Corrupted Draconic Bloodline
One Hour since the Last Death (Ten Deaths)
A sepulchral silence preceded the revelatory presentation of the perverse woman. The words of the Archbishop of Lust had reverberated violently in the ears of those present in Farsale Square. In a deep state of shock, the hostages of the cruel woman watched her with looks devoid of understanding, completely empty stares. Even Subaru and Utada, foreigners in that kingdom, were aware that only one family could bear the Lugunica family name.
Lugunica is the name of the Dragon Kingdom, the name of one of the four great countries of that world, located to the east of the great continent that makes it up. Lugunica is also the name of the capital of the kingdom, the Royal Capital, Lugunica, at the top of which stands the Royal Castle, home of the monarchy for centuries. Lugunica is also the family name of that royal lineage entitled to the throne of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica.
The kingdom's monarchy, Lugunica, is now extinct. That was one of the first political issues of the kingdom that Subaru learned as he wandered among merchants, artisans and blacksmiths, looking for a partner with whom to establish a company that would give life to the ideas brought from his world that fluttered in his head. First of all, the disappearance of the royal blood, the one with which the pact with the Divine Dragon Volcanica had been forged, was the catalyst for the Royal Selection in which Subaru had unwittingly found himself embroiled...
First were Emilia and Felt, the two girls without a family name who, with their contrary personalities, marked the beginning of the convulsive path that he had resolved to follow. Both of them, little more than a month after overcoming his first death event, a result strictly dependent on the aid of the Sword Saint, had been announced as candidates for the throne. Subaru could not be sure how much their encounter with Reinhard Van Astrea had changed the fate of both of them, and whether this had been decisive for their candidacy in the Royal Selection.
Following that fated encounter, Subaru and his colleague, Leith Hendar, were called before Anastasia Hoshin, a visionary businesswoman from Kararagi, Lugunica's neighboring country, for a meeting that would change the course of their lives. Unbeknownst to him, Subaru would be changing the course of the Royal Selection once again. For it really mattered not what he did or did not do, his destiny, inevitably, was to meet at least one of the candidates and form a relationship that would irrevocably change the fate of the kingdom and the rest of that world.
Ultimately this business relationship led to an event that sooner or later would have taken place, the deal between Crusch Karsten and Anastasia Hoshin. Once again, Subaru crossed paths with one of the candidates, however, unlike the previous three, Subaru was unable, due to his weaknesses, to positively influence her fate. As a result, the fifth candidate for the throne disappeared from history itself.
Perhaps, if this very thing had never transpired, Anastasia would never have decided to gather together with the three remaining candidates at the Royal Castle. After all, this event had served as the very foundation for the meeting to take place. Would it have forestalled the emergence of the dangerous Witch Cult? Subaru could only wonder...
Having gone off on a tangent, as if adrift in his own stream of thoughts, Subaru was forced to regain control of his mind. He had realized something and believed he had come to a shocking conclusion, this had caused him to relive the events he had gone through after his arrival in that world. After all, the truth was that the Royal Selection in large part had been the catalyst for all that he had come to suffer. Without it, perhaps his life in that world would have been a peaceful one; incomplete, meaningless and mediocre, but peaceful, nonetheless.
If the royal family had never become extinct, perhaps his life would have been a quieter one, away from the terrible pain of death. Perhaps he would never have been transported to that world in the first place. Subaru had never delved too deeply into the reasons why he was there, but that did not imply that he had never wondered about it. Of course, these doubts were soon quelled by more weighty problems.
Yet, now that he thought about it, now that he was in an unusual moment of adrenaline-fueled lucidity, he had come to the realization that he had ignored a lot of important details. Fate was playing with him, constantly placing him in the path of the royal candidates, was that just a coincidence?
What had Anastasia said about Felt? Subaru wondered. "... It seems royal blood runs through that girl's veins. Granted, considerin' that she comes from the slums, those intransigent old-fashioned nobles will never accept it. Is it really worth it to fixate on unimportant details like that? The results alone should be of importance, nothin' else; due to the obsolete ideas of those old men, the country is in its present state..." It had been during the trip to Priestella. At the time Subaru had not given it much importance, and subsequently it had become a corrupted unimportant detail in the vast sea of his memory, overshadowed by the pain of torture.
But now that his brain was working at a thousand times its capacity as a result of such an epiphany, Subaru was able to rescue that memory. Leith, who admired nobles and royalty, had also mentioned something that, in the context of that time, had seemed to be of zero value. "... Royalty was characterized by crimson eyes and golden hair..." Why, when and where, were not details his mind could compile, however, they were not necessary.
Felt matched those characteristics, that is why he had recovered that memory exactly at that moment, in which the memory of Anastasia's words had resurfaced in his mind... Subaru blinked a couple of times, in order to clean his pupils from the tears and sweat accumulated in them; there the figure of the sinner was reflected. On Capella's face, which was just below the statue, two drops of blood fell, staining her cheeks.
"Yuck! How disgusting, I feel as if sewer water has fallen on my beautiful face!" She exclaimed, proceeding to quickly wipe away the blood that had contaminated her face. With a sharp movement of arm and cheek in tandem, Lust removed the blood with her forearm, leaving her cheek tinged slightly red. The crimson hue on her face gave the impression that she had blushed, yet the contempt in her gaze repelled any thought that would make a witness to what had happened think that she might be a beautiful lady. Dissatisfied with the result, Capella looked at her own arm with distaste, and was about to spit on it, when she caught something in her gaze. "What kind of a look is that, you despicable piece of excrement! You don't have the right to bask in my beautiful figure, so stop looking at me with those revolting eyes! Die! Die! Die a thousand times!"
Without realizing it, Subaru had attracted the unwanted attention of the Archbishop of Lust. Crimson gaze and hair glowing golden in the last rays of the Sun. Subaru's brow furrowed sharply. Capella Emerada Lugunica could well be a false name, a useful front for the selfish desires of the woman who bore the title of Lust. However, Subaru did not believe that to be the case.
Something inside Subaru began to seethe with the heat of infernal flames, a strong effervescence, undoubtedly a violent reaction. Immeasurable anger and hatred boiled in his heart, clouding his mind with corrosive black fumes. Subaru had not been consumed by such intense feelings for almost half a year.
Because of her, because of her it had all started. If she was part of royalty, why wasn't she responsible and doing her duty? Subaru's mind began to be flooded by poorly thought out, unreasonable questions like that. It lacked insight, understanding... it lacked sense. Something like that was unimportant at that moment when so many lives, including his own, were in danger.
Why instead of playing archbishop did she not assume her place on the throne? Why did she leave everything in the hands of the corrupt elders? Childish thoughts, short-sighted thoughts, short-minded thoughts, obtuse thoughts, selfish thoughts clouded his mind. Subaru's mind, completely cloistered in a single idea, was only capable of producing thoughts devoid of depth and meaning like those.
Subaru, deep inside, was aware that this was not the time and place to think about it. Moreover, considering the person who was the catalyst of his current mental state, the very thought of it was meaningless. She was a Sin Archbishop, of all her sins, the least significant would be her supposed abandonment of her role as monarch.
However, Subaru was fixated on it; he had become obsessed because of the rage that blinded him. His mind had been on the verge of collapse ever since he was tortured by the Bowel Hunter in Priestella, and any event that tricked negative feelings was capable of plunging his mind into a deep state of disturbance. Meili, the Mabeast User, and the Oni girl, the fake Zarestia, were victims of it.
The conflicting feelings that arose during the torture, the toxic bile of negative emotions and the intense pain had fragmented his mind, leaving behind an alienated shard of his being that simply did not align with the rest of his self. It was Natsuki Subaru, and it was not at the same time. When that part of him took control, whether due to an external or internal trigger, Subaru's mind would become completely clouded; he would then be driven only by an insatiable desire for revenge, a searing anger and a corrupting hatred.
In that state of mind, Subaru is unable to think clearly. So nonsensical thoughts began to flood his mind, to the point where he could not think of anything other than Capella Emerada Lugunica; the cause of all his misfortunes along with the "Client". In his eyes, that despicable woman was the demon that needed to be exorcised, a tumor that needed to be removed; a thought not completely out of alignment with what the others present had in mind. However, only he lacked the necessary prudence to know that it was not appropriate to express such ideas at that moment.
"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Utada! That bitch deserves to have her putrid face marred until there's nothing left of it!" Subaru spat, hatred shining in his gaze.
"What do you say, you little worm?! Don't you know that I am the only existence worthy of monopolizing all the love and respect in this vomitous world?! Me, Capella Emerada Lugunica! No one else! So stop spewing idiocy with that disgusting putrid mouth of yours! I won't accept anything but praise for my perfect existence! And yet, you're not allowed to use those rotten flesh lips of yours to do so!" She answered him, coming dangerously close to him. It was clear that she would not be content to simply respond to his insults.
"Is this good enough for you? Shamak! Break free, Utada!"
His mind was simply not functioning as usual. With black corrosive fumes clouding his mind, Subaru could only think of taking this woman's life; only then could he calm the scorching fire of anger and hatred that was incinerating his insides. So, without giving it too much thought, he conjured the only spell he was capable of using successfully and yelled at Utada.
Kuro, his Lesser Spirit, made an appearance. The coal-black aura sphere emitted a kind of darkening glow and then all the light that illuminated the square was absorbed, enveloping the place in darkness. Utada, though unable to notice the change in her surroundings due to one of the six-armed cultist's imposing hands still covering her face, did manage to faintly hear Subaru's call; audible above the bewildered moans of fear from the nobles, who had also been engulfed by the shadows.
"How am I supposed to do that?!" Utada growled. After all, no matter how much Subaru did, his ingenuity would never make up for his pathetic strength in the face of enemies of the caliber of a Sin Archbishop. Or so Utada had thought, when he noticed a minuscule change in the monstrous cultist's grip.
Something had happened, something that had caused, for a millisecond, the six-armed monster to hesitate. Was the life of the mistress he was guarding in danger? Or had whatever happened after Subaru's shout turned the tables in the square, causing his strength to be required for more than just holding Utada down? It didn't really matter, Utada had finally found the opening he needed.
Roaring, Utada applied all the force he was capable of exerting to his arms. The muscles that stretched from shoulder to elbow and from elbow to wrist tightened, causing his fur to suddenly bristle. The immovable fingers of the six-armed monster being, which had not yielded a single millimeter, were finally unable to restrain the mercenary's limbs.
Utada's thick arms slid through the opening between the huge forefinger and thumb. Huge finger marks had been left on Utada's forearms, whose muscles began to throb painfully. Ignoring the intense pain caused by the six-armed being's grip, equivalent to that of a hydraulic press machine from Subaru's world, Utada struck hard at the cultist's chest, finally freeing his face and pushing him away from him.
"Fight, Utada! Fight! Don't let any of these demons live!" The mercenary heard, it was the frantic screams of a crazed Subaru. "Kill the bitch who started it all! Kill the woman who brought about all our woes! Beat her, kick her, pummel her, lash her, smash her, rape her, skin her alive, dismember her, beat her to death, decapitate her, tear her apart...!"
Subaru had lost his mind, that was the first thing Utada realized as he broke free from the six-armed cultist's grip and saw that he was in a world shrouded by shadows. Thanks to his hearing, he had been able to discern where the crazed Subaru was, crying out his sadistic desires, which he was forcing upon Utada. And it was not that the mercenary did not share his desire for revenge, Utada was simply too aware that he was incapable of carrying any of it through.
Subaru's pleas to his bodyguard were completely trampled by the harsh reality. No, Utada had a job, and he would see it through. He would take Subaru Natsuki to the Royal Castle no matter what. Rapidly, Utada assumed that he would have to abandon Subaru's companions; after all, they were not a priority. Anastasia Hoshin would not reprimand him if he did so in order to keep his most valuable employee alive.
Julius Juukulius, the Royal Knight, the Finest of the Knights, and Subaru Natsuki, the heir to the invaluable legacy of Hoshin of the Wilderness; both were the two people of greatest political and commercial importance to Anastasia. Even over the newly hired Halibel, Kararagi's most powerful warrior, and the leader of the Fang of Iron, Ricardo. It was not due to a sentimental element, both men were crucial if Anastasia was to achieve her goals.
Therefore, Utada had received the order to prioritize Subaru's life above all else. An order that, as long as it did not conflict with his own interests, such as taking revenge on the Witch Cult, Utada would follow to the letter. Subaru was not behaving as an ally of the cult, quite the contrary, which is why Utada was willing to continue ignoring the dreadful smell he was emanating.
With that in mind, there was only one thing left for him to do. Determined, the mercenary ran to where Subaru's crazed screams were coming from, conveying a disturbing bloodlust. He would take advantage of the distraction caused by Subaru's Shamak and escape with him under his arm. With his own breath rumbling in his ears, Utada approached Subaru with one of his arms outstretched; once his fur came into contract with Subaru's body, he would take it and escape. Or so it must have been.
"You damned meat puppet, do your job well or I'll take it upon myself to kill you once again!" An infuriated shriek reached the ears of the mercenary, who, before his mind could finish processing it, was savagely struck and sent tumbling several meters away from Subaru, crashing hard into the ground.
Frantically, Utada dragged his gaze through the deep cloud of darkness. Subaru's technique was working against him and he was now completely disoriented. He needed to focus on using his sense of smell and hearing, and then go back for Subaru. Quickly his nose picked up the particular smell Subaru was giving off, however... It was much stronger than usual... No, it was not Subaru, but the Archbishop, was it not? The smells were mingling, and it was difficult to differentiate Subaru from Capella.
"ARRRGGHHH!" A terrible shriek of agony was uttered. It came from the same point as the unpleasant smell; from the intensity of it, it was deducible that Subaru and the Archbishop were in one and the same place. In that case, who had released such a cry of pain?
Under normal circumstances, determining who was the utterer of such an expression of torment would have been considerably simple, especially for someone with an ear as keen as Utada's. However, this scream was not a normal scream; it had been an animalistic howl, completely devoid of reason, humanity and gender. A primal cry coming from the depths of the soul.
"Kahahahahahahaha!" It was not until a thunderous, mocking laugh of contempt was proffered in parallel to the bellow of agony, that Utada finally had his doubts completely cleared up. "Yes, that's right, scream, you rotting creature of putrid meat! Scream more! Scream until you're tired! Scream until you're speechless! Scream until you vomit blood! Scream until your beastly howls make up for your stupid actions! Scream until you're dead! Die, you disgusting piece of excrement! Die! Gahahahahahahaha!"
A being devoid of any kindness or mercy, that was the best way to describe a Sin Archbishop. Utada knew this, and yet Capella's derision and insults struck deep into him, whose judgment once again began to be clouded by anger and hatred. Both Subaru and Utada had suffered from the sabotage of their minds resulting from their own feelings. Thus, and unable to react in time, Utada once again was enveloped by the massive presence of the six-armed cultist. He had been distracted by Capella's jeering and had once again fallen prey to the monstrous being... and his mind.
However, the six-armed monster would not be satisfied this time with simply subduing him. Bam! Crack! So could be heard his skull as it smashed first against the monster's imposing fist, and then against the concrete floor of the square. Blood began to flow aggressively from his mouth, nose, tear ducts and ears; his skull had given way under the sheer force of the fist, sinking into what was a valley at the top of his head, between both fur-covered ears. Completely disoriented and enveloped in the crimson of his own blood, Utada was lifted up like a puppet and brought before the Archbishop of Lust.
The black mist finally began to dissipate, giving way to the last rays of the slumbering sun. Utada's senses were totally numb, he could barely see, and what he did see was coated in a sepia filter caused by the blood that irrepressibly flowed from his eyes like bleeding tears. When his feet, which grazed the concrete as they were dragged, finally came to a halt, Utada looked up slightly and heard the archbishop's verdict.
"All of you vulgar, conceited bags of meat are going to suffer deaths in accordance with how wretched you are! Kahahaha! You'll serve as an example for everyone else! A fitting fate for those incapable of recognizing the greatness of my extraordinarily alluring self, the one worthy of the love of all present!"
The mercenary looked down slightly, to find a kneeling body, completely immobile, a second body in a similar state, lying on the ground just inches from the first, and a third that surprisingly did not appear to be dead in life. The latter was Subaru, who was writhing on the ground while moaning in agony. His shirt had been torn and four claw-like wounds were spreading across his abdomen; however, the most striking thing about his condition was the black stain that was spreading all over his torso, like a toxic substance that corroded Subaru's body from the inside.
"Arghhka..." Utada mumbled. Even he failed to understand what he tried to mouth in vain, yet his agonizing mumble caught the woman's attention.
"Hmm... As a matter of fact, I've no interest in testing on you, you huge mass of rotting meat. I'd hate for you to come back from the brink of death to cause me any more trouble with your despicable brainless strength." The woman hurled insipid insults at Utada, and then her gaze wandered to her monstrous six-armed subordinate. From the expression on Lust's face, it was clear that she was not lying when she said she had no interest in Utada. "When this pesky offal of crap broke free of you, your pride as a warrior, or whatever the hell it is, was hurt, wasn't it...?" With an audibly indifferent voice, Capella questioned her subordinate, however, she only received silence in response. "Whatever, get rid of him, useless castoffs like that have no use to me. I couldn't even consider you anything miserably close to human! Gahahaha!"
"Bit- Guah!" Utada tried to curse at her, but it was useless, blood was all that could come out of his mouth. Unable to think clearly, Utada tried to free himself by shaking his arms, however they no longer responded; he had lost control of his entire body, and now resembled a worm wriggling in the hand of a malicious child. However, before his damaged brain could process such information, his world was once again plunged into darkness. "Arrrrgh!" Abruptly, a brutal force was exerted on his arms, which were savagely being ripped from his body. A sound of something being torn flooded the square and then two large fur-covered arms fell to the ground.
The bones of his shoulders were visible, as was the glenohumeral joint, amidst the torn flesh and the gallons of blood gushing endlessly from both wounds. Gurgling screams flowed from Utada's throat, accompanied by spewing of partially clotted blood. His body convulsed, jerking violently, however, the cultist holding him by the head paid no attention to this. Silently, the monster crushed Utada's skull with his hand, until only a mass of bone, blood, fur and brain remained in it. Utada's limp body collapsed to the ground, devoid of head and both arms.
"Now... Will you become interesting types of meat?" Capella spoke, completely unconcerned about Utada's death. Her sadistic gaze fell on the paralyzed young man kneeling a few feet away from her, and on the young man lying face up on the ground beside him. Both had lost their minds, they had become insane; their faces were blank, as were their gazes. She approached them both, and in one swift movement, her slender arm transmuted into a large black beast-like hand. With it, she slashed the faces of both of them. Only one of them reacted... Stretching out her left hand, on the palm of which a previously made cut was visible, Capella let the black-tinged blood that had accumulated there fall on the wounds. "I hope your howls of agony are able to convey to my soul the love you two failed to show with your stupid actions. Now... Suffer, you pathetic meat creatures! Kahahaha!"
Capella laughed frantically once they were both bathed in her blood, however, her gesture of sadistic delight was quickly disrupted. Disgust quickly seeped into her gaze. The young man who had reacted to the scratch on his face by covering it with both hands was rolling on the floor as he screamed unhinged. However, the same could not be said for the young man lying on his back.
A black stain quickly enveloped Leith's face, and bubbles of saliva quickly began to gather at the corners of his mouth. With foam gushing from his mouth, Leith began to convulse, though this lasted only a few seconds. In less than half a minute, Leith Hendar had died due to the effect of Capella's blood entering his body.
And although Otto was enduring it better than his friend, his face was quickly being engulfed by the black stain that was born from the wound caused by Capella. His body was losing strength and it was only a matter of time before he, like the craftsman, would be unable to withstand the corrosive blood that had seeped into his veins through the wound on his face.
"Hnk! Da-mn... bi-tch..." When Capella had reached the peak of displeasure she could bear, a pathetic whimper reached her ear. With a smile creeping from the corners of her lips, she who bore the title of Lust turned to Subaru.
"You seem to be holding up better than the others..." She remarked, looking at him. "Still, don't get all cocky, you scum, you ain't nothing special." She added, spitting in his face.
Subaru had failed once again... While screaming completely crazed inside the cloud of shadows created by Kuro, he had been wounded by Capella in the abdomen and subsequently exposed to her corrupted blood. He had been invaded by an intense pain that resembled acid coursing through his veins. As if he was being burned from the inside with boiling oil, Subaru had writhed as he howled like a beast. And although the pain had quickly subsided, the aftereffects of his pathetic lack of usefulness did not.
As he did nothing but moan from the intense pain that coursed through his body, comparable to feeling his body being dissolved from the inside by burning acid, his companions had been killed one by one, without him being able to do anything but writhe like a helpless and pathetic worm. However, his body slowly grew accustomed to the pain; after all, he was already used to that kind of suffering. It wasn't that he didn't feel the pain, he was simply learning to ignore it; even though the pain was basically gone.
Still, it was too late... "You ought to thank me, you pathetic dying insect. I donated some of my precious blood to you, which is the same as that of the Divine Dragon. You should prostrate on your knees and give thanks while licking the ground and praising my existence, don't you think? This is how you should be, since I am the only one deserving of all your love and respect. Everyone else should prostrate like you and accept their abysmal inferiority to me."
He hated Capella as much as he hated himself. Deep down, in the rational part of his being, he understood that he hated her for the wrong reasons. Did he despise her existence just because, very indirectly, she had caused the Royal Selection to happen? It was a very stupid reason to hate her, the worst among a long list of very good reasons to do so. Still, it was not in his power to control how he felt. He hated her, and that's all that mattered. However, he could not kill her, not now that his only fellow warrior had been butchered to death.
"I ha-te you..." Subaru muttered, rising to his knees. His whole body ached, especially the wound in his abdomen; still, he had finally stopped writhing. He could move, so that was all he had left to do. "T-The wait-ing li-st is long... b-but I'll… be sure… to take re-venge… on you... I'll make ya suffer… you bitch." Subaru muttered, as he saw a smug Capella looking down on him from above.
"You talk a lot for a pathetic, powerless scumbag." She replied, her crimson gaze settling on Subaru's stare.
"I'll see you later, cunt..." He said. "Sh-Shamak!" He had done it out of instinct; he just craved to get away from that woman with the pestilent attitude. Unaware of his own actions and being moved by the alienated part of his being, Subaru stood up and began to run, abandoning the stupefied and disheartened nobles, abandoning the Archbishop of Lust.
His feet were weak and barely responsive, however, the adrenaline was definitely something convenient. Unable to think of anything other than running away, that's what Subaru did. Utada had already dealt with most low-ranked cultists, so he had a clear path to run without being stopped head-on. However, from the rear it was another story...
Capella was about to chase him herself, but halted before doing so. While she watched with suspicion as Subaru escaped, the unpleasant woman took a black book from her body, which she immediately opened by the middle and analyzed its contents with her eyes. Something did not add up with that pathetic insect, and only the gospel could clear up her doubts... However, her subordinate would not be so patient. The six-armed monster began to move, but was stopped before him could reach Subaru.
"Wait, let him go. Pandora... sama instructed us to be attentive to the gospel, and if we detected an anomaly, to avoid wiping it out. That damned witch! Gahahaha! She knew everything in advance, the appearance of this "anomaly" cannot be a coincidence. That dastardly creature of meat does not appear in the gospel; he simply should not be here, yet there he lies, fleeing like the rat he is... Kahahaha! What he doesn't know is that, no matter how much he runs, I'm sure he'll always end up coming back to us; otherwise, Pandora-sama would never have allowed him to roam freely. Even so, her instruction for us to be on the lookout in case of the appearance of an anomaly is certainly a very vague one. That "anomaly," after all, is easy enough to overlook. And I am sure that only I, the loveliest, most intelligent and beautiful among the Sin Archbishops... and perhaps that brainless spirit... would take the time to see the gospel at a time like this, without first having its writing updated; something that has not happened since we were instructed to besiege the capital. Hmm... What are her true intentions? That obnoxious Witch of Vanity... everything always turns out as she wishes." With those words, the lustful femme watched the wrathful and pathetic young man depart.