“You fool! You call this a blueprint? The building will collapse if you build it according to this design! You stupid imbecile!” Michelangelo was raging and screaming at one of his students. “Oh? Does saying sorry make up for everything?” “I’m pretty sure I just said something about you apologizing just now.” “I-I apologize for apologizing—no, I mean!” There was a saying about how geniuses were bound to be eccentric and hot-headed. Michelangelo was no exception to this; he would explode at his students in anger whenever his students made a mistake. The problem with him was that he would treat even the tiniest mistake his students made as if it were a grievous sin. He wouldn't hold back whatsoever whenever he was berating them. As a genius, Michelangelo simply couldn’t comprehend the stupidity of ordinary people, and small blunders always looked like huge failures in his eyes. “B-But, Master...! I spent day and night for the last six months working on this blueprint!” “Shut up! This thing you call a blueprint is nothing but rubbish!” “If you built a structure using shit, then you’ll get nothing but shit! You didn’t design a blueprint, you imbecile. You just wasted six months producing worthless shit!” “I can’t believe a talentless imbecile like you is a disciple of mine—” “Master! We have a situation!” The guards came rushing in and cried with urgency. “You must evacuate immediately!” “What’s this ruckus?! I’m in the middle of my lessons!” Michelangelo snapped at the guards. “M-Master! A mysterious enemy has appeared... dressed in a tight pink s-spandex...” “What nonsense are you spewing?!” Michelangelo lashed out. A mysterious enemy dressed in tight pink spandex? “Is this some kind of a joke?! What kind of fool wears pink spandex and starts stirring trouble?!” However, it did not take long for Michelangelo’s question to be answered. A section of the building’s walls came crashing down. “Who’s Michelangelo? Come out now.” A man stood amidst the dust and rubble, a bloodstained hammer in hand—and clad in tight pink spandex. “P-Pink spandex?!” Michelangelo exclaimed, his eyes widened in disbelief after realizing that the guards had been telling the truth. However, the situation was too dire for him to dwell on it for too long. “Everyone down on the ground, now!” “Anyone who moves will be considered an enemy of the kingdom and executed on the spot!” The soldiers of the Lambda Kingdom swarmed into the building with their weapons in hand. “You! Who the hell are you?!” Michelangelo screamed at the man wearing the tight pink spandex. Then, he turned to the soldiers and raged, “And you lot?! What is the meaning of this? How dare you barge in here and do this?!” None of the soldiers responded to him. “I am Michelangelo! A guest of honor personally invited and recognized by His Majesty, King Leonid! Do you really think you can get away with this?! I am a world-renowned artist with no equal anywhere—” “Hey, that was before you joined the Illuminati,” Siegfried cut him off. “The Illuminati...? D-Don’t tell me—!” At last, Michelangelo grasped the gravity of the situation. He immediately reached for the poison hidden in his robes in a bid to take his own life, but there was no way Siegfried would allow that. With a swift kick to the chest, Siegfried sent Michelangelo to the ground. Then, he mercilessly beat the world-renowned artist with his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp. “Because of bastards like you—!” “—I have to run around wearing this shit!” Siegfried pummeled Michelangelo mercilessly, beating him senselessly like a training dummy. “R-Run! Run for your lives!” “Damn it! Get out of here!” “Take your own lives if you’re gonna get caught!” The Illuminati members who had been hiding in the building scattered in every direction in a desperate bid to flee from the Lambda Kingdom’s soldiers. Siegfried left the fleeing Illuminati members to the Lambda Kingdom’s soldiers. He still had to vent his anger, so he focused on venting his rage on Michelangelo. Michelangelo groaned, barely conscious after the brutal beating. “Tsk... Oh well, I guess it can’t be helped,” Siegfried said with a shrug. Rather than wasting time interrogating Michelangelo, Siegfried decided to turn him into an Irradiator. Unlike Apollonas, who lived his entire life as a scholar studying the Church of Healing’s doctrines, Michelangelo was different. He was far more valuable than the high priest, as he could be put to good use for a long time once brainwashed. Thus, Siegfried grabbed Michelangelo’s head and injected his radioactive microbes into him. Now an Irradiator, Michelangelo knelt on one knee before Siegfried and greeted him. “How did you smuggle people’s faith?” “There is a facility under this building that disrupts the frequency of the Praystones.” Siegfried activated Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance and scanned the entire building. There was indeed a rather massive facility hidden underground, just as Michelangelo said. “There must be a lot of your people in there, right?” “Good,” Siegfried said with a nod. Then, he flashed a grin only a madman would be able to make and said gleefully, “I’m going to kill every last one of them.” Then, he turned and headed toward the entrance leading to the underground facility. “Kyuuu! Let’s go together, spandex owner punk!” “No, I can do this alone. Just wait outside.” “Just wait if I tell you to, punk.” With those words, Siegfried stood before the entrance and took off his Pink Span—no, Inverted Hazmat Suit. Then, with his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp in hand, he smashed the door leading to the underground facility. About a minute later— “P-Please! Spare me!” Screams and agonized wails echoed from deep within the underground facility. Nobody saw what was unfolding inside, but it was obvious what would happen if Siegfried entered an underground facility without his hazmat suit on. The whole place was bound to turn into an inescapable hell of radioactive energy in a matter of seconds. “Kyuuu... Just blame your rotten luck...” Hamchi muttered, shaking his head in pity. Siegfried’s stress levels were reaching dangerous levels, which meant that he was like an agitated beast. The fact that these Illuminati members met him today, of all days, could only mean one thing. Every single one of them in that underground facility was going to meet a very miserable end. With the underground facility destroyed, Siegfried effectively cut off the angels from their primary source of energy. Now, even if the followers of each religious order prayed at statues or temples, their faith would no longer be redirected to the angels. In other words, the angels have a much more difficult time descending upon this world. “Phew!” Siegfried let out a deep breath after emerging from the underground facility. He looked so refreshed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and he looked far less agitated than he had been earlier. Then, he casually slipped back into his Inverted Hazmat Suit, which was the tight pink spandex everyone was laughing at him for wearing. However, nobody was laughing now. It was all because his appearance was nothing short of terrifying. Nobody knew what kind of slaughter he carried out in the underground facility, but he was completely soaked in blood from head to toe. A chill ran down the spines of the Lambda Kingdom’s soldiers. They trembled in fear as they witnessed the monster hiding beneath the tight pink spandex. The true nature of the man concealed beneath that absurd outfit was truly terrifying. “Kyuuu! Great job, spand—I mean, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed, making sure he did not say the wrong things. “Job? Not really. I just blew off some steam, man,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he added, “Anyway, I guess we severed an arm off of them.” While it was undoubtedly a significant achievement, Siegfried couldn’t afford to relax just yet. The fact that rulers of great powers were high-ranking members of the Illuminati meant that there was no room for complacency. No, it was more like... this was only the beginning. ‘I need to inform the Continent Religious Council,’ Siegfried thought. He planned to report this information and persuade the religious orders to withdraw from the nations governed by Illuminati members. If left alone, it was only a matter of time before the Illuminati would start oppressing and persecuting the religious orders. “So what do we do now, owner punk?!” “We’re heading back to Proatine for now.” “Kyuuu! Sounds like a plan!” Thus, Siegfried and Hamchi returned to the Proatine Kingdom and relayed the recent events to the Continent Religious Council. After exchanging information with Saintess Janette through the communication crystal, Siegfried locked himself away in his office. “His Majesty looks so adorable.” “D-Don’t laugh! Pfft!” He could walk around wearing the Inverted Hazmat Suit, as it prevented him from emitting his radioactive energy, but he decided not to do so. The appearance of the tight pink spandex made him look so ridiculous that people would start laughing at him whenever he passed by. Thus, he decided to lock himself in his office while contemplating his next course of action. ‘Ah, what a mess. I have so much to do, but my body’s basically a walking radiation hazard. And it’s not like I can go around wearing this stupid bodysuit forever...’ His already tangled thoughts now felt like an even more knotted thread. “The Chief Chamberlain, Metatron, requests an audience with Your Majesty.” Soon, Metatron entered Siegfried’s office. “W-Why are you wearing that ridiculous outfit, sire...?” Metatron asked, his eyes widened in disbelief. “Do you wanna die today?” “Don’t ask anything about it. Not a word. It pisses me off. And don’t laugh, either. I’m sure you know what will happen if I see your teeth, right?” Despite the threat, Metatron barely managed to hold back his laughter. His survival instincts kicked in the moment he was at his limit, and he immediately bowed to show his respect. “A-As you command, sire.” “Anyway, what brings you here? Are you fully recovered now?” “Yes, sire. I was just discharged.” “So, are you heading off to retrieve Michael’s wings again? If that’s the case, no need to report things to me. Just do as you see fit and keep searching for them.” “No, sire. That is not the reason I requested an audience with you.” “I regret to say this but...” Metatron hesitated. Then, he said cautiously, “I am no longer able to carry out any missions for a while. That is why I have come to Your Majesty.” “I recently received news from the Demon Realm and... It seems my father is not doing well.” “He wishes to see me. As unworthy a son I am, I feel it is my duty to visit him. Therefore, I—” Siegfried raised a hand and cut him off, “Hold on a second.” Then, he turned toward a hidden chamber at the back of his office and disappeared inside. Metatron grew uneasy when Siegfried abruptly left the room. ‘Is he... not going to let me go? Well, I suppose it’s not unreasonable that His Majesty doesn't trust me.’ Murmuring to himself, Metatron placed the Demon Sword: Avenger on Siegfried’s office desk. Perhaps if he left this behind, Siegfried would grant him permission to leave? Thirty minutes later... “Did I make you wait too long?” Siegfried asked, emerging from the hidden chamber. “Not at all, Your Majesty,” Metatron replied with a bow. “Here, take this,” Siegfried said, handing a small wooden box. “What is this, sire?” “Open it and see for yourself.” “As you command, sire.” Without much thought, Metatron opened the wooden box. A deep purple gem, known as the Mana Poppy, emitted a mesmerizing glow inside the box. “T-This is...!” Metatron gasped. His eyes widened in shock after recognizing the gem’s identity. This potent mass of dark energy was known among demons as a panacea capable of curing any disease. “B-But why are you giving this to me, sire...?” Metatron stammered. “You’re visiting home after a long time, right? I hope you’re not planning on going empty-handed, are you?” “I’m still your boss, and I can’t just send a subordinate home without a proper gift. And also, you told me your father isn’t doing well, right? Give it to him and be a good son.” “Y-Your Majesty...” Metatron muttered, tearing up