Rayen couldn't believe his ears.
There lay the guy that he had hated for so long, right in front of an attack that would definitely disable for him for enough time that he would be able to make sure that each and every part of his body would be ground to dust in order to ensure that he would definitely be dead, but what he said presented a possibility that was significant enough that he had no option but to pause.
What if each and every action of his so far had been to alienate himself from the Heroes of Angaria, to make him a viable candidate to be approached by the Church?
A Hero's mind could function much faster than that of all others in all the lower realms on the continent, and even though there was only a split second during which Rayen gave Bartholomew the benefit of the doubt, he had enough time to comprehend the meaning of his words, and think about all the possibilities behind them.
The problem here was that if he took any longer, it was possible that Bartholomew could capitalize on the chance and launch a counter-attack which might be as inexplicable as all the attacks he had shown so far.
In that case, there would be no one else to blame but him for falling for the oldest trick in the book.
He knew that he couldn't depend on the king, either, who was definitely not quick enough to be able to react. Even if he was a Champion, there was no way that his mind would be able to work fast enough to allow him to make a decision.
However… Once again surprising him and making him feel like he should smack his forehead for once more doing the same thing he promised that he wouldn't do ever again, the King gave him a clear message.
"Keep the attack close, close enough that there won't be any chance of him trying anything. But give him a chance to speak. Ask him what I ask."
If he had known that Daneel was in command of a technique which would be able to practically slow down time for him, then Rayen might have started to consider giving up his career and just retiring so that he wouldn't have to handle all the emotions that flooded his mind.
Indeed, Daneel had used the Basilisk's Breath, and he had had enough time to think it out.
After getting past the shock, the most pressing thing was to decide whether there was a chance of what Bartholomew was saying being true, and if there was, to decide what he should do about it.
In fact, the former was more important than the latter, and after assessing all the information that Daneel knew about him, and what he had seen about him so far, he reached the same conclusion as Rayen.
The biggest factor that was inclining him to think in that way was that he had met the Head, and the man had not struck him as someone who would fall so easily for such a plan, just like Bartholomew had said.
Yet, Daneel had thought that hope must have blinded his eyes, yet now, hearing of this possibility, he couldn't help but consider it.
Only… There was another unanswered question.
This was supposed to be just a fight where Rayen was taking out his grudge on Bartholomew. In that case, how had he known that he should say this if he wanted to save his life?
Funnily enough, the answer to this was the simplest, as it regarded something that Daneel didn't know yet about the Hero who was under his service.
Bartholomew didn't even have to answer this, as Rayen sent it as soon as Daneel posed the question.
"I expect that he is using the fact that I'm pretty well-known for my disdain against the Church. Back when we fought them and made them leave the continent, I was the one who took risks the most to ensure victory, mainly because I just don't like those scum wanting to invade our home. Anyone who has seen everything that has happened so far would be able to put two and two together and see that Bartholomew's with the church, and anyone who is as vehement as me in their position against the Church would definitely target him."
Well, at least that cleared something up.
It was a good thing that Daneel's subordinate who had been chosen almost out of chance had such a character. Daneel hadn't investigated too much about him before, as it hadn't concerned him at the time.
Putting that aside for now, they got to the specifics of the situation, which was to find out whether there was any proof behind what Bartholomewasre saying.
If there was… It would change everything.
The main thing that indicated that it was not true was what had happened just before this. Daneel really had been about to die. At that stage, even if he had survived by some Hero coming to save him, he would have had to go into a coma just like the Mad Doctor for a long, long time, with it being uncertain whether he would ever awaken.
This didn't fit at all with the intention of the Head to make him enter the Big Four and allow him to train so that he could become another cornerstone for Angaria.
Only one of these could be true - either the Head had been faking it all along, and Bartholomew was his subordinate, or Bartholomew was lying, and the Head really didn't care about him.
Daneel couldn't think of a third one… But as Rayen asked the question to Bartholomew, he received it.
"I took a few liberties, alright?! The Head entered that formation, and it would have seen fake if he was really not blocked from everything outside. So, that part was true, with the only thing not being true was that I managed to trick him all alone. Our agreement was that I would arrange for someone to step in to save that kid before it got too bad, but I made an executive decision. I decided that if that happened, I might not be able to gain the exact amount of trust that I wanted, so for the good of the continent, I decided that one sacrifice was fine. The kid would die, and I would be welcomed with open arms into the Church. After that… By knowing all of their internal movements, our victory would be much more certain. It was all for Angaria! Rayen, I know you hate the Church as much as anyone else, but in me, for reasons that only the Head knows, that hate runs much deeper. Everything so far was leading up to this, in many ways. In fact, you wouldn't believe me if I said that I was actually recruited back when I entered the Big Four, itself! No one else knows this! The Head wanted it to be that secret, but now, I have no choice. I was even chosen to become a Hero with the help of the Head, who made it so that there would be no other candidates. Just think about it. Hasn't it been just a bit too smooth sailing for me? It was all fake! And this is the final step! Don't ruin it! Whatever reason you have for wanting to kill me, I ask that you put it aside! I don't know how you gained this much power, but I am ready to swear a repetitive oath that I will hold my silence regarding it! Just spare my life so that I can finish my life's goal!"
By the end of his passionate statement, Bartholomew had fallen to his knees, and he was holding his skull in his hands.
There was something both sympathetic and chilling about the sight of someone holding their own bony skull in their hands, and as Daneel watched it, he couldn't help but feel creeped out, and it wasn't even the first time since he had been introduced to someone as unique as this person.
Obviously, he had no idea that Daneel was behind all this, so he was thinking about everything from someone who only knew that he was being targeted by Rayen for some or the other reason. For them, Daneel would seem like an inconsequential piece, who could be killed if it meant that they would be able to infiltrate the Church better.
As he heard it all, Daneel had to admit… That it was logical.
It was entirely possible that Bartholomew might have made a decision on his own without the Head knowing, and that everything he was saying might be true.
But… What was Daneel supposed to do?
The most obvious way to confirm everything was to ask the Head, but that was impossible, as he would be able to instantly tell that something was off. A repetitive oath was one where a Hero would keep swearing the oath at regular intervals so that it could be made sure that they wouldn't be able to overcome it, and it was the most fool-proof way beside the Artifact left behind by the Emperor to ensure something from a Hero.
If it was just Bartholomew, because he was in this weak position, he was ready to do something like that. But if the Head was brought into this, he would want to find out each and everything to make sure that whatever the reason behind Rayen's power, was not a threat to Angaria, and Daneel really didn't want his power exposed to that man, even though every indication so far was that he was someone to be trusted.
It wasn't because he was paranoid - it was just that it was too damn risky, and he couldn't justify taking that risk at the moment.
What to do? He knew that he certainly not powerful enough, yet, to be able to overpower the Head with Rayen's help like he was doing with Bartholomew, so he had to make a decision right now based on only all the things he knew at the moment.
Daneel gave himself a brief moment and went through the other steps of his plan. They were very important, too, and he didn't want them to be disturbed in any way.
And that… Was when something occurred to him.
As he sent a message to Rayen, the Hero asked a question.
"If the two of you thought of so much, then it must also have been obvious that you'll be thrown into prison after this. How does that gel into your plan? How can you infiltrate the Church if you're locked up?"
To this, the skull answered with an eerie smile.
"That… is because the both of us know something about the Church that is not common knowledge. In the Church, power is all about sacrifice. Those who are ready to sacrifice the most for the Church, will be granted the most power, and it has been so ever since the organisation was set up. In fact, it is one of the most core commandments, but it is a hidden one, because followers are supposed to be able to arrive at it on their own. After all, forced sacrifice has no value. I cannot tell you how I know this, but our plan is that because my imprisonment will be a sacrifice, when I'm outside, I will receive a much higher position among the Church, because I will have fully earned it."
As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but actually… Burst out laughing.
It was, in fact, perfect.
Without any more thoughts, he sent the final message to Rayen, who smiled and declared, "Alright, then. I don't know if what you're saying is real, and I don't care. But either way, you'll have to be imprisoned, so why not just spend that time in a coma, instead? Sweet dreams!"
The last two words were said in an amused tone, and at the same moment, realising what was going to happen, the eye sockets in the skull lit up brightly with shock.
It was too late, though. That massive blade of darkness went through Bartholomew, making him fall to the ground, motionless, which was followed by Rayen moving forward and making a very precise strike from his shoulders to his waist, almost cutting him in half.
This was followed by another strike- this one to the head, and the skull was cracked apart in three different places.
With each injury, though, formations which were very similar to what the Mad Doctor had engraved onto his body to ensure his survival sprang up, which made Daneel understand that this was actually common among Heroes.
To anyone who watched the scene, it would seem as if Bartholomew was dead, but after watching for little while, they would realise that his chest was still slowly moving up and down.
With their job done, Rayen appeared in the small underground cave that Daneel had made for himself.
He had a very satisfied smile on his face, and seeing it, Daneel couldn't help but mirror it.
After that, though, he spoke with seriousness.
"Great work. But it's time to finish this whole thing, now."
As Rayen heard this, he nodded, and both of them disappeared.
…
The next day, Ashahell was calmly meditating in his prison as always.
However, suddenly, two Heroes barged into his room and cast a spell that made him feel as if his entire body were being crushed from all sides.
"You are to face the High Council for the crime of secretly escaping your imprisonment and almost killing the Hero named as Bartholomew on behalf of the Church which had contracted him."
As shock raced through Ashahell's mind, at the same moment, five Heroes had gathered in front of a certain villa in the Sect of Hedon.
"Inside is the infiltrator from the Church who broke out Ashahell and put him back in. That Rayen should really be commended for interrupting the fight where the objective was to clearly kill Bartholomew so that the Church's secrets might be conserved. Hehe, that should warn all the others who might want to go to the Church. Help them, and they'll kill you to cover their tracks! Either way, prepare well to take this guy down. I can't believe he managed to sneak in under our noses! If it hadn't been for Bartholomew spitting out his identity out of spite to Rayen before he went into a coma, we would never have known! Let's take him alive!"