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Synopsis for the Sin Archbishop of Greed Regulus Corneas from Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World.
Synopsis[]
Background[]
Regulus Corneas was originally a commoner who, during the prime of his life, absorbed the Greed Witch Factor from a small black box. The Witch Factor, which had previously been wielded by the Witch of Greed Echidna, was a mysterious source of power that bequeathed Regulus with an ability called the "Authority of Greed." With his Authority, Regulus could stop time in and around his body, making him impervious to every kind of physical damage. He could also distort the world around him to produce deadly shockwaves of raw power that could slice through anything. However, as his bodily functions essentially ceased while he used the power, Regulus could only use it briefly without dying.
Fortunately for him, Corneas could remove this drawback by passing on the negative affects of his Authority to a member of his "kingdom." A member of his kingdom was someone who Regulus was married to, and as long as he stayed within a certain radius from a wife of his, Regulus's weaknesses were inert. Over the years, Corneas amassed many brides who each obeyed him out of fear rather than love. He eventually began living in a mansion with his brides. The Authority, coupled with his many wives, made Regulus practically invincible and unstoppable. He firmly believed himself to be the most powerful being in the world, which wasn't too far from the truth.
At some point Corneas joined the Witch Cult, an organisation dedicated to revering Satella the Witch of Envy, a figure who nearly destroyed the world some two-to-three centuries before his birth. However, it should be noted that Corneas felt no form of fealty towards the Witch, instead joining for unknown personal reasons. The alleged goal of the cult was to free the Witch for her eternal imprisonment. The Sin Archbishops, who each presided over one of the seven deadly sins and tended to possess Witch Factors correlating to their respective sins, were publicly known as the highest-ranking members of the cult. Regulus, as the representative of Greed, was one of the Sin Archbishops. Due to his Authority, Regulus was considered the most powerful of the Archbishops.
Corneas was acquainted with Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, one of the founders of the cult. Petelgeuse possessed the Sloth Witch Factor, however, as he was not compatible with it he merely kept it on his person instead of absorbing into himself. Whereas Petelgeuse was the leader of a more peaceful faction that existed within the cult, Regulus was the leader of a radical faction that took what it wanted with force. The only person Corneas displayed even a hint of reverence towards was the Witch of Vanity Pandora, the secret leader of the cult. He also followed the orders stated by the Witch Cult Gospel, a religious tome owned by every member of the cult that provided its owner with divinations of the future.
Attacking Elior Forest[]
Some years after Regulus became a Sin Archbishop, Pandora asked him to accompany her to Elior Forest in the Dragonfriend Kingdom of Lugunica. The forest was home to a peaceful village of elves and contained a mysterious seal that Vanity sought to open. To do so, she needed a young half-elf girl named Emilia who was allegedly the child of a Witch and could open the seal. Pandora also employed the assistance of the Black Serpent, a powerful and ancient mabeast. Corneas entered the forest and eventually came across Emilia, who was accompanied by her elven aunt named Fortuna and Archbishop Romanée-Conti.
Regulus Corneas introducing himself to the elven woman Fortuna.
Fortuna and Romanée-Conti instantly noticed Greed's presence and moved in front of Emilia to protect her. Fortuna asked the interloper his identity, prompting Corneas to emerge from the tree he was stood behind. In his typical fashion, Regulus began berating the woman for demanding his name without providing her own first. He believed that by doing so she was looking down on him, completely missing the point that Fortuna was simply wary of his foreboding presence. Corneas continued to babble on about Fortuna's apparent lack of manners, growing more and more irritated with each word he spoke. Fortuna, fearful of Greed's temper, put up a strong emotional front and once again demanded Regulus's name. With a sly smile on his face, the Sin Archbishop named himself and his title.
Romanée-Conti, full of anger, stated that no one other than him was supposed to be involved with the events surrounding Emilia and the seal, and that if he didn't like that, then Regulus should take the decision up at the church. At that moment, Pandora arrived in defense of Corneas, revealing to Romanée-Conti that she had instructed Regulus to come to the forest with her. Pandora stood beside Corneas, who now bore a malevolent smile on his face, in opposition of Romanée-Conti and Fortuna. The confused Romanée-Conti asked Greed why he had come and why the Witch of Vanity was with him, prompting Regulus to snort and lecture the weaker Archbishop about how he shouldn't assume Pandora was accompanying him because he had made her do so, even though Romanée-Conti had never accused him of anything of the sort.
Corneas emerging from Fortuna's powerful ice attack unscathed.
Pandora stepped into the conversation and lightly berated Regulus for only confusing Romanée-Conti further with his nonsensical speeches. Although a criticism of Regulus would usually anger him, Corneas merely bowed to his superior with enjoyment in his face. Lady Pandora ordered Romanée-Conti to hand over the girl and the seal, at which point the rage-filled Fortuna summoned large spikes of ice and sent them hurtling towards the Witch of Vanity. Regulus stepped in front of the Witch of Vanity, shielding her from the massive cascade of ice that hurtled down upon them. Due to his Authority, Regulus was completely unscathed, although his mood worsened as a result of the attack. Romanée-Conti told Fortuna to take Emilia and run, which she did after a brief argument.
Regulus uttered a mocking laugh at the spectacle, as he knew Romanée-Conti's decision would amount to nothing. Corneas reminded his comrade that although he was important to the Cult as one of its founders, Regulus could still kill him for contradicting his will. Romanée-Conti pulled out a small black box from his robe, the same box that had once bestowed the Greed Witch Factor on Corneas years ago. Greed instantly realized that Romanée-Conti intended to absorb the Sloth Witch Factor that resided within the box. Regulus tried to dissuade his colleague by reminding him that he wasn't compatible, however, Romanée-Conti ignored him and assimilated the power into his body. Regulus watched as the Witch Factor took over the Sin Archbishop's body, casting words of disgust upon Romanée-Conti. As the power fully assimilated, Pandora gazed upon Sloth with admiration in her eyes. Regulus, perplexed by his superior's attitude, shot her a quizzical look. The Witch of Vanity pointed at Sloth and warned Corneas that he was coming.
Regulus getting thrown through the air by Petelgeuse's Authority of Sloth.
Before Regulus could discover the meaning behind her words, he felt his body being picked up and flung high into the sky. Regulus, who had been struck by the Authority of Sloth, crashed into the ground some distance away from Pandora and Romanée-Conti. The impact of Greed's landing made the ground tremor, causing large trees to break apart at their roots and fall on top of the Sin Archbishop. Regulus easily burst out of the wooden imprisonment and made his way back to Pandora. Upon arrival, Corneas witnessed the ground imploding and the trees uprooting. Sloth was preparing to use his telekinetic Authority to crush Pandora. As the invisible wave of monumental energy drew nearer to Vanity, Regulus dashed to Pandora's side and saved her once again. The force of Romanée-Conti's attack reverberated off of Regulus, shaping the topography of the forest with its sheer power.
The unscathed Greed was beside himself with anger that Romanée-Conti would force the Witch Factor into his own incompatible body, as he saw such an act as disrespectful to those who rightfully held their Factors such as himself. Sloth pummelled Regulus with consecutive attacks, hoping to pin Greed in place. For sometime, Romanée-Conti continued to unleash his power on Corneas, completely wrecking the landscape and eventually tiring himself out. Regulus, completely unharmed by Sloth's efforts, scornfully laughed at his opponent and suggested that it might be wise to concede. He bluntly explained to Petelgeuse that no opponent could ever hope to harm him, regardless of their strength or skill.
Even after a long fight, Greed remained unaffected by Sloth's barrage.
Regulus waved his hand at Sloth, emitting a temporal shockwave that severed the Sin Archbishop's arm and gouged holes in both of his legs. Corneas reassured Romanée-Conti that he didn't need to feel ashamed of his loss, as against the power of Greed no amount of determination was capable of affording a person with victory. With little emotion in his eyes, Regulus told his opponent that he took no pleasure from the suffering of others. Pandora praised Regulus as a perfect existence, yet also reminded him that the weak were marvellous in their own way. Regulus rebuked her complement, telling her that there had been no need for him and the Black Serpent to accompany her as she shouldn't've struggled to complete the mission by her lonesome.
Pandora explained that she had brought Regulus along so she could observe people fighting earnestly for their goals, and that if she fought them herself, she wouldn't be able to fully appreciate their valour. Regulus brought up the fact that it seemed she merely wanted to see the faces of desperate people backed into a corner, a statement that the Witch playfully agreed with. After sharing a brief smile with his superior, Regulus turned his attention to the dying Sloth on the ground. Before he could do anything to his helpless opponent, Fortuna reappeared and launched a gigantic spear of ice at Greed. The Sin Archbishop expressed his exasperation with his opponents as the large spear landed directly on top of him, cracking the surrounding ground with the force of its impact. Corneas blasted through the ice and furiously berated Fortuna for interrupting him.
Plunging his arms into the ground, Regulus flung soil at the adjacent pair. By bestowing the properties of his Authority on the soil, Regulus turned it into lethal projectiles that would've cut through the pair if Romanée-Conti hadn't moved them out of the way. In the wake of the scattered soil, numerous bullet-like holes caked the environment, causing trees to fall down and boulders to shatter. Corneas was beside himself with anger that his opponents had dared avoid his attack. Before he could launch a second salvo, Pandora ordered him to abate his anger and spare the pair. Having completely forgotten that Pandora was his superior, Regulus tossed a barrage of soil at her, shredding her body into pieces for daring to stoke his rage.
Regulus then turned back to his intended victims who were sharing an emotional moment. Corneas was irritated that despite his numerous displays of power, nobody was paying much attention to him. In response, the pair taunted Regulus by insulting him and giving him the middle finger. Red with rage, Regulus prepared to attack, but was interrupted by Pandora who buried him into the ground with her own Authority. Pandora's Authority of Vanity allowed her to manipulate the course of events, meaning she could essentially manipulate reality on a large scale, allowing her to resurrect herself. Regulus, who was familiar with her Authority, complained about how impossible it seemed to kill her for good.
After being plunged into the ground by Pandora, Greed attempted to object his treatment before being sent away.
The Witch told Regulus she would forgive him for his violent actions, and ordered him to leave immediately. Before Corneas could properly object, Pandora used her Authority to manipulate history so that Regulus had never been present in the forest. Corneas was instantly teleported to his mansion where he was surrounded by his many wives. Pandora continued the mission alone, although she failed to make Emilia open the seal. The young half-elven girl in a fit of emotional rage froze the entire forest including herself, plunging the woods into an eternal wintery slumber. Using her Authority, Pandora made Emilia forget about her past, including her encounter with Regulus and Vanity. Additionally, she was able to drive Petelgeuse insane, firmly placing him under her control.
Desolation of the Fortress City[]
Over time, Corneas increased the amount of wives he had to well over two-hundred and used his might to commit several atrocities in the name of the Witch Cult. Together with Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, whose experiences in Elior Forest had driven him to act in servitude to the radical side of the Witch Cult, Greed became one of the Witch Cult's two most infamous Archbishops. Whereas Romanée-Conti became well known due to the sheer amount of atrocities he committed, Corneas became dreaded because of the sheer scale of the atrocities he committed.
Around eighty-five years after his attack on Elior Forest, Greed launched an assault on the Fortress City Gacklar. Gacklar was a heavily fortified border city in the Holy Empire of Volakia, a nation well known for its military strength. His goal was believed to be the acquisition of a metia (magical device) that had supposedly once belonged to one of the Witches of Sin. The metia was allegedly going on auction and the Witch Cult, which sought the eradication of everything related to the Witches other than Satella, decided to act regardless of whether the rumors were true or not.
Corneas single-handedly toppled the strong walls of Gacklar and decimated the entire garrison of the Fortress City, which consisted of thousands of soldiers. Eight-Arms Kurgan, an exceptionally powerful warrior heralded as a legendary hero in Volakia, met Greed in single combat and was slain. The level of power Corneas had demonstrated in the Fortress City shocked the world and changed the status quo. Henceforth, it became taboo to mention the Witches of Sin in public out of fear that the Witch Cult would repeat what they had accomplished in the destruction of Gacklar.
Attack on the convoy[]
Regulus standing in the path of oncoming ground dragon carriages.
Fifteen years later (in the present day), Regulus was wandering down Lifaus Highway, a long country-side road located in the Kingdom of Lugunica, when he noticed the approach of a military convoy moving injured soldiers back to Lugunica's capital. The caravan in question was ferrying the remains of the White Whale, a formidable mabeast that had terrorised the world for centuries before recently being slain. Deciding to attack the carriages, Regulus used his Authority of Greed to fire a massive blast of destructive energy that decimated the transports at the head of the convoy in an instant. The gathered warriors were instantly alerted by the sudden attack and began preparing their weapons for battle. The leader of the convoy, a beautiful woman with grass-green hair, ordered the transport she was riding in to run Corneas over as he stood smiling nonchalantly in the middle of the road. Before the carriage could reach Greed, he used his Authority to obliterate the leader's carriage and devastate several other transports in the process. With the quick reflexes of a blue-haired beauty, the convoy's leader was able to evacuate her transport before its utter annihilation. Corpses, upturned dirt, debris, and a red mist of blood all caked the air around Corneas as he confronted the caravan's leader.
Regulus revealing to Crusch Karsten that he knew her identity.
Regulus instantly recognized the woman leading the convoy as Duchess Crusch Karsten, one of the five candidates to become the forty-second ruler of Lugunica. With a mockingly casual tone, Corneas complained to Karsten for trying to run him over when he was merely standing in the middle of the road, readily showcasing his lack of reflection on his actions. Karsten, with fury and confusion in her resolute voice, sternly condemned Greed's brutal actions before demanding to know his identity. In response to Crusch's brazing question, Corneas began making idle chit-chat about her identity and how difficult it must be for her to have the weight of a nation placed on her shoulders. Karsten, whose mood was worsened by Regulus's response, once again demanded to know who her assailant was while drawing her sword and warning him that he would only have one more chance to speak. The Sin Archbishop shrugged his shoulders and continued to prattle about the weight of responsibility and why he would never want such concerns for himself. Without hesitation, Crusch, having had her demand ignored, trained a powerful blast of wind magic famed for its lethality on the Archbishop. The faces of Karsten and the blue-haired woman accompanying her froze up in shock upon seeing the blast of magical energy dissipate before reaching its target.
Regulus was infuriated by Crusch's attempt to wound him while he was talking.
Gazing at the pair of women before him while pushing his hair up in irritation, Regulus began lecturing Crusch on having the audacity required to attack someone when they were in the middle of talking. Pausing for a moment, Corneas found himself even further irritated that neither of the women provided him with a response. Feeling as though his personal rights as a human were being violated, the Sin Archbishop of Greed succumbed to his discontent and released a wave of energy that cleanly sliced Crusch's left arm off. The duchess crumpled into the arms of the blue-haired girl who immediately began tending to her wound with healing magic. Just then, a new figure in the form of a grubby youth entered the fray. Corneas knew the boy as Lye Batenkaitos, one of the three Sin Archbishops that currently represented the sin of Gluttony. While Regulus had been talking with Crusch, Batenkaitos had been laying waste to the soldiers of the convoy that had tried to come to her aid. As he lumbered over to the gathering, Gluttony began rambling about the excellent feast he had just experienced from devouring the soldiers. With no small amount of fear in her voice, the blue-haired girl asked her dual assailants their identities. The Sin Archbishops locked eyes with one another and nodded, conveying to each other that they should go along with the girl's request. Both bearing sadistic smiles, Regulus Corneas and Lye Batenkaitos introduced themselves as Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult.
Regulus telling Rem that he didn't lead the same self-indulgent lifestyle as Gluttony.
Batenkaitos began talking about how high his expectations for the warriors of the convoy had been, as he expected the soldiers who had slain his pet, the White Whale, to be truly formidable. Fortunately for him, Lye was not disappointed, as the feast the soldiers had proven exceeded his hopes. Corneas was disgusted by Lye's remarks, as he hypocritically failed to comprehend why Gluttony couldn't be satisfied with what he had and why he couldn't keep his desires in check. Batenkaitos, after shirking off Regulus's lecture, explained to the blue-haired girl that, while he considered the White Whale his pet, he had attacked the caravan because he had wanted a great feast rather than out of vengeance. As Lye continued to ramble, the blue-haired girl turned back to Regulus as if to ascertain his motives and peculiarities. Corneas waved his arm in dismissal and assured the girl that his cravings weren't anywhere near as demanding as his co-conspirator's, although he did reveal to the beautiful young woman that, even in the sorry state she was in, he would happily take her as his own. Greed continued to explain that he hated fighting, didn't have any grand aspirations, and would be happy if the world remained at peace if it meant he could protect the material wealth he owned. Evidently, Corneas did not understand or care how much his behaviour portrayed the exact opposite of his statement.
Greed irritated that Rem intended to fight him despite his expressed wishes.
In response to Regulus's dramatic words, the young woman finished tending to the unconscious Karsten before readying her flail and converting her little remaining magical energy into icicles that floated around her head. Seeing her intention to fight, Regulus wore an expression of anger because his opinions were once again being ignored, considering he had just told the young woman that he hated combat. Her demeanour resolute, the blue-haired girl warned the Sin Archbishops that a man she considered to be a hero would one day deliver justice upon them. Rather than being perturbed by the girl's words, Batenkaitos became excited by the prospect of a worthwhile feast. With her pride flaring, the girl introduced herself as Rem, the head maid of Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers's mansion and the caretaker of the man she considered to be the hero who would one day defeat the Witch Cult—Subaru Natsuki. Once again telling them to prepare themselves for the oncoming storm that Natsuki would prove, Rem ignited her horn that indicated her as a member of the endangered demon species and began her courageous assault on the Sin Archbishops.
Regulus dispersing Rem's ice magic attack with his Authority.
The young maid fired a barrage of icicles at both Sin Archbishops simultaneously, an attack that, in Regulus's case, was easily dispersed with a smile on his face. Batenkaitos, who was eager to face the young woman, attacked her from above with a quick flurry of strikes. Corneas stood and watched Rem slowly being overwhelmed by the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony with a content smile. Although he didn't initially take action himself, Greed eventually used the power of his Authority to land a powerful blow on Rem. With his opponent stunned, Batenkaitos was given a clear opening to descend upon Rem and use his own Authority. The Authority of Gluttony allowed its wielder to devour a victim's name and memories. If the name was devoured, the victim would be forgotten by the world. If the memories were eaten, the victim would become amnesiac. If both the name and memories were devoured, the victim would be forgotten by the world and they would fall into a coma-like state. Rem, unfortunate as it was, had both her name and memories devoured. Lye proceeded to use his Authority on every soldier remaining alive, essentially meaning there were no proper witnesses to their deeds. Crusch Karsten's memory was eaten in the process. Having emerged victorious, Regulus Corneas and Gluttony left the area before reinforcements arrived.
Attack on the Water Gate City[]
Around a year after attacking Crusch Karsten's convoy, Regulus Corneas's Gospel instructed him to take part in a large scale Witch Cult operation alongside the other Sin Archbishops. The goal of the mission was to retrieve the remains of the Witch of Pride Typhon, which were interred somewhere in the beautiful city of Pristella. Pristella was one of the five great cities of Lugunica, characterized by its abundance of canals that flowed through the city. It was often called the "Water Gate City" due to a set of four essential gates that mediated the flow of water throughout the city.
Corneas was incentivized to participate in the Pristella operation by his Gospel, which stated that the empty bridal slot left by Fortuna would be filled in the Water Gate City. The Witch Cult's plan was to seize four control towers located throughout Pristella that were responsible for the operation of the four water gates. By taking control of the gates, the Witch Cult could manipulate the flow of water in Pristella and potentially flood the whole city. With the threat of destruction, the cultists would be able to pressure the people of the Water Gate City into handing over the remains of Typhon.
Before the operation's start, Regulus Corneas entered Pristella with his wives. The day prior to the scheduled attack, Greed went for a walk in the picturesque city. He bumped into a beautiful young-looking half-elven woman by chance who, unbeknownst to Corneas, was actually Emilia grown up. Emilia likewise had no recollection of the Sin Archbishop due to amnesia. Greed was instantly captivated by Emilia's beauty and decided to make her his bride. He apologised for bumping into her and began praising her appearance while reminiscing about Fortuna.
A young man with Emilia, named Subaru Natsuki, put himself between her and the suspicious Sin Archbishop. Emilia reprimanded Natsuki for being rude to Corneas and they exchanged a polite farewell. Greed stared at Emilia unflinchingly as her and Natsuki walked away. The following day, Regulus Corneas took control of the control tower located in the city's third district while the other Archbishops took the other towers. The third district tower conveniently had an adjacent chapel that Greed decided to use to host his next wedding.