It was clear to everyone watching: with the Authority's weakness exposed, the Sin Archbishop of Greed's defeat was only a matter of time.
Once Ram had cleared out all the targets that Greed could use for his "Little King" ability, he would lose the power of "Time Stop." Against Wood and Ram, he wouldn't be able to last for long—even escape would be a distant hope.
No, even if he somehow managed to escape this time, his Authority would no longer be a secret, and the title of "the strongest Sin Archbishop" would be lost forever.
Of course, he was unwilling to accept this, but Greed wasn't a fool. He knew that staying any longer meant certain death. Though his face showed rage, his mind was already searching for a way out.
As long as that Oni girl hadn't eliminated all of his "wives," he was still "invincible." There was still time to flee.
If the targets housing his heart were all gone, it would only take a few moves for someone like Wood—who had displayed such speed and power—to kill him.
Just as Greed was about to retreat, Gluttony appeared beside him, his arm limp, blood dripping from his lips. He spoke, "I touched him earlier."
Hearing this, the twisted, angry expression on Greed's face relaxed instantly.
"Then what are you waiting for? According to the intel, this guy is the knight protecting the Witch's resurrection vessel. You've seen his power—he'll be a threat to us in the future. Hurry up and use your Authority to finish him!"
As a fellow Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, Gluttony's Authority wasn't limited to abilities like teleportation. His true power lay in consuming others' "memories" and "names."
To use this Authority, just as Wood had suspected, certain conditions had to be met, and specific steps followed.
The process of consumption was consistent: first, Gluttony would call out the target's name, touch a part of their body, and then lick his own palm.
Those whose "memories" were devoured would lose all recollection of who they were, as had happened with Ram before.
Those whose "names" were consumed would be forgotten by everyone in the world, except for Natsuki Subaru.
If both "memory" and "name" were consumed, the victim would be forgotten by everyone except Subaru, fall into a deep slumber, and become nothing more than an empty shell.
One might think that Gluttony's Authority, in comparison to the "Fog of Disappearance" of the Witchbeast, was less powerful. The Fog of Disappearance could completely erase someone without requiring any conditions or steps.
But the truth was that the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony was far stronger than the White Whale. If he wanted, he could even create a second White Whale.
Gluttony's power didn't just stop at erasing memories and causing people to be forgotten. His Authority had a second phase called "Eclipse," which was split into "Solar Eclipse" and "Lunar Eclipse."
The "Lunar Eclipse" ability, when used normally, allowed Gluttony to increase his speed and shorten distances, giving the appearance of teleportation.
When he consumed someone's "memory," the Lunar Eclipse ability changed—he could extract skills and knowledge from the devoured memory and use them as his own.
Since these were extracted rather than absorbed fully, he couldn't physically enhance himself, making it difficult to perfectly wield the victim's abilities.
For instance, if he extracted Wood's Six Powers abilities, he wouldn't be able to fully utilize them because his body wasn't strong enough to meet the demands.
The "Solar Eclipse" allowed him to take on the appearance of the devoured target, embodying them completely, and use their full physical capabilities.
In simpler terms, with the "Lunar Eclipse," he could extract skills from someone's memory. With the "Solar Eclipse," he could transform into the target and replace their presence in the world, using their full abilities.
If both "Lunar Eclipse" and "Solar Eclipse" were used together, it would create a perfect duplicate. This second version of the person would have the same body, abilities, and even identity—no one could distinguish between them.
Earlier, during his clash with Wood, Gluttony had been sent flying, his entire arm shattering, but it fulfilled the condition of touching the target.
Now, all he needed to do was say Wood's true name and lick his hand, and he would devour both Wood's "memory" and "name."
The power was akin to a law of causality, unavoidable and impossible to defend against.
"Consume both his 'memory' and 'name' together—consuming only one would still leave him too dangerous," Greed ordered.
Robbing Wood of either his memories or having him forgotten wouldn't change his physical capabilities, so Greed demanded that Gluttony devour both, thus putting Wood into a state of unconsciousness, completely helpless.
In truth, Gluttony had already planned to do this. Only by devouring both could he use the "Lunar Eclipse" and "Solar Eclipse" abilities.
Wood's power was too impressive. If Gluttony could replace him, it would be a great gain.
With a confident smile, Gluttony shouted Wood Hossin's name, then declared, "I shall feast!" as he licked his unbroken hand—but something unexpected happened.
It wasn't that Natsuki Subaru had died again. The problem lay with Gluttony himself.
After calling out Wood's name and licking his palm, he suddenly felt his stomach churn violently. He couldn't control himself and began retching.
"You... planned this? You knew about my Authority, and you tricked that Oni girl into calling your false name?!"
To be honest, when Gluttony fulfilled the conditions for his Authority and he knew it couldn't be resisted, Wood was a bit worried.
As someone from another world, his existence was unique—not even Subaru's "Return by Death" could affect his memory.
However, Wood didn't want to gamble with something as precious as his memories. While it was fortunate that he was immune to Subaru's ability, in certain situations, it could also be problematic.
If someone else died or had their memory erased by Gluttony, they could rely on Subaru's "Return by Death" to reset and try again.
But this wouldn't apply to Wood. If he died, that was it. No resets, no second chances.
Even if "Return by Death" worked on him, the revived version of him might not be him but rather the true Wood Hossin.
Yet what Wood hadn't anticipated was that when Gluttony tried to use his power, it simply failed. And from the looks of it, it wasn't because of Wood's unique status but because of a problem with his name.
Seeing Wood's confused expression, Gluttony thought he was feigning ignorance and shouted, "Still pretending?! Wood Hossin is not your real name, is it? Otherwise, my Authority wouldn't have failed!"
No one knew his powers better than Gluttony himself. The touch was perfect; the only possible reason for failure was an issue with the name.
"So, your power only works with someone's true name, huh?
"Well, sorry to disappoint. I'm an orphan from a slum in Kararagi. Anna named me Wood Hossin.
"As for my original name... sadly, I don't even know it myself."
Hearing Gluttony's accusations, Wood almost burst out laughing.
Gluttony's power was indeed formidable. Once the conditions were met, it was even more terrifying than Greed's. But who would have thought the flaw was so glaring?
With the Authorities of both Greed and Gluttony now exposed, the rest would be simple.
In terms of raw strength, neither of them was anything special—at least not to Wood. The only reason he hadn't defeated them sooner was the bizarre nature of their Authorities. Now that he understood their weaknesses, they wouldn't be a threat anymore.
To end the fight quickly, Wood activated the power of the "Divine Heart," instantly pushing his physical abilities to the limit. He intended to finish off both Greed and Gluttony in one blow.
Runic symbols glowing with a silver light appeared on Wood's chest, shining through his clothes. Seeing the mysterious script, both Greed and Gluttony were stunned as Wood's already formidable magical energy surged even higher.
To them, Wood was already a human-shaped monster, but now his presence had grown even more overwhelming.
With solidified magic power forming a cyclone around Wood, even lifting small stones into the air, the Sin Archbishops were paralyzed by fear. Overwhelmed by the oppressive power, Gluttony fought through the nausea to make his escape.
He didn't care about Greed's fate. With his "Lunar Eclipse" ability, he could nearly teleport, and escaping alive seemed possible.
"Boom!"
Just as Gluttony activated his power, Wood moved as well. The ground of Arlam Village, freshly repaired, crumbled under his violent step, leaving a massive crater.
Wood shot forward, his speed forming a sonic boom, creating the so-called "sonic cone" behind him as he rushed after Gluttony.
The range of Gluttony's "Lunar Eclipse" was limited. If he could teleport anywhere in the world, he would be invincible. But the maximum range was around a kilometer, and there was only a moment's pause between uses.
That was why Gluttony had been confident in his ability to survive. He believed no one could cross a kilometer in just a moment.
When Wood appeared before him, Gluttony's eyes were wide in shock.
His expression of disbelief quickly turned to one of pain as Wood's ice blade sliced through the air, cleanly bisecting him, and extending through the forest behind, transforming it into a frozen wasteland.
"Damn it! Where did this monster come from? Why did we have no intel on him before?!"
Though some distance away, Greed saw clearly as Gluttony was split in two, and the forest was frozen in place.
The longer someone lived, the more they feared death. Though Greed was an ordinary human, his "Time Stop" ability had let him live for over a hundred years.
Having enjoyed the power and satisfaction that came with being at the top, he wasn't ready to die here.
But Wood was overwhelmingly powerful. Even though Gluttony had escaped a kilometer away, Wood had caught up in an instant and killed him. What chance did he have?
Ram was still eliminating his "wives" within his Little Kingdom, and the invincibility granted by "Lion's Heart" was running out.
As Greed looked at Wood and Ram with anger and unwillingness, his gaze lingered on Ram, and suddenly, he began laughing maniacally.
Gluttony was dead, but Greed could still survive—he had found a way out.
Seeing Wood instantly defeat Gluttony, Ram couldn't help but marvel at his strength. She sped up her efforts, aiming to reduce the burden on Wood as he used the "Divine Heart."
But as she continued, her movements suddenly stopped. A look of horror and anger crossed her face as she looked at Greed, who was grinning at her from a distance.