The Two Faced Emperor

Faithless continued walking south of the city, heading toward the headquarters of the Black Order. The two girls were chatting with Marianne about her fighting style—her movements that resembled a dance.

"O sovereign, you were absolutely amazing! Your way of fighting is like a dance. I hope you can teach me to fight like you," said Lulia sweetly, clasping her fingers together in a cute gesture, her eyes sparkling.

"Teach me instead, O sovereign. She's terrible with a sword—I'm better than her," said Lily with pride in her voice, pointing her thumb at her companion.

Lulia lightly smacked Lily on the head and said angrily,

"Who are you calling terrible, huh?"

"You, you damn idiot," Lily retorted, smacking her back.

Faithless and Marianne were laughing as they watched the amusing scene unfold. Marianne placed both her palms gently on their heads and said with a sweet tone:

"Enough with the fighting, or I won't teach either of you."

The two girls stepped away from each other and apologized to Lady Marianne:

"We're sorry, O sovereign."

Faithless approached her and said sarcastically,

"Looks like you've become their favorite sovereign."

"Haha, don't be ridiculous… You're still their eternal favorite. Just look at the way they gaze at you—with love and respect," Marianne replied calmly, folding her hands behind her head.

Faithless glanced at them briefly and smiled, then looked up at the sky and spoke in a muffled tone:

"Their bickering reminds me of how I used to fight with my brother… Haha, those were the days. Father would punish us in the basement—for six hours straight."

Lady Marianne looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder:

"You seem to love your brother… I think he feels the same about you."

Faithless looked at her with eyes filled with pain and muttered to himself:

"Feels the same? No, I highly doubt that."

Lady Marianne spotted the Lucia Waterfall in the distance and pointed at it, saying:

"Looks like we're almost at the victim's location."

As they walked down the path, Faithless looked at his hand, recalling the feeling he had when he fought the Scarlet Horns creatures. He spoke to himself in a low voice:

"I just remembered something… My strength here is normal compared to when I'm inside the dimensions Isaac sends us to."

He added in the same tone:

"Seems like it's a feature he built into those dimensions… Damn it, how powerful is that man, for God's sake?"

After another thirty minutes of continuous walking, the four of them finally arrived at the designated house. It was large and stood in the middle of a vast green field on the edge. Not far from it was the Lucia Waterfall, flowing downward—but somehow appearing as if it was flowing upward.

"A beautiful place… used by these murderers as a site for their crimes. What a strange contradiction," Marianne said, looking at the windowless house.

Faithless approached the girls and spoke quietly:

"Do you see that tree with the thick leaves? Try hiding there until I'm done with them."

They both nodded and headed toward the tree. Faithless looked at Lady Marianne, and she understood his intent from that single glance.

They advanced steadily toward the house. Faithless knocked on the door gently—but no one responded, not a word.

Lady Marianne stepped forward, placed her palm on the door to destroy it… and unleashed a bloody wave that shattered it.

Both of them entered the house, which was filled with candles lighting every corner. Faithless spoke with a sarcastic tone:

"What are they doing here? Summoning a dragon-headed demon?"

"Or… luring in fools like you," a rough voice replied. A man waved a blood-forged chain, wrapped it around Faithless's neck, and flung him into the adjacent room.

Lady Marianne turned around to see four figures, dressed entirely in black, their faces hidden beneath black scarves. Each scarf bore an emblem representing the weapon its wearer wielded.

The chain-wielder spoke again, mockingly, shifting his scarf:

"What a clown… cracking jokes like he's in a circus."

Marianne slowly raised her hand, blood dancing at her fingertips. Then she spoke with a cold tone:

"If he's the clown… then you're the circus."