The Annihilation Gang was a faction that worshipped the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook. As a whole, they were quite powerful, consisting of multiple Saints and numerous Masters. It was already impressive for a faction or Legacy Clan to have a single Saint in their ranks, so the Annihilation Gang was particularly formidable.
However, they weren't truly a single coalition. From what Sunny knew, the Ever-Flame Mansion — the branch that Constance is from, along with four other Saints — used to be in conflict with another branch known as the Jepella Brotherhood, which consisted of anthropomorphic mammals.
Sunny wasn't too sure how any portion of humanity evolved in such a manner, but he was too stunned to even want to know.
The Jepella Brotherhood was no more, however, disappearing into cosmic history. The events that led to it's downfall was complicated, and wasn't associated with Sunny's current predicament.
The only thing that must be known was that since the Jepella Brotherhood was an archenemy of the Ever-Flame Mansion, the latter branch grew in power after the former's collapse.
Now, Sunny was staring down a Saint from that same group, snitching on Kurt like a sibling trying to avoid punishment from his mother. One that just happens to be hotter than hell…
'…Why am I more lustful than scared? Am I an idiot?'
In all honesty, he wasn't particularly afraid. One, Mongrel was a Stellaron Hunter. Even a Saint would think twice before harming him. Of course, if they wanted to draw the ire of two Saints like Kafka and Blade, they were free to try. Either way, as long as they didn't have a Stellaron on them, then they were relatively safe from the infamous group of criminals.
Two, supposedly, the Jepella Brotherhood's downfall was brought by the Stellaron Hunters. Sunny wasn't too sure if that was true or not, but either way, it was possible for Constance to hold a fraction of good will to him. After all, if the Stellaron Hunters had gotten rid of the Ever-Flame Mansion's nemesis, then there was no real need for conflict, was there?
And three… well, how could Sunny feel like he was in danger when he was blessed with such a beautiful sight?!
'Am I drooling? Good thing I'm wearing my mask…'
Constance radiated the perfect blend of elegance, seductiveness, and danger. Her horns and tail enhanced her devilish demeanor, entrancing others until they fell into a vicious trap as she toyed with them for her own amusement.
Sunny could immediately tell that this lady was the sadistic type, and would kill him if it brought her even a modicum of pleasure.
But she won't. First of all, it wouldn't bring her pleasure. He done her a favor, allegedly. Both by being a part of the small group of individuals that probably started the Jepella Rebellion, and by catching a troublemaker that was going to cause her business to take a hit. He wasn't too sure how her mind worked, but there was a high probability that she wouldn't harm someone who did her a favor.
Secondly, she would probably grant him an reward, or something similar. In the criminal world — or just the world as a whole — when one scratched your proverbial back, you did the same. In the underground scene, not doing someone a favor after they did you one is a good way to get them to turn their back on you when it matter most.
How did Sunny know this? Why, he practically exploited gangs on the daily back in the day!
'Oh, the good old days… uh, actually, they were pretty bad, huh?'
As Sunny contemplated the lacking positive sides to poverty, Constance deliberately raised her hand to her lip in a playful manner.
"Is that so? That won't do… won't do at all. Kurt, my dear, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Faced with the dangerous glint in her eyes, Kurt struggled to put his words together. Before he could, though, Constance continued:
"Oh? You were sent by Valor to sabotage one of our sources of income? How vile. How underhanded. How despicable."
Despite the offended and furious nature of her words, the beautiful Saint spoke with a pleasant smile playing upon her lips, clearly showing her enjoyment as Kurt squirmed in Sunny's grip.
Raising her delicate fingers, an azure blaze spawned in her palm. The people watching the confrontation stepped back, bothered by the immense heat that was brought on by the small flame. Sunny himself could clearly feel the warmth emanating from the fire… and he was confident that she was putting in effort to not immediately burn everything in a ten kilometer radius.
"It's a shame, Shadow Blade Kurt, but it seems that your talents will be lost forever… and unfortunately, your Sovereign, or even his Saints won't blink an eye…"
Her melancholic words became eerie as her grin threatened to split her face. As Sunny listened, his face, hidden behind Weaver's Mask darkened.
'Shadow Blade? Does he have a shadow-related Aspect? What's a Sovereign? And their Saints…'
As Sunny began to draw a conclusion — one that was quite horrific if true — he remembered what he came here for. If Kurt truly had an Aspect connected to shadows, then devouring his soul with Ghastly Hunger would be an astounding boon!
So, he interjected before Constance could burn the man to ashes. With a dark chuckle, he asked:
"My Lady, could you take a moment to look upon the masses? Why don't I offer them a show?"
Constance's gaze lingered on Sunny for a moment, before smiling with intrigue as she snapped her fingers, dismissing the azure flame with theatrical effects.
"Oh? I'm listening, dearest Mongrel."
Sunny shivered a little under his indifferent persona, slightly entranced. Snapping out of it, he answered:
"Why not allow Kurt and I to settle this with a fight to death? I would hate to make you go through the trouble of handling pest control. I won't even use my Aspect. Just my bare hands."
Lies, lies, and more lies. The first sentence was a question, so as long as it was straightforward, it wasn't really a truth or lie. He couldn't care less if she had to kill some pests, but he would care if he couldn't get Kurt's soul. And Sunny was certainly going to use his Aspect. His hands weren't bare either, since they were encased with the Mantle of the Underworld. Wouldn't save Kurt from a beatdown.
Constance had a curious expression as she crossed her arms, deep in thought. Sunny stared at the way her assets were pushed up, but fortunately, nobody could tell thanks to the endless darkness of the mask's eye sockets.
'How fortunate I am to be adopted by the Daemon of Fate… did Weaver use his mask in the same way?'
Being able to appreciate such exquisite beauty without fear of social repercussions was something that Sunny would forever cherish.
Constance's lips curled upwards as she licked them in interest, causing Sunny to internally squeal.
Who the hell said he needed to get away from crazy women?
It wasn't him! It had to be some other lunatic!
"What an interesting suggestion! And, if you were to win, what would you request, Mongrel? Of course, little Kurt will be allowed to run along with his life."
Sunny watched as the crazed man's eyes glimmered with hope. How sad, really. It was going to get crushed in the ring by a man who supposedly wasn't using his Aspect.
Sunny chuckled as he looked through the catalog of things he could ask from Constance. Memories, Echoes, Soul Shards, or even her direct assistance. Honestly, there was so many things he could choose.
He vaguely recalled one of Veliona's books, where in a familiar situation to this one, the male lead confidently pointed towards the female lead as he stated his request.
What a joke! If he tried that, Sunny might actually get his head lobbed off. Or burnt to a crisp. That was certainly not what he wanted.
Not what he wanted…
Sunny paled as his eyes widened. He recalled how the [Simple Trick] enchantment of Weaver's Mask would reverse his Flaw. Right now, the truth would be a powerful Memory or Echo, one that a Saint deemed worthy to carry around. A lie would be the exact thing that he didn't want, as it would lead to a bad result.
And so, not wanting to remove the mask and expose his identity, while also running out of time to create a new answer as the pressure of his Flaw peaked, Sunny resisted the urge to cry as he casually hummed.
"You."