"Don't worry, 'We' aren't going to harm-"

"Arthur, RUN!!! They're here to harm us!" The young man had no mind to listen to the priest. He was about to run! I mean, who would believe the forces of evil when they say something like that?

In fact, it sounded more ominous NOT 'to cause any harm'... What was this villain planning to do?

Alex wanted to escape, but his friend had instead taken a different approach: He stood his ground.

"Take me to your leader!" Unexpectedly, Arthur didn't take his pleas into account. Rather, he angrily spoke a single demand. The lad behind him couldn't believe his burly friend had spoken!

What made him think this Cultist would do that?

His mouth-gaping appearance on the verge of dislocating his own lower jaw was like this: (°□°)

Then he quickly recovered and whispered to him:

"Bro, they are not aliens!" Alex quipped sarcastically at the side (Though I guess only he himself knew this old pop culture reference). If meeting their leader was so easy, they would have been able to find the true 'Final Boss' years ago.

What possibly made him think the man will agree?

'I got to make a distraction...' The scholarly young man threw the Dark Rune on his Arcane Fingers.

He planned to throw most of his personal assets around to cause the crowd to fight each other over what he threw. There were a lot of rare materials from all over the world among his vast riches...

However, he was only halfway through his action before the world seemed to slow down. Whether it was the birds in the sky or the people surrounding them on the ground, everything became still.

A grey hue covered the entire world as he knew it.

The only ones who seemed to be able to move in this frozen world were: The gentlemanly priest still giving him a look of superiority, the incoming new arrival, and himself. Arthur was the only exclusion.

The extremely abnormal and sudden change in circumstances caught him completely off-guard.

It was as if the sea of time suddenly stilled all its rippling waves. Alex was ready to fight any time.

There was a distinct glow on his palms...

"'We' already knew it wouldn't be easy to subdue this reckless Warrior over there and you, a Magic Prodigy with a Unique Class, without causing a commotion high enough attract attention.

So it's only natural 'We' requested assistance from someone who could help us complete this task with little effort." These words of the Cultist standing there allowed him to regain his bearings.

The young man started to understand what was currently happening to them. His head turned to see a unfamiliar man in luxurious attire, who walked towards him from the crowd frozen in time.

"I am-"

"You don't need to introduce yourself, since I already know... Crown Prince, Drake Lancelot." Alex once again cut the other party off. He wasn't very polite considering Arthur's current condition.

Although the lack of grey hue on his friend's body signified he was of the same 'Time Flow' as the rest of them, that didn't change how his Bro was still unable to move a muscle in this frozen world.

The only thing he could do was listen to them talk...

'The Royal Kinetic Force Formula, huh?' A runic glow appeared in Alex's eyes, and he stood close to him. This was in case they took advantage of the opportunity to attack him in his powerless state.

"Don't you have a conscience? Why is s big-shot like you helping a great evil like the Radiant Sword Mirror Cult?" Alex asked coldly. He knew the two of them had no choice but to keep on talking in this unfavourable situation until he figured out a plan.

"Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not here to capture you two like this man suggests. The only thing I wanted to do was to make sure you both wouldn't be harmed by them." Surprisingly, the luxurious young man didn't retort and instead apologised to them. This caused the scholarly youth to raise a brow at the Cultist next to him.

The way he talked was filled with formalities...

"His Highness speaks the truth. Though that is to be expected..." The Cultist nodded his head.

"Yeah~ Your words hold so much weight~! How could I not believe you~?" Alex laughed at them sarcastically. He really felt felt like they thought of him as some kind of brain-damaged buffoon.

"Priest whatever-your-name-is, it's hard to believe the words of someone who had tried killing us once. You recognised us from the beginning, but still decided to keep up the act of being harmless."

"What would allow you to show some semblance of trust in 'Our' words?" The smiling gentlemen spoke as if he was not one, but many people despite being the only person speaking to them.

The lads recognised this way of taking quite well...

"Does 'he' know of your origins and powers?" Alex replied with a question while pointing at the Crown Prince. He didn't bother asking them to release Arthur, since he knew they wouldn't do so. It's not like his friend was much of a negotiator anyway...

"His Highness, in fact, doesn't."

"Then explain to us about your history and that strange power your Cult shares out to members who join your ranks." Alex asked curiously while thinking of his next plan of action to escape their grasp. His curiosity also got the better of him.

That journey they had in the past was filled with too many mysteries... Even now, he didn't have that much of a grasp on the Mirror Cult's limits. He'd decided to use this opportunity to get answers.

He wanted to know why someone of such a high status like the Crown Prince would be tempted by a mere Cult Leader to betray his morals. He didn't believe any of the junk the Cultist spoke about while handing out leaflets for one second.

It was only right to believe the 'religion' being advertised on the streets... was merely a way for the Radiant Sword Mirror Cult to brainwash people into becoming the same kind of criminals.

He had never forgotten his prejudice towards these psychotic, cunning, and unpredictable 'crazies'.

They deserved his ire...

"That had been 'Our' intention from the beginning anyway. 'We' have decided to become very open about our powers after being reformed. All 'We' want to do is bring peace and prosperity to Gaia.

However, 'We' can only share the secrets of 'Our' origins with those of status who have joined 'Our' cause, like the Crown Prince. 'We' believe knowing about 'Our' weaknesses should be enough to show the lengths 'We' will take to be trusted.

'We' hope that you and 'Our' Religion could sort our differences in a peaceful; civilised manner." It was quite ironic. He couldn't feel any wickedness or hidden intentions from the suspicious priest...

The subordinate of the 'great evil' he once tried to defeat in the past... was the one trying to use a Shounen main character's most useless superpower of 'talking things out' with him.

That too someone who resembled the 'Fake Leader' he beat years ago with Arthur's support.

The one ending his journey to save the world...!

"Speak." Alex ignored the prince next to him and asked coldly. He was a little restless since it really would be considered the Radiant Sword Mirror Cult going all out. At least, that's IF they were willing to reveal their secretive abilities to settle a grudge.

He couldn't help but start to believe the gentlemanly priest's words due to the sincerity that was being shown towards him. His prejudice started to die down along with his groundless bias.

"You know the legend of the Seven Sins, right?"

"Of course." Who didn't? It was practically a legend that spoke of Heroes fighting again seven Demons.

Well, that would be the most conventional version of the tale spread out by the Luminous Church...

In truth, he had done his research and found that the so-called 'Holy Attribute' and the Heroes praised by suspicious Holy Priests weren't all as overwhelmingly powerful as the Church claimed.

The 'Evil Attribute' and Holy Attribute of this world were equal in strength, so how did five Heroes beat a total of seven Demons? There was definitely something hidden behind that 'virtuous' facade...

Although he knew there was something fishy about the legends told by the Church, he really wasn't in a position to judge them after his own Hero's Journey to defeat the one leading the Cultist before him. On top of that, his Mentor was part of the Luminous Church. How could he dare to question the religion his fatherly figure believed in?

"Then this will be easier to explain." The man opened his palms and released a demonic power that seemed to be filled with malice. It was a pitch black energy that could poison everything upon contact. Truly deserving of being called 'Evil'.

"Holy Magic and Evil Magic two states: One being the 'Original State', while the other being the 'Sinful State'. The Original State of Evil Magic is what you see before you. Contaminating and tainted power.

It is poisonous without any form of righteous aspects to speak of... unlike Holy Magic's Original State, that can only be used to heal wounds or cure illnesses." The Cult Priest spoke exposition as an explanation to the three people before him.

Arthur's eyes showed a deadly glare despite not having moved from the way he was previously.

The Crown Prince not far from Alex gasped.

It was as if he'd just came to realise the people he worked with had such a vile power. Though it was normal considering how no one of the Cult usually showed off how vile their powers can be at times.

Alex shook his head with a sigh. He wondered if the successor of Lancia Kingdom was an idiot or just too ignorant. How could he not know that a evil cult would use magic as wicked and vile as this...?

As expected, his perception of the Cult was not wrong. Their appearance fit what's on the inside.

It was natural that a Religion that spread Evil Magic to all its members would in turn be 'Evil' as well.

As he was thinking, he noticed a change occurring in the demonic energy in the man's hand.

A bright yellow light illuminated it until the inherent vileness within the toxic energy was no more...

"This is the Sinful State used by members of 'Our' Cult after we 'reformed' the demonic energy within it. It is called the Sinful State of Original Sin, named by the leader of our Religion as 'Vanity'." The man finished while dispersing the energy on his palm.

Both Alex and the Crown Prince was confused at the incomplete explanation they were given and looked at the Cultist suspiciously. He gave a look that told them not to be impatient and continued to talk while controlling the conversation's pace:

"In the past there existed Seven Sins, a total of seven immortal Demons that represented the sins lurking within the heart of all life on Gaia. The Luminous Religion may claim they defeated the Demons of the past by raising exceptionally talented Heroes that fought and overwhelmed them, but in truth the real reason for their downfall was their lack of interest in harming humankind.

They are not bloodthirsty fiends that seek conflict and the misery of others, but miserable creatures themselves who are forced to have great powers they never wanted to receive in their lifetimes...

'Our' power originated from the Pride Demon and has been refined to the point that it no longer contained any of the mind-corrupting power it had in the past. This was the purity of prideful Vanity.

The 'Collective Radiance' that 'We' share among our new members allows 'Us' to share Spell Slots.

Even 'Our' own thoughts pass to each other without having to worry about any influences like brainwashing or hypnotism. It also make us free from the worst forms of co-dependant habits.

Other than that, we solely rely on 'Ourselves' whenever we come across a problem. 'We' are united in our stand to bring coexistence between Beasts, Humans, Mermen and all others children of Gaia. 'We' are the legion of the Mirror Religion.

The foundation of the 'Our' Religion is not uncontrollable vileness, but 'Reformed Evil'.

It is in 'Our' teachings that even the worst of individuals can become good people with the right guidance and help from others." The last sentence spoke by the gentlemanly priest seemed to come straight from his heart, which shook Alex deeply.

If he was unwilling to believe they had changed before, then the words spoken by the Cultist only served to confuse him if they were as evil as he thought... He was too invested in the explanation.

Reformed Evil...? Alex had never heard of a 'great evil' reforming itself. It sounded like a joke to him...

The Final Boss was saying it's a pacifist now? After all the misery it put them through, did they have the right to suddenly 'reform'? He couldn't believe them. The META of tropes says that this must be a trap to ease them into a false sense of security...!

"In other words, you were serious while handing out those leaflets? You don't want to kill people?"

"Correct, 'We' are good people now." Like a reformed criminal, the Priest spoke sincerely.

"And you... You want to help them because they are 'good'? You also want coexistence between races?" He asked the Crown Prince while rudely pointing at the Cult Priest. A glare was in his eyes.

"It is the reason I decided to help them. I am unable to stand the 'Purist' ideals of the Luminous Church that considers Beasts to be evil... Their teachings of ostracising all Mystic Races disgusts me." The Crown Prince spoke with a tone of righteous anger.

"Impossible." Unexpectedly, it was none other than Alex himself, who despite having rigid morals that still persisted in his current life, didn't agree with them. This threw the other two for a loop.

"...What?" Both the Crown Prince and the Cultist spoke in disbelief to that one word he spoke.

The man with the highest status as royalty widely opened his mouth, looking a bit like this: (?Д?)ノ

It was the first time he had been rejected outright.

"Beasts are complicated in nature.

There are the intelligent ones with a Human Form and there are the unintelligent ones who can ALSO have a Human Form. This only means that there is no way to realistically be at peace with them.

They are now part of society as a whole, and their place is fixed. There's no changing that fact.

The tasty chickens I cook are Animalistic Beasts, even if they don't have human intelligence or a Humans Form. I'm sure there are even some in there that may have had human-like intelligence...

So I have to ask... How are you planning to make these big dreams of yours a reality?

This is why I call you all crazy... Be rational for a minute." Some things sounded nice on paper, but were stupid to do in real life. The structure of this magic world didn't allow 'peace between all races'.

It was hypocritical to go into a butcher store and feel sorry for chickens, even though you had already once cooked them in your meals without thinking earlier. These thoughts helped no one.

So what's the point in that thought process?

"While you have a point, 'We' are quite flexible in 'Our' custom and won't fall into such a simple pitfall in 'Our' belief system. What is more important is the coexistence of intelligent species.

Anything else can come after that." Surprisingly enough, the Cultist wasn't the type to instantly get angry at his 'heretic beliefs' and try to force him into a 'illogical' Religion. He gave some respect...

But that didn't make his pursuit any less dumb...

They were trying to battle 'Authorial Intent'...

Alex wanted to fight with words a little more, but decided against it after realising that doing so would be useless. There was no point arguing about a Cultist's religious beliefs anyway.

It's not like persuasion worked at this stage.

"As long as you're not threatening people in my presence, then everything is all well and good.

The reason I went against your Cult before was because it was an immediate threat to everyone on Gaia. If you all really have 'reformed', then just stay away from me. You can at least do that, can't you?

That will be the condition for our truce." The scholarly young man spoke arrogantly despite dripping with cold sweat not too long ago. He was ready to use his ultimate self-created technique.

The young man may not be an invincible existence on Gaia, but he was annoying to fight due to his mysterious and tricky Arcane Skills. There was also his sense of justice cultivated in his last journey.

As Alex was a master of Arts, Magic Skills, Rune Tech, and much more crazy inventions and skills...

Drake had a fair amount of animosity towards him.

With the teachings of his good Mentor, Alex went from a inflexible youth who wanted to do good, but was too scared to risk himself for others, to a realistic wannabe hero that didn't fight with only emotions. He was much more rational than that.

Although there was no way he'd forget what the Cult had done to them, he was willing to forgive them for a greater purpose. This was the kind of 'Political Nobility' etched into his heart years ago...

It also helped that he didn't have to recklessly fight them as a 'Wannabe Hero' anymore. Alex was too tired to go back into 'adventuring' again. He'd rather live a peaceful life now with his good friend.

Only the brawny youth behind him would do that.

"'We' agree on this condition. 'We' hope you and your friend won't antagonise our great Leader by destroying our Sanctuaries again. Your magical abilities are extremely frustrating to deal with.

Even with that illness of yours stopping you from manifesting your innate Spirit Essence or form Spell Slots, it would not be in 'Our' best interests to have conflicts with you. 'We' will be leaving now.

Your Highness, 'We' will fulfil 'Our' promise and explain our origins at your castle." And with that out of the way, the gentlemanly man turned and left. The luxurious young man disappeared into thin air like a ghost, and time started moving again.

Arthur finally let out a gasp as he found not being able to move a single inch for such a long time to have been suffocating to say the least... He never felt so powerless before after gaining great power.

He looked at the location Drake Lancelot once stood and felt that, despite his hard efforts into becoming strong, he was still as powerless as ever after growing up. There was no way around it.

However, something else drew his concern more than the strength of the Crown Prince, and that was the last words the Cultist spoke. The youth got up to look at his friend with sharp eyes and asked:

"What illness?" Alex felt a headache coming on as an old secret of his was finally been revealed.

He'd rather not talk about the past...