Chapter 8: Pews & Pillars

"No matter... Today you will pay for your sins under the blade of Freedrick Sellzen. Be gone, fallen Angel Sapphira!"

—

Swinging his sword in a wide arc, Freedrick's blade released a crescent-shaped wave of light at the still hiding Sapphira, a smile blooming on his face as he thanked his lord for the opportunity to purify such a foul being.

*BOOM*

The church shook violently as the altar exploded in different directions, destroying pews and pillars, and filling the church hall with thick plums dust, hindering visibility. As Freedrick went to swing his sword to remove said dust, his senses screamed for him to dodge.

Looking up to where the altar once was, a swarm of green light-arrows whistled through the church, heading in his direction.

Nimbly moving through them, sometimes swatting them away, Freedrick danced through the arrows while simultaneously clearing the dust, eventually ending up on the church's stage, coming face to face with the veiled Sapphira.

Immediately upon seeing her, Freedrick performed an over-head swing, intent on cleaving the fallen Angel in two, but in the nick of time, Sapphira dodged to the right, escaping with her life, but not without injury.

Her right arm and thigh were cut slightly from the previous attack, both wounds being an inch or two long and bleeding heavily; but that wouldn't stop her.

Summoning a green light-sword in her left hand, Sapphira swung diagonally across Freedrick's body, aiming to slash at his exposed left side, only to be parried by Freedrick's broadsword, followed by a kick to her side, sending her crashing into a pile of broken pews.

Taking two steps toward the pile of pews, Freedrick suddenly stopped, and jumped to the right, dodging a 10ft green light-arrow aimed at the spot he was in, the ethereal projectile cratering the ground on impact.

Using the newly formed plums of dust as cover, Sapphira spread her wings, and shot toward Freedrick with blinding speed, her green light-sword extended in-front of her ready to skewer the exorcist.

Attempting to parry her strike once again, Freedrick raised his sword, but this time, a second too late.

Missing his heart by an inch, Sapphira instead skewed his upper chest and part of his shoulder, resulting in her and Freedrick crashing through the back wall of the church, and outside into the church's graveyard, some headstones getting destroyed in the process.

Getting up with trembling knees and wounds bleeding all over their bodies, Sapphira and Freedrick once again readied their weapons towards each other, neither willing to allow the other to live.

Steadying their breaths, both readying the weapons to attack; as they were about to lunge at each other, Sapphira and Freedrick suddenly stopped mid-stride, hearing a round of applause coupled with amused laughter from above their heads.

"Hahaha~ I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Please, continue. This is quite entertaining." Tahmut said to the two combatants from the roof of the church, sitting with his legs crossed, his heterochromic eyes shining with mirth.

"Who are you?" Freedrick was the first of the two to speak, the senses he trusted for so long telling him the being on the church's roof is not one of God's children, but a vile creature, one that his lord put in his way to be purified.

"Me? No one important. Just a passerby who happened to see you two and decided to stick around. Now, like I sad: please continue." Tahmut replied, uncrossing his legs, putting his elbow on his thigh, and his chin in his hand.

"State your name or prepare to die under my blade." Freedrick retorted, ignoring Sapphira for the moment as the being on the roof seems to be more of a pressing issue.

Titling his head, and narrowing his eyes, Tahmut began to ponder.

'Is this human stupid? Does he not sense what I am? Is he that weak? Or is he just so confident in his abilities that it doesn't matter what I am?'

"Pfft… HAHAHA!!" Tahmut began to laugh uncontrollably at the thoughts running through his head, his incessant laughter causing Freedrick to snarl, and Sapphira to look at him in both confusion and wariness.

"Hoo~ That was good. Yes, I'm glad I came here. Man, I wish Merget were here too, she would've enjoyed this." Tahmut said, holding his stomach, and shaking his head.

"FOUL CREATURE! DIE!" Freedrick shouted in rage at being ignored, slashing a number crescent-shaped waves of light at the still seated and unmoving Tahmut.

Looking at the oncoming attacks, Tahmut raised his eyebrow, but still did nothing to defend himself.

*BOOM*

The roof of the church exploded much like the altar, causing large rocks and wooden beams to fly everywhere, with the majority of the debris destroying the remaining graveyard.

Seeing the destruction caused by his attack, Freedrick couldn't help himself, and released a boisterous laugh that echoed throughout the silent graveyard.

"HAHAHA~ Now repent in hell you-"

"Don't tell me that was it…" Tahmut whined, cutting Freedrick's celebration short, his voice filled with disappointment.

As the dust settled, and visibility returned, Sapphira and Freedrick widened their eyes in disbelief. Sitting with his legs still crossed, his body and clothes unscathed from the previous attack, Tahmut could be seen floating above where he previously sat, crumbling walls accompanying his crumbling visage.

"Haah~ I won't lie, you had me in the first half. The way you spoke with passion dripping from each word. The way you assaulted the air with your sword skills, sending ethereal projectiles at good speed. I thought you might entertain me… But how foolish was I?" Tahmut lamented.

Uncrossing his legs, and standing on air, his 6ft10 frame blocking the moonlight, Tahmut slowly descended towards the ground, landing listlessly, causing Freedrick, and the now silent observer, Sapphira, to take a couple of steps back, the latter moving farther than the former.

Breathing a long sigh, further putting Freedrick and Sapphira on guard, Tahmut cracked his neck, and then vanished, appearing beside Freedrick with his claw-like nails extended, and slashed at his sword arm, cleanly removing it from his body.

Not given any time to scream, Tahmut, who was now behind the one-armed Freedrick, swung his clawed hand across both of his hamstrings, followed by a long cut that traveled the length of Freedrick's back, causing the exorcist to fall on his knees and then forward, liters of blood pooling around his body.

"Pathetic." Tahmut snarled, looking down disdainfully at the bloody Freedrick. "And to think my entertainment was ruined for this." Heaving a disgruntled sigh, with his head held low, Tahmut turned toward the hole the fallen Angel and exorcist made, thinking of other ways to quell his renewed boredom.

"W-Wait!"

Stopping mid-stride, his back to Sapphira, Tahmut turned his head, his countenance filled with apathy.

"What do you want?" He asked with displeasure.

"I-I just wanted to thank you for saving me. Y-You didn't have to, but you did. So…thank you." Sapphira answered timidly, but in a loud enough voice so that Tahmut could hear.

If not for the intervention of this mysterious being, a being who showed up randomly simply to enjoy 'entertainment', she would have been dead by now, or worse. Sapphira thought it necessary to at least express her gratitude to this mysterious being, no matter how much he scared her.

"Is that what you think I did?" Tahmut scoffed, continuing his trek toward the hole in the church. "If you do, you're more pathetic than that fool on the ground."

"W-What if I can entertain you?!" Sapphira blurted out, hoping her savior understood her meaning.

She was desperate, and she was tired. Tired of running from exorcists trying to claim her life. Tired of running from herself. All Sapphira wanted was peace, a way to live carefree and enjoy what life she had unfettered by worries.

But dreams don't always come true. She thought she finally had found a place to stay, a backwater city that was slowly developing. She thought surely no exorcist would be here. But she was wrong, and now she finds herself in this situation: selling her body for protection. It's a decision her pride will never recover from, but it was one that had to be made. She wants to live, and if she has to use her body for it, then so be it.

"No." Tahmut answered, never once stopping his stride, soon exiting the church. His voice, however, was still heard by Sapphira.

"If you want to entertain me, get stronger, seek me out. But until then, don't sell yourself to live another day. Only the weak serve, and I'm sure you've heard this before, but this world has no room for the weak." Tahmut said offhandedly, not knowing that with those simple words, he changed his life forever.