Chapter 624 - 624: The Seven Deadly Sins

"Aww, what a gentleman!"

Inside the dimensional rift, the three gods occupying the VIP observation area had been thoroughly enjoying the unfolding drama. When they saw Laxus cover the defeated Luso with his coat before leaving, all three couldn't help expressing their admiration.

Falutbeth nodded enthusiastically and pointed toward Laxus's departing figure.

"See? That's exactly the kind of divine inheritor I want! Yuluye, don't you dare try to steal him from me!"

Yuluye chuckled. He, too, was watching Laxus with considerable appreciation.

"Being able to wield the Seven Sin Rings with that degree of control is quite remarkable for a human."

"Now that he's matured, that guy barely has any weaknesses left."

Even Ankh couldn't help marveling at how absurdly powerful Laxus had become. It was almost as though the man had spent his entire life collecting advantages that ordinary mages could only dream of possessing.

Then Ankh turned toward Yuluye with a curious expression.

"Speaking of which, those rings of yours are pretty impressive. Laxus has one of the strongest wills I've ever encountered, yet your divine artifacts still managed to affect him."

Yuluye shook his head helplessly.

"Don't underestimate me too much. I may not be as powerful as you, but I'm still a god."

Falutbeth nodded and took over the explanation.

"The Seven Sin Rings were created when Yuluye used his Sin Divine Power to define and embody seven fundamental sins of humanity. Each ring represents a different sin and contains a portion of his divine authority."

She gestured toward the images below.

"Whoever wears one gains a corresponding supernatural ability, but they also become burdened by the sin associated with that ring."

Yuluye recalled the process of creating them and began listing their properties.

"The Sheep Ring represents Lust, the Pig Ring represents Gluttony, the Fox Ring represents Greed, and the Bear Ring represents Sloth. The remaining three are the Dragon Ring of Wrath, the Serpent Ring of Envy, and the Lion Ring of Pride."

"Seven rings, seven sins, and seven entirely different abilities."

Ankh looked down at the galaxy beneath his feet, mentally sorting through the rings that had already been discovered.

"Gluttony lets the wearer devour other people's power, while Wrath amplifies their strength through anger. Laxus has both of those now."

He continued counting.

"Dimaria has Lust, Sloth, and Envy. The Fox Ring of Greed belongs to that woman from the alchemist guild."

Ankh paused.

"So that means the only one nobody's found yet is the Lion Ring of Pride?"

Yuluye shook his head.

"Actually, that ring has already been claimed."

He raised one hand and shifted the flowing galaxy, bringing another scene into focus.

"Pride carries the gravest sin of all seven. And the person who obtained it…"

Ankh looked down.

Then his brows drew together.

"Well, isn't that a coincidence…"

...

On the seventeenth floor of the dungeon, Jellal stood atop the enormous corpse of a griffin.

The creature had clearly been a formidable opponent, but it now lay motionless beneath his feet. Jellal paid little attention to the defeated monster as he carefully examined the ring resting in his palm.

A majestic lion had been engraved into its surface.

The carving was remarkably lifelike, but the dark violet sheen and strangely colored patterns surrounding it gave the animal an unsettling appearance.

"Jellal, have you figured anything out?"

Ultear approached, noticing how long he had been staring at the Divine Ring.

Sawyer leaned closer as well, looking rather skeptical.

"They said every ring has some incredible divine ability, right? Is that really true?"

He studied the object.

"Apart from looking a little creepy, I can't sense anything particularly special about it."

Jellal shook his head.

Then determination entered his eyes.

"There's one way to find out. We can test it."

Before he could do anything, however, Erik suddenly turned his head.

His enhanced hearing had caught something approaching.

"Someone's coming."

Jellal immediately put the Pride Ring away and turned toward the distant passage.

The other members of Crime Sorcière became alert as well.

A figure was approaching through the darkness.

"Looks like my luck really is terrible."

A woman's voice echoed down the corridor.

"Too late again."

As she stepped into view, everyone finally got a clear look at her.

She was a mature, strikingly beautiful woman wearing a fitted qipao with high side slits. Her cold, dignified bearing gave her the air of an empress accustomed to commanding others, and her expression remained utterly composed despite finding herself surrounded by unfamiliar mages.

Sorano blinked.

"Huh? You're not Dimaria."

She quickly recovered and addressed the stranger.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

The woman's icy gaze swept across the group. Despite being alone, she showed no trace of nervousness.

"My name is Ennie Signario. I'm an alchemist from Gold Owl, a guild based on the continent of Guiltina."

Her eyes shifted toward the dead griffin.

"As for why I'm here…"

She glanced at the enormous corpse.

"I imagine my objective is much the same as yours."

Jellal quietly moved one hand behind his back and signaled to his companions.

The members of Crime Sorcière understood immediately.

Without drawing attention to themselves, they began spreading out, gradually positioning themselves around Ennie.

Only once they had formed a loose encirclement did Jellal speak.

"Our mission is to apprehend Dimaria, who infiltrated Ishgar and has been carrying out hostile activities on our continent."

"I see…"

Ennie's eyes moved toward the place where Jellal had concealed the ring.

"Then would you mind handing that ring over to me?"

Jellal shook his head without hesitation.

"These ruins are located within Ishgar and have been placed under the Magic Council's protection. As a citizen of Guiltina, you've entered without authorization."

His expression hardened.

"That alone is already a violation of our laws."

Ennie's lips curved into a faint, mocking smile.

"How interesting."

Her voice remained perfectly calm.

"People with a history of committing such terrible crimes are now standing here defending the Magic Council's authority?"

Jellal's eyes narrowed.

Ennie clearly knew something about Crime Sorcière's past, but she showed no interest in discussing it further.

"I have no intention of wasting time arguing with you."

She extended one hand.

"Hand over the Pride Ring. Something like that is far beyond what Ishgar is qualified to possess."

Jellal's expression grew colder.

"And this isn't a place where outsiders can simply take whatever they please."

As someone who had devoted his life to atoning for his crimes, Jellal now placed enormous importance on the laws governing the magical world.

He knew better than most what happened when powerful mages decided that their desires mattered more than everyone else's rights.

He had spent years trying to make amends for precisely that kind of wrongdoing.

And now a stranger from another continent had walked into a site protected by the Magic Council, openly disregarded Ishgar's sovereignty, and demanded that they surrender a valuable artifact.

To Jellal, it was an insult to the very legal order he was trying to uphold.

His patience ran out.

"In that case, I'm afraid we'll have to restrain you."

The moment his words fell, a blurred figure appeared beside Ennie.

Sawyer moved first.

His speed-enhancing magic propelled him forward at tremendous velocity, and he delivered a powerful kick toward her face.

Ennie reacted quickly enough to raise both arms in defense.

But the force of the impact still sent her slender body flying backward.

Before she could recover, another figure descended from above.

Erik had already gathered an enormous quantity of poison inside his mouth.

"Poison Dragon's Roar!"

A concentrated torrent of venom erupted toward Ennie, striking her in midair and driving her violently into the ground.

The floor cracked beneath the impact.

Erik landed beside Sawyer, and the two exchanged a quick fist bump.

"Tch. That's all you've got?"

Erik looked down at the fallen alchemist with open disdain.

But Jellal's expression suddenly changed.

"You two, be careful!"

Sawyer blinked.

"What?"

He turned toward Jellal, momentarily confused by the warning.

Then he saw Ennie standing up.

The woman had taken both his kick and Erik's Poison Dragon attack directly.

Yet she was now brushing dust from her clothing as though nothing particularly serious had happened.

Her expression hadn't changed.

Not even slightly.

Ennie lifted her gaze toward them.

Then she spoke quietly.

"World Alchemy: Rule World."

An intricate array of alchemical circuits appeared before her.

The structure was completely unlike an ordinary magic circle, its strange patterns forming and connecting in rapid succession.

The instant the transmutation was completed, a wave of unfamiliar energy spread outward.

It washed across the chamber, expanding until everything within sight had been enveloped.

The dungeon vanished.

Or rather, the environment around them was replaced.

The damp stone walls transformed into smooth, pure-white surfaces.

The floor and ceiling became similarly featureless, while lines of mysterious writing seemed to flow continuously through the air.

The entire space now resembled an enormous white chamber whose very atmosphere was filled with written instructions.

Sawyer stared around in disbelief.

"What the hell is this?"

He immediately activated his speed-enhancing magic.

Whatever Ennie had done, his first instinct was to get out of its range.

His body blurred as he accelerated toward the edge of the chamber.

But Ennie calmly raised one hand.

"Rule Creation: Speed Limit."

A new sequence of characters appeared overhead.

The words SPEED LIMIT materialized in the air.

And Sawyer abruptly slowed down.

His previously blurred figure became clearly visible again.

He was still running.

His legs were moving as quickly as he could force them to move, and the Magic Power supporting his speed enhancement remained active.

Yet his actual movement was no faster than that of an ordinary person.

It was as though he were running on a treadmill.

No matter how much effort he put into accelerating, his speed simply refused to increase beyond the limit imposed upon him.

"What?!"

Sawyer stared at his feet in disbelief.

He tried again.

Nothing changed.

He could pour more Magic Power into his legs, but the result remained exactly the same.

Jellal looked upward.

His eyes narrowed as he studied the characters floating in the white space.

"A speed limit…"

His expression became grave.

"Alchemy can do something like this?"

Ennie regarded them coldly.

"My foolish little sister creates a world of madness, one where reason and common sense have no meaning."

She shook her head slightly.

"I'm different from her."

"In my world, everything follows rules."

Ennie raised one hand, and the mysterious writing drifting through the air began responding to her movements.

"Every action is governed by laws. Every event has conditions that must be obeyed."

Her eyes settled on Jellal.

"The only difference is…"

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"I decide what those rules are."

Then her gaze dropped toward the place where Jellal had concealed the Divine Ring.

The icy composure in her eyes gave way to unmistakable greed.

"The strongest of the seven Divine Rings…"

Her lips curved into a confident smile.

"I'll be taking the Pride Ring."

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