Eye For An Eye

Lucius felt nothing.

Even as he saw the corpses of his followers, he did not feel anything.

Since he had never made any attachments to any of them, there was no such thing as grief or anger within him. He did feel a little stir when he looked at Lili, but even then… those emotions couldn't be translated into something tangible.

None of this meant he didn't care, though.

Because… he did.

'These are my Members… my loyal followers that should always protect me and work for me…' 

Without them, there would be no Heresy Cult.

'I need them. Who else is going to build the compound walls, or repair any damaged thing? Who will fill me in on information that I do not know… and who will run errands for me?' He smiled, casting gaze on the pile of corpses.

His followers were meant to help him with those things, and in return… he would be their Lord Mors.

That was the bargain.

'I can't have someone just come out of nowhere and kill them, now can I?' He cast his gaze on the Bishop. 'The Cult was already running low on members, and this guy just had to kill even more…'

Lucius felt tempted to snap at the Bishop, but he instead chose this as a moment of self reflection.

'It's my fault.'

Rather than blame anyone else, he had to assume responsibility as the leader.

'If only I left an Legion… or at least some capable Undead behind… then I would have been able to prevent this to some degree.'

Lucius still didn't know the overall power of the man before him, but basing his estimates on what he could sense from his walking stick, as well as his overall aura, he estimated him to be around Legion's level of strength.

'None of my other Undead would stand a chance against him. Still, if I left them behind, they could have warned me through the connection we share through [Death Probe].' He told himself with yet another sigh.

Concluding his thoughts, Lucius realized his faults and decided to return to the drawing board once all of this was over. He had to stop being so reckless, and instead use his head when it came to people he was unfamiliar with.

'And now that I've learned my lesson…' He smirked, his gaze on the stationary Bishop. '... I get to vent a little, right?'

"What's causing you to smile so mu—"

~WHOOOSH!~

In a dark flash, Lucius vanished from his position, leaving behind a trail of small debris as he reappeared right in front of the Bishop.

"—ch?" As soon as the Bishop concluded the question, a blow crashed upon his cheek.

The impact was bone-shattering, and it sent the man skidding across the vast compound within a second.

~BOOOOM!~

The shockwaves the blow generated forced the musky stench of blood to dissipate with the chill, replaced by fresh breeze—even if only for a moment until the stench returned. Chunks of shattered earth also floated in the air, and they flew in multiple directions as the the impact sent a dispersing pressure all over.

All of this was encapsulated in just a single second of action.

"Gahhhh!" Bishop Carl's voice pierced the air as his body shook in recoil.

He was now a considerable distance from where he previously stood—a place now occupied by the Lord of the Dead. A knee was on the ground, and the only thing keeping his whole body from following suit was the walking stick that he clung to.

With the support of the object, he found a way to rise up—albeit slowly.

"I admit… you pack quite the punch." He wheezed, one hand gently rubbing the cheek that was hit. 

"However…"

All of a sudden, something akin to mist covered the injured part of the Bishop's body, and in an instant… the injury vanished. 

'What?' Lucius' eyes widened slightly as he saw this, but before he could fully internalize what he saw, he felt a sensation on his cheek.

He touched it without hesitation, mimicking the action of the Bishop before him. 'This is…'

"... That's right! You're not the only one with a Curse!"

Bishop Carl staggered for a moment before regaining his balance. He raised both hands and grinned with absolute confidence.

"Any damage you render to me will be reflected back to you in the exact same proportion."

"...."

"You can attack me all you like, heathen! My Supreme God will protect me with the power that has been bestowed upon me by his great mercies and compa—"

~WHOOSH!~

Before Bishop Carl could complete his declaration, Lucius closed the distance again and slammed a fist hard on his stomach.

Once again, the shockwave that radiated all around was devastating.

"Guh!" 

The Bishop spurted out blood the moment the attack connected, his eyes turning white for a slight second. 

However… just the moment after, the mist covered his stomach and the damage was removed.

At that exact moment, Lucius felt a sensation on his stomach.

"Hahaha! It's useless! You can't win! You can't beat me!" The Bishop raised his walking stick and aimed at Lucius at point-blank range.

The stick warbled for only a second before releasing its burst of energy.

But—

~FSHUUU~

—Lucius blocked it with his palm once again.

"Looks like it's a stalemate for now." The Bishop grinned. "But I can still attack you and chip at your durability by letting the damage stack up. Attacking me will only worsen your situation and make you suffer even more."

Lucius's calm face didn't change at all, and he proceeded to punch the Bishop right in the middle of his face.

"Gahhhh!" Blood poured from the man's nose, and shattered teeth decorated the air for the slight moment before everything was scattered by the shockwave.

Once again, the Bishop's body was helplessly sent flying away.

"Hehehe… hehehehe!"

It soon healed, though.

In exchange, Lucius was afflicted with the same sensation that occurred at the same time 

"[Eye for an Eye]… [Tooth for a Tooth]. That is the nature of my Curse." The perfectly fine Bishop rose to his feet, grunting slightly as he did so. 

"You may try to act like you're fine… and even disguise your visage to hide the damage you've been taken, but I know… it hurts doesn't it?"

"...."

"I tasted those blows of yours, and they're extremely painful, you know? I must commend you for enduring all of that with a straight face, but there's only so much you can take. Soon enough, it will compound."

"... What will compound?" All of a sudden, Lucius asked a question.

This puzzled the Bishop for a moment, but he threw aside his skepticism and simply answered with the most condescending tone he could muster.

"What else? Your pain! The damage!"

Lucius' calm facade broke for the first time since their fight, and he gave a slight look of confusion, cocking his head to the side.

"Pain? Damage? I feel no such thing…"