which could be used to contain the antiheroes, however this was only under certain conditions- conditions which Trevor had purposely allowed to come about.
'I intended to use Melody and her group as our substitutes.... yet....'
With a sly smile, Trevor held his own forehead in disappointment with himself.
'Somehow, I certainly have become softer.'
Looking up to the Determined who now took new form, Trevor couldn't help but beam with pride in this success, which had come about through his own careful scheming.
Right now, the seven former hosts looked towards Claire with both awe, respect, and sympathy.
'They have now realized their similarity to the Determined. They no longer pose any threat of rebellion. And we have obtained yet another set of useful pawns.'
----
"I... have no intention to merely sit back and allow you to take a position higher than me. Or rather..... I would have said that before. However.... I now understand very well."
Huberos looked up to Claire in response, firming his resolve as he spoke to a being who was far above him in existence.
"There is nothing I can do to raise myself above you. Therefore, I will accept a lower spot."
"Great. If you didn't I would've just killed you here and now.", Clarice noted.
With a deep sigh, Gormand shrugged his shoulders.
"Looks like everyone ended up staying alive for now."
"Yep.", Apathia replied quickly from his arm.
Nodding in agreement, Huberos begun to laugh.
"How humiliating..... to be lowered to such a state..... and yet....."
Looking around, not a single person mocked him anymore.
Not a single person around him was laughing at his demise, but rather they all looked at one another as comrades.
"I suppose it is not so bad."
"Er, that's great and all but I still got stuff to say. So basically, your city is mine. Your people love me, and I've actually already taken it over. Furthermore, all the slaves here are of course now mine. Including the people of Iris, the people of Merphol, and the people of Regalis. Basically, everything is now mine."
With a disturbing smile, Claire placed her finger to her cheek as she thinned her eyes.
"And none of you have the right to say otherwise."
'Why is it that she acts so arrogant, yet I feel not the slightest hint of being mocked?', Huberos thought.
"So with that being said..... the competition is canceled. However, this is where the real battle begins. Antiheroes. I think I've just come up with a new task for you all. Would you listen to my proposal?"
"Of course.", Trevor replied.
"Well, I suppose I should first explain to everyone the situation. So listen up. The Indeterminant is known by the humans as the savior of humanity- the man who will gather the heroes and face the Queen of Evil. Spoiler, that's me. Two heroes have already been killed by our forces, and as a result of this they have lost the ability to gain a certain advantage. However, the hero of the Sultinate and the Indeterminant himself have taken over all the nations of the world, save for the Elven and Dwarven Alliance."
Claire explained to all the situation as the people within the crowds and arena listened devoutly.
"Furthermore, the Indeterminant holds two abilities. The first..... his state of Indeterminacy. As the Determined, I think it would be reasonable based on my own abilities to conclude that he is likely untouchable, like myself, when it comes to physical or magical attacks. Even if he is not, he likely has ways to use commands to prevent himself from coming under attack. To put it simply, he probably cannot die. Furthermore, it probably would be unlikely that we would be able to inflict pain upon him."
The expressions of the people within the crowd became concerned as Claire explained this, but she continued on.
"However, I am the same way. Therefore..... I am likely the only one who can do something to inflict such pain on him."
"However, we would need to gain more information before you go off to fight him.", Garett noted.
"Exactly. We have cameras placed all around the human realm, and we've been monitoring his every move in an attempt to gain more information on his abilities. That leads me to his second ability- and that is his ability to use commands. If he has learned the name of an entity, he can manipulate the properties of that entity freely through commands, therefore it is absolutely critical for us to hide our names from him."
Many were shocked at this proclamation, for there were already so many present whose names were widely known.
"However, don't worry too much about that. After all, I am the one who is fighting him. And not a single person in this world knows my real name."
As Claire said this, the people were once more put at ease.
"Now.... it is extremely likely then that the Indeterminant will make the Elven and Dwarven Alliance his next target, in order to search out the hero present there. However, the Indeterminant is a despicable man, and he has taken up a certain..... hobby."
Thinning her eyes in disgust, Claire couldn't help but speak ill of the man.
"He holds the lives of those around him only valuable insomuch as they fulfill his lustful desires. Essentially, he intends to kill off all the men in existence, and he intends to make every female in existence obsessed with him."
"This is supposed to be the man who is the hero of humanity? My.... what a strange hobby. Or perhaps the humans are merely consider such things to be heroic?", Lustia commented.
At this, Claire merely closed her eyes and whispered a statement filled with every last bit of her own bloodlust.
"He is viewed as the very model of good for the humans. And for this, he is far more evil than any monster."
Opening her eyes, Claire smiled.
"Which is why I will kill him myself."
Looking down upon the antiheroes, Claire pointed to them.
"I think it would be best for you four to head to the Alliance and infiltrate their cities. As the only remaining place which the Indeterminant holds no control over, we will first do our best to seize control of the situation for ourselves. All the while, I will rule over the monster realm and bring things here to a functional state. Is that acceptable?"
At this, Claire was met with four sinister grins.
"Heh..... my intuition says this is going to work out just fine.", Ashley crackled.
"I have no doubt that you will be able to handle the monster realm from here. It would be best to apply my talents elsewhere.", Trevor commented.
The other two nodded, unable to disagree with the intelligence of their comrades.
"Very well then. Ah, and as for the seven hosts..... you will each be assigned as the ruler of a city, and you will report directly to myself. Huberos, you will remain within the city of Regalis. The plantmen are free to remain within your care as well. Gormand and Apathia, you two will remain within Merphol. Lustia, you are free to remain within the haunted tower, and Envidia- you are to work alongside your sister in ruling Iciclaris. Volaciophus no longer exists, after all. Vex, I am appointing you officially to rule over the ratmen village alongside the mafia. And Avarco, I wish for you to come to the capital to act as a financial advisor. Do I have any complaints?"
The seven hosts, at being ordered around by this fallen angel, could say nothing in response.
Rather than being treated as slaves, they were instead granted positions of power.
At this, they were filled with surprise.
The woman before them, without doubt, was a queen of evil.
Yet she was merciful.
She was merciful beyond imagination.
Having experienced a sliver of her wrath, they understood well her own hatred and her own emotions, and because of this, they all came to the same conclusion.
"We will do as you say."
With this, the monster realm had been truly and fully united, with each and every people, nation, city, and race serving one single queen.
She was an existence of chaos, determined to unite these monsters as one.
Looking forth, she faced towards the human realm with a sly smirk.
Holding out her hand, she made a twisting maneuver.
[Set condition: Eternal suffering]
It was at that moment, across the demonic realm, that a number of demons disappeared from existence- only existing now in a separate plain of pain.
All these demons were those who held the traits of rotten slaveowners, and those who were abusive to others beyond measure. Those who spent their lives hurting and hurting others, causing suffering for their own personal pleasure and benefit.
With her eyes thinned in enjoyment, the fallen angel stared into the distance.
'Just wait, humans and demons alike. I will show you who the real monsters are. And I will make them suffer..... more than what is perceived as possible.'