Chapter 401: Mimicry Liquidated
Undead, by their very nature, do not possess the biological equipment for
reproduction.
So, what is the intended logic of this 'Son' variable?
Sophia's cognitive processors went into high-frequency overdrive.
Hypothesis 1: Biological offspring from his previous life. Pride's bones
originated from human remains. Perhaps the original unit had a son? But
reanimated Undead rarely retain pre-mortem data unless they are exceptionally
high-tier. Pride was Tier-7; a partial memory-cache was statistically possible.
Hypothesis 2: A Protégé. Perhaps a younger unit he had "adopted" into his
command structure? Such informal synchronization was common in the Empire.
Hypothesis 3: A code-word or symbolic designation.
Three branches. Zero verification. But the prompt was active. Pride was awaiting
a response. Sophia performed a half-second calculation.
What is the optimal safety-response? "Unknown"—Too detached. "Satisfactory"—High
risk. If the 'son' had recently suffered a 'Structural Damage' event, this
answer would trigger a terminal alert.
She selected a "Data-Ambiguous" output.
"I am not entirely certain; I have not conducted a personal audit of him
recently."
The moment the words manifested, she detected a fluctuation in Pride. The
silver-hued King's blue soul-fire flickered. It was a microscopic deviation, but
Sophia's high perception caught it.
Logic Error detected. Communication failure.
Sophia performed a rapid post-mortem on her phrasing. "I am not entirely
certain; I have not conducted a personal audit of him recently." Where was the
error?
According to her research, the Sovereign was obsessively invested in his
subordinates. He memorized every habit, audited every emotional state, and
played matchmaker for baseline civilians. A Being of that profile, when queried
by his highest-tier general about his 'son,' would never provide such a
dismissive data-dump.
It was too formulaic. Too "Administrative."
Sophia initialized a "Recovery Protocol." She needed to manifest Kaito's
signature "Care" variable. She looked at Pride's blue energy arm, a thought-path
opening. This was the perfect opportunity—simultaneously display concern and
secure data on that limb.
"Pride."
"Awaiting orders, My Sovereign."
"Regarding your arm… state the reason you refuse to restore the biological
bone-structure. Do you require my intervention?"
Sophia calculated this was a masterstroke. Caring, proactive, and perfectly
aligned with a benevolent Ruler's interest in his right-hand unit.
Then, Pride's soul-fire erupted.
It wasn't a flicker. The flames transitioned from steady blue to a blinding,
incandescent white. The luminosity tripled instantly.
Before Sophia could process the shift, a tidal wave of Absolute Killing Intent
saturated the corridor.
Pride's right hand closed around the void. Vwooom. A colossal Bone-Cleaving
Greatsword was dragged from his private dimension. The necrotic runes on the
blade flared with a manic intensity, causing the very air in the gallery to
vibrate with structural stress.
"State your true designation," Pride said.
His voice had lost its subordinate frequency. It was now a grinding rattle,
every word sounding like it was being crushed between tectonic plates.
"What have you done… to our King?"
The greatsword descended.
Sophia instinctively retreated, temporal energy condensing in her palm to
hard-tank the strike. But the blade never reached her.
A pale, aristocratic hand manifested from the side, its fingers locking onto the
spine of the massive blade with unshakable stability.
Secretary of State Greed.
He had manifested in the corridor without a sound. Unlike the other Sins, Greed
lacked soul-fire. His sockets held a pair of crimson vertical pupils—the
signature of a Pure-blood Vampire. Those pupils were currently locked onto
Pride.
"Pride. De-escalate. Logic check required," Greed said, his voice soft and slow.
But Pride's "Fury" parameter was red-lining. "Step aside, Greed."
"I said: De-escalate."
At either end of the hallway, more silhouettes manifested. Wrath. Lust. Avarice.
Three more Generals had synchronized on the location simultaneously.
Wrath, auditing the scene, didn't hesitate. He lunged forward and wrapped his
arms around Pride's waist in a manual restraint. "Leader! What are you doing?!
Weapon-draw against the Master? Have you suffered a total system crash?!"
Pride ignored him. His white soul-fire remained focused with terminal intensity
on Sophia.
Sophia's mind raced. She didn't know which "Trigger-Variable" she had hit, but
auditing the cause was secondary to controlling the fallout. She had to use her
assumed Authority.
"SEIZE PRIDE!" Sophia shouted, her voice jumping an octave into a
command-frequency. "HE IS INITIALIZING A COUP! TREASON DETECTED!"
The corridor hit a state of absolute, localized silence.
Then, Greed released his grip on the greatsword. He turned his frame, the
crimson pupils centering on Sophia.
"You are not him."
Four words.
Sophia's heart—no, she lacked a heart—but her soul-fire skipped a beat. "Clarify
your statement."
"You are not the Sovereign."
Greed took a slow, elegant step forward. Beneath that poise, something monstrous
was beginning to leak into the environment. "Identify yourself."
Sophia offered zero feedback. She was waiting for the other Sins. If Greed was
the only dissenter, she could still leverage her "Sovereign" status. But then...
"Greed's logic is sound," Lust spoke up.
She manifested today as a human female with long brown hair, wearing an Academy
uniform. Her expression was calm, but her tone carried a weight Sophia had never
heard from her before. "I have audited your gait, your linguistic patterns, and
your administrative methodology for three cycles. The deviation-rate is 100%."
Avarice, standing at the far end, said nothing. But the frequency of his
soul-fire confirmed he had reached the same conclusion.
Five of the Seven Sins were present. Sloth and Gluttony were absent—likely still
in the Elven Forest.
Five vs. One.
No. She was still the "Sovereign." She had one final card to play.
"Consider your next action carefully," Sophia hissed, her voice dropping into a
cold threat. "To query the Master is a terminal offense. What is the penalty for
such a Logic Error?"
Greed stopped his gait. His vertical pupils narrowed. Then, he laughed. It was a
beautiful, refined sound that made Sophia's skin crawl with a "Cold" status
effect.
"Our King… would never manifest the command 'Seize Pride'."
Greed's composure was finally fracturing, his voice thick with suppressed
emotion.
"That Being… he would have patted Pride's shoulder and queried his distress."
"He would have knelt to speak with the lowest-tier Skeleton Laborer." "He
memorized our names. He memorized our habits." "He refers to us as 'His Kids'."
The crimson light in Greed's eyes hit a blinding peak.
"Your energy-signature is a perfect mirror. Your visual data is identical. Even
your soul-fluctuation is a 100% synchronization."
"But you are not him."
"What have you done to him?" Greed's final words were spat out like shards of
glass.
Sophia surveyed the opposition. Pride's blade was still poised. Wrath was no
longer restraining him; he was transitioning into a combat stance. Lust's
fingers were flickering with elemental charge. Avarice was warping the local
space. Greed's fangs were fully manifested.
Five Tier-6/7 entities. Encompassing her.
Sophia performed a final audit. Can the performance be salvaged? Result:
Negative.
"Hah."
She let out a short, jagged laugh. The skeletal jaw clicked—Ta-ta.
"I must admit… I am impressed."
The mimicked energy signature began to peel away from her frame. The skeletal
exterior fractured like glass, falling into the void to reveal the truth
beneath.
A human female. Silver hair. The face of a library assistant.
Sophia stood in the center of the Sin-Generals, restored to her original
manifestation.
"This tiny, archaic Lostarn Realm..." She raised her right hand, golden sand
drifting from her fingertips. "I did not simulate that it could produce 'Pests'
of your caliber."
[AUTHORITY: TEMPORAL DOMAIN – INITIALIZE.]