Standing in the middle of the main hall, I gingerly tapped the butt of my ice spear on the floor, listening to the screams still coming from Lorelei's direction.
Something told me that a few of the Apostles had regenerated, and she was having fun with round two…
Like, fuck. I know they deserve it, and more. But shit, man, can she not kill them while looking like she's in heat?
The distant sound of heels clacking from the torture room made me turn my gaze in that direction.
Exiting from the hallway was my tired-looking mother, who shot me a raised brow upon seeing me here and not with the Barthomelois.
Predicting the question, I pointed to the hallway leading to the two freaks.
"Last I checked, Lorelei killed them all and could have just burned their corpses to end things, but as you can hear, she seems to have 'forgotten' that during her killing high," I explained dryly.
My words only made Mother shake her head, muttering something I couldn't hear but could probably guess.
Sighing, she walked past me, leaving a short message. "Give me a minute."
My eyes trailed after her as she followed the sound of screams and disappeared into the hallway.
A few minutes passed with no change until the screams started intensifying, then slowly faded away.
The silence was followed by the sound of multiple sets of heels clacking down the hall.
Soon, I saw Mother, Barthomeloi, and a slightly flushed but annoyed Lorelei, who was staring daggers at Mother's back.
As they got within speaking distance, Lorelei shot me a dirty look.
"You cut my hunt short," she said in a flat tone, as if stating a fact, though she was clearly annoyed at me for cutting her fun short.
I returned her comment with a flat gaze.
"You were wasting time, time that Louvre has probably been using to get ready for our assault," I shot back dryly.
My comment gained no reaction from her, only her averting her eyes from me.
Barthomeloi saw it fit to interject once I had spoken.
"As much of a shame as it was to cut your training,"—psychopathic rampage—"short, young Alistair has a point. We need to iron out a plan of action before we attack Louvre, as his children are sure to be wherever he is as well."
Placing a hand under his chin, he gave a slight frown.
"Louvre's main advantage is his children, meaning we'll need to kill them first before we can deal with him… The only question is how we keep him occupied," Barthomeloi explained calmly.
The bond between a 'parent' and 'child' when it comes to Apostles is a lot more important than it is for humans.
When a parent and child stay in close vicinity, they experience something similar to 'resonance,' a general boost in each individual's overall strength, though more so for the parent.
The only reason it's rare to see is due to the fact that children are subservient to their parents, meaning they have next to no rights and are usually treated as weapons.
So most break off their bond when they achieve the level of an Inferior Apostle, as that is the lowest level of strength needed to break the bond.
But, apparently, Louvre treats his children well, meaning that despite being relatively strong for Inferior Apostles, his two children have chosen to stay with him.
Lorelei decided to chime in. "Wouldn't it be for the best to have you stall Louvre, while the rest of us kill his children, that should be the smartest choice of action?" She said while looking at her father.
Barthomeloi shook his head at his daughter's suggestion. "Unfortunately, I am incapable of fending off even the weakest Superior Apostle while this thing is still in its adjustment phase." He said while tapping his left leg, that gave a metallic sound.
I not so discreetly eyed his leg after his statement, as I hadn't even noticed the metal prosthetic.
Honestly, I found it surprising that he didn't just order a puppet limb from the Blue's older sister, as I heard good things about the newly ordained Grand's prosthetics.
Then again, Mother has heard some rumors about her stealing magic crests from magi that crossed her, meaning that Mother thinks that she'll be hit with a sealing designation sooner or later.
Lorelei's face gained a displeased look, while peering at her fathers leg, before turning to my Mother.
"Lady Pendragon, do you have any suggestions?" She asked with genuine interest.
Mother gave a contemplative hum, before glancing at me, and returning her gaze at Lorelei.
"I believe that your plan holds merit, but we'll just have to switch your father with my son to make it work." The words had barely left her lips when both Barthomeloi's frowned.
"Not to be rude, Rosalind, but are you sure that your son is even capable of fighting a strengthened Superior Apostle, let alone stall one long enough for us to kill his children?" He said in a stern tone. And to be honest, I couldn't blame him. I wasn't sure myself.
Lorelei gave a nod, clearly agreeing with her father, making Mother give a tired sigh
"Alistair is in terms of raw physical prowess stronger than myself while reinforcing my own body to its maximum. So if he reinforces himself properly, he should be around the level of a high end Inferior Apostle, if not barely a Superior Apostle." At Mothers explanation, the two snapped their heads in my direction, eyeing me with extreme interest.
Barthomeloi looked thoughtful, while Lorelei looked intrigued, and to be completely honest, their gazes kind of scared me.
"If, and this is an if," Barthomeloi emphasized, while raising a brow, "I had a method of suddenly, and temporarily severing the parent child bond between the three momentarily, do you think you'd have a chance of ending him in a small time frame?" His tone was serious, and his eyes bore into mine as he spoke.
…
I'm unsure. Very unsure.
I've sparred against a superior opponent plenty of times recently, thanks to Altrouge's 'care' after learning of my upcoming Grail War.
And I wouldn't say that I was an expert at being beaten six-ways-to-sunday by a superior opponent while keeping my cool, but I've gotten a decent amount of experience fighting with broken bones…
But, if he was going to do what I think he was going to do to cut off the link, then I could use Rhongomyniad without fear of it being discovered… and with Louvre's sudden drop in strength, I should be able to turn the table.
Or at worst, I'd use some of Altrouge's tricks… though it would be for the best to dispose of the corpse if it comes to that.
Meeting his gaze, I gave a nod.
"If you cut off the connection on my mark, then I'll have a good shot at ending him." I answered seriously.
Lorelei raised a brow at my confidence, and shot me a question.
"And do you even have the means to kill Louvre?"
I don't know why, but I feel like Lorelei has a bad opinion of me… either it's that time of the month, or she's really annoyed that I cut her rampage short.
Eyeing her with annoyance, I gave a dismissive sigh.
My action made her brow twitch, solidifying my opinion that it was the first option.
"Of course I brought items that would enable me to kill something like a Superior Apostle, what else do you think this is for?" I said while tapping the cylinder on my back.
"A fashion statement perhaps?" She bit back dryly, drawing an amused snort from her father.
Huh, maybe she had some humor under all that… umm… pretentiousness… I think that's the word for it.
"Are you really in a position to say that?" I said while looking her up and down. "That type of outfit must have fallen out of fashion for at least three hun– no, five hundred years ago." I bit back, making her frown, while looking down at her outfit, and looking back up at me.
"Really?" She said while tilting her head in genuine confusion.
Fuck, how sheltered is she?
Ignoring her question, I looked at Barthomeloi, who was eyeing our exchange with interest.
I can't say for certain what he was thinking, but I think it had nothing to do with his daughters lacking fashion sense… And I didn't like that gleam in his eyes... So best to distract him from whatever terrible thing he is considering, and put us back on track.
"Barthomeloi, do you have everything that you need to complete the plan?" I probed, making the older man get out of his thoughts, and shake his head.
"I do not, I shall leave for the car, and return in a few minutes, stay alert while I'm gone." He said, before silently walking past us.
Glancing his way, I felt impressed that I still didn't hear any metal sounds from him moving, especially after I knew what to look out for.
Looking away from his retreating figure, I turned to see mother giving Lorelei an appraising look, somewhat similar to what Barthomeloi was doing to me.
Nope. Fuck that.
I'm not even going to let that thought take root into her head.
"Mother, what plans do you have for Louvre's children?" My tone might have been a bit rushed, but no one seemed to notice.
She glanced at me, before looking at Lorelei.
"Lorelei, how do you wish to go about this?" Mother probed, making the girl slightly perk up.
Rude, but fine. As long as she stopped her train of thought.
"I'd like for you and me to focus on one of the children, while Father assists the two of us with ranged support. All while keeping them as far away from Louvre as possible." She proposed, earning a nod from Mother.
"Sure, simple and elegant." She said while nodding.
Lorelei seemed to gain a hesitant look, before schooling her expression, and looked at Mother straight in the eyes.
"I'd like to know a bit more about your combat style before we head in, so what magecraft do you specialize in? And what about your mystic code?" She said while nodding towards the blade at Mothers hip.
Giving Lorelei a dubious smile, Mother decided to humor her questions. "I focus on magecraft that strengthens my body overall, as well as combustion-based mysteries like fire or lightning," she explained patiently, before tapping the sheath of her blade.
"My sword gives me a slight speed boost and acts like a Tesla coil for my lightning mysteries. The effects have an amazing synergistic effect when used together. Plus, it's been blessed by Cardinal Bergoglio, so it's naturally extra effective against Apostles."
Mothers explanation made me feel a bit envious, but at the same time, I had Fucking Rhongomyniad. An honest to God divine construct, so I shouldn't feel this way… but it's currently a little better than a sharp stick… so I'm currently a tiny, itsy bitsy jealous.
Soon, the sound of heels clacking echoed from the direction of the entrance.
Barthomeloi quickly appeared in front of us, holding a metallic orb in his hand. He glanced at his daughter and Mother, raising a brow. "Any suggestions for our own battle?" he asked, prompting Lorelei to speak up.
"Lady Pendragon and I will focus on one of the children while you provide support and wait for Alistair's signal," she explained concisely, earning a nod from her father.
"Good, simple is usually the best," he agreed before gesturing toward the staircase. "Shall we go then?"
No one answered, but we all turned and headed in that direction.
As we ascended the staircase, the fortress's 'creep factor' seemed to go up a notch. The air around me felt eerie and wrong, like the atmosphere itself was tainted by something sinister. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something definitely felt off.
When we reached the top of the staircase, we were met with another large hall, this one featuring a massive oak door at the far end.
The four of us exchanged glances before looking back at the door.
"Who wants to open the door?" I asked, glancing at the others.
No one answered, but they all looked at me.
Well, shit. I might be dense sometimes, but I think this is a clear message.
Sighing, I walked up to the door. Standing in front of it, I reinforced my entire body and delivered a heavy kick.
With a resounding boom, the door was blown off its hinges, flying into the room.
Inside were three individuals who looked eerily similar.
Maybe the whole child-parent thing affects the children's looks over time… I'll have to ask Altrouge about that later.
A man with slicked-back yellow hair, a small goatee, and eagle-like eyes stared at me from his throne. The two who flanked him were a man and a woman with similarly colored hair. The woman had her long hair in a bun, while the man sported a… Lord Farquaad-style haircut, I guess?
The three of them gazed at me with a mix of annoyance and anger.
"Greetings…" the man on the throne, Louvre, I assumed, drawled. "Welcome to my home. I'd say to make yourselves comfortable…" He stood up, his tone dripping with hostility as he glared at us. "But I believe you already have…"
He flicked his hand dismissively. "Anna, Jonathan, deal with our guests."
And like obedient dogs hearing their master's command, they ran straight toward us.
I dashed forward, my feet barely touching the ground, as I practically flashed passed Louvre's children.
Their eyes seemed to gleam with shock as I passed them, clearly not expecting me to be faster than themselves.
But they were not my target, so I paid them no mind.
Louvre stood at the far end of the hall, by his throne, his towering figure gave a grotesque smile, as he watched me approach.
The sight made my heart pound faster, as I felt adrenaline flood my veins.
Which did not make me feel any better.
Flinging my hand forward, sharp icicles materialize in air around me, before launching themselves at Louvre.
Watching the projectiles closing in, he didn't even flinch, as he reached for something leaning beside his throne.
It was... I don't know exactly how to classify it. It was a long thing made out of metal, bone and writhing flesh, which seemed to emit steam from itself.
And with contemptible ease, he swung the club at the icicles, which shattered on contact, reducing them into harmless shards that scattered across the floor.
"Sending a child to fight me? Is this the best the Barthomeloi and Pendragons can muster?" His voice was a deep rumble, filled with a mix of mockery and disappointment.
He stepped forward, his gait casual, as though this were nothing more than a game.
"They seem to be of the opinion that fighting you is child's play," I bit back, while flashing a cocky smile.
"And you seem to be living up to their expectations."
A flicker of irritation crossed Louvre's face, but it quickly dissolved into a grin.
He swung his club, the sheer force of it whipping the air around it.
Ducking, I narrowly avoided a wave of searing heat that passed overhead.
Quickly, I materialized a jagged ice wall between us, trying to gain some time to move unseen.
But it was shattered and vaporized in a moment, by the same wave of intense heat the club's wind emitted.
I pushed myself to move faster, summoning more ice to form another spear in my hands.
Louvre took a few steps closer.
Suddenly, he swung his club.
Quickly, I twisted out of the way, as the club came crashing into the ground where I had stood, leaving a scorched crater in the stone.
The sight made me swallow a gulp of saliva.
I needed to either pull of some damage on him, or get him in a disadvantageous position before I give the signal, but fuck if I didn't want to give it now.
Identifying the opening and lunging forwards, I give a wide swing of my ice spear, causing a small cut to appear on his chest.
Blood sprayed from the wound I managed to inflict, but just as quickly as the cut appeared, it sealed shut, leaving nothing behind but smooth, unblemished skin.
Louvre's amusement seemed to grow at my failed strike, flashing me a mocking smile.
He was toying with me, finding enjoyment in my struggle.
Lunging forwards, I gave the spear another swing.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," He said, while his voice carried over the clash of our weapons.
"But persistence alone won't save you."
Gritting my teeth, I felt the strain in my muscles as I dodged another swing, with the heat of his club brushing over me.
His confidence was annoying and understandable, but seeing as it benefited me in this battle, I decided to grit my teeth together, and deal with it.
After all, I need to bide my time, and wait for the right moment.
And then, it came.
His next swing was a mistake, as he had overreached in his arrogance, and I could see the opening.
Surging forward, while ignoring the blistering heat radiating from his weapon.
My spear started to emit a deep blue as I channeled an absolute shit-ton of Od into it.
The spear's shape morphed, its sharp end elongated and sharpened.
And with a swift, precise motion, I sliced through the air, the blade met with resistance for just a fraction of a second before it sliced clean though his arm.
Louvre's expression changed in an instant—from smug amusement to shock, and then to a fury that shook the very air around us.
His arm that had been severed cleanly at the elbow, dropped to the floor with a dull thud, followed by the sound of his club sizzling as it hit the stone floor while still in the severed arms grip.
For a brief moment, there's silence.
And then, he roared.
Why the fuck did he roar?
The sound reverberated through the room, causing my ears to ring.
Suddenly, the arm flew up, and reattached itself back to his arm, stitching itself together as if nothing had happened.
Time reversal was bullshit.
His blood red eyes fixed themselves onto me, causing me to shiver.
The club suddenly flew back into his own hand.
Seeing what was about to happen, I started to move.
Instantly the spot I had been standing turned into a smoldering crater with the club embedded into it.
Swiftly I created a ton of lances in the air, which flew at him.
But they weren't even capable of piercing him, as they shattered on contact.
Raising his hand once more, I did the only thing I could do, dodge.
And dodge I did, as Louvre kept swinging his club with wild abandonment, creating more and more craters.
I don't know if I was lucky, or if Louvre just wanted to squish me, but I had been out-speeding Louvre, who had shown to be a lot faster than me, even with all the reinforcement I was using.
But all good things had to come to an end.
So as I dodged to the side, my foot was misplaced, and ended up in a crater, causing me to twist my foot.
Louvre's eyes seemed to widen with glee, as he saw me slowly fall thanks to my twisted ankle.
Seeing the raised club, I conjured multiple thick ice walls between the two of us in an instant.
But my ice constructs were useless against the onslaught, as they shattered before they could even form fully.
And then, pain.
His club connected with my right arm, the impact shattered bone and seared flesh.
The momentum caused me to ragdoll away from the spot, creating some distance between the two of us.
Releasing a pained grunt and gritting my teeth, I used my good arm to steady myself, before peering at Louvre.
The one glance made me see just what I wanted to see.
Louvre was dashing towards my direction, but his club was not in position to strike.
Instantly, tens of large tilted ice spikes grew from the ground, straight in front of Louvre's trajectory.
The vampire's reaction was instant, as I saw his face twist with rage, just before he skewered himself onto them.
"Now!" I yelled out.
The room shook, and I couldn't help but turn around.
There I saw a dark orb that had consumed most of the room.
An honest to God reality marble. Old man Barthomeloi was packing heat.
Turning back to Louvre, I could see his eyes widen in shock, and perhaps a bit of fear.
Not caring for my arm, I dashed for the impaled Louvre, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye.
The plan had been to use Rhongomyniad to shred him, killing him or either rendering Louvre harmless, until mother could use one of her tools from the church to exorcize him.
But fuck that.
Using my good arm, I shoved it into his chest, causing Louvre to momentarily spasm, before fixing me with a confused gaze.
It looked like he was about to speak, but I didn't care for anything he had to say.
My hand had found what I was looking for.
My fingers curled around his heart, causing him to gasp.
Sinking my fingers into it, I decided to kill this bastard myself.
Od, a metric fuck ton of Od flooded my body, more than I had ever drawn out of my core.
An uncomfortable heat spread though my body, as I felt it strain to keep up with all the energy it was moving through it.
Flooding the heart with Od, I started to release heavy pants, as steam emitted from my mouth.
"What ar— Gah—!" Louvre's question was stopped as black veins started to appear along his skin.
Seeing that, I retracted my hand, and took a few steps back, and fell to a knee.
The veins spread across his face, torso, legs, arms, anywhere you looked, black blood could be seen bulging to the surface.
Louvre opened his mouth, only for black liquid to spew out of it.
And like a virus, the inky liquid spewed out of his eyes, ears and nose, causing him to gag.
Silently, I watched as his chest started to rot at an extreme speed, all while time turned on itself to return it back to when I had just cursed him, but never before that point.
As the process kept repeating, I could see his face turn from pained agony, to pure fear, as he had come to the crux of the curse.
It would not disappear with time reversal.
Seeing this, I smiled.
Altrouge had been preaching the art of blood based magecraft for years, as it was her speciality, and had allowed me to use my eyes on a few of her 'weaker' curses to learn and copy.
This practice had recently been extended to those that would be useful in a battle against heroic spirits.
Truly she was too kind to me.
The fact that she used me learning of her magecraft as a reason for me to marry her was a bit excessive, and the marriage proposal with learning some of her 'Ancestor level' curses as a dowry was tempting.
But she was still a great friend… and a shit groomer according to herself.
I watched on in delight as the rot spread to the rest of his body, followed by his time reversal slowing down.
Seeing that, I decided to shakily stand up, and take a few steps closer.
Walking up to him, I extended my one good hand, and patted him on the cheek.
"The princess of black blood sends her regards." I said in a mocking tone while patting his cheek, causing his head to lunge at my hand, in an attempt to bite it.
Retracting it swiftly, I took a step backwards.
The time reversal had stopped, and now there was no stopping the curse.
Louvre's skin and muscles shriveled up, gaining a blackish tint, his eyes sunk into his skull.
His hair, once a similar shade to mine, was now falling off of his skull.
Smiling at the disfigured Louvre, I gave him a wave.
"Bye, bye!"
Instantly, runes of ice formed around him, before suddenly combusting in midair.
And as if he was the perfect tinder, Louvre caught aflame in an instant.
Smiling. I conjured a chair or ice, and sat down, while looking at my fire.
Sitting there, I allowed it to burn for a few minutes, in order to burn away any of the evidence of the curse I had just used.
As I watched the fire burn, I felt the bounded field behind me fall.
Turning my head, I saw Mother, Lorelei and Barthomeloi look a bit banged up, as their outfits had scratches on them, along with a small gash on Lorelei's arm.
Barthomeloi looked to be in the best shape, which wasn't too surprising, but he was panting harder than the two, which I guess was due to keeping up the Reality Marble.
"All done on your end as well?" I asked while raising a hand in greeting.
No one got to give me an answer, as Mom ran to me, and grabbed the upper part of my broken arm.
Releasing a slight hiss at her touch, as the surrounding area had been scorched by the club as well, she gently removed the fabric surrounding the area.
"Not bad for your first Superior Apostle, sweetie." Mother said as she examined the wound, before letting go of it, and gently embracing me in a hug.
"You did well." She whispered in my ear, causing me to hug her tighter with my good arm.
Releasing the hug, Barthomeloi gave me an examining gaze, before coming to some sort of conclusion, and nodding with satisfaction.
"You've done well for your first hunt, Alistair." He said with approval.
Before glancing in between me and my mother, and shooting his daughter a discreet glance.
Seeing it, she gave a reluctant nod, before regaining her blank look.
Smiling, he gazed at the two of us. "Seeing as this was a success, would the two of you be willing to accompany us on a few other hunts throughout the year?" He proposed.
I kind of wanted to say no, as the more distance between me and Lorelei seemed to do wonders for my mental health.
But I could see how useful this would be for me, even without taking the Grail War into account.
Glancing at Mother, she gave me a shrug, basically saying that it was up to me.
Sighing, I gave him a nod.
"We'd be honored to join you two."
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A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and Reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Now that the mandatory begging is done, time to ask the hard hitting questions.
How was the fight?
Any thoughts?
Am kinda tired, as I wrote part of this while drunk, and the other while hungover, so cut me some slack!
Oh, and sorry for publishing it 2 hours later than usual, I was out drinking, and had forgotten to put on the publishing timer.
Btw, I have made a Discord server for the fic, come on and chat with me! https://discord.gg/wWRhZrbx
Now I'm tired, so have a nice day, and send me some stones or some shit, I need motivation, or some shit like that.