Anos sat calmly at the stone slab table, eyes focused on the four cards arrayed before him. Each card bore the image of one of his subordinates—Misha, Sasha, Zeshia, and Misa. Three were crossed with cold blue magic, while only Misa's remained under a vivid red magic circle.
Across from him sat Zeik, watching with a carefully veiled expression.
"He's confirmed it…" Anos mused silently. "The statement 'The Child of God is Misa' is marked as correct."
Yet the truth tangled itself in contradiction.
"If Zeik used his right to lie to confirm that statement... then none of the four can be the Child of God," Anos thought. "But that clashes with what was said—that the Child of God is one of my subordinates."
His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"If he instead lied about Zeshia being the Child of God, then that would imply there are two Children of God... which violates the divine order. There can only be one."
He traced the logic further, dissecting each possibility.
"There's no contradiction if Misa is the Child of God. But to disprove that, I must consider the possibility the true Child isn't among these four at all."
His mind pivoted. "For example... Lay. That would resolve the inconsistencies. Yet all signs still point toward the Child being one of mine."
He glanced toward Zeik.
"This feels too convenient. Why present Misa as the 'correct' answer so plainly?"
Anos leaned forward slightly.
"That would only be meaningful if the true Child was not Misa... but among the other three."
His expression sharpened. "To let such a contradiction stand… Either you're bluffing, or there's a deeper misdirection."
Between his fingertips, Anos conjured a glowing card. The aura of orange light flickered as he pressed it to the table.
"The Child of God possesses the Eyes of Destruction."
Zeik's answer was immediate. "Correct."
Anos narrowed his eyes as he considered Sasha and Misha's fused form—the one born in secret and fire. "That form... it may have a true name I do not yet know."
Of all his followers, only Sasha held the Demon Eyes of Destruction.
And Sasha's card was already crossed.
"If that's true... then Misa cannot be the Child of God," he concluded.
He summoned another card and laid it gently down.
"The Child of God is a half-spirit, half-demon."
"Wrong," Zeik replied. The card was struck through with cold blue light.
Anos's eyes glinted. "Then Misa is ruled out for certain."
With steady hands, he drew another card. This one bore the combined image of Sasha and Misha's fusion.
"I do not know the name of the Child of God."
Zeik again responded. "Wrong."
Blue light crossed the card.
"You're down to your final guess," Zeik said, a sly smirk forming. "Choose wisely."
Anos pondered. "So the Child of God is a subordinate of mine, and I do know their name. Yet... it's not Misha, Sasha, Zeshia, or Misa."
He chuckled softly. "A most entertaining battle of wits."
"But I see it now. The contradictions... the inconsistencies... they were never part of the game. The key never existed on this board."
Anos' tone darkened. "You implanted a false memory into yourself, Zeik."
Zeik's grin widened. "So you're onto me! Too late now!"
With a snap of his fingers, a towering hexagonal glass barrier shimmered into place around him. Four masked figures appeared within, standing beside him, each cloaked in Zecht's protective magic.
"Thanks for the Mask of Seeker, Ri-hyun," Anos said, slipping off a silver mask with a carved third eye in its forehead. It dissolved into dust between his fingers.
Telepathically, Ri-hyun's voice answered from afar. "It enhances perception, understanding, and adaptability. Perfect for unraveling a liar's game."
Facing Zeik and his summoned guards, Anos remained unmoved.
"You've lost the moment you agreed to this battle," Zeik proclaimed triumphantly. "You can't attack through my anti-magic barrier. But if you forfeit, your magical power will be sealed for five seconds. So—what will you do?"
Anos, without flinching, said, "I forfeit."
The crimson spell circle of Zecht flared and shattered before him.
"You fool!" Zeik roared, eyes gleaming as Melheis's body fell to the ground, time released. "Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"
He plunged his sword into Melheis's source, destroying it.
Then turned—only to find his summoned guards collapsing in a blur of motion. A single punch from Anos had obliterated them.
"You thought sealing my power for five seconds would be enough?" Anos asked, stepping forward, voice calm and cold.
"You didn't strike me first. Instead, you destroyed Melheis's source. That action alone revealed your true intent."
He gestured, and the corpses of the four summoned warriors dissolved into glittering pink particles.
"You weren't here to defeat me. You were here to eliminate him."
Zeik's confident mask cracked.
"Surely Melheis means nothing to the Blaze Death King or Heavenly Father God," Anos added with quiet finality.
"Kill me, then," Zeik said defiantly. "I've bested the Demon King of Tyranny in a battle of wits. That's enough for me."
"Oh?" Anos said, eyebrow raised. "Such bravado… for a mere officer."
A moment later, the doors behind them creaked open.
In stepped Melheis, pristine and unharmed.
"Game or not," he said, voice echoing, "believing you'd bested my lord was an illusion of arrogance."
Zeik's mouth fell open in shock.
---
Elsewhere — In the Valley
Misha struggled to stand, blood running down her lip. Rinka loomed over her, sword raised.
"I'll make it painless," Rinka said coolly.
She brought down her blade—the Boundless Sword Garmest—but it shattered on contact with Misha's face.
"What!?"
Above them, two glowing objects streaked through the sky—masks, descending like divine meteors.
"Move," Misha said. Her voice was calm, resolute. She wore the Mask of Frost, pale blue and silver, shaped like jagged ice.
"You altered my sword... with a touch?" Rinka gasped.
The ground trembled. The sky shimmered.
"Do you even know what you're creating?" she said, now panicked.
A massive ice castle appeared above—an ethereal version of Delsgade, glowing with pale blue divinity.
"That castle is... a god itself," Rinka whispered in terror.
"How could a demon possibly…"
She turned back. Misha stood, surrounded by brilliant blue rings of magic.
"I am... me," Misha answered.
---
Lay and Misa — Facing Gerad
Lay lay motionless, his source seemingly destroyed.
"It's no use waiting," Gerad sneered.
But suddenly—
"Then I'll just destroy them all!" Lay shouted, shattering another cursed jewel despite the pain.
He staggered, then stabilized—his wounds vanishing in green light.
"You should be careful around those with more than two sources," he warned.
Gerad's eyes widened as he peered deeper.
"Seven sources?!"
His gaze snapped to Lay's sword. "The Spirit Sword... Evansmana...?"
---
In the Courtyard — Eleanore and Zeshia vs Zabro
Above them, a vast violet crystal glowed as it drained their magic.
Zabro mocked, "Lost the will to scream?"
"I told you…" Eleanore gasped, "I'll never forgive you. Asc!"
A radiant diamond-shaped spell circle appeared.
"Pointless," Zabro laughed. "No emotions can reach magic here."
"You're wrong," Eleanore growled. "Emotions live in the source."
Suddenly, a mask fell from the sky—impacting the ground with a shockwave that obliterated nearby ghouls.
"Thank you… Ri-hyun," she whispered.