The dream knights stared at the war demon, standing on a puddle of what used to be their comrade in shock. No questions, no hesitation, the warning from Hannya were no shallow words. A dream knight had been slain.
Many of the men couldn't accept it, they turned to Baku, their anguished eyes looking to their leader, hoping for him to step in, to stop this maleficent madness. But their eyes soon widened in disbelief.
Because Baku was standing there, smiling at the scene, nearly chuckling. It looked as if that knight was no one to him.
But Baku couldn't help it, he had seen it. At first he was a little regretful for making that deal earlier with the tantruming Hannya, thinking she had forgotten the words he whispered to her not five minutes ago.
But to his relief, his eyes picked up on the peculiarity of the dream knight's death. The last ditch effort from the shadow demon to shed his husk of a body and disappear into the shadows.
'Was she just lucky? Or…' He decided to shelf whether or not Hannya had lost control and attacked an honestly late knight; it had worked out in the end.
He thought back to what he told her before starting this interrogation.
'Let's just interrogate them for now kid, but, as agreed, ten dream knight heads if you 'find any lacking'. As promised.'
He could only smile wider thinking of how she decided to spare Regina and even bless her, he felt her first tenet form, as well as the scripture that followed.
'But she really is talented.' Not only had she formed her first devil scripture, a second was quickly following. He wondered what her manifestation would look like having a paradoxical tenet like his.
He always thought his manifestation was quite grotesque. He chuckled goodnaturedly, causing all the knights looking at him to nearly fall into madness.
Hans wiped the blood from his fist and glanced at the ground, extra chunks of flesh and blood began to rise from a peculiarly placed shadow on the floor. As the bits of flesh and blood rose from it, the shadow receded more, until all that was left was pulp and viscera.
A flash of understanding passed the old butler's eyes.
'Shadow demons.' Every puzzle piece hanging in the old butler's mind finally fell into place.
'What formidable foresight!' Even in such a volatile state, the young miss is mindful of such happenings and is taking full advantage of it. He looked toward the shivering knights and frowned. All were now in a state of despair, save for the female dream knight his young miss spoke to.
She remained stoic, not bothering to take a second glance at the dead knight.
'At least there was one disciplined warrior.' But the tactful butler was far from satisfied, he would not dare miss this opportunity to boost his young lady's image and prestige!
He muttered, loud enough for the rest to hear. "I see… truly a keen eye. A shadow demon lurked in this knight's flesh."
The knights froze. Had they heard it correctly? A shadow demon was killed? The war demon had no reason to lie, it was clear who had the power here, and the little devil made it clear she had no intention of looking good in front of them any longer.
If that was the case, then…
The dream knight's faces all hardened. So, that warrior had been long since dead. Most of the veterans finally realized what their old fox of a commander was doing, why he hadn't stepped up or made any moves to suppress the little devil and her butler.
They have been infiltrated, and the little one was aware. The older captains looked up to their commander with understanding eyes and firmer wills, Bellomy was right, it was indeed a farce. One set up for the spies within.
The old commander, seeing the hotbloodedness return to his subordinates eyes, chuckled and smiled wider. He looked at each of the ones that had figured it out, showing his approval and appreciation with his eyes.
He was a little startled seeing a strange gleam in Regina's eye, but if she understood too, all was fine.
He turned back to the little devil, whose face was blank ,yet blood was boiling with anger and spoke.
"Granddaughter, continue your 'evaluation' you have this old man's approval. Rest assured, none shall leave until you're satisfied." He said, his face now sharp and challenging.
But the young devil did not reply. She stood there, her face blank, her eyes spinning rapidly as black mist began to slowly seep from her body, travelling along the courtyard grounds.
BA-DUMP
BA-DUMP
BA-DUMP
She heard nothing around her, only her loud heart beat booming in her ears.
At some point, her anger reached an unprecedented high when her elegance was interrupted once again. But for some reason, she felt the anger then stop, replaced with a strange sense of sadness. Not for herself, but for the ignorant masses, some were truly incapable of understanding. She had tried to show them the true path to fulfillment, the true path to salvation, yet some had no interest.
She lamented. "How can some of you not realize?" she said, looking across the barrack grounds, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Some felt their hearts tighten at such a face. The fear they felt replaced with a pang of guilt. M-maybe they were wrong? Maybe her anger was warranted.
But those feelings were soon drowned out by sudden wild laughter.
"Kikiki kikiki kikiki!" Hannya laughed madly, she realized something. Why should she be the shepherd to the lost? She'd already wasted her time doing such things in her last life, and all it got her was… was…
"Kikiki ah! That's right! I'm here to cull the weak!" And besides, her love came first! Why waste more time on these unwashed heretics?
She raised a slender hand to the sky, causing the barracks to rumble slightly.
The black mist spread out rapidly, forming a small layer of clouds on the ground, dense enough that one couldn't see past the shin.
"Kikiki, Those that know love will never truly know despair, for love conquers all."
WOOM
Chaos energy began to congregate and spread throughout the dense black mist below, making small pink particles sparkle within its ominous depths.
She waved her hand in the air, making the mist accelerate and expand, reaching the edges of the large barracks and seeping out the doors of the building.
DING
[
Devil Hannya's [Scripture of Despair-Conquering Love] is now recording [Second Verse] on your tenet!
]
Hannya spread her arms out wide and smiled happily, she turned and looked at 'Captain Bellomy' whose eyes were wide in horror.
Who could blame him, his subordinate was indiscriminately crushed to meat paste so swiftly, The war demon had found out that a shadow demon resided within the ranks, and it seemed the whore devil and Baku were already well aware of this fact.
And now the little devil was staring directly at him. This wasn't a guess, her face was undoubtedly sure.
'They know!' The mission has been compromised, a complete failure!
His mind was chaotic, forget about how they found out, forget about whether any of their information had actually gotten to their master, how the hell were they going to get out of here!
It was clear the devil was manifesting a tenet, and it could be anything. Staying any longer could lead to something worse than death, but what could they do!? The war demon was right there!
Do they hold the bluff or just rush the little devil, hoping the war demon prioritizes her safety, hopefully allowing a few of them to scatter to the shadows?
As the chaos energy began to reach a crescendo, he knew he was running out of time.
'Fuck it! We'll rush her! A few of us being able to report is better than the possibility of a full capture.'
He didn't need to alert his men, they were trained. Once he got up, they would know what to do.
Except…
'!?!'
He didn't move. He just stayed there, continuing to kneel.
'M-my husk won't move!'
"kikiki!"
The shadow demons' panicked eyes looked back up to the young devil. She was now much closer than before, only a step away, yet the distance made no difference for his immobile body.
She peered down at him, her flower petal irises spinning one way, and her spiral pupil spinning the other. This was the loveless lout from before. She thought it apt to witness his fear and despair as he watched the true power of love!
DING
[
The [Mark Of Madness] is resonating!
It twists and turns delightedly, expanding as it devours essence from your inner world!
[Paradoxical Scripture] record is mutating…
]
She spoke down to him.
"Those that know no love will only know despair… and die in a fit of madness."
The cute pink eyes of the little devil slowly turned blood red. The pupils of the shadow demon trembled as the energy around the barracks solidified.
"Tenet: Desperate Love."
DING
[
[Paradoxical Scripture] created!
[Tenet: Desperate Love] completed!
]
DING
[
Achievement: Heart Trial 2 - Humiliation(Complete)
[Heart Trail 2 - Humiliation(complete)]
You've been insulted, slighted, disdained, and ridiculed all under the eyes of callously observing lower beings. As a result, your supreme existence now demands respect! Your supreme blood has forced your heart devil blood's trial for awakening. By lifting the heads of the humble and crushing the skulls of the bold, you've formed a paradoxical scripture to perform swift reeducation for the ignorant masses. Your mind and heart approve of such an outcome, a queen must meet her king with steady steps and even hands. Awakening has been achieved.
[
…
…
[Devil eyes are awakening…]
[Eye of the Blasphemer(S) unlocked!]
[Eye of the Blasphemer] is cooperating with [Tenet: Desperate Love]
Warning! Essence of despair is insufficient!
Evolution is required!
First [Petal of Profanity] is currently only available.
]
As Hannya's words fell, the color of the surroundings changed, the barrack courtyard now gave off a blood red hue.
Thick, black, snake-like vines slithered out from the dense black mist below, wrapping around the bodies of the horrified dream knights, none were untouched, and none moved.
They couldn't, no matter how much they wanted to struggle, they could only watch as the vines continued to wrap around their paralyzed forms. The vines felt like a vice grip as they flowed in and out across the legs, arms, and necks of all that stood in the mist.
All but Baku and the little devils subordinates.
Some of the veterans felt their hearts trembling as the paralysis and vines affected their bodies, but their eyes didn't waver anymore. They looked to Baku, trusting their fate to their long trusted commander. The sliver of hope they held out for salvation had long been reignited after the display by the war demon, revealing the truth.
Baku had a plan, and he wouldn't abandon them. Such was the discipline of the old guard.
Baku, on the other hand, was beginning to sweat on the inside once again. Why is everyone being targeted again? The game was already revealed! Shouldn't she be focusing on the shadow demon unit?
He took a step forward.
*Cough* "uh kid-" But before he could try and remind her about the mission, thinking she had lost herself to the tantrum again, Hannya turned to him and grinned. Her red eyes spinning, but her mind seemingly clear.
"Kikiki, no worries, Dream Eater, a deal is a deal." She walked back to the front of the group, spread her arms out wide and spoke. "Know the name of Hannya, the name of the heart, the name of the devil."
RUMBLE
All eyes watched as the thick black vines submerged in the mist began to coalesce, as humps of roots became visible throughout the top of the clouded ground, leading to the empty stage in the center.
STRETCH
And then they saw it.
A huge rose began to emerge from the dense layer of mist, as if that section of mist led to another world. The rose was huge, the size and shape of a large inverted tower bell as it continued to rise in the air, carried by a massive black stem.
The people looked on in awe and fear. The rose radiated a terrifying aura, sending wave after wave of unbridled despair to all that watched it ascend.
As it reached past the top of the walls in the open space…
BLOOM
The flower began to bloom, the sight brought the fear and despair pause, igniting a sense of trepidation and reverence as the petals began to stretch out. As the petals opened wider, the onlookers began to see it. Within the center of the flower laid a woman.
Her lower body was submerged within the rest of the rose, leaving her upper body resting on the petals. Her hands lay flat on one another, as she rested her chin on top of them, an almost relaxed and carefree pose.
Her face was pale white, her lips and eyebrows were painted red, her sclera shimmered in a golden glow and her irises pitch black. Her horns were golden and her black hair was neatly tied up in a bun, decorated with fine jewels and golden ornaments.
She looked down at Hannya and smiled caringly. The smile of the woman was beautiful. A caring, humble, motherly smile that let off a soothing presence.
From a distance, it at least appeared to be a woman. But upon closer inspection, people noticed the peculiarities. The fingers she rested on were sectioned into parts, the area that connected her neck was sectioned as well, along with the both sides of her mouth and the area connecting her neck and shoulders under her loosely worn kimono.
Those with even keener eyes, like the vets, Baku, and Hans could see the subtle gleam of transparent threads attached to parts of her body, leading up to the sky and disappearing into the heavens.
A puppet.
Her small smile didn't change in the slightest as the puppet turned its head to Baku.
CLICK CLICK CLICK
CREAAAAK
It stared at Baku for a while in silence, examining him. Baku felt a strange energy subtly attach to him, but he didn't do anything, he's stood on unholy ground plenty enough times to sense the danger, if there were any.
CLICK CLICK CLICK
CREAAAAK
The puppet then turned to the Dream knights, making their hairs stand on end.
CREAAAAK CLICK
She tilted her head as it observed the group. After a while, it leaned up from its lying posture, sitting up straight. It's head then…
CLICK CLICK CLICK
CLICK CLICK CLICK
CLICK CLICK CLICK
Began to spin rapidly, letting out wooden clicking sounds as the head rotated round and round the puppets neck.
CLICK….CLICK
Finally it stopped, but the pure, peaceful, and beautiful white face was no longer there. The smiling face was replaced with a red one, her mouth twisted into a mix between a mocking sneer and a savage grin. The ornaments on her head now gone, leaving the hair now let down, wild and disheveled.
Her teeth were now showing, revealing rows of sharp, golden teeth as the puppet now leaned back in her flowery embrace, one palm resting under her chin, grinning. She was enjoying this show.
With the other hand, the puppet pointed to the crowd.
RECEDE
And the vines wrapping around most of the dream knights flowed back to the depths of the black mist, freeing them.
Baku sighed in relief, most of his men were being let go, but his brow soon furrowed.
The phrase 'most of his men' that was supposed to be doing the heavy lifting in this sentence, didn't seem to be lifting enough.
50 or so stayed locked in place, covered in vines.
'What happened to 10?!' Baku thought. Her tenet must have uncertain conditions!
But before he could voice his thoughts.
PUCHI
PUCHI
PUCHI
The black vines attached to the remaining knights began to sprout stake sized thorns, piercing the group viciously.
SPLASH
Blood began to spill in the unholy courtyard.