How is this possible?

Standing between me and the white ghost was another ghost that was not supposed to be here.

That’s right, he shouldn’t be here. I made thorough preparations for today and he, included in the calculation, wasn’t supposed to be here.

There was a clear reason why, upon receiving the church's summon, I left the Barrista unattended; given the importance of the Barrista's family to the Kingdom and the Aristocracy, I was confident that the Aristocracy, or at the very least the woman leading it, Mathida Douglas, would not allow harm to come to them, since that family served as a form of leverage used by the Douglas family on the kingdom.

To harm the Barista would be to give up the leverage that had secured her family's remaining influence in the kingdom. Which, of course, wouldn't be much of a concern for me if they did, for if they did, I was about to take full advantage of the opportunity to wipe out her rats left across the Kingdom. That is exactly what occurred. The Barista manor was attacked a few weeks ago while I was away by none other than the White Ghost and the Brotherhood, who had been hounding me for so long and who, through that display two years ago, demonstrated allegiance to the Aristocracy.

I knew the Brotherhood well, understood how the Aristocracy works and what they were after, and after analyzing the clues I gathered from the entire attack on the Barista manor, I could tell the attack wasn't a planned Aristocratic attack but a vindictive vendetta perpetrated proactively by Schlain and the Brotherhood for their lost comrades.

Though some other details of that attack escaped me, I was full intent on taking advantage of that opportunity to go on a proactive wiping of the Douglas’rats in the kingdom, but just as I was about to take action, I received a call from one of my fellow fourteen, who presented me with a plan.

The death of the Baristas, who served an axing role on behalf of the aristocracy, for the Douglas in the Kingdom, suggested that the aristocracy, having lost its only leverage, would undoubtedly try to find something—no, someone else—to replace the former.

It was on that assumption that the whole plan that was proposed to me was structured.

With thorough consideration of the current series of events unfolding, more precisely the one regarding the return of the ‘Faceless One’ and his vindictive action against my fellow Archbishop Karen Caelus, many reactive moves were made by my fellow fourteen. One of which came, for the plan we came up with, across as of great importance.

We were certain that by leaking the whereabouts of someone of sufficient importance to both the kingdom and one of my fellow fourteen, the Aristocracy would fall for the bait, and if they did, it was safe to assume that the Aristocracy would send some people to intercept that person, and if someone was to come for this expedition, it would be "him."

Though I knew I was risking a lot and literally betting the life of someone related to the Royal Family and one of my fellow Archbishops with this plan, considering the chance to finally settle things with the White Ghost, I accepted the proposition, which for the one who came up with it, asked for only one concession, which was to not harm and capture the little teleporter that would undoubtedly tag along.

Proceeding with that plan, everything proceeded as he planned. He and the teleporter boy, as expected, fell for the bait, which allowed me to have revenge for my family, but just as I was about to finally fulfill the oath I swore upon, he appeared.

He shouldn’t be here. Yet there he was, wearing an elegant tuxedo, as though he wasn’t in the middle of some wasteland battlefield.

He really shouldn't be here, for this place was chosen considering the path he was taking in his vindictive quest against us Fourteen. From our prediction, his next target would undoubtedly be the Archbishop Altair in the kingdom capital. This place was the last place he was expected to be seen, which is why the one, who served our plan as a bait for the aristocracy, was sent here.

"It has been a long time, Archbishop Sunnivah. I hope you, with all of this, haven’t forgotten about ‘me’."

He hadn’t yet removed his mask, but I guessed and found myself mumbling the appellation he went by, "Faceless … One."

"Indeed," he said as took off his mask, unveiling beneath a youthful and conspicuous face.

At that moment, I felt something throbbing in my chest, something that was screaming at me to run away, which I was only able to suppress by being reminded of that unaccomplished oath I had left to fulfill.

Peering over the boy's shoulder, I saw him.

So close, yet between us stood what I knew was an insurmountable mountain. Yet, clenching my fist, I attempted something. It had to be done and it will be done. Raising my hand, I aimed at the White Ghost, but before I could do anything about it, the Faceless One acted.

"That’s a villain thing to raise on someone."

I instinctively leapt back a few steps, but upon landing, from an indescribable pain, my mind went blank for a couple seconds, and while glancing at my right arm, I noticed it.

Ripped from me, from the shoulder, my entire right arm was missing, with blood gushing profusely out of it.

"Gaaah-!"

From the surge of pain, I fell on my knee, hugging my bleeding wound.

"That was low, very low," the Faceless One declared, waving around my severed arm, "even for a fourteen," before clenching it in his hand grasp, rendering the thing into inexistence.

It was hopeless, utterly hopeless.

I started to look around desperately, but then I noticed-

"Oh, what might you be looking around for, Archbishop?" The faceless One asked, noticing what I was up to.

I came into realization, and as I did, I raised my eyes and met the red of his.

"Could it be that you are looking for your precious little armored comrades?" From his left clenched fist, he left, falling to the ground, gravel-like objects, which I immediately recognized as the material our armor was made of.

That’s it, I realized that it had to be it.

This confrontation was something that I had been preparing for years for. Aside from my anti-dark lightning armor, I had posted before the start of the battle my loyal and most powerful men of the battle, so that they were ready, in case I were to lose the fight, to put Schlain down. The battle was between Schlain and I, but I had simply, whatever the outcome of the battle, the intention of letting him leave this place alive.

They were to remain lurking until the battle's outcome had been decided. For them, in this current situation, to not have come out yet, it came across as obvious that they were disposed of. This meant that I, Durant Sullivah, was utterly alone against this monstrosity.

From where I was, I saw Schlain, behind the boy, still laying against his tree, looking at the boy in front of him with an expression that immediately gave away that he wasn’t expecting this boy's interference. Yet, remembering the connection between the boy and the woman figuratively leading the aristocracy, I realized that if he were here, if the two of them had made contact, it must have been under the Aristocracy order.

I threw a glance at the white ghost once again, before trying to stand up, ending up once again on my feet. I had no mana left to spare. The little I had left after the battle to finish the white ghost was wasted by the faceless One interference.

I refused to allow this bastard to leave this place alive. Not again, not unpunished. I couldn’t die yet, I had to do it, for them.

"I was sent here to make sure that things were going to unfold the way they were meant to, and they had and I had,"

This time, the boy’s words almost thoroughly confirmed to me that the Faceless One was sent here to protect Schlain the same way my men were to only act after my confrontation with the White Ghost and I ended.

"-but I have seen enough. So I suggest we put it to an end here. "

The Faceless one retrieved something from his back before tossing it onto me.

"Huh."

What landed in front of me was something I immediately recognized, for it was something I was very familiar with as a clergyman.

It was a black dagger with a hilt shaped like a tree trunk, ‘Faty’ one of the clergy ceremonial dual daggers.

He said, making steps toward me, "I give you the opportunity to make your own choice. Take this blade and kill yourself, or else I’ll do it myself. "

The Faceless One looked down at me and spoke these words as though he had presented me with a magnanimously generous offer, while it was in fact, more of a ‘Take it or I'll give it to you’ case than anything else.

There was no other option; both options led to death.

Looking up to meet his eyes, I saw the boy reaching just straight up in front of me. I took the initiative to reach for the blade, for I knew what would await me if I didn’t.

While reaching onto it, I came to notice how trembling I was.

Death.

Death, something I was not afraid of, but here at the edge of it, I realized there was an aspect of death that I was afraid of.

I, once again, peered toward the White Ghost, whose expression was as confused as ever. He, noticing my gaze, looked at me with something I could tell was pity.

Seeing that sight, that look in his eyes while looking at me, rotted my heart more than it already was. I was so close, I had finally won.

This can't end like this—no, it can't—not after all of this! That is something I cannot accept. Not after what I've been through to come to this very day.

I cannot face them, not like this.

Dying honorably, from his hand, from my own, it didn’t matter how, I had to kill this bastard myself.

I will kill him myself, even if for that I have to li-