Chapter 91: An Invitation from Sin

After the brief introduction, the atmosphere inside HIVE headquarters shifted from polite formality to something far darker.

Boris gestured toward the corridor.

“Let’s head to the detention wing.”

Indigo nodded calmly.

Angelica followed closely beside him, her white coat flowing softly behind her. The faint golden glow from the Gem of Judgment resting on her ring finger flickered subtly, as if responding to her emotions.

The deeper they walked into the underground facility, the colder the air became.

Steel doors. Reinforced walls. Surveillance cameras mounted at every corner.

HIVE did not take prisoners lightly.

Finally, they arrived in front of a heavily secured cell.

Inside—

Hopper hung from chains bolted into the wall.

Both of his wrists were restrained high above his head, forcing him to stand while barely conscious. His body was covered in bruises. His face was swollen beyond recognition. Blood had dried along his jaw and collar.

He looked utterly broken.

Even keeping his eyes open seemed like a painful task.

Footsteps echoed.

The cell door unlocked with a heavy metallic sound.

Hopper forced his eyelids upward.

The first thing he saw was Boris.

His pupils shrank in terror.

“Yo! Looks like you’re awake again,” Boris said casually.

“p-please… don’t hit me again…”

His voice trembled uncontrollably.

Then another figure stepped forward.

Indigo.

“So this is the one who wanted to kill me?” Indigo asked calmly.

Hopper’s eyes widened in pure horror.

His gaze lifted weakly.

Behind the mask.

Those blue eyes.

Cold.

Unreadable.

A female voice echoed from the side.

“Who dares attempt to kill our leader?”

Angelica stepped forward.

She stood beside Boris, arms crossed, golden eyes staring down at Hopper like a judge passing sentence.

The pressure in the room became suffocating.

Boris’ crimson eyes glowed faintly, predatory and merciless.

Indigo’s blue gaze felt like a blade pressed against Hopper’s throat.

And Angelica’s golden eyes shone with divine authority.

Three monsters stood before him.

Hopper felt certain—

His life would not last much longer.

“P-please… spare me…”

Angelica suddenly bent down and grabbed Hopper by the collar violently.

“How dare you try to kill my Husb— I mean, our leader!”

Her voice was cold.

Without hesitation, she punched him.

Once.

Twice.

Again and again.

Each strike echoed sharply inside the cell.

Blood sprayed from Hopper’s mouth.

Boris turned slightly toward Indigo.

“His name is Hopper. After some… persuasion, he said he belongs to the Seven Deadly Sins.”

Indigo remained silent.

He already knew.

He was simply pretending not to.

Angelica continued striking Hopper mercilessly.

Boris finally intervened.

“Miss Angelica, you should stop. He’ll die if you continue like that.”

Angelica shot Boris a sharp glare.

“You have no right to stop me.”

The air turned tense.

Then Indigo spoke.

“Angelica. Stop.”

The moment Indigo gave the command—

Angelica immediately released Hopper.

She stood up quickly and positioned herself obediently in front of Indigo.

“Yes!”

Her tone softened instantly.

Her eyes sparkled.

Her expression became docile.

’…She looks like a dog with an invisible wagging tail,’ Indigo thought, mildly amused.

Without thinking much, Indigo gently patted her head.

Angelica froze.

Her cheeks flushed bright red.

She lowered her head shyly.

Meanwhile, Hopper collapsed weakly against the chains.

Indigo stepped forward.

He grabbed Hopper by the collar and lifted him slightly.

“Tell me,” Indigo said calmly. “Where are the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins located?”

“I-I know! Just stop torturing me! I’ll tell you!”

“Speak.”

“They’re in Germany! But I don’t know the exact location! After I left the meeting room, I was teleported directly to a city square!”

Hopper’s voice cracked desperately.

His face was already disfigured from Angelica’s punches.

Indigo released his collar.

Hopper fell to the floor limply, restrained only by the chains.

’Even in the webtoon, their exact base location wasn’t revealed,’ Indigo thought carefully.

’Looks like I’ll need to put in more effort.’

Boris observed Indigo’s silence.

“What are you thinking so seriously about?”

“Hm? Ah… nothing.”

’If I remember correctly… soon the German branch of the Hero Association will host a grand celebration in Berlin.’

’Lightnova will definitely attend.’

’…This is becoming troublesome.’

Indigo looked down at Hopper.

He placed his foot slowly on Hopper’s head.

Hopper panicked.

“Agh! W-what are you doing!? Didn’t I tell you—”

Before he could finish—

A dark blue light surged from Indigo’s foot.

There was a brief flash.

Hopper’s head exploded instantly.

Blood and fragments splattered across the concrete floor.

Silence filled the cell.

“Anyone who intends to kill me,” Indigo said coldly, “should die before I do.”

Boris let out a low whistle.

“Wow. You really are merciless.”

Angelica’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

“That’s what I love about Lord Indigo!”

Indigo said nothing.

His eyes remained calm.

But deep inside—

’Germany… Berlin… The celebration… The Seven Deadly Sins…’

Everything was beginning to converge.

*Meanwhile — The Headquarters of the Seven Deadly Sins*

Far away.

Inside a dimly lit chamber.

Aeron suddenly stiffened.

His eyes widened sharply.

He placed a hand over his chest.

“H-Hopper… is dead…”

The room fell into stunned silence.

Every member present froze.

Bahemot slammed his fist onto the table.

“What!? Impossible! Then let’s avenge Hopper immediately!”

“No,” Aeron replied firmly.

“We cannot act recklessly.”

Denove nodded.

“That’s right. If we move carelessly, the world might uncover our existence before our plan is complete.”

Kelva folded his arms, thinking deeply.

“What Denove says is correct. With one member gone, our plan must be delayed. We lack a key component.”

He turned toward Aeron.

“What should we do? Without a replacement, our plan will never reach one hundred percent completion.”

All eyes fell on Aeron.

He closed his eyes briefly.

Then exhaled.

“What if… we recruit Indigo?”

The room went silent again.

Bahemot immediately stood up.

“No! I refuse to accept him into our group!”

Anavel leaned back in her chair, smirking arrogantly.

“You stupid pig. Aeron doesn’t make suggestions without thinking.”

She crossed her legs elegantly.

“Indigo is the one who nearly completed our plan for us. But because we lost Hopper, our probability of success dropped. Recruiting Indigo is better than letting him interfere with us later.”

Bahemot clenched his fists.

“Ugh… but still…”

“Enough,” Aeron interrupted calmly.

“Those in favor of recruiting Indigo, raise your hands. Those against, do nothing.”

Hestina spoke softly.

“If it’s your suggestion~ then I don’t need to think any further~”

She raised her hand.

Kelva nodded.

“It’s risky, but logical.”

He raised his hand.

Denove sighed.

“Unbelievable… but we don’t have many options.”

He raised his hand as well.

Anavel smirked at Bahemot and raised hers.

Bahemot gritted his teeth.

“…You’re all insane.”

But slowly—

He raised his hand too.

Aeron nodded.

“Very well. Since all of you agree… I will send an invitation to Indigo tomorrow.”

His gaze darkened.

“Prepare yourselves. We may soon have a new member.”

“Understood!”

They answered in unison.

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