The desire to kill reverberated through Jasmine's brain, and the darkness rooted in her soul threatened to overtake her completely. Madness bubbled through her veins, and bloodlust flooded her as if she were a drug; her carnage gave him ecstatic pleasure. She wanted to find the black-armored warrior and kill him, for of all the enemies she had faced, he was the most powerful: a worthy offering indeed to the god of Wrath. At the last second, when she was about to brush aside his sword and kill him, her fate, in the form of her own idiotic followers of hers, had intervened to separate them. She wanted to find him again and finish the fight.
And then she saw the girl. As if against her will, she gazed at the frightened little face that peeked out from where she was hiding. He knew what he had to do, because it was time to end this once and for all, to take the first step on the path that would end in eternal life, to take advantage of the opportunity offered to him of a glorious destiny next door. of Baal. The dark presence that had been growing inside her bellowed in triumph; she knew that, at last, the time had come and, forgetting all about the rival in black armor, she marched towards her destiny.
♦ ♦ ♦
Elysia turned the corner and was instantly thrown into battle once more. She felt the heat of burning buildings, and the acrid smell of smoke filled her nostrils. The noise of battle rang in her ears, and she heard the cries Frey uttered as she mowed down her enemies like ripe wheat; but her eyes were drawn with instinctive, thoughtless horror, to the Demonic Knight…, and the girl who stood cowering in the darkness before her.
At that moment, she could see the resemblance between the two; she saw him as clearly as daylight. It was something beyond her white hairline, for they had similar features: the same large eyes, the same narrow jaw. Seeing the warrior raise her sword to strike, the catgirl broke into a run as she bellowed, though deep down she knew she was going to be too late.
♦ ♦ ♦
Jasmine watched as her own shadow was cast on the girl in front of her. She saw the look of fear in her eyes, the paleness of her face, the resemblance she bore to herself, and wondered how it was possible that after all the years she had really felt nothing.
"What's your name, girl?" she asked her in an intimidating voice.
"Kat. katherine.
Jasmine nodded, surprised that she felt absolutely nothing at this information.
In a flash of insight, she finally understood how demons did things. She saw all the tests, all the rituals and all the sacrifices for what they really were: the preparation for that crucial moment. She knew then that all the murders and all the bloodshed had been for a purpose, had been a process that had transformed her into something different from the human being she had once been. And that process had tempered her as the master smith tempers a sword.
She finally understood, after all that violence and all the massacres, that a human being can get used to anything, even the fate that made him a Demonic Knight. She knew that at that moment she could turn her back on the girl, that it would change nothing, that she had finally truly confirmed herself on the path of damnation. Killing the girl wouldn't change anything anymore. She could do it if she wanted, but it was meaningless; It would just be a number and nothing more. She had passed the point of no return when she, moments before, had decided to kill her. However, she thought that it was always better to leave things well finished. With no more feeling than if she were about to chop down a log for firewood, she raised her sword, and then felt pain in her flank as something slammed into her.
♦ ♦ ♦
Elysia launched herself into the air and covered the distance that separated her from the Demonic Knight in one jump. She crashed into the woman just as she raised her sword; the impact knocked him off balance, and they both fell to the ground. Since she knew that she would never get another chance, the catgirl launched a thrust that dug into the flank of the woman, who showed no sign of pain other than a small growl.
As they rolled on the trampled earth, locked in a deadly embrace, Elysia knew that she outmatched her. The woman reached up above her with her chainmail-clad hands and grasped her neck, Elysia struggled in an attempt to break free, grateful that the Demonic Knight had finally let go of her sword. ; but she immediately realized that she had made a mistake. The Demonic Knight was much stronger, she possessed a supernatural strength that was as superior to Elysia's as her own was to a child's. Hers He struggled to loosen the grip on her hands, but it was like trying to wriggle out of a troll's fingers.
Right now she had her on top of her, and the weight of her armor kept Elysia from breathing. She rolled as she tried to lift her torso off the ground, and get her off of her, but it was all useless, as she seemed to anticipate Elysia's every move without a problem. She then she knew that she was going to die; she was facing an opponent who was simply too strong, and Frey was not there to save her.
Darkness began to descend on the catgirl, sparks flashing before her eyes. From somewhere far away came Frey's war cry, and a part of her, infinitely remote and detached from her, thought it ironic that it was the dark hero who was going to witness her death, and not the other way around.
"Now, mortal, you will die," the woman said calmly, and her hands began to twist her neck.
Elysia fought with all her might as the terrible pressure mounted, for she knew that if she gave in, her neck would snap like a dead branch, and her death would be instantaneous. She felt that her veins swelled and her muscles began to tear because of the resistance she put up, knowing that it was useless; In a moment, it would all be over. The darkness deepened; she saw everything as shadows and silence reigned, except for the dull rumble of her own breath inside her chest and the distant beat of her heart. She knew she was defeated, that she couldn't take it anymore, and her muscles finally began to relax, defeated.
♦ ♦ ♦
Kat looked to where the terrible battle continued. She knew that the Demonic Knight had nearly killed her, and that Elysia had tried to save her life. She also knew that the woman in black armor was going to kill the cat girl, and that she had to do something.
An object of hers flashed on the ground near her, and she saw that it was the black sword that the Demonic Knight had dropped. Her blade gleamed brightly in the firelight, and she thought she might be able to intervene. She reached out a hand to pick up the weapon, but it was too heavy. Perhaps if she used both hands… Slowly, the sword began to rise. The weapon twisted in her hands, the runes on the blade gleamed with brilliant light, and she felt the terrible power within her.
If she now she only she could…
♦ ♦ ♦
Suddenly, Elysia felt the unbearable pressure ease. The Demonic Knight first looked at her and then lowered her eyes to her own chest. Elysia followed the direction of her fiery gaze and saw that the tip of the black metal sword protruded from the woman's body. The red runes glowed, and boiling blood dripped from her wound, evaporating into poisonous smoke as it hit the ground. The Demonic Knight staggered to her feet and turned to face in the direction from which the thrust had come.
Desperately, Elysia forced herself to move, her limbs responding with the heaviness of lead. She looked around her for her sword, reached out to take it, her fingers closed over its hilt and tried to lift it. She had the impression that she was trying to lift the weight of that great cannon located outside the city, but she forced herself to do so. She struggled to her feet and saw that there was no one else around, only the Demonic Knight, Elysia and Kat. The woman's eyes were fixed on the girl, and her lips twisted into a terrible wry smile, then opened wider and let a gurgling mad laugh escape her. She took a step forward; the point of her sword still protruded from her chest, and Kat drew back another one of hers, eyes wide with her horror and fear.
Very slowly, Elysia formed an idea of what must have happened. Kat had raised the heavy weapon and plunged it into the woman's back as they struggled. She had saved her life, and now it was her turn to save the girl's. She slowly, she forced her battered body into motion and shuffled across the ground behind the Demonic Knight. The woman's steps faltered, and she fell slowly to the ground.
♦ ♦ ♦
Jasmine laughed to herself even as her pain robbed her of consciousness. This was a terrible final joke, for she had met her death at the hands of the person she had come to kill. A girl had won where mighty warriors had failed.
It was true, as she had always said the demon. She had not been killed by a warrior, but by her own daughter. She fell forward into the darkness that awaited her.
♦ ♦ ♦
Elysia watched as the vile Demonic Knight slumped to the ground, her flesh shedding and she decomposing with frightening speed to leave only a foul-smelling skeleton within the black armor. Somehow, without anyone telling her, she knew that she was looking at the body of someone who had been dead for a long time, and at the sight she felt like throwing up.
Something wet fell on her face. At last, the storm had broken loose and it was beginning to rain. The hissing sound that came from somewhere nearby told him that raindrops were battling the fire. It was good news; perhaps the population would not be burned to the ground after all. Suddenly Kat was there, huddled behind Ella.
"Is it over yet?" she asked her.
Elysia listened to the sounds of slaughter around them, and she nodded.
"It will be over soon," she replied in a brittle voice. "one way or another."
♦ ♦ ♦
Elysia plopped down on a tree stump and gazed out at the village, while Messner and Kat looked at him disapprovingly because they thought he shouldn't be walking around. His neck was still bruised and he was having trouble speaking and eating, but it looked like he would recover. She just felt grateful that she was still alive.
She felt it, too, for the nearly two hundred villagers who had survived the battle and its aftermath. She could still hear them chanting prayers of thanksgiving for her salvation in the temple.
A knight passed by them, one of the powerful forces dispatched by the duke in response to Messner's message, bearing the head of a beastman impaled on his lance. Elysia and Messner watched him pass, and the catgirl realized the man was thinking the same thing as her when a slight sneer appeared on the ranger's face.
It was very nice of the knight to pose then with the trophy, but… where was he when the real battle was taking place? The conquering heroes had arrived the morning after the fight.
"So you found the cannon," she asked, her voice a croaking whisper.
"Yes," Messner answered. "It is an extraordinary thing. They say that when you touch it it is as warm as a living body. There is dark sorcery there, that's for sure, so we've sent for a priest to exorcise it. If that doesn't work, the old duke will send a magician."
"But the beasts are all dead."
"Yes, we have hunted down every last one of them. Frey didn't come back until dawn, and said that it was all over."
They were both talking to keep Kat quiet, and they both knew it. Neither wanted the girl to be able to say a single word. However, this news made Elysia happy, for it seemed that the beasts had lost their courage and fled when the news of the death of their loathsome leader spread. And the escape turned into a massacre when the loggers chased them, and it seemed that Kat had saved the entire village with her actions. She was a hero and everyone told her so, but she didn't talk like she was.
"I still want to go with you" declared the girl who, after two days of arguing, still hadn't given in.
"You can't, Kate. Frey and I are heading to dangerous places and we can't take you. Stay with Messner."
"You must do that, child," Messner agreed. "You have a place here, with me, with Magda and the children. And you will make friends among the other little ones; that's for sure."
Kat gave Elysia an imploring look, but she shook her head, forcing herself to remain serious and collected. She wasn't sure how long she could keep that countenance when she heard Frey's heavy gait approaching her.
Frey was smiling malevolently, and from the expression on his face, Elysia guessed that he had increased the huge death toll inflicted during the battle.
"We're wasting time, Elysia. We'd better get going."
Elysia rose slowly, and Messner came forward to shake hands with them. Kat hugged first Elysia and then Frey, and in the end Messner had to separate her from her friends.
"Goodbye" she said goodbye, tearful. "I will always remember you."
"Do it, little one," Frey replied softly as he bent down and dropped to one knee to look directly into Kat's eyes; he removed one of her gloves and using a small cut from her sword made her thumb bleed.
Drawing a horizontal line across Kat's forehead, and two vertical lines below each of the girl's eyes, Frey spoke. "You are a brave warrior, Kat. You have the heart and soul of a hero. Train and get stronger; when the time comes I will return, and if you still wish, you can accompany me."
"I will do it, I promise." Kat said in a motivated voice.
"I trust you, Kat" Frey said before turning around, and together with Elysia, they walked away from Flensburg.
The trail was steep and rocky, and before them lay Bergheim and an uncertain future. Reaching the top of the slope, Elysia turned to look back. Down there, Messner and Kat were two small figures waving at them.