Point-of-View: Siert Huet

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  Is that……Rex? His skin had turned tough and leathery, his face looked a bit like an alligator, and his limbs looked stronger and more flexible……could it be that……he unlocked his True Anima form as well?

  "What the hell is this!?" Ickho snarled furiously, getting back on his feet.

  "It's time for you to die, you bastard," Rex responded icily, the hooked claws on his feet clicking against the ground threateningly.

  "Rex……free Prato, let me handle this," I remarked, as I took a step towards Ickho.

  "Woah, that you, Siert? You look……wow. Heh, well, I guess I can't talk……no way, did we both just unlock our True Anima forms at the same time!? That's so awes-!"

  "We'll talk about it later……first things first," I interrupted, forming four water tails from my lower back.

  Hm, but it is strange, the probability of awakening a True Anima is supposed to be miniscule, so for two people to do so simultaneously……I'll think about that later, like I said……first things first.

  "Uh……r-right, you got it," He responded with a look of surprise, before heading over to Prato.

  "S-stay back, you wouldn't dare- ahhhhhh!!!" Ickho screamed in pain, as I stomped on his leg, crushing the bone with a loud squelch, blood bursting out.

  "Hm? Look at yourself. You're in no position to tell me what to do," I informed him coldly, as I slammed one of my water tails onto his right shoulder, cracking the bone severely and eliciting a cry of anguish from him.

  "H-how……I have the powers of a Demon, so how-!?"

  Not anymore, not without that third eye……

  "Because you are weak."

  "You……how d-dare you……!" He snarled, a mix of rage and fear in his eyes.

  I heard the clank of chains behind me as Rex broke the shackles around Prato's limbs, freeing him.

  "Hey, you alright, kid? Come on, say something," Rex asked softly, patting the side of his face.

  Prato didn't say a word, instead standing up and walking towards Ickho……chills ran down my spine as I caught a glimpse of the look on his face……his eyes were burning with fury yet coldly calm……

  "I'm……," He began in a quiet, emotionless voice, before turning his chilling gaze towards Ichko, "I'm going to fucking kill you……"

  He then shot forward and reached for Ickho's head, who responded in a panic by getting his arm in the way defensively. Prato didn't bat an eye, simply grabbing his arm, and……incinerating it in the blink of an eye, the only remaining trace of his left forearm was a slight red mist, which quickly faded, as his hand fell to the ground, blood pouring out.

  "M-my……my armmm!!!!!" He screamed in horror and pain, clutching the stump by his elbow and trembling.

  As he began to scramble away, he let out another shriek of pain as I drove my claws through the fingers on his right hand.

  "Does it hurt?" I inquired, with an intensifying sense of rage, "But this is nothing……it's absolutely nothing compared to what you've put hundreds of people through!"

  "S-so what!? They were just lowly trash, who cares!? I am- ahhhhhh!!!!" He began, before Rex interrupted him with a whip of his tail straight up at his chest, and Prato scorched a hole through his leg.

  I then shot towards him, grabbing his throat and slamming him against the wall, tearing off his limbs one by one.

  "Prato, burn his wounds and stop the bleeding……we'll question him before killing him," I remarked, tightening my grip on his throat, the tips of my claws piercing his skin, "Rex, go and kill the other bandits."

  "You got it," Said Rex affirmatively, heading outside with a whip of his tail against the ground.

  "Alright," Prato responded with a nod, burning the stumps where his limbs used to be, Ickho screaming in agony, just as countless of his victims had before.

  "Tell me……how did you know to expect us and set up an ambush? Talk!" I exclaimed, slamming him against the wall again.

  "I-it was……a woman……she told us……"

  A woman?

  "Who was it? What did she look like?"

  "I-I……do not know."

  He was lying. I slowly pierced my claws into his midsection, eliciting tortured cries of agony from him as I twisted them around.

  "You can't lie to me……or I'll kill you, and it will be painful, I'll make sure of that. Answer my questions……now."

  "D-damn you……ahhhh!" He began to growl, before screaming as I violently wrenched my claws across.

  "Answer my question."

  "I-I don't know her name, b-but she had black feathered wings and a black ring floating above her head, and long blonde hair," He stuttered in reply, as blood poured down his mouth.

  That sounds like……one of the beings mentioned in the records of the past that Kuro published after conversing with the Vampire King inside him……if I remember right, she was called Belia Lasmodeus.

  "Was there anyone else with her?"

  "N-no, just her……"

  "And what about your Demon powers? How did you get them? Is the Forbidden Zone broken?"

  "I-I don't know, I swear! Sh-she had a Demon possess me, and m-made sure that it would not take control of my mind, b-but I do not know any more than that……!"

  "I see……in that case, I have nothing more to say to you……time to die," I remarked, sharpening the edge of one of my water tails and pointing it towards his heart.

  "Wait……can I kill him?" Requested Prato, the fearsome look in his eyes still ablaze, "He killed my friends……I want to be the one to kill him."

  "My grudge against him is a lot more deep-seated, so I'd rather kill him myself, but……hm, how about at the same time? I'll strike his heart, and you can have his head. On three……"

  "Okay, that works for me……"

  "N-no, stop it……!" He pleaded desperately, tears welling up in his eyes.

  "Are you crying? How pathetic. So many people have said that to you, begging you to spare them, and you always just laughed in response……I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that this world will be a better place without you. One……two……three!"

  I drove my water tail through his chest and pierced his heart, as Prato simultaneously grabbed his head and incinerated it into nothingness in an instant, leaving a heavy mist of blood in its place, along with the scent of burnt blood in the air. I let out a tired sigh as I returned to my normal state and stumbled back, a wave of dizziness hitting me.

  "Are you okay, Siert?" Asked Prato with a look of concern.

  "Yes, I'm okay……just tired, that's all."

  "Um, if you don't mind me saying……you seem different……"

  "I……I just feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, like the fog has cleared and I can see my path now. B-but, um, I-I don't mean to come off as o-overconfident, I-I'm sorry if I did."

  "Oh, it looks like you haven't changed that much," He remarked with a smile, before a look of sorrow appeared on his face, "We……we managed to survive b-but……Kusu and Ida……they're……they're dead……"

  "I know, but the one who orchestrated this will not get away with it……we'll find and kill the woman that Ickho mentioned. But for now, let's get back to the Rustlands."

  ———————————————————————————


  Point-of-View: Shiro Blanc

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  "That went pretty well, don't you think? Three True Animas awakened, thanks to the barriers I set in place to drastically increase the possibility of the True Anima manifesting! Five of them died, and so did pretty much all the bandits, including the two that I granted Demonic powers to. Two reasonably chaotic battles, I must say," Remarked Belia with a satisfied smile.

  Is she being serious right now……

  "Are you kidding me, you made their side stronger, most of their casualties were just weaklings!" I retorted in exasperation.

  "He is right, True Anima users are powerful, and especially Rex, with his four or five Animas!" Agreed Hacte with a look of frustration.

  "Now, now, calm down, you two. We should give them a fighting chance, you know? After all, this is just the set-up for the main event, we've got a lot more chaos in store to be unleashed!" She declared with a smirk, "It was just a bit of foreplay!"

  I'll ignore the last part……

  "Alright, then let's hear it, what's the next step? And when will we actually get to be involved, watching fights is fine and all, but I'd rather be a part of the action myself!" I remarked with a frown.

  "Have some patience, Shiro, all in good time. As for my next plan, I do have something in mind, but first……let's hear some suggestions from you two, if you suggest an idea that I like more than the idea I have, we'll go with that! Why don't you go first, Hacte?" She suggested, looking at him expectantly.

  "Er, well, I……in that case, I suggest we attack the Rustlands now, while Kuro is still in an apparent coma and."

  "Absolutely not, that's like the most boring way you could go about it, it's not chaotic enough! Shiro, what about you, got anything?"

  What a pain, no matter what I suggest, she probably won't like it more than whatever the hell she's got in mind……

  "I don't know, break another Forbidden Zone, maybe?" I replied with a shrug.

  "Oh, that's not bad……but it's too soon, I want chaotic battles, not a one-sided massacre……if we unleash too many Forbidden Zones simultaneously, there's a good chance that the humans will all just get wiped out. After all, the Vampires alone were enough to reduce the fighting power of both Platinberg and Silvland to basically zero, and Bronztan doesn't really have any especially powerful Adventurers either. The Rustlands is the only nation that can put up a proper fight……ironic, since it was only a few years ago that they were considered the weakest nation."

  "Okay, fine, so what's your plan then?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

  "Oh, it's quite simple……my next move is to……unleash all the Demons to do as they please and possess whoever they want to! There are a hundred and thirteen Demons left now, I look forward to seeing what kind of mayhem they cause!"……

  she really does prioritize generating chaos over anything else, doesn't she?

  "Why, what is the purpose of that?" Asked Hacte in confusion.

  "Huh, isn't it obvious? Because CHAOS, that's why!" She exclaimed with a wide grin, before adding with a gleam in her eyes, "But first……"

  I don't like the look in her eyes……she's upto something……

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