Hearing the languid words of Pride, both Jealousy and Enigma felt a chill run down their spines, an inexplicable fear rising within them.
It was the primal terror of standing naked before a massive predator, the instinctive dread of a life under threat.
Faced with such menace, Jealousy remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Enigma quickly gathered her wits, her expression gradually relaxing as she spoke:
"From the current situation, that does appear to be the case."
Enigma first acknowledged the present circumstances, admitting the failure of their plan, then swiftly raised the question:
"Who knows where the SDS obtained their intelligence? They managed to round up all the demons lurking in Akihabara in one sweep."
"Thanks to that, not just ours, but demons planted by Truth Astronomy, the Fire Worshipers, and even other independent factions in Akihabara have been uncovered and secretly detained."
"Rumour has it, it was the newly appointed Director of the Hidden Management Department who personally handled it."
At these words, Pride slightly turned his gaze towards her, eyes brimming with amusement:
"So Lady Greed is suggesting this was an accident?"
A smile played on Enigma's lips as she replied, "It could be... or it could not be."
"Whether this was an accident or not can only be decided by the will of the Grand Dukes, no? Mr. Pride."
Pride didn't respond, merely giving Enigma a slightly surprised look, as if he hadn't expected her to pass the buck to the Grand Dukes.
Just then, Lust, who had spoken very little until now, piped up in an innocent tone:
"Eh? In that case, wouldn't that mean we're preparing to go to war with the SDS?"
Her words instantly plunged the room into silence.
Both Jealousy and Enigma regarded Lust with deeply ambiguous looks, as if trying to discern whether she was being genuine or not.
After all, if even one Demigod within the Sin Council decided to wage war on the SDS, any Demigods within the SDS would inevitably retaliate.
An all-out Demigod battle?
If war truly broke out, Lust might fare well enough, and the unfathomable Pride could likely emerge unscathed—but Enigma and Jealousy would be in dire straits.
Among the four Sin Council members present, those two were the weakest.
As tension gripped Enigma and Lust, Pride suddenly let out a soft chuckle:
"To initiate a Demigod war, approval from at least three Committee members is required."
"Reaching a consensus won't happen overnight."
"Besides..."
Here, Pride cast a teasing glance at Greed and Jealousy before adding lightly:
"The SDS isn't an organisation that can be easily wiped out."
"According to intelligence from the late Mr. Gluttony, the SDS has at least four Demigod Rank combatants within its ranks."
"Considering the difficulty of killing a single Demigod, following the one-to-three principle, we'd need approval from at least twelve Committee members to have a decent chance of declaring war on the SDS."
At this, Pride smirked mockingly:
"Heh. Reconciling the objections of twelve Committee members—now that's a thankless task."
Hearing this, Enigma's heart lurched as she struggled to suppress her agitated emotions.
She wasn't sure what Pride was probing for, but judging from his words, did the SDS actually possess four Demigod Rank combatants? Not just the single one from the rumours?
Moreover, according to Pride's implications, there were actually more than twelve Committee members overseeing the Sin Council?
Twelve Demigods?
Was this true or false?
With such formidable strength, why was the Hell Sect only active in the Americas, the Middle East, and the Far East, remaining relatively obscure?
Did this mean that major Eastern powers and Europe also had forces capable of rivalling the Hell Sect?
Was Pride deliberately leaking information, or was he bluffing?
The more Enigma thought about it, the calmer she became, and the calmer she became, the more cautious she was about making mistakes.
Setting aside whether the twelve Committee members were a deception, just considering that Hao Asakura was merely a newly promoted Baron while Lust was a living Demigod, the depths behind the Hell Sect were likely unfathomable.
In that case, the mission she had been assigned would have to be completed flawlessly—at the very least, without errors.
Just as Enigma was thinking this, Jealousy, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke:
"The first ritual site to encounter trouble seems to have been the Tokyo Cat Maid Café in Akihabara, and that wasn't under my jurisdiction."
'This bitch...' Enigma cursed inwardly.
If it wasn't Jealousy's responsibility, wasn't that implying the mistake was hers?
Was she being set up to take the fall alone?
Not good!!
Enigma abruptly looked up, meeting the gaze of Pride's monochrome, line-drawn face. Faintly, she thought she saw a hint of a smile on Pride's features...
A chill ran down her spine...
After a moment of silence, Enigma finally made her choice:
"It seems I may have been targeted by Director Luo of the Hidden Management Department."
She didn't outright admit fault, only suggesting she might have been under surveillance, which was indeed one of her suspicions, though she was only voicing it now, with a few added details.
"During this operation, I happened to encounter Director Luo near one of our covert bases in Japan."
Upon hearing this, Lust's surprised voice chimed in:
"I recall Lady Greed had just completed her mission in Europe before heading to Japan, right?"
"Was she caught immediately upon arrival?"
Enigma was momentarily taken aback by this.
Was Lust deliberately playing along, or was she genuinely that naive?
Regardless, Enigma's goal was achieved. The corner of her lips curled as she remarked playfully:
"It seems there's been a slight... issue within the sect."
She had encountered Luo Shu immediately upon arriving in Japan, and shortly after, the Flame Demon summoning ritual was disrupted by him. From this, deducing that someone within the Hell Sect had leaked Enigma's whereabouts wasn't difficult.
This way, Enigma's responsibility would be far lighter than if she were accused of negligence or leaking plans.
At least her life should be safe...
Though she thought this, a lingering unease remained.
Because she had recently been divined by a Demigod Rank diviner. If that was Luo Shu's intention, if it was done by SDS personnel... then her identity was indeed at high risk of exposure.
Thinking this, Enigma hesitated for a moment before asking respectfully:
"Lord Pride, Lady Lust, if I wanted to issue an assassination mission targeting Luo Shu, would either of you be willing to take it on?"