"Kyahahahahaha! You rotten meats are looking so scared. It's wonderful! Kyahahaha!" Elsa and Meili's 'Mama' cackled.
This was bad.
'Echidna, how much longer?! The boss showed up before we defeated the minions! This is going to be difficult!'
'Stay on the defensive. This ground dragon is currently being strengthened by Akra, so I will not be long. Do not do anything reckless before the support group arrives.'
'Got it.'
"Garfiel," you called out while not taking your eyes off of the new enemy. "You can have Kurgan to yourself. I'll see what I can do against this new one."
Garfiel, out of your field of vision, nodded. Elsa did the same thing, not faltering in her ongoing fight with the previous Sword Saint.
A short distance back, Subaru gripped Beatrice's hand while Meili was frozen in place.
"When a pretty lady talks to you, compliment her!" the almost naked figure screamed. "I came to finish off the little meats that stopped loving me, so let me have some fun by hearing your cries! Kyahahahahaha!"
You stood up and faced her, ignoring the battles behind you. "If you insist... Archbishop of Lust."
Your allies were shocked to hear this name, but it only amused the figure. "Kyahahaha! This rotten meat must be a stalker! Of course he would know who this pretty lady is!" She wore a lewd smile as she stretched her arms out and exclaimed, "Yes! I am 'Mother', and I am also Capella Emerada Lugnica, the Sin Archbishop of Lust! Now, be good meats and scream while I kill you!"
The petite figure suddenly seemed to burst as it gave way to a new form... a huge, black dragon.
"Lugnica?!" Subaru yelled out, confused. The royal lineage was supposed to have died out, but this Archbishop was claiming that she was of royal blood.
"There was a girl by that name, I suppose," Beatrice explained to her contractor. "About fifty years ago, the princess with that name died, but a funeral wasn't held, in fact. She was a nasty person, so even Betty heard about her, I suppose. Now, El Vita, I suppose." Beatrice casted the spell that served to increase the effects of gravity on Capella, which should help you fight her.
"Fifty years..." Subaru mumbled, taken away by the apparent age of this new foe.
Meanwhile, you couldn't hear Subaru's conversation, so you hoped that he was doing something useful. Because there was now a black dragon that was easily ten times larger than you. "Scream!" a voice came from its throat as black flames came from the same location.
Not wanting to waste too much mana before Echidna came, you elected to dodge the flames instead of trying to counter them.
You leapt out of the way, and you were glad that you did so. Where the flames made contact with the ground, an abnormal fire blossomed. This fire was pure black, and it seemed like it wouldn't go out easily.
"You're being so boring! If you won't scream, then at least feel some pain! Meat bags like you aren't entertaining!" The dragon used its powerful wings that propelled it into the sky, searching for better prey. It didn't seem like El Vita was affecting it at all.
"No you don't!" you said. This was a situation that forced the use of a spell, so you used the most reliable one. After quickly drawing your main sword back out of its sheath, you chanted, "Crescent Moon!"
The dragon couldn't veer away from the quick attack, and the spell became greater in length as it shot up. A moment after it left your blade, the spell sliced the black dragon in half, its two parts falling out of the way.
'That was too easy. Keep your guard up, but do not provoke it. I will be there in a short time.'
'That's what I was planning to do. Until the backup arrives, I'm not taking this Archbishop on by myself since I don't want to die again.'
This Archbishop seemed to be able to transform her body, but you didn't know the limits to this ability. If she could heal injuries through transformation, then this fight was far from over.
Meanwhile, another fight was about to end.
Behind you, Garfiel was defending himself against a series of blows from Kurgan, who still had six arms and one Demon Cleaver.
One arm. Two Arms. Three Arms. Four Arms. A fifth arm with a Demon Cleaver. Six arms.
Garfiel struggled to avoid fatal blows as Kurgan used his suffocating offense to defend himself against the demi human.
"Th' f'ck 's this?!" Garfiel yelled through gritted teeth. Kurgan was missing a fourth of his arms and most of his weapons along with being affected by El Vita, the gravity increasing spell, while Garfiel was being enhanced by Akra. It shouldn't be this difficult to win.
Garfiel retreated backwards, frustrated at his weakness.
He knew that he was weak. The battle at the Sanctuary taught him that. He lost to Natsuki Subaru, who he had seen as a weakling.
What did that say about him?
He wasn't strong enough to destroy every opponent. He didn't have the overwhelming strength that allowed people to win without fearing defeat.
What could he do, then? If he didn't have the strength to crush his opponents, then what was his purpose?
As Garfiel stared up at Kurgan, he suddenly relaxed as he found his answer.
It was easy. He was weak, so he needed to embrace it. He just needed to be strong enough to be able to protect everyone else. His body might be destroyed, but as long as he could stop this enemy from getting past him and attacking the others, he was satisfied.
The strength that Garfiel had fantasized about was out of reach. He couldn't be as powerful as someone like the Sword Saint or Kurgan, but he didn't need to use his strength as an absolute force like they did.
He needed to use it as a shield.
"I'm givin' it my all, s' ya better get ready!" Garfiel shouted at Kurgan.
The corpse shifted into a defensive stance, welcoming Garfiel into his destructive arms.
Garfiel planted his feet firmly into the ground and used his Divine Protection of Earth Spirits to shift the ground under Kurgan, throwing his balance off.
As soon as the ground stirred, Garfiel focused all of his energy into his legs and bounded straight at Kurgan.
One arm. Two Arms. Three arms.
Garfiel was able to weave in the air and dodge these arms, but the fourth arm caught one of his own arms, which made a cracking sound.
The fifth arm that held the Demon Cleaver came next, and Garfiel deflected it with the shield on his usable arm.
While the shield held fast, the arm that held it cracked from the brute force that was forced upon it.
Next came the sixth arm, but Garfiel was able to arch his body over it.
As he fell down on that great arm, Garfiel pushed himself up, towards Kurgan's neck. His arms no longer responded to him, and his legs could fail at any moment, so Garfiel used his last weapon - his teeth.
His sharp teeth sank into Kurgan's neck, causing blood to pour down his face.
Garfiel violently shook his head, gorging a chunk of Kurgan's neck out. This final attack caused the multi-armed clansman to fall to the ground, finally defeated.
Garfiel fell down with him but landed an arm's distance away.
As he landed, Garfiel knew that his fight was over. He was able to take out the weakened Eight Armed Kurgan of Vollachia, but at the cost of his body.
Both of his arms were broken in several places, several ribs were cracked, and he was sure to have many bruises and bleeding all over his body.
To a warrior, this was an honorable victory. Kurgan, who was moments away from dying again, finally muttered his first and final words. "Magnificent..."
With a compliment to Garfiel's hard-won battle, Kurgan finally died, no longer under the control of whoever revived him.
Garfiel sighed. "Capn'!" He weakly called out to Subaru. "I'll leave it t' you an' every'n else ta win. I believe in ya..."
Garfiel lost consciousness, lying next to Kurgan, who was finally at rest.
"Nice fight, Garfiel!" Subaru exclaimed from across the battlefield. "Beako, you can stop that spell on that huge guy, and we need to heal Garfiel! He doesn't look like he's in a pretty position," he added to his contracted spirit.
You grinned when you heard Garfiel's victory. Garfiel was able to win, so he was surely able to prove to himself that he was strong enough from whatever he needed to do. Just like Beatrice, you also released your spell that was no longer needed. Garfiel won, so he no longer needed Akra.
Now, was the Archbishop in front of you actually dead, or was it still acting like a bisected dragon?
At this point, you were hoping that she was actually dead, because it had been about a minute or so since your attack sliced it apart. Maybe it actually worked, and Lust was actually really weak.
You heard Subaru shriek as he avoided the battle between Elsa and Theresia in order to get to Garfiel, so you could tell that he was getting close.
"Meili!" he shouted as he got even closer to you. "Stay where you are! Patrasche will protect you if anything else happens! Beako and I are going to be healing Garfiel, so we're going to be over here for a little while!"
You were still keeping an eye on the dragon, and you were hoping that it would stay put. If it regenerated or something, then Subaru would be in danger.
At that moment, you felt someone blow some air into your ear, sending chills down your spine.
When you looked behind you, all you could see was an abnormal number of flies. Thinking back, there had been a lot of flies around that dragon...
Suddenly, the flies merged into a human figure whose arms became spikes that pierced your right thigh.
"Kyahahahah! You thought that I was dead! You looked so scared, so in pain just now, and it was wonderful! You thought that things turned around when that dead meat died, but that changed nothing! Kyahahaha! This pretty lady can't die, so show me that hopelessness!"
You quickly turned your head toward the dragon body, but it was gone. Capella must have somehow turned into the black dragon, and then into flies, and then turned back into her human form right next to you.
The black fire that was still burning cackled just like her laughter, and you held your injured leg. It felt like lightning was raging through your thigh, and your blood was seeping through the hands that were applying pressure to the wound and down the sword that you were still holding.
'Echidna! This is bad!'
'I know. I can see the smoke from that black fire from my location, so I will be there in a very short time. Do not die!'
Knowing that Echidna was coming gave you confidence that wouldn't have been mustered otherwise. "Heh. You think that you're special because you stabbed someone from behind? That sounds like something that I would do, and that's not a good thing," you taunted in the most controlled voice possible, since you didn't want Capella to get any joy from seeing you in pain.
Capella's eyes twitched as she wondered why the meat bag in front of her was trying to throw insults while it was bleeding to death. "You dare talk down to this pretty lady?! I'll show you how insignificant you are! You will stand here, dying while I kill all of your friends!" When she said this, Capella immediately looked apologetic. "It seems as if I made a mistake."
Her face twisted into a cruel expression. "A rotten meat like you has no friends!" Cackling, she darted away from you, towards the spot where Beatrice and Subaru were crouched down, healing Garfiel.
Well, Beatrice was doing the healing, but Subaru was still there regardless.
"Watch out!" you yelled. If Subaru died right now, then this loop would end, making everything useless. You couldn't use Getsuga Tenshou without hitting Subaru or Beatrice, so you aimed your bloody sword at Capella's legs and chanted, "Crescent Moon!"
Without even looking behind her shoulder, Capella sprouted grotesque wings from her back and flew off of the ground, evading your attack.
"Kyahahahaha! This pretty lady is smart! Rotten meats can't hit me now!"
Capella was quickly closing the gap between her and the contracted pair, so Beatrice had no choice but to stop healing Garfiel.
"Murak, I suppose." This spell reduced the effects of gravity on the ones it is cast upon, so Beatrice, Subaru, and the unconscious Garfiel were suddenly as light as a feather, and they blew away from the oncoming Capella.
"You can run, but you can't escape this lovely lady! I'll- gwah!"
Capella was cut short. Literally.
Her entire body was cut into mincemeat by several blades of wind, and this could only mean one thing.
Echidna was finally here.
'You are correct, but remember to call me by my alias. Even better, act as if you do not know me. Our lies will be unraveled if we act carelessly, and many conflicts will arise.
You couldn't see Omega yet through the debris that was kicked up by the wind blades, but there was definitely enough evidence that she was there for everyone else to believe it. With feigned surprise, you exclaimed, "We have backup! Subaru, get somewhere safe and protect Garfiel with Beatrice!"
"I'm just as glad about that, but I'm feeling kind of useless right now!"
"Do not worry about that, Subaru-dono," a voice that could be identified as Wilhelm's called out to him, which surprised the youth even more.
"Wilhelm-san?" Subaru said. His hand, which had been squeezing Beatrice's, relaxed slightly. If the Sword Demon was here, then things were looking brighter.
The dust cleared, and Wilhelm's body was now visible. Behind him was a dragon carriage, and one person stood next to him.
"Yes, I am here, Subaru-dono. This woman here informed my lady that there would be an assault on your group this morning, so I, along with several other soldiers, are now here to assist you in this unexpected battle. Next to me is the woman who informed us of the attack, and her name is Omega."
Subaru squinted his eyes at the familiar name, and he only squinted harder when Omega stepped forward. Her body looked really familiar...
You held in a short laugh when you finally saw what character Omega chose to look like.
She chose a female character who was known for being intelligent. One from another goated anime.
Makise Kurisu from Steins;Gate.
You couldn't tell if it was because of the rising sun, but her hair looked slightly different.
'I elected to choose the form in which this character has chestnut brown hair, as red hair is attributed to the Astrea family. I do not want to create unnecessary complications.'
'Sounds reasonable. Now, can you get over here and heal me?... Please?'
'Wait a little longer. You will not die soon, so the time in which I heal you will not be of importance.'
"Thank you for that introduction, Wilhelm-sama," Omega announced out-loud. "As you witnessed not long ago, I am able to use magic, so I will be assisting you in this fight. As I see there are injured people, I shall begin by healing that boy who is standing back there."
Beatrice looked up at Omega, and she seemed confused for a moment, but it passed quickly. "Betty will take care of this demi human, I suppose. You do not have to heal him after (Y/N), in fact."
"Beako," Subaru whispered. "Are you sure? We have limited-"
"Betty is sure."
Omega smiled, enjoying the sight of Beatrice arguing with the person whom she finally formed a contract with. However, it was not a smile of joy, but one of excitement that came when one's experiment finally yielded results.
That smile faded away as Capella stood up, any traces of damage done to her gone. "You dirty meats! If you wanted to see my hidden parts so badly, then you should have said so!"
Elsa licked her lips when Capella said this, but she was still fighting Theresia. Speaking of...
Wilhelm finally noticed the fight between Elsa and the woman who had flaming red hair. "No, it cannot be..." he mumbled.
His hand slipped away from the sword at his waist, and he began walking towards the two women, not even paying attention to the figure who just apparently regenerated her entire body.
"Theresia..."
The red-haired woman did not even heed his presence as she battled Elsa.
Capella noticed the despair in the old man's eyes, and she was finally able to feel entertained. "Kyahahahahaha! You rotten meats are actually worth something! This pretty lady is finally enjoying herself!" She looked around, choosing her next target.
Lust's eyes locked onto Meili, who was scrambling towards the newcomers. "When a child runs away from its Mother, they need to be punished! Kyahahaha! Your love in me was not perfect, so you will die!"
Capella once again transformed into a black dragon, this time prepared to evade any attacks. Earlier, she allowed herself to be hit, so it will now be a lot harder to hit her now.
Unfortunately for her, nobody was safe no matter where they were when Omega was nearby.
"El Fura!"
A huge wind blade that moved at warp speed met the black dragon's maw, which was ready to disperse the odd black flames. The spell continued to move after the initial contact, splitting the dragon in half lengthways.
As it fell, it transformed into a beast that had the lower body of an animal that resembled a cheetah, but the top half was closer to a lion. It was a creation that was meant to quickly hunt its prey and tear it apart.
The hunter was immediately turned into the prey as Omega casted the exact same spell again. This time, it was able to see the wind blade coming, but it couldn't move out of the way fast enough.
You watched this with admiration for Omega's/Echidna's skill with magic. She had only used one kind of spell this entire time, but it was enough to stop the Archbishop of Lust from touching a single person.
You limped toward her, since it didn't look like the five additional soldiers who came with Wilhelm would be of much use. They just... stood there.
Wilhelm was stunned in place, not believing that his wife was revived. The wife who he had finally avenged was standing in front of him as an enemy. The wife who he had lost many years ago was now a foe that was supposed to be defeated. This was unfair. There was no way that this was actually happening. This was a cruel joke.
Unfortunately, Capella loved cruel jokes.
"How dare you cut up a pretty lady like that?! You rotten meats need to be like that old one and give me a good time! This is getting me angry, so this pretty lady is going to have to settle with something ugly!"
This time, Capella transformed into... Omega.
The actual Omega seemed intrigued, and she sent you a telepathic message. 'There is a possibility that this thing can imitate my Gate since it transformed into me, so it may be able to use magic as well. Do not move any farther from where you are. If any spells are cast against us, this battle will become considerably more challenging, as I cannot cast any more high-level magic in my current state. I will heal you when an opportunity arises.'
So even with Omega here, this fight was beginning to seem more hopeless...
No! Thinking like that was exactly what Capella wanted. Her entire goal was to create inhuman suffering and establish despair in the hearts of all people, all for her entertainment.
You stood in place, bloody hand reaching for a second sword. You couldn't use all three yet, but there will definitely be a time in the future in which you would need them.
If Capella was about to cast spells everywhere, then she needed to be stopped with everything that you could give her. It wasn't right to push the burden onto Omega and the others as you watched, so you prepared to help from a distance.
Capella, who was ignoring you because of boredom, was now preparing to slaughter Omega, Meili, and the five soldiers who had already given up, seeing as they would be useless in any combat against this monster of a person.
"When rotten meats dare defy me, the same thing happens every time! Can you guess what it is?" Lust asked, a sadistic smirk on her face.
"Let me see... do you inflict inhuman pain onto them, and once they have felt ultimate humiliation and suffering, you dispose of them?" Omega concluded.
"No!" Capella yelled back with wretchedness, preparing to cast a spell. "I kill them! Kyahahahah! Take this! El Fura!"
Omega stared blankly at the oncoming wind blade, and at speeds rivaling a processor, she thought, 'But is that not what I just said?'
At the same time, you screamed, "Crescent Moon, Double!"
This time, two blades of magic were sent toward Capella as she cast the wind spell at your companions.
A huge cloud of dirt was kicked up around the entire battlefield, nobody able to determine the effects of the ranged attacks.
Not even Capella's voice cackled as the dust settled, the only sounds coming from Elsa's continued battle with Theresia, in which Wilhelm was still staring at, not able to accept his current situation.
"We're alive!" One of the soldiers shouted.
"D-do you think we got her? I saw these wicked blades of magic heading to her when she was about to attack us..."
Meili's voice came speaking out next. "N-no. Mama won't die from that. She... she is strong. I shouldn't have left her... Everyone would've stayed safe..."
Suddenly, Omega's voice came from right beside you. "That little girl has issues. The fear she feels is a powerful force that still won't relinquish her from its grip. I suggest that you prove to her the strength of your group."
Omega's sudden presence came as a surprise, but what was even more surprising was the speed at which the pain faded away from your leg.
Almost as soon as she came, the wound on your leg disappeared, no longer hindering your movement and threatening your life.
"I'd gladly do that, but how are we supposed to beat Lust? From what I see, she transforms herself into different forms, and she can pretty much heal herself by transforming any damaged parts."
Speaking up so that all could hear her, Omega answered, "The way that we beat this Archbishop is simple. We need to destroy her entire body, every cell, with a powerful attack. I suggest that we group up, as we will not threaten to hit each other with any offensive efforts if we are together."
From between you and Meili, a voice cackled. "Kyahahaha! That is amusing! You think that this pretty lady can lose?! Ha! You might be able to block that one pesky spell, but what about this?! Ul Fura!"
This was bad news, because Omega wasn't close enough to the others to protect them. As a result of healing you, she risked their lives, and they were about to lose them.
"No attack will reach them," Omega whispered. "Watch."
"Huh?"
You watched, hands gripping swords as an extremely violent explosion of air created a gale that knocked both present dragon carriages over.
The air forced tears to fly from your eyes, and your clothes were threatening to fail and rip apart. The air was deafening, and there was no way that this didn't kill its target.
As soon as the powerful wind weakened, you used your Akra enhanced speed to run over to Meili's location. Subaru and Beatrice were farther off to the side, as well as Wilhelm and Elsa, so they were not in danger of death.
Sure enough, the little girl and the five useless soldiers were still in one piece.
"H-how?" You muttered.
Omega calmly strolled towards you and the six individuals who were still bracing themselves. "Behold! The foolish beast attempted to use high-level magic without awareness of the Gate that she was using. My Gate, which was being imitated, is not suitable for a spell such as Ul Fura, so it imploded! The only person who was directly affected by this dangerous spell was its caster!"
"W-were saved!" A soldier cried.
"You're amazing!" Another one exclaimed.
"We're gonna win!" One more shouted.
Cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice, Subaru said, "Don't get your hopes too high! You just set a lot of red flags, so don't count on her being dead or easy to beat!"
"Pshhh!" one more soldier waved his hands flippantly, as if Subaru was an idiot. "With this wonderful woman, we won't even get a scratc- cRoAK!"
As he was speaking, the man shrunk, and his voice became one that wasn't human.
Meili widened her eyes and immediately knew what was going on. "Run! Mama's changing them into animals!"
She scrambled up, and you grabbed her arm, helping her get steady.
Meili looked up with surprise, as if she expected you to be as afraid as she was. "Onii-san, you need to run too! Don't help me! Just run!"
"Oh, I am quite the multitasker," you said to Meili. "Omega, you cover me and protect the soldiers while I get her to Subaru and Beatrice!"
You picked Meili up, holding her in a princess carry, and ran as fast as you could toward Subaru. "You know," you gently spoke as you ran, "I told you to trust me and everyone else here. Believe in those words. We'll all make it out of here, together."
"B-but-"
Before Meili could protest, you were already next to Subaru, who was standing over Garfiel's body, ready to protect it. "Here you go," you said to both Meili and Subaru.
Meili stood still, not knowing what to say to you.
Subaru, on the other hand, reached out and touched your shoulder. "Hey man, I might not be much help, but if I can do anything..."
Honestly, Subaru could be counted as no help at all when it came to combat power, but- "You're pretty smart, so if you get any ideas about how we can win, just shout. We can't have you dying, so stay over here. If Capella comes over here, defend Garfiel. That's all that I can think of..."
Subaru shook his head sadly. "Yeah, I guess that I can't help but be weak. As soon as Beako has Garfiel stabilized, we can use a bit of Minya and the sort. Right, Beako?"
"That is right, I suppose," Beatrice replied. "But we will stay here, in fact. Betty agrees with (Y/N), and Subaru should not risk getting hurt, I suppose."
Subaru forced a smile on his face and gave you a thumbs-up. "Sounds like a plan! Now, go help those poor dudes, okay?"
Nodding your head, you said, "If I can't even do that, then I'll be embarrassed." And with that, you sprinted back to Omega, who was slowly backing away.
When you saw the reason for this, the contents of your stomach threatened to invite themselves outside.
Where the five soldiers were sitting was now two frogs, a small bird, some worms, and a horrendous lump of meat that was oozing regret and fear.
What used to be people were now animals and a lump of meat. They were still conscious, so you couldn't imagine the anguish that they were experiencing.
Forget embarrassment, you felt revolted and sick when you saw the results of not protecting the soldiers.
"(Y/N), I believe that this Archbishop has the ability to transform individuals other than herself. If this is the case, be weary of every movement around you. I believe that it was a mouse that touched these men, so it is incredibly difficult to discern what form that Lust has chosen at any given moment."
"Kyahahahaha! The ugly meat is right! I can make you into anything I want you to be! You should be grateful for my consideration, because anything is better than whatever you look like right now!" Capella seemed to grow out of the ground, and her arm shot out at you before you could react.
Omega instinctively jumped back, but as her thoughts caught up to her body, her arms reached out to you.
Her nature wanted to ensure her survival, but her current self wanted to help you.
It was unfortunate that people, no matter how determined they were to change, were still bound by the basic nature that they were born with. No matter how much they silenced that inner voice, it could still come out at any given moment.
This was true for Omega, so she failed to reach you or even cast a spell as Capella made contact with your body.
"Kyahahah! What should I make you into... Ha! You would look perfect as a pet! You'll love your new master and appreciate the goodness of this lovely lady! Say goodbye to being a rotten meat, and embrace being my personal meat bag!"
The Sin Archbishop of Lust grinned wildly as she finally had a hold of an annoying and boring meat. It was about to become something much more... loving.
Hey guys, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!
I know, these cliffhangers are getting out of control. I promise that I don't do it on purpose. It just kinda happens...
But on another hand, I hope that you all enjoyed the holidays! Let's hope that 2022 treats us better than these previous years.
And on that note, I'll see you at the next chapter!