"In the name and honor of House Barthomeloi, I swear to bring the culprit—Rhodes Frain Yggdmillennia—to justice!"
Draped in a crimson trench coat, Lorelei Barthomeloi roared, her normally austere features now twisted with killing intent and fury.
Without a doubt, her retreat at the port had become the most humiliating stain of her life. The Barthomeloi never backed down. Even when facing the Dead Apostle Ancestor, their magi would rather throw their lives away in mutual destruction than retreat.
Yet this time, Lorelei had slunk back with her "Clone" division in tow, disgraced and defeated. It was a blot on her family's honor—and her personal reputation.
Inside the extravagantly decorated chamber, however, the nobles seated on either side wore looks of indifference. None shared her outrage.
Rhodes had dealings with these aristocrats behind closed doors. They weren't about to antagonize a rising figure like him just for Lorelei's sake.
Of course, if House Barthomeloi managed to capture or kill Rhodes, they'd gladly descend like jackals, picking apart his research for every last drop of value.
Such was the elegance of nobles.
"Gentlemen! Perhaps you still don't understand just how crucial a 'Creator' is for a weak lineage like Yggdmillennia!"
Lorelei slammed the podium, her fervor almost Trumpian in its theatricality.
But the lords remained unmoved. Rocco Belfeban, who'd only just sold Rhodes a Holy Relic, didn't even bother hiding his yawns.
"Damn it…" Lorelei's face twisted with frustration. She wasn't addressing a gullible crowd, but battle-hardened politicians with decades steeped in intrigue. Without concrete profit, nothing she said would ever rouse them to action against Rhodes.
"How much has that bastard bribed you with?!" she bellowed. But the lords only looked on like spectators at a circus, amused and unconcerned.
"That scum—he's wormed his way through the entire Clock Tower—"
"BOOM!"
A thunderous blast shook the town to its core. Lorelei whipped her gaze to the window.
Through the floor-to-ceiling panes, she watched in disbelief as the symbol of the Clock Tower itself—the ancient belfry dating back to the fifteenth century—collapsed.
Smoke billowed upward as debris rained down, crushing weaker magi beneath the falling stones. The massive tower toppled sideways, smashing the Barthomeloi's own administrative wing into rubble.
A strike of vengeance. Brutal, simple, and utterly humiliating.
"Damn it! This is the man you've all indulged!" Lorelei shrieked, hysteria in her voice. "From this moment, any noble who votes to join us in assassinating Rhodes will be a friend of Barthomeloi for eternity!"
"..."
Her words were met with silence. The nobles watched the Clock Tower fall, their expressions detached, unconcerned.
After all, the tower belonged to the Department of Law, regarded by many as Barthomeloi's private dominion. Its destruction was a grievous blow to their prestige—but to the rest, it was a spectacle worth celebrating.
Who among them would move to help Barthomeloi clean up this mess?
In fact, which of them hadn't quietly lent a hand to Rhodes' strike, happy to see Barthomeloi humiliated?
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, on a highway outside Trifas, Romania—
The earlier RPG-7 blast had torn the once-smooth asphalt into a jagged mess. Even with the automaton maids' expert driving, the Infiniti could only crawl over the cratered surface.
Wealthy as he was, Rhodes didn't care about scratches on the paint. What he did care about was not being forced to trek to Trifas on foot because his car had broken down.
While the maids navigated the wrecked road, Rhodes and RyuZU stood roadside, surveying the carnage left by their battle.
"How pitiful. Compared to you, Master, they're no more than fireflies before the moon."
RyuZU let her skirt fall back into place, her two untouched scythes vanishing beneath its folds. Rhodes, for his part, only sighed.
"Tch. Just trash that happens to be good at fighting. Pile them together and all you've got is a bigger trash heap. Nothing more."
"A trash heap, hmm? A very fitting metaphor."
The raspy voice came from behind. Rhodes' expression hardened instantly. He crushed a gem on his belt, summoning a surge of power.
A colossal blue hand materialized behind him and lunged toward the source of the voice.
"Oh?" The intruder sounded almost impressed by his reflexes. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward and slammed his fist into the spectral hand.
"BOOM!"
The impact shattered the construct and sent Rhodes flying. But before he could hit the ground, RyuZU bent time itself, stumbling yet managing to catch him in her arms.
"Not bad. For a magus, you're near the top of the field. A shame you're still so young. Given time, you might have become a hero like us."
The speaker was a blond, middle-aged man. His face was weary, but the weight of his presence was terrifying.
"How interesting. Even Bigby's Interposing Hand couldn't stop you? Just what the hell are you supposed to be?"
Rhodes straightened with RyuZU's help, masking himself with calm.
"Heroic Spirit, or some pathetic little bat dug up from the dirt—it makes no difference to me."
"Oh? You're proud enough. But do you have the power to back it up?" the man said evenly, a note of admonition in his tone. "You're mortal. Offer your loyalty to a king. Kneel quietly and embrace the bliss of ignorance. Why fight it?"
"What a load of drivel from on high…" Rhodes chuckled, a savage gleam flickering in his eyes. "Tell me, nameless Heroic Spirit—did you really think you had me cornered?"
"What, you still have a card to play? Wait—that's—!"
The Heroic Spirit's face twisted in shock. Before him, Rhodes held up a black sphere, smirking with open mockery.
"Whether I have a chance to resist… that's not for you to judge. You're just a Heroic Spirit. Don't get cocky!"