"You're the Voiceless Viper."
Wolf made this bold conclusion as he continued to point his dagger at Jude.
"Oh? And here I thought I was supposed to be the detective? What a strange turn of events." Jude began to chuckle as he turned his body to face him, revealing his most twisted expression yet.
"I should really applaud you, Wolf. You almost managed to figure it all out in the end."
"Almost?" Wolf repeated in confusion.
"Well, I'll certainly take credit for all the riddles... Do you even know how long it took to come up with those?" Jude began to pull an oddly exasperated expression, causing Wolf to question whether or not Jude truly was the Viper.
"What about the kidnapping and the deaths?" he asked. "Including Larg, there were several reports of people who had gone missing or had been found with holes in their heads, which is similar to all the Viper's previous victims."
"Well, you see, that's something that I can't take all the credit for this time. Wasn't our beloved princess the one behind all that?"
So it was Mel, after all, Wolf murmured internally.
"That may be true, but you were the one controlling her from behind the scenes, weren't you?"
Jude then lifted his hands up like he had been caught. "Guilty~" he sang without a hint of remorse in his voice.
This man… Wolf didn't realize how bad it was before, but seeing him now during this confrontation… His personality is truly unsettling.
Every time Jude spoke it felt as though an infinite number of insects were crawling around Wolf's insides.
"Maybe I do deserve some credit for that, but unfortunately, I'm not the Viper."
He smiled as if saying such words made him completely innocent somehow.
Wolf's mind began to stir in confusion, as he failed to decide whether or not Jude's statement was a complete lie.
"Huhhh??? You seriously haven't figured it out yet!?" he yelled disappointedly almost as though he were about to burst into tears.
"I guess I'm a little rusty then. I'll keep that in mind for next time," he mumbled to himself. "I'll tell you what, since you were able to uncover this much already, I'll give you a hint."
"Is this going to be another riddle?" Wolf asked him as Jude began to chuckle once more, unable to contain his excitement.
"What if I told you that Maybelle's adoptive father is really her uncle? What then?"
Wolf took a moment to process this.
That would mean Quinn and May's biological father were both siblings. But what does that have to do with anything?
Wolf continued to think, going over the events of May's childhood and comparing it with the riddles that Jude created as though he were flipping through pages in his mind.
Then suddenly, a daunting conclusion descended upon him like a judges hammer.
"Oh? Have you finally figured it out?" Jude said teasingly as he noticed a change in Wolf's expression.
"The second riddle… the one about the two brothers."
"What about it?" Jude probed with his eyebrow raised.
"It's a story about an older brother who disciplines his younger brother in order to stop him from running into danger. The older brother strikes the younger brother 'the same way a smith strikes the iron'," he recited. "May's adoptive father is a blacksmith, which would make him the older brother, and May's biological father was on the hunt for the Viper despite his brother's warning, meaning he's the younger brother who always runs into danger."
"You're getting warmer," Jude's expression was brimming with joy, unable to conceal his anticipation.
"The older brother doesn't just 'strike his younger brother with a cane', does he? He kills him… even though he still loves him."
May thought that the Voiceless Viper–an unknown entity–was the one responsible for her father's death, but this entire time, it was the man that adopted her...
"Quinn Ferrum is the Voiceless Viper."
Upon hearing himself utter those words, Wolf suddenly felt a deep sympathy toward May, who wasn't even aware she was living with the one responsible for the deaths of her real parents.
Meanwhile, the corners of Jude's mouth twisted upward to form a sinister smirk.
"Wolf!" Amber cried, as she and Snapper rapidly approached his side.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We decided to follow you," she replied. "Snapper told me you were suspicious of Jude; you didn't think we'd just let you confront him on your own, did you?"
Amber immediately unsheathed her dagger, ready to fight alongside her comrades.
"You guys—"
"I should've known you were behind all this from the moment I saw your ugly face, Jude… or should I call you the Viper now?"
Snapper clenched his fist and took a fighting stance resembling that of a professional martial artist.
"It's not him, Snapper... he's the one behind the kidnappings and the murders, but he's not the Viper," Wolf said to him.
"Huh, are you sure?"
Wolf nodded in reply.
"Then, who the hell is this weirdo!?"
An enormous laughter–deranged and insidious–erupted from the man before them.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!EXCELLENT!!" Jude screamed, throwing his hands into the air.
"You've all managed to make it this far, but the real fun starts now!" From his body, Jude began to exude an incredibly strong aura that completely enveloped their vast surroundings.
Everyone's eyes widened in pure shock as they witnessed the flashing of several cards that appeared all around him.
Is this his Vision Field?! Wolf thought. How is he doing all of this without a CCU…?
"You're probably wondering how I'm capable of creating a Vision Field without a CCU, right?" Jude said as though Wolf stated his thoughts out loud. "Well, I guess that means you and I share something in common, don't we?"
"You're a Visionary?!!" Snapper gasped, trying hard to suppress the fear within his voice.
"That's right."
Another Visionary, with this many cards!? Who the hell is this guy!? Snapper thought to himself, as his forehead began to glimmer with slight perspiration.
"Don't worry, you guys still have some time to relax," Jude said as he began to stretch his arms to the side. "Although I've had fun playing with you all, the one I want to play with the most is still yet to arrive."
Wolf briefly scanned the surroundings, but saw no figure of importance.
"Who are you talking about?"
Jude lightly chuckled to himself before answering.
"The Viper, of course."
He then began to observe the sky, watching as a giant cloud obstructed the sun's light, causing a dark shadow to cast itself upon the earth.
"It's finally time!" Suddenly, Jude grabbed the rim of his top hat, and with one large swing of his arm, he sent it flying directly above him. While airborne, the hat seemed to expand in size as though it were about to burst.
Everyone in the vicinity was captivated by the sight up until the very indication of a cataclysmic disaster.
"Everyone, get down!!!"
BOOM!
An explosion–loud and devastating–engulfed that hat in an instant.
"WHAT THE—"
The explosion caused a tremendous wave that shattered the glass of nearby buildings. Chaos had already broken out in the Paradise District as all the few locals who heard or witnessed the horror were running for their lives while screaming in terror.
However, there was one scream in particular that stood a pitch above the rest.
"Help!!!"
After shielding their faces from incoming debris, Wolf, Snapper and Amber turned their heads simultaneously once that desperate wave of sound ripped through the air, piercing Wolf's eardrums with a familiar rhythm.
"... May?" His words were haunted by sheer panic once he tilted his gaze upward to see his captured friend, who had fallen to her knees upon the roof of a tall, dark cathedral within the Paradise District.
"Is that... Mel?" Amber's face paled once she also noticed the princess, who appeared to be keeping May within her custody, tightly gripping her purple bangs.
"What are they doing up there?"
Wolf turned to Jude, his expression twitching with anger.
"What is she going to do to her!?" He shouted at the false detective, who seemed to be growing more and more joyful by the second.
"Who knows?" he casually shrugged. "Maybe they're admiring the view? We are in the Paradise District, after all… We should enjoy our time here while we can."
Jude's smirk was beginning to make Wolf understand why Snapper was always so frustrated whenever he saw it.
He somehow found the will to ignore the lunatic before rushing toward the building where May and Mel were.
"Wolf!" Amber cried out to him, but no response followed.
Refusing to turn back, Wolf kept his legs moving forward, fearing it would be too late before he reached the cathedral.
As Amber attempted to chase him, Snapper grabbed hold of her while shaking his head as if to say, "There's nothing we can do".
Jude whistled while watching the boy race to the scene.
"Look at him go… He's a fast one, isn't he?" he said, admiring Wolf's speed and determination, which he considered futile nonetheless.
"This is all your doing, isn't it?! Make her stop!" Amber commanded.
"Yeahhh, that's not gonna happen," Jude replied, shaking his head. "You guys will have no choice but to stop me yourselves, and I hate to break it to you, but that's practically impossible."
"Yeah? It's two against one, so I guess we'll just have to see about tha–!"
"Hold on!" Snapper interrupted just as Amber readied herself to charge in with her dagger.
"He's right, Amber. We won't be able to beat him. This guy... He has experience... and there's something off about him too."
Although Jude stood before them with a defenseless posture, it only took one glance for Snapper to realize they stood no chance against him at all.
Even Snapper doesn't think we can win…? Just how strong is this guy? Amber thought to herself while slowly dropping back a few steps.
"Then, what should we do?" she whispered to Snapper.
"Just wait for it…"
"FREEZE!" A loud cry erupted from behind Jude, as a platoon of red-armored soldiers quickly began to surround him.
Completely encircling him–without leaving any room for escape–they each pointed a spear in his direction.
A stoic-looking woman, wearing polished silver-colored armor made from military grade Augustium, confidently stepped forward.
"Hmm? It's been a while since I've seen one of those..." Jude muttered to himself after noticing the pink glow that emitted from the tip of the woman's spear.
"My name is Charaya Rose: First Lieutenant of General Brician's Second Division!" she announced, the powerful bass in her voice emphasizing her authority. "You are under arrest for the destruction of district property and endangering the general public. On behalf of the Department of Royal Guards, I demand that you deactivate your Vision Field immediately while surrendering yourself peacefully and quietly!"