'What exactly.... do you mean by that?'
Claire posed this question within her thoughts to her other self, yet there was no time to answer.
In that moment the man who had now grown to many times his own size started swinging wildly with a horrible amount of malice.
He was completely devoid of reason. His mind was far too overtaken by rage for him to see anything else aside from the figure in front of him, who he blindly attacked.
Walls were wrecked with his swings, and the sound of creaking metal pierced the ears of Claire as she jumped upwards, flying to avoid the blows.
"Get..... down..... here... you demon!!!!"
As the man watched Claire take to the skies, he shouted out in rage, yet Claire merely looked down on the scene with sadness.
'What do you mean, Clarice? Why has he been overtaken?'
'Based on what our subordinate told you, this must be the ability of that Host of Sin. Right?'
'The Host of Wrath..... to control people's anger, and perhaps amplify it....'
'Not just that. Do you understand what the opposite of anger is?'
'Forgiveness? Love?'
'Something like that. Why do people forgive others?'
'Because they don't want the hatred to continue? They want to get along and talk things through peacefully instead of hurting one another by arguing?'
'We'll go with that. Now then.... if people forgive because they don't want to hurt anyone further, wouldn't it be appropriate to say that they are scared of hurting others?'
This statement hit Claire right in the heart, driving into her like a nail.
'Scared? I mean, I wouldn't exactly.....'
Claire made a halfhearted effort to dodge the statement, but on thinking of her own circumstances she stopped speaking.
'Am I really just scared of hurting others?'
'The reason that I want everyone to get along.... the reason I want to help others..... is it just because I am scared of people getting hurt, and feeling the guilt that I could have done something about it?'
While Claire was having this conversation the beast began stomping on the ground, making the very earth vibrate. The buildings began to shake and wobbled viscously, as if they were on the verge of collapse.
"GET DOWN HERE YOU DEMON!!!!! I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU CAN KILL ANYONE ELSE!!!!! WITH THE POWER MASTER VEX HAS GIVEN ME!!!!!"
'And what of it? So what if I am scared of hurting others? That's a good thing, right? It means that I won't just go around hurting others for no reason without feeling guilt for it. It means I'll take efforts to help the people I've hurt instead of just throwing them aside.'
'You really are the angelic side of me. But I guess that's about right. It is good to be scared of harming others. That isn't something to be ashamed of. After all, what would happen if that fear were removed?'
'If that fear were removed?'
'That man likely has a family. He claims that he wants to kill you because he thinks that you'll harm the people of this town. So tell me. Why exactly is he destroying this town as he spouts stuff like that?'
At the moment Clarice said this, the buildings around the man collapsed.
Claire watched the scene in slow motion, reaching out a hand but unable to do anything in time.
'Wha...'
The rubble tumbled to the ground. Beams and slabs were crushed and underneath these buildings, Claire saw something.
A red fluid, oozing out of various locations of the destruction.
And in the center, the man who claimed to be saving everyone from the demon who would destroy them.
'He..... just killed those people...'
"GET OVER HERE DEMON!!!! I WILL SLAY YOU!!!!!"
'And he doesn't even so much as look at them.....'
'Do you understand now, Claire?'
Clarice spoke with a serious tone, disgusted with the creature in front of her.
'This is what it means for your own fear to be removed.'
----
'Those people in the buildings just died.... and yet he isn't even so much as looking at them..... his eyes are only focused on me.....'
Claire found her own right hand trembling as she witnessed this.
'Is.... is his hatred for me this great?'
'So great that he's thrown everything aside to kill me?'
'Has he turned killing me into an optimization problem? Does he believe that even if a few people die that killing me is worth it!?'
'Hahaha.... you really are dense, my virtuous self. That's wrong. You should know this. He's under the influence of the ability of that house leader.'
'The ability..... to amplify rage...'
'Don't you get it? That house leader amplifies the rage of people by removing every last shred of their fear. And what is a person without fear?'
Clarice pointed out to the spots of blood and the destruction caused by the heavily breathing ratman.
'A monster.'
'So you're telling me that this person named Vex made this man into that?'
'That's exactly what I'm telling you.'
Claire ceased her trembling, looking down on the scene with sadness.
'Clarice. Is there any way to undo this?'
'Hahaha..... I thought you'd never ask.'
The demonic hand of Claire grabbed her other arm, and a message appeared.
[Time of entity reversal has been set to 1 minute]
[Collisions have been set to on]
On seeing these messages, relief came over Claire.
'Clarice..... you really are me, aren't you?'
'I've already said this before. Duh?'
'But if you're completely evil, why would you help me to save these people?'
With a light chuckle, the demonic voice resounded inside the mind of Claire.
'I've already said this. If you become broken, then I will as well. I may be evil, but I am still you. And if you lose it, then I will too. To speak simply..... I don't care about the people who treat you well. Save them for all I care. Do what you want.'
A sinister grin overcame the angelic face of Claire as Clarice spoke within her mind.
'But when the time comes, leave that man to me.'
With a nod, Claire rushed forward at the ratman.
'I understand.'
The ratman grinned sinisterly as Claire rushed towards him in the air.
"SO YOU'RE FINALLY COMING TO DIE, DEMON!?!?! AHAHAH!!!!"
'Thank you.'
The ratman swung, aiming right at Claire, and his own hand slammed into her angelic body.
A glitching phenomenon covered the entire angelic form of Claire, and the scenery around her changed.
There were now two ratmen in front of Claire, and she was on the ground staring them off.
The buildings around her were in tact.
The people within them, alive.
"Master Vex gave us this power!!!! We will follow his orders, and kill you here and now!!!!!!!"
"Master Vex? I'd like to have a talk with that one. But first, I'll see what I can do about you two."
----
The demonic tar which was contained within Claire bubbled upwards, engulfing her entire arm and then some.
Her left wing became crooked and demonic, and a portion of her own face became wicked.
A horn sprouted and the halo on her head disappeared. Her left iris became red with a black sclera, and a fang sprouted from her mouth.
The angelic dress which she wore turned into a black gown fit for a demonic queen.
"Finally time for some action..... heh heh..."
The wicked yet pleasing to the ear voice of the demonic creature vibrated across the alleyway, invoking greater hatred in the faces of the two ratmen before Claire.
"So you show your true self, demon....."
"We will use this power to slay you. You are a threat to our people and to this city!!!!"
One man rushed forward with a knife, however the half demonic and half angelic figure dodged his swing with ease.
"I'm the threat?"
Whispering into the ear of the man, Clarice mocked him with haughty tone.
"Ah, but then again, with weak swings like that.... it's not like you could do anything anyways."
With a kick to the gut of the man, he was sent flying into the wall as Clarice grinned demonically.
"HAHA!!! What's wrong, shitfaces!?!? Come at me!!!! I'm right here!!!!"
"You're nothing more than evil to be wiped out!!! DIE!!!!!"
The other man charged at Clarice, who laid her fist into his face, sending this one flying as well.
Raising her own hand, the demonic voice of Clarice spoke a few words.
[Set Condition: Fearful]
"This should spike their humanity back into em. Don't worry too much, my virtuous self. As soon as they regain their fear....."
Clarice walked over to the man on the ground, placing her own foot onto his head and rubbing it around.
"They'll be good as new."
[Warning: Condition was not applied. Statistic 'fear' has been deleted from this entity. Cannot locate this parameter. Value has become indeterminant.]
"Eh?"
"DIE DEMON!!!!! AHAHAHAHH!!!!!!"
The man underneath the foot of Clarice could not even move his own head under the pressure which she applied to it, however he did not have a single bit of fear in his eyes.
Instead he began to wiggle furiously, trying to get up while slamming his own fists into her leg from the awkward position.
"WITH THIS POWER I WILL SLAY YOU!!!!!!"
'Hey.... Clarice... what's going on!?! Why did it say.... that word..... Indeterminant.....'
Claire spoke with lament as she spoke the title of the man who she could not forgive above all.
'Shit..... looks like this ability is the real deal... the very concept of fear has been completely removed from the database of these entities. I can't change it because it doesn't even exist as a value anymore.'
'That.....'
Claire became fearful as she heard this.
'You mean that they can't be saved.... no matter what?'
One of the men approached Clarice from behind as the two conversed, to which he was met with closed eyes and an annoyed expression.
[Set Condition: Movement=0]
The man froze in place just before he could swing at Clarice, who took her foot off the man underneath her.
The two men had been completely removed of any ability to move.
'Claire. These two are done for. They will never again be able to fear. It isn't that their fear has been set to 0. It's that the entire stat for fear has been deleted from their system. We are the Determined. We can determine things that have not yet been determined, and we can redetermine that which already has been determined.'
Holding out her own hand, Clarice set one final condition on the two.
[Set condition: Dead]
The eyes of the men which were previously exploding with rage went completely cold and lifeless, and their futile struggling ceased.
They stayed perfectly still in their own positions due to the movement of the entities being locked in place, yet there was not even the semblance of life within them.
'But we cannot determine something which has been made indeterminant.'
----
'Are you telling me that there is nothing we can do for them?'
Claire looked on at the two dead men before her eyes.
Her other self had just killed these men.
She could still revive them.
She could still bring them back to life if she wished.
All she had to do was set the condition of being alive on them.
'There is nothing you can do for them. Their fear has been deleted. We cannot replace it, and without it they will never again be able to make a rational decision.'
'Please, Clarice.... just let me speak to them once more..... I want to see one more time.... I want to try one more time to speak with them..... I want to make sure that what you're saying is the truth.'
'You really are something else, myself. Don't you get it? You'll only be hurt if I do that.'
'I... I know that!!! I know that!'
The right side of Claire was now crying as she looked upon the two men.
'I know that you're probably right.... I know they probably can't be saved.... but if there is anything at all I can do, then I should at least try, right!?!?!'
'Sigh. Whatever. You're just deluding yourself. I'll revive them, but when you can't convince them I'm killing them again.'
'Thank you, Clarice.... I.... I will save them. You... won't have to kill them again.'
'Naive. I already explained to you. Not with our abilities, nor with the abilities of anyone else. Not even the antiheroes can save these people. As a matter of fact..... the only one who can probably save them is that man.'
As if she had been pricked with needles, Claire grimaced in horror at this statement of Clarice.
If she truly wanted to save these men, she would have to ask that man?
There was no way she could ever do that.
That was the one thing she would never do.
'I.... will save them..... here and now....'
Clarice held up her own hand and a message popped up.
[Condition: Living has been applied.]
The two men opened their raging eyes once more.
[Condition: Movement=Normal has been applied]
The men jumped up from their positions on the ground, ready to fight once more.
"AHAHAHA!!!! DEMON!!!! WE WILL KILL YOU NOW!!!!!!"
"Please wait!!!!"
The demonic form began to retract, and the angelic figure of Claire took over.
Her halo grew to full size, and her horn and fang disappeared.
Her own dress became pure and white, and her wing returned to it's angelic feathered state.
Only her clawed hand remained in the demonic form, reminding her continuously of the evil within her.
Her eyes became kind as she looked upon the two, who were seething with fury.
"Please.... let me speak with you for just a moment. Why do you think I am going to destroy everything? I understand that it may look that way, but have I actually done any of that? I don't have any intention to destroy this city. I wish to rule it peacefully."
"HAHAHA!!!! AS IF, DEMON!!!! YOU SPEAK KIND WORDS TO DECIEVE US!!!! ONLY THE WORDS OF MASTER VEX CAN BE TRUE!!!!"
"THAT IS RIGHT!!!! WE WILL KILL YOU HERE AND NOW!!! BEHOLD!!!! LET US USE THE ULTIMATE MANEUVER WHICH HE HAS GIVEN US!!!!!"
The two rushed forward with sinister grins on their faces, and Claire watched the two with worry.
"Wait just a minute!!! What are you doing!? Why can't you just talk this out for a moment!?! Are you so blinded that even speaking to me is a crime!?!?"
"Of course it is. You are evil. And we will purge you.", one replied.
'See? Trying to do this will lead you nowhere.'
Claire bit her lip as the two seemed to grow in size once more, however something seemed different this time.
"W-what are they doing!?!"
"Hell if I know. Should I kill em now?"
"Not yet! Please!!! Stop this madness!!! Listen to me just for a bit!!!!"
However, the two ratmen were now glowing as red energy flowed around their bodies.
Their bodies became enlarged and round like balls. They no longer had the forms of humanoids, but they were instead blown up like balloons.
"AHAHAHAHAH!!!!! DIE, DEMON!!!!! WE WILL TAKE YOU DOWN HERE AND NOW!!!!!!"
"DIE!!!!!!!"
In an instant, an explosion enveloped the city.
As if a bomb had been dropped, a vaporizing sphere completely took out everything within a 500 meter radius.
Reacting to the explosion in an instant, Clarice took over the body of Claire, shooting up into the sky.
Now over 500 meters in the sky, Clarice looked down as the energy of the explosion dissipated.
The entire area had been reduced to ashes.
"Tch. How annoying."
Clarice made an irritated comment as she looked down on the destruction.
However inside her mind, Claire was broken.
'W-what.....'
'Why.....'
'Why would they..... do this.....'
'To kill me.... all the people..... in that area.....'
A tear dropped from the angelic eye of the woman, falling down into the ashes below.
'They would go this far to destroy me?'
'Claire.'
Clarice spoke with harshness as she looked down on the scene.
'Why..... would anyone go this far for this?'
'Claire.'
'WHY!?!?!?!?!'
'This is what it means to be rid of fear.'
'I..... send us back.'
On seeing the scene of destruction, Claire accepted her own powerlessness to save these men.
'Got it.'
Clarice used her demonic claw to slice at her right hand, and the scenery changed once more to where the ratmen were laying with lifeless eyes on the ground.
'Clarice.'
'Yes, my virtuous self?'
The demonic aura which had overtaken Claire vanished, and once more she became an angel- however right now she held an expression which was not of kindness, but of deadly serious demeanor.
'To the one who did this to those men..... I cannot allow him to live.'
'Oh? What ever could you mean, my virtuous self?'
Claire stepped forward, a righteous anger in her eyes.
'To the one named Vex..... to the one who robbed those men of the very concept of fear..... to the one who turned them into those monsters..... I will kill him with my own two hands.'
----
Oscar rode in a chariot pulled by the finest of steeds through the Empire, the sun slowly approaching the horizon.
It was late afternoon, likely around 4 pm at this point.
Having been provided a golden chariot from the Emperor himself, Oscar traversed the land in luxury.
Even so, there was a loneliness in his heart.
'It has only been a few hours since leaving the Capital, and yet I long to have another woman next to me.... I grew bored of the ones who I spent the night with, and yet right now I would give anything to have one of them by my side....'
Looking forward, Oscar saw the magnificent walls of a fortress city.
This was the city of Touchette.
A city that lay on the borders of three nations, it had been at one point in history the center of a number of feuds for control.
The city was separated into three sectors, having been cut by it's walls like a pie in thirds.
With the Northeast sector belonging to the Empire, the Northwest sector belonging to the Kingdom, and the Southern sector belonging to the Sultinate, this city was a well fortified and highly diversified place.
From where he was, in the distance Oscar saw a large tower that loomed over him in the horizon.
It was a wooden tower, yet it reminded him so closely of something which existed once on earth.
'The Eiffel Tower....'
Oscar had been to France once before in his life, and so seeing such a structure invigorated a nostalgia inside of him.
'How wonderful the food and women were in that country....'
As his golden hair blew in the wind, he whipped the horses and they sped up, the green landscape speeding by.
The city of Touchette was one which at a point in history had been a major area of conflict, yet in modern times was the complete opposite.
Touchette was split among the three nations which held control of it, and as a result the city had developed a strange culture which did not resemble any of the nations around it.
To the people of Yolenos, Touchette was a symbol of peace among nations. It was a place where the three human nations of the world came together and ceased conflict with one another.
Approaching the city quickly, Oscar saw a number of men standing guard at the gate.
The one in front seemed to be wearing a helmet that indicated his ranking as a Captain. Oscar pulled the reins back to halt the advance of the horses once he was close enough to speak to the man.
"Welcome to Touchette. I hope you do not mind that we inquire as to why you have come to this town?", the man asked politely.
With the flip of his hair, Oscar reached into his pocket to pull out a document which contained the seal of the Emperor, Percius V.
"I am the Indeterminant, and I am here under the orders of his grace, Percius V. Please allow me into the city. The fate of humanity and this nation depends on my presence here."
The man looked at Oscar with shock, taking the document and unraveling it.
"He speaks the truth, men."
Immediately the men knelt before Oscar, bowing their heads.
"Indeterminant, savior of humanity, leader of heroes, destroyer of that which is evil, may fortune be with you.", the Captain stated.
Turning back he yelled out an order.
"Open the gates!!! The man who approaches is the Indeterminant!!! Sound a trumpet before him!!! All should know that the beacon of humanity stands in their midst!!!!"
"Yes Sir!!!"
With this, the gates were opened and Oscar was escorted into the city by the soldiers.
As the group entered the streets, Oscar viewed the bustling scene of the crowds.
The first sector was a marketplace, and people were gathered all around dressed in high class clothing- even those who had the appearances of peasants.
"The Indeterminant has arrived in this city!!!! Everyone, behold!!! This is the man who holds the fate of humanity in his hands!!! This is the person who will take on the Determined and her armies of demons!!!! This is the man who will stop the antiheroes and their queen from taking over the world!!!!"
On hearing the words exclaimed by the man, Oscar's ears perked up.
'Her armies?'
'The queen of the antiheroes?'
Putting his hand to his chin in thought, a smile came across the face of Oscar.
People began to gather around, kneeling before Oscar as he rode through the streets.
"Thank you, Indeterminant!!!"
"Our hero!!!!"
"The savior of humanity!!!! Please protect us from that demonic mistress!!!!"
"Please shield us from the monstrous antiheroes and the demons under them!!!!"
Covering his own mouth so as to not let people take notice of his sinister thoughts, Oscar rode through the city while waving to the people with his free hand.
'Nobody ever told me that the Determined was a woman... and a demonic queen at that? How..... exotic... how I would love to get my hands on THAT woman.....'