Beyond the Bounds Chapter 16, a honkai impact 3rd fanfic

Chapter 16

Theresa kicked off the ground with great force as she jumped back almost 10 yards in a second. Avoiding being almost sliced by the teeth of her skin by the sharp claws of the white-winged monster creature.

Her injured arm twitched for a second. She ignored it in favor of focusing on the large creature in front of her. Theresa didn't know how or why, but the damn monster was back on its feet, and by the looks of it, it got a second wind. Among other alterations.

It no longer held its bulky humanoid body with a flattened head. Now, the body was serpentine with purple-gray leaves as a hide, with short legs that resembled that of a lion's but covered with black chitin scales; a long tale, this one resembling one of a large eel but with a sharp crimson blade at its tail end with glowing purple stripes; many white thin tendrils on its large frame flailing erratically; three thick tendrils had stingers points, gleaming with a green light; and the face, if it should be called like that, it resembled the mouth of a worm with pointed sharp teeth and oozing yellow sticky spit.

Theresa would have called it a grotesque worm, but with the harrowing eyes all over its frame, and adding the featherless wings (more like dried and dead branches of trees), it reassembled more of a walking living nightmare than a simple ugly monster.

SWASH!

In a blink, the monster threw its tail with great speed like a scorpion.

Theresa jumped back, followed by throwing a spear to the tail, trying to nail it. She clicked her tongue when the monster retracted its spear tail in a second.

If the Valkyrie wasn't surprised by its speed, she surely was when the monster closed the distance between each other in a blur. Thinking quickly, Theresa took out a pair of spears and blocked the tendril hit in time.

"Too heavy!"

Despite her great strength, Theresa felt her arms protest at the pressure put on them. It didn't help that her injured arm added more strain on her.

"₣ⱠɎ!" The monster growled with its raspy voice.

Focusing all his strength in a second, the monster shifted its force in lifting rather than pushing back, sending to fly the short Valkyrie towards one of the buildings. Theresa cried in pain when she broke through a couple of walls, raising dust and debris along the way.

"[Don't let her catch her breath. Be quick, dear…]"

It hummed in acknowledgment. It knew and felt how dangerous and powerful was the little meat bag despite her youthful and petite appearance.

It needed to deal with her fast and deadly.

With a grunt and flap of its wings, it burst out from the courtyard in a jump and followed the small nun through the same hole the Valkyrie left. While searching for the Valkyrie, the monster's large tail, wings, and tendrils broke doors and raised clouds of dust and debris in its wake. Normally, due to the dust and waste raised, it would be difficult to orient oneself. But it wasn't to the monster. Its creepy red and purple eyes moved in all directions, trying to catch a single peek of the Valkyrie. The too-open eyes didn't seem fazed by the dust and glass around them.

"[There!]"

Feeling a pull to its right, the monster stopped in its tracks and found a thin trail of blood on one of the walls. The creature came closer and sniffed the bloody trace with a deep breath. Immediately, the thing shuddered and groaned at the exquisite smell coming from the dusty wall. It was like nothing it had ever smelled before! It was divine!

As the large and grotesque tongue came out to take a little bit of the delicious liquid. It was quickly assaulted by a strong migraine.

"[No! Bad boy!]" Her voice boomed inside its head and the pressure of anger hit its senses. It whimpered. "[You can't pick up desserts before the main meal! First, you must eat your main meal. After that, you can pick all the sweets you want.]"

"₥₳ł₦ ₥ɆⱠ?" It tilted its head in confusion. It didn't understand. Wasn't it supposed to kill the petite girl first? And what food she was talking about?

"[Silly, did you really get full of only eating that big salad?]" She asked with a giggle. It tilted its head to the other side, thinking about -a salad? It didn't make sense; it didn't eat anything resembling lettuce or vegetables at all…

…

The place was cold. Dusty wind and a strange smell of dampness and metal. Something was rotting, the smell was coming from one of the bundles scattered around the place.

It was difficult to move. The Sea around nourished IT, but at the same time made IT feel weak. Parts of IT crumbled to dust, and other parts of ITSELF grew back in a blink.

It was tedious. It was comforting. It was hard to breathe. It was like smelling #####...

Yet, IT kept going on. IT crawled across the floor, trying to reach that powerful, warm light. So warm, so cozy.

And the heavenly smell…

Something dripped on the cracked floor. How curious. IT didn't know water could come out in such amounts from itself…

"Ahhhh…"

The Star groaned in pain. IT tilted ITS head.

No. That was wrong. The Star didn't groan. What groaned was a twitching figure. That…

"Hnngggh!"

That had the Star in its embrace?!

"It hurts…!"

The… Thing moaned. In –discomfort, pain, anguish, pleasure? – Who cared, the Thing had the Star!

"Why… does it…hurt?!" The Thing sobbed. Like hearing the bawling from a child-annoying-, The Star released a strong pulse of its warm power. The Sea was getting ticker and deep. A part of IT barely cracked. IT relished its rich energy and suddenly, the place was less cold.

IT felt warm under the soft and powerful shelter of the Star.

"N-No! It…! It hurts…! Hnngghhh!"

The Thing trashed in pain as the Star continued releasing more and more of its powerful light.

"No!"

The Thing screamed in pain when green tendrils burst forth from its back and started to embrace its form.

"IT HURTS! PLEASE STOP!"

The tendrils continued growing, but this time with large and sharp thorns on them.

And as all of this happened, IT felt another two new and terrible feelings.

Scorn

And

Indignation

IT struggled all ITS way through the thick cold and harsh road of the Sea despite the terror of being swallowed by the Nothingness and under the harsh stare of the All-Mighty-Light, to reach the Star so IT could devour the Star, grow and face the All-Mighty-Light.

And this…

"No…more… Please!"

And this Thing. This – p̴̹̆á̴̟t̷̹̎h̴͉͠e̷͍͝t̴͎̒i̷͖̋c̴̳̎ẅ̶̮́o̶̼͒r̷͉̋t̷͙̔h̴̪͠l̵̜͠es̵̺̿s̵͕̈́bą̴͌g̵͊͜ọ̴̒f̷͈͝w̵̹̌â̶̫s̶̻̃t̷̯̀e̶̠̾s̵̖͗t̴͖̎â̵̡ĭ̴̜n̶̩̉e̶̺͘x̷̣͑cre̵͖͑men̶̜̉t̬̂p̶̳̑e̶̱͘b̶͙̆b̶̻̓l̴͖̽ë̴̗́i̴͖͘n̴̤͐th̶̨́ẹ̀r̴͙̅o̷̧̔a̶̤͌d̵̹͌-̴̴̦̣͐̏

Thing howled in pain while being fed directly from the Star itself?!

Even with ITS limited senses, IT felt the raw power of the Star nourishing the pathetic Thing into something greater and stronger than its insipid form.

Rampant and powerful gave way to a new shape. Softness turned into a solid, dwarf and vulnerable blob turned into a tall and sturdy humanoid form. Contempt manifested in the form of claws and talons.

GROWL!

Then IT noticed a powerful rumbling, coming from the center of ITS body. Along with a familiar instinct.

"Ahhgghhh…!"

And IT noted that the pathetic Thing… smelled somewhat curious.

Suddenly, IT had a new line of thought aside from scorn.

"Haahhaa…"

IT wondered…

"Someone… help me…"

…how would the Thing taste like?

"Please…"

And with it, something gurgled and the last sight the whimpering Thing had was a row of teeth, white as the snow and sharp as the cruelest of swords.

…

"ØØⱧⱧⱧⱧ" The monster hummed, acknowledging what she meant, nodding like an obedient child.

"[Hehe! ~ Now that you remember dear, I believe it's time to press on. You don't want to miss such a delicious meal running around, right?]". She giggled when the monster whined like a puppy.

"[Don't cry, dear. It's a little problem that she ran away for the moment, but she won't be far. No after the surprise we gave her.]"

"Ugh!

With a cold layer of sweat on her temple, Theresa grunted as her injured arm throbbed in pain for the umpteenth time.

"Deep breaths. Deep breaths and focus." She repeated to herself, leaning on a wall with the Oath of Judah hanging from her back as she felt how her Honkai genes tried to heal the damage on her arm. She felt how golden energy strands started to close the large gash. It was ridiculous, really. She was aware that her genes weren't something that gave her invulnerability as some people believed back in HQ, although, it certainly gave her a tougher body than the average Valkyrie.

"Just a little more and…"

THROB!

"Aaahh!" Theresa bit down a curse as her regeneration stopped working and the twinge worsened. She tore the remains of her left sleeve to inspect her injury and cursed when the almost closed wound started to bleed again.

"H-how?! My regeneration should have taken care of it," she commented startled. In all her years as a Valkyrie, despite the bloody battles and powerful beasts she had come across, this was the first time that her injury didn't heal at all.

Theresa bit another curse as the twinge came back, but this time stronger.

"Why does it keep bleeding? That t-thing didn't give the impression of having poison at all."

Theresa remembered that on rare occasions, some Honkai beasts and zombies displayed the strange skill to poison their enemies. Usually, their stings would give off some powerful vibes. Or rather strong Honkai concentration on close, according to some of those Valkyries that faced such enemies before and perceptive enough to be aware of the Honkai energy around them. Regardless, it would be troublesome for even an A-rank Valkyrie to face such an opponent, but it shouldn't be the case for someone like Theresa. Such were the benefits Honkai genes offered.

"Did it sting me when it transformed-?"

THROB!

The short nun hissed and held her injured arm with her free hand as a new stab of pain assaulted her limb.

"Oh, God! What the heck-!"

It felt like tongues of fire licked her wound, burning tissue slowly and stabbing the bone with icy fangs. Her breath became erratic, and getting air in her lungs for every inhalation was being more and more difficult. The floor under her feet began to go from left to right and the smell of spring hit her nose like every time she was near her, and everything brightened when she smiled-

"F-Focus!" She was startled as an old memory came back just at such a dire moment. Theresa shook her head and tried to get her mind back on track. She ignored how her clothes clung to her sweaty skin or how the air around her felt increasingly stifling.

"I need to get out of here…" She whispered and took a deep breath as her legs began to move. It was hard to walk in a straight line with legs heavy as lead and buckling every pair of seconds and more arduous when she strained her ears to listen for any signal of the monster coming for her.

"I've really become a protagonist in a horror movie…"

Despite her current grim situation, it reminded her of better days, of that time, when her friends invited her for a movie night after delivering her report from a simple extermination mission. She remembered that she came to their house after Siegfried's nagging persistence and Cecilia's charming smile. It was a movie about a parasitic space monster killing the crew of a spaceship. She wanted to smash the popcorn bowl on Siegfried's face when he laughed at her -not whimpers of fear, heck no! – jump scares from time to time.

"Don't be scared, Theresa," Cecilia told her in a comforting tone as she hugged her.

She remembered Cecilia's soft embrace to soothe her and Siegfried offering bitter melon juice to calm her (and chuckling nervously after being glared down by his wife for making fun of her!)

Theresa blinked as she took her surroundings. She was walking out to a beautiful garden straight out of a fairy tale, instead of an abandoned and unkempt garden. For a moment, Cecilia -alive- was yards away, in front of her, sitting on a comfy bench and wearing a white summer dress. What called Theresa's attention was Cecilia holding and reading a book aloud with one hand, and with her other arm, there was a little bundle wrapped in a white blanket, giggling happily as Cecilia carried it.

A part of her mind came to a halt, the cogs screeching, trying to process what the hell was wrong. Reason screamed at her that this was not real, that Cecilia couldn't be here.

For Cecilia died back then on the Second Impact.

But another part, a scar deep in her heart that closed years ago, started to open again.

"H-How?! How is this possible?!"

It didn't make sense. Cecilia was gone. Dead. Taken away from them –her- long ago.

Yet, the impossible taking place in front of her overcame reason and caution, old-buried feelings beneath years of guilt, and the hope for a miracle long ago implored burst like a geyser and gave her new strength as she began walking faster, almost jogging.

"C-Cecilia!" Theresa cried. She ignored the stabbing pain in her arm, how her limbs felt heavy as lead, the shallow breaths and pressure on her lungs, the unbearable heat coming from her body, and the blurring vision caused by tears of happiness.

Theresa almost tripped with her feet when Cecilia stopped reading and lowered the book, looking in her direction. Looking at her.

That look, full of gentleness and kindness, lit up her soul. And Theresa felt like a star, shining with joy and relief at seeing the person who had given her a reason to fight and to live amidst the darkness that is Schicksal and the war against the Honkai.

"Cecilia!"

"Theresa…"

The nun wiped the tears from her face with the back of her good hand and started to close the distance between them.

"Cecilia!"

Theresa cried out again. Her legs went numb and breathing became arduous, but she was so close.

"Theresa…!"

For some reason, Cecilia's visage turned into worry and fear. Theresa didn't understand. Wasn't she happy to see her again?

"Cecilia!"

"Theresa!/Get down!"

Another female voice, different from Cecilia's, screamed at the same time as Theresa's world turned, and felt something large slamming onto her and lifting her from the ground. Puke raised through her throat as the world kept spinning. A bit of the rancid liquid got out despite her efforts, staining her robe chest with the yellow-green acid.

"Curses! I'm too late!"

With her world still spinning and the fever suffocating her mind, Theresa only had time to take a glimpse of the person holding her before darkness overtook her.

"Is that a… Miko…?"

Yae Sakura glimpsed at the young girl she just saved from the terrible monster as she kept running away. Sakura didn't understand why the girl ran straight toward the abomination despite the obviousness of its ill intentions. Not to mention the girl was screaming a name with a such need that, if it wasn't for her red face, an indication of a high fever, Sakura would have thought the girl cried for the monster.

If the situation wasn't bizarre enough, the large golden cross laid on the dirt -her beloved's weapon-, carried previously by the young girl on her back, and her appearance -so close to her-, gave Sakura a surreal feeling.

"Kallen…" Sakura thought yearningly as she glimpsed the girl for a second before focusing again on running away.

"Stupid girl! Do you know what you have just done?!"

From the depths of her mind, the Fox growled in anger. Sakura ignored it, turning on a corner from an outside building and using a mound of debris as a stepping stone, leaped high in the air to land on the roof of a small building.

"Fool! You just put us in great danger!" It roared again. Sakura winced at the volume but didn't stop moving. "And for what?! An asinine sense of duty and a pitiful lingering feeling to someone long gone and projecting it on a stranger! Understand this, Yae Sakura. Kallen Kaslana IS DEAD!"

Sakura didn't answer, more occupied with jumping down from the roof, to pass through a window and lowering her head in time to prevent her head from being pierced by a thick white-purple thorn. Something crashed behind her. She didn't need to turn to know that the monster was storming toward her. Her set of fox ears twitched hearing whistles behind her and another crash of concrete and glass broking. With the dexterity that would have made athletes seethe in jealousy, Sakura spun on her heel, drew out a katana with her unoccupied arm, cut in two an oncoming thorn, and hopped back as three thorns almost hit her: all of this while still running and carrying the young girl.

"Use the girl as bait. It would give you enough time to escape from this-this abomination!" The Fox roared, but there was anxiety in the last part of its sentence. Sakura kept a serious expression on her face, but she wondered what truly bothered the fiend as she sheathed her sword. In the last months, since her return to the real world, while wandering through the city, Sakura learned that the demon tended to be arrogant, mocking, and cruel; but to hear its worry made Sakura wonder what sort of creature it truly was.

"ⱤⱤⱤⱤⱤⱤⱧⱧ!"

The monster roared in anger for the denial of its food. Using its tendrils, the monster dug them on both sides of the hallway, and throwing caution out of the window, the monster darted itself towards her. The action surprised Sakura for a second before she applied her superhuman strength on her legs and jumped out of a window at the last second. As she started to fall, superhuman senses caught in slow motion how the shards of glass flew around her and the girl in her arms and the monster almost touching them. What caught her attention wasn't its abominable body or disgusting head-mouth.

The eyes. The red ones held nothing but primal hate for everything they saw and the purple ones… She inwardly flinched in that instant. They reminded her of childish eyes (familiar innocent cyan eyes), but there was something wrong and twisted inside them.

"Throw the child and run, Sakura!" It growled again.

Coming back to reality, Sakura didn't bother to answer and landed on the unkempt external garden of the place. She checked her charge and was glad that there were no further injuries on her person aside from the fever and the blood on her arm.

"Curses! How I could forget it!"

In her race to escape from the monster, Sakura forgot to take care of the young girl's injuries. Sakura made a mental note to heal it once they were out of the premises of the place and possibly out of the reach of the monster.

Sakura resumed her race and made a beeline for one of the large walls surrounding the large complex of buildings. Before coming here, she confused the place with a large castle from a Daimyo. A wealthy and extravagant Daimyo from the capital, given the materials and design of the building complex. Her initial notions were wrong as she read the name of the place on a metal plaque at the main gate of the place. Certainly, this 'Chiba Academy' was a place for the children of the nobles, due to the extensive installations, devices, and ornaments that she had never seen but with a single glance, those screamed luxurious.

It reminded her of that other large place at the center of the city, but with less flashy board lights and more trinkets laying around.

She shook her head and focused on the girl in her arms. She noted that her breathing was getting more agitated, and the fever worsened.

"I need to find a safe place and treat her wounds-"

"There is nothing you can do, Sakura," the Fox interrupted. Black mist manifested around her, and the demonic Fox's head materialized, looking at the injured girl. "I barely perceived it before, but now I'm certain. The girl has been poisoned."

Sakura knew that it wasn't playing with her or trying to get a reaction from her. Its voice was severe.

"There's still something-"

"You cannot help her." The Fox snarled. "There are traces of Honkai lingering from her, and seeing the profuse bleeding, I am impressed she has lasted this long before death could claim her." The Fox chuckled darkly. "Then again, the Kaslanas were quite monstrous when it came to endurance. I can smell some resemblance from your beloved on this girl."

"If you are done troubling me, then leave," Sakura answered coldly. The Fox chuckled dryly again before it turned its head and growled. Sakura didn't need to look to know that the monster was now on their trail again.

"There is something else, Sakura." The pettiness from before was gone, replaced with dead seriousness and anxiety. "Aside from the Honkai, there is something foul lingering on her wound. I can smell it and it's worse than a pile of rotten corpses under the sun." It growled again, showing this time its fangs and spectral fur standing on end.

A shadow passed over her, along with a whistle. Sakura stopped in her tracks when the monster came crashing down twenty meters away from her. Dirt and grass flew around, making a big mess, but Sakura kept her eyes on the monster.

With her katana out of its saya, Sakura tightened her holding on to the girl. The eyes of the monster blinked –all at once- and directed their gaze on the young girl.

"ⱠɆVɆ…₥łɆ …" It growled with a twisted voice. Sakura's eyes widened for a split second before donning a cold and serious face. Despite her expression, inwardly she wondered what kind of demon this creature was, as she didn't encounter another demon capable of speaking –before and after her sealing-. Was it related to the fiendish Fox?

The Fox voiced its displeasure. "DON'T PUT ME AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THIS ABOMINATION!" It seethed, reading her line of thinking and feelings on the matter. "Whatever it is, the thing reeks of blood and disease."

The creature tilted its head for a moment, like it was confused, and then snarled in response. "₴Ⱨł₮... ɆɆⱤ..."

The Fox showed its teeth and its red eyes blazed in fury.

In other circumstances, Sakura would have found amusing the words describing the fiend, but she was more worried about the speaking monster and the injured girl. Speaking of the girl, her breath was more ragged, and she was soaked in sweat.

She was running out of time and fighting the monster would lower the girl's chances to survive. She needed to make haste, and she wasn't going to stop for anyone.

That left her with an unsavory option.

"Fiend. I propose a truce until we get out of here," Sakura told it through their mental bond. Distaste for asking the fiend for help pushed aside. The abominable menace and the girl's life were more important than their old feud.

The Fox growled in anger after hearing her proposal. "I know what you are thinking Sakura, and the answer is no." It refused. The abomination's lot eyes blinked, and the Fox could have sworn that those big purple eyes looked at him in childish curiosity while the red ones looked at him, not in anger, but…

…with great intensity.

"Offer whatever you desire, Sakura; the answer will remain the same," it growled at the monster. Its spectral black aura grew along with its anger –clearly not with apprehensiveness-. If this abomination thought that it was easy prey, it would prove the thing how wrong it was.

Sakura frowned. At the fiend's answer and uneasiness. Oh, it tried to cover its anxiety with anger, but despite its best efforts, she could even feel glimpses of it. Better use that insufferable personality of its against it. A dangerous bet, but right now it was all she had to work with.

"Never considered you to run from a confrontation, fiend," Sakura set the bait without giving away her personal thoughts. A lifetime of discipline as a Miko and facing insults by scornful people in that accursed village had its benefits after all.

The Fox growled much deeper. It didn't take its eyes off the monster despite the obvious insult.

"You didn't cower before my beloved, before me, and never kneel while being trapped inside the cursed box, and yet, you're doubting to cross blows with this abomination?"

Sakura knew she was pushing too much and so soon, but the girl's breath became heavier, and her face was almost as red as an apple. There wasn't time to play games.

"You called my beloved and me, cowards. How ironic, considering you don't plan to act despite being insulted straight to your face."

The Fox didn't reply but its claws dug into the soil and its long ears twitched. The monster had to move yet, but Sakura didn't know how much time it would give them before it would pounce on them.

"My ears must have failed me, as I once heard that you were 'something greater' that drove humans to cower in fear and anguish-"

"YOU MUST BE EVEN MORE BLIND COMPARED TO WHEN YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH THAT STUPID WOMAN!" It roared.

The black aura snapped like a livid flame, spectral fur bristling along with its anger. The Fox tilted its head just enough for one eye to see directly at her. Sakura almost gasped, she never imagined during her time with the demonic fox that she would see such powerful, pure and primal emotion in its eyes.

Fear.

It never, ever, showed it; even when it faced the holy weapon of her beloved one.

"You call yourself a Miko, someone who perceives and purifies the spiritual filth, and even so, you don't smell what I smell and don't see what I see despite our connection." The Fox turned its gaze back to the monster, which, strangely didn't make a move. Its stillness put the Fox more on edge.

"The more I look at it, the more I wonder what horror gave birth to such an ugly broken creature."

Sakura was about to ask what it meant, but she didn't have the chance when the creature shuddered. She and the Fox, both tensed and prepared themselves for its next move.

SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF!

"ł…₴₥ɆⱠⱠ…₣ⱤɄł₮₴…₳₦Đ…₥Ɇ₳₮…"

Its sharp tail began to move from one place to another. The monster was shaking it as if it was happy. As if it was a happy dog.

There was a wet sound as the monster opened its mouth and its jaw stretched at 90 degrees. There was a foul smell that hit both Sakura's and the Fox's noses. Then, from within the rows of teeth, a large muscular organ slowly extended.

It resembled a gray centipede, its many limbs –more human-like arms -spamming in their direction.

Sakura found the sight disgusting and disturbing.

The offensive organ went back to the cave of teeth, and its snout shot close with an audible click.

"ⱧØ₩…ł₦₮ɆⱤɆ₴₮ł₦₲…"

Then, to Sakura and the Fox ever increasing disgust over the creature, the thing smiled, or tried to, as the corners of its snout twisted; its head looking more like a crushed worm.

And the eyes on the wings looked at them, not with the same emotions of before rather…

With a leer, a want for something too raw and with such a need that made the Miko and the Fox unconsciously shudder.

The Miko's grip on the katana turned into a crushing handgrip as she held the girl in her embrace protectively.

"Sakura," the Fox tensed as the monster started to giggle with a viscous sound. "You better drop the girl if you want a chance to leave this place alive." Its voice was deadly serious.

"I'm not abandoning her-"

"I'm talking about having your whole focus on the imminent threat," the Fox interrupted her. "Even if you leave the girl behind, at this point this- this thing would be hunting us down once it is finished tearing her apart."

"₮ⱧɆⱤ... ɎØɄɆⱠⱠ... ₴ØɄⱧ... Ⱡł₭Ɇ... ⱧɆⱤ

Despite the lack of facial features, the Fox knew that this horrible creature was smiling with excitement.

"Damn it all!"the Fox took a decision. "Sakura. I'm going to aid you in slaying this abomination. Make no mistake, this does not mean our issue is done. We will have some words after this." There wasn't time to argue or fight. Their lives were at stake and the Fox was more worried about getting out of there in one piece.

They were jailers and prisoners to each other. Working together was a must if they wanted to live another day.

"Deal."

Hearing her answer, from the Fox's head a large body grew, along with its head.

Besides Sakura, a large and demonic fox with spectral black fur, stood showing its white fangs and with five tails ready to strike.

The monster cackled and its thin tendrils and long tail raised in challenge.

Sakura and the Fox prepared themselves ready to put down this abomination.

The monster pounced forward.

CROW-82 CONTACTING ADMINISTRATOR

URGENT!

TOPIC: SUBJECT HUSK

CONNECTION ESTABLISHED…

TRANSMITTING LIVE BROADCAST…

INITIAL ASSUMPTIONS OF THE POSSIBLE BIRTH OF A SUBJECT: HUSK; HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED.

MULTIPLE COMBATANTS WERE DISPATCHED TO CONTAIN THE SUBJECT.

PROTOCOL [WHITE BLIGHT] WAS READY TO GO IN CASE THE HANGED KING'S COMBATANTS MANAGED TO CONTAIN THE HUSK.

SUBJECT: HIGH NUN; WAS DISPATCHED TO CONTAIN THE HUSK.

EARLY OBSERVATION CONFIRMED THE HUSK CAPABLE OF MANIPULATING ITS FORM AND ALMOST LOGICAL WAY OF THINKING.

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS AND ABILITIES OF THE HUSK ARE SIMILAR TO A STAGE V.

[REDACTED]

UNDERSTOOD.

PROTOCOL [SINNER IMMOLATION] IS READY TO RUN.

WHAT SHALL BE DONE WITH SUBJECTS: OLD RULER-12 AND THE CURRENT STATE OF HIGH NUN?

ADVICE: THE HUSK SHOWS A DESIRE TO CONSUME OLD RULER-12 AND HIGH NUN.

[REDACTED]

UNDERSTOOD.

PROTOCOL [SINNER IMMOLATION] CANCELED.

PROTOCOL [PURGATIO LUX] ACTIVATED.

PREPARING COORDINATES AND AWAITING ORDER TO DELIVER THEM FOR THE FRAME MOBILISATION

WARNING: USE OF [PURGATIO LUX] COMPROMISES [THE VEIL] AND WILL INSTIGATE ACTIONS FROM HANGED KING, NOBLE KING, MAGICIANS, AND SERPENT; THEY COULD THREATEN-

[REDACTED]

THIS UNIT WILL KEEP ITS DISTANCE AND RECORD EVERYTHING FOR FURTHER STUDY AND IMPROVE PROCEDURES TO CONTAIN HUSKS.

[REDACTED]

UNDERSTOOD.

Sakura and the Fox jumped back as the monster tried to crush them under its heels. When it failed, thin tendrils darted toward them, intending to slash at them. The Fox turned on its heels and used its tale to parry the attack. Sakura managed to cut the ones in her direction but leaped back when the tendrils were too many to cut down. She glanced down at her charge for a second.

FWEET!

Sakura barely side-stepped one of its thorns. The monster tried to attack again with its tendrils, but the Fox charged at it and pushed it back by many yards using its tails.

The Fox jerked in disgust at the previous contact. It turned its head towards her and glared. "Focus on the fight Sakura! Don't mind the girl, she's at death's door already." True to its words, the girl's breath was faint, and the swell of her chest was barely noticeable.

Sakura looked at the girl with regret. Her heart felt heavy at the girl's state. On one side, her appearance reminded her of her beloved one –albeit younger- and it wasn't fair that such young life was about to be extinguished at the claws of that terrible creature.

Once again, the world proved to her how cruel and uncaring it could be toward people, no matter their age or gender.

Sakura drowned the noises of the Fox and monster exchanging blows as she dug in her mind for ways to save the girl's life.

It didn't matter if she was at death's door, if she still had a breath in her and hadn't crossed that cold threshold, then there was still a chance.

Sakura was sure the Fox would have commented something about her being over-sentimental.

"Perhaps, it is right," she caressed the girl's face with gentleness. Her training as a Miko made her develop a clear head on her shoulders and a set of mind to prioritize vital matters above those of the heart.

And yet…

"Both of them are so much alike…" she saw her face over the girl's visage forlornly.

It made her heart ache seeing one of her descendants close to expiring. A foolish line of thought, given that her object of affection was long gone, and the person in her arms was someone else, someone she didn't know. But even so; if she could pay back that generosity and love to one of her beloved's descendants, she would do it in an instant. If only she could take the girl's place, so the girl could live-

Sakura's eyes widened as she had a flash of realization.

Maybe there was a way to save her after all!

"Incoming!"

Sakura snapped her in the voice direction. Quickly, she rolled aside as the Fox was thrown into her previous place. She directed her gaze at the monster, which managed to fling the Fox with its tendrils. The monster had tried to take a chunk off the Fox, but it managed to fend off the jaws of the creature, although there were red marks of tendrils on its spectral fur.

The Miko was about to speak, but the monster got between them and spun on its heels. Both jumped back, avoiding the edge of the thing's foul wings and sharp tail. The monster growled when its attack failed.

"Stop losing time and start doing something!" the Fox barked with anger.

The monster lunged again at the Fox, recognizing it as the major threat. The Fox growled and countered with its tails. Taking advantage of the moment, Sakura saved her sword and rushed to a tree in the distance. Once she reached it, she put down the girl delicately against the tree's trunk and caressed her face one last time with a small smile.

"I will save you. I promise it," Sakura said with conviction. The girl only shifted in response.

Sakura turned and her features shifted to a cold visage. The same visage she used to purge the filth back then in her village.

Her left thumb pushed up the tsuba of her sword, just enough to show the habaki. Her eyes fell on the monster, exchanging blows with the fiend. Her mind focused. The color of the unkempt grass, the air surrounding her, the grunts of the beasts battling, the world around her; all of it was nonexistent to her as she only had her whole focus on the abomination.

She took a deep breath and…moved.

The eyes in the wings of the monster widened when the Miko appeared in an instant behind it.

She sheathed her sword with an audible click, and something shifted in its body.

"₲₲₲ⱤⱤⱤⱤⱤⱤⱧⱧ!"

The monster roared in pain and anger as its tendrils and the blade in its tail fell spamming.

Not waiting for a second, the Fox turned on its heels and send the abomination into one of the buildings with its tails. There was a loud crash, several pieces of concrete fell inside and on the edge of the building at the same time, a great cloud of dust rose.

"Enough daydreaming?" The Fox huffed. There were several red marks on its black fur. They started to close in a matter of seconds, although it didn't mean it liked to take the brunt of the thing's attacks. Eliminating the poison was a great nuisance.

Sakura didn't deign to answer the Fox's mocking question. She glanced in the direction where she had left the girl. The Fox followed her gaze and clicked its tongue.

"How pitiful she is," it thought with contempt. "It really amazes me how humans desperately fought for worthless feelings and aimless memories." Still, it didn't voice its disgust and scorn for Sakura's passivity. Moments ago, they had a monster with its jaws hanging above their necks, and the first thing she does is fret about some pathetic flesh bag that resembles that accursed Kaslana?!

The Fox would have laughed, but honestly, it didn't feel like doing it. No out of respect or tiredness, rather, it knew it wouldn't make a difference and for the moment it need Sakura to wholly cooperate with it.

"I expect you have come to grips with our current situation, Sakura," the Fox fumed.

"The girl's safety comes first, fiend," she answered back without heat. The Fox only growled in response.

There was a powerful tremor as a wall crashed down, behind it, the monster snarled and rammed its regrown tendrils into the Fox's frame faster than it could grunt in pain. The Fox was lifted and thrown away a large distance. Red ichor wet the grass as it rolled away.

Sakura drew its sword and was about to cut at the monster, but its skin shifted, becoming gelatinous and spattering a foul sustain that burned the grass and debris around it. The Miko jumped aside in time although hissed in pain when a drop of the substance grazed her left thigh. There was a red burnt mark that was slowly healed by a pink-cyan aura.

"₮ⱧⱧɄⱤ, Ɇ₳₦łɆ!"

Sakura ignored the insult -and was it her imagination, or did the thing sound almost like a child?-, her eyes focused on any sign of attack.

"By the looks of it, that liquid it's a powerful acid. I don't know if it would spill on me if I cut its hide," she mused gravely.

The abomination cackled, curled on itself, and spun on its heels. Sakura's eyes widened, understanding its intentions. She quickly leaped back and avoided an acid rain that scorched the immediate surroundings. The monster stopped moving and howled in anger when it saw Sakura unharmed.

"Ggggrrrrr!"

Its skin shifted again, going back into the feather hide. Sakura took note of this. The monster grunted, then closed the distance in a blink and started attacking her with its tendrils.

The tendrils aimed at her limbs and vital organs at great speed, yet, the Miko cut the incoming tendrils, avoiding being injured by its attack. Sakura kept her focus on cutting the regrowing tendrils, and although she was ready to retreat in case the monster tried to use its large frame, unexpectedly it didn't try to do it.

The monster and Sakura kept exchanging blows for almost a minute before it disengaged and stepped back. Sakura's breath was a bit gasping but still ready to move. The monster shuddered and Sakura waited for its attack.

"₩ⱧɎ…ĐØɎØɄ…₣ł₲Ⱨ₮…Ɇ?" It asked out of nowhere with its disgusting distorted voice. The Miko certainly didn't expect this. "ɎØɄ…ĐłĐ₦Ø₮…฿Ɇ… ₥ɎɆⱠ…ⱧɎ?" The tendrils waved lazily as it inquired. Sakura didn't lower her guard. Who knew if it was a trap to lure her in?

"₩ⱧɎ…ĐØɎØɄ…₣ł₲Ⱨ₮…?" The purple-cyan and red eyes on its wings blinked and Sakura swore for a moment that they resembled those of…

"Nee-san! Nee-san! Look," a petite pink-haired girl resting under a sakura tree pointed towards the sky, where a group of clouds floated lazily in the evening sky. "There is a castle, a fox, and a crane!"

Warm and innocent cyan eyes twinkled with joy.

"Are you sure? I think the last one is a skinny chicken~"

The only times she allowed herself to lower her guard was around her.

"Onee-chan!"

There was a pout and banter between the sisters. A routine that always happened in the rare moments when the damn-the village did not need her.

Sakura crushed down the thought.

"Do not compare HER to it," she chided herself.

"₩ⱧɎ…?" It repeated with a wet gurgle, tilting its head. "ɎØɄ…₣₳₥łⱠɎ?"

Was it trying to make her doubt? Distract her?

"ɎØɄ…ĐØ₦Ø₮…ⱧⱤɆɆⱠⱠ…" Its monstrous eyes squinted at her for a second. "₴₮ⱤɆ…₮ØVɆ…₳₦Ø₮ⱧɆⱤ…ⱧØł₴₦Ø₮₣₳₥łⱠɎ…"

Old discipline and lonely nights hunting fiends stalking around her hom- the village had made Sakura indifferent towards the creatures bent on eliminating humanity. Some of them tried to lure her with the voices of the innocent they devoured, trying to appeal to her heart; more than ready to kill her the second she showed mercy or doubt.

"Ɽł₴₭ɎØɄⱤɆӾł₴₮ɆɆ…₮ØⱤØ₮Ɇ₵₮…ⱤɆⱤ…ⱧɎĐØɎØɄĐØⱧ?"

And yet, despite the abomination's monstrous appearance and horrid voice, there was genuine curiosity in its voice…

"Ne, Nee-san, why do you think the monsters are angry with us?"

Sakura raised her eyes from an ancient scroll about human health.

Rin, her sweet innocent, and sick sister asked her as she put down one of the novels she purchased from a merchant who came to the village many months ago. The books had been pricey, but everything for her dear little sister.

"Why do you ask, Rin?"

Bright cyan eyes had a faraway look as she looked at one (if not, only one) painting in the whole house. A group of warriors battling a large samurai garbed with white spiky armor. The pink lines on the wicked armor and reds displayed the corruption that possessed him.

"Wickedness is wickedness. The fiends do not care who they harm, for as long as there is blood to spill and death to deliver. They are creatures lacking compassion and empathy.

It took her a second to process and wince at what she just told her little sister. The answer came instantly, given her long hours hearing fa -the village's chief constant nag- indoctrination about the accursed creatures that stalked the village.

"So are the gods…"

It was barely above a whisper, but Sakura hear with clear perfection the acid venom in her innocent sweet little sister.

Cursed with terrible health by the same beings they served and appeased with (w̷͙͌a̴̲͂st̴̮̑ȩ̷̐f̶͘ͅủ̷̖ḽ̵͌) offerings.

Surrounded by disdainful people who demanded salvation at the cost of Rin's happiness and-!

Sakura came back to her senses as the Fox suddenly appeared, pushed the monster away from her, and stabbed it using its tails. The creature howled and responded in kind, stabbing with its tendrils repeatedly at the Fox's frame, but the fiend had the advantage since it stabbed the creature with extreme cruelty. The tails not only stabbed but also curled, tearing chunks of the creature's flesh with each slash. This took Sakura by surprise. Never had she seen the demon attack with such savagery, even when it fought against her beloved.

Red-purple blood from the Fox bloody form flew and stained the grass and part of her outfit as crimson-purple ichor gushed out from the monster smearing and burning the grass under their claws. Feeling that it could not hold the bloody fight for long, the Fox used its front extremities and between the sudden movements, it grabbed the thing's wings and secured its hold. Many abnormal eyes widened in panic when the Fox started to spin on its two hind legs. Focusing a great deal of strength, the Fox manage to lift its adversary from the ground and kept its hold despite the numerous stabs attempting to stop it.

The monster howled in anger as it went flying over the wall surrounding the outer courtyard of the academy. There was a great crash of glass breaking and metal creaking from the street.

The Fox turned to her and yelled infuriated. "Not once but twice! What the hell is wrong with you and your trips in memory lane, Sakura!" It panted as a light layer of cyan manifested itself on its wounds and they began to close, releasing faint, barely perceptible layers of steam.

Sakura winced at the Fox's yell and at the strange buzz that enveloped her senses just moments ago. A strong smell of dried and rotting cherry blossoms assaulted her nostrils. The smell was so pungent; it was as if the cherry blossoms had been pushed deep into her nose!

The Fox sniffed the air and exhaled with annoyance. "There are pheromones and other things I can perceive in the air surrounding us. How clever of it." He sneered at her. "You may not be completely at fault after all."

"What do you mean, demon?" She wanted to talk back at its jeer, but there were other pressing matters, such as what just happened with that long-buried memory coming to the surface unexplainable and the Fox's tired condition.

"That abomination released a special gas into the air to play with our senses. I can purge the substance from my body quickly." The Fox waved the air around them with its tails. The Fox saw the glaze in her eyes slowly disperse. Sakura rubbed her eyes with her free hand while the Fox moved its sight back to the direction the abomination hurled off. The Fox knew that it didn't put the horrible thing down for good. At least, it brought Sakura and it a moment to catch their breath.

Good, because it didn't mention that purging and healing its injuries simultaneously took a toll on its body. What's worse, the wounds it just suffered were laced with some type of poison. The blasted thing was making sections of its corporeal body go numb!

For the umpteenth time in the day, the Fox cursed at itself for not taking the matter into its hands since the beginning. It ought to have taken Sakura away by force and left the child behind. Consequences and her whining be damned!

But now…

"₥₥₥ɆɆɆɆ₳₦₦₦₦₦łłłɆɆɆɆ!

It had to deal with this…!

The Fox tried to stop the incoming monster from jumping over the wall and running at top speed, but the thing used its tendrils, shoving its tails away as it rammed into the Fox. The demonic fox grunted at the force behind the move. The grunt changed for a roar of pain as thorns were buried in its body as a pair of tendrils shot at point-blank range. The Fox immediately moved its tails to strike back and try to put as much distance as needed to recover. The monster didn't budge, though. The abomination led its tendrils between the five kitsune's tails and tightly coiled them around the Fox's!

Fear and despair started to overtake the Fox as thorns continued being shot and the thing's mouth opened and deeply bit on its neck. Things turned for the worse as its ugly wings bent towards it and started to stab the Fox with the sharp tips of its wings repeatedly! The Fox gargled in pain and rage as its vital liquid was spilled in gushes on the neglected grass.

"NO! I WON'T DIE LIKE THIS!"

Refusing to die like a defenseless animal, the demonic kitsune bent down its neck and in the same way, bit into the neck of the abomination. Rotten gelatinous meat and burning acrid blood filled its snout. Two of its tails managed to get free of its hold and started to tear apart the abominable flesh with desperation and viciousness. The abomination answered in kind using its sharp tail.

Sakura, who was disturbed by the events that unfolded in a matter of seconds, finally returned to her senses and went to aid the fiendish fox. Noting that the abomination was focused solely on the fox, she took advantage and charged at the legs of the monster. Blood spurted as her blade worked.

Sakura was just a pink blur in a beautiful and gory dance; her blade slicing and tearing through flesh, raising blood in her wake. Her mind was so focused on her butchering task that she barely heard the deep growls of the Fox and the grotesque hisses of the abomination. The ground beneath the Miko, Fox, and abomination was dyed in a strange mixture of crimson and purple.

After what seemed like long minutes, but it was only ten seconds, Sakura finally stopped a few feet behind the creature, panting after her arduous task.

She turned to watch the conclusion of her bloody deed.

The Fox and the creature were badly wounded from head to foot and still had their jaws locked on each other.

The kitsune had deep gashes on its sides, the result of the creature's front claws, and its body looked more like a pincushion; most of its back and underbelly were covered with white spines that protruded like spikes. Three of its tails were terrible tore apart and its two surviving tails hung limply.

For its part, the creature seemed to have come out of a meat grinder. Various parts of its body were riddled with bleeding holes and pieces of its blasphemous flesh were scattered at its feet.

The creature's body trembled and released the Fox from its malicious grip: a great spurt of blood gushed from the kitsune's freed neck. The abomination groaned for a second before collapsing on its legs and its eyes fell shut. The same thing happened with the Fox, who managed to take a few steps back before falling exhausted on its side.

After catching her breath and seeing that the abomination didn't move, Sakura walked over to check on the demonic Fox's status, always keeping her eyes on the recently slain creature. It was best to keep her guard up until she left the place. Once she got close to the Fox, she called out to it to see if it was still conscious.

"Demon," she directed her gaze for a second to where the girl rested, away from the bloody fight, before returning her gaze to the abomination.

"Sa..ku…ra…" The Fox wheezed. It was a miracle that the demon could even make a sound with its throat ripped out. She attributed it to its status as a wicked spirit. It was a testament to its high endurance that even her beloved could only seal the demon for a long time despite the use of her powerful holy relic.

"Are you fit to move?" She asked. The Fox moved its eyes slowly to her and then to the fallen creature. The Fox tried to say something, but the injured throat made it impossible for it to communicate.

"Sa…u…ra," it said again between chokes. She looked down at the Fox, keeping the creature within her field of vision.

"I suggest that you rest for the time being before we move on again." She saved her katana and added; "I'll see what I can do for the girl for now. If we move quickly, there might still be a chance to save her."

It seemed cruel for her to ignore the Fox's sorry state but considering that the demonic fox took care of destroying the last bit of happiness she had left in the world, the simple fact that she was giving it a chance to regain its strength was more than it deserved.

She was about to go to the girl, but a sudden jolt from the Fox stopped her.

"Sa...ku...ra," the demon fox said with difficulty. Its breathing was heavy, as was the movement of its body, but there was a sense of urgency reflected in its eyes. The Miko attributed it to its mutilated state.

"Sa...ku..." It called slowly and barely above a whisper. Despite this, she heard it perfectly.

"What's wrong, demon?"

"N-no... not..."

The Fox flicked one of its broken tails. The limb responded poorly, but the Fox kept moving it until its tip pointed in a specific direction.

The corpse of the monster.

Sakura moved her eyes between the body and the Fox and after a moment she understood what it meant.

"I'll make sure to burn the body before I leave," she assured.

"That's..." The Fox tried to speak again, but only a hiss came out of its snout.

"Conserve your energy and try to recover as soon as possible," she stated.

Sakura turned around and for a second, she wondered what had so anxious the Fox to move despite its awful state.

She took a step towards the girl-

"IT'S NOT DEAD!"

Sakura's blood ran cold as she turned sharply and saw rows of teeth pouncing on her.

IT found fascinating the sensation of soaring through the air and in an instant the world moved slowly. ITS body tingled as she sighed.

"[Dear, you shouldn't have spoken with that stranger.]" She chided IT with her gentle tone. Despite her warm tone, IT flinched hearing her scolding.

IT knew better than to talk to the woman.

B-But she smelled very good! Like a flower and with that essence of the Star -plus she looked strong, unlike that pathetic weakcrybabyworthless trash-

"[Dear?]"

A-and… IT wanted to show her that IT was strong and not a baby.

I̶̷w̵a̵nte̴d̵̷t̶o̴̴m̶a̵ke̴̵yo̶u̶p̴ro̴u̵d̴…̵

IT wanted to make her submit.

L̵i̶k̴e̴ t̴h̶e̵ ̴hero̶es̶ ̶w̶ho̴ ̴de̵f̴e̶a̴t̴e̶d ̴t̷h̴e̵ ̶m̵ea̷n̶ ̷vi̶l̶l̷a̵in̴s̴ ̷i̵n ̷t̴h̴e̵ m̴o̴v̵i̴e̶s̵.̶ ̷A̷s̴k̶i̵n̷g̷ ̴t̵h̵e̴m̵ t̷h̴e̷i̴r̶ r̷e̷a̶l̴ ̵r̶e̶a̷s̵o̷n̶s̵ ̴to̵ ̵f̶i̷g̶h̵t̴!̶

̷B̵a̴d̶ ̵g̶u̶y̷s̵ h̷a̷v̷e̷ ̵p̷e̴tt̴y̶ ̴r̴e̴a̴s̴on̶s̵ ̶t̵o̵ b̷e̵ ̴m̵e̷a̴n̵…̴

But IT was careless, and the ugly fox interrupted.

I̵̳͍̺̳͑̚ȧ̶͖l̷̡̫̽w̶̯̥͐͑ą̷̔͝ỹ̵̠ș̵͚͑̽ŕ̴̯uḯ̴̦n̷̷͎̪̉̈͜it̵̖̼̎͠,̷̮̫͗́d̵̢͆̽ô̬̄n̴̝̝͝'t̷͈͘I̵̩͝?̶̛̩

"[Don't give up yet, dear. Good things are always hard to obtain.]" She told IT as ITS body crashed against cars and a place with funny-looking candies.

"[I have a plan.]"

N̶e̵v̴er̵̷s̴to̷p̵t̵h̷in̶k̴in̵g̴…̶

"[Jump over the wall. Pounce it and give it a great hug and don't let it throw you off. Oh, make sure to use your arms, tail, and the special pew-pew hands and bit into its neck. When you bite him, make sure to drink its juice. Okay?]"

For a single moment, IT doubted her. How could it drink the mean fox juice if it would have ITS mouth busy?

"[Silly, that little tongue of yours it is another mouth. Just focus and you will feel it.]" IT tested her words, and she was right. IT had another mouth inside ITS mouth!

But still, won't it hurt when the mean fox tried to fight back? It even had that woman helping it!

"[Are you doubting me?]" IT shuddered to hear her annoyed tone.

Ḯ̵̵͈̬̑̚͝a̶̖͉̋̌m̵̴̥̘̺͉̈́̐̈́͠d̵͙̔o̷̝͚̽i̷̩̯͂̾n̴̮͒g̴̺̜̋ṁ̶̻ỹ̵̷̞̭̙̘̈́̿ḅ́̂e̴̠͖̅s̷̡̲̉̔t̵̨̫̂̅.̷̵̟͕̭̓́̊̌Wh̴̰͖̿ẏ̴̶̤̚͜͠ͅc̶̗̏ä̶̮͇̎n̶͚̜̊̆n̷̗͝o̵̲͚̅t̷̶͍̺͎̅̌̈͝ỷ̗ò̶̖͍͛ŭ̷̴̳̻̙͛͌́ş̴̭̽̕e̴̙͊ẻ̵̴͔̯̳̊́ì̴͉̩t̷̰̯̒͗?̷̮̽!̷̟̓͛

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

IT WON'T DOUBT HER!

NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NE-!

"[Calm down.]" She soothed IT, feeling something warm patting inside ITS heart. "[I was just kidding! Geez, you are such a worrywart.]"

IT whined. Something warm touched ITS snout and rubbed it with affection.

"[There, there, don't cry, little one.]" IT quivered but nodded.

"[The mean fox will hurt you when you grab him. Unfortunately. But! If you are quicky and don't let it go, you will be super strong when you are done with it!]" IT nodded again. IT won't doubt her ever again.

Af̷tera̴ll̷,̴̴s̶he̶̵i̴s̵a̵l̵w̷a̴y̵s̵̵r̶ig̵h̷t̵.̴

Getting a second breath, IT jumped over the wall and quickly launched ITSELF at the stinking fox and attacked just as she had told IT to. The plague tried to avoid ITS grasp, but it was faster, stronger, and smarter!

The fox's claws and tails were very large and sharp. Its attacks were very painful. Every time the bad fox attacked IT, IT wanted to cry, but IT held on with all ITS strength!

The ugly fox shuddered. Taking advantage of its bewilderment, IT bit down hard on the fox's black neck and with ITS special tongue, began to drink its juice.

The juice tasted...strange.

It was a strange mixture of sweet and salty.

J̵̡̰̓u̵̦̐͂ͅs̷̫̺͌͛ẗ̵̺̥̲̪̄͒͠l̵̖͊i̷̲̟̽͒k̵̘̩̿e̴̵͓̗͚̅͂̅h̵͍̻̅̒e̴͖̬̔r̴̥̘̓̈s̵̴̺̀̍̈̍͜ͅm̴̪̮̓ë̴̖͎́s̶̭̿̀s̵̈ͅe̴̳̥̾d̶̷͔̘̅̓͘up̵̵̪̯͇͎̄̄̿s̷̬͙͝ḁ̷̽ṉ̵͝d̴͖̩̄ẁ̷̺͠ḭ̵͂c̴̛̬̅h̵̻͊ȩ̵͍̇̅s̶̮͒͝…̴̭͘

"[There, there, dear! It's buckling!]"

IT stabbed, slashed, and shot with ITS pew-pew hands. The fox fought back with anger, but IT was angrier than it! The anger made IT stronger.

Both kept tearing each other with reckless abandon. IT caught a glimpse of the pink woman slashing at IT with her sword, but ITS attention wasn't on her.

In fact, for some reason, when IT looked at the stinky fox… Its face-!

Ǎ̴̗̙r̙̉e̷̝̻͠y̴̨̾̕o̶̧͍͗͋u̷̯͉̔g̶̡͚̔̋ò̵̪͍̓n̶͔͖̋n̰̬̈ă̴͍͕̌c̷̥̖͗r̷̨̝̈́́ẙ̷̰?̵̼̱̄͘B̴͕͆á̶̳b̶̛̭̄y̶̤͚̅Ḇ̴̝̃͊aw̷̫̿̍!̴̺̄̓B̵̢̜͒̍ả͈̚b̴̩̉ŷ̴̙B̴̡̦̈́͌a̶̳̣̎̾wl!̷̴͎̜̌͐̍S̴̙̒h̶̯̤̽e̶̝̎i̷̩̻̇s̴̱̮̀͝a̳j̷͎͈̇̚u̴̜͂n̴̦͔̉͘k̵̢̀̈́ǐ̴͖̲ḙ̂̑!B̵̳̤̄ab̴̖͈̈y̷͇̥̓́B̶̧̽ä̶̞̲̉w̴͓̿̕l̶̦͆!̴̰̖̀G̵̨̞͑̉ò̷̹ä̴̞́̈ͅń̶̟͠ď͕͚̌c̴̗̾́r̵̤͎̐yt̴͉̑oy̵̦͑͂o̷̞̐uŕ̶͇̟̓ḿ̴͙̩̊ŏ̙mm̶̱͠y̶̛͔͆!̷̦̬́̽Ỹ̵̡̠̆ọ̵͛̆ù̶̝c̴̢̉̆ỏ̶͇̱͝u̷̦̾͠l̷͎͠d̵͍̩̍̋b̷̻̟͒eb̴̡̛͇et̴̨̛̻t̶̲́͝er̴̹̈́́ǫ̴͝f̴̬̋f̴͚͖̉w̷̥̑̅i̷̫̋t̷̢̙͊̽h̴͙͐o̵͉̊ư̵̬̓t̶̖̣͝t̴͉͛͋h̵̡̼͠ê̳̜mĪ̶̫̒d̶̠̭̈́i̶͎̔̐ọ̲̋͝t̵̩̋̃I̷̖̯͘͝d̵̟̘̉i̵̝͊o̵͖̳̚͠t̵͙͉̍Ì̷̮̈d̵͇̳͂̅i̵̱͝o̵̱̳͗͑ț̵̨̍̚I̴̖̅d̷̙̔̈i̶̼̹͂ő̴͙̾t̴̗͌!͇̻Ś̴̬̈́h̴͎͝ë̶̹́̑i̷̘͝s̴͍̋̔à̴͛͜c̷̡̓h̴͓̓è̵̞͒a̶̼̓p̵̲͓͂g̴̝͇̒ì̶͚͛ř̷̡̮̐ľ̨̢͒!̵͔̈́͌R̴͎̅ư̶̼̜͐m̶̰̈́͑m̴͖͕̅̽a̵͖͆͆g̶̩̝̃ì̴̼̕ǹ̷͇͝ḡ̷͈͍th̶̗̤͋̅r̵͓̈ö̵̰̯̾ủ͖̦ǵ̴̘̚h̴͎̺̚ṫ̴͕̩͘h̵̟̦͊̋ě̷͇̻ģ͔̀̀a̷̡͘r̴̢̛̥b̷̞̿á̶̱g̴͉͖̎͠e̴͎͚͌̇ḁ̴̮̈́ǧ̦̺a̶̱͎͋̇ḭ̵̢͋̾n?̵̗̟͝A̴̜̋͠ľ̷̲̖w̴̰̭͑ǎ̴̝̒ÿ̷̰s̶̷̹͎͐̓̽ť̵͇͔͘ŕ̞o̴̝̻̎ù̷͍͓̇b̶̙̺̒̈́l̶̮̓̄i̵̫͂̑n̵̙̣͘g͚͓̉ṱ̷̢͛̇h̶̲̮̾̈e̴̞̔͆mPa̵̪͂̓͜th̷̫̩́e̷͈͓͊͛t̴̯͉̓i̷̝̭̿͗cD̷̛͎̺͊is̵̛͇̒g̴̞̔ù̴͔̐ͅş̷̍̄t̵͇͕͗ḯ̷̗͎͠n̴̬̬̓͝gḒ̵̩͊i̶͙̺͑s̵̤̒̇gu̷͓̚s̶̝̈̕t̶̢͚̓͐in̶̞͂̒g̴̛͈̋C̵̳̀̌o̵̩̠͌̿w̶̯̘͆̑ȁ̶̪r̶̛̝͆d̵̠̳̈͝A̵̮̋ĺ̷̙̳w̷̟͍̄a̴͙̣͛y̷̨̛̖͘w̴̞͝e̴̜̟̕ep̶̳̩̽i̵̼̎n̶̤̽̽g̶̞̅L̴̙̓i͇t̞̃ṭ̵̎̚l̶̨̜͗͘eP̵͉͍̆aw̷͕̑̈́n̴̠̬͒̃d̵̢̏̿W̴̻̣͝a̷̠̣̔s̴̛̥̝t̴̙͛ē̶̙͌o̴͚͂̋f̷̧͒s̶͕̲̆k͔̀i̶̛͇n̴̰̦͋N̨͇e̷̼͗͠v̴̲̞̋ė̶͎r̴̹͠è̝͙n̷͔̾o̷̢̠̐ú̶̥ğ̶̈́ͅh̶͇͐D̴̨͊r̵̡̰̈̚o̴̗͔̕ŵ̨͈ní̷̻n̷̪͔̂̏y̶̨̋̽o̶͖̅u̴̧̹̔͝r̶̙̓͝ṱ̴̥̍̇ea̵͇̩̓̎rs̶̭̹̔c͇̮̆oẁ̶͔ͅa̴̛̱r̵̦̩̍ḍOṕ̴̥͓̇e̴̢̘̍ny̶̟͐o̵̟̱̎̒ű̷̻̘r̶̬̈́ē̷̱y̴̬͂è̵̜̮͝s̶̻͌̓ẗ̴̺̲́ó̶̯s̶̫̳̑̊e̶̹͐͝ĕ̷͍͔ť̶̖̒h̷̬̾e̶̢̓͜t̵̗̬̃̚r̶͍̖̚u̳t̷̻́͝h̵̭̰̐Y̶͔͉̎͝oü̵͓̈́wa̷̻̙̋̀tc̶̨͗h̴̻͚̃f̶͔̿̿ṳ̴̈́͌l̷͍̄̆͜ĺ̷̖̿,̵̬̮͂j͉̈̇ȏ̵̧͐y̵̫̜̆̑o̵̠͆͊͜û̴͙̮͠ș̵̡͛l̷͈̹͘͠i̵̖̭̒v̵̰̊e̵͚̍̔sy̵̨̽̏o̷͛͜u̶̫͗c̴̉͘͜ȁ̷̯n̶̬͎̕ň̷͍̀e̴̢͔͋͋v̵͎̔͜e̵͓̿̓r̵̗͍̀t̵̟̠̄a͇̞k̵̤̆̚è̷̩̽p̴̺͂à̷̱͆r̴͕̱̾ţ̵͎̀͌o̷̫̼̕f̵̢̪͐́…̴̟͚͘

It made his blood boil like never before!

IT kept beating, slashing, and stabbing with a palpable rage that rattled ITS body and made IT wish to drown the fox in a pool of dirt and blood!

Something inside IT snapped and before IT could understand, ITS large frame fell on a puddle of ITS blood and the lights went out.

Why did IT fall? Why did IT bleed? Why couldn't IT eat in peace?

Why it was so cold? Did IT fail? Was IT so weak that IT failed?

D̵̙̚ì̴̭d̶̪͝.̴̶͔͖̽͌I.̷͔̭̈̂F̶̼̏a̴͈̎il̵̙̕.̴̳̓͜H̵͉̊è̦r̵͔̎?̶̞̍!̵̙̈

"[Hush,]" her warmth petted ITS head. ITS body was no longer cold, but IT felt heavy for some reason.

"[We are almost done. We just need to trick them,]" she whispered as the woman lowered her sword but didn't put it away. "[Especially her,]" she stated as the woman regarded ITS body as she spoke to the ugly fox. Never taking her eyes off IT.

"[When she turns her back, you strike her down fast and hard, dear. She isn't strong as the mean fox, but she is really fast. Remember that she gave us trouble before.]"

Yes. IT needed to catch her off guard. But how? The woman was much faster than IT! Could IT really be able to catch her?

ɦɛ աǟֆ ǟȶɨռʏɮօǟȶɨռ ȶɦɛʍɨɖɖʟɛ օʄǟ ֆȶօʀʍ, ȶɦɛʊռƈɛʀȶǟɨռȶʏǟռɖɖʀɛǟɖ ֆօ ֆʊʄʄօƈǟȶɨռɢȶօ ɛʋɛռ ɮʀɛǟȶɦɛ.

"[Now is not the time to doubt yourself,]" she rebuked ITS doubts. "[Did you already forget it, dear?]"

But he was not alone, because she had always guided and supported them in the hardest moments of their lives.

"[I am always with you.]"

Suddenly, IT felt ITS whole body being filled with her warmth. The weight on ITS body was almost gone and her love and confidence fill IT with courage.

"IT'S NOT DEAD!"

"[MOVE IT!]".

As soon as the words were out of her, ITS legs tensed and lunged with all ITS strength at the pink-haired woman. There was no strategy at that moment, only the determination not to let the woman who smelled like the Star escape.

Unfortunately, the woman managed to escape by a short margin as the tips of ITS teeth grazed the tips of her bangs.

"[Corner her with your tendrils and thorns, and let the venom do its work!]" She ordered. Feeling her urgency, IT obeyed her despite the injuries coating ITS body.

IT twisted the tendrils from place to place, seeking to land a blow that might incapacitate the woman, but she proved nimble on her feet.

"[Cage her and shot the thorns!]" Following her words, IT twisted, lengthened, and coiled the tendrils in the area around her. The woman didn't stop on her feet, though. Instead, she lunged at the wall of tendrils and raised her sword, the afternoon sunlight glinting off her blade, taking ITS breath away for a microsecond.

"[FIRE!]"

Not minding that the tendrils were in each other's paths, they made rain-white thorns inside the cage. The woman avoided becoming a pincushion by a hair's breadth, ripping her way out of the death trap.

"Ahhh!" But she didn't go away unscathed as two thorns buried in her back and one on her right leg made her scream in pain. She wasn't the only one hurt by the desperate attack.

IT growled as IT also sported multiple thorns nestled on ITS tendrils. They ached and hurt, so, so much.

But nothing hurt more than to disappoint her!

IT must catch the woman!

One of ITS eyes caught the oversized fox trying to stand. ITS eyes flared with anger. Thanks to the stupid fox, IT missed ITS chance!

"[Crush and gut the fox before it becomes another problem!]" IT grinned darkly hearing her next order. With great enthusiasm, IT jumped back, making sure ITS hind legs landed right on what was left of the fox's neck. And, to make sure the fi̶l̶t̷h̶y̵plague never rose again, IT folded one of its wings and saw up close how the tips penetrated deep into the plague's flank as they moved and slashed in one clean move the plague's innards.

I̵ts̵ ̴w̵e̷t̷ ̶p̷ai̶n̴fu̵l ̷gu̵r̴g̶l̶e̷s̷ ̵w̵e̴re̵ ̷s̷a̶t̴i̵sf̶y̵in̴g-

"[Go for the woman. She may be hurt and poisoned, but make sure she is down for good. She must not escape! She is too important!]"

Hearing the urgency in her voice, ITS eyes jerked in one direction and fixed on the pink-haired woman, who was running as fast as she could towards the figure of the little girl, leaning against the trunk of one of the trees in the large garden.

ITS initial concern began to fade as IT noticed that the woman was not running, but rather jogging and limping on her injured leg. The two spines on her back remained stuck, but the one on her leg did not. The woman had removed it so she could move faster toward the girl, but why didn't she remove the others from her back? Had she ignored her welfare for the girl's?

Why? The girl was already dead.

How confusing-

"[Don't rack your head thinking about it, dear]" She broke intoITSthoughts. "[I took it upon myself to give you a push to get this over with. Who knows what would have happened if she had run away.]" She clucked her tongue at the end. "[Why do the most pitiful ones end up being the most problematic?]" She mumbled, but still, IT heard her.

ITS head tilted in confusion.

"[Nothing dear! Now that she is done, you can go for the girl and the woman who smell like the Star. After all, you need to eat healthy to become a strong and smart child!]"

IT barked with a happy tone hearing her words.

Never mind that IT started to limp, that IT had thorns set on ITS many arms, or blood dripping on the grass; at least, IT could finally eat in peace!

Best of all, IT made her happy!

Huh?!

ITS head tilted in confusion, pausing in ITS step, as ITS many eyes caught something unordinary.

"[What is it, dear?]" She asked sensing ITS confusion.

IT found it strange the woman kissing the girl.

"[Humans do it all the time, sweetheart.]" She stated without interest. She didn't get what surprised IT.

IT tilted ITS head again, still in confusion, remembering that an adult kissing a child on the lips was bad and gross.

IT flinched suddenly when the woman and the girl disappeared under the glow of a blinding pink light.

A wave of pink energy ran through ITS body, making IT shudder with excitement. The hunger within IT howled for a second, then was silenced with a gentle embrace from the Star. So delicious energy, so warm was its embrace that IT no longer felt the wounds on ITS body. IT stood still as IT basked in the blessing light of the Star.

T̶h̶e̴ ̷S̴t̵a̷r̴…̶ So̶,̴ ̴p̷r̷e̷c̷io̴u̶s̴…̵ ̵S̴o,̴ ̶b̶e̴n̴e̶v̷ol̶e̴nt̷…̵ ̶S̵o̴, ̴d̴e̵l̷i̶c̵i̴o̵u̵s̵…̷ ̵S̴o̶,̶ ̴kind̴…̴ ̵Th̴e ̷St̵a̵r…̵ ̶S̷o̷,̵ ̷p̴r̵e̷ci̶o̴u̵s…̷ ̴S̵o̷,̵ ̶b̶e̵n̷e̵v̴o̵l̴e̵n̶t̷…̷ ̶So̷, ̷d̶e̶li̶ci̵o̴u̴s̶…̵ ̵S̷o̷,̷ ki̶n̵d…̵ T̶he̷ ̶S̶t̴a̷r̴…̷ ̴So̶,̷ ̷p̷r̴e̷c̵i̴o̷u̶s̷…̷ S̶o̵,̷ ̷b̴e̴n̷e̶v̶o̶le̷n̶t̶…̵ ̵S̴o̶, ̷d̶e̷li̷ci̴o̷u̶s̶… ̶S̵o̷,̵ ̶ki̴n̶d…̵

T̴͊͜h̷̞͐e̷̫̅ ̶̳̚S̶͓̉ẗ̸͔ă̸̮r̴̬̈́…̸͕̿ ̷̩̑S̷̺̈́o̵̝͑,̸͚̏ ̴̡͑p̷̗̌r̶̖̔ȇ̸̯c̶͍͐î̷̗o̵̟̔u̵̳̕s̷̤̽…̸̰̋ ̸͇̋S̶͈͐o̴̰̓,̸̼͋ ̷̥͝b̵͎̋e̵̯̋n̷̫̓ë̵̮v̵̳̈ö̷̗́l̴̦͛ẻ̵̢ň̴ͅt̷̛̜…̴͉̕ ̷̺̾S̷͕͒ǫ̴̚,̷͚͛ ̵̗̌d̸̲͒ȇ̷̞l̴̠̓i̷̫͆c̶̩̀i̸̲͠o̸͓̓ų̵́s̶̤͘…̷̥͛ ̴̩̒S̷̰̄o̵̮̎,̸͚̑ ̸̲́k̵͙͠i̸̹̓n̵͙͝ď̸̹…̶͙͗ ̴̡̅T̶͈͊h̶̒ͅe̷͔̽ ̸͚͐S̸̡̈t̶͓͒â̴̭r̴̲͋…̶̺̀ ̵̳̾S̷̨̈ö̷̮́,̵̫̀ ̷͐ͅp̵̳̅r̵̭̎e̷͖̋c̷̙̾i̶̩̽o̴͕͘ụ̷̍ŝ̸̖…̸̘̊ ̷̺̅Ş̵̊õ̵̠,̷̬̏ ̸̱̏b̷̧͛e̵̠̍n̶̳̋e̵̖̿ṿ̸̔ȯ̴̩l̸̩͑e̵̢͋n̸͓͝t̸͇̎…̷̡̈ ̸͈̂S̵͓͘ö̴̦́,̸̟͆ ̸͙͆d̶͔͘ȩ̸̛l̵͈͝i̶͑ͅc̴̮̽i̷̫͂ö̸̮́u̵̬͝s̴͉̔…̸̆ͅ ̴̐͜S̸̤̚o̵̩̎,̷̚ͅ ̶̯̓k̴͕̈́ȉ̵̳n̷͔̾d̴͍̍…̸̙̾ ̷̨̅T̷̮̈́h̷̲͊ẻ̴̫ ̵̺͆S̶͕͛t̷̜͐á̵̬r̷̭̀…̵̼͛ ̴̜̓Ṣ̴͗o̶̪̕,̵̢͂ ̴͔̍p̵̪̈́ŗ̸͊ȩ̵̕c̴̡̕i̴̬͝ȍ̸̻ụ̸̐s̸̢̅…̴͙̂ ̶̣͝S̷̜͊o̷̦̅,̸͚̇ ̵̪̐b̸̲̕e̸̱̐n̴͇͂e̵͚͋v̶͕̍õ̵̟l̸̜͝e̵̪͆n̷̑ͅt̴̯͆…̵͔̾ ̷̮͘S̴̢̿o̸̦̓,̵͚̽ ̴͈͘d̷͕̒ḙ̴̌l̴̛̮í̵̼c̴̢̃į̵͝ǒ̴̤ư̸̰s̶̨͋…̴̞̏ ̶͈̓Ṡ̴̼ó̸͉,̷͚͐ ̵̙̒k̴̲̀ḯ̷̧ṉ̸̽d̷̜̄…̶͙͐

̶̳͆Ț̵́h̸̰̓e̷̢̍ ̸̺̏S̶̝̑t̴̤̓a̷̪̒r̴͕̆…̸̱̍ ̴̪̆Ş̵͝o̴̬͛,̵͉̚ ̵͈́ṕ̷͎r̵͓͊ē̸ͅc̶̕ͅi̵̙͂o̷̪͐ǘ̴͉s̷̲̃…̷̥̐ ̶̱͌S̷͚̉o̷̢͆,̸̛͈ ̸̹̏b̸̛̹e̴̪̎ṅ̸̖e̴̖̊ṿ̸́o̷͎̽l̵̟͊e̵̙͝n̶͕͆t̵͙̽…̵̺̒ ̷̘̿S̸̯̚ö̸̗,̶̖́ ̶͉̕d̸̪̔ĕ̵̗l̷̽ͅȋ̷̩c̴̯̋i̵̡͑o̶̳̎u̴̳͂s̸̰̑…̸̖͘ ̸͖̄S̸̭̆o̴̳͋,̵̘̐ ̵͙̍k̵̝͂i̴̡͊n̷̼̂d̸͇͊…̵͕̄ ̴̢́T̴̜͗h̶̘́ȅ̷̠ ̶̹̕S̵͔͘t̷̮̔a̵̗̔r̶͚̍…̶͙̅ ̷̱͐S̷͚̓ȏ̶͕,̶͈͒ ̸̰͊p̶͕͒r̵̗͋ę̶͘c̶̡͛i̶̘͛o̸͍̿ǔ̷̖s̵̠̀…̷͊͜ ̶͇͝S̷̘̐o̶̮͋,̴̜͌ ̶̽͜b̸̖̈́e̷̻̊ṇ̴͑ȩ̸͘v̵̗̎o̸̭̐l̵̯̃ḛ̵͗n̵̜̿t̴̢͗…̶̫͒ ̷͇̈́S̶͚̓o̶͓͗,̷̙̅ ̸̛̘d̸͈͛e̵̗͂l̶̻͘i̶͖̋c̷͓͝i̸̲̽ŏ̷͕ū̴͚s̷̻͛…̶̢̊ ̸͚͆S̶̗͘ö̴͚,̵̚͜ ̸̺̄k̸̜̈i̴̪͂n̶̫̆d̸̠́…̶̧͗ ̴̤͝Ṯ̵̈h̷̲͗ě̸̥ ̶̙́S̴̬̈́t̵͎̀a̸̳̍r̸͍͗…̴̞̍ ̶͖̋S̶̘͛o̸̥̕,̷̼̊ ̶͙̽p̴̟̒r̵̛͓e̶̫͂ç̸͂i̶̧͊o̷͚̍u̵̢͗ş̵̈…̷̻͌ ̵̢̂S̵̮̀ơ̸̹,̷͖̐ ̸͍̎b̶̧͊e̴͙̿n̴̦͝e̶͙̚v̴̼̈́o̷͓͊l̴̺̎ȅ̶̡n̷̞̎t̴̝̀…̶̳͘ ̶͖̓S̵̪̍o̷̠͆,̸̙̀ ̸͍͋d̷̻̿e̷̥͛l̷͖̐i̴͍̾c̶͈̋i̵̠͒o̷̻̊ů̶̗s̴̞̚…̶͈̉ ̵̙͌S̷̲͌o̵̦̅,̴̻͘ ̶̥̈́k̷̺͠ĩ̵̝n̵̠̽d̴͈͐…̴͖͆

̴͕̈́T̷̥̆h̴̡̀e̵̬̅ ̶̉ͅS̷̩͆t̴̹̓ą̷̀r̶͉͊…̵͚͒ ̷̲͒S̴̓͜ő̵͙,̷̡̂ ̴̙̏p̶̱͌ȑ̸̭ě̴͙c̶̙̓ȋ̶̩o̵͘ͅů̶̪s̵̙̒…̷̜̕ ̸̧̃S̴͎̈́o̷̺̅,̸̲͛ ̸̹̾b̷̢̔ḛ̶̉ņ̷́e̵̬͒v̶̛̮o̴̜̕l̶̜̈́e̷̘͆ṉ̵͋t̸̨̾…̵̲̏ ̵̀͜S̴̲͝o̶̢̚,̶̨̛ ̷̜̚d̴͎̀e̴̙͝ľ̸̖í̴̼c̶̖̋i̴̲͋o̴̮͌ǘ̶͜s̶̹͒…̴̹̈́ ̸̙̊S̴͓̄o̵̱̊,̶̭͋ ̴̢̂k̶͇̊i̴̜͝ǹ̵̯d̵̺̿…̶̕͜ ̴͉͌T̴̜͠h̷̳̍e̶͚͝ ̶̩̍S̴̤͐t̶̼̍a̸͖̅r̷̤͗…̷̬̊ ̵͍̅S̵̘̽o̶̝̿,̸̫͑ ̴̹͂p̸̩̈́r̶̮̈́e̸̛̗c̷͎̀i̵̙͗ǒ̵̭u̴͂͜s̶̲̈́…̸̪̓ ̶̜̾Ŝ̵̯ó̶̟,̵̨̈́ ̴̭̎b̵͓̑ẻ̸͙n̴̥̓ę̸̿v̸͖̈́o̴͔͛l̷̄ͅe̷͈̓n̵̦̾t̷̘̂…̴͙̏ ̴̩͐S̶͙̈́o̴͆͜,̶̲̇ ̸̲̑d̵̹̄ě̵̥l̶̦̋i̵̛̼c̶̜͋i̶͈̇o̸͐͜ư̸̙s̵̟͊…̵͖̊ ̷̩̀S̷̃͜o̶͍͠,̴̻́ ̸̻̃k̶̲̎ị̷̈́n̴̼̈́d̷̗̍…̷͖̈́ ̷̭̉T̴̡͛h̵̟̋ę̵̛ ̵͇̿Ṣ̵̓t̷͔̄á̴͇r̸͈̽…̸͎͑ ̴̱͠Ş̵̏o̶͉̅,̵̛̹ ̴̫̔p̶̩̍r̵͍̿é̶̻c̴͉̿i̷̥͊ò̶̞u̴̙̅s̴̻͠…̴̀ͅ ̶͙͝S̶͈̍o̸̮͑,̸̻̓ ̴̯́b̶̨̽ĕ̸̡ṋ̸̈ȩ̴̛v̴̘̊ő̷͖l̸̝̋ẹ̶͊n̸͕̾t̷̟̐…̷͛͜ ̵̬̐S̶̭͋ȍ̸ͅ,̵̧̕ ̴̧̚ḏ̴̽e̷̤͆l̴͖̈i̴͇͑c̵̖̓ì̵͇ȯ̸̠u̷͙̐s̵̪͠…̴͚̅ ̴̘̅S̸͚̈ö̷̫,̶̤͝ ̵̼̽k̸͇͑i̷̯̎n̷̥̾d̶̖̿

Something buzzed through the air and slammed into ITS head at high speed.

It was something hot and very sharp.

An̴d̴i̷t̷̶d̴i̴d̶̴f̷uc̴k̴h̵u̴rt̷̴s̴om̵u̶c̵h̴!̴!̷!"₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳ⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧ!"

Theresa was shivering with cold. She didn't know how long she had been freezing. She remembered that her body was burning with a horrible fever, to be later replaced by this awful cold. Like the hellish fever, the heavy, burning sensation in her body had vanished. While this seemed like an improvement, Theresa didn't feel that way.

As agonizing as the sensations were, they gave her a point of focus; something to hold on to.

Because there was nothing worse than freezing to that cold that claimed the living and feeling adrift like a feather in the wind.

"So… This is it…" Theresa thought grimly.

Despite her fate, Theresa could only feel one thing. It wasn't hatred or anger toward her monstrous killer. It wasn't sadness that she hadn't spent more time with her friend and colleague, someone with whom she had forged a strong friendship. Nor was it that longing to have taken different decisions.

What Theresa felt with her entire being was bitter regret.

Regret not being more direct with Himeko and helping her find that special someone who will help her cope with her burden.

Regret for not being there to protect and guide the future generations - her students - from the threat that is the Honkai.

Regret not being nicer to the perv - to Siegfried - and for leaving him alone when he needed her the most.

Regret not having been there and seeing Siegfried's and Cecilia's treasure grow into a beautiful and strong woman.

Regret not seeing that brat again.

"Cecilia… I am so sorry…" Theresa whimpered as the cold grew and slowly embraced her, taking her to the Eternal Dream.

"Kiana… Goodbye…"

And then, there was-

"It is not your time yet, child."

…there was light…

A powerful flash of pink light illuminated the space. The darkness was pushed back, and the deadly bone-chilling cold was replaced by a welcome warmth.

Theresa felt her strength return slowly. She opened her eyes and looked around her, trying to see where she was, but all there was that pink light that illuminated everything around her. There was no trace of the oppressive darkness that had recently engulfed her.

"W-what?!"

To say Theresa was confused was an understatement. Just moments ago, she was sure that she was bleeding to death and poisoned on top, but now…

Theresa got on her feet and checked herself and was shocked to find out that the injuries she had suffered earlier had completely disappeared. The gash in her left arm was gone, along with that horrifying pain in her body!

"Is-is this the afterlife?"

Whatever thoughts Theresa had were pushed back as the light began to dim and to her consternation, she saw not far from her the very same abomination that almost killed her. Behind the creature, there was a scene of a bloodbath as the corpse of a large black fox laid not far from the monster, with its pink blood still oozing out of its body.

"W-what the heck?!" Theresa yelled disturbed. She took a step back, disgusted as she watched the creature's many eyes dart in all directions with frantic speed. Another detail that caught her attention was that the creature was still and twitching as if it had been frozen by something.

"Child."

Theresa flinched when she heard a female voice calling for her. She looked around her, but she didn't see the person calling for her.

"Child, you must hurry."

Theresa was shocked and angry at how the voice referred to her. She was an adult - but with a very youthful appearance! - there was no reason to refer to her as a child.

"There is no time, child!" The mysterious voice urged. "Quickly, kill that beast. Now is your chance!"

The short headmistress had several questions, but knowing the situation was dire, she saved them for later and moved her recently healed arm to her back, to take out-

"Where-?!"

The oath of Judah was missing!

"No, no, no, no! Where it is!"

Theresa looked around urgently for Judah. God only knew when the monstrosity would move again. Despite her great strength and stamina as a Valkyrie—along with her Honkai genes—the creature just needed to give her another poisonous wound and this time, she doubted another miracle would happen to save her.

Then, to her surprise, the mysterious voice spoke to her again. "Child. I saw the holy relic not far from you. It is not far behind you. Make haste and retrieve it!"

Knowing that the mysterious voice was correct, Theresa ignored the rational side of her mind telling how the stranger knew the location of Judah, and instead turned on her heel and started to run for the Divine Key.

As she moved forward, Theresa noticed that there were new additions to the facade of the high school derelict. There were large holes in the walls and the occasional long white thorn buried in the walls.

"What did happen here?!" Theresa screamed, but no one answered. She didn't stop and continued moving.

Not a moment later, Theresa almost cried in joy when she found the Oath of Judah laying on the dirt.

"Judah!" Without wasting another second, Theresa quickly picked up the Divine Key and set it on her back. As she took a step forward, she almost stumbled, barely recovering at the last second.

"Is the poison still in me? Can I fight the monster in this condition?" She looked in the monster's direction, where the creature remained still with its strange behavior.

"I only have one chance to take it by surprise. If I fail, then…" Theresa felt a lump form in her throat. The implications were more than clear for her if she got close to the monster and she didn't manage to land a blow that would bring it down for good.

"I guess that facing a possible certain death, after barely escaping from it, makes you aware of your mortality," she thought morbidly.

"Fret not, child." Theresa flinched and swore on her super special Homu's manga collection that she felt the warm hands of someone on her shoulders.

"You may be still weak from the poison, but I am here to protect you and see you succeed."

Something hot bloomed from below her nape.

"So, open your body to me, and together we shall purge the unclean!"

Theresa buckled on her feet, but it wasn't from weakness, on the contrary, she felt as if a dozen energy drinks had been injected into her veins! She felt like she could take the whole world by herself!

Unknown to Theresa, the color of her eyes had turned ruby red, and her pupils had changed from round to split. Her hair changed from silver-white to pink. A pair of long ears, like a fox's, sprouted from the crown of her head. Theresa smiled euphorically, showing that her fangs and the rest of her teeth were longer and sharper.

Theresa wasn't the only one who changed. The Oath of Judah, hanging from her back also changed.

The golden Divine Key turned pink, some sections a deeper pink color. The Schicksal emblem, which for centuries had been affixed to the mighty relic, had been replaced by a magatama emblem.

"Oath of Judah! Hear me and resonate with my soul! Bare the fangs of soulium and exact your bloody toll!

The changes were not merely cosmetic, as the Divine Key opened at her command and revealed its inside, the Key's original spears and javelins were replaced by multiple intense pink katanas; ready to be used at the moment that she ordered it.

The ground beneath her feet cracked as she lunged at the creature. her target didn't seem to realize the approaching danger.

"Better for me!"

Without waiting for another second, Theresa swung the first blade into the abomination's face.

"₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳₳ⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧⱧ!"

The Valkyrie couldn't help but smile at the creature's piercing cry of pain.

Theresa moved in all directions, swinging the multiple blades that sprang from Judah, slashing and impaling the grotesque creature that not long ago almost killed her.

"PAIN! PAIN! I DON'T LIKE IT! I DON'T LIKE IT! IT BURNS!"

The creature tried to defend itself. It moved its tendrils in all directions desperately. Despite its great speeds, Theresa easily evaded the monster's extensions. In the blink of an eye, all of the monster's tendrils were severed. The eyes on the monster's wings widened in terrifying surprise, not only seeing how quickly they were cut off but no longer growing back from the stumps!

"₦₦₦₦₦₦₦ØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØ!"

The monster howled in pain and despair as it turned on its legs and tried to use its long, sharp tail as its last form of defense.

This proved to be a terrible mistake. Midway through its desperate movement, multiple katanas were impaled on the limb and were thrown with great force that not only abruptly stopped the monster but also pinned it to the ground.

"₦Ø! ₦Ø! ₦Ø! ₦Ø! ₱ⱠɆɆ! ₴₮Ø₱! ł₮ⱧɄⱤ₴ØɄⱧ!

Theresa ignored the creature's pleas as she continued to pierce and slash at it with her blades. The creature tried to wriggle free of its bonds, but its actions only worsened its grievous injuries. The blades lodged in its body cut deeper due to its desperate movements. Soon, a crimson lagoon was born under the creature's body.

"ł… ₳₥… ₴ØⱤⱤɎ…"

The creature hissed in regret as it succumbed to its terrible injuries. When the head -or what was left of it- together with the wings, fell and did not move again; that was when Theresa stopped attacking.

"Huff…! Did I get it?" She asked panting slightly, standing away from the murdered beast. The silence was her only answer, as the monster didn't move again. A mix of chagrin and relief washed over her when the monster's corpse started to melt into a big puddle of red goo. Seeing the situation under control, Theresa turned on her earpiece.

"-resa?! Madam Theresa?! Please respond!"

Theresa never imagined she would be relieved to hear from the people at the Control Center again.

"CC. This is Theresa. The situation is now under control. Over."

"Madam Theresa! We didn't hear from you for half an hour. We had assumed the worst!"

"Then, why the heck you didn't send reinforcements?!" Theresa wanted to yell this over the call, but from logical and strategic thinking, sending people over here to help her would have meant more unnecessary deaths.

"Madam, I know it's soon, but we need to know what happened with the entity." Theresa bit down a dry remark at the typical lack of tact and responded.

"The entity proved to be highly dangerous and difficult to contain than we initially thought. Unfortunately, I was forced to eliminate it." She was sure that people back at CC were pissed, but to be honest, she didn't care about what they wanted or thought.

The freaky thing was too dangerous to be kept alive. Screw the consequences and whoever dared to chide her about it!

"We understand madam," the person on the other side of the call didn't bother to hide their disappointment. Theresa furrowed her eyebrow. "Then, Madam Theresa, an evac team is on their way for your extraction Be advised, once you reach the base you will be asked to give your report about what happened there. See you soon, Madam. Over."

She gave a short reply and cut off the communication. Dang it! She wanted to be done with all of this issue but knew that CC and HQ wanted information about what happened in Nagazora.

Screw the paperwork sitting on her desk! What Theresa wanted most right now was to drink gallons of bitter melon juice, slap the hell out of those bags of fat with Himeko strutted, spend some quality time with her niece Kiana, and…

...sob silently in the shower…

"No! Nope! I am going to have a good time with my silly niece and her friends. Go! Shoo! Go away bad thoughts!" She clapped her cheeks with both hands as she said this. Spending a nice wholesome time with the people she liked and loved was the solution to such bad thoughts!

"If only, those people back at the base would stop being such a pain-"

THROB!

"H-Huh?!"

Theresa's legs gave up and barely caught herself before falling face-first. She felt a shiver run through her body. She noticed that her hands turned pale and trembling.

"What is…happening…"

Suddenly, her breath became difficult, and felt drops of cold sweat run down her face. To make it worse, Theresa started to have the mother of all migraines.

"My… head… It… hurts…!"

Her vision blurred, and she may have been severely hallucinating, but for some reason, she could swear her brain was vibrating inside her skull.

THROB!

"AAAAHHHHH!" Theresa screamed in pain as her temple hit the grass. It would have been painful, but the pain was tame for what she was undergoing.

THROB!

… a cold abode with a warm presence inside… a green forest, full of life and freedom to grab… a smile with the same warmth of summer and a voice as fresh as spring… a childish laugh that could melt the hardest of hearts...white hair that reminded her of snow

##############

…monsters ravaging the village and its people… faces begging for help… harsh and withered harvest fields… sickness and death coming and going as they please… a sacrifice to feed the gods…!

####̶̟̫̤͆#̴̡̱͓́̈́̚#̴̬̻̤́̚͘#̴͎͂̈́́͜#̵̧͇̔#̶̝̎̈́#̷̨̃͌́#̴̲̖̇̈́##̶̧̄̋#̴̰̄̉#̵͉̫͐#

A Miko must be selfless! DUty mUST bE upHelD! IT iS FOR the GoOd of tHe viILlage! Ô̶͈͕̩̬̱h̺͈̦̯͇̤͗̇̀,̷̢̘̻͙̼͚͎̠̜͎͂̌ͪͥͣ̚ͅG̛̻͍̲̺̣̓ͥ͐ͅͅr̪͖̔̀́̉͟e̟͇̺̖̹ͤ͡a̧͉͇͔̤̗͙̺̐̿͂͐ͅt̴̛̠͚̙̱̞̳͎̬̉̓̄ͤ̂ͅO͑҉̱̲̞̖̹n͉̤ͬͭ͜ͅe̷̼̰̐s̯̠̪̜̫̋ͪ̿ͯ͜!̵̡̻̪̙̼̭̣͎̞͇̼͙̜̙̗̯ͣͣ͊́P̨̗̩͎͌l͇̝̞̪̠ͨ̒̌ͣ̀e̢̹͚̻̣͔̯̤͛a̡̱̱̤̒̊̀ͅs̱̼̱̟̥͇̫̠͋͊͢e̴̮͉̬̩͇̥̣͇͕͌ͫ͐ͨͪ̚͟a̯̝̺̻̭̒͜cͪ̂ͤ̉͏̙̟̼̳͙̣̜̟c̰̺͔͔͍̼̯ͬ͜e͙̤̯͕̘̦̭͎͛̉̐́͜p̵͚̳͇̺̜̎̽̐t̢̲̗̮̱̱̦͚͚͂̌̔ͫt̡͇͍̝̫̏ḩ̞̬̘̮̝̈́̀i̤͕̤̫̣̰̠͌͢s͙̖͚̹͙̰̋̍̈́́̅҉̰̠̤ͅͅS̶̳͎̯͕͇͈̏̽̈́a̒ͬ҉̙͚̯͍c̓ͪ͗͂҉̙͕̲̦̣̲r͕͇͙̙̐ͭͭ͜i̧̺̘̥͉͙͎ͣ̆f̮̖͗́i͗ͮ̾҉̺̹̬̘͕c͎̰̫͈͑̀ḛ̢͓̓̅!̪͖͉̦̠̰̌̐ͦ̇̈́́̈̀͟S̡̖̥̙̅ͭͅa̶̤͓̳̖̝̣̗̥̓͛̿c̞̼͕͚̜͊̅͜r̶͇̬̬̓ȉ̡̹̦͔̮͕̫̣̻̆f̢̝̮̮̝͔̦̬͆i̵̺͇̠ͣ͐c̩͓̭̞ͩ̔ͯ͡e̒ͫ̄ͪ͏͈̤̻!̴̖̳̣̝̣́̾ ̴͎̘̼͙͙̖ͧS̹͔̗̫͇̙̟̝͑ͬͤ͝a͉̲̗̐̕c̙̥̗̥̹͙̭͑ͣ͝r̵̦̣̮͉̬͎͍̟̄i̪͉̪̺̯̟̊̈́͘f̥̠̹͉͕̼͍̌̆͌̈͘i̜̭̝ͪ̀͝ͅc̟̮̝̓̍ͥͧ͟e͚͇̗̠̪ͯ̍̅͡!̺̬͕̺͈̱̰̄̎͗̚͞ͅ

THROB!

"What is this?!"

The pain was agonizing as she saw -remembered things- that she had never experienced before. Theresa wanted more than anything in the world to curl up and let her consciousness fade away, but despite the pain, she knew that if she gave in, she would be easy prey for whatever zombies or Honkai beasts lurked around the place.

She just needed to hold on until the extraction team arrived-

SEEP!

Theresa caught something flying towards her in the corner of her eye. Despite the trembling of her hand, she didn't allow whatever she caught out of her grip. She looked at her hand and almost released it.

The body was thick and long like a cucumber. Rather, its shape was almost the same as one's, but there were extremely prominent differences. Its form was covered in a slimy red substance, there were rocky protrusions around its body, and to her growing chagrin, the creature's extreme underside resembled the venomous tail of a wasp.

"What the fuck?!" Theresa gravely swore as the thing tried to break free from her grip. Despite the migraine and the horrible thing in her grasp, Theresa's mind knew the origin of the creature when she saw that it was covered in the strange red slime.

"D-Don't tell me!" She looked at the carcass, or rather, the goo pool where the monster was slayed.

"How is this thing still alive!"

The monster, abomination, or whatever the hell it was, probed to be a lot resilient. Even on death's doors.

For a second, Theresa thought of keeping the disgusting creature in her grip until the extraction team arrived. Maybe use Judah to restrain it until they arrived in the base to properly contain it.

Then she remembered how dangerous the thing was and how many good people it had killed -probably eaten…

Maybe -no- getting rid of the damn thing before the extraction team arrived was the best course of action.

Without a second thought, Theresa, on her knees and with an agonizing migraine, took out a katana from Judah and brought it down on the disgusting mons-

"…Nee-chan! Nee-chan! I really love your onigiris!"

THROB!

The memory and the accompanying pain were strong enough to distract Theresa for a second. A second that the thing did not waste and that in less than a blink, it was free and slipped between the sleeve of her robe.

Panicked, Theresa moved her hands frantically trying to grab the creature. She felt her slimy body slide down her arm and stop at her back. Theresa was about to crush the creature, but-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Theresa hollered as she felt the monstrosity sting her back and pump its venom. To be more precise, it stung right in the center of her Stigma.

The pain was an agonizing combination of sharp freezing crystals slicing through her veins, and lava burning her insides. Theresa curled up as the pain run rampant and messed up her senses.

Theresa kept howling in pain for seconds, minutes -hours, days? She didn't know. The only thing her mind could understand during so much pain was the silhouettes that were approaching her at great speed.

Who were they?!

"…sedate her! NOW!"

Theresa felt a little pinch and knew no more.

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

SUBJECT HUSK DIDN'T CONSUME HIGH NUN BUT MANAGED TO ENTER HIGH NUN'S BODY.

HIGH NUN'S BODY UNDERWENT SEVERAL CHANGES DUE TO THE INTERVENTION OF OLD RULER-12.

HANGED KING'S FORCES; AN EXTRACTION TEAM, MANAGED TO RETRIEVE THE HIGH NUN.

COMMUNICATIONS INTERVENED.

HANGED KING'S FORCES ARGUE ABOUT HIGH NUN POSSESSING GREAT CHANCES OF SURVIVAL IF TAKEN TO THE HIGH NUN TEMPLE.

ADVICE: EXECUTE [PURGATIO LUX] BEFORE THE EXTRACTION TEAM AND HIGH NUN REACH POPULATED AREAS.

[REDACTED]

#$%$$%&!

THE MERGE OF THE HUSK AND THE ENHANCED HIGH NUN REPRESENT A GRAVE DANGER!

IT IS IMPERATIVE THE TERMINATION OF THE HUSK AND ITS HOST!

THE HUSK WILL BE A SERIOUS THREAT SHALL THEY NOT BE TERMINATED RIGHT NOW!

[REDACTED]

UNDERSTOOD.

REVIEWING AND EDITING MATERIAL FOR THE EYES AND AID OF ASCLEPIUS-[REDACTED] IN THE TASK.

THE MATERIAL IS FINALLY EDITED.

[REDACTED]

THIS UNIT WILL CONTINUE ITS TASK OF FOLLOWING SUBJECT: NYX.

[REDACTED]

IT SHALL BE DONE.

DISCONNECTING…

DISCONNECTED.

Hello to all readers who have followed this little story of mine and waited a great deal of time to read a new chapter.

My apologies, the last year has been hard due to my dad's passing -courtesy of COVID- and there were many issues to deal with before I could concentrate on writing the next chapter. I wrote some paragraphs, edited them, or deleted them completely when they didn't fit with the story. Not to mention that stopping writing for a while affected my ability to write and the way I wrote this chapter.

Holy shit... This chapter should have been done since March and we should be at least five chapters ahead.

Anyway! I will try to quicken my pace and write you more chapters as fast as possible.

As you can see, Theresa isn't out of the fray yet. No, I don't like to make suffer Teri, but unfortunately, she is part of the HI universe.

The next chapter marks the beginning of The Gratitude Arc.

Oh boy... I have so many ideas for this arc.

Don't worry, once this arc is done, Teri will get a lot of hugs and kisses. Promise!

Thanks for reading and hope that you enjoyed this chapter.