A faint smile touched the corner of Nephis's lips.
"You're talking about the Fallen Devil?" she asked calmly.
Sunny nodded.
"Yes. That bastard. You promised to help me kill him, remember?"
---
Alucard, meanwhile, was engaged in a far more important battle.
The battle between his teeth…
…and the burnt, tragic excuse for a steak on his plate.
He chewed.
And chewed.
And chewed.
"…Is this even edible?" he muttered under his breath, his jaw beginning to hurt.
Still, despite his suffering, he caught enough of the conversation to piece things together.
A Fallen Devil…?
He paused mid-chew.
Wait… don't tell me…
His eye widened slightly.
It can't be… right?
Without another thought, he tossed the ruined steak aside with mild disgust.
Before it even hit the ground—
A creature moved.
Beast lunged forward and devoured the steak in a single bite, leaving nothing behind.
Alucard didn't even react.
He was already lost in thought.
---
Nearby, Kai watched Sunny with a conflicted expression. He hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke:
"Sunny… are you really not going to join us?"
His voice softened.
"Don't you see? This might be our only chance to escape this place. Not to mention… all the lives we could save."
Sunny simply shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.
Unfortunately for him—
That only made it worse.
Alucard let out a quiet snicker.
Oh please, Lord Sunless, save us. We can't do it without you…
His internal mocking was merciless.
Of course, the only one who heard it—
Was Gluttony.
"Seriously," Gluttony's raspy voice echoed in his mind, "what's so special about this Sunless guy? From what I can tell, his Echo is the only useful thing about him."
Alucard smirked faintly.
Ahhh, you finally decided to wake up, huh?
Good timing. Sit back and enjoy the show.
Without even realizing it, Alucard had already assigned them roles.
Commentators.
---
"Maybe I'll join you," Sunny said lazily. "And maybe I won't. Who knows what will happen?"
He fell silent, then glanced sideways at Cassie.
Alucard tilted his head slightly.
…Why is he looking at Cassie?
"Why are you asking me?" Gluttony grumbled. "I just woke up. I don't know what's going on either."
Sunny continued:
"That's not the point, though. The point is that you should honor our deal first… and do whatever you want afterward."
Nephis studied him for a moment, something unreadable flickering in her eyes.
"Sure," she said simply. "No problem. A deal is a deal."
Sunny smiled, satisfied.
"Oh Gods, they're so obvious," Alucard thought.
Gluttony chuckled darkly.
For once, they were in complete agreement.
---
Nephis turned slightly.
"But, Sunny… how exactly are we supposed to kill a Fallen Devil?"
Sunny's smile widened.
"Oh! I'm glad you asked."
Then—
His expression darkened.
Leaning forward slightly, he spoke in a quieter, more serious tone.
"The Black Knight is… a living nightmare. He's as strong, as fast, and as durable as you'd expect a Fallen Devil to be. I've seen countless creatures fall to his blade—no matter their rank, class, or size."
His gaze sharpened.
"He's simply too powerful."
Alucard let out a low chuckle.
So it is that knight bastard…
Good.
Very good.
He'd been wanting revenge anyway.
Though—
If he was being honest—
The knight wasn't his main target.
That damned priest…
I'll deal with him later, Alucard thought, a cold glint appearing in his eye.
---
Effie giggled.
"You're not really selling this plan, Sunny. You know that, right?"
Sunny grinned slightly.
"That's not even the worst part."
His voice dropped.
"What truly makes him terrifying isn't just his strength… it's the darkness inside the cathedral."
The atmosphere shifted.
"That darkness obeys him," Sunny continued. "When he's wrapped in it, he becomes faster, quieter… invisible. His physical abilities are amplified even further."
He paused.
"He turns into an unstoppable engine of death."
Alucard internally debated whether he should tell Sunny to stop glazing the knight before he suffocated from doing tricks on it.
Thankfully—
He chose not to.
For once.
"What's more," Sunny added, "any damage dealt to him is instantly repaired as long as he remains inside that darkness."
A heavy silence fell.
"In there… he's basically immortal."
The cohort exchanged uneasy glances.
All except two.
Nephis—
And Alucard.
Neither of them seemed particularly concerned.
---
Sunny's expression shifted again, a faint smile returning.
"But that's where you come in, Neph."
He looked at her directly.
"Your light will erase that darkness. Your flames will strip him of his greatest advantage."
A pause.
"Without it… he's just a powerful abomination. Dangerous, yes—but not unstoppable. Maybe slightly stronger than a Fallen Demon of the same rank."
Caster stared at him, unimpressed.
"You say that as if a Fallen Demon is easy to fight."
Alucard casually raised a hand.
"It's not that hard," he said with a grin. "I killed a Fallen Terror once."
…
A collective sigh echoed across the group.
They had all heard that story.
Multiple times.
Some of them were on their fifth retelling.
Sunny ignored him completely.
---
"The real problem isn't just his strength," Sunny continued. "Even with the Dawn Shard, we won't be able to damage him easily."
He frowned.
"Not because his flesh is tough—but because he's completely covered in armor."
A pause.
"I'm not even sure there's any flesh under it at all."
He narrowed his eyes.
"There's only one apparent weak point—the visor."
Kai shifted slightly.
"So… the only weak point is the visor?" he asked. "That sounds… difficult. On a stationary target, maybe. But against something like that… I can't guarantee I'll hit it."
The others nodded.
Everyone—
Except Alucard.
He simply gave Sunny a confident thumbs-up.
"If Kai can't do it, I will," he said casually. "How hard could it be?"
Sunny patted his shoulder, shaking his head.
"Thanks, but we won't need that."
He leaned forward slightly.
"The visor… is a trap."
Silence.
"It looks like a weakness," Sunny said quietly. "But it's not."
His expression darkened.
"The real weakness of the Black Knight…"
A pause.
"…is his sword."
Effie blinked.
"…What?"
She frowned.
"And how exactly are we supposed to break a weapon wielded by a Fallen Devil?"
Sunny smiled.
"Oh, you don't have to."
His gaze sharpened.
"In fact… I insist that you don't."
The tone of his voice shifted.
"You're there to help me—but no one kills that bastard except me. Understood?"
The air grew tense.
"Your job is to hold him off," Sunny continued. "Leave the sword to me."
Effie crossed her arms.
"That's still not an answer. If none of us can break it… how are you going to?"
Sunny stared at her for a moment.
Then shrugged.
"I'm not."
A grin spread across his face.
"Do I look like someone who can destroy a weapon like that?"
He shook his head.
"No. I can't."
Then—
His smile turned darker.
"…But the Stone Saint?"
A pause.
"I'm willing to bet that she can."
---
Inside Alucard's mind—
"YESSS! MY WIFE CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN MY SAINTY—!"
"SHUT UP STOP YELLING!" Alucard suddenly shouted aloud, clutching his head in pain.
The entire cohort froze.
All eyes turned toward him.
"…What?" Sunny asked slowly. "Who was yelling?"
Alucard blinked.
Then straightened slightly, clearing his throat.
"…No one," he said flatly. "Just… voices in my head."
A pause.
"…Don't worry about it."
Gluttony, meanwhile, continued laughing hysterically in the back of his mind.