The moment Arwen asked that question—
Silence fell across the rooftop.
Hundreds of identical Arwens surrounded the building from every direction like a swarm of predators cornering wounded prey.
The night air itself felt heavy.
Anika tightened her grip around Lady Godspell while Kane instinctively stepped forward protectively despite his injuries.
Mathew said nothing.
His blue eyes simply stared at Arwen calmly.
Arwen narrowed his eyes behind the smile on his face.
“…So it was you.”
Mathew remained silent.
Arwen chuckled lightly.
“That spatial movement just now… impressive.”
His gaze slowly sharpened.
“For a child.”
Lady Godspell immediately realized something was wrong.
Arwen’s attention had completely shifted toward Mathew.
Not Anika.
Not Kane.
Mathew.
And the killing intent radiating from him became far more intense than before.
So the Pope truly sent him specifically for Mathew…
Lady Godspell clenched her teeth.
Arwen slowly stepped forward while all his clones moved alongside him simultaneously.
“Tell me something, kid.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“How does someone like you even exist?”
Mathew finally spoke.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Arwen laughed.
“Hah… fearless too.”
The clones surrounding the rooftop all raised their swords at once.
“You know, I originally planned to make your death quick.”
His smile widened darkly.
“But after seeing that little trick of yours…”
A terrifying wave of soul essence erupted from his body.
“I think I’ll enjoy killing you slowly.”
The pressure alone made the rooftop crack beneath their feet.
Anika’s face paled.
Kane instinctively released soul essence from his core to resist the pressure, but even then sweat rolled down his face.
A transcended being…
It was overwhelming.
Miss Irene weakly forced herself upward despite the sword wounds all over her body.
“…Run…”
Blood spilled from her lips.
“Mathew… Anika… run…”
Mathew’s fists slowly tightened.
Arwen noticed immediately and smirked.
“Oh?”
“You’re angry.”
Mathew’s expression darkened further as he looked at Miss Irene’s condition.
The woman who raised him…
The woman he considered his mother…
Was barely alive.
Around him, the orphanage burned.
The bodies of children and nuns littered the ground below.
Something inside him began to crack.
Arwen suddenly vanished.
BOOM!
The rooftop exploded apart as the real Arwen appeared directly before Mathew, sword already descending toward his neck.
CLANG!
A black spear intercepted the strike.
Lady Godspell coughed blood violently while forcing herself to block the attack despite lacking both arms.
Using pure soul essence, she manipulated the broken remains of her spear telekinetically.
“Take them and run!” she shouted desperately.
Arwen clicked his tongue before kicking her away effortlessly.
Lady Godspell crashed through part of the rooftop.
Anika screamed.
“Lady Godspell!”
The surrounding clones immediately surged forward.
Miss Irene gritted her teeth and slammed both hands against the rooftop.
Darkness exploded outward.
Hundreds of black chains erupted into the air, wrapping around dozens of clones before tearing them apart simultaneously.
But even that wasn’t enough.
There were too many.
Arwen walked calmly through the destruction toward Mathew.
“You know what your problem is, kid?”
He pointed his sword lazily.
“You’re weak.”
Those words made Kane freeze.
Anika froze too.
But Mathew…
Mathew simply lowered his head slightly.
Arwen continued speaking.
“You formed a Divine core yet you can’t even protect the people around you.”
Another clone threw a corpse onto the rooftop.
It was one of the younger orphans.
Dead.
“You can’t save your mother.”
Another corpse landed nearby.
“You can’t save your friends.”
Another.
“And tonight—”
Arwen smiled cruelly.
“You’ll watch every single person here die.”
Something snapped.
A massive pulse of golden soul essence burst from Mathew’s body.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire rooftop exploded outward.
Everyone widened their eyes.
The pressure coming from Mathew suddenly became unnatural.
Not overwhelming like Arwen’s.
No—
It felt wrong.
As if something that should not exist had suddenly awakened.
The clones around him began trembling violently.
Some even collapsed entirely.
Arwen’s smile slowly disappeared.
Golden radiance leaked from Mathew’s body in unstable waves while faint traces of purple flickered within the light.
The air warped around him.
Space itself distorted uncontrollably.
Anika stared at him in shock.
“Mathew…”
Even Kane unconsciously stepped backward.
For the first time since arriving—
Arwen looked serious.
“What… are you?”
Mathew slowly raised his head.
His blue eyes now carried faint golden traces within them.
And when he spoke—
His voice sounded colder than ever before.
“You talk too much.”
In the next instant—
He disappeared.
Arwen’s eyes widened.
FAST.
Too fast.
Mathew suddenly appeared directly in front of him and drove his fist into Arwen’s stomach.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The impact distorted space itself.
Arwen coughed blood violently as his body shot across the orphanage grounds, tearing through multiple buildings before crashing into the far courtyard.
Every clone froze simultaneously.
Kane’s eyes widened completely.
He sent a transcended being flying with pure physical force?!
Dust and debris filled the night sky.
Far away within the rubble—
Arwen slowly stood back up.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
But instead of anger—
He smiled.
Then laughed.
A deep unsettling laugh.
“Hahahaha…”
His soul essence exploded outward violently.
“Now THIS is interesting!”
The ground beneath him shattered.
Arwen wiped the blood from his lips while staring at Mathew with burning excitement.
“So the Pope was right…”
He raised his sword slowly.
“You really are a monster.”