The Scarlet Feast

The town of Vaucouleurs was in disarray. The soldiers were lifeless in spirit and tenacity. Only the stench of dread filled this once-prominent town. It was an unforgivable sight, but something must be looked at to learn. The Qurio Malzeno sent away were not only going to eat but to find more information. Malzeno kept this to himself, but looking back at the idea, he should've said that before mentioning the bloodsucking.

Malzeno was informed that Dragons or Wyverns should no longer exist in this period, so Jeanne D'Arc was the main cause. A fallen saint sounds quite hilarious, using the very thing that killed you to kill others. There was irony in that, but Malzeno only found himself inwardly laughing at it. Did he feel bad? Maybe.

"So, Jeanne D'Arc may own a Holy Grail," Mash said, her hands to her chin, her eyes studying the damage around her. Ruined architecture, black spots along the walls, and slash marks everywhere. These were all signs pointing to the Phantasmal Species of Dragons.

"A device that could grant any wish, huh?" Malzeno voiced with uncertainty. It sounded like a hoax. It sounded like the machination of Human greed. It was a boundless concept rooted in Human nature or any sentient life form.

Malzeno felt a bit hazy before his attention went toward the skies. A smirk crept on his face, revealing sharp teeth on the edges of his lips. 

"It seems we have company."

The gong suddenly came to life. Its once melodic tune was forced to play the sounds of impending doom. Ritsuka and Mash prepared themselves while Malzeno looked at the approaching menaces descending on the Towns location.

"THEY'RE HERE! THE WYVERNS ARE COMING!" A soldier hitting the gong bellowed fearlessly, with no hint of anxiety in his tone. Malzeno looked impressed by the nameless soldier's spirit.

"SOLDIERS, MEN, IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS, TAKE UP ARMS AND PREPARE FOR THE BATTLE!" The soldier continued.

"WOMEN AND CHILDREN SEEK SHELTER! YOU WILL BE BURNED IF YOU'RE OUT IN THE OPEN!"

"Such resolve," Worded Malzeno with amazement. Even he felt his courage spike from the intrepid roar. "Well, this will be my first fight in a Human body. I should enjoy it, but I can't let the people suffer anymore."

The Wyverns all varied in size, with the biggest out of the bunch being the leader of the small pack. It possessed wings with no visible claws and a stocky pair of legs and talons. Its scales were pitch black, almost reaching the color of obsidian. Saliva coated its bared fangs as it looked at the scurrying Humans it was sent to kill and prey upon.

The black Wyvern opened its mouth, charging up a large fireball. The impressive size contained raw heat that would easily melt an entire building. 

"Listen, Fujimaru, you can't fight here," Romani spoke through the transmission. His voice was firm, telling them he was serious about this. "A singularity is a detached era from history. In other words, no one is truly dying."

Ritsuka lowered her head, listening to Romani's words. A part of her was telling her to listen and obey the order, but the terrified screaming, the howling of the beast above, and the intense rattling of the gong made her quiver. She was scared, beyond scared. This was different than Fuyuki. The stakes were higher, which also made Ritsuka's anxiety flare. 

"Young Tangerine, follow your heart," Malzeno voiced while keeping his eyes on the Black Wyvern.

Ritsuka didn't realize that her breathing was heavy or that she was sweating. Her skin was pale as well, but everything soon returned to normal. 

"Go kill those Wyverns! I won't let anyone, real or fake, die under my watch!"

Malzeno looked at Mash, who nodded at him. "Right. These little creatures don't seem impressive. So, these are the Wyverns of this world?" 

Malzeno immediately went into the fray. His presence elicited the attention of everyone as he performed a miracle. To the common folks, he was performing a feat only god would do, but to the Wyverns, he was prey.

Oh, how wrong they were.

The Black Wyvern shot the fireball at Malzeno, engulfing him immediately, but in the same second, the fireball split into several pieces, looking like cubed pieces of meat before fading. Wyverns began to flock around him, which Malzeno hoped for as he maneuvered around them, using their legs as monkey bars to stay afloat.

"WHY ARE WE STANDING AROUND! TAKE AIM AND SHOOT THOSE WYVERNS DOWN! THAT MAN IS RISKING HIS LIFE FOR US! LET'S REPAY THIS DEED!"

"YES, SIR!" 

Ritsuka looked to see that the once-shaken soldiers and residents were all standing tall in the face of adversity. This didn't happen until they saw Malzeno singlehandedly cut the fireball into mincemeat, but there was more. Ritsuka didn't know much about the Ruler-Class, but could it be that Malzeno has the skill to boost the confidence of others? Even if they were just regular Humans?

With no time to ponder, Ritsuka looked at Mash. "Let's get it done, Mash."

"Understood, Master, initiating combat!" 

Malzeno looked down to see Mash handling herself well despite carrying that large shield. Malzeno looked bored as he had a Wyvern's head in a chokehold before squeezing it, popping it off. The sound of bone and the liquid of the blood entered his ears. His mouth instinctively opened to drink the Wyvern's blood.

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"How paltry," The dissatisfied tone left Malzeno's lips as he fell back towards the town's square.

Mash saw this and bounded onto one of the buildings. "I will boost you back up!"

Malzeno flipped, and before he knew it, his feet landed on Mash's shield before he was propelled back into the air. This time, he flew up at impressive speeds, shooting straight through one of the Wyvern's stomachs and out the other. 

Blood covered parts of his face, painting half of his silver hair red. A feral grin spread on his features as she watched the Wyverns panic, especially the Black Wyvern, who was far more intelligent than the others. 

"Is that…fear?" Malzeno uttered darkly. "You should be feeling that, after all....."

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"I'm the Scarlet Feast!"

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AN: That's today's chapter. I received a lot of lot collections and Power Stones (by my standards) yesterday, and I want to say I appreciate it. It's good to see that people are tuning in for this. I usually don't upload on Weekends, but I may upload tomorrow as a thanks for the support this week.