Adam cursed under his breath as he felt his body protesting the overexertion to which he was subjecting it.
"̸Y̵o̷u̵'̴r̶e̷ ̷f̸i̶n̵a̸l̵l̴y̵ ̵g̷o̷i̵n̶g̸ ̶t̴o̷ ̸l̴e̸t̴ ̶g̷o̷,̵ ̸k̵i̴d̷!̷"̷
̵"̸I̸t̵'̵s̵ ̶b̸e̴e̴n̴ ̷a̸ ̵l̵o̸n̴g̸ ̸t̸i̶m̴e̸ ̸s̷i̴n̴c̴e̸ ̴y̸o̴u̵ ̷s̴t̷r̸e̸t̸c̶h̵e̸d̶ ̵y̴o̶u̸r̴ ̸b̴e̸a̸u̷t̵i̸f̶u̷l̵ ̷w̴i̵n̵g̴s̵,̵ ̵m̸y̵ ̶s̸w̵e̴e̴t̵ ̷b̸o̴y̴.̷"̵
Adam ignored the hallucinations and continued running stealthily. The Herrscher and the Remnant fought fiercely. The fox tried to roast the Remnant with their flames, while it threw its thorns into the sensitive areas that Adam had told it to attack. Both showed wounds throughout their bodies - burns, cuts, bites, and thorns - but their regeneration, as well as their desire to kill each other, were what kept them standing.
Adam quickened his pace, moving around to attack the Herrscher from behind. The Remnant would keep the Herrscher busy while he would make sure to dig his claws into the fox's back.
"̸W̵h̵a̸t̵ ̵a̵ ̷d̵i̸r̴t̸y̶ ̶m̵o̵v̷e̵…̵ ̶I̶'̵m̵ ̶p̸r̸o̴u̸d̸ ̵o̶f̴ ̵y̷o̴u̸!̷"̶
̴"̶W̷i̷l̷l̵ ̵i̷t̶s̷ ̴a̶n̵a̸t̵o̸m̵y̸ ̴b̵e̸ ̷d̶i̵f̴f̷e̸r̵e̴n̶t̴ ̵f̷r̸o̷m̶ ̶t̶h̵a̴t̴ ̴o̷f̸ ̶a̸n̶ ̸a̶n̴i̸m̶a̸l̵?̷ ̷A̴h̷h̴,̴ ̴t̸h̷e̶ ̸c̵u̷r̵i̴o̶s̸i̸t̷y̴ ̸i̸s̸ ̸k̶i̶l̷l̵i̴n̷g̸ ̶m̸e̴!̶"̵
The hallucinations and his Gift were beginning to be too much. He had to take down the Herrscher and deal with the Remnant as soon as possible.
"̵B̵u̸t̷…̵ ̸W̸h̴a̶t̷ ̵w̴i̸l̸l̷ ̵h̸a̸p̴p̴e̵n̶ ̸t̸o̴ ̴T̶h̷e̸r̷e̴s̵a̴ ̸i̸f̸ ̸y̵o̵u̶ ̵l̶o̶s̵e̴ ̶y̵o̵u̵r̵ ̸m̵i̷n̴d̵?̵ ̵H̸a̷v̴e̴ ̴y̷o̴u̶ ̴t̸h̴o̴u̴g̵h̴t̷ ̴a̸b̸o̶u̴t̶ ̶i̴t̷?̴"̴
He had done it and tried not to think about the possible consequences. He was against a rock and a hard place. What other alternatives did he have? Wait for a miracle, when Schicksal's forces were coming and take the three of them out while they were unconscious
and vulnerable?
He would rather die than be handed over on a silver plate to the bastard of Otto Apocalypse.
"Why don't you die?!" The Herrscher roared.
The Remnant squawked and sent a fresh hail of thorns in their direction.
"̸S̴t̵o̷p̷ ̷t̴h̷i̴n̷k̶i̸n̶g̸ ̴a̴n̶d̷ ̶t̵h̶r̴o̷w̷ ̴y̶o̷u̸r̷s̴e̴l̸f̴ ̴i̷n̸t̷o̵ ̵d̶a̷n̸g̷e̶r̸,̵ ̵c̶h̴i̷l̷d̶.̵ ̷F̷o̸r̸t̷u̶n̴e̵ ̶f̸a̵v̸o̵r̴s̵ ̷t̴h̸e̸ ̵b̴o̸l̸d̶.̶ ̶N̶o̵w̷,̸ ̷i̴t̶'̸s̶ ̵t̸i̶m̷e̷ ̶t̷o̶ ̷t̶e̸a̵r̵ ̶f̵l̵e̸s̴h̵ ̸a̸n̷d̴ ̸b̵r̴e̵a̷k̴ ̷b̸o̸n̸e̸s̷!̸"̸
̵"̸Y̴o̸u̵ ̶m̴a̷d̸e̶ ̵t̷h̶e̶ ̵t̸h̶u̷n̵d̷e̶r̸ ̶b̷i̷t̵c̷h̸ ̸b̸l̵e̶e̵d̵.̷ ̷W̵h̷y̸ ̴n̴o̵t̵ ̸d̴o̴ ̷t̵h̶e̶ ̸s̶a̶m̴e̵ ̵w̶i̸t̷h̴ ̵t̴h̵e̵ ̵f̸u̸r̵b̶a̷l̵l̷?̶"̵
Following the hallucinations' words for the first time, Adam picked up speed and threw himself on the Herrscher's back. Long, powerful claws formed on Adam's hands, and several barbed wire-like tendrils materialized on his back. Their abnormal limbs glowed bright red -as if they were bathed in burning fire.
The fox was outraged with the Remnant that they only became aware of Adam's presence at the last second.
"You?! How-?! AAAAHHHH!" The Herrscher howled in pain as his claws tore into their flesh. The Herrscher jerked sharply, trying to throw Adam off, but he held on tighter to the fox's back, using his cutting tendrils as makeshift ropes. The fox howled in pain as they felt the demonic armored warrior's claws chop more and more into their flesh.
The distraction created by Adam was enough for the Remnant to catch its breath for a moment. As soon as it regained some strength, it joined the fight against the Herrscher. Using its front paws, the Remnant grabbed the Herrscher tightly and tried to bite down hard on the latter's neck.
The fox struggled and managed to free themselves at the last second. They dodged the bite of the Remnant, but not entirely. The monster's mouth tore off a piece of their chest. More pissed off, the Herrscher covered their body in fire, making their attackers retreat sharply. Adam landed on the side of the Remnant. The creature looked at him worriedly, but Adam hissed something under his breath, causing the monster to focus back on the fox.
"Fucking parasites! You will all pay for this!" The Herrscher roared.
In response, the two nightmare beings roared inhumanly.
Again all of them threw themselves into slaughtering each other. In mid-air, the Remnant caught the Herrscher using its tendrils. They were going to cover their body again in fire, but their concentration was interrupted when Adam pierced their sides using his claws and tendrils.
The fox roared in agony as the tendrils moved beneath their skin like carnivorous worms, cutting and twisting into their flesh, trying to do more damage.
Howling with rage, the fox launched a fireball at the Remnant's face at point-blank range. The creature screeched, loosening its grip, giving the Herrscher the chance to break free and use their tails to push Adam off of him.
Adam growled but found some satisfaction when the tendrils, still under the fox's fur, hurt the Herrscher when he was fast pulled back from their back.
Holding Adam by the arms using their two tails, the Herrscher tried to tear off both of his arms as if they were the wings of a fly; but the Remnant acted quickly, lunging at the fox again.
Thorns and cuts filled the lower part of the Herrscher. The pain made them lose their grip on Adam. For his part, instead of retreating, he raised his claws and brought them down hard on the Herrscher's lower part, exactly where their tails joined the rest of their body. His long claws grabbed something and pulled.
Two broken and bloody tails fell to the floor of darkness with a wet thud.
"FUCKING ASSHOLE!" The Herrscher roared in agony.
Without hesitation, the fox covered their body in flames. Their two attackers cried and jumped back.
"̶L̶o̵o̶k̶!̸ ̶L̶o̴o̵k̴!̵ ̴Y̶o̷u̶ ̷m̶a̶d̸e̷ ̴h̶i̴m̵ ̷s̴c̶r̵e̷a̶m̴ ̴l̵i̵k̷e̵ ̴a̶ ̷l̵i̴t̴t̴l̵e̴ ̶g̸i̸r̶l̷.̶"̷
̵"̸N̵o̷t̷ ̴b̴a̴d̵.̶ ̸C̶a̴n̴ ̴y̴o̶u̵ ̸m̶a̶k̷e̷ ̵a̴ ̵r̴u̷g̶ ̴o̶u̷t̵ ̸o̸f̵ ̴i̴t̵s̵ ̸s̴k̵i̷n̸?̷"̴
̷"̸S̸K̸I̶N̵ ̸I̸T̸!̶ ̴L̸E̸T̸ ̴I̵T̴ ̷K̵N̵O̵W̸ ̶T̴H̷A̸T̷ ̴I̵T̸ ̶S̷H̶O̴U̶L̸D̷ ̴N̷O̸T̷ ̶M̵E̶S̶S̵ ̸W̸I̵T̶H̷ ̸U̶S̵!̸"̶
Adam roared inhumanly. Just as he roared, his sanity was slipping through his fingers. A part of him felt worried, but a wilder part of him found joy at having caused such an attack on the Herrscher.
Curiously, something hot and slimy moved down his throat. Adam's curiosity shifted as did the Herrscher, which launched themselves angrily at him and his grotesque companion.
"̸F̶i̶r̵e̵ ̷a̸g̶a̸i̸n̷s̸t̴ ̴f̷i̵r̶e̶!̷ ̸A̷n̷ ̶e̸y̴e̵ ̶f̴o̷r̸ ̸a̸n̶ ̷e̵y̷e̸!̵ ̸A̸ ̶t̷o̸o̴t̵h̴ ̵f̸o̵r̷ ̷a̶ ̴t̵o̶o̶t̸h̶!̵ ̸E̵v̵i̶l̶ ̷f̴o̷r̸ ̵e̶v̶i̴l̷!̷"̴
There were two roars, followed by a screech. Adam was barely aware of what was happening. His body moved automatically. Dodge, tear, bury, deflect, roar, jump; everything was done instinctively by his body. Or was it that all the noise in his head didn't let him think about what was happening around him?
"̴T̷h̶i̸s̸ ̴l̶i̸t̶t̶l̴e̸ ̷p̷i̵g̴ ̸l̸o̷s̴t̷ ̶i̵t̵s̷ ̵m̸o̶m̸m̷y̸.̸ ̶T̶h̸i̵s̴ ̴o̷t̷h̴e̶r̷ ̶l̷i̷t̷t̷l̴e̷ ̵p̴i̴g̵ ̷c̸r̶i̵e̴d̵ ̶f̵o̷r̶ ̷i̵t̵s̴ ̵f̷a̸m̴i̷l̵y̷,̸ ̴a̵n̵d̸ ̸t̷h̸i̵s̵ ̸l̴a̴s̶t̵ ̷o̴n̸e̶ ̷w̷e̴n̴t̶ ̴t̷o̴ ̵t̴h̸e̷ ̸s̴l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶t̸e̵r̷h̶o̵u̶s̵e̸!̵"̶
̶"̶T̸h̸i̸s̵ ̶s̵m̵e̸l̷l̷ ̸o̸f̵ ̴s̵m̴o̶k̶e̷,̷ ̴g̶u̸n̴p̷o̷w̶d̷e̷r̷,̴ ̵b̴l̵o̵o̷d̴,̴ ̸a̵n̸d̷ ̴t̵h̵e̶ ̵s̵o̸u̵n̵d̶ ̵o̴f̶ ̴s̶c̶r̴e̴a̴m̶s̵…̸ ̷A̴h̵h̷~̶ ̴I̴t̷'̵s̸ ̸h̴a̵r̵d̸ ̵t̴o̸ ̵f̵o̵r̴g̶e̶t̷ ̵t̴h̴e̸m̵…̴"̵
"Everything was going so well. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO APPEAR?!"
"̷T̸h̴e̸ ̸s̶t̸r̷o̴n̸g̷ ̷d̶e̶v̷o̵u̸r̸ ̴t̴h̵e̵ ̸w̷e̷a̸k̶.̴ ̵T̸h̶e̷ ̸s̵t̴r̵o̶n̸g̷ ̵i̷m̸p̶o̵s̴e̸ ̶t̵h̶e̶ ̴r̴u̸l̷e̴s̴.̸ ̵T̴h̶e̷ ̷s̵t̶r̶o̴n̵g̶ ̶i̴s̸ ̵r̵e̵l̸e̸n̸t̷l̵e̵s̸s̴.̸ ̵T̶h̶e̷…̶"̷
"₦Ø ₮Ø Ʉ₦ĐɆⱤ₴₮₳₦Đ. ł ĐØ₦'₮ ₥ł₦Đ. ɎØɄ ₳₮₮₳₵₭ ₥Ɏ ₣₳₥łⱠɎ. ɎØɄ ₥Ʉ₴₮ ₱₳Ɏ ₣ØⱤ ł₮!"
"̶F̷e̴a̴r̸?̷ ̷Y̵e̶s̴,̶ ̸I̵'̴m̸ ̵a̴f̷r̴a̸i̴d̶,̸ ̸b̶u̷t̶ ̸I̶'̴m̸ ̵n̶o̵t̷ ̴a̵ ̴c̶o̴w̸a̷r̴d̴.̸ ̷I̶ ̵s̸t̶i̴l̴l̵ ̵h̸a̴v̶e̷n̴'̷t̶ ̸g̵i̷v̸e̷n̴ ̷u̸p̵.̸ ̴S̷o̵ ̴y̷o̸u̵ ̴s̶h̷o̵u̵l̵d̵n̸'̵t̴ ̵g̷i̵v̶e̶ ̷u̷p̴ ̴e̶i̶t̵h̷e̷r̸!̷"̸
Something roared. Adam felt his consciousness fade for a second. He felt his being stretched into thin strips and hugged something tightly. He… He was holding something tightly and it was biting him at the same time. Adam could barely process what was happening. The armor that covered him was no longer there. Fragments of it hung from some parts of his body. He could feel the hot and cold air hitting his face.
What he had been holding slipped from his grasp and it threw him away. Or at least that's what it tried to do.
Adam threw his hands and they went through something. For a second, there was dead silence. It was short, but it seemed to last forever. Or at least that's what he thought.
And then, the scream came.
"¡AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Adam hissed as he saw a figure – smaller than his prey – move. He was going to lunge at the unknown figure, but there was a whirring sound of something moving at high speed. He turned around and-
¡Splash!
Something warm was inside Adam's chest. He didn't understand what it was, but he fell on the cold floor of darkness as if he were a broken puppet.
"BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I WILL!"
With difficulty, Adam raised his head from the ground. The blurry images began to clear off from his eyes and the voices in his head were replaced by the noise around him.
There was a lot of pinkish red and a small pink figure. A long animal. The animal moved from one place to another. Not far from him, there was another figure with something long and sharp in their hands.
"I WILL KILL YOU! NOT EVEN YOUR ASHES WILL BE LEFT! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO APPEAR, YOU DISGUSTING ABOMINATION!?"
Slowly, his brain was able to put together the images and sounds that were happening around him.
The Herrscher, the four-tailed fox, howled in anger, throwing fireballs around themselves. None of the fireballs were close to where Adam was. It took him a moment longer than he liked to realize why the Herrscher was so pissed off. They were missing two tails. One was moving brokenly and the other had several bite marks and some kind of liquid that slowly eroded it.
Adam blinked heavily and saw how the pink figure turned out to be Sakura, brandishing her sword. She moved her eyes doubtfully between him and the howling Herrscher.
"Where are you?! Where are you son of a bitch?!"
And that's when he saw it.
Two huge fleshy holes, where the Herrscher's eyes should be. The sight was pathetic and grotesque.
"Oh…" That was what Adam could say at that moment, but the reaction inside his head was different.
"̷H̴A̵H̶A̴H̷A̴!̴ ̷L̴o̴o̴k̵ ̵a̷t̸ ̸i̴t̷!̷ ̶I̸t̴ ̶l̶o̶o̵k̶s̴ ̶l̴i̷k̸e̸ ̸a̷ ̷g̶i̶g̶a̶n̵t̵i̵c̷ ̵s̷t̶u̸f̸f̶e̶d̶ ̶a̴n̴i̶m̷a̷l̴ ̵w̸i̴t̷h̸o̶u̸t̸ ̵e̴y̶e̵s̵!̴"̵
̷"̸D̶o̴n̶'̷t̷ ̵g̵i̵v̵e̷ ̶u̸p̸,̶ ̸A̴d̶a̵m̸.̴ ̸D̶o̷n̸'̴t̷ ̶g̴i̴v̶e̴ ̷u̷p̷ ̷a̸n̶y̴ ̷a̷d̷v̷a̸n̶t̸a̴g̵e̸.̵ ̶A̸v̷o̵i̴d̶ ̷e̵m̷p̴a̸t̵h̵y̵.̵ ̷T̴h̴i̴s̵ ̵i̷s̵ ̵a̶ ̶w̶e̸a̴k̸n̸e̶s̴s̸.̷ ̴T̸h̸i̵s̴ ̴b̴e̷c̴o̴m̷e̵s̴ ̷a̵ ̷v̸u̵l̷n̴e̷r̴a̷b̷i̶l̶i̵t̴y̷.̷"̷
With difficulty, Adam tried to get up. Slowly he did it. The process was painful, but after a few moments of agony, he was able to lift his body off the ground and sit on his knees. Despite having an enraged Herrscher screaming maniacally not far from him, an unusual feeling of apathy invaded his body. The only thing that mattered to Adam at that moment was to keep breathing.
Oh, sure. And try to pull out the golden spear embedded in his chest, as soon as he had the energy to do so.
"YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR THIS!" The Herrscher again threw fireballs everywhere. One of these almost reached Adam.
With his senses numb, Adam watched as Sakura mentally prepared herself and charged at the blinded demonic fox.
"For a moment, I thought she was the type to only 'fight fairly' against her enemies," Adam commented apathetically as he watched the miko furiously attack the fox. It was notable that she attacked with a viciousness that Adam had not seen before. Not to mention that she made several cuts on the creature's injured face.
"̵O̵h̶!̷ ̸Y̸e̶s̴,̸ ̸s̵h̴e̶ ̷w̸a̴n̴t̴s̶ ̵t̶h̸e̷ ̶d̵a̶m̷n̴ ̵t̴h̴i̶n̶g̴ ̵d̴e̸a̸d̷.̵"̴
̴"̶W̸e̸l̸l̶,̶ ̷t̶o̸ ̴b̶e̸ ̵f̴a̴i̵r̵,̵ ̸t̵h̵e̸ ̶b̴a̷s̴t̶a̴r̵d̶ ̵h̵a̷s̴ ̸b̵e̷e̵n̸ ̵a̷ ̸s̶i̷c̶k̸ ̴a̵s̸s̷h̶o̶l̵e̶ ̵w̸i̸t̸h̶ ̴h̷e̵r̸.̷"̴
For a moment Adam thought that the Herrscher's screams of fury were overshadowing Sakura's, but it didn't take him long to realize that in reality, the miko wasn't screaming. She was as silent as a grave. This was intimidating.
Although, he had to admit that the cold and malicious look looked good on the beautiful pink-haired miko.
Adam growled as he felt the spear pulse with its corrosive energy. Feeling a little more strength, he slowly brought his hands to the weapon embedded in his body and tried to throw the spear. As soon as his hands touched the rod of the weapon, the little strength he had mustered vanished.
"Motherfucker. This reminds me of when we blew up that underground weapons depot in Georgia," Adam said groggily. The tone of his voice was altered due to the changes due to his Gift and Judah's spear affecting his entire system.
"That's a story I'd like to hear someday," said a slightly squeaky voice not far from him. Adam turned his head.
Adam's senses were so dulled that his eyes only widened as he noticed Theresa's presence. His eyes moved to Judah, who Theresa was dragging beside her.
"Principal Theresa. Looks like the plan worked, huh?"
She winced at his words. Her eyes moved to the spear still embedded in his chest. Adam noticed this.
"Don't worry. When Siegfried said it was time to get some serious training, boy, he can be a real bastard."
Adam couldn't see her expression as he began to cough up blood.
"Adam! Let me take this from you." Theresa's hand stopped just before touching the spear. At what point had she stood in front of him?
"̶F̴o̸c̶u̶s̵.̴ ̸Y̶o̶u̵ ̴a̷r̴e̷ ̷s̷o̷ ̴c̸l̴o̶s̵e̸ ̸t̴o̷ ̴t̷h̷e̷ ̵g̷o̷a̴l̸.̷ ̷D̶o̵n̴'̷t̵ ̴l̷o̷s̴e̸ ̸w̸h̷a̴t̸ ̷l̸i̷t̶t̴l̷e̴ ̷s̵a̴n̴i̵t̵y̵ ̴y̴o̶u̵ ̵h̶a̶v̷e̷ ̷l̶e̶f̶t̷.̷"̴
The whisper was right. Now was not the time to worry about details.
"No, it's not a good idea. If I pull the spear, you might bleed to death and-"
"Do it. This damn thing won't let me heal as long as it's buried in my guts," Adam interrupted sharply.
Theresa opened her mouth to say something else, but Adam cut her off with a tired, exasperated smile.
"Quick, before we lose our edge on the fucking Herrscher..."
She nodded weakly. Theresa held the spear and looked into his eyes, waiting to see if he had second thoughts about this. He shook his head.
¡SPLASH!
Adam let out a muffled curse as Theresa yanked the spear away from his chest. For a moment he felt himself lose consciousness, but his Gift quickly acted and closed the prominent wound on his chest. The pain was enough for him to quickly regain consciousness.
"̴A̵l̵w̸a̸y̵s̷ ̸r̴e̶a̷d̵y̵ ̴f̸o̷r̵ ̸t̸h̷e̴ ̷n̷e̶x̷t̷ ̶b̸a̵t̶t̵l̷e̵.̵ ̶A̸l̴w̷a̴y̷s̷ ̴r̴e̸a̵d̸y̶ ̵t̸o̵ ̶s̶p̷i̷l̷l̶ ̵m̵o̷r̶e̸ ̷a̶n̸d̴ ̸m̵o̶r̴e̴ ̸b̸l̷o̸o̶d̸,̸ ̷a̴r̷e̶n̴'̶t̴ ̵y̴o̷u̴,̷ ̴m̸y̴ ̴d̷e̵a̵r̵ ̴b̷o̶y̸?̵"̷
"Adam?! Adam, do you hear me?!" Theresa called to him, shaking his shoulder.
Adam's senses began to work again. He nodded, at the same time feeling like breathing had become easier. He wobbled a little to get up on his two feet, but Theresa helped him, still telling him to be careful.
"You'd be a good mother," Adam commented out of the blue. Theresa looked at him strangely at his unusual comment. He ignored her gaze and fixed his eyes on the continued fierce fight between Sakura and the Herrscher.
The miko had some scratches and a few strands of her hair looked singed, but in general, she looked in good condition, if not a little tired from the whole encounter.
For their part, the Herrscher looked worse than before. Their face barely looked like one. Several cuts covered much of the area, as well as others that ran between the connections of his limbs. It looked more like an animal mauled to the extreme.
"Fucking bitch!" The fox was foaming at the mouth, full of rage at having been hurt to such an extreme. "I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me?! I protected you from those damn humans and their horrible desires, and now, you dare to raise your hand against me, when I was the one who extended mine to save you!"
Sakura just growled in response. She had stopped for a moment to catch her breath. The Herrscher's sorry state had allowed her to do so. Without saying another word, she threw herself back into the battle.
Seeing Sakura move at high speed was a macabre and impressive spectacle. Her agility and speed allowed her to dodge the fox's attacks and take advantage of the opportunities presented to her to make more cuts to the fox's face. And the show got better with every grunt and scream of pain and anguish that she caused to the Herrscher.
"̸S̴t̵o̵p̸ ̶o̵g̵l̶i̵n̴g̸ ̴h̸e̴r̴,̸ ̸a̴n̴d̷ ̶f̷i̷n̶i̸s̶h̵ ̴w̸i̵t̵h̸ ̸t̵h̷e̸ ̴f̵u̵c̶k̵e̵r̴!̶"̵
̵"̶W̶h̸a̶t̷?̸ ̴H̴a̵s̶ ̵s̴e̵e̶i̷n̷g̴ ̸s̵u̵c̷h̴ ̵c̶a̵r̷n̴a̴g̵e̶ ̵d̴o̸n̵e̷ ̷b̸y̶ ̸a̶ ̸p̴r̴e̶t̵t̵y̵ ̶f̸a̴c̴e̷ ̷l̶e̵f̵t̵ ̷y̷o̵u̴ ̴h̵o̵t̸ ̴u̶n̶d̵e̴r̶ ̷t̶h̶e̶ ̸c̶o̶l̸l̷a̵r̴?̶"̵
Dismissing the whispered words in his head, and ignoring Theresa's fixed gaze on him, Adam looked away and looked around for the thing that had helped him in giving the Herrscher such a beating.
The Remnant had been the key to keeping the Herrscher busy. After searching with his eyes, Adam found it there. Lying on the ground, breathing hard, and bleeding profusely on the floor of darkness. Several parts of its body were covered in severe burns. It was surprising that it was still alive.
Adam trotted towards the Remnant and stopped a couple of meters away from it. The creature opened its many eyes at the same time as it sensed his presence.
"₣₳₥łⱠɎ…" The Remnant screeched weakly. "₣ØⱤ₲łVɆ. ₥Ɇ, ₩Ɇ₳₭. ₦Ø₮ ฿Ɇł₦₲ ₳฿ⱠɆ ₮Ø ₱ⱤØ₮Ɇ₵₮, ₦Ø₮ ฿Ɇł₦₲ ₳฿ⱠɆ ₮Ø ₭łⱠⱠ ĐØ₲ ⱧɆł₦ØɄ₴."
Adam looked at the Remnant with a complicated expression. He didn't know how to feel about this one. Gratitude? Disgust? Respect? Horror? The cluster shit they were in was the fault of the abominable entity, but in the end, it had shown unusual loyalty and servanthood towards him.
"₣ł₦ł₴Ⱨ? ₣₳₥łⱠɎ Ⱨ₳₴ ĐɆVØɄⱤɆĐ ₮ⱧɆ ₴₮₳Ɽ?" The Remnant asked. "₣₳₥łⱠɎ ⱤɆ₳ĐɎ ₮Ø ₮Ɽ₳VɆⱠ ฿Ɏ ₴Ɇ₳?" The Remnant asked with longing. Adam couldn't help but grimace.
This… This was so fucked up on so many levels.
"̸W̴h̷y̸ ̷a̸r̷e̷ ̷y̴o̴u̵ ̷s̴u̷r̴p̵r̶i̸s̶e̷d̶?̸ ̴R̵e̷m̸e̴m̸b̵e̴r̶,̴ ̶r̵e̷a̷l̴i̴t̸y̸ ̶i̷s̴ ̶s̶t̴r̷a̴n̴g̵e̴r̵ ̷t̴h̶a̶n̷ ̸f̷i̵c̵t̶i̷o̷n̸,̶ ̸a̵n̸d̴ ̶b̸y̷ ̴f̷a̴r̴.̴"̵
̷"̶T̶h̴e̵ ̸w̴o̴r̷l̷d̴ ̸h̴a̷s̴ ̷n̴e̷v̷e̸r̶ ̵b̴e̴e̸n̷ ̶'̴n̵o̴r̷m̷a̷l̸'̴.̴ ̷W̵e̴ ̶o̶n̵l̴y̸ ̸s̸e̶e̵ ̶a̵n̴d̵ ̸d̶o̶ ̷w̶h̸a̶t̵ ̴s̷e̵e̷m̷s̸ ̷'̶n̴o̸r̷m̶a̴l̸'̶ ̸t̵o̷ ̵u̶s̴;̵ ̵n̵o̴ ̶m̴a̷t̴t̸e̷r̶ ̸h̵o̷w̸ ̶s̴c̸r̶e̷w̴e̶d̶ ̴u̶p̶ ̷i̵t̶ ̵i̸s̴.̴"̷
Adam took a deep breath and tried to focus his mind. The night had been long and quite the ordeal, but they were so close to ending all of this. They just needed one last push. It was all that was needed.
"No. The damn fox hasn't died yet, huh, family," Adam said awkwardly. "I need to-" Adam licked his dry lips. I need your help. I need you to help me finish this."
The Remnant said nothing. It just stared at him.
For a second Adam believed that the creature was reluctant, but seeing that its eyes only reflected affection and attention, he understood that it was waiting for his next words with all its attention.
"You gotta keep the- the stinking dog busy. Attack him with everything you have. Like you had done before."
Considering the condition of the Remnant, the task itself was impossible, but Adam hoped that his stamina and abnormal regeneration would allow him to continue in the fight.
The Remnant made a soft whimper, but true to Adam's expectations, the creature slowly rose with difficulty on its four legs. The wings, withered and burned, flapped briefly.
"ł₣ ₥Ɏ ₣₳₥łⱠɎ ₩ł₴ⱧɆ₴ ł₮," cooed the Remnant.
Adam barely kept from breathing a sigh of relief, though he couldn't help but wince slightly as he heard the whispers commenting on what had happened.
"̵I̵n̶c̵r̸e̴d̴i̶b̶l̷e̷.̴ ̸H̷a̸l̸f̸ ̶d̴e̸a̵d̵,̸ ̷a̵n̵d̵ ̸y̴e̸t̴ ̶i̷t̴ ̴i̷s̷ ̴m̷o̶r̴e̵ ̶t̷h̶a̷n̴ ̸h̶a̴p̶p̵y̸ ̴t̸o̷ ̶f̶o̵l̸l̷o̸w̵ ̵y̷o̵u̸r̵ ̵o̵r̷d̴e̵r̸s̷.̴"̵
̶"̴W̴h̶a̵t̶ ̴a̸ ̶f̸a̷i̷t̶h̷f̶u̵l̷ ̵p̵e̸t̴.̶ ̸I̴t̸'̴s̷ ̵a̶ ̶s̴h̸a̷m̷e̷ ̶y̴o̶u̶ ̶h̵a̶v̴e̴ ̷t̵o̴ ̸s̶a̸c̷r̷i̸f̴i̸c̴e̵ ̸i̶t̴ ̷w̷h̵e̸n̵ ̸t̵h̶i̷s̸ ̸w̵h̶o̴l̷e̷ ̸m̶e̷s̵s̷ ̸i̴s̵ ̸o̴v̴e̶r̴.̷"̵
̵"̶A̵l̵t̶h̵o̴u̷g̷h̷,̶ ̸i̵t̷ ̸i̷s̵ ̴m̷o̶s̴t̴ ̷l̸i̶k̵e̴l̴y̸ ̸t̷h̵a̴t̴ ̶i̷t̶ ̷w̴i̴l̴l̵ ̶d̵i̴e̶ ̴s̵h̵o̵r̵t̷l̸y̵ ̶b̸e̵f̷o̷r̸e̵ ̴t̵h̴e̵ ̶f̸i̵g̵h̶t̵ ̷e̶n̴d̶s̶.̷ ̸Y̵o̷u̷ ̶s̴a̶v̸e̴ ̷y̶o̴u̷r̴s̷e̸l̸f̷ ̴t̶h̴e̴ ̷t̷r̷o̶u̶b̵l̵e̸ ̷o̶f̷ ̷d̵o̶i̶n̸g̶ ̵i̴t̵.̶"̶
Adam ignored the whispers and focused on manifesting his armor. It was laborious, but his Gift obeyed, and soon, his figure was once again covered by the demonic armor. Adam's body protested, and he knew he was on his last legs.
If they didn't end this, here and now, Theresa would have to deal alone with the sword hanging by a thread above their heads.
Adam turned his eyes to the battle behind him. Sakura was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. She barely dodged the fox's attacks in time and her speed had decreased.
"When we attack, don't attack the pink-haired woman. She is an ally," Adam ordered.
The Remnant groaned but nodded its long head.
"Come on! It's time to kill this bastard!" Adam smirked.
The Remnant barked happily. "ɎɆ₴! ⱠɆ₮ Ʉ₴ ĐɆVØɄⱤ ₮ⱧɆ ₴₮₳Ɽ ₮Ø₲Ɇ₮ⱧɆⱤ, ₣₳₥łⱠɎ!"
"Stay still! Damnit!"
Sakura barely avoided being cut into pieces by the fox's claws. She backed away, after stabbing her sword into one of the eyes that had begun to regenerate.
The miko was breathing with some difficulty. Her experience in dealing with the wave of monsters that stalked the village – on her own – had caused her to develop a great resistance that any person would call supernatural. But even she had her limits.
"…" Sakura did not respond to the demon fox's insults. She was more focused on keeping her breathing steady and her mind focused. She knew that if she lost concentration for even a moment, her anger would take over, and that would prove fatal.
The miko took another deep breath and lunged at the demonic fox again. Witnessing it, the fox growled and raised their tails to stop her.
Both of them were so focused on each other that neither of them saw the two nightmarish beings coming at them. Or rather, to the fox.
"Not you again!" The fox roared as they felt sharp tendrils and claws sink into their body. Sakura almost stumbled, but quickly corrected her step and backed away.
Sakura kept her guard as she watched the nightmare monster attack the demonic fox. She tensed as she watched the humanoid form approach her, covered in that demonic armor, with sharp tendrils and claws more than ready to be used.
"I'm sorry for the delay. As you can see, it took me a little while to recover," commented the thing –Alighieri-san.
Despite recognizing who it was, Sakura did not let her guard down. What's more, she prepared to move at his first sign of aggression.
Her mind may have been a riot of emotions and sensations, but Sakura could remember seeing out of the corner of her eye how he almost attacked her when she joined the fight against the foz as soon as she had regained consciousness. It was fortunate that Master Theresa intervened.
Alighieri sensed her distrust and took a couple of steps back.
"I'm sorry about before. I wasn't fully conscious after the damn thing threw me off," he apologized. His tone sounded sincere and somewhat embarrassed. "My power affects my mind when I use it for a long time. Sorry for that."
Sakura didn't say anything. She watched him carefully for any hostile move he could make. The moment didn't last for long, as the fox and the nightmare roared in pain and anger.
Indeed, there was no time for disputes between them. They had to finish off the fox – what about the other beast? Maybe? - first of all.
"I suggest we maintain the pace we maintained last time, Alighieri-san," Sakura ordered coldly. She wasn't upset with him, but rather the situation had gotten on her nerves, but being honest to herself, she didn't have the energy or mind to clear up the misunderstanding.
Adam didn't seem to take it personally. He glanced to where the beasts were fighting brutally.
"I think it's a good idea. Word of caution: I don't have much energy left. We have to finish the bastard in this fight. I don't think I can get up a second time after this."
Sakura nodded.
"By the way, for the sake of an easy time, call me Adam, Miss Yae. My last name is a bit long."
Sakura was going to refuse but she understood the practicality of it.
"I understand, Adam-san."
He shrugged off.
A moment passed before they saw an opportunity to join in as the fox shook off the monster. Without saying a word, they both launched themselves at the fox.
Sakura was fast, but Adam was near behind. Every time Sakura had to back down, he took her place as an adversary. When Herrscher tried to overwhelm her, he or the grotesque creature would block it, giving the miko the chance to attack again. Their movements were almost synchronized. Both of their attacks rarely interdicted, but quickly both corrected their movements.
The thoughts Sakura had kept locked away for so long began to bloom in her mind. The resentment against the village, the pity towards the innocent, the burning hatred towards her father, the feeling of suffocation that grew with each ritual…! Her muscles protested, but Sakura moved her body and katana with greater violence.
Blood and fire covered the area. The heat was unbearable, but the combatants persisted. The floor under Sakura's feet was dyed crimson, her figure was bathed in the fox's vital liquid, soaking her clothes, making them slightly heavy.
The miko didn't know when the monster and Adam had wrapped the bloodied fox in their tendrils or immobilized it with their claws, but she wasn't going to waste the opportunity.
Like lightning, Sakura ran in a straight line towards her immobilized target. For a second, the world stopped, but it was long enough for all the repressed emotions she had held for so long to be released in that instant.
"DIE!"
The blade of her katana penetrated the Herrscher's heart. The fox let out a powerful roar that echoed throughout the space of darkness. As she got closer to it, Sakura's sensitive ears twitched in agony at the Herrscher's agonizing screams, but she kept her grip on her sword.
The fox's body trembled, and a second later, they glowed in an intense pink light. Slowly, the fox corpse turned into specks of light of the same color. These began to disperse around the place as if they were carried away by the wind.
Sakura's legs shook and she fell to her knees.
"Holy shit… You killed the damn thing, Sakura." Adam commented.
Sakura barely heard the words leave Adam's mouth. She was trying to process what had happened.
She had killed the fox.
She-
She was finally free from the beast that had tortured her for so many years.
Was- Was this possible? Wasn't this another one of its damn tricks?
It was too good to be true.
Sakura didn't say anything, she continued to stare dumbly at where the fox had been just a moment ago. She heard more voices around her. The tone of the voices was tired, angry, but above all, relieved. Relief that the whole ordeal was finally over.
Yae Sakura had finally done it. She-
"Motherfucker! Now what?!"
"Principal?!"
"Guys!"
Sakura barely managed to hear the others exclaim in surprise before she was blinded by a powerful bright light.
By the time the light and spots in her vision receded, Sakura saw that they were no longer in that place of pure darkness. It was in a place she knew like the back of her hand.
"The Sanctuary's back exit?" Sakura noticed that the cherry blossoms had bloomed, shedding their petals thanks to the soft breeze that ran through the place.
Sakura looked down to check her body. She frowned as she noticed that there were no traces of the blood that had stained her clothes a few moments ago. "Another one of your tricks?" She growled. "Of course. It is very difficult to get rid of a pest like you."
Disappointment and resignation were concepts that had marked her life for a long time. Why would it be different this time?
"Hey! Who are you calling a pest?"
If it weren't for the discipline of years of using her sword, it would have slipped from Sakura's fingers when she heard a feminine voice behind her.
"No… It can't be true…"
Slowly, Sakura turned on her heels to look at the owner of the voice. The miko was afraid of what she was going to see. The demonic fox had many ways to hurt her, and this was one of the few that could hurt her to the core of her being.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, and the first thing you say is that?!"
Her characteristic dark nun's clothing, unusual in this part of the world. Winter snow-white hair; the beautiful blue of her eyes that reminded her of the clear, cloud-free sky; that silly smile she maintained despite the adversities of the world; and the way she put her hands on her hips...
"Come on, aren't you going to say anything?"
Kallen Kaslana in person. In front of her, with the same carefree attitude that had gotten on her nerves on more than one occasion.
The same person to whom Sakura had opened her own heart and shared her deepest concerns.
The same person she had loved and failed so long ago-
N̵̤̈́O̴̘͒!̷̱̾!̷͚͂!̶͇̪̃
In the blink of an eye, Sakura raised her katana aggressively and prepared to launch herself into action again.
"How dare you take her shape?!" Sakura spat with all the hatred her tired body could conjure. "Haven't you had enough of torturing me, you filthy beast?!"
Sakura was extremely close to foaming at the mouth. Her grip on her katana shook, but not with hesitation. No. The anger she felt was something she barely kept at bay.
"Give me one reason… One reason not to cut you into a thousand pieces!"
A moment of silence passed. In those seconds, thousands of scenarios ran through Sakura's mind. She expected the illusion to react with mockery, anger, or regret. It was more than obvious that the person – no, the thing- in front of her was a trick to take her by surprise and torment her for another eternity.
It was a trick. Sakura was more than sure that at any second the damn fox was going to jump out and-
The miko never imagined that the thing would smile sadly and tenderly
at her.
"It hurt for a long time, didn't it?" K̶a̶l̴l̸e̸n̴ ̸ asked softly as she lowered her hands from her hips.
Anytime. At any moment the fox would appear and mock her.
"The nightmare. The Herrscher. Sakura- it is all over," K̶a̶l̴l̸e̸n̴ ̸ said softly again. "You can rest now."
Sakura knew this was a dirty trick from the fox. A vile and filthy trick so that she would let her guard down and it would do whatever it wanted with her.
Then…why was she lowering her katana?! Why, why did she seem to believe her?!
Seeing that she had lowered her weapon, K̶a̶l̴l̸e̸n̴ ̸ approached slowly without making sudden moves. Sakura's breathing became heavy as Kallen stopped a few steps away from her.
"Can I hug you, my sweet Sakura?" K̶a̶l̴l̸en asked with a soft smile.
It's a trick. It's a trick. It's a̸ ̷t̸r̵i̵c̵k̷.̷ ̵I̴t̴'̸s̸ ̵a̷ ̶t̴r̷i̴c̶k̵.̵ ̷I̴t̷'̵s̶ ̶a̶ ̵t̸r̶i̵c̶k̴.̶ ̶I̴t̶'̸s̴ ̵a̸ ̷t̴r̸i̶c̷k̷.̵ ̵I̷t̸'̵s̶ ̵a̷-̴
"Y-Yes."
Slender arms surrounded her body, and warm hands rested on her sides.
Sakura's body trembled. A part of her was screaming. It screamed to get out of this imposter's grasp. To lash out for trying to be deceived using the face of the person she had loved so much.
But Sakura's body was shaking. Despite how much her mind cried that all of this was false, a small fragment of her heart, the one that had endured so much for so long; told her that all this was real.
The young woman who had therefore repressed her rage disappeared, and in her place, that young woman who had longed for a better tomorrow for herself and her little sister
remained.
"Ka-Kallen!"
Sakura lost strength in her legs, but her lover held her and gently helped her sit on the grass. The miko buried her face in Kallen's chest and released all the pain she carried in her heart with a howl.
And deep down, she knew that if this was a trick in the end, then, she wouldn't fight it anymore.
She was so tired, so exhausted. So disappointed.
She just wanted to rest.
Kallen didn't say anything. She continued to hold Sakura, kissing her forehead from time to time, and rubbing her back comfortingly. Despite the tears and snot that Sakura let out, the nun didn't seem to care.
Kallen just held her, listening to everything Sakura had stored in her heart.
It was a long time before Sakura's body stopped shaking from crying. Her body and mind were beyond exhausted, but Sakura clung to Kallen with what little strength she had left.
"I'm so sorry, Sakura. How I regret not being able to be there for you when you needed it most." Kallen leaned back so Sakura could look into her eyes.
"I'm sorry you fell in love with someone as disappointing as me, but I want you to know that I will never stop loving you."
Gently, Kallen wiped away Sakura's tears with her slender fingers.
"Kallen…"
Without saying another word, Kallen closed the distance between their faces and kissed Sakura sweetly. Sakura froze for a second but soon returned the kiss. At first, it was innocent, although as the seconds passed, the kiss became more and more passionate. Sakura moaned as she felt Kallen's tongue invade her mouth and fight against hers. She wanted this to last forever.
Unfortunately, their lungs were screaming for fresh air, so, with great reluctance, they separated. Both young women had strong blushes on their cheeks, even more so when they saw the bridge of saliva hanging between both of their lips.
"Sakura, I-"
Sakura's lips interrupted her. Kallen barely protested, her words being muffled by her lover's hungry lips. They continued like this for several minutes until Sakura couldn't keep up. She panted as her head rested on Kallen's shoulder.
"I missed you, Kallen," Sakura said after catching her breath. "I- I- I am sorry. I was so weak." She hid her face in Kallen's shoulder. "I could not resist the words of the Demon, and it manipulated my body and my memories. I-" Sakura whimpered, "-it manipulated my memories and feelings. I forgot a lot of our time together. Sometimes I remembered, but it always found a way to lock those memories back up. It used the face of that man! It-"
"It's okay," Kallen interrupted, "I don't blame you for what happened, Sakura." She whispered in her Sakura's ear, kissing her cheek lovingly and tightening the hug.
The two remained silent, enjoying each other's company. The timing was more than perfect for Sakura.
She didn't know if this was the afterlife, redemption for everything she did in the village, or just a fever dream; Sakura wasn't planning on leaving this place.
"Sakura."
"Yes, Kallen?"
"What do you think about seeing the world?"
Of all the questions she could have asked, Sakura didn't think she would ask one of these.
"The- The world, Kallen?"
"Yes, the world, Sakura," Kallen said, playing with one of Sakura's locks. "Don't you want to know what's beyond the village, Sakura? The different towns and people? The views? The food?" Kallen laughed playfully. "I remember that you showed interest in the different dresses I mentioned when I was on my travels."
"Kallen?"
Sakura leaned back a little to look at her lover's face. Kallen had a gleam in her eye as she talked about places she had never heard of. Kallen had always been impulsive, but this time it wasn't something that had caught her momentary attention. There was seriousness behind that childish spirit.
She was serious about traveling and exploring the world together.
"Getting to know the world…" Sakura murmured. It was certainly something she had longed to do on more than one occasion, however, her circumstances had prevented it.
A smile formed on Sakura's face. Absolutely. Her circumstances had prevented it, but now, Sakura could do it, couldn't she? She was free. With Kallen by her side.
"So, what do you say?" Kallen asked with that innocent smile. Sakura hadn't heard the rest of her words, but did she need to think twice? Of course not.
"Wherever you go, I will follow you, Kallen," Sakura replied. She moved closer to give her another kiss but stopped at the last second when she felt her lover's reaction.
For a second, Kallen had frozen like a statue. It was imperceptible, but Sakura had noticed it instantly.
"Kallen?"
The nun rested her temple on hers and sighed. "You have no idea how happy hearing your words makes me, but…" Kallen broke the hug and ran her hands over Sakura's cheeks with great delicacy.
Sakura bristled as she felt something grab her body and slowly pulled her towards the clear sky. Panicking, she struggled to free herself, but her body barely moved. Sakura looked at Kallen, about to ask her for help, but the words died in her mouth as she saw the bittersweet expression on her lover's face, as well as the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Kallen? What is happening?"
"I'm glad to know that you're still curious about the world, Sakura," Kallen said with a broken voice, ignoring her questions.
"Kallen?!"
"I know the world hasn't treated you the best, but I want you to please give it one more chance…"
"Kallen?! What are you doing?!" Sakura struggled as much as she could, but her body still didn't move. Whatever was holding her, it was impossible to escape from.
Then, the miko's form slowly began to dissolve into specks of light.
"And… I want you to please give yourself a chance to be genuinely happy…" Kallen was crying her eyes out, however, she refused to break eye contact with Sakura. "Sakura, more than anyone in the world, you deserve true happiness."
Sakura kept screaming, asking for explanations, but Kallen gave none.
"KALLEN!"
"I love you with all my heart, Sakura! Never forget it!" Kallen shouted before Sakura completely turned into specks of dust and they rose through the blue sky.
As soon as this happened, Kallen fell to her knees and cried freely. She cried and cried. She was sad to have to let go of the woman she loved, but Kallen knew it was the best for Sakura. Kallen's words to her lover had been sincere. Sakura deserved all the happiness in the world and more.
Remembering that there was still someone else she had to talk to, Kallen slowly stood up and tried to wipe away her tears. She didn't have success.
"Sorry for the wait, Sir Adam."
Moments ago…
Adam expected that the Herrscher would use a trick to save its life or end theirs just out of spite. What he did not expect was to appear again on the outskirts of the Sanctuary. Alarmed, Adam tried to move, but the wear and tear of the night finally caught up with him. The chitinous armor that covered him turned into black ashes and vanished in the wind of the place. He was barely able to fall to his knees and shift his weight backward, falling onto his back and letting out a huff.
The position was not comfortable, although at least he could see when the Herrscher would pounce on him. While waiting for his possible executioner, Adam noticed that the place, although similar, was different from the one he had seen before being chased by the deranged villagers.
"It feels… Very peaceful," Adam noted as he moved his eyes from place to place.
The sky was clear. The sun was high, but neither the light nor the heat was bothersome, in fact, they were comforting. The wind running through the treetops and lifting petals from the cherry trees – which were not originally there before – created a beautiful, warm, and calming sound and scene for whoever was there.
Adam couldn't help but think that this would be the opportune moment to strike. It was easier to end someone's life when the person thought they were finally safe. As if it had heard his thoughts, Adam heard the snap of a branch coming from behind some bushes. He tensed and narrowed his eyes.
"If you think you will have it easy, you are very wrong, bastard!" Adam concentrated, ready to call upon his Gift with the last of his energy.
He never thought that this would be his end. Adam assumed that maybe he would die one day fighting a Herrscher in a bloody battle. No with him resting on his back awkwardly.
There was another crack, and Adam prepared for his last fight. His eyes widened when from among the trees and bushes, the Remnant -and not the Herrscher- emerged. It walked clumsily and in his direction.
"₣-₣₳₥łⱠɎ…" The monster quickened its pace or tried to. It was missing one leg and was limping on the other. "ɎØɄ ₳ⱤɆ ₴₳₣Ɇ…" The monster drawled.
The state of the Remnant was truly pitiful. One of its wings had been torn off, the body had multiple cuts and severe burns around. Several of the eyes on its body were closed or had an unfocused look. There was a low hiss every time it breathed, and there was a large cut under its belly, from which blood gushed and left a trail on the green grass.
"Family… You made it out alive," Adam commented tiredly, letting out the breath he had held.
Adam didn't know if this was good or bad. It all depended on whether the Herrscher had made it out alive after Sakura had impaled the bastard with her katana.
The Remnant stopped a few steps away from him and its long body collapsed. Adam was mentally grateful that it had not fallen on him; the hollow noise and vibration it had made told him how heavy the creature was.
"гР₩Ɇ ₮ⱤłɄ₥₱Ⱨ ØVɆⱤ ₮ⱧɆ Đł₴₲Ʉ₴₮ł₦₲ ĐØ₲?"It asked.
Adam looked at it carefully for a moment before answering.
"I think so," he replied.
That said, Adam had a question for himself: How was he going to take care of the Remnant?
Even though the creature had been loyal and affectionate (?) to him, Adam still had to deal with it. Whatever positive emotion or attitude the Remnant had towards Adam, it did not change the fact that he had to eliminate it. Unless he wanted to see Theresa turn into a grotesque creature.
Before Adam could begin to devise a plan, the creature trembled and coughed, its foul breath touched Adam's nose, making him convulse in disgust at the grotesque smell.
"₣₳₥łⱠɎ…ł-ł ฿Ɇ ₩Ɇ₳₭," the Remnant said with shame. "ł- ł'₥ ₴ØⱤⱤɎ. ₦Ø₮ ฿Ɇł₦₲ ₳฿ⱠɆ ₮Ø ₳₵₵Ø₥₱₳₦Ɏ ɎØɄ Ø₦ ₳ JØɄⱤ₦ɆɎ ₮Ø ₮ⱧɆ ₲ⱤɆ₳₮ ₴Ɇ₳," its form trembled.
Adam considered it cruel – but necessary – to feel relief upon hearing the Remnant's words.
"Well, that's a problem solved," he thought, breathing another sigh of relief.
"฿Ʉ₮ ł ₵₳₦ ₴₮łⱠⱠ ⱧɆⱠ₱," The Remnant continued saying, its breathing becoming labored. "ł ₩łⱠⱠ ₲łVɆ ɎØɄ ₥ł₦Ɇ ₴Ø ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ɎØɄ ₵₳₦ ₮Ɽ₳VɆⱠ ₮ⱧɆ ₴Ɇ₳ ₳₦Đ ₵Ø₦₴Ʉ₥Ɇ ₥ØⱤɆ Ø₣ ₮ⱧɆ ₴₮₳Ɽ."
"What?"
Before Adam could react, the tendrils of the Remnant moved and buried themselves into his chest.
"M-Motherfucker!" Adam gasped. His Gift activated and he was about to attack the monster, however, he froze when his Gift reacted unusually.
"̷I̵ ̶w̸i̸l̴l̴ ̸n̷o̴t̶ ̶f̸e̷a̵r̴,̵ ̷f̶o̵r̶ ̵I̶ ̷w̵i̸l̴l̷ ̸b̵e̴ ̶w̸i̷t̴h̴ ̸y̷o̴u̸…̴"̴
Several tendrils came out from under Adam's back. Some held the tendrils of the Remnant while the rest wrapped the creature's body in a cocoon of spiky red tendrils.
Before Adam could feel horror at such a scene, the agonizing sensation of thick, sharp pieces of glass pierced his body and brain. He let out a howl of pain, writhing agitatedly in the grass.
Adam screamed as the pain in his head grew, feeling like someone put his mind in a compressor and crushed it. He didn't know if it was the pain or his system trying to fight whatever was happening, but for a moment he was blinded. In front of his eyes, many images began to run at high speed. Places, names, faces, views; more and more things were shown.
And not only that, but Adam also heard voices in great detail, fragments of conversations, music that he didn't usually hear, and more while he continued writhing on the floor; his mind and body trying to endure the terrible torture he was being subjected to.
Just when he thought he was about to lose his sanity, everything stopped. Its tendrils retracted slowly and the sensation of oppression and glass disappeared with a dull beat.
Adam moved his eyes and saw that the Remnant had disappeared. The only thing that remained of him were the marks that had been made on its body and the blood on the grass.
It didn't take Adam long to understand what had happened. He barely managed to turn face down to vomit what little was left of his stomach.
"What the fuck was that?!" Adam asked as he wiped the remains of vomit from his chin with the back of his hand.
"That's something I'd like to know too," said a young woman outside his fieldview. "I don't think I've seen anything like this before."
In response, Adam jumped up, instantly putting himself on guard. Curiously, he didn't feel the same exhaustion as a few moments ago.
The person who had spoken was a woman in her twenties. She was wearing the outfit of a nun, with a few modifications so that she could move more easily in said outfit. Seeing her blue face and eyes, and silver hair, Adam noticed the similarity between her and a gluttonous girl he knew outside of the Stigma.
A second later, he remembered another particular detail about her.
"You… Me and my partner saw you die. Right in front of our eyes!"
She was the dying nun he and Mei had met shortly after entering the Stigma.
"How rude!" The nun said with a somewhat childish pout. "That's not something you should say to a girl when she introduces herself to you." Then, she proceeded to give a short speech on how a gentleman should act when meeting a lady.
"Wow, she looks and acts like Kiana," Adam thought, sweat dropping but not letting his guard down. "I wonder if she is Kiana's long-lost sister."
Adam was about to interrupt her, but the woman froze as if remembering something. She stopped giving her strange speech and cleared her throat. "I- I'm sorry. I got carried away," she apologized as she sheepishly scratched her cheek with a finger and chuckled awkwardly.
"Siegfried, did you secretly have a daughter besides Kiana?"
"Ahem! My name is Kallen Kaslana. I thank you for helping to free my beloved from the clutches of that Demon," she – Kallen – said politely, and bowed in gratitude. "May I know your name, young knight?" She asked with a smile.
Adam looked at her carefully for a moment until he decided that this didn't seem like a trap. Not to mention that he wouldn't try to make a head or tail of her sudden appearance. He was exhausted.
"I'm Adam Alighieri. My companions and I came here to hunt the creature you saw a few moments ago," he said carefully, trying to be something polite too.
Adam trembled as he remembered what had happened. It took great effort not to think about the way his Gift had reacted to the Remnant, or what it had done to him. Once Adam left this place, he would ask Dr. Margot to do some studies on him. He would also inform Hestia about the twisted event.
Noticing a detail in her sentence, and trying to entertain his mind—so as not to vomit again—Adam asked, "By beloved, do you mean Yae Sakura?"
Kallen nodded. "That's right. As you may have seen, my beloved fell prey to the Demon that was sealed in the Black Box," suddenly, her expression changed to one of exhaustion and regret. "If I had known what it would do, I would have thrown such a vile artifact into the deepest abyss I could find; this way no one else would become another victim of the greed and pain that it brings to those who possess it."
She bit her lip. "I tried to protect people from the misfortune that the Black Box brings, but," Kallen exhaled with exhaustion, grimacing with regret, "I was no better than Schiksal." The last thing caught Adam's attention.
"Wait, Schicksal had the Herrscher in their possession this whole time?"
If this was true, then how on Earth did the Herrscher and Theresa meet?
Kallen's brow and mouth furrowed. "I'm not aware of your circumstances, but Schicksal used the power of the Box to do horrible experiments. All for the sake of salvation and their greed." She looked away, embarrassed. "Many innocent people suffered and died because of this."
They didn't say anything for a moment. Kallen projected a solemn air, and Adam didn't know what else to say for such a revelation. Deciding that he would also pass this on to Hestia later, Adam asked her, "Where are we?"
Kallen blinked and shook her head. "We are in the Stigma. How this place should have been from the beginning," she explained. "With the defeat of the Demon, its corruption has disappeared, allowing this place to finally heal."
Adam sighed in relief that the nightmare was finally over. So where were Mei and Princial Theresa?
As if she could read his thoughts, Kallen replied, "Don't worry, your companions are safe. They are on the edge of Stigma. Soon they will be able to leave this place, but first, I need to do something important." Quickly, she raised her hands in a sign of non-aggression. "Don't worry! It's not bad at all. It's just that I need to do something very important before your lot leaves," she said urgently.
Before Adam could say anything, a pink luminous sphere floating in the sky caught his attention.
"What the hell?"
"It's not bad at all. It- It's Sakura," Kallen said longingly, giving a big smile. "Sir Adam," she said respectfully. The title took him by surprise. "She won't be able to see you, but could you stand aside? I need to talk to my beloved. When I'm done, I'll answer any questions you have."
Considering that she had not acted negatively against him after seeing his last encounter with the Remnant and that she was being cooperative, Adam saw no problem in granting her request.
Nodding, Kallen gave another big smile and walked in the direction of the pink ball of light. The mass of light began to slowly descend from the sky. When the mass of light hit the ground, it disintegrated, revealing Sakura unconscious and free of any damage she had suffered in the fight against the Herrscher.
Thinking it would take a while, Adam went to sit against one of the trees nearby. When the grass touched his butt, he exhaled heavily. At last, he could catch his breath without being between a rock and a hard place. Now that his adrenaline wasn't through the roof, Adam recapitulated what had happened.
"How on earth did the Oath of Judah manifest itself here, in the Stigma? And the Herrscher? What happened to its core?" Adam looked in the direction of the nun and miko, who were talking, or rather, Sakura was shouting, and Kallen was comforting her. Adam could hear what they were saying - he wasn't far from them. He looked away as they began to kiss passionately. Adam needed some answers, and he wouldn't get them if Kallen caught him being a peeping tom. He continued to make his guesses, trying to ignore the sounds of the two lovers.
After a while, the girls' last sentences caught his attention, especially the way Kallen was putting things.
Adam sensed that Kallen was onto something when she said a heartbreaking goodbye to Sakura. As if she would never see her again.
Once he saw that the miko was gone, Adam approached the nun. He had an idea of what was happening. All that remained was to confirm his theories.
Kallen slowly stood up and tried to wipe away her tears. He didn't have much success in it.
"Sorry for the wait, Sir Adam." She gave a smile, but it was obvious that it was fake, not to mention the pain behind it.
Adam decided to give her a moment to collect herself before he asked his questions. A couple of minutes later, he asked: "The Oath of Judah. How did it get here?"
After a slight whimper, Kallen replied, "I don't know exactly, but I think a fragment of Judah was imbued into Sakura when I sealed her in the Black Box."
There was a story behind it, but Adam doubted Kallen was in the mood to tell it.
"Sakura, isn't she a fragment of the Stigma?"
Kallen shook her head. "No, she's connected to the Stigma, it's hers to begin with, but the Demon turned the place into its playroom. Recently, Sakura was released from that prison."
Adam remembered the recordings that Hestia had sent him. He moved on to his next question.
"What happened to the Herr-Demon core? Was it destroyed?"
Kallen made a complicated expression but nodded.
The news was indeed good. Now, came the uncomfortable questions.
"Who or what are you?"
Kallen Kaslana, or whatever her name will be; the fact that she would show up just when the whole mess was over made Adam very suspicious. And not only that, he found it worrying that she hadn't reacted negatively after seeing the disturbing moment between him and the Remnant. A normal reaction would have been to run away from him or attack him.
Kallen had treated him as if nothing bad had happened. That raised some red flags.
For a moment, Adam thought she would be offended by his words.
A sad smile was not what he expected in response.
"Being honest with you? I have no idea, really." Kallen raised a hand and inspected it. "I don't know if I'm a fragment of the original Kallen's soul that somehow got stuck in the Black Box when Sakura was sealed - after the Demon took control of her body - or maybe Judah's fragment uploaded it with a piece of me," Kallen shrugged. "All I know is that Sakura needed me, and I helped the best way I could."
Adam blinked. "Judah, isn't it?"
She nodded.
"In that case, thank you very much. We would all be dead or worse if you hadn't intervened," he thanked her sincerely.
"Well, I may no longer be here in life, but that doesn't mean I can't continue fulfilling my duty as a Knight!" She shouted, giving a wink.
"She really looks a lot like Kiana," he only nodded to her response with a neutral expression.
Adam cleared his throat to ask his last question.
"What was all that you said to Sakura?" Kallen frowned, though her lower lip trembled. Adam quickly added. "I'm sorry. It's not like I wanted to hear, but you two didn't talk quietly."
Kallen closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You saw part of Sakura's life, right?"
Adam nodded, frowning as he remembered the terrible memory of the sacrifice that had been carried out using Sakura's sister.
"Sakura... She didn't have the best life in her village. When I got to that place, Sakura acted like a machine. Following her routine and duties, going just through the motions," Kallen explained, crossing her arms. "It took time before she started to be more natural when she talked and interacted with me."
Kallen exhaled. "After a close brush with death, and stopping ignoring the mutual attraction we both felt, Sakura, she," Kallen whimpered for a second, "smiled more often. She laughed or showed a somewhat childish look when I told her about my travels through Europe. Hehe! She got upset when I told her that she looked like a bunny very attentive to a carrot," Kallen laughed last. "Of course, she only did this when we were in private."
Her body trembled for a second. "There were a lot of things I wanted to do with her, but…" Kallen bit her lower lip hard enough for it to break and bleed a little. Kallen ignored the sting. "You saw a fragment of the attitude of the villagers. Not to mention their terrible attitude against Sakura didn't help at all. And then that damn night had to happen."
"When the Demon attacked and you sealed her in the Black Box," Adam said. Kallen nodded.
"Sakura is a noble person who sticks strongly to her duties. She is a person with a great sense of honoring her promises," Kallen commented proudly, although her eyes showed sadness.
"And that cost her a lot," Adam thought, remembering what he had seen and heard before almost being swallowed by the miko's memories.
Kallen exhaled sharply. "There is nothing in the world I want more than Sakura's happiness. "She- She should never have experienced what happened in that village."
"If so, then why did you send her out of the Stigma? That's what you did, isn't it?"
"That's right," Kallen answered his question. "Believe me. I would like to hold her in my arms and never let her go, but I would condemn her to spend the rest of our existence in the Stigma." She shook her head. "I can't keep her locked in a cage. Not again."
"And you want her to explore the world." Kallen nodded at his words.
Adam made a complicated expression.
Kallen had put Sakura's well-being and happiness before her own. That spoke volumes about her character, but there was one detail that Adam didn't think like.
The period of the Herrschers' awakening had begun again. Not to mention that once everyone left the Stigma, they would all be under Schicksal's magnifying glass, given the entire context in which the fiasco with the Remnant unfolded, adding that Theresa - granddaughter of Schiksal's leader, fucking Otto Apocalypse - was the main victim in all this.
Again Kallen seemed to read his thoughts, she said: "It may seem unfair, but I want Sakura to have the opportunity to live and experience what the world has to offer."
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Are you reading my mind?"
Kallen laughed. "No, but I have experience reading the expressions of people who think more than they should when someone speaks." She touched her chin. "What's more, your expression reminds me of an old friend."
Suddenly, the scene of the quiet landscape flickered, as if it were a glitch on a television screen.
"What the hell?" Adam looked around. The place had returned to its place, but he noticed that several trees seemed -not- were blurry. Not only that, several began to disappear or change locations.
"As you can see, the Stigma space is collapsing. The influence of the Herrscher and the Remnant had damaged the main structure of the place. If Sakura had stayed here, she would have been permanently erased or sealed. I couldn't let that happen."
Adam tensed as Kallen referred by the correct term to the creature he had been sent to destroy.
"How do you know that?!"
"Well… I may have seen a few fragments of your memories when the Herrscher was defeated," she said embarrassed. She looked more like a girl who had been caught red-handed. "Don't worry, I didn't see much, but I have to admit that the world has changed so much."
The stage flickered again. Before he could ask more, Adam felt himself being grabbed by something invisible and was slowly lifted into the sky.
"Our time is up. I regret not giving enough answers to more of your questions, although I think I would not have been able to. I don't like to admit it, but academic questions are not my specialty. I'm more of the type that strikes things." Kallen blushed slightly. Her expression was a clear contrast to the deep darkness that was beginning to flicker and appear more often around them.
"Shit, we screwed things up more than we should have," Adam thought. Slowly, his body began to dissolve into specks of golden and red light as he ascended higher.
"I guess this can be considered mission accomplished, right?" Adam sighed tiredly and relieved.
When his body was halfway to dissolving, Kallen waved her arms to get his attention.
"Sir Adam! I know you have no obligation towards my beloved or me, but please, help her adapt to the new era that awaits her. That's all I ask of you! As a person also displaced from her time, I think you can empathize with her. Good luck!" Kallen shouted, waving her hand goodbye before he completely vanished from the scene.
"She definitely saw more than just fragments," Adam thought before the darkness called out to him.
Adam grunted as he was shaken by the shoulders.
"Adam-kun!"
With difficulty, he opened his eyes, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the lighting of the place. Different voices sounded around as his senses caught up.
"Give it a moment, Miss Raiden, the immersion has been overwhelming for all of you."
Whoever had shaken him apologized in an embarrassed tone. Adam winced as someone else screamed, followed by an audible whimper.
When Adam tried to sit up, the person who had shouted next to him helped him. He blinked and saw Mei close to him, looking at him with worried eyes.
"Mei?" His voice sounded dry. He frowned as his throat felt extremely dry.
"Adam-kun!" She raised her voice and, surprisingly, she hugged him urgently. This took him by surprise. "I was so worried," Mei murmured in his ear.
"Hey! Why is he being hugged and I'm not? I was also very worried about you."
"Idiotka must mind her voice. Subjects Theresa, Mei, and Adam have just gone through a very stressful experience."
Adam moved his eyes and saw that on the other side of the room were Kiana and Bronya. They were both arguing, as always, until Dr. Margot intervened.
"Don't make me ask you to leave," she said firmly. Both girls quickly obeyed.
"Mr. Alighieri, I think you had a hectic night," the doctor said amusingly.
Adam frowned. He wouldn't call the close encounter with the Remnant and the Herrscher hectic.
He opened his mouth to ask about Theresa's condition, but the nagging feeling in his throat persisted.
"Ah! What is happening?!" The little nun erected her back from her medical bed. Although Theresa was covered in a thin layer of sweat, she looked much better than when she entered the hospital.
"Guys, are you-?" Theresa paused, "Sakura?! What are you doing here?!" There was another pause. "And who is she?!"
Beside Theresa rested the miko who had helped them deal with the Herrscher within the Stigma. She was sleeping peacefully despite the noise in the room.
Adam's eyes widened when on the other side of the principal was another person he had not seen before. It was a girl, twelve or thirteen years old. Like Sakura, her hair was pink, although it had some red stripes and short ears - similar to those of a fox - on her head. Behind its back were 4 reddish-pink tails with yellow markings. He also noticed that she was hugging a sheathed katana. The weapon was black, with several gold and red details.
Oh, and she was sleeping naked too.
"You're fucking with me…" Adam whispered hoarsely, getting an idea of who she really was. Interestingly, there was no chill running down his spine. At least that indicated something good about the shitty night.
Adam wanted to get out of bed to get closer and see the new girl. He tried, but Mei stopped him.
"Mei?"
She didn't say anything. Before letting him go, she tightened the hug for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw Kiana glare at him.
Mei pulled away and looked aside, a little embarrassed by what happened. Kiana growled weakly, Dr. Margot laughed softly, Bronya looked at him with her typical poker face, and Theresa looked closely at the girl next to her. He wasn't the only one who suspected who the unknown girl was.
"I'm glad you're okay, Adam-kun," Mei whispered, but Adam heard her clearly.
He was about to answer her, however, a strong feeling of vertigo and nausea stopped him.
"Mr. Adam?" The doctor had stopped smiling and now looked worried, and she wasn't the only one. The other conscious people in the room shared her expression.
Adam lost all color in his face - turning into his characteristic unhealthy pale. The right eye changed like when he used his Gift. The eye was bloodshot. A strange tingling sensation ran through his body, followed by something sliding over his upper lip. He used his hand to see what it was and saw that it was a few drops of blood coming from his nose.
"Fuck…"
A second later, he fell onto the bed, convulsing before the horrified looks of others.
"ADAM-KUN!"
"MOVE ASIDE!"
Before he lost consciousness, Adam heard several voices say at the same time:
"̸T̶h̷o̷u̵g̶h̷ ̸y̴o̵u̶ ̶p̵a̵s̸s̶ ̵t̸h̴r̸o̸u̵g̴h̶ ̴t̷h̵e̵ ̵v̵a̸l̵l̴e̶y̵ ̶o̵f̶ ̴d̵a̵r̶k̴n̶e̶s̵s̵,̷ ̶y̴o̴u̴ ̵w̷i̸l̵l̶ ̵f̶e̷a̶r̴ ̷n̷o̷ ̴e̶v̴i̴l̵,̴ ̸f̴o̴r̸ ̷I̴ ̷w̶i̴l̵l̷ ̵b̴e̸ ̸w̶i̶t̷h̵ ̷y̷o̶u̷…̵"̶
CONNECTING….
CONNECTING…
CONFIRMED CONNECTION.
WELCOME ADMINISTRATOR.
UNIT HAURES reports success on the [HERMES] mission, although their [GIFT] had a strange reaction on their body shortly after finishing the [HUSK] extermination mission.
[REDACTED].
ASCLEPIUS-[REDACTED] helped and treated the symptoms in [HERMES]. The agent assumes that it could have been a result of the prolonged use of [HERMES's] [GIFT] while they were in [HIGH NUN'S] [STIGMA].
It is worth mentioning that new events have developed.
[REDACTED].
[HIGH NUN] hasn't said much to ASCLEPIUS-[REDACTED, but, notably, they are omitting several details of what happened.
Furthermore, ASCLEPIUS-[REDACTED] has reported the appearance of two new individuals as soon as [HERMES, [PRIESTESS, and [HIGH NUN] left [STIGMA].
Based on the descriptions of ASCLEPIUS-[REDACTED, it has been concluded that this is [OLD RULER-12], and not only that; It can be said that [OLD RULER-12] is not about two individuals having the same identity.
[REDACTED].
According to observations, [OLD RULER-12] has lost its initial appearance, taking on a more humanoid shape, although maintaining certain non-human characteristics.
It should be added that ASCLEPIUS-[REDACTED] found [OLD RULER-12] with possible [LONGINUS] equipment in their arms.
[REDACTED].
Unknown. [HERMES'S] report is necessary to grasp what happened. Regarding the other identity, a designation is suggested, as well as a change of designation in another individual to avoid future confusion.
[REDACTED].
[PRIESTESS] [SAKURA (last name unknown)].
[PRINCESS] [MEI RAIDEN].
Is the suggestion approved?
[REDACTED].
Understood.
Should the PROTOCOL [PURGATIO LUX] be maintained?
[REDACTED].
PROTOCOL [CLEANING LIGHT] should be disabled.
[Redacted.]
The forces of the [HANGED KING] are still on their way.
Notify [HERMES] to act if necessary.
[REDACTED].
Acknowledged.
DISCONNECTING…
DISCONNECTING…
DISCONNECTING…
DISCONECTED.
I hope you enjoyed it, people.
Again, sorry for the delay.
To be honest, I didn't expect the update time to take so long, as well as the extended size of the chapter originally. Shit, when I saw how many words I had written, I was like, "Nope. I have to split it in two, otherwise people will get lazy or overwhelmed by all that text."
I look forward to your feedback.
Have a great morning/afternoon/evening; depending on where you are.