Hearing Ram's serious tone, Wood's expression turned grim.
If even Ram had no information on the abilities of 'Gluttony' and 'Greed,' then it was up to him to find out. He could only hope that Subaru would last a bit longer, giving him the chance to gather more details about the two Archbishops.
Having fought 'Sloth' before, Wood knew that the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops all possessed powers called "Authorities." These powers were not magic, nor were they attributed to any element, but they were immensely powerful. While it might have seemed easy for Wood to defeat 'Sloth,' that was only because he had been a direct counter to him.
The so-called 'Invisible Hands' were rendered ineffective against Natsuki Subaru, who could see them, and against Wood's heightened senses and mastery of Observation Haki.
But that didn't mean 'Sloth,' as a Sin Archbishop, was weak. Let's not forget that before Wood had arrived, 'Sloth' had single-handedly held off Julius, Wilhelm, Venomous Thorn, and Crusch.
From his brief observations, Wood had gathered that 'Greed' seemed to possess some kind of magic nullification or possibly a time-manipulation ability. As for 'Gluttony,' it might have something to do with the teleportation he had used just moments ago.
Of course, whether the powers displayed by 'Greed' and 'Gluttony' were their Authorities or simply their own abilities was yet to be determined. Much like 'Sloth,' who was an earth spirit and used powerful earth magic, Wood wasn't naive enough to assume that 'Greed' and 'Gluttony' only relied on their Authorities.
From what had been displayed so far, it seemed clear that 'Greed' was the more troublesome of the two. Though teleportation was a nuisance, with Wood's Observation Haki for predicting attacks and Armament Haki for defense, 'Gluttony' wouldn't easily be able to find an opening to strike.
In contrast, 'Greed's' ability was far trickier. To test whether 'Greed's' power was advanced magic immunity or related to time and space, Wood launched an "Emperor-level" water spell in his direction.
With Wood's current magic power, the spell's impact was nothing short of devastating. A massive blue magic circle appeared in the sky, drawing dark clouds together at visible speed, making the air thick with humidity.
Before 'Greed' and 'Gluttony' could react to the sudden changes above Arlam Village, massive waterspouts shot down from the swirling clouds. The waterspouts fell from the sky like columns of water, similar to "dragon tails" formed during ocean storms, except in reverse—crashing downward with enough force to obliterate the earth.
Even a simple droplet of water could carve stone. Now, a torrent of raging water tore through the ground, making even solid bedrock crack under its might.
Upon seeing the destructive power of the descending waterspouts, 'Gluttony' wasted no time teleporting out of danger. Wood didn't care that 'Gluttony' had fled—he had already anticipated that someone with teleportation wouldn't be caught so easily.
The main target had always been the white-haired boy, 'Greed.' The waterspouts converged, surrounding 'Greed' from all sides under Wood's command. Despite facing such overwhelming force, the boy maintained a calm demeanor, even gazing mockingly at Wood.
The multiple waterspouts combined into one giant torrent as they crashed down upon 'Greed.' For a moment, Ram believed the threat had been eradicated by Wood's overwhelming attack, but to her disbelief, 'Greed' walked out of the cascading water completely unharmed.
Not only was he unscathed, but he adjusted his collar nonchalantly, even patting off imaginary dust in a mocking gesture.
"Impossible! A spell of that magnitude... even a Great Spirit of water wouldn't come out of that unscathed!" Ram exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock. It was as if the sight before her defied her very understanding of power.
Ram had never considered herself among the world's strongest, even if she was called the "Hornless Demon God" within her clan. Among those she knew, Roswaal and Wood were undoubtedly more powerful.
And after witnessing Wood unleash the magic of 'God's Heart,' Ram had thought Wood might be the strongest in the world. Surely even the Sword Saint Reinhard or the Witch of Envy Satella would struggle against such overwhelming might.
But now, the man she believed to be the strongest had failed to leave so much as a scratch on 'Greed.' Yes, the Sin Archbishops were powerful, but this went beyond normal strength. If they were truly this formidable, then the Witch Cult, with its seven Archbishops, would have long since conquered the world instead of hiding in the shadows.
"It's not impossible. I am the Witch Cult's greatest weapon, the strongest existence aside from the Witch herself," 'Greed' spoke arrogantly. "There is nothing I desire. There is no greed in me, only devotion. My sole wish is the resurrection of the Witch."
'Greed,' the white-haired boy, was an insufferable chatterbox. Wood and Ram had hoped to gain some useful information from his boasting, but after a few minutes, they realized he was merely self-absorbed, providing no meaningful insights.
"Whether it was Ram's wind magic or my water magic, neither had any effect on you," Wood said, his eyes narrowing as he observed 'Greed.' "In the moment my magic touched you, the wind stopped moving, and the water ceased to flow. It wasn't that you nullified the magic—you stopped it. So, your ability must be temporal or spatial, rather than simply magic resistance."
'Greed's' magical energy wasn't particularly strong, and Wood could tell that he lacked an especially durable body. Thus, only a few possibilities remained.
Before 'Greed' could respond, Wood had already closed the distance between them. With a swift use of Shave, one of the Six Powers, he was in front of 'Greed' within an instant, his sword slicing downward at the Archbishop's head.
The pressure from his strike raised a gust of wind, creating a dust cloud that obscured both of them from view. Ram watched anxiously as the dust began to settle, only to see 'Greed' get knocked backward, his figure barely visible through the haze.
Before she could celebrate the apparent victory, Ram's keen demon senses picked up a familiar scent—the stench of a witch. She quickly moved aside, narrowly avoiding an ambush as 'Gluttony' reappeared, trying to strike her again.
'Gluttony' had called her name as he attacked, but fortunately, Ram's heightened senses allowed her to avoid his strike. She retaliated with a surge of wind, sending 'Gluttony' crashing into a nearby tree.
Wood returned to Ram's side after driving 'Greed' back, his face more serious than before. While Ram looked relieved, Wood's expression remained tense.
"It seems 'Greed's' ability isn't a form of magic nullification. It's as I suspected—it's a troublesome temporal or spatial power," Wood explained. "Not just magic, but even my physical attacks had no effect. No… in that moment, my attack lost control and seemed to stop in time."
Ram was puzzled. "But I saw you knock him back, Wood. Doesn't that mean physical attacks have some effect on him?"
"That was just collateral damage—my strike damaged the ground beneath him, causing him to be thrown back. If you look closely, you'll see he wasn't actually harmed at all," Wood replied. "If his power indeed causes 'temporal stasis,' then he can render our attacks meaningless."
"If that ability extends to himself—"
"Exactly," 'Greed' interrupted with a self-satisfied grin. "The Authority of the 'Lion's Heart,' when applied to myself, makes me invincible. I am untouchable, be it by physical or magical means. Fire, water, ice, earth—nothing can harm me. Even my clothes remain unscathed."
Wood was unsurprised by the revelation. 'Greed' was no longer hiding his abilities; now he was flaunting them, clearly intending to instill hopelessness.
Ignoring 'Greed's' boasting, Wood shifted his attention to 'Gluttony,' who had just reappeared at 'Greed's' side after being thrown into the tree.
"As the Archbishop of 'Gluttony,' you must possess some ability that causes memory loss," Wood said. "Considering you called out Ram's name during both of your attacks, it means there are certain conditions that must be met for it to work. Is stating the target's name part of it? What other requirements are there? Care to enlighten us like your chatty friend here?"
Hearing Wood's deductions, both 'Greed' and 'Gluttony' looked genuinely surprised.
Among the Witch Cult, 'Sloth' and 'Greed' were the most frequently seen Archbishops. However, unlike 'Sloth,' 'Greed' often acted covertly, making him less known to the outside world—let alone the abilities of the other Archbishops.
'Gluttony' had yet to use his memory-devouring power on Ram, and yet Wood had already deduced its existence. He had also figured out that calling the victim's name was a necessary condition. The fact that he had come to these conclusions purely from observing 'Gluttony's' attacks was almost beyond belief.
"Such wisdom… such insight… this knight must be delicious!" 'Gluttony' shouted, his eyes gleaming with manic excitement. "Feast! Indulge! The hunger of our hearts, our stomachs—I shall dine on you!"
In an instant, 'Gluttony' teleported in front of Wood, launching an attack. At the same time, 'Greed' joined in, picking up a rock from the ground and tossing it towards Wood, as if it were all a game.
Both Archbishops had abandoned Ram as their target, focusing entirely on Wood. It was a logical choice—Wood's abilities made him a formidable adversary, but his intelligence and analytical skills made him an even bigger threat.
In a short time, Wood had managed to deduce much of their abilities. If they allowed him to continue, their Authorities—their trump cards—would be fully exposed, leaving them at a severe disadvantage.
To avoid that outcome, they had to eliminate Wood—the dangerous knight—at all costs.