Where am I? It's pitch-black in here… I can't see anything? Wait, aren't I just in the church just now? What happened? The last thing I remember was that a there were swords sticking in my body… I was skewered like a barbeque, didn't I? Now that I think about it… I don't feel anything and my wounds are healed, too. What the heck is happening here?
"Let me out."
A voice? Where did it came from? It was a woman's voice isn't it? It was a beautiful voice… like a melody being played. As if sonata of a mellow night.
"I hate that person! I will never forgive him for hurting my beloved!"
"Who's there? Who are you? But this voice is really familiar."
I think I've heard it before… but where?
"How cold of you, my love! To forget your solace half."
Half? What is she talking about? And, I can't even see anything in this darkness. It feels as if I was thrown into the abyss.
"Oh, but you are my, darling. You are inside your thoughts, to where I reside."
She's reading my mind? And what the heck do you mean by that?! Calling me darling and all.
"Fufufu. My, have you already forgotten our covenant? The promise of our love? Really, how truly cold. Yet, that is what I love about you. No, I love you for who you are. Everything about you. Every inch of your body,"
"Hey!"
"Every nook and cranny,"
"S-stop… please just stop! You're scaring me, truly!"
"But I haven't said the best part, yet…"
"I don't wanna hear that anymore! Okay, I get it. You love me, don't you? Very much that it's actually scaring me…"
"Yes, that's why, let me out, my love. I will kill that person who hurt you! I will obliterate his very existence. Too much that his soul will never reincarnate again!"
Terrifying…
"Now you really are scaring me! Never mind that for now. Would you mind telling me where I am? And who you are, while you're at it."
"Sure, my love. Just as I told you, you are inside your consciousness… You were hurt so badly and I…just can't take it. You were about to die, so I pulled you in here."
What?! Seriously...?
"Thank you very much, then… And uh… who might you be?"
"Fufu. Being thank by my beloved is bliss. However, that you forgot about me is rather painful."
"No, uh… really, I'm sorry. It's just… me having a lover is unlikely…after all… Huh? No, wait a minute… This soft touch in my cheek. This sweet whispers in my ears… you are… Mahraj?!"
"Fufufu. You finally remembered me!"
So, it really was her…
"Yes, I just did. "
"You finally realized how deep my love for you!"
"Uh, that one's a bit…"
"You finally want to do erotic adult things with me!"
"Oy, hey! Stop right there! You sure leap from things straight to delusions, don't you? And one more thing, will you please stop soaring around?"
"You can see me?"
"Nope. But I can feel you. Honestly, I still can't see you. You told me the last time we met that I need to be stronger to be able to meet you right?"
"You can feel me… that sounds kinda lewd!"
"I said enough with that! Did you just ignore the last part of what I said?"
Guh… I never thought that one of these days, I would be played around like this. And what's scary about this is that she's saying weird things with that sweet voice of hers. Mahraj Scarlet Crimsonblood, my contracted one. She's the source of my ability (Shadow). The ancient queen of the night—the eternal Empress of the Abyss.
"Now, Gleren. Let me out there this instant!"
Her attitude changed? Just now, I can feel malice. Her voice sounded sweet, yet her tone is different. She really is out for blood.
"How dare they! How dare they hurt my dear, sweet love! I will destroy everything and everyone who dare goes against my beloved! Everything!"
Kuh! The miasma suddenly got heavier...! The place turned darker than normal!
"Mahraj calm down!"
"Guh… argh! I can't do anything. It's as if my body has been restrained.
"Mahraj!"
There were seals inside my body and even Sofy did not know about it. The only ones who knew was Miss Kyouka, Jin, and the president of Harmonia—and my master who first seen and experienced my outburst. A layered seal that stacked over10 was placed inside me. These seals were made so that my power will be kept in check… These seals were made so that it would stop me—no, rather, it would stop 'her' from going berserk!
"I will obliterate—annihilate everything that goes between us!"
Ughh… she's really breaking out! Wait, don't this scene remind you of a super jealous girl throwing a tantrum? This make me feel rather blessed… I felt like as if I just got a Yandere girlfriend that one would often see in an anime… except, things might really get messy if she really goes out.
***
What the hell is happening?! I, Krueger, is really astounded. Sir Matthias perfectly executed his ability and skewered this Gleren guy. But, then suddenly when he was supposed to be dead with his heart being pierced, black smokes or rather mist suddenly exuded out of his body. Thick miasma that as if you stare at it would you mistake it for a liquid. And it was suffocating. Abilities are supposed to be not working here, and yet… is the shaking earlier helped with this?
"Gleren! Hey, Gleren! Answer me! Kyaa!"
That girl, the body guard woman, who suddenly attacked sir Matthias is desperately shaking him. Only to be sent flying by the gushing miasma. The black mist has now filled the entire church, and as if still not enough, it went through the roof. If seen from the outside perspective, then the sight would be as if the church was in fire seeing how big the smoke has.
Kuh! Just being exposed to it takes my strength—and I'm not even that near. And just one layer and I'm done with the teleportation magic, too! Is sir Matthias okay with all this? I shifted my gaze from the origin of the smokes to sir Saint. As expected, he's not affected by it. The twelve apostles are really something. That Malcov had now lost consciousness due to the density of the miasma. His mouth was even frothing. Ewg, disgusting—that guy!
"Just as I thought."
Huh? Who's there?! I did not even hear any footsteps… but suddenly a woman stood there near the entrance of the church. Red hair… long sword at her back… and that scar on her face… It was her! I can't be mistaken! She was the one who annihilated the pursuit group who followed the lamb to the borders of Saint Isle! This is bad!
"Sir Saint! Let us be out! That woman is dangerous!"
I need to hurry the teleportation gate! If not, even if sir Matthias can fight, we will be wiped out by her! And since the time she got her, her mood was even worse. I don't know why, but this is really dangerous. Does she know that Gleren? She goes near him.
"Gleren… outburst, eh? How long since the last one?"
She mumbled. Walking slowly towards him.
"Who might you be? I do not have any recollection of our meeting."
Sir Matthias asked while standing before Malcov. He might not know of her as he was not with us that one time, but that woman, she singlehandedly annihilated all the high-ranked pillars that was sent when we crossed the borders. And I'm sure of it—she was not even using her ability back then. That woman…! She was not even looking at saint Matthias. She was just staring at that Gleren. She completely ignored him!
The miasma has gone thicker and its volume was now even more suffocating. Yet, that woman was just walking towards it without even giving it mind.
"Is humble as I was. I really hated being ignored."
Sir Matthias said somberly, his tone as of irritated. However, that woman never really cared. She just walked towards the source of the miasma. It was as if her mind was fully occupied by it. Angered by this action, without saying any more, Sir Matthias made one of his golden blade flies toward her. It has a speed that no normal person would be able to dodge nor even be able to react to! Even I would never be able to dodge that— and with such speed that surpasses normalcy, it went to her. Then hit!
"…"
Impossible! When I thought that it would hit her for sure or at least make her flinch even a little—the blade that flew with the speed comparable to that of a speed of a sound was caught between her fingers. Seeing this, even sir Matthias was surprised. That was just plain impossible! How could she possibly do that? I have never seen anyone do such thing. Even within the Sacred Omen, no one was crazy enough to catch sir Matthias's sword barehandedly… that's why, sir saint is now in denial.
"Don't get in my way."
She said as she casually threw the blade away, her tone ice cold. Then continuing as if nothing happened, she gradually closed her distance to the chained Gleren. However, even more angered by her arrogant action, sir Matthias has lost his temper.
"I said don't you dare ignore me! Awaken! {Rain of Light}!"
As he said this, countless blades suddenly materialized above us. The ceiling of the church was rather high, but that was irrelevant. Overhead of us the air was filled with blades of light floating comparable to rain ready to fall upon us.
"You will regret ever acting arrogant before me!"
Sir Matthias said, raising his hand to the air. But then, before even he could take action, a chill suddenly spread within the whole building. That woman shifted her body towards us, then said with her face containing a face that would bring me nightmares forever,
"I said didn't I...?"
…then the sword at her back floated towards her hand voluntarily, automatically removing the cloth that was wrapping it by itself. And then, as she received it, she raised the sword above her head,
"DON'T GET IN MY WAY!"
BAAM!
and brought it down with force that shook the whole ground—the whole area! Sir Matthias stepped away hurriedly, grabbing Malcov while at it… Kuh, the shaking was severe that even here which was supposed to be tens of meters away I can feel the wailing of the earth.
"Unbelievable…"
I mumbled unconsciously because that was the only word that could describe it. The blades that sir Matthias made was all blown away by the sheer force, and not a single one was left. And the ground where the sword struck was split into two… If I were to hit by that blade… surely, I would never survive. Sir Matthias was speechless as he stares at the woman who turned her back again as if nothing happened.
"GRAAAAA!!! AUGHGGGG!"
Then, when all of us was left in daze that person called Gleren suddenly burst out, screaming like he was in extreme pain. And the miasma that was oozing out of his body abruptly exploded, swallowing him whole—and lost in plain sight. He was now inside that dense gale of dark mist.
"Gleren! Tsk! The first seal seemed to be removed!"
She mumbled. Even her was not able to get close to the boy anymore. Seal? What was she talking about? As I was pondering this, sir Matthias called onto me.
"Krueger, call Saffir back here. Tell him to go all out before retreating. We are to leave this place."
So, we are leaving already. We got our main objective now. We don't have to deal with them anymore. And also, facing that girl would be suicide for us.
It's time for us to leave.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Another loud scream from Gleren reverberated to the whole building.