Rosalinda grinned creepily. "We meet again, Claudina~"
Claudina herself gritted her teeth. "Indeed we did, Lady Carlos. How unfortunate... but as I had expected the pallor of death suits you more."
She laughed. "I know hence why I have come to life for you to try it as well. And I hope you enjoy it so much you continue to rot away."
"Is that so? Well, I don't want IT!!" She launched a barrage of arrows at her. With the momentary distraction, she ran up the flight of stairs with the saints.
Glazing back her eyes widened at what she saw. Large shadow claws broke through the narrow wall and were reaching out to grab them. Shulia cast multiple barriers but it broke through all of them.
"What sort of sorcery is that?!"
"Quick in there!" Sylvester pointed at a side door.
Luckily it was open and all of them crammed inside the small room.
"OW! You are stepping on my foot!" Claudina complained. She elbowed Oriane and she stepped on her foot even harder in surprise. "OW! OW! OW!"
A hand smacked right in Sylvester's face "Move over!"
Anatole shouted back, "If I move any further I will open the door right open, idiot!"
Below the tangle of arms, Sullivan's hand flailed around. "Help! I can't breathe!"
Shulia gasped. "WHICH ONE OF YOU ASSES COPPED A FEEL OF MY CHEST?!?!"
After a long shuffling of feet, they creaked open the door.
Sullivan had nearly dropped below hadn't Anatole caught him in the nick of time.
"What on earth…?"
There were deep gouges on the stairs that dropped deep below the ground. Bricks were scattered and the iron door had numerous scratches.
"Dear me, her anger sure is a handful huh?"
"...Claudina, that's a scary look you have there."
"Fufufu~ that so? I am the same as usual though." 'How dare that sorry excuse of a woman is still alive?! My calculations are never wrong! She should be dead by now!'
Treading carefully they made their way to the top. Even with being careful they still slipped on the stairs.
Fortunately not once they met Rosalinda on the way.
With those eerie red butterflies around, however, Claudina couldn't shake off the feeling they were being watched.
"What the? There's no door here."
"Hm? This the top floor and there were no more doors on the way."
"Ah! Could it be another one of those weird house monsters?"
"Don't jinx us now, Sullivan…"
"Ahaha!"
Shulia's ears perked up. "Wait. There is something behind here…" She slid her hand on the dank walls before coming to a stop. "This place…" She rubbed the crumbly bricks. "This spot…we need to break it!"
"...My hands are oh so very fragile. You do it."
Anatole signed. "A simple slash would do just fine."
Claudina blinked. "Still very fragile."
"There is a presence behind too!"
"More reason for the vanguard to take charge."
"Shulia, break the wall."
Shulia punched the wall with all her strength. "Hah!"
The wall cracked and crumbled into rubble. Sullivan clapped his hands. "Wow~ what gorilla strength~"
"I am glad you could make it so far."
The Inquisitor was standing on the other side. Rosalinda Carlos was beside him surrounded by red butterflies. She had a demented grin as she took unsteady steps forward. "Ah…ha…ha Claudina…finally…I can kill…YOU!"
Claudina huffed. "Please stop being so obsessed. It's nauseating."
"Kekeke~ You say that but don't you also want to kill me?! CLAUDINA?!" A swarm of butterflies hurled toward her.
Claudina shrieked feeling her skin sizzling with burning needles. "Kyaa!"
"Claudina!" Sylvester moved but a cable stopped him. He glared at the offending man.
"Uh uh uh. We can't have that now can we, dear boy?"
"Ahaha!" Rosalinda separated her from the others and rushed outside with Claudina at the front and chased her with the butterflies.
The broken wall magically fixed itself leaving no way out. Sylvester glowered at him while Oriane drew out her sword. She steadied her gaze. "We'll end this here and now."
The Inquisitor smirked. More cables ripped out form his body and swayed wildly. "That's more like a true saintess...shall we begin?"
Claudina was hunted to the very attic of the tower.
She somehow managed to swat away the insects and gasped for air. Her holy power soon started to heal the festering sores.
The attic was musty with empty wooden shelves, a chest with the drawers removed, and old paintings of skinned people dancing on open fires while wearing tall flower hats.
"I thought they killed you."
Scowling she looked up. "Hah! As if a bunch of pests can kill me!"
Rosalinda smiled. "True. If you were to die so easily, Lucas' spirit will not get any peace." She glanced at the Forbidden Grimoire hanging from her back. '...How curious. It should be more powerful in the Void even if it's an artificial one yet…' She shifted her eyes back at Claudina. The bruises were fading under the silver holy power. 'I see now…two types of mana from the main circle of mana elements cannot work at the same time when one of them has laid dormant and the other is necessary for living.' She sneered. '...Despite her prowess, she's quite immature. Heh, how very cute~ '
She stabbed her hand with her dagger. Claudina recoiled in shock. She frowned as she watched her every move with bated breath. 'What is she up to this time?'
Rosalinda then dragged the embedded knife up to her elbow. "ξίφоваut αίечwert."
'...Blood sword?' Claudina thought confused.
There was something strange going on in her blood. Strange moving lumps that tumbled over each other. It made strange squelching sounds and Claudina looked at it in open disgust.
Slowly the puddle of blood moved upwards to Rosalinda's hand and wrapped around her wrist. The blood solidified into bright red crystals under her firm grasp. The crystals were razor sharp and punctured small holes in her skin.
Claudina started at the ominous crystals. By now the red butterflies had all settled on the rafters.
Soon the crystals started to crack. Claudina flinched at the low cracking sounds when the entire thing shattered like glass shimmer. She frowned seeing what the thing left behind the crystals was.
A thin sword with a blood-red blade and iron hilt. A single ruby rested on the pommel. Immediately she took out her own sword. Next she pulled off her glove and threw it at Claudina's feet.
Claudina stared at the glove. '...A challenge to a duel...'
Rosalinda smirked. "Though using a sword isn't my style I can certainly take you down." She raised the sword to her face and swung it down to the side.
"Keep dreaming, princess!" Claudina scoffed. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Here and now I will end you once and for all."
"Ooohohoho, You can try but I highly doubt it too!"
Both of them raised their swords again, bowed and in a millisecond leapt at each other.
Clashes of steel clanged across the room. Spells fogged the vision as arrows, cables, and bullets flew over like smoking missiles.
'This bunch of brats!' the Inquisitor thought angrily as he fended off Sullivan's Sludge pup form. 'Had I known they would use a Holy book I would have attacked the red-headed Saint first!' His stitched skin was scorched around his arms and most of his cables were gone. Not to mention he was also running out of mana.
Yet he persisted.
Anatole noticed it and informed the others. With a new resolve, they fought back even harder.
The saints knew if they had any chance of winning they had to use the Holy book of Eros. They were well aware the Inquisitor would aim for her first so she was removed far from his reach. The others battled it out with him as she gave support from behind.
Encased in a holy barrier made from a spell from the book Oriane continued to read out the verses.
Normally anyone and anything would be consumed and cleansed in the flames of purification but neither the saints nor the Inquisitor showed any signs of blunt trauma. However, it was obvious that the Inquisitor was having a hard time.
"If we are going to land the finishing move we need to do it now!" Sylvester shouted. "Oriane can't hold out much longer!" He finished firing all the ammunition in his gun. Cursing he kicked the gun away and used his Holy sword to reflect the earth spell.
He was right. Oriane's face was turning blue while blood dripped out of her eyes.
Sullivan gritted his teeth. "I will distract him! Take Ori and run!"
Shulia lost her temper and broke the cable with more force than necessary. "Don't decide that on your own oldie!"
"Shulia! We have to!"
"But…!"
Oriane was gasping. "...One…more…spell…can't…breathe…" She was losing consciousness as the world was spinning in colors around her.
Fractures were forming in the barrier and finally, it broke. Oriane dropped the book and fell in a heap. She was gasping mouthfuls of air. The Inquisitor took this as a chance and slid a thin cable laced with poison under the saints' legs.
Shulia stabbed the cable from reaching her. The Inquisitor sent more cables but was ultimately stopped by the others.
But the barrage of poisoned cables was never-ending. It was becoming too much for them.
"Shit!" Anatole cursed. "Somebody grab her!" But Sylvester was already sprinting off, hoisted Oriane by her waits, took the book, and ran out.
Suddenly Sullivan attacked the Inquisitor's face. "Agh! Get off, pest!"
"Ana, Li-li! Go!"
Shulia hesitated. "Now! I will meet up! Promise!"
She contorted her face in reluctance but Anatole yanked her out of the room and followed Sylvester.
While down below all this was happening up in the attic Rosalinda and Claudina both were dueling it out.
Old furniture broke and the foundation of the room was shaking underneath their feet. Briefly they could hear explosions coming from under the attic.
Hours had passed yet neither of them yielded. However slowly Rosalinda's blows were starting to become heavy and more predictable. Claudina could see she was getting tired. She inwardly grinned knowing a bit more of foul play and Rosalinda would lose.
During their duel, neither of them used magic. This was a battle of knights and using magic was seen as being disqualified and the winner would take the loser's head.
Rosalinda stuck to the rules. Claudina however didn't.
With how clumsy she was at the beginning she didn't notice the wards placed on her sword; not being able to swing her sword properly, her mana draining with each movement, and finally making her slow when she got used to Claudina's movements.
CLANG!
The two swords clashed heavily.
Rosalinda's sword was quivering "Egh!" 'Did I make a mistake in challenging this she-demon?!'
She clenched her teeth. 'No! I can't back away now! For Lucas, I must win!' Their swords slid over and she jumped back. Claudina didn't stop and trailed after her. Their swords met again.
Rosalinda directed a blow at Claudina's heart. She tried dodging only to realize it was feint when Rosalinda jabbed at her arm. Ducking in pain she swiftly dished out a kick at her chin and knocked her over.
The blood sword loudly clattered. Claudina quickly grabbed the sword before Rosalinda could. "You lost, dearie~"
She glared. 'That's it!' She looked up at the rafters. Above the red butterflies buzzed vehemently. "Come to me!" she commanded.
Claudina flinched goosebumps appearing on her skin. She looked up in horror. 'No...anything but that...'
But they didn't move. They continued to click their wings.
"Why aren't they obeying to me?!" she screamed in frustration. She glared back at Claudina who heaved a sign in relief.
"Once again you stole my things!"
"I didn't steal anything. If you had paid more attention to Lucas May then he wouldn't have strayed from you." 'Although if he truly loved you, he wouldn't think of cheating in the first place.' Then she sneered. "Though I must say, both your countenance and manners are just awful~ Is this the true side of the of the virtuous ice beauty of the northern kingdom?"
Rosalinda bit her lips in anger until they bleed. "Shut up! It's all your fault I am like this!"
Rising to her feet she snapped her fingers and instantly the Forbidden Grimoire appeared in a puff of smoke. "So what if I don't have those red winged servants of mine? I can still kill yo-Kegh!"
Claudina had promptly punched her face knocking her over again.
Quickly while straddling her stomach she tried to pin her down. That proved to be very difficult as Rosalinda kept struggling, biting, and clawing until Claudina finally got both her hands together and frozen them in place.
In the end, both of them were exhausted. Claudin slowly crawled away but not before getting a few well placed kicks at the back of her head while wrestling Rosalinda down.
"Be like that whilst I examine this…" Rosalinda started in confusion before yelling at the top of her lungs. A cloth was quickly stuffed inside her mouth with a rope holding it in place. Her futile strive to get out of imprisonment didn't diminish
Claudina hunched over the red Forbidden Grimoire. She lifted it in her hands and was surprised to see it was considerably heavier than the blue Forbidden Grimoire. She glanced back and saw an unmistakable smirk around the cloth.
'So it's her doing? How petty...'
She gaze once more returned at the Grimoire at hand.
After careful and extensive inspection she concluded that other than the weight and appearance they were the same. Signing she decided to destroy the Grimoire. She didn't want another Grimoire and the idea of someone else owing it didn't sit right with her.
That's when she heard it.
Loud clickings of insect wings.
Beating near her ears.