Adam and Sakura backed away, jumping back, trying to create as much distance as possible between the demonic fox's flame orbs.
As soon as Adam had dodged the attack, the Herrscher lunged at him using its claws. Cursing, Adam used the tendrils on his back to pull him and his passengers out of reach.
The fox growled in annoyance at not being successful in its attack.
"Perish like the scum you are!"
Seeing the opportunity, Sakura launched herself at the fox, avoiding another fireball in her direction and quickly closing the distance, katana ready to cut off one of the fox's legs. Sakura clicked her tongue as her attack had no effect, the demon's fur easily repelling the attack.
"It's useless, Sakura. I am the king and god of this space," the fox boasted, trying to cut Sakura into pieces with the claws of the paw she tried to cut off.
"Silence demon," Sakura said coldly.
It gave a mix of a laugh and a growl, preparing to attack again.
While the miko and the fox fought, Adam took advantage of the moment to retreat, jumping down from the shrine. His heavy figure destroyed one of the buildings by entering through its roof. Scraps of wood flew around, just as a curtain of dust covered their figures. Mei and Theresa coughed uncontrollably from the amount of dust that had risen.
Taking advantage of the cloud of dust, Adam left the demolished building and moved quickly along the stone path. He saw a place with an open door. Adam walked over and stuck his head inside what appeared to be some kind of warehouse. He quickly looked for any intruders inside. The only thing there was stacked wooden furniture and barrels with a thick layer of dust on them.
Adam sighed in relief when he saw that no one else was present in the place. He crouched down and entered, mindful to not destroy the entrance by accident. He used one of his tendrils to close the door behind him. Carefully, he lowered his two female passengers from his arms onto the floor of the place.
"Principal Theresa? Mei? Are you two alright?"
It took a moment for both women to control their coughs and form words.
"You- Yes, we're fine, Adam" Theresa answered, still coughing a little.
Adam nodded. It seemed that the cloud of miasma that the Herrscher had released near Theresa had had no effect on her. Thank goodness, the situation in itself was already more than bad. That being said, there was no time to waste.
"Good. In that case, I will-"
"Adam-kun!" Mei shouted, interrupting and taking them by surprise.
"Mei-?"
"Your wounds! I-I saw how they had stabbed you several times!" Mei screamed again, raising her volume even more. "How are you feeling?!" Then she winced. "Sorry, stupid question. You-You should rest." She moved her eyes from place to place for a moment and then stood up, looking at Theresa with a determined look. "I-Principal Theresa, please take care of Adam-kun while I go and help Yae-san."
Without waiting for an answer, Mei walked determinedly to the door.
"Mei, no," Adam stopped her by placing one of his hands – but retracting his claws – on her shoulder. "Don't be impulsive. If you go there, you will end up seriously injured."
"No! If you go there again, you will be the one who ends up seriously injured." Mei protested, trying to get out of his grasp, to no avail.
Adam barely kept from growling in exasperation. Mei's attitude and the burden of his gift put on his body didn't make it easy to do this. The clock was ticking, there was no time for arguments now.
"I am already cured. Stay with the principal and try to hide until the situation has been dealt with."
"NO! I won't let you fight while I-"
"Mei, we don't have time for this!" Adam raised his voice in annoyance. His altered voice and high volume made her flinch instinctively. "The Herrscher is on the loose. Until Schicksal scientists arrive, Yae and I are the only ones who can stand up to the bastard."
"I can fight too!" Mei protested, her voice shaking slightly.
"With what weapons? A simple sword wouldn't work against that damned Herrscher. Plus, your combat style puts you at a disadvantage against long creatures like this."
Mei clenched her hands in frustration, knowing that Adam was right, several battles against simulated Chariots confirmed it; but still, she wasn't going to let him face the Herrscher alone on his own.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Theresa decided to intervene before any of them could say something they would later regret. None of them should be fighting each other.
"Mei," Theresa felt sand in her mouth with the next thing she said. "Let him go."
The black-haired youngster turned to look at her with a stunned expression on her face. Theresa didn't blame her. She knew what these words meant.
"Principal Theresa!"
"I don't like it. I don't like this at all, Mei, but as things stand, Adam and Sakura are our better chances until reinforcements arrive."
"But-!"
Theresa took one of Mei's hands. Despite surpassing her in size, Mei felt like the little girl being held down so as not to do something stupid.
"Mei, if the Herscherr takes us as targets, or worse, as hostages, it would only make things worse for Adam and Sakura. Believe me, I…" Theresa felt a knot in her chest. "...the last thing I want as your teacher is for you to have to face something like this when you've only just started at the academy." Like Mei, Theresa was frustrated, but in her case, it was worse, since it was her student who had to face a monster instead of her, his teacher.
Mei lowered her head, understanding that the director was correct.
Adam was grateful for the principal's timely intervention. The mood was not the best. He or Mei could have said something that would have turned them against each other.
"I will try to keep the fight away from the village. If we get too close, move."
Theresa and Mei nodded - the black-haired girl doing so weakly. Seeing this, Adam quickly and stealthily left the place, leaving his companions behind.
Mei looked with a frustrated and anxious expression to where Adam had disappeared.
"Be very careful, Adam-kun," she murmured.
Seeing her expression, Theresa traced circles on her back, trying to soothe her student. The only thing they could do was have faith and wait for help to arrive.
The two were so focused on the issue that neither of them had noticed how Theresa's complexion had become a little paler.
Nor about the nail marks on the wooden frame that were pointing outwards.
Sakura jumped back, dodging two of the fox's tails that ended up destroying more of the shrine. The fox growled at the miko's inhuman resistance and lack of success in hurting her.
In the back of the sanctuary - or what was left of most of it standing - there were a large number of craters, and trees destroyed or burned by the fox. Despite the flaming attacks, miraculously the fire had not spread throughout the forest. Still, the power of the flames could not be denied.
"If one of those balls touches me, it will be the end of me," Sakura thought grimly. She had witnessed out of the corner of her eye how a fireball had consumed an entire tree in a matter of seconds.
"Hm? Are you tired already, Sakura?" The Herrscher mocked her.
The miko had stopped for a second to catch her breath. She was far from exhausted, but moving constantly without stopping for a second would lead her to become easy prey for the fox.
"Hardly, fiend," she said venomously.
The fox twisted its rows of sharp teeth into a cruel smile.
"Good. It would be boring to defeat you so easily!" A huge ball of fire manifested in its snout in a second. Without boasting, the fox launched it at her.
And the deadly dance between the two enemies began again. The miko would dodge the fireballs gracefully and if there was a chance, she would close the distance and try to cut the fox down. The beast would react by dodging the attack or simply letting it bounce off its fur. They were both at a stalemate: the miko was too fast to hit it, but she lacked the strength to hurt it. The dance continued like this for a couple more minutes until a new member joined in.
The fox stopped for a second, sniffing the air and making a gesture of displeasure, it pricked up its ears and a second later it jumped back. The figure of Adam - covered in his strange armor - flew by, failing to hit the fox with a flying kick. Sakura watched as he sent his tendrils into the ground, using them as makeshift harpoons to correct his direction and reduce momentum. He moved in the air and landed a couple of meters from Sakura. She felt the earth shake as his figure landed on the ground.
"Sorry I'm late, I had to get both of them to safety first," Adam said, moving his head a little to look at the miko, but keeping the fox in his field of vision.
Sakura didn't say anything for a second, still surprised by Adam's altered appearance.
"Are your companions unharmed, Alighieri-san?" Sakura asked, like him, she moved her head slightly but kept the fox in the corner of her eyes.
"Frustrated that they couldn't help me with this. The fox far exceeds what we were originally planning to hunt," Adam explained. "Of the three, only I possess... the means to face him."
Adam had to stick with the original lie without going into further detail as to why Mei and Theresa weren't helping with this. At this moment Adam needed Sakura's full cooperation. There was no time for doubts.
"Sakura, what can you tell me about its abilities?"
The fox growled in displeasure in his direction but gave no indication of approaching. For now. The pinkette would not waste this moment.
"The demon's tails and fireballs are its main weapon. Their fur is too hard to be pierced. Be careful with its hellfire. This can burn a tree in seconds."
"Noted," Adam had seen the burned trees. He was surprised that they were not immersed in a sea of fire.
"...and-"
The fox lunged in their direction. Sakura and Adam jumped away, but both couldn't avoid being hit by the sweep of the rest of its tails. Adam barely caught Sakura in the air, using the rest of his body to protect her from hitting the trees.
"Very brave of you to come back here, abomination," the fox launched four fireballs in his direction. "You saved me the trouble of hunting you."
Adam and his new passenger barely avoided the fire. He avoided cursing out loud. Even with the armor on, the heat was unbearable. He quickly stepped away from there and entered the forest.
"Don't think you'll run away from me so easily!" The fox began to run in their direction, easily destroying any tree in its path. "I can smell your disgusting stench, you damn scum!"
Adam quickened his pace when he heard the chaos the Herrscher was making in order to catch up with them. For her part, Sakura looked back. She could see through the tops of the trees how they were easily uprooted or pushed sideways by the fox. Sakura noticed that the density of trees around her decreased.
"This is a bad sign."
Her thoughts were true when the fox could see them in the distance.
"Dodge!" Sakura screamed as she watched the fox launch a large fireball from its snout.
Adam jumped to the side and Sakura watched as one of the tendrils on his back dug into the ground and pulled them out further away from the blazing fire.
"Time to pay bastard!" Adam thought maliciously. He dropped Sakura, who groaned as she rolled across the rough dirt of the clearing they had arrived at, barely recovering.
Adam's arms shifted as he twisted in the air, using the momentum of the run and the elasticity of his tendril to make a sharp 360-degree turn and crash head-on into the demonic fox, who had barely entered the clearing.
"Gah!"
The fox was caught off guard by this move, being hit by a large spiked shield that Adam had formed. He growled when he failed to pierce the Herrscher's dense fur.
Without waiting for another second, Adam undid the shield, transformed his arms into sharp claws, and began attacking the fox's face, specifically its eyes.
"Bastard!" The fox cursed at him, barely avoiding the attack by twisting its head and using its front paws to push him back, succeeding. Adam transformed one arm into a spiked whip to hurt him as he was thrown away but was unsuccessful.
Adam rolled on the ground and like Sakura, used the momentum to recover, though he left deep marks in the ground due to his armor.
He got on his feet and- "Fuck!" Adam cursed. His limbs became large hands again - but without claws - and he held his head as he felt it being slowly split in two. He tried to ignore the pain but it began to be too much. The Herrscher's growls and shape seemed distant and the ground beneath his feet swayed from place to place. The armor suddenly became heavy on him, and breathing was increasingly difficult, not to mention it was difficult for him to stay lucid. The sensation of cold and heat on his body began to be overwhelming.
"No no no! Focus. Focus, bastard! You can't lose your mind now!"
Adam had worn the armor for a long time, in addition to doing stunts and using his gift continuously. It had been a miracle not to have given in sooner to the influence of the gift and the burden it put on his body.
He was so focused on reproaching himself that he barely saw how the pink-haired miko passed him by. Sakura closed the distance and attacked one of the fox's paws. On reflex, the fox took a step back. This was a mistake. Before Sakura's blade touched the fox's fur, she twisted her figure and jumped towards the Herrscher's face at the last second.
Slash!
"AHHH! DAMN BITCH!" The demon fox howled in pain as the sharp blade had managed to sever its right eye, leaving it blind in one eye.
"̴A̸r̶e̸ ̸y̴o̷u̶ ̵s̸t̸i̸l̷l̵ ̸o̶n̷ ̴t̵h̷e̴ ̵m̴o̵o̶n̴,̵ ̵k̴i̴d̸?̸"̸ A man's voice said.
This…this was not good. He couldn't lose control, not now. Sakura pressed her attack on the fox, her sneak attack had been very effective, but a cornered beast would do anything to survive, making it more dangerous.
"̴D̸o̴n̴'̵t̵ ̵c̴r̸y̷,̸ ̵e̶v̶e̷r̷y̶t̶h̶i̴n̵g̴ ̵w̴i̵l̶l̶ ̴b̸e̸ ̷o̶v̶e̴r̷ ̶s̵o̷o̸n̶…̴"̵ A woman's voice comforted him.
"Be quiet!" Adam screamed in his head. Breathing deeply, he concentrated and tried to ignore the dizziness that assaulted his senses. He had the urgent need to vomit, but he bit his tongue. He couldn't lose his composure anymore.
"Enough!"
The fox roared, and faster than its attackers imagined, it turned on its legs and struck the miko with its tails, launching her into the air.
"̸T̴h̸e̷r̸e̸ ̷s̷h̸e̶ ̴g̶o̴e̷s̵!̵"̶
Ignoring the hallucination, Adam jumped and caught the miko in the air. She shuddered as she realized she was in his grasp again. Adam didn't feel bothered by it, he was more focused on not fainting. He let Sakura go and moved his eyes back to the fox. His eye bled ichor in great quantity. There were several cuts along the area of its injured eye.
"Damn you ungrateful bitch! How dare you attack me and leave me like this?!"
A flame manifested over the fox's blind eye. The flame faded and the injured eye as well as the different cuts around its body had been completely healed, leaving only indignation and fury in the fox's eyes.
"And you damned abomination! You should have died! How are you still alive?!"
Among the tangle of suffocating sensations, the Herrscher's words reminded Adam of the recording of the battle between the Herrscher and the Remnant, although calling it a battle was too much. It had been a bloody fight of attrition and brutality. The Remnant had managed to triumph only thanks to their abnormal endurance and sagacity.
Adam could do the same, but he didn't know what would happen if he lost his mind. Would his gift spiral out of control in the real world? Was there some kind of mental contamination on his part towards Theresa? Would he attack the principal and Mei?
"̷D̷o̴u̴b̴t̵i̴n̷g̵?̴ ̴Y̶o̴u̶ ̴c̵a̶n̴'̵t̶ ̴h̵a̴v̴e̵ ̶t̴h̴a̴t̵ ̸l̷u̴x̷u̴r̸y̵ ̷h̴e̵r̷e̶,̷ ̶d̷e̵a̸r̶.̴"̴
Adam… He froze. He swore he recognized the voice...but...from where?
"You do not say anything? Well, your voice was always disgusting."
The fox bristled, preparing to lunge at them again. Sakura raised her sword. She glanced at Adam, waiting for some reaction from him, who had been petrified.
"Alighieri-"
"̸̘̓O̴͔͌k̸̙͝ä̸̘y̸̼̎,̷̤̄ ̶̛̭Į̸̒'̴̧͘l̷̢̽l̴͒ͅ ̷̟̊g̵͇͐ì̵̫v̶̩̑e̷͈̋ ̶̠̂ý̴̺ò̶̼ṵ̸͠ ̵̯̓ä̴̯ ̶͇͆l̷̮̍ḯ̴̥t̵̜̃ẗ̵́͜l̸͚̈e̷̘̽ ̷̦̈́p̷̨̽ù̴̺s̸̬͒h̸̛̥.̷̗̀ ̶̥͝A̷̝̍ḥ̶̉~̷̝͌ ̴͕̊T̸͈̿h̶͙͘ḯ̸̧s̸̪̓ ̸̻͛ŵ̶̲i̶͙̚l̸̤̓l̸̨̕ ̴̡̔h̸̥͛ű̸͈r̸̡̔t̴̤͗ ̷͍̃a̴̖̾ ̷͕͛l̶̩̓i̸̝̾t̷̎͜t̷͙͘l̸͍͗e̷̼͋ ̴̧̓d̵̯̔a̵̗͑r̵̬̓l̴̩̐i̸͎̿ń̸̼g̶͙͛.̷̟͘"̵̅͜
"-san, are you-"
"AAAHHHHH!"
Adam fell to his knees and hands, screaming. Before Sakura's eyes, the helmet covering Adam's head crumbled into dust and he vomited the contents of his stomach onto the ground.
"Pathetic…" The fox said with contempt. The sudden scene had stunned it for a second. "Is this the best you can-"
A tendril shot out from Adam's back at high speed and hit the fox on its left side. The blow was strong, but not enough to throw him into the air, it only pushed him several meters back, but even so, the fox screamed from the pain.
"Shut your mouth, you fucking bastard," Adam growled in a distorted voice, standing up and wiping the vomit from the corner of his mouth with the back of his right hand. "It's hard to think if you blabber all the damn time."
Sakura's eyes widened at his appearance. His complexion had turned completely pale, the same color as snow in winter, but it was stained by the black and red veins that covered his face. The whites of his eyes had turned black as night and the red color of them shone brightly. The change was not just limited to his face. The black-red armor that covered him began to shine with the same red as his eyes. The armor took on a more ferocious shape, with sharper claws at the end of its fingers. Its tendrils became covered in sharp, blood-red
barbs.
"Sakura," Adam called to her. "I'll take care of the hard work. When you see an opportunity, do the same thing you did one moment." Adam said firmly.
The pink-haired miko was alarmed by his sudden change in appearance, but her training as the village protector came into play. She nodded, although she had reservations about Adam. She just hoped he wouldn't turn on her at a vulnerable moment.
A new helmet formed on Adam's head - the front of the helmet resembled the cruel, sharp jaw of an animal - and he took an aggressive fighting stance. The tendrils on his back rose with the same intent.
"Are you ready?"
She was reluctant, but was there another option?
"I'm ready."
The fox roared and Sakura prepared for the confrontation that would mark once and for all the end of the monster that had tormented her for so many years.
"My beloved, wherever you are, please give me strength."
Adam and the demonic fox roared and charged at each other.
In the distance, Theresa and Mei could hear the fierce roars of the Herrscher and Adam. The director avoided biting her lip out of the anxiety she felt for the well-being of the black-haired man who was fighting in combat against one of the greatest enemies of humanity.
"If anyone hears me, please let Adam get out of this alive," Theresa licked her dry lips. She looked to her left and saw that she wasn't the only one who felt great concern for him.
Mei looked attentively through one of the windows of the small cellar that gave a view of the temple from below. She was on one of its sides, where darkness covered her and prevented her from being seen by any of the villagers.
Speaking of them, Theresa couldn't help but clench her fist in frustration but also in anger at what had taken place during that rite in which she was going to be used. It was the second time she had felt so helpless in her entire life.
The first time had been when she saw her best friend and confidant being consumed by Honkai fusion bombs to finish off the Second Herrscher. However, unlike that time, a few meters of distance was what separated her from her students, and not dozens of kilometers. For a Valkyrie like her, cutting that distance should have been a very simple task, but the Herrscher's power over the Stigma had left her as weak as a child. She failed them...
"No!" Theresa admonished herself, slapping her cheeks with both hands. "I can't think so negatively." She took a deep breath to try to calm her racing heart as she nodded to herself. "I have to stay positive. Giving in to despair will only make things harder for Mei."
Speaking of the aforementioned, she looked worriedly at the little headmistress, her attention having been caught when Theresa had hit herself, but she didn't comment anything. Noticing this, Theresa tried not to hit herself again; the last thing the stressed-out Mei needed was to see her principal having a nervous breakdown.
"I-it's nothing, Mei. I'm just- I'm just getting stupid ideas out of my head," Theresa explained in a weak tone. Her face had turned red with the heat of shame at having acted in such a way.
"Director, I think your fever has returned," Mei said, touching her forehead. Theresa's blush grew as she heard her say this. The petite headmistress cursed as she noticed her student's worried tone. She needed to calm down.
"H-Help! Please!"
Mei and Theresa couldn't help but jump when they heard the unexpected call for help.
"Does anyone hear me? W-Where is everyone?" A woman shouted. The scream came not far from where they were. Maybe it came from one of the small streets off the main street.
Mei was about to look out the small window, but Theresa stopped her by taking her arm with her hand, and with the other, she made a gesture of silence. Mei nodded. She didn't like the idea of leaving someone apparently injured alone, but she had to consider the circumstances.
"It could be a trap."
And if she thought about it carefully, there hadn't been a sound in the village since Adam had left them in the warehouse. No villagers had come forward to investigate the noise they had made when they fell into the village and through one of their stores.
"Is it the work of the Herrscher?"
Mei remembered Theresa saying that the Herrscher could manipulate the Stigma space. The idea seemed ridiculous, like in Bronya-chan and Kiana-chan games, where the final boss -Homu King- manipulated the arena and did whatever he wanted. She did not forget the complaints of her two friends about how unfair this was. Mei had laughed at their expressions and how funny that level of the game was. Now that she was in a similar - and deadly - scenario, the idea no longer seemed amusing.
"H-Help!" The woman shouted with greater urgency.
"Principal Theresa…" Mei called her no higher than a whisper.
Theresa said nothing as she watched intently out the window from the shadows. Her eyes were fixed on the street, but Mei could see that they weren't just focused on the street. It was as if Theresa was remembering something.
"Director-"
"There's something about this that I don't like," Theresa interrupted in a low voice. "This-This looks familiar." She grimaced. "Maybe it's nothing, but… it's best to be cautious, Mei." The black-haired woman nodded but was concerned by the distressed tone Theresa had used.
Several minutes passed. The unseen woman continued to scream at intervals of several seconds, which surprised Theresa.
"How come her voice hasn't become hoarse?" Theresa analyzed. "Whoever it was, her voice should have been exhausted by now. Needless to say, she can continue shouting without her tone changing." This gave Theresa a very bad feeling.
After another minute of constant screaming, the woman finally fell silent. It seemed as if the woman had succumbed to whatever was afflicting her, but as Theresa suspected, the woman simply stopped screaming without her tone of voice changing.
"I just hope I'm not wrong," Theresa thought remorsefully.
Even though the Stigma people were bits of information, Theresa didn't like the idea of leaving anyone to their fate, but she couldn't take any chances now with the rampant Herrscher. It could be a trap.
Something heavy fell on the dirt floor of the street where the warehouse window looked.
"Principal-"
Theresa's eyes widened as her breath hitched.
Wings without feathers, withered and ugly like a dry tree; a long serpentine body covered in a type of gray-purple scales; three stinger-tipped tendrils moved lazily just above its figure; a large sharp blade swung at the end of its long tail; a disgusting worm head, salivating yellow and sticky slime; and multiple curious blood-red and sickly-purple eyes covered its body.
"No no no no!" Theresa watched with horror as the abomination that cost her so much to kill walked alive and without any sign of having been injured.
"Principal Theresa-?"
Theresa lunged at Mei, covering her mouth with her small hand and moving her away from the window as quickly as possible.
"H-Help!" The woman from a while ago shouted again. "Someone help me! Please!"
Theresa dragged Mei behind two wooden boxes and signaled for her to keep quiet. The black-haired girl didn't know what had disturbed her director so much. She wanted to ask her, but the look of palpable terror on her face made her save her questions for later.
The plea for help sounded closer. Mei peeked out from behind the boxes, curious to know what had scared Theresa so much. Mei stifled the scream of terror that formed in her throat as she saw the long, grotesque figure pass through the warehouse window, one of its long, withered wings grazing and cutting part of the edge of the window with ease. She leaned back, the wood behind her back creaking faintly. Her heart was racing as she looked at Theresa with a mixture of terror and disbelief.
There was a pause, and then the cries for help resumed. "Help! Help!" It took Mei a moment to understand that the scream was produced by the monster and that it was coming from very close by.
"Does anyone hear me? Please, I'm hurt..."
"I-It's right in front of the door." Mei felt her heart in her throat knowing that the only thing that hid them from the monster was an old door and a couple of wooden boxes.
Mei broke out in a cold sweat, and so did Theresa. Neither of them blamed the other for this reaction. Not only was the monster's disgusting appearance outstanding, but Mei understood that if Theresa, principal of St. Freya and veteran Valkyrie, showed terror in the presence of that thing, then it was more than clear how dangerous it was.
"Anyone there?"
Mei almost screamed when she heard the creak of the warehouse door, which was being slowly moved. Theresa bit her lip while clenching her hands tightly. Their hearts were soaring when the door rang again, this time half open.
"Help! Can anyone hear me?"
Moonlight entered through the half-open door of the warehouse. Mei's heart thundered in her ears as she saw the shadow of the grotesque creature projected on the far wall.
"Is anyone there?"
Mei could not understand how it was possible that the creature could imitate the call of a frightened woman perfectly.
"Does anyone hear me?"
Both women felt their hearts stop for a second when they heard how the beast took a step forward, entering the warehouse. One of its paws had barely been heard touching the ground.
"Please... I need help…"
The creature took another step forward. Its shadow in the background grew larger.
Mei and Theresa tensed their bodies, the hairs on the back of their necks standing up.
Another step forward.
Theresa closed her eyes for a second and opened them again, with a look full of resolution; ready to do what was necessary and give Mei enough time to escape. She wouldn't let Mei fall prey to this monster.
Another step.
"Cecilia, Kiana, Siegfried… give me strength," Theresa thought of the most important people in her life. She gave Mei a smile trying to lighten her terror as she removed her hand from her mouth. Maybe it would be the last time she could smile. Mei didn't know what Theresa was trying to say, but that smile with a sense of finality in her eyes made the girl's heart twist.
"Help me…" The monster took another step.
Theresa tensed the muscles in her legs.
"Someone-"
Theresa opened her mouth and-
A bright light manifested between Theresa and Mei. The black-haired beauty couldn't help but gasp when she realized that the supernatural light was coming from one of her hands. Specifically, the one carrying the crucifix that the moribund nun had given her.
They both heard the monster startle and scream.
"YOU!" The terrible creature, with its grotesque figure and terrifying eyes, pounced on the two of them.
Before they could move, the light grew in intensity and blinded everyone.
I̴ ̸h̵a̷v̸e̴ ̶h̷e̴a̸r̸d̵ ̵y̴o̴u̸,̶ ̸n̵o̸b̵l̸e̸ ̴s̵o̷u̸l̶.̵ ̷U̶s̴e̴ ̵m̷e̶ ̵a̴n̷d̴ ̸d̷e̴f̴e̸n̶d̷ ̴t̸h̷e̷ ̴w̴e̷a̶k̸!̵
Theresa swore she heard someone talking in her head.
T̴h̶i̷s̸ ̸i̵s̶ ̷o̵u̷r̵ ̶c̷o̵m̸m̵i̸t̵m̷e̵n̶t
̷T̴h̸i̷s̵ ̴i̵s̵ ̵o̵u̸r̸ ̴o̴a̴t̸h̸.̴
The warehouse exploded in a shower of debris.
[OATH OF JUDAH ACTIVATED!]
Adam did not consider himself a masochist despite Siegfried's comments. It was true that he tended to be prone to harm, to the point that if he were an ordinary human, Stigmata or not, it would be impossible for him to walk again and continue with his life as if nothing had happened. But his gift covered all that and more. Of course, all this came with its burdens and consequences.
But, Adam had to admit, the thrill he felt as he dodged one of the fox's tails, dug one of his claws into the Herrscher's side, and dodged at the last second was complicated.
He felt his muscles boiling under his skin, twitching and ready to unwrap like an angry snake; blood and adrenaline were rushing furiously through his veins, his heart pumping at a thousand miles per hour; his bones screamed when something was broken and they grumbled when they were corrected in a matter of seconds.
Despite the damage, despite feeling his body being slowly consumed by the fire that was his gift, Adam could not explain the joy he felt as he loosened the rein he had long held over his gift.
"Fuck," Adam cursed, deflecting a tail coming his way with a punch. "Damn it. Siegfried may have been right."
Adam closed the distance between himself and the Herrscher. A tail was coming his way, but he dodged it by sliding across the ground and tried to make mincemeat of the Herrscher's face with his claws. The Herrscher dodged back. Adam pressed, flicking his sharp tendrils against her eyes. The Herrsher dodged again by jumping back.
Sakura appeared next to him. The world moved slowly in her cyan eyes. She visualized the moment in which she would have to launch herself to do part of her bloody work. The fox saw her at the last second. It moved one of its tails to throw her, but she disappeared in the blink of an eye. Listening to its instincts, the Herrscher twisted its head aside. A second later, his blood splattered and it roared in pain, but the damage had not been enough.
Adam clicked his tongue when he saw that she had managed to cut into his snout, there was blood, yes, but it would have been nice to have blinded him again.
"Bastards!"
The fox responded by launching a bolt of deadly fire that made another hole in the sea of trees in the background.
What was once a forest with abundant trees was gradually being turned into a wasteland of craters and fire everywhere. Sakura felt sadness seeing this, but she pushed this feeling aside. She had to first deal with the fiend and get rid of it once and for all.
Adam lunged at the Herrscher again. Dodging or dodging its attacks, trying to create an opportunity for Sakura to blind it again. The Herrscher's regeneration would be a problem, but Adam only needed a few seconds to sink his claws into the bastard's head and make it suffer with his tendrils. Regeneration didn't come with a painkiller effect.
The same deadly dance continued for several minutes.
It wasn't until the Herrscher made a small mistake that Sakura finally managed to remove one of its eyes with her katana.
"ARGH!" The Herrscher howled in pain, jerking his body to the sides as it promised Sakura to burn her with her village.
Without waiting for another second, Adam launched himself at the fox, which trashed around due to the pain and indignation. Adam couldn't hit the head, but that didn't stop him from digging his claws and tendrils into her body. The fox roared louder in pain, but Adam tied himself to its body using the tendrils on his back - causing more damage and suffering - and began to cut.
The Herrscher rolled on the ground aggressively, trying to get Adam off of him, but he held on tighter.
Sakura watched attentively as blood, dirt, and trees were lifted and thrown everywhere by the demonic fox in its attempt to free itself from its attacker, while her strange ally was busy giving the demon a terrific beating. The miko couldn't help but reflect that instead of looking like a fight between a warrior and a demon, this seemed more like a fight between two monsters, willing to use great brutality so that one would emerge victorious between the two.
Just as the Herrscher was once again standing on all fours, Adam raised a claw and two tendrils and roughly buried them in the fox's left side. Specifically between the junction of the leg and its body.
The fox howled in agony and rage.
Sakura considered this the opportune moment to swoop in and cut off its head. She braced herself, taking a deep breath as the muscles in her body tensed, ready to move like the relentless lightning of a storm.
Sakura's hand rested on the hilt of her katana and-
"DAMN SCUM!"
An intense light suddenly blinded her, followed by heat so scorching that she felt her exposed skin turn red from the terrible temperature released in an instant. Her instincts made her back away immediately.
It was a wise decision, as a second later, the demonic fox and its brutal attacker were engulfed in an agonizing fireball.
Adam didn't even have time to scream. His entire being howled in agony as he was enveloped by the Herrscher's unexpectedly abrasive flame. The pain was such that Adam loosened his biting grip on the fox. Something the Herrscehr swiftly capitalized on, shaking and spinning on its legs; throwing Adam away. The demonic figure of Adam broke several trees in his journey through the air.
"Alighieri-san!" Sakura shouted, running in his direction. Her sight had not fully recovered, spots of light limited her vision, but she continued. It didn't take Sakura long to find Adam. The trail of knocked-down and broken flora was an excellent guide.
Sakura found him sitting, leaning against a large tree. Or rather inserted into its trunk. Adam had his arms stretched out to his sides. His head was hanging forward and parts of his armor had been peeled off or had multiple cracks.
"Son of a bitch…" Adam raised his head slightly in Sakura's direction. She stopped a couple of meters away from him. Adam could understand why. Even he could still feel the heat coming off of his body. It was like he was a walking sauna.
"The bastard really had that trick up his sleeve," he said with some difficulty.
"Alighieri-san? Are you OK?" Sakura asked, slowly approaching.
Adam avoided snorting at the standard question. There was no need to snap at the only ally capable of helping him kill the damned Herrscher.
"I will live," he replied. With a feeling of heaviness and burning throughout his body, Adam disengaged himself from the log and stood awkwardly off the ground. Adam staggered for a moment, putting a hand on the tree he had braked on to keep from falling.
"I can't believe I survived that…" Adam thought. He had no idea how things worked at all in the Stigma, but he was sure that surviving being cooked alive by a Herrscher was bordering on a miracle. Maybe two.
He stood up-
"̵̩̒T̶̠̂ḧ̵̟́e̵͆ͅr̷̡̈́ḙ̵͆'̶̱͌s̸̗̋ ̶͕̅n̴̻͂ȏ̴̳ ̴̛̥t̶̗́ǐ̷͓m̶̥̕e̸͎͂ ̶̡̇t̷͉̓õ̷̜ ̶̫̀b̷̰̾e̸̡͠ ̴̼̊c̵͖̚a̶͐ͅr̵̜͊ḙ̷͐f̸̤͋u̷̹͋l̶̝͑,̴͔͐ ̷͇̐b̸̜̋r̴̭͠á̸̧t̷̙̑.̵̯͑ ̷̥̇T̸͕̃į̴͗m̷̮͐ḙ̸͒ ̶̨̈́t̵̠̎ő̷̝ ̴̻̌ģ̸̛o̸͊ͅ ̵͕͌g̸̯͠e̸̺͗t̸͈̊ ̸̰̄h̷̠̏i̸̛͖š̴͉ ̸̭͋b̵̤͒a̸̱̽l̴̗͋l̷͚̓s̶̭̃!̸̠̍"̵̨̓
"You won't run away from me, you scum!" The Herrscher shouted, running in their direction.
Adam felt something twist and-
"̵̢͕͋T̸̬̀̽ḫ̶͌͘i̵͈̊͘s̵̻̿͝?̸̨̊ ̶̢̉̐Ṫ̷̞h̶͈̑ͅi̸͍͛s̵̟͝ ̴̣̈́̚ĩ̶̪̣s̶̝̲̐ ̸͖̈́̑y̵̜͌̈́ơ̷̳ủ̸̦͍́r̶̩̻͐ ̵̺͈̿f̶̫͠͝ȁ̴̡̙u̷͕̅̌ĺ̵̞̻t̵͠ͅ,̷͈̺͘ ̴̠̕A̸̫̘͝ď̷͇a̸̼͌̋m̴̯̊.̷̳͇͆͊ ̴̳̬̌̚W̶͔͆h̴͈͎̐̌a̷̱͑̊t̷̓͗͜?̸̰̜̏͝ ̷͎̠̆͝D̸̺̈̈́i̷̢͕̒ḍ̶͘ ̵̡̿͝y̶̪̓̔ŏ̸̰͕̎u̶̲̅̔ṛ̶͐ ̸̛̬̻͗m̶̙̺̊̉o̴͇͓͑t̵͓̝̑̏h̶̝̏͛ë̷̥́r̷̘̮̈̇ ̵̩͐ṇ̵̜̕e̸̲̾v̷̘̂̔è̴̲̰̒r̵͚̕ ̵̨̦̀ţ̶̋e̴͔̭͛̏ā̶͇c̵̤͐ĥ̴͕ ̵̨̝͂ý̶̡o̸͖̜̽͂ụ̵̏ ̴̳̱͌̓n̵͇͈̄ȍ̵̻̔t̶̛̯̼͊ ̶̡͍̈́ţ̷̱̋̌o̴̺͋͜ ̶̧̦͆t̸͓̹̓r̵̖͖̍̀u̸̜̔̅s̸̫͠ͅṱ̷̌͜ ̷̨̫͠s̷͍̣͑͠t̴̘͊͘r̸͈͖̀̏a̴̭̰͋n̸̞̘͆g̷̱̭͝e̶̤̭̒ȑ̸̰̹͝s̸̙̑̕?̸̖̝͆~̶̱͝"̵̛͔
"̵̻̽L̵̟͋e̸̛̮ṫ̴̼'̴̞̉š̸̢ ̵̧̇p̵͎̅l̵̦͝a̴̝͑ÿ̶̪,̴̰̀ ̸̧̉d̴̠̕ẽ̵͎à̴̩r̶̩̄ ̵̫̅Ă̵͉d̵͈̀a̴͗͜m̸͔͒!̵̬̿~̸͉̒
-and he was moving. Suddenly the burning sensation didn't matter. His body, wearied and crying out for a break didn't matter.
"Alighieri-san!"
No… The only thing that mattered was-
"Who do you think you are!"
-break this motherfucker piece by piece!
"Come on bastard!"
Adam screamed, his tendrils growing as did his claws and catching the Herrscher in the air. The fox growled in surprise, but Adam didn't give it time to recover. He twisted it in the air and threw it to the ground. Adam tried to climb on top of it, but the Herrscher resisted and managed to avoid being pinned down. Still, Adam gave it no rest. He continued to try again and again to grab and immobilize it, but the Herrscher would escape using its tails or fireballs to distract him.
From the side, Sakura watched with concern at the sudden change in her demonic-looking companion's actions.
"He-He looked exhausted when he got up from the tree," Sakura thought, watching as Adam and the fox began to move out of the clearing and into the forest. "And now it seems as if he has more strength than before."
Several trees were felled and incinerated as Adam and the fox frantically ran up the hill. They both fought like rabid beasts. Trying to impose themselves on each other with their bodies, claws, and teeth; in order to immobilize and finish off their enemy.
Both were so focused on their fight that neither of them realized that they had reached the edge of the forest, specifically the elevated part of the zone, from where they could see the village below.
The fox noticed too late and tried to avoid the fall, but Adam used his tendrils as garters and launched himself at the Herrscher, and both fell over the cliff. Sakura, who had kept her distance, watched
this.
"Damn it!" Sakura cursed under her breath and began to quickly descend by a small path near the cliff.
The fox tried to bury its tails and paws in the cliff walls to stop itself, but Adam wouldn't let it. He brought both claw hands together and slammed them with great force onto the Herrscher's head.
"DIE FUCKER!"
The Herrscher roared as it rolled down the dirt wall. The fox hit the ground, causing a tremor in the area, but it didn't stop there. Due to the tilt and concussive force, the Herrscher continued to roll downhill; its long body destroying the houses in its path.
Using his tendrils and claws, Adam gradually slowed down, skidding over the dirt and dodging debris in his path.
Adam couldn't help but smile wickedly as he watched the Herrscher's form rise clumsily from the rubble. The Herrscher gasped and coughed from the cloud of dirt and dust that had formed from its spectacular fall.
"Did you like the ride, beast~?" He asked mockingly.
The Herrscher growled and waved its tails to get rid of the cloud of dust.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT BASTARD!" The fox roared, its figure being engulfed by an infernal flame.
" Excellent!" Adam thought. "I didn't want the fun to end so soon. "
A part of Adam knew he shouldn't be so happy about this, the risk was too high and Theresa's life was at stake.
But…
For some reason, he didn't want this to end. He wanted to do more. He desired to give everything he had to offer and beat into a pulp this fucking asshole with a god complex.
"̵̘̆Y̷͈̎ǒ̵̡u̷̙͂ ̶̜͝s̷̀ͅẽ̴̖ḙ̶̃ ̴͖͛ì̵͍t̵̩̆?̶̱̊ ̶̼̽T̴͚̽h̶̩̒ȋ̸̹s̶̡͆ ̷̣̐ḭ̷̈́s̷̻͠ ̷͎͌h̸̬̓o̴̟͑w̸̱̍ ̸̟́a̸͇̔ ̸̃ͅj̴̦̚ō̷͓b̴̦͝ ̸͓͛w̷̟͗e̶̮̒l̴͇̒ĺ̸̠ ̷̫͑d̴̠̚ő̷͖n̸͉͗e̵͔̍ ̷̘͐ś̸͈h̴̡͝ȏ̸̹u̵̟͂ḻ̸̋ḋ̷̜ ̸̲̓b̴͚͛e̸͙͆ ̷̤̐d̶̩͘ó̷͉ǹ̸̡e̸͎̚!̸̙̈́"̷̖͌
Before Adam and the Herrscher could continue, a powerful and strange light shot into the sky, the brightness was such that it blinded them both for a moment.
"̴̳̓T̴̻̑h̸͉̋ã̸͇t̵̨̚ ̴̑ͅl̴̹̇ḯ̴̜g̸̲͐ḧ̸̳́t̶̪͌ ̵̠͋m̶̹͝ė̵͚a̶̟͌ń̷̩t̴̹̂ ̶͈͗ṭ̸̌h̷͚͘e̵̡̐ ̶̝͌f̷͎͆ï̸͚n̸̳̕á̶̪l̴̫̏ ̵̥͑j̶͔́ṳ̵̉ḍ̸̍ǧ̸̝m̴̐ͅe̸̥̐n̷̊ͅt̷̨͛,̸͉͑ ̴̛̲Ạ̴͛d̴̳́a̶̕͜m̴͇͠.̶̰̕ ̶̛̲Ỉ̸̥ţ̸͊'̸̡͋s̸̙͗ ̸̡͂ạ̵͠ ̷͇͘m̸͇͝i̴̱̊r̷̤̽a̸̪̅c̶̫̈l̷͙͌e̵̳͘ ̵̬̄ý̷̨ỏ̷̩ṵ̴̄ ̵̱̈́l̴̻͛i̸̤͑v̸̘͠e̵͖͂d̵̼͒.̴̗͝"̶̢̐
Connecting…
Connecting…
Connection formed.
EMERGENCY!
HAURES UNIT reports that ASCLEPIUS-[Redacted] reports that [Hermes]'s neural activity has increased, as well as their blood pressure.
ASCLEPIUS-[Redacted] conveys that there are gradual changes in the appearance of [HERMES].
[HIGH NUN] has similar changes, but their blood pressure is approaching critical levels, and their fever has returned.
ASCLEPIUS-[Redacted] reports that [YOUNG KNIGHT] and [GRAY WOLF] are becoming suspicious of them.
ASCLEPIUS-[Redacted] asks if their presence is still necessary and the estimated time of [HANGED KING's] forces.
[REDACTED].
Understood.
Time: XX:XX:XX [SHEKER].
ASCLEPIUS-[Redacted] will be informed.
[REDACTED].
Understood.
DISCONNECTING…
DISCONNECTING…
DISCONNECTED.
Adam didn't believe in luck. Well, he did believe in her, but not to the point of considering her a vital factor in his life. Planning and how to act is what marked the difference between success, failure, life, and death. Sometimes good and bad things happen. Sometimes Fortune smiled often, or sometimes she gave the middle finger too much -or as he and Siegfried had said after shooting a bastard in the knees; Karma is a bitch.
And, with what he was seeing... Maybe fortune or karma was giving him half-half. At least so that the situation wouldn't be so shitty.
"̵A̵A̸A̷A̵A̸A̴A̶H̷H̵H̴H̶H̶H̴H̶"̴
Out of the corner of his vision, Adam watched as the Remnant - as if the horrifying screech could come from something else- was repelled by a dome of light a great distance away, colliding and destroying even more of the already ruined village. He should be alarmed, but, fuck, he was too tired to care.
"It can't be…" The Herrscher hissed at seeing the goldel light. "Kaslana, even after centuries you are still a curse!" It took a couple of steps back, growling and cursing at a certain 'Kallen'.
The light retracted and several spears were thrown in the Herrscher's direction at high speed. It evaded as best it could, but the speed and strength of the spears were too much for it.
"Damn you!" The fox growled, being pierced in several parts of its body by the golden weapons. The Herrscher's fur body tried to move, but the attack and properties of the sharp weapons began to weaken it as well as extinguish the fire that covered it.
"Those are…" Adam instantly recognized the spears. These were part of the Oath of Judah.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Adam retreated, running in the direction they came from. It took him little time to spot the Valkyries among the mountains of rubble.
"Mei! Are you okay?!" Theresa asked worriedly to her student, who was on her knees and staring into space. Her expression was one of shock and surprise as if she couldn't believe what had happened.
Adam slid to a stop a few steps away from them. His eyes widened beneath his helmet as he saw what was in front of him.
Golden as the light of dawn; the Divine Key Oath of Judah. Open and showing its sharp contents, ready to be used to destroy its enemies
In front of the divine and ancient weapon, Theresa stood at Mei's side, trying to get her out of her state of shock. Instead of the clothes that Sakura had initially given her, the director was now wearing a very different attire.
The dress consisted of a short skirt and a top vermillion red; her legs were covered by white stockings that reached up to her thighs. The wing-like outer skirt and sleeves were white, but the inside of them were the same vermillion red, the same color shared by the pair of kitten heels on her feet. Over Theresa's head was a thin white veil that showed her face and reached the middle of her back; and there was a small, short cardigan with gold lines on the edges hugging her slim body and small bust. [Celestial Hymn.]
For some reason, the dress gave Adam the feeling of belonging to some kind of spiritual ceremony.
"Principal!"
Theresa tensed for a moment, taking a spear from Judah, but relaxed when she saw that it was him.
"Adam!" She couldn't help but scream, happy that her student was alive.
"What happened?" Adam asked, remembering that the Remnant had screeched near where the Divine Key had manifested. He hoped nothing bad had happened.
"Mei and I were waiting where you left us," Theresa began to explain without turning away from Mei. "After a while, a woman started screaming. Something didn't add up, so we decided not to go out," Theresa grimaced. "It didn't take long for us to see what it really was."
"Was that thing that screamed just now?" Adam asked looking around, looking for the Remnant. It was not visible. Adam supposed that it took advantage of the moment to hide and lurk for them from afar.
Theresa nodded.
"Is that thing dangerous?"
Of course, it was dangerous. The question was stupid, but Adam had to keep up appearances. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if Theresa discovered his connection to the horrendous creature.
"Yeah. It's very dangerous, Adam," Theresa responded in a serious tone. "I-I don't remember much of what happened in Nagazora, but that thing gave the fox a good beating before I could defeat it."
Adam nodded. "At least we have Judah to suppress it," He thought as he saw the Divine Key. He had no idea how or why Judah was in the Stigma, but if this gave them the edge necessary to kill the Remnant, he would ignore the strange occurrence. At least for now.
But before that…
"MEI!" Adam practically screamed in her face. A cruel action, but they needed to move. There was no time to get lost in shock.
The black-haired girl quivered and fell on her rear, taken by surprise by the unexpected movement. It took her a moment to process what was happening.
"Adam-kun?"
"Sorry about that," Adam apologized. "But we need to move before the fox and that thing recover." Not to mention that he wanted Theresa to stop hitting him in the back with the spear staff.
Mei grimaced but shook her head and stood up. Adam hoped he hadn't offended her too much.
"It-It's okay, Adam-kun. It was my fault for freezing like that," Mei replied giving an awkward smile.
Adam grimaced at her expression - not to mention that Theresa's hitting had intensified in force.
"Shit, I'll make it up to you later Mei!" He didn't understand how she could still be kind despite the shitty situation.
The three of them heard a whistle and quickly backed away. Theresa fluently picked up Judah in the air, as if it weighed nothing, while Adam picked up Mei and twisted slightly to the side. A long white thorn flew past the side of his face and Theresa repelled another using her spear. He saw out of the corner of his eye how three more thorns stuck into the ground where they were previously.
"Interrupt? Because? I am very hungry!" A monstrous voice asked in annoyance.
The Remnant in all its glory approached slowly, walking over the rubble of wood and stone. Adam and Theresa tensed and their postures became aggressive as they saw how it walked calmly towards them.
"Wha-What is that?!" Mei looked with a mixture of horror and disgust at the living nightmare.
The Remnant stopped about twenty meters away from them, but Adam and Theresa knew that the monster could cross that distance with great ease. The many gruesome eyes were focused on Theresa.
"You! You should be dead! Meal! Meal! You should be food!"
At the tips of its long tendrils, new white thorns sprouted, ready to be used. The monster hissed as it raised its tendrils, preparing to launch more at those who had interrupted it.
"Annoying! Shit! You ruined my food!"
It gave a step forward.
"I will tear! I'm going to-!"
The creature stopped mid-sentence, as did the rest of its body when it was about to take another step forward. Its entire shape: eyes, wings, tail, tendrils, disgusting worm head; they were petrified.
This sudden act took the Stigma explorers by surprise.
"What is it doing?" Theresa was tense. She knew how unusual the creature was. "It's the first time it has reacted like this."
Seizing the moment, Adam put Mei behind Theresa and created a long sharp blade and a cruel claw, preparing for any reaction from the Remnant.
And yes, there was a reaction, but none like they imagined. The crowd of creepy eyes focused on Adam at the same time. A part inside him stirred as he felt its eyes looking at him with great interest.
"աɦǟȶ?"
Without correcting its half-step in the air, the Remnant opened its disgusting worm mouth and extended its grotesque long tongue, that looked like multiple human arms. Adam, Mei, and Theresa nearly vomited as the foul smell of rotting flesh and blood hit their noses, barely succeeding in containing the acid in their throats.
The tongue meandered for a few seconds and quickly returned to its cave. The monster changed its attitude as it tasted whatever its tongue had caught because it retracted its paw in the air and sat on its hind legs.
Theresa and her students looked at the monster astonished by its strange attitude. This feeling grew when they recognized the emotions that were reflected in the monster's eyes.
Happiness. Excitement. Curiosity. Longing.
Not to mention, the Remnant was wagging its tail like a happy dog. Like a pet happy to see its owner.
"What the fuck?!" Adam looked dumbfounded at this.
"ץ๏ย คгє…" The Remnant growled, no, purred. "...ʟɨӄɛ ʍɛ. ʏɛǟɦ. ʏօʊ ǟʀɛ…ʄǟʍɨʟʏ." He said the latter with longing.
The three Stigma visitors tried to process the monster's words. Their unusual and dangerous journey continued to twist even more, to the point that Mei wondered if all this was a nightmare after eating one of Kiana's dishes.
"What…?" Adam asked doubtfully.
"ȶօɢɛȶɦɛʀ. ȶօɢɛȶɦɛʀ աɛ աɨʟʟ ɖɛʋօʊʀ ȶɦɛ ֆȶǟʀ ǟռɖ ȶʀǟʋɛʟ ǟƈʀօֆֆ ȶɦɛ ֆɛǟ!" The Remnant sang with joy. "ʏɛǟɦ. ʏɛֆ. ӄɨռ. քʀօȶɛƈȶ. օʀɨɢɨռ. ɦօʍɛ. ʍʏ ɦօʍɛ! ʍʏ ʄǟʍɨʟʏ! ʍʏ ӄɨռ! ȶօɢɛȶɦɛʀ!"
Hearing its words, Adam felt his blood freeze.
"Holy Shit!" He barely avoided cursing to the four winds.
The Remnant, which was supposed to be a murderous beast, not only acted as if it were a pet happy to see its owner again; it had said it to the face of the very person who was involuntarily hosting it!
Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw Theresa move her eyes between him and the Remnant. This… This was not good.
"I-"
"̵M̸y̵,̸ ̶M̷y̶~̴!̵ ̵F̷a̸t̴e̵ ̷d̶o̶e̵s̵ ̷h̴a̷v̶e̴ ̴a̷ ̷t̴e̷r̵r̸i̴b̷l̴e̶ ̷s̷e̶n̶s̴e̸ ̵o̷f̷ ̸h̴u̶m̸o̸r̵~̶"̸
̶"̴W̴h̴a̴t̴ ̶a̵r̶e̶ ̵y̴o̶u̴ ̶w̵a̶i̵t̷i̷n̶g̵ ̵f̸o̵r̵?̸ ̸S̸h̸i̸t̵ ̵i̸s̵ ̸u̸p̵ ̸t̶o̶ ̶y̷o̷u̴r̶ ̶n̸e̵c̷k̴ ̷a̶n̸d̶ ̶y̴o̷u̸ ̴c̵o̷n̷t̵i̷n̶u̵e̵ ̵d̵o̵i̸n̵g̴ ̸n̷o̶t̴h̴i̶n̴g̵.̶"̶
̷"̶D̷o̶n̶'̵t̵ ̴y̵o̷u̵ ̵f̸e̸e̴l̸ ̵y̵o̵u̴r̴ ̴t̷h̶o̸u̸g̸h̸t̶s̵ ̸s̷t̸a̶r̸t̸i̷n̴g̶ ̶t̴o̴ ̵s̸p̶i̶l̴l̴ ̴o̴u̸t̸,̸ ̸y̴o̵u̷ ̴b̶l̵i̴n̶d̶ ̷b̸r̵a̶t̴?̸!̷"̴
̶"̷F̵o̵r̶t̶u̶n̶e̸ ̶f̷a̴v̷o̴r̴s̶ ̶t̸h̴e̷ ̵b̵o̵l̷d̴,̴ ̸A̸d̶a̸m̷.̸"̷
Adam staggered. For a second he blacked out, falling to his knees.
"Shit…!" Adam hissed, feeling a terrible mix of vertigo and headache in his head. The voices, hallucinations, or whatever this mental shit was, made it difficult for him to hear the sounds around him. Mei and Theresa were saying something, but their voices were lost in the static and shadowy voices in his head.
"Adam?!" Theresa tried to get between the beast and Adam, thinking that the creature's eerie eyes had something to do with his unusual condition. As soon as she took a step, the monster growled.
"ǟȶȶǟƈӄ ʄǟʍɨʟʏ?! ȶօ ɖօ-?! աɦǟȶ ɦǟʋɛ ʏօʊ ɖօռɛ ȶօ ʍʏ ʄǟʍɨʟʏ?!"
Red and purple eyes looked at the little Valkyrie with disgust and anger. The monstrous body began to rise on its legs, as well as it growled in a high-pitched-hoarse manner in the direction of the principal.
"Raiden-san?! Master Theresa?!" A voice shouted coming from behind a wall of rubble.
It was Sakura, who was running at high speed in their direction. She had seen Adam's form not far from them a moment ago, but what had mainly guided her towards them was the beautiful golden light that reminded the miko of the light of that divine weapon that her beloved had once carried. That beautiful light was difficult to forget.
"Alighieri-san is-?!"
Sakura froze in her tracks, almost stumbling as she saw the terrible creature that threatened to pounce on the Valkyries and the demonic armor.
"ץ๏ย! ภ๏! เ ฬ๏ภ'Շ ɭєՇ you hurt my family, you scum!" The monster's voice cleared for a second. It sounded like the high-pitched voice of a child screaming, making the scene more disturbing. "քʀօȶɛƈȶ. աɛ ȶǟӄɛ care of each other," it said this time with a man's voice, ready to make good on his words.
The Remnant opened its mouth. The disgusting tongue shaped like human arms and hands shook violently in its cave like a snake preparing to attack. The ugly wings rose, preparing to cut flesh in their path.
Sakura prepared to launch herself against the abomination, waiting for it to make the first move. Theresa was a blink away from grabbing Mei and carrying her somewhere far away from what would be a brutal fight. For some reason, the monster considered all of them a threat to Adam. Still, that wouldn't stop her from kicking him away from the eye of the storm that was a second away from falling on them all.
"ST-STOP!"
Adam shouted, raising his hand in the direction of the Remnant. It was about to attack the Valkyries, but it had heard him.
"ʄǟʍɨʟʏ? աɦʏ-?"
"̶G̵o̶o̵d̴.̴ ̶D̴o̵n̶'̴t̴ ̴c̴o̵w̷e̸r̶ ̶i̵n̶ ̵t̸h̴e̸ ̸f̸a̴c̶e̸ ̵o̸f̵ ̴d̴a̷n̶g̶e̴r̷,̴ ̷c̷h̸i̶l̸d̷.̷"̵
"Fuck! I said stop!" Adam yelled again. His head was ringing horribly. "They- They are not enemies." With great effort, Adam stood up, straightening his back, trying to project an image of power and confidence in front of the Remnant. "Step. Back."
Before everyone's stunned gaze, the monster obeyed. Its threatening stance changed to one of submission. The eyes that showed contempt and disgust towards the Valkyries and Miko now expressed obedience and adoration; all in the direction of the wearer of the demonic armor.
"Sit."
The Remnant obeyed, sitting on its hind legs as it had originally done.
"̸Y̷o̷u̵ ̸d̵o̶ ̴l̸i̷v̵e̴ ̵i̷n̶ ̵v̷e̵r̴y̶ ̸s̵t̸r̷a̶n̶g̵e̸ ̸t̶i̵m̷e̵s̶,̵ ̴k̸i̷d̶.̶"̷
Adam ignored the voice and tried to catch his breath. His entire body was protesting, but things were far from over. He would take any chance he had to regain his strength. Even if that was in front of the Remnant, who for some reason obeyed his words.
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," he thought among the tangle of voices and headaches that assaulted his head.
A long moment passed in silence until someone asked what had taken place a few moments ago.
"Adam… What the hell is going on?"
It was Theresa. She hadn't moved from her position, fearing that approaching Adam would make the monster react. And she wasn't the only one. Mei looked stunned, trying to understand what the hell was happening; while Sakura looked at the monster and her strange ally with intrigue.
"Damn it!" Adam cursed furiously in his head. "Fuck me sideways and fuck the son of a bitch who complicated this fucking shit further!"
He could feel the perplexed looks of the Valkyries behind him. Adam needed to act before they got the wrong idea about this whole mess.
"I don't have… the slightest idea why… it obeys me," Adam said between gasps. "But..if this…gives us a chance to finish off-" He bit his lip as he felt something in his chest protest. "-the Herrscher, so be it."
Nobody said anything for a moment. Adam blushed under his helmet and cursed. What he had said was a pathetic lie but he had no better material to work with.
"Alighieri-san," Sakura said. She stared at the abominable creature that kept all eyes on him. She had many questions -like the others- but he was right. They couldn't be selective. No now with the fiend on the loose.
"Do you-do you trust it?" The miko asked tentatively and hesitantly.
"No," Adam said dryly. "But it's the best we have on hand."
The Valkyries and Miko didn't like at all how true his words were. And to reinforce the veracity of this, the Herrscher roared, drawing the attention of everyone except the Remnant.
"Damn you Kaslana!"
The fox had roared in rage and pain as it used its teeth to pull at the spears that had pierced its flesh. The Herrscher looked fatigued and more battered than when it had fought Sakura and Adam. Despite this, the resilience and anger it possessed were visible.
"You and all your damn offspring continue to be a pest despite the centuries!"
The wounds hurt, but its pride hurt more at having been seriously injured by the damned humans. Where there were once bleeding holes, caused by the spears, red flames manifested and began to heal the Herrscher's wounds. Although they closed, the time it took them to heal was much slower than before.
"You and that damn scum have been a thorn in my side ever since you got here!"
The air distorted around him. A few seconds later its figure was covered again by an intense flame that burned everything around it. The stones turned black from the fire and the little vegetation around them turned to ashes in an instant.
"I'll make sure to burn you all until there's nothing left!"
The Honkai entity gave the impression of having a second wind. Full of energy for a second round to finish them off.
But it wasn't that. No. The Herrscher was weakened and frustrated. Its plan had been undone and taken an unexpected turn with the appearance of the abominable Remnant.
Now the Herrscher was not an entity ready to kill them all by using its power and strutting on the spot. Now, it was a cornered animal where there were only two options.
Kill or die. The consequences could be damned.
Without further ado, the Herrscher roared and charged at them with a primal rage that boiled its entire being.
Nothing would stop it! Nothing!
"₣₳₥łⱠɎ! KILL THAT ฿₳₴₮₳ⱤĐ!" Adam ordered to the Remanent.
With a roar similar to that of the Herrscher - but where dozens of voices were part of it - the Remnant obeyed, launching themselves in defense of the one they considered the most important thing in their world.
Outside the Stigma, where the bodies of the two Valkyries and one young man rested, two young Valkyries worried about their teacher and friend. The doctor tried to calm them down, but even she couldn't deny the anguish that was beginning to form in the pit of her stomach as she saw how the veteran Valkyrie and young man showed the same level of paleness, as well as the unusual black and red veins running down their faces and bodies.
"I'm going to fuck that lousy mouth. I swear to God I will!"
Did you like it? I hope so.
The Gratitude Arc is almost over.
See ya!