To Rias, Morpheus's swift victory was no surprise. Given his status and power, defeating low-tier enemies was expected.
If he struggled against mere two-winged fallen angels, he wouldn't have bested Rizevim, th son of Lucifer, with such ease.
Meanwhile, the fallen angels snapped out of their daze, realizing Morpheus's terrifying strength. They began pleading for mercy.
"Please, don't kill me!"
"We beg you, spare us!"
Seeing this, Yukiko Kudo felt her idealized view of angels crack. Even fallen angels, faced with death, groveled like anyone else.
They weren't so lofty after all.
Morpheus conjured a chair, sat down, and crossed his legs, gazing calmly at the cowering fallen angels. "Explain why you kidnapped these two."
Yusaku coughed, brushing dust off himself. "I can explain—"
"Quiet," Yukiko snapped, glaring at him. She wasn't in the mood for his excuses. She wanted to hear from the fallen angels.
Yusaku gave a wry smile, silenced.
The long-haired fallen angel glanced nervously at Morpheus. "We met them on our way to this town. They were discussing how to find the demons here, and we overheard."
"Fallen angels and demons don't get along. We thought they were demon followers, so we captured them, intending to kill them."
Yukiko and Ran gasped, turning to the Kudos.
The father and son nodded, confirming the story.
Morpheus pressed, "And then? Why were you… entangled with them?"
The other fallen angel answered, "We planned to kill them, but Yusaku Kudo was clever. He deduced our purpose here from our actions."
"We looked him up online and learned he's a world-class mystery writer. His son's a renowned detective too."
"People like that are valuable, so we decided to recruit them to our side, to strategize for us."
Morpheus nodded, piecing it together. "So you tried to seduce them, to corrupt them into joining your cause."
Both fallen angels nodded.
Yusaku, with a bitter smile, said, "When Shinichi and I were captured, we thought we were done for. It took effort to convince them not to kill us."
"When they tried to recruit us, we couldn't refuse. Refusal meant death, so we played along."
Morpheus chuckled. "Talent shines anywhere, doesn't it?"
While he had no need for detectives, he couldn't deny the Kudos' brilliance.
Even Rias nodded in agreement. Mistaken for demon followers, they'd turned the tables, dispelling the fallen angels' intent to kill and earning their recruitment. Impressive.
But then Yukiko interjected, "Did you… do it?"
The fallen angels froze, catching her meaning. Glancing at Morpheus, too afraid to lie, the first replied, "Yes."
The Kudos' faces paled.
"How many times?" Yukiko asked coldly.
"Three," said one.
"Four," said the other.
Yukiko's expression turned icy, her gaze cutting into Yusaku like a blade.
Yusaku opened his mouth to speak but faltered under her frigid stare, speechless.
Ran looked at Shinichi with disbelief.
Shinichi turned his head, unable to meet her eyes.
Morpheus spoke up. "In a way, you can't blame them. Their lives were at stake. Complying meant survival; refusing meant death. The choice was obvious."
"It's a form of emergency self-preservation."
"You wouldn't want them dead for refusing, would you?"
The Kudos shot Morpheus grateful looks.
Ran's expression softened slightly. She knew Shinichi wasn't entirely at fault. He hadn't initiated it.
Compared to death, giving in was a small price.
But the image of Shinichi with a fallen angel kept replaying in her mind.
Though she knew he wasn't to blame, it was a thorn in her heart.
"Sorry, I'm not feeling well. I'm leaving," Ran said, turning to go.
"Ran, wait!" Sonoko glared at Shinichi and chased after her.
Shinichi stood frozen.
Yukiko sighed. "I'm not feeling well either. I'm going."
She left without looking back.
Morpheus glanced at the Kudos, expressionless. "What are you two standing there for? Go after them."
Yusaku bolted after Yukiko without hesitation.
Shinichi hesitated, then asked Morpheus, "Are you going to kill the fallen angels?"
Though they'd tried to harm him and his father, their subsequent intimacy left Shinichi feeling responsible.
Morpheus thought, This kid's clueless.
If the fallen angels lived, reconciling with Ran would be harder. Yet he wanted to save them? Was he giving up on her?
Then again, Shinichi was a brilliant detective but just a high schooler, naive in matters of the heart. Feeling attached to his first was understandable.
Curious, Morpheus asked, "What do you think I'll do?"
Shinichi shook his head. "I don't know. But if possible, I beg you to spare them."
Morpheus sighed, exasperated. "Fine."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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