His eyes were burning with crimson fury, and foam dripped from the corners of his mouth.
As his body twitched and shook uncontrollably, beastly sounds came out of his mouth, making him look more like a beast than a man.
"Kill…" he muttered to himself. It seemed that out of all the desires he possessed, the need to kill had overpowered every other one.
To make matters worse, he was still holding his sword. So his situation would worsen with each second that passed without him dropping it.
Seeing the state he was in, the girls immediately understood there was no point in trying to reason with him. Olivia immediately stretched out her hand, and a dark whip appeared, ready to be used.
With a precise motion, she used it to take hold of his cursed sword. Once the whip wrapped around the sword multiple times, Olivia pulled with all her strength. Eric, not expecting it, accidentally let go of the sword.
Aria, meanwhile, wasn't sitting around either. She had dug her foot deep into the ground and exploded toward Eric, who was still disoriented.
Olivia managed to get his sword, but the problem still remained. As long as the sword hadn't been dissolved, the amplified desires of its user would remain.
Catching a glimpse of Aria, who approached him with dazzling speed, and realizing he had lost his sword a second ago, Eric raised his hand in an attempt to throw a punch as his crimson eyes shone with the light of frenzy.
Maybe because Eric was weaker than Aria, or maybe because he was already exhausted, his punch didn't even come close to connecting with Aria's body.
She positioned herself behind him, took hold of both of his hands, placing them behind his back, and then threw him to the ground on his chest while still holding his hands in an attempt to prevent him from doing something he would normally regret.
"Olivia!" Aria cried.
"I know!" she responded, using her whip again to wrap Eric's hands behind his back, effectively making him unable to harm anyone, including himself.
"KILL!" Eric continued to scream, his body shaking violently. It was as if he was so addicted to the feeling that he was having withdrawal symptoms.
Olivia quickly grabbed Eric's legs, making it impossible for him to stand.
With his hands and legs tied, he was effectively harmless… hopefully.
"Eric!" Aria cried, positioning herself in a way that he could see her. "Dissolve your sword!"
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Eric shouted as he struggled against his restraints with all his might.
"Now what?" Olivia muttered. "The only person who can dissolve his sword is he himself, but if he isn't listening, what do we do?"
Aria sat on the ground with her arms crossed, deep in thought, while Eric continued struggling like some kind of lunatic.
"His desires are amplified… so maybe we make him see reason?" she muttered to herself.
"But how do we even do that?" Olivia asked. It seemed she found the most efficient way to stop his legs from kicking was to sit on them, so now both women were comfortably sitting, deep in thought, while Eric was still screaming his lungs out.
"Well, if we're talking about desires, the strongest one is fear for your life, right?" Olivia commented. "But I don't see how this will help us, it might make him even more frenzied…"
Aria's eyes narrowed for a moment as her usually cold expression cracked. "Then what about the second strongest desire?" she commented.
Olivia crossed her arms. "I think it was lust? But I don't see how we can use this either…"
"That's true…" Aria had to agree. "But it's not like we have any other option."
"Then what do you suggest?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows.
Aria was lost in thought for a moment. Then she sighed and removed her armored gloves, revealing her delicate hands.
"Eric…" she said as she tried to grasp his face, only almost to be bitten by his jaws. It seemed that Eric had resolved to biting like a dog.
"I'm trying to help you, you know," Aria muttered irritably. Increasing the speed of her hands, she managed to place them on his cheeks, preventing his head from moving.
"Eric," she said as she forced his head to look at her. "Dissolve the sword."
The only response she got was the guttural sounds that Eric made as he struggled to release himself.
"Eric," she gently placed her face dangerously close to his, now just a few centimeters separating them. She spoke quietly, almost like a whisper, her cold breath easily reaching his face.
"This is not like you… so please dissolve the sword, alright? Do you really want to look like some kind of beast?" There was a bit of sadness in her voice. Truth be told, her words were sincere.
From what she saw as she traveled with Eric, he was a dependable person she could rely upon. He didn't even hesitate to risk his life for theirs, so it was pitiful to see him reduced to such a state.
Hearing the words and seeing a tear that had started to fall from Aria's eye, Eric shuddered for a moment as if remembering himself and dissolved the sword.
Immediately after his mind became clear, he was able to think. The next moment, feeling the exhaustion from killing so many skeletons in quick succession, overwhelmed him, and he collapsed into sleep—or more accurately, he passed out.
Olivia immediately got up from his legs and dissolved her whip.
As she shifted her gaze, glancing at Aria, she saw that the princess had started to cry a little.
Deciding not to comment on it, she flipped Eric's body, allowing him to rest on his back and making his breathing easier.
At that moment, the stoic man was gone, replaced by someone who was sleeping peacefully, strangely vulnerable.
With a sigh, Olivia commented, "Thank goodness we reached him in time."
Aria nodded, showing that she agreed with her.
"Well, anyway, what emotion made Eric come to his senses?"
Aria shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe it was reason or determination…"
Suddenly, Olivia grinned. Aria hardly ever saw Olivia smiling so happily, so the sight startled her for a moment.
Olivia teased, "Or maybe it was lust and he just really, really likes you."
Trying to hide the fact that she had blushed a little, Aria tried to change the subject by glancing at the skeletons that lay dead on the ground.
"How did this thing manage to control so many skeletons at the same time?" she asked.
"How should I know?" Olivia responded, approaching the remains, until her pupils widened in surprise.
"Wait! Don't tell me it's…"