Chapter 59: The Weight of Envy

Compared to the other six Cardinal Sins, Envy’s unique magic and physical prowess were distressingly weak, falling short even of some common aberrations.

Yet, his magical reserves were exceptionally prominent, surpassed only by Pride’s.

He deliberately neglected to hone the intricate control of his magic, instead relishing the sensation of unbridled extravagance.

Only through such indulgence could he repeatedly reaffirm his own might and exceptional nature, offering a slight reprieve from the gnawing irritation and resentment within.

But now, his once-vaunted magical power had evaporated into nothingness.

An unprecedented wave of vulnerability crawled up his spine, as if a thousand-catty burden had abruptly settled upon him.

Though their magical energies had been equalized, Envy’s raw power still far surpassed Lily of the Valley’s.

—Yet, his still-powerful body began to tremble uncontrollably, his fighting spirit having utterly vanished.

He gritted his teeth, swaying as he rose, and forcibly contorted his features into a mask of rage.

“Petty cleverness, cheap tricks…! You only ever resort to these utterly despicable, underhanded schemes!”

“You wretched scum, what difference does it make if you’ve stolen my magic? My power still far outstrips yours—”

Lily of the Valley closed in on Envy.

A blinding flash of cold steel cut across, leaving an immediate crimson gash on the incarnation of sin’s mouth.

He frantically raised his bone blade to retaliate, but his swing was too wild and clumsy, merely slicing through a few strands of the girl’s hair.

His feigned fury completely crumbled, leaving Envy’s face a ghastly pallor.

He dropped his weapon, stumbled back a few steps, and then threw his head back, bellowing at the heavens:

“The Consultant, the Consultant! Where have you been?! Can’t you see me here?! I… I’m rescinding the reward I gave you!”

Lily of the Valley stood firm before Envy, her grip tightening on the dagger.

A flurry of lethal silver glints stabbed forth like a sudden squall, gouging one bloody cavity after another into the man’s throat, brow, heart, and lungs.

Envy let out a hoarse, desperate shriek, akin to a wild rabbit being dismembered by hyenas.

He let out a muffled, indistinct growl, swinging his bone blade at Lily of the Valley one final time.

The girl allowed the attack to graze her cheek, advancing directly before the sin incarnation, her hand erupting with emerald light as she delivered a direct punch to his face.

“Guh-ah…!”

Envy wailed, collapsing to the ground, twitching and convulsing like a fish gasping for water.

No matter his resilience, he had absorbed an excessive number of blows today, pushing him to the very precipice of collapse.

Lily of the Valley crouched beside the sin incarnation.

Her gaze fixed on the man’s terrified eyes, her voice turning to ice.

“Do you remember Gu Pan? You killed her.”

“What nonsense are you spouting…?”

Lily of the Valley flipped her dagger, plunging it into Envy’s shoulder.

“Do you remember, or do you not? Answer my question directly.”

A wave of searing pain made Envy flinch violently.

Yet, at the sight of the ominous dagger, he forcibly swallowed his scream.

“…I don’t remember! How could I remember everyone I’ve killed!”

“2013, the puppet theater at Century Dreamland. She was my sister, and she looked a lot like me. Do you remember now?”

The sin incarnation scrutinized the girl’s frigid expression, his burgeoning panic now morphing entirely into terror.

He opened his mouth, trembling, and spoke incoherently:

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so—”

Lily of the Valley plunged the dagger down once more, carving open another bloody gash.

Her eyes widened, and a scorching fury blazed across her typically impassive face.

“Shut up. I’m not interested in apologies.”

“Tell me, why did you kill her? Why did you murder a child who bore you no ill will?”

Envy trembled even more violently, slowly articulating a few words, his voice barely a whisper, like a mosquito’s buzz.

“…Because of a grilled sausage.”

“A grilled sausage?”

“I… I went to the amusement park alone that day, staying until dusk. I was famished, craving a grilled sausage… but the queue at the stall was far, far too long.”

“I noticed her standing all alone in front of the stall, and assuming she was also agonizing over whether to join the queue, I struck up a conversation.”

“But then… she simply smiled and told me her sister had already joined the line. All she had to do was wait there for a moment, and she would have her grilled sausage.”

“So… so… so I killed her.”

Envy stammered through his explanation, his voice now thick with a cloying sob.

The girl stared blankly at the sin incarnation, whose face was contorted with a sense of injustice.

Her veins bulged, and murderous intent churned across her face.

She seized his blood-soaked collar, and a torrent of revulsion and fury erupted from her throat.

“Just for that reason? For something like that…!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry… I’m so sorryyyyyyy!”

Envy’s cries grew even more piercing.

Lily of the Valley pressed his head down with brutal force, slamming it into the ground until cracks spread outwards.

She abruptly raised her dagger, her arm trembling violently with indignant rage.

Hot tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, and the girl clenched her jaw, her teeth grinding audibly.

Just as she was about to plunge the blade, Old Nie’s urgent shout suddenly pierced her ears.

“Wait, wait a moment! I have a question for him!”

Old Nie sprinted over, dropping to his knees and seizing Envy.

He carefully produced the ludicrous magic book from his clothes, his eyes wide with urgency as he asked:

“This… this was forged by you? You forged it to lure Lily of the Valley here?”

“Y-yes.”

“Magic… resurrection magic, did you truly invent it yourself? You didn’t see it somewhere else? Is there no prototype at all?”

“…It’s all my fabrication! No prototype exists! How could there possibly be magic to resurrect the dead in this world?!”

Old Nie stared blankly at Envy, his shoulders slumping as if all life had drained from him, and the heavy tome slipped from his grasp to the ground.

A gentle breeze rustled, causing the book’s pages to flutter open.

Old Nie let out a guttural, indistinct roar, then straddled his enemy and slammed a fist into his face.

“Ah… ah… ahhh!”

He roared hoarsely, raining countless wild punches down upon the man’s face, his movements so frenzied it seemed he might tear his own frame apart.

Lily of the Valley watched from the side, the fury on her face gradually giving way to bewilderment, as Lu Chen quietly approached the two men.

Once Old Nie’s fists were battered and bloody, Lu Chen leaned down and whispered to him:

“Please rest for a moment. Let Lily of the Valley finish this.”

Old Nie panted, his arms falling limply.

He slowly lifted his weary, grey eyes, nodded silently, and yielded his position.

Lu Chen helped the exhausted Old Nie step back, leaving the open ground and the sin incarnation to Lily of the Valley.

The girl gazed down at Envy, emerald light beginning to emanate from her hand.

“Ugh…!”

Envy shrieked, but Lily of the Valley did not plunge her dagger.

Instead, she merely summoned several mana-draining vines, which coiled around the sin incarnation, binding him tightly.

She sheathed her dagger, then raised her phone and activated the recorder.

“Audio log. It is now April 3rd, 2022, 3:23 PM. I am in White Mist Forest… I have just captured the 169th incarnation of Envy.”

Having completed the log, the girl lowered her head as if her energy had utterly drained.

Lu Chen came to her side, his gaze falling upon the immobilized sin incarnation.

Lily of the Valley, too, gazed down at the enemy who had murdered her family, a hazy emerald glow swirling in her eyes.

She murmured:

“According to Syndicate regulations, if we can capture aberrations, we should refrain from killing them whenever possible.

The logistics department will endeavor to analyze their magic, hoping to create tools that can save countless more lives.”

“Mr. Lu, what are your thoughts? Is this the right course of action?”

“Will my sister accept this outcome…?”

Lu Chen observed the girl’s profile, speaking softly:

“Was she like you?”

“She was far more vibrant than me. Aside from that, I believe we were quite similar.”

“In that case, I see no issue.”

Lily of the Valley removed her earring, her pupils receding to their natural color.

She clutched the earring tightly, holding it to her chest.

“Mm. Thank you.”