"The First Vampire?" Ritsuka repeated softly.
Reflexively, the young man glanced at Zelretch who stood not far behind him.
Zelretch stroked his beard, looking at Shikama Doji with a very sharp appraising gaze.
"Hmm, I see. He is indeed quite strong, but his pure strength is still not comparable to Crimson Moon," the old man muttered comparing. "Even so... hierarchically, he is indeed on par with him. Both share the status as an ancestral creator entity or the origin of that race."
Shikama Doji looked stunned hearing that mutter. His gaze radiated disbelief.
"You... are not the First Progenitor of the vampire race in your world?" Shikama Doji asked. "With the level of power I feel from you right now... you are not even the strongest among your own race?"
Zelretch glanced back at him, then his laughter suddenly erupted.
"Hahaha! Me? The ancestor of vampires? Don't joke!" Zelretch exclaimed in amusement. "I am merely a victim of a deadly battle in the past. I never dreamed, let alone desired to become a blood-sucking creature like this. Basically, I am just an ordinary old man who wants to live peacefully while enjoying my hobbies in retirement."
Suddenly, Zelretch's laughter subsided. The red eyes of the Dead Apostle narrowed, staring at Shikama Doji.
"But, what makes me much more interested right now is the 'Fallen Angel' status you mentioned earlier," Zelretch probed, his tone of voice turning heavy. "So... you are some kind of Lucifer from your world, is that it? What great sin did you actually commit that you were exiled and fell into a blood-sucking demon? Could it be you also have the same arrogance as him, and dared to stage a direct rebellion against God in your world?"
Hearing the barrage of questions that accurately pierced his past, Shikama Doji's forehead furrowed faintly again.
However, with extraordinary emotional mastery, he hid his displeasure and once again carved a peaceful smile like an angel.
"Lucifer, huh... It seems other worlds also have stories and entities quite similar to my fate," Shikama Doji answered. "Has the story regarding the exile and fall of an angel become a very common tale in your universes?"
"Well, talking about rebellion or arrogance against God, the story of Lucifer in my universe is indeed more or less like that," Zelretch answered casually.
The old man then glanced at the group of ordinary humans who were now starting to walk closer towards them. "But, what about the stories in each of your worlds? Since your home worlds are outside my surveillance authority, I certainly cannot peek into their histories directly."
Balalaika snorted softly, exhaling a puff of cigarette smoke into the air.
"Sorry to say, I am not a devout religious believer," the former Soviet military captain answered with her trademark cynical tone. She then glanced at her temporary subordinate. "Maybe Revy knows much more about this matter. After all, she is the one who most often goes back and forth to the church in our city."
Hearing that, Valmet immediately smirked mockingly.
"Well, well... I never expected that a street whore like you is actually diligent in praying at church," Valmet mocked provocatively. "Could it be you often attend mass, confess your sins to the priest, and beg for blessings? The world you came from must be very ruined and dying, to the point that street trash like you has to bother seeking forgiveness."
"Shut your mouth, you walking lump of muscle, or I'll stuff that mouth of yours with hot lead right now!" Revy snapped explosively, veins of annoyance printed clearly on her forehead.
The wild woman then turned to look at Balalaika with a loud protest. "Come on, Sis! You know yourself what the 'church' in Roanapur is like, right?! The priests and nuns there are exactly like a money-grubbing assassin cult! I bet, the number of people they have slaughtered is far more than the number of stupid congregations who go there to worship! I go there purely for business and goods transactions, you know?!"
Hearing Revy's words, Koko's eyes instantly sparkled brightly.
"Hoo? You have connections to an assassin church that needs a weapon supply?" Koko said with her wide eccentric smile. "They sound like they will definitely be very interesting target customers for my business!"
"As a fellow business person, let me tell you one thing: you better not do it," Balalaika warned flatly, killing Koko's enthusiasm. "Selling weapons to them will only make those crazy nuns even more violent and troublesome."
Ignoring the silly argument, Balalaika then turned towards the two remaining men. "Then, what about the worlds of you two?"
Kagaya smiled gently, answering with extraordinary calmness.
"In my world, religion and Christian teachings do exist, even though their numbers do not dominate my country. Based on several ancient literatures and books I have read, the story regarding the 'Fallen Angel' is indeed exactly as Mr. Zelretch described earlier," he explained.
Kagaya then turned his body slightly, facing L. "What about your world, L?"
"In my world, the concept regarding that matter is also the same," L chimed in with a flat tone. "But... the name 'Shikama Doji' has never been recorded in any biblical literature at all, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament."
"Hmm, I see. Well, you can calm yourself down now, my Disciple. No need to be so tense," Zelretch interrupted casually, trying to break the ice. "He does look very strong, but for now he is not showing any signs of being a threat, right?"
Zelretch looked at Ritsuka who was still radiating a high level of vigilance. Even Artoria Alter—even though her body was still sitting obediently on her knees reflecting on her mistake in the corner—never took her murderous glare off Shikama Doji's figure.
Hearing his teacher's words, Ritsuka slowly let out a long sigh. He slightly relaxed his tense shoulder muscles, but his right hand remained tightly gripping the hilt of Excalibur Proto.
"Alright," Ritsuka muttered.
The young man looked straight back at the Fallen Angel. "But before I lower my weapon... what great sin did you actually commit that you were exiled and turned into something like this? It definitely wasn't an ordinary small sin. I can feel something very rotten, dark, and terrifying exuding from behind your aura."
Hearing that sharp interrogation, Shikama Doji's peaceful smile did not waver at all.
"Do I really have an obligation to answer such a private question?" Shikama Doji replied in a soft tone. "The 'light boy' who welcomed me earlier clearly stated that I do not need to explain my past if I do not wish to."
The exquisite creature spread one of his hands gracefully. "That boy even gave a guarantee... that everyone and every kind of existence will be accepted in this place, even if he is the cruelest demon."
L suddenly furrowed his eyebrows hearing that statement. His sharp, baggy black eyes immediately swept the room, looking at Koko and Balalaika along with their subordinates, then shifted back to look at Shikama Doji.
"Now... everything becomes very clear," L muttered softly, as if he had just solved a huge puzzle.
"What do you mean, L?" Kagaya, who stood not far from him and accidentally heard the mutter, asked.
L put both his hands into his pants pockets. His posture slouched again.
"What I mean is the creator of this Gathering—the 'light boy' figure who recruited us all—seems to have a completely neutral and indiscriminate nature," L explained. The detective then pointed towards Koko and Balalaika's group, then shifted towards Shikama Doji. "This system recruits anyone without moral discrimination. It does not matter whether they are heroes, villains from the underworld, or deadly ancient demon existences... to that 'boy', we all have the same value."
"Your words are very harsh, Kid," Balalaika hissed sharply. "If you dared to say something like that in my world, I can guarantee your body would be full of bullet holes right now."
"Hey, but his words are the truth, right? I am not denying it at all," Koko chuckled casually, shrugging her shoulders without the slightest guilt.
Balalaika snorted softly. Her eyes then swept around the room, looking at the people in the Gathering. Her gaze stopped for quite a long time on Ritsuka and Kagaya's figures.
"Maybe the two of us are indeed villains," Balalaika muttered. "But, it seems not everyone in this place is as rotten as us."
However, right after that sentence was spoken, a cheerful voice suddenly echoed from behind them.
"Ahahaha! No, no, you are completely wrong, Balalaika! All of you gathered in this Gathering have committed cruel acts in your respective lives!"
Suddenly, everyone in the room turned towards the source of the voice. There, they saw the 'Light Boy' hovering with a bright smile that looked very innocent yet unpleasant.
Seeing the mastermind of all this appear, L immediately stepped forward approaching him.
"Do you realize what you are actually doing?" L demanded without hesitation. "You didn't just create something that has the potential to be an unstoppable weapon, but you also intentionally gathered the most dangerous people from various worlds in one room."
The light boy fell silent for a moment. He tilted his head, then looked at L with an ever-widening smile.
"L, you don't need to act as if you are not a dangerous person too," the light boy replied cheerfully. "I know exactly what kind of cruel acts you have committed in your world, you know."
Hearing that, L's body instantly jerked stiffly. His gaze sharpened, his vigilance spiked drastically.
"Cruel acts? What has L actually done?" Kagaya asked with a worried tone.
The light boy turned to Kagaya and answered with a cheerful tone as if telling a children's fairy tale.
"He used a death row inmate as a guinea pig and live bait for his enemy! He intentionally sacrificed that inmate's life on live television broadcast, telling him to take the deadly role that he was supposed to bear himself!" the light boy revealed cheerfully.
"You... even know things to that extent," L muttered with a low and flat voice, not denying the accusation at all.
"Of course!" the boy smiled. "Basically, you are the type of person who justifies any means so that your plans can succeed, even if it means having to take other people's lives. You are a monster who absolutely hates losing."
An awkward silence enveloped the room.
"Wow," Koko whistled softly, looking at L with a smile of interest. "I really didn't expect a messy detective like you to have such an interesting dark side."
"L..." Kagaya muttered softly. Despite being surprised, the soothing-faced man looked at L with full empathy. "But... I am sure it wasn't purely for evil, right? You must have had a very strong and urgent reason to take such an extreme action."
"Yes, Kagaya is right," Ritsuka quickly chimed in. "There must be a logical reason behind that, right, L?"
L just remained in silence, letting the minds of the people in the room guess his reasons themselves.
After being satisfied exposing the detective's secret, the light boy entity now turned his body and looked towards Kagaya.
"And next is you, Kagaya," he called out with a bright smile.
Hearing her husband's name become the next target, Amane immediately stepped forward. The woman who usually always appeared calm instantly positioned herself right in front of Kagaya.
"Even though you have such a soothing voice and a very gentle nature, in reality... you have also done very cruel things, haven't you?" the light boy continued in a piercingly cheerful tone.
"No! Kagaya-sama has never done anything as low as—" Amane denied in a firm and loud tone.
However, her words were cut off instantly.
Kagaya slowly raised his hand and gently patted his wife's shoulder, giving a gentle signal for her to restrain herself and be quiet.
"It's alright, Amane," Kagaya said with a sad smile full of resignation. "I know exactly what he means. What he just said is indeed true... this is my sin."
Hearing that direct confession, Ritsuka's eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-What have you actually done, Kagaya?" Ritsuka asked haltingly.
"If you want to know, let me explain it to you!" the light boy replied with misplaced enthusiasm.
"Just for the sake of killing his clan's one immortal enemy, Kagaya was willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of 'children' in the Demon Slayer Corps! And he didn't just do this crazy thing alone. The leaders of the Ubuyashiki Clan from previous generations have always sacrificed their corps members."
The boy spread his arms. "No matter how many mountains of corpses pile up, they will continue to hunt the oni madly. Because of that bloody obsession, they basically deserve to be called 'Killers' much more than 'Protectors'."
A heavy silence immediately pressed down on the whole room.
Kagaya fell silent, his face looking deeply down. His aura radiated indescribable sadness and regret.
"I... will never deny your words," Kagaya muttered softly, his voice trembling holding back sorrow. "Every night, I always remember the faces and names of every one of my children that I have sacrificed... just for the sake of being able to kill that one single Demon."
Hearing such a heavy mass confession of sins, Revy clicked her tongue.
"Well, well. Your world turns out to be quite crazy too, huh. And not just your world, but your clan's obsession is also truly crazy, Mr. Gentle," Revy commented. "Hearing how many corpses you have piled up, now I'm confused... who actually deserves to be called a 'Demon' more in your world."
Hearing those words, Shikama Doji looked interested.
"Looking at your traditional clothing style, it seems you have a close connection to the ancient Japanese era in your world. Could it be..."
"Hahaha! What's wrong with that anyway?!"
Nobu's loud laughter suddenly erupted, interrupting Shikama Doji's words. The Demon King folded her arms across her chest and looked at Kagaya with a gaze full of acknowledgment.
"Sacrificing subordinates' lives for a much greater and grander achievement... that is the true essence of a leader!" Nobu praised with an arrogant smile. "You have very extraordinary leadership qualities, Kagaya! If you were under my banner, the Japan in my world would definitely be completely safe and in our grasp!"
Shikama Doji immediately turned to Nobu, his eyebrows furrowing in wonder. "What do you mean by 'my Japan'?"
However, before Nobu had the chance to explain her historical identity, the light boy entity once again took over the stage.
"And as for the rest of you..."
The boy swept his gaze with a chillingly innocent smile, staring straight at Revy, Balalaika, Valmet, Koko, and finally Shikama Doji. "All of you are already very aware of your sins, right? I don't think I need to bother elaborating on them again. Just by looking at your facial expressions and the looks in your eyes, it is already clear how many human lives you have taken."
Revy snorted roughly, looking away with an annoyed expression. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. I don't intend to act holier-than-thou here either, so no need to bother discussing it anymore."
Beside her, Valmet did not answer. The eyepatch-wearing woman just remained silent while tightly gripping her weapon, her hands trembling slightly holding back the turbulence of her dark past.
Koko remained silent, but her mysterious and eccentric smile didn't fade from her face at all, as if enjoying the madness.
Shikama Doji also just closed his eyes, maintaining his fake peaceful smile without being provoked in the slightest by the insinuation.
Meanwhile, Balalaika inhaled her cigarette deeply then exhaled a thick puff of smoke into the air, staring at the blue-stretching mirror ceiling.
"Well... I could already guess the nature of the people in this room just by taking a quick glance," she muttered with a cold tone. "Most likely, the pile of corpses around them is far more than the number of people they have ever known in their entire lives."
Balalaika's sharp eyes then shifted from her cigarette smoke, staring intently at Ritsuka's back who had been stiffly silent all this time.
"But... this kid," Balalaika probed with a highly suspicious tone. "What kind of nonsensical sin has he actually committed that he can be put on par with us in this place?"
Ritsuka jerked hard hearing himself suddenly called out and becoming their center of attention. His heart pounded fast.
The light boy slowly hovered closer. He looked at Ritsuka with a smile that widened until it almost touched his ears.
"Oh, Ritsuka? Hehehe... He has a very, very famous nickname, you know!" the light boy exclaimed with terrifying enthusiasm. "What was his epic title back then... Hmm..."