Chapter 7-2: Unjust Warfare Part 2

"Is he always like this?"

"I do not know. It has only been a few days since I became my master's familiar, so I cannot tell whether or not he is. However, if you meant if he has ever acted this way before, I will have to say no."

"I see…" Ofira was almost fully healed. Most of her wounds were gone, including the ones in her mouth. Her teeth were put back in place via healing magic, and all that remained was her overall strength which needed recovery.

"...I have to admit…Christopher's quite the brave one…rushing into battle like that against a Creation Disciple…most disciples wouldn't even dream of doing what he did. Has he ever fought a disciple of an Elder God before?"

"Yes." Est nodded, "He fought and defeated his party member, Alvara, who was previously a Death Disciple before becoming a Marionette Disciple about two days ago."

"Ehh?" Ofira's eyes opened wide upon hearing that, "I wasn't expecting that. So she was a Death Disciple before…that explains her familiar I guess…how come she switched?"

"She switched because my master could not stand allowing her to stay within the Death Faction after she, along with her familiar, were given a mission by Achlys to assassinate us. They assumed that she purposely sent her to be slaughtered, since Achlys clearly knew who we both were."

"Wow…and what do you think?"

"Me?" Est tilted her head at the girl, a little confused at her question.

"Yeah, do you think she was, Est?"

"Hmm…If I were to say whether or not I do, I would say yes. Achlys is a foul, and brash and arrogant deity who should not be in the Heavenly Council. She knew exactly what she was doing when she sent Alvara to eliminate us. It also seems like she has sent other assassins after us as well."

"Really…does your master know about this?"

"No." Est shook her head in denial, "I only know about it because Alastor told me."

"I see…when will they arrive?"

"They shall arrive here in Babylonia at any minute, one woman, and four men. Their familiars are of ranks two, three, four, four and two. They are all weaker than me, so they pose no threat whatsoever to us."

Ofira was particularly shocked to hear this, but after she thought about it, she wasn't surprised at all. She laughed out loud at Est's remark, filled with joy in the conversation.

"Hahahahahahaha! You really are something, you know? As expected of Alastor's prized possession huh?"

"I am merely doing my job as a familiar, Ofira. Protecting my master is both my goal, and my purpose during my time as his partner."

She didn't say a word after her statement, Ofira felt a sense of both satisfaction and gladness toward Est. She felt truly happy she and Christopher cared for one another so deeply.

"You and Christopher really care for each other, huh?"

"Yes. It seems so."

"He's lucky to have such a good familiar. Make sure he rewards you after the mission is over, alright?"

Est looked at her once more with a nod.

"Yes."

When Est concluded the healing, they both stood up. Ofira had a meeting to attend, whereas Est thought she'd rejoin her master at the throne room.

"Thank you for healing me, Est. It's an honour to be healed by a being such as yourself."

"Pay it no mind. You could've done it yourself after all."

"I-I know but…your healing is stronger than mine…so it was more convenient…" She was a little embarrassed, but shrugged it off, "A-anyway, I've gotta join my master in the throne room. Will you be heading to Christopher now?"

"Yes."

"Great! I'll go with you then!"

"..."

The girls proceeded down the hallway side by side, until they arrived at a more narrow passageway. Through the walls, the sound of loud, audible, feminine moans could be heard.

Est took interest in them-for it could've been one of her targets.

"Hmm? You want to investigate, Est?"

"Yes. I do. For it could be one of our targets."

"Okayyy!!" Ofira happily agreed to check it out with her.

Following the noise, the two eventually came across a slightly opened door. Through it, was the very target Est hoped for, the prince, along with a woman.

"N-NOO~! ST-STOPPP!! A-AAAHHHH-!"

"Mmm keep your mouth shut, woman!"

"AAHHH~AAHH~AAHH~"

"I said to keep your goddamn mouth shut!!"

The prince had taken another woman from the kingdom into his bed. She was a well-built lady with a big bust and medium sized nipples. They were doing it in doggy-style, her breasts shook back and forth as the fat, sweaty prince vigorously pounded his dick into her vagina over and over again, both their slimy love juices fell splat onto the already stained mattress. Both were completely void of any form of clothing.

"N-NOOO! D-DON'T TOUCH ME THERE-A-AAHHHH-!!" Her kidnapper leaned forward while thrusting and firmly grabbed her nipples, squeezing them so hard she shrieked in pure agony.

"Awww shut your fucking mouth! I am the prince! I can do as I please!"

"N-No! M-my husband h-he wouldn't-"

"WHO CARES about that husband of yours! It is ME who you should be focusing on! ME I tell you, ME!" He pounded even harder into her. Pressing himself up on her exposed buttox, he picked up her body, and slammed face up onto the mattress. There, he forcefully moved her legs up, and continued pounding into her.

"Ahh~Ahh~P-Prince I-I'm gonna-AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH-!" Quickly, for the eleventh time that session, she squirted out her love juices all over the mattress. But the prince paid no heed to it! He didn't stop, despite the numbness in her vaginal area, and her pleas with him, he only carried on.

"Gross…" Est and Ofira watched it all unfold, Ofira in complete disgust, Est with her usual neutral attitude.

"...This is your chance. Assassinate him while you still can, Est."

"Yes. That I shall do." Est backed up from the doorway and channelled her magic. Ofira watched her, and before she knew it, Est's entire form started to change.

"H-huh? W-what're you-E-Eloise?!"

Est's form suddenly changed to Eloise's. Her long, flowing deep ocean blue hair, her light blue eyes, shiny white skin and glimmering navy blue dress all matched up with the real thing. Her hips were broad, and shoulders wide. Her height was about the same as Alvara's, along with her physical age. Compared to the real Eloise, Est matched up perfectly.

"Do not be fooled." Even her voice accurately mimicked Eloise's child-like, high pitched tone, "For I am only using illusion magic to make myself look like her."

"Y-you surely do…you sound like her as well…" If Est switched her appearance to any other person then Ofira wouldn't have been so uncomfortable. She was close to Eloise after all.

"...A-Anyway…what'll you be doing with that appearance?"

"Heh…"

"Whoa-!"

She didn't need much explanation at all about Est's intentions, for the sinister, evil look on her friend's face told her everything. But it was that which worried the Creation Familiar.

"I-I wouldn't say this is a bad idea because it's actually quite funny to me…but are you sure you wish to assassinate him like this?"

"Of course. He wanted Eloise for her body, so I shall give it to him." Est said. Her resolve went deeper than she told.

After a bit of pondering, Ofira decided to just drop her concerns. It was the Marionette familiar Est she spoke with, who was much older than her by three thousand years. She'd know what she was doing even if she didn't announce it.

Sighing, Ofira laughed nervously to her,

"Alright. Just don't be too long, I'll wait for you in the throne room."

"I shall only be a minute. Farewell, Ofira. However, before you go…"

"Hmm?" Ofira happily waited in front of Est for her response, "Need anything else?"

"Take this." Est raised the arm she held her stuffed animal in, and gave it to Ofira with great care, "Ensure that you give it back to me when you're finished."

"Your stuffed animal? Don't you need it though? Why are you giving it to me?"

"I have my reasons. Take good care of it, for it is much older and more useful than you are." Est gave her a stern look, and she acknowledged.

"I will. Don't be too long, Est!"

"I shall not. Farewell, Ofira."

***

"Huh? P-princess…Eloise…?"

"Princess Eloise?" As Est waited patiently outside the prince's room for his disgusting actions to come to a halt, from around the corner, two knights spotted her.

"But I thought she was locked up…? What is she…?"

"No, wait, that…that face…"

"Huh?" The first Babylonian knight took a closer look at the girl. Surely enough, there was enough difference to blatantly tell him that she wasn't as she seemed.

"What about her face?" The second one muttered, "I don't see anything wrong with it."

"No, fool. Her eyes…they…they look so…vacant. Surely that cannot be Eloise. It has to be an imposter."

"Vacant?" The second knight eyed her closely. More or less, her eyes were just as his partner said. Lifeless, resembling that of a dead fish. Her eyes were dull, and widened. Est's face wore an unreadable, emotionless expression as she neutrally gazed into the room, analysing every single motion she viewed. The aura around her had the chaotisy to put absolutely anyone on edge if they neared her.

"By the Gods…you are correct…that girl cannot be Eloise!" Finally, the second knight read what the first did.

"See what I told you? She's standing outside the prince's room as well…"

"Think she means to assassinate him then?"

The second remained silent, pondering around the possible situations that could very well arise. Eventually, he made his decision.

"I don't know, but we have to find out! I'm going in!"

"Okay. If anything happens, I'll come running."

"I appreciate it."

Swallowing his fear, he hesitantly approached the girl who he thought was posing as Eloise.

Upon getting close enough, he called out to her,

"You there. You're coming with me!"

"..." However, no responses were given. Est only continued to stare in.

"I said, you're coming with us! Look at me when I'm talking to you!!" The knight blurted out. Still, nothing happened.

"Listen to me!!" He raised his right arm, and smacked her hard on her shoulder, though the moment he made contact, it felt as though his hand was melting.

"O-OWW! GOD!" The immense temperature of her skin melted through his flesh even though he made contact for only a second, leaving a deep scar upon his hand.

He gaped toward his open wound, his body completely shaken.

"W-what the hell?! H-how did-" Then immediately, his eyes fell upon Est, "-Y-you really aren't Eloise…"

"W-what happened?!" The first knight came running to him. The moment he caught sight of the wound, he freaked out, "B-by the Gods, what happened to you?!"

"I-it was that girl! H-her skin! D-don't touch it! Grrrrraaahhh…!"

"Skin?" He gaped at her sceptically. But how could a human have a temperature that hot though…? That's impossible…

"E-excuse me, you aren't princess Eloise…are you?"

Est didn't wish to respond to them-they didn't deserve her attention, nor were they worth her time. Though given the amount of irritable attention she received, she saw it as necessary.

"DDie.."

"Eh? What was that?" The knight leaned closely toward her with his hand at the back of his ear.

The familiar then turned to face the two…and shot daggers in their direction. The look on her face mixed with her dead, lifeless eyes was enough to shake them to the core.

"W-what the-?!" Her face was completely different from before. Her incredibly large fiery, watery eyes were stuck in a single position on her head, not able to move an inch due to her immense agitation. Her face was fully twisted, her mouth refusing to shut. Each breath she took released a boiling steam.

Her voice wasn't like it was before at all. It was distorted, and low pitched, the sound of it struck fear into anyone who had the misfortune of listening.

"You are…Babylonian knights, am I correct?" She huffed.

"Y-yes…w-who are…?"

"Then perish, along with your kingdom!"

"H-Huh-A-BWAAAAAAHHHHH-aAAAhaHHAAhaAAAHH-!" Without even allowing them a chance to respond, Est raised her hand, and fired out her marionette strings. These ones were firmer, sharper, and more in quantity than the others.

The knight was impaled through the stomach three times, his chest six times, arms and legs seven times. He was lifted into the air just above them, then vociferously slammed to the ground, where his body was smashed open.

"OMPH-" His ribs were shattered, and his nose split in two. From there, Est raised him up, and spun the strings around, which completely annihilated each and every bit of his flesh. Blood was splattered everywhere, onto the walls, the floor, she didn't stop until he was fully sliced up.

Nothing of the individual remained. Bits and pieces of his organs were scattered around, some sliding off the walls, leaving a trail of red ooze, while some were on both her and the other knight's body. She took pride in her creation, savouring the massacre she committed.

"Ahh~ Master is going to be proud of me…heeheehee…just look at this wonderful display~" She crouched down to the floor, and saw part of the now deceased man's small intestine, "Heeheehee…" She held onto it, and memorised its slimy squishiness. The remaining knight watched in horror as she lifted it, and placed the organ into her mouth, chewing and swallowing. Her mouth then leaked of the man's blood.

"Delicious…absolutely delicious…I missed this taste…don't you think, knight? Humans should only exist to serve as food for us familiars."

"B-Bwaaah!!" The knight collapsed to the floor, and dropped his weapon. He found himself unable to move an inch as Est neared him.

"Heeheeheeheehee…hahahahahahahaha!"

"N-No! D-don't! I-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH-!" But alas, his pleas for mercy were cut short by a sudden stabbing sensation within his lungs. Est impaled him through the chest, then through his stomach. His body dropped as he was lifted toward the ceiling, then another marionette string went inside him.

"AAH-" The string flew into his mouth, and wrapped around his tongue, where it was continuously tightened until that part of his body fell to the ground. His life essence rapidly shot out of him, and some of it got onto Est's attire. But she enjoyed it-the blood of her victims splashing onto her body, it excited her more than anything ever had.

Two more strings through both of his shoulders, she ripped the skin off, and brought it over to herself.

Taking them in her hand, she brought them to her nose, and sniffed.

"Ah…such a tasty scent…" She felt like she owed the astonishing situation all to her master, who left her with Ofira, "...Thank you for the meal, master~" Subsequently, she placed a section of the flesh onto her tongue, and sucked on it, draining it of its blood before chewing.

"Heeheehee~"

***

"Om…om…om…ahh…*slurp* mmmmm…" Est stayed in front of the prince's room with the body of the fallen knight while in her true appearance. She sank her teeth into its neck, and ripped the flesh apart, greedily eating away at the skin.

Her face was absolutely covered with blood, along with her clothing, hair, arms, and legs. Basically, her body was dyed red.

"Rnng…om…nom…" She held his neck open, and sank her face into the throat of her victim, where she drank the red liquid, relishing the taste.

She endlessly consumed the body, going from the neck, all the way to the chest, from which she used her strings to break through the rib cage and make her way to the lungs and heart.

"Ew…" However, she didn't find human lungs very appetising, so she tore them out and threw them away. That didn't apply to the heart though. The moment his heart entered her sights, she snatched it, and shoved her face deeply into the organ.

"Om…" She shredded the heart open with her fangs, and it popped, sending even more red ooze onto her body.

"Hehhehheh…" She loved each and every moment of it.

The stomach area was her favourite part of a human-for it was there which had the most meat, including the intestines which were a delicacy for her.

Except…right before she dug into her victim's stomach, the door to the prince's room opened…and the first thing she saw was just the person she waited for.

"Eh?"

"..." It took the prince about a minute to process the situation. He glanced over to the corpse, the blood stained walls and floor, then the blood soaked Est, who stared at him with an emotionless expression throughout.

"...The fuck is this?"

Est paid no heed to his confusion. Instead, she, without moving, said to him,

"You disturbed my meal."

"Your…meal?" Prince Babylonian questioned.

"Yes. Because of that, you shall be my next one."

"What…? I-I'm not follo-BWAAAAAH-!"

Almost immediately, Est beckoned her strings, and Prince Babylonian was pinned against the wall. Both his arms and legs were impaled, and his mouth was completely covered. He was kept there like a statue for all to see.

She stood in front of him and watched as he wept, the sight of it made her twinkle gleefully.

"You are the one who started all this. I shall make you pay for your crimes. I won't kill you immediately. I'll be eating you alive instead."

"MMM-MMMPHPHMMMPH-"

"Hehhehheh…you're quite the fatty, aren't you? Looks like I'm going to enjoy this…"

"MMMMMMMMPPPPHH—!"

At that moment, the prince of the Babylonian was slain, eaten alive by none other than Est herself. Her mission was finally over.

All that remained of him was a fresh, bloodied, half corpse that stayed on the wall. Only the upper half of the prince was devoured. The insides of his chest were completely exposed, and the rib cage was shattered. His stomach was opened up, all his vital organs other than the lungs were fully devoured.

His head was only half eaten, the brain gone as well. It was as if a savage beast broke into the castle and annihilated him.

Est licked the red liquid off of her stained red fingers, and viewed her work. Before leaving for the throne room, she thanked the people she killed and ate.

"Thank you for the meal, knights and prince. Your pathetic human bodies proved their usefulness, and served as great meals for me~"

However, her stomach was never filled. She hoped more than ever that her master would allow her to eat more human meat in the future…

***

"CHRISTOPHER!!!"

"O-Ofira?!"

Four and a half minutes of aimlessly running through the castle's hallway, eliminating all knights he saw later, Ofira caught up with him, and speedily flew beside him.

"I've finally caught up with you!!" Ofira gleamed toward him, and instantly hugged him from the side as he ran, "Mmmmm, my new masterrrrrrr!! Thanks for helping meeeeee!!! Est healed my wounds in no time!"

"Aha, w-well it was no problem!" He was quite startled by her embrace, but happily accepted it, "Where's Est?"

"She stayed back because we found the prince. She'll probably be done in a few….I hope." Ofira wasn't too sure about when she'd be finished…she only hoped that Est wasn't taking the battle too far, "Anyway!!" Quickly, she retracted her arms, and continued flying at his side, "The throne room is just up ahead!!! I'll fight Royland with you!!"

"Huh?! You will?! But he's your master!!" Christopher assumed that Royland was the Creation Disciple, who was also Ofira's master. But she shook her head in denial, and gave him a confident, passionate smile.

"Nuh-uh. Not anymore he isn't!! You're my master now, Christopher! Or should I say…master Christopher…" She blushed a little afterwards.

"..."

He thought it was a little far-fetched how easily she switched, but then again, he did see for himself the kind of abuse she received from Royland…

His peculiar silence brought a slight discomfort in the pit of Ofira's tummy. She wondered if she said anything wrong. But the worry was released with his next words.

"I understand. Just…if you decide to say that to your master in the throne room, be careful. I wouldn't want him to hurt you again."

"__" Ofira's blushing face got even redder. She wasn't anticipating such an honest response from the boy.

"Th…thank you, master…that…that really meant a lot to me…" She chose her new master well. Despite only knowing him for a couple hours, she already saw that he was much better than her old one, and won't treat her with such disrespect.

The throne room was just up ahead, and through it awaited their final battle.

They stopped mere inches from the closed firm wooden door.

"What is the matter, master?" Ofira asked Christopher, noticing his distraught gaze.

"N-nothing…just…mentally preparing myself for the battle…" He was actually incredibly reluctant to fight without Est by his side. After all, she was the one he trusted the most with his own life.

"I understand. This is going to be a hard one after all…" Ofira hovered in front of him, then cupped his face within her tiny yet human sized hands, "...I'll be fighting with you though. No matter what, I'll make sure we win." She mouthed to the boy.

He indeed believed her…but he couldn't shake the tense, apprehensive feeling inside himself.

"Alright…" He refused to let himself be killed. He had too much to live for…he even had yet to finally locate his lost sister who was reincarnated along with him. If he perished, all would be lost. That would be the end of his life as a mortal.

"...I'm ready." To him, this battle meant everything. He balled his hands into a fist, and strengthened his resolve. No matter what, he cannot afford to lose that fight.

Seeing that he was ready, Ofira opened the throne room's door…

***

"You're two minutes late! You lousy good-for-nothing familiar…Didn't you hear my fucking warning?!"

The first thing Christopher heard upon entering the throne room was Royland, the Creation Disciple's belittlement directed toward Ofira. But she paid no heed to his word as she confidently stood beside the Marionette Disciple.

"And who the fuck is this kid?!" Royland yelled. He stood beside the king at the large scarlet throne located at the very end of the room.

The throne room was about seventy feet wide, and fifty feet long, with the walls being sparkling yellow-orange in colour. The flooring was made completely of golden, transparent, ceramic tiles with a smooth, slightly slippery texture applied. At the ceiling was a massive chandelier which was completely lit up by numerous white candles. The walls were covered in torches from the beginning to end, all of which were spaced out two metres apart.

A long, narrow, cotton royal red carpet was spread out across the room from the door at the very end of the room, all the way to the throne, indicating that this place was indeed a king's throne room.

The area wasn't the ideal place for a battle, but at least it wasn't a small room.

Ofira eyed her former master with a stony gaze, ignoring his filthy degenerative words entirely.

"Hello there, Creation Disciple Royland. I believe you haven't met my new master yet?" She blatantly mouthed back at him.

"New master?! The fuck you're babbling on about? I am YOUR master, and you are MY familiar!! Come to my side THIS INSTANT!"

"I shall not!" Ofira spoke back to him in a disobedient manner, one which sent him fumming, "When Amaterasu told me that I was going to be a familiar again, I was hoping I'd get someone who would love and care for me the way I wanted to be loved and cared for! But I was wrong…I was so, so very wrong. I've been your familiar for fifteen full years of our lives, and all I've received is pain and humiliation!! I refuse to ever serve you again!!!!!" Ofira yelled out, her entire body shook from both intimidation and frightfulness, all directed toward the man. Only the occasional glances toward her new master managed to calm her nerves.

Royland knew what she spoke about very well. However, to him, familiars were nothing more than mere toys to be played with. They belonged to their masters, and as such, they must obey their every word. If one became turbulent, all he needed to do was put them in their place. Be it by normal punishment, or physical abuse, he didn't care.

The mere sight of Ofira's defiance antagonised him to no boundaries. She disgusted him so much that he couldn't even bear to look at her. He spat on the ground beneath himself, and grimaced at the one he viewed as responsible for her behaviour.

"So. Because of the extravagant way I treat you, you rebelled against me and chose THIS fucking kid as your new master?! THIS. FUCKING. KID?! Ha! I should've known he'd be the one you chose. A disgraceful, pathetic, worthless piece of trash familiar like yourself wouldn't even have standards. I bet you just chose him because of his innocent look, didn't you?!"

"..."

As he spouted those words to her, she began to hang her head low. Her eyes swiftly filled with her tears, and before she knew it, she silently started sobbing.

Christopher saw her sorry state, and immediately felt his blood boil. He called his marionette strings to his fingertips, and put a hand onto her shoulder.

"I'll take care of this, Ofira." He whispered into her ear.

"B-but master…"

"I don't care. You're officially my familiar now. I don't let people hurt my party members like this."

"..." Ofira raised her head, and gazed at him with a newfound happiness welling up inside her. At that moment, she knew that back at the dungeon, she made the right choice.

A cheerful smile formed on her little lips as she gleefully bobbed her head, acknowledging her master's words.

"Go get him, Christopher!!"

***

The battle was about to begin. The Marionette Disciple marched up to the Creation Disciple with his strings at his fingertips. He chose not to use his sword, after all, what use would it have been if he didn't even know how to use it?

At first, Royland laughed at him since he wasn't using it. But after seeing the small dots on his fingertips, an ominous feeling befell the man.

Christopher stopped when he was about six metres away from him, and raised his hands above his head. Instinctively, Royland readied himself, but he wasn't at all anticipating the arrogant, sadistic smirk on Christopher's lips.

For Alvara, Quth, my sister Roselina, Est, Ofira, and the one responsible for my second chance at life…

"Time to die, fucking Creation Disciple!" Before Royland even had the chance to respond, strings spawned all around him, and impaled the man through his arms, legs, and went fully through his upper body in all directions, sticking to the floor beneath him in full force.

"G-GAAAAH-A-A-A MARIONETTE DISCIPLE?! GRRRAAAAAHHH-!" He dropped his weapon after being rendered unable to move. He tried his hardest to break free, but with each move he made, an unbearable tingle was shot throughout his body, as if a thousand needles were piercing his flesh all at once.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Yes, it is I, Christopher Hallowswift, disciple of the Elder Goddess of Eternal Night, Alastor! You are going to die here, Creation Disciple!"

"AAAA-AAAHAHHRAHHAHH-! B-BLESSING OF THE DIVINE-M-M-MEGA HEAL-!"

"?!" Christopher read his words, but didn't in the slightest understand them. W-was that magic?! B-but I'm restraining him, h-he can't seriously-

"Master, watch out!! He's going to attack!!!"

"HUH?!"

Ofira warned him just on time. Directly after healing himself, Royland was able to break free of Christopher's strings, and when he did, he launched himself toward the boy at full force with his blade.

"RRRRAAAHHH!!"

"U-Uh-oh!"

Bang

At the exact right moment, Christopher jumped back, and created a shield out of his marionette strings strong enough to block Royland's heavy attack, but the impact caused him to stagger backwards.

Nearly immediately another attack was being dealt, and Christopher wasn't ready for it.

"Nnrng.."

"L-look out, m-master!!!"

Thankfully, Ofira jumped in front of him, and summoned a reflect spell, which not only repelled the attack, but also mirrored it onto the Creation Disciple's body.

No physical contact was done, but the enemy was dealt with a bleeding nose and an immense migraine.

"A-AAARRAHAHH-" Creation Disciple dropped his weapon, and Christopher was shocked.

"Y-you saved me! Thank you, Ofira!!!"

"Haah…haah…" Ofira swiftly looked at him with a triumphant stare, "...You're my new master, Christopher! Of course I saved you!! Now go, now's your chance!"

"Yeah!"

He sprinted up to the enemy, and kicked him straight in the nose. The impact made him fall backwards onto the ground. It was the first time Christopher kicked somebody, so his foot wasn't prepared at all.

"OW! GOD!"

"W-w-what's the matter?!" A-are all heads this hard?! The Creation Disciple's head felt unnaturally hard. He wasn't aware of the usual toughness, but he was certain that Royland's was way over that.

He clenched his toes within his hands and rapidly squeezed them, they felt as though they were broken.

"His fucking head's as hard as a rock! Nnrng…I'm sticking to my strings from now on…" The boy gaped toward the Creation Disciple, who was shooting daggers at him as blood poured from his nostrils, onto the ground beneath him.

"What? You want some more?!" He yelled out.

"Grr…Blessing of the divines, Mega He-"

"MUTE!!"

"WHAT?!"

Just before he finished the incantation, Ofira cut him off with a swift incantation.

"M-my mana?! W-why isn't it-"

"Great! It worked! Now you're completely unable to use your healing magic!!"

"HUH?!" Royland gaped at the familiar with a horrified look on his face, he couldn't believe he was betrayed like that, "B-but I need-"

"Oh shut up, Royland! If you continuously healed yourself each time master attacked you, then he wouldn't even be able to kill you!" Ofira barked back at him, "Besides, aren't YOU rumoured to be the strongest fighter around these parts?! The strongest fighter isn't SUPPOSED to be afraid of a kid!"

"Grr…" Royland caught himself in a bind. He sent a furious look over to Christopher, who was still recovering from the kick he dealt to him.

"...YOU'RE GOING TO PAY DEARLY FOR THIS, OFIRA. MMMMMRRAAAHH!!!"

"MM-MASTER!! LOOK OUT!!"

"A-AAHAH!"

She flew into her master, and pushed him to the ground. By only a hair's breadth did they dodge Royland's overhead attack. The enemy stood to his feet, and went in for another swoup with his metre long steel greatsword.

"HAAAAHH!" The sword came crashing down where they both were, just on time the two dodged. However, that didn't prevent the tiles under Christopher from completely shattering into a million pieces.

Springing to his feet, Christopher shot his marionette strings toward Royland's head.

"NOW!!" When they got close enough, the strings split into three separate lines, and was about to wrap around his noggin…but it was too late. Royland anticipated the attack, and cut them all away.

"...!!" Following, he reached at his own side, and threw a dagger toward the boy, aimed straight for his stomach.

Thankfully, he escaped before any damage was dealt.

"Haah…haah…"

"M-master, a-are you alright?!" Ofira flew to his side and threw him a worried look.

"Y-yeah…" It was his first real battle, his side seemed to be winning since he hadn't sustained any damage other than his toes. Though he knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down. Once more, he readied his strings as Royland readied his blade.

"Is that all ya got, Marionette Disciple?! Just a bunch of strings to shoot at me?!" The middle-aged man barked out, "I've even seen pigs stronger than you!"

"Nnrng…" He was at a loss of what to do. His strings…he knew he had to somehow outsmart that guy…but how? He was much weaker than Royland, and if he attacked head on like he did before, Royland would only cut the cords with a swift and heavy blow.

But maybe he could use that to his advantage…

If I shoot my strings over to him, and wait till he attacks, maybe I can land a hit with my other hand… He thought. It was a plan.

"Ofira, wait here. I've got a plan."

"Huh? O-okay! B-be careful!!"

The boy went through the attack in his head. Shoot, run, then shoot again. That was all he had to do. Magick was out of the question since he wasn't aware of how to use it.

His left hand was raised, and visualising how he wanted the attack, marionette strings shot out, and toward the Creation Disciple's head.

"Ha! Pathetic!!" Royland shouted. His blade rose above, and he started cutting away at the homing attack.

"Now's my chance!!" Christopher sped off to the side while Royland was busy, and once again shot his homing attack, but this time toward the opponent's back. To his relief, it hit!

"A-AAARHH! W-WHAT?!" The strings dug into his back, and wrapped around his ribcage. Holding onto it, he pulled, and felt a crack.

"G-GFAW-!"

"Ooh…" Just like with Alvara's heart… The boy stood still with his right hand slightly balled into a fist. The more he clenched, the tighter the strings got. He clenched even further, and felt his ribs crack even more.

"A-AARRH…N-NO…ST-STOP…"

"Heh…" This is kinda fun actually… Christopher wanted to see more…so he took his left hand, and shot the strings through his opponent's lower arms.

"A-AAHH-" There was resistance, but after the boy pulled with his right hand, Royland stopped moving. He knew that if he continued to resist, his ribcage would be shattered, and then his heart would've been impaled by the broken bones.

"What's the matter, Royland? Aren't you going to make your move?" Christopher mocked him. He raised his left arms, and the strings followed suit, moving Royland's according to Christopher's movements.

"W-what a dirty trick…" Royland realised his fatal error during the fight…he underestimated the boy's smartness. His face quickly turned in the boy's direction, "...Let me go already!"

"Nuh-uh. You're stronger than me so I can't have you on the loose. However, if you make one wrong move, I'll shatter your ribcage, along with your heart."

"M-my ribcage?!" Royland thought so, but actually hearing it from Christopher's mouth made his face go pale, "Grr…as expected of a Marionette Disciple…cheesing your way through this battle…Ofira, take care of him for me!"

Ofira didn't respond. Then it dawned upon him. Ofira was no longer his familiar, so he truly had no way of breaking free. The fear of dying started to overwhelm him, but he had his honour. He wouldn't even dream of surrendering to him.

"Fuck…that's right…" The Creation Disciple was fully restrained by the boy, Ofira enjoyed every second of it. All her attention and excitement were upon her former master and his ultimate loss. She wished to see him tormented even more.

"Hmm…" Christopher's eyes fell upon the throne, but the king was not there.

"...Huh? Where did-*Gasp*"

"MASTER!!!!"

The king was gone from his throne…and was directly behind him with his sword drawn.

"A-AAH-!"

"MMRAAH!!" The king plunged his blade directly through Christopher's throat, then removed it. He pushed the boy to the ground, and stabbed him over and over again on his chest, stomach, and finally his forehead. Each time he was stabbed, he felt something being cut inside him, each cut sent unbearable shocks throughout. He wanted to move, but the actions were so petrifying that he was unable to.

"A-ARA-A-A-GA-ST-STO–AAAH-"

"N-NOO!!" Ofira tried flying toward him, but the Creation Disciple swatted her away with his blade, which resulted in her body slamming against the wall. She gagged, and collapsed, still conscious.

Finally, the king held Christopher up by the neck, and cut deeply into the side of his neck, slicing away at the skin.

"Ah-N-NO-ST-STOPP-'' However, despite all this, he was still alive. Christopher's skin was being cut into, each time the blade rubbed against it, no physical pain was felt, but intense spine-tingling sensations, ones which reminded him of the agonising, staggering feeling of hitting one's elbow on the edge of the wall. However, in his case, it was multiplied by one hundred. His mind was wholly colouded with these thoughts, just barely was he able to focus on speaking.

"St-stop…y-you…" before finishing, he sharply gasped.

"W-What is this…?" The king stopped, and viewed his work. Christopher's neck was three-quarters of the way removed, yet he still lived. Not even a drop of blood was seen throughout.

"Ah…ahh..*gargle**sputter* N…no…"

"So this is the body of a Marionette Disciple…" The king raised his sword once again, and fully removed his head. Once removed, the decapitated head of Christopher dropped to the ground with a thud, and rolled to the side. The final, petrified look he possessed upon removal stayed for all to see.

Paranoid he mightn't be deceased, King Babylonian walked up to the severed head, then smashed it open with his foot. Bits and pieces scattered everywhere. The strings which held his head together were freed, aimlessly squirming about. Despite all of this, no blood was seen anywhere.

"B-by the Gods…" It was like Christopher was a living, breathing doll. His body was filled with those, he was even capable of using them against someone.

"Master!! Master!!" Ofira saw his destroyed body, and flew up to him. There wasn't any chance he could've lived through anything. She didn't see any visible signs of life inside him. All that remained were the strings which made up his insides.

"N-no…you…but you promised me…" Tears welled in her eyes as the harsh reality of her new master dawned upon her, "...Ch…Christopher…"

Royland, still unable to use his magic, approached her from behind.

"Heh…looks like your rebellious phase is now over. Huh, Ofira? Bwhahahahaha!" He mockingly shouted. Ofira ignored him.

All she thought about was Christopher.

"..." How could this have happened… She thought. Christopher didn't underestimate the might of the Creation Disciple at all, but he failed to pay attention to his surroundings, and as a result, he was assassinated by the king instead of the opposite. His lack of training led to this, and Ofira knew it.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was the one responsible for his supposed death. All because I got too caught up in seeing Royland tortured…I'm the reason he died…n-no…Christopher…

Her face crumpled up, and she burst into tears.

"N-No…you…you can't…be…*sob**sob**sob* Why, Amaterasu…Why?! All I ever wanted was to be loved!! But you took that away from me! Why does everyone who loves me always have to end up dead?!"

She cried, and cried, her shoulders shaking with each sob. Indeed, all she wanted was to give affection and receive some in return, but for as long as she could recall, each time she found someone, they inevitably ended up dying. Christopher was the newest example.

"Christopher…my master…" Ofira hadn't calmed down yet when she placed her hand upon his immensely wounded body, "...I'm sorry…you…you never should've met me, I never should've asked to be your familiar…look where it's gotten you…it's all my fault…I…" I'm sorry…

Royland suddenly grabbed hold of her hair, and threw her onto the floor.

"That's enough!" He commanded. His body ached with each movement, though he forced himself to attack the familiar, "I'm going to give you the worst beating you've ever received as punishment for what happened today…"

"N-No-p-please I…I don't want that!! Haven't you already done enough damage?! Just look at Christ-OOF-"

"ENOUGH ABOUT THAT FUCKING KID!!!" Royland aggressively kicked Ofira's face, causing two of her teeth to come loose, "Now…be a good little familiar and just sit tight…I'm gonna take real good care of you…"

"No…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!"

***

Christopher opened his eyes to a familiar scene. He was sitting at the end of a large oval-shaped table, with a cup of sweet-smelling ginger tea in front of him. Opposite to him was a tall womanly figure, one who he recognised as the Elder Goddess of Eternal Night herself.

She wore her usual attire, and a comforting motherly gaze which was directed toward him.

"Hello again, darling. I see that you're doing quite well."

"Oh…Alastor…" It took him a second to process his sudden surroundings. He found her words to be humorous.

"...Quite well my ass…haha…looks like I've died again…" He half-heartedly replied.

"Teehee, aren't you quite the charmer? Yes, the wounds you have sustained are quite fatal. If you weren't one of my disciples, you would've died immediately." Alastor said. She leaned forward, then placed both her elbows on the table, resting her head on her interlocked fingers,

"However, I did not summon you here because you have died."

"Eh?" That confused him. He felt as his head was removed from his body, he felt as his neck was being sliced off, and he felt as his noggin was smashed beneath the king's feet. How could he not be deceased?

"U-um, but I am dead. My head was removed from my body and smashed beneath the king's feet. No one could survive that." He thought it made perfect sense that he was indeed dead. But Alastor said otherwise.

"That may be true…but close your eyes. Don't you feel the strings I gave you still moving around in and outside your body?"

"Hmm…" He shut his eyes, and focused on his strings. Surely enough, he felt them squirming around, just waiting to be put back together.

"...Oh…" That was proof to him that he was alive. He hadn't died, he was just immobile.

"...B-but how…?"

"Teeheehee…surprised? That's one of your powers as a Marionette Disciple."

"My powers…?"

Alastor smiled cheerily, mischievously at him. She found his innocence as a Marionette Disciple cute.

"Yes. Christopher, you may not already know this, but your body is not what it used to be."

"Not what it used to be?"

"Your lungs, your heart, your flesh and blood, they are all made up of my strings. To put it simply, you, Est, and all the other Marionette Disciples and Marionette familiars are all living puppets. Marionettes to be exact. When you're injured, all you need to do is wish for it, and the strings I gave you will effortlessly fix your wounds, even if the part of your body is removed and destroyed. The only way you can die is if your entire body is destroyed all at once, which is difficult to achieve in itself."

"..."

What the hell…? Christopher almost couldn't believe what he heard. Basically, whatever injury he received, no matter how bad it is, could easily be repaired via his strings-from what he gathered. The thought relieved him. He didn't wish to die yet…he still had many, many things he wanted to achieve, and people he promised himself he'd see again.

Ofira… He also told Ofira they'd be together as master and familiar after the battle was over…

"Alastor…is it true?" He questioned his Goddess.

"Yes, Christopher. It is. Once you became my disciple, you rejected your humanity, and became a living, breathing Marionette. You cannot be killed so easily."

"..."

Christopher was rendered speechless at those words. Alastor… He felt truly thankful to have such a deity.

Tears swiftly formed within his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Alastor noticed, and tilted her head.

"You're crying?"

"Alastor…" Christopher sniffled, "...Thank you…thank you, Goddess Alastor!!!" He, overjoyed, exclaimed.

"You're very welcome. Now, before you go, I've set a cup of ginger tea for you to drink." Satisfied with the meeting, Alastor pointed toward the cup in front of him, "It's your favourite, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah…" He took it up, and sipped, "...Thank you."

"You are welcome. However, I suggest you depart quickly, else you may encounter something particularly displeasing…"

"Huh? Like what?"

Ofira smirked naughtily at him, and quickly, he realised what she meant.

"Oh shit…Ofira…"

"Yes. It is Ofira. You may not like the state she is in if leave to late."

"..." Royland… It was safe to assume that Royland was hurting her again. Remembering how she ended up before…he sensed he had to act quickly.

Gulping down his tea, he stood up from his seat, and looked Alastor straight in the eyes.

"Alright. I've got no time to waste. I'm ready to go, Goddess Alastor."

"That's the spirit. Take care, darling, come back anytime you please. I have your information ready for you as well."

"Infor…oh." She spoke about whether or not Achlys sent Alvara to die. He looked forward to knowing that.

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I look forward to it. Farewell, my darling."

Next, he shut his eyes, and focused on his strings…

***

Even though his head was no more, he was still able to see his surroundings. The scent of blood hanging in the atmosphere, the horrid sounds of Ofira's sorrowful cries, Royland's irritating shouts, he sensed it all.

The hold he possessed on his body was strong.

Alright… He thought to himself, Time to stitch myself back together…

The first part of his body he wished to fix was his shattered noggin. Wishing for it, he felt the strings inside him moving. Before long, one of the pieces was back together. Then a second, third, and forth. It didn't take long for the entire section to be back together.

Great…that's a start… He wasn't able to move just yet. For his body had to be reattached. It was currently covered in stab wounds, and his neck was sliced off.

He thought about putting everything back together, and slowly, his strings slithered toward the neck area. He felt as if it caught hold of the exposed cords.

Good. Now just to-

"MMMRAAAAAAA-"

Huh?!" Out of the blue, King Babylonian's eerie scream was heard from in the distance. Christopher continued dragging his own head via the strings closer to his own body, but focused his senses over to him.

"What, king?!"

"Th-th-th-th-the body!! I-it's alive!! H-he really isn't dead!!"

The king pointed toward him, and all three individuals present were mortified to see Christopher's head connected via his strings to his body, and sluggishly sliding across the floor, Ofira more overjoyed.

"M-my master h-he really isn't dead…" A hopeful smile formed on her lips upon catching sight of it.

"Q-Quickly! K-kill him before he gets back up!!"

"A-As you command!!" Royland obeyed the king's order, and darted up to Christopher with his greatsword raised.

Uh-oh…am I…going to be split apart again…? Christopher recalled the distressful feelings he received as the king slit his throat…it wasn't any physical pain…but he abhorred it. The amount of irritation he received as his strings were cut…he didn't ever want to feel those again.

"This time…you WILL be killed, heh, fucker…"

Royland was about to smash his head in two, but was interrupted by a sudden change in atmosphere.

"Hrm?"

"W-WHAT THE-"

"E-Est Marionette!!!"

Est returned from her massacre in front of the prince's room, the aura around her commanded every mortal being to begin looking in her direction, which included the Creation Disciple.

She was covered in blood and guts, pieces of a human heart were stuck in her dirtied, silvery-white hair.

"Who did this?" She questioned. Her voice was distorted, inhuman in pitch. She neared her master, and stooped down, "Master…"

"Hey, who gave you permi-"

Royland was immediately cut short by a stabbing feeling within his heart. He looked down to see that Est had stabbed him without his knowledge.

"H-how in the…?" Was his final statement before he fell backwards, void of any life.

Before she retracted her weapon, she held onto the organ, and yanked it out. Blood from within his chest splattered everywhere as both his ribcage, and skin were torn open.

She took the beating human heart, and held it within her hands before squeezing it, sucking out the blood from where she pierced.

"Mmm…" She used her strings to lift Christopher's head, and carry it over to his body, where she gently placed it at the neck area, "...Do not worry, master. I shall look after you." She murmured with a slight smile.

Bit by bit, Est turned her head toward the other two (King Babylonian and Ofira). When they both caught her sights, she squashed the human heart within her hand, the red liquid splashed onto her arms and legs.

"I am going to kill you."

"A-AAAHH-!" The king swiftly turned around and was about to flee the scene when he was caught by Est's weapon. Her cords went straight through his feet, and he was lifted up into the air by foot.

"N-NO! P-PUT ME DOWN! I-I AM THE KI-GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" Est flicked her hand sideways, and he was abruptly thrown at superhuman speed face first into the wall. His stomach was fully split open, and face was broken into. The poor, irresponsible king's blood was splattered, and what remained of his organs leaked out onto the ground with a splat. He was no more, the Babylonian Empire was finished.

As for Ofira…Est shot daggers at her, her chaotic aura grew hotter by the second.

"How dare you, Ofira." She couldn't bear to look at her-for in Est's eyes, she let her master be decapitated.

She threw out her arms, and the marionette strings swiftly tied around Ofira's neck, choking her. Subsequently, Est lifted her off the ground, and tightened the grip.

"You are a Creation Familiar, you had the power to fight against both the Creation Disciple and the king. Yet you were a coward. Not only did you let Christopher be decapitated, you also allowed them both to have their way with you. What are you, a masochist? You are not deserving of my master."

"A-Argh…E-Est I-I'm sorry, I…I-it's just that I-"

"I shall not hear it. I can hardly believe you've survived for more than four thousand years. I should eliminate you right now as punishment for your foolish actions."

"Ugh…n-no…Est…"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't. And do not say he's the only one who's truly loved you. For if you truly cared for him, you wouldn't have let him end up like this."

"Nnrng…" Ofira's eyes overflowed with her salty tears. What Est said was correct. Ofira did indeed have the power to stop the two, but she didn't-and she regretted it.

"...I didn't because I was scared, Est!! I've been with that fucking Creation Disciple for fifteen years now, and he's abused me so much…I…I just couldn't go against him, okay?!" Ofira at last yelled, "You wouldn't know what it's like because if anyone messed with you, they'd be dead in less than a second! But it's different for me! The only things you can feel are anger, hatred and blood lust, while I have all the emotions a regular mortal has! I get frightened, I get sad, I get angry, b-but after you've gone through all that I have in the four thousand three hundred and fifty five years I've been alive…*sniffle* *sob* You…you change, alright?! And it's unavoidable!!"

"..." Est maintained her ruthless, unwavering gaze. She didn't care about what Ofira told her-for she cannot recall the last time she felt a regular mortal's emotions.

"...I do not understand." She said, "I felt those emotions once…but I threw them away. You should not allow them to hinder you from protecting what's important to you…" As she spoke, Est's grip around Ofira's neck rapidly grew stronger up to the point where they dug into her skin, "...Especially if it is your master. The next time you make a mistake like this…I shall personally rip your heart out. Do you understand me, Ofira?"

"I-I UNDERSTAND!!" Ofira cried out at the top of her lungs.

"Good." Est retracted her strings, and Ofira crashed onto the floor, gasping for air.

The Marionette Familiar turned in her master's direction. It seemed as though he was at last put back together.

She approached, and crouched in front of him.

"Are you alright, master? I apologise for returning at such a late time."

"E…Est…" The sight of his first familiar filled him with a joy he hadn't felt for a long time. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her, and held her closely to his chest, "...You're finally back…"

"Yes master." Est hugged him back just as strongly, "I shall never leave your side again. The mission is complete. The prince, king, and king's guard are officially deceased."

"I know." He nodded. They both retracted, and looked at each other. After viewing the state of her body, outfit, as well as hair, he was almost speechless, "Y-Your clothes, y-your hair…w-what happened to you?!"

"I did what you asked, and slew the prince, along with some of the knights. However, I also tore their bodies open and ate as I pleased. Was I not supposed to do so, master?" She tilted her head, not bothered at all by what she admitted.

"Eh? Y-you're…joking, right?" However Christopher was entirely disturbed by her words. He peered at her lips, and true enough, they were indeed blood-stained. Along with her teeth, which were beet red.

"Even if it was a joke, I would never lie to you, master. No, I am not." She calmly stated.

"W-whoa…" Sh-she seriously…ate them..? "...Uh…how…how did it taste…? Those…organs…?"

For one of the very first times since she became his familiar, Christopher saw Est smile. She smiled so widely that spit rolled out of her mouth…in a faded red colour.

"It was the most delectable meal I've received in a while. I thank you for that, master."

"O-oh…well…you're…welcome…I guess…?" Words couldn't describe how awkward he felt after being thanked by her for supposedly allowing her to eat human meat.

Christopher threw a look toward Ofira, who was watching them the whole time with a conflicted expression. Without saying a word, he got to his feet, and started approaching her.

"Ch…Chris…topher? Eh?" When he was close enough, he sat down, and instantly embraced her. The action came to her as a shocker, but his squeeze was so comforting that she almost instantly wept.

"See?" He said to her, "I told you we'd make it, Ofira."

"Ch-christopher…m-master…w…WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH-" She clung onto him, pressing her face heavily into his neck as she loudly sobbed.

Everything was over. Both the war, and the nightmare she was forced to go through her entire life. For she had at last stumbled upon the person she'd been searching for, for over four thousand years.

Maybe this was all part of Amaterasu's plan… Silently, she wondered to herself,...I swear…I will never let you die, Christopher Hallowswift…

***

"Holy fucking hell…"

"Was…was this all…done by that Marionette Disciple and his familiar…?"

"N-no way, th-that can't be…right?" Alice walked through the halls of the Babylonian castle with four other Death Disciples. They were too late in locating the four individuals they were tasked with assassinating…but what they found gave them a feeling of dread like no other.

"Ugh…I think I'm going to be sick…" They just left the throne room, where they found the bodies of the Creation Disciple and king of Babylonia, and were outside the prince's room.

The passageway was covered in the guts of the prince, and two other knights. They all seemed to have been devoured-their bodies cut open, hearts, intestines, flesh and blood mostly gone. The prince in particular was gruesomely dealt with, as the upper half of his entire head was chewed up and swallowed. Alice threw up at the sight.

"M-master, a-a-are you okay?!" Alice's familiar, the kind and gentle Nimue, looked toward her master, who vomited out the contents of her supper, with great concern, "W-we can turn back if you wish!"

"N-no, I am fine…d-do you know what did this to them, Nimue?"

"Y-yes…I…I do…all of us familiars do." Nimue confidently said to her.

"Tell us. Was it the Marionette Disciple Christopher?"

"N-No…" Nimue shook her head in denial, "...It was his familiar, ranked upper class-one among the celestials, Est Marionette. Sh-she must've eaten them the moment she got the chance…a-and judging by the strings holding up the prince, he was the one she was after…"

"An Elite Familiar?! Th-that's crazy!!" Death Disciple 1 shouted out after listening to what she said, "N-no way she's a rank one!"

"Sh-she is!! E-Est carries around a stuffed bear that A-Alastor gave her to regulate her power to that of a rank three's and control her sanity…but it doesn't look like she had it with her…" Nimue's eyes fell upon the prince's massacred body. She grimaced at the horrific sight.

Alice believed her. No ordinary person or familiar would've done such a thing after all. She looked at her four party members and their familiars. They all were on edge.

"The Creation Disciple was killed so horrifically as well…do…do you think the ten of us stand a chance against them…?"

"..." None of the party members responded positively. The familiars were already aware of Est and her strength…so all they could do was shake their heads at her.

"No. None of us are ranked one." Death Disciple 1's familiar said, "I myself am a rank two, and even I'm frightened of her…we…we should turn back…i-if we value our lives."

"Yeah…I agree with that." Death Disciple 2's familiar followed, "M-maybe we could reason with Achlys about this mission. There's no chance we'd be able to kill them after all. We don't even know how powerful Christopher Hallowswift is either."

"He even took the Creation Disciple's familiar with him to." Death Disciple 3's familiar added, "His party's getting stronger by the second."

"Mm…" Nimue looked at Alice with once again a bothered face, "...Well, we should at least get more people on our side. That way we'd at least be able to put up a fight. What do you think, master? You're the leader of the party."

The girl had to be smart about the situation. If even the familiars were afraid of Est, then the chances of them winning are next to none. Christopher's of the demon species too…so tricking him would be out of the question… Assassinating was as well, since Marionette Disciples cannot be eliminated by a mere decapitation, nor a stab to the head or heart.

Eventually, it was decided that they needed more people for the mission.

"Let's head back and recruit some more. We need as many Death Disciples as possible if we're going against such a powerful party."

"Are you sure?" Nimue questioned her.

"Yes. Fighting as we are now would be suicide." Alice ordered. The other party members were still sceptical about the situation, but since she was the leader, they agreed.

Alvara… She thought about her sister once more, and the torment she could've been going through as they moved, …I can't imagine what she must be going through right now…I'll be there soon, don't you worry, little sister…