Dies Irae: Song To The Witch Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Lady Of The Flies Rusalka was calm as ever.

Man, what luck! This is like a walk in the park...

She has been conveniently separated from Beatrice Kircheisen and Lisa Brenner. Of course they provide a great deal of military power, and it would be more advantageous if they were there, but they would simply get in her way for three reasons. First off, Rusalka's share would decrease. The opposition is but third-rate mass-produced witches, even if their power is nothing to speak of, they still possess plenty of souls ripe for the taking. Even if slightly troublesome, it is much preferable to go in alone instead of splitting the rewards. After all, soon enough, both Beatrice and Lisa will become Rusalka's competitors.

Then, there is a certain spell Rusalka wants to try out. The Ewigkeit of others, the power of herself, the despicable Monroe. With these ingredients, a brand new concept can come to life. But this concept can only become reality in limited situations, most likely only now. She wants to play around with her new trick to her heart's content, a much more playful desire than a simple soul reward. If Beatrice and Lisa are present, they would just get in the way. Rusalka had no way of guaranteeing they would not join her. Now, as for the most important reason...

It is what Monroe told Rusalka, back when they first met at the hotel.

If there can only be one witch, only the blessed should prevail.

A witch is fundamentally not blessed. Rusalka ridicules a nickname like the Blessed Witch, and understands this very well. That is why she could never possibly take that head on, she could never let someone ridicule her like that and let it slide.

Only the blessed, huh... I know I am not blessed. And I'll show you what an unblessed witch can do.

I will take the self-proclaimed Blessed Witch's all.

I will make her throw up all she has inside.

I will strip her of that wretched skin.

And when she has lost it all, when she finally cries her eyes out, I will not even let her say it is because we outnumbered her.

In order to humuliate her to the greatest extent and slaughter the Blessed Witch, only one unblessed witch is more than enough.

Make yourselves known.

When this order was given way back at Normandy, Rusalka particularly took it to heart to show herself off. Even now, it is once more Rusalka who truly understands what it meant. And she was not simply showing off to the enemies at hand, no. She would show him, the man who abandoned her long ago. She would give it all back to him. Given the situation, it provides the perfect opportunity for her to do so. Right now, Rusalka is likely the finest witch to walk the earth, to the point anyone of the Obsidian Round Table would acknowledge her.

The modern witch is no longer someone who is made out to be the black sheep by the world, but someone who has the full support of their country behind them. After the war, there were those who swore to resist the Longinus Dreizehn Orden even after witnessing their might firsthand. They would come to collect intel and all things the Obsidian Round Table left behind. Knowing that they would one day return, the search for a final solution to the Obsidian Round Table began.

They were few, but they did have some of the time's higherups among them. And while there were those just in it to reap the benefits, there were also those who had the guts to back the cause. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, a demon for a demon. Nuclear weapons of mass destruction would prove ineffective against an enemies numbering in the single digits. The consequences of that would be out of the question. However, no matter how many Ahnenerbe they collected, they could never replicate Ewigkeit. The formula was known only to few members of the Obsidian Round Table, and nothing beyond a general outline had been left behind.

What if we use Tesla coils like with Project Philadelphia?

One man's idea, however, gave birth to an alternative approach. The physical almalgamation of man and Ahnenerbe, this idea would eventually come to succeed, and the refinement of pseudodemons had been accomplished. Following the mastermind's opinion that young women would be most suited for such a fusion, the test subjects ended up only consisting of little girls. Then, it would only be natural for them to start calling themselves witches.

These weapons of war have gotten everything they desired. Clothes, food, a roof above their head, superpowers awakened through surgery and a battlefield for them to fulfill themselves in. So then when was it that this admiration for these weapons of war turned into fear instead? The witches who kept growing in strength by the day would make the most remarkable among them their leader and escape from the grasp of their country.

This is why the force that was meant to fight back against the Obsidian Round Table was so easily able to make an attempt to join them instead. Now, both the uninhibited witches and the undead are considered nothing less than a threat to the world. The coast around Cuba is now surrounded by warships. While motives are varied, they are all here to face the wicked ones on this very island.

Monroe had been dozing off on her terrace. Neither the demons from the Obsidian Round Table nor the fleet surrounding her home seemed to warrant fear just yet. In fact, even when Rusalka finally showed herself she was still lying down, prompting Rusalka to raise her voice.

Don't you think you should be a little more welcoming? You invited me.

Monroe rubbed her eyes and apologized for her poor reception.

Sorry about that... But I figured this level of hospitality would be befitting of somebody of your status.

That was not sincere at all.

Monroe comfortably got up, yawned, then asked Rusaka again...

So what did you decide?

About what?

Did you forget? My job application, whether or not you'll take me into tbe Obsidian Round Table.

Ah, right. Sorry. It was just so high on top of my todo list I forgot all about it. It's no good though, we don't even have a "we're hiring!" sign on our window.

Isn't headhunting all the rage these days?

Exactly! If you paint an unrealistic picture of yourself, you'll never find a job.

The two snickered at each other in this back-and-forth, but there was no mutual understanding to be found. From Monroe's perspective, Rusalka is a witch of the old world. A simple weakling who managed to crawl out of the pit of other weaklings who were ostracized by the rest of the world. On the other hand, the witch of today is an accomplished figure from the get-go, and is simply granted the power to take control of the world. It is painfully obvious which of the two is superior.

Well, I wanted to eat up the Obsidian Round Table from within anyway, so this works too... I can just take you head on. After all, I have many friends...

As Monroe clapped her hands, tens of new witches suddenly appeared around them. Each of them trained to the limit, full of souls gathered in actual warzones and absolutely first-rate. They are nothing like the ones from before on the airplane that could not even move a limb. There is one aspect of the usage of Tesla coils to bind Ahnenerbe to flesh that surpasses even the original formula, Ewigkeit. That aspect is mass-production. There are many more than just thirteen of these witches. Even counting just the ones that can control their powers, their numbers would probably pass one-hundred. The number of witches lurking on this island is even greater than that.

The surrounded Rusalka looked ecstatic. This smile was no bluff, nor scornful. Rusalka was pleased.

Good. Amazing. Ah, this is the best, I can't hold it in!

She blushed, and even sweated a little bit. This is the real deal, Rusalka is truly enjoying her predicament. Neither the witches nor Monroe could ever understand that joy.

You girls all look like you think of me as some centenarian hag. But having lived for this long only makes me strong, you know? Age isn't all about experience and technique, it's about having having tasted contempt, pain and humiliation.

Can you hear her barking, girls?

Monroe mockingly laughed at her. However faint, all the witches could see her smile. Snickering could be heard from all around Rusalka, but Rusalka showed no anger, and simply turned her head.

When you hold a grudge, it makes you want to show them who they're dealing with. When you hurt, you try your best to never feel that pain ever again. When humiliated, you want to return the favour tenfold. Because of you all, I've become motivated to return the favour to a despicable, terrible man that I can't stand from way back. And you know what? I feel sorry for you, because you will never feel the way I do now.

Those who have never had their heart smashed to pieces have no right to speak.

From Rusalka's own shadow appeared chains with hooks attached to them, capturing a number of helpless witches in their path, but the chains were headed for the limbs of a beast. From the shadows emerged blade-like claws and hulking legs. The claws easily cut through the body of a witch they swung at.

I didn't know about this!

Idiots!

Monroe reprimanded one of the witches who whispered what she did a tad bit too loud. Indeed, the phenomenon Rusalka presents belongs to the unknown. But confirming that by saying it out loud would inspire fear, and fear slows people down.

The beast grabbed a witch and moved her towards its mouth, one of its fangs opened sideways and sealed the witch inside, followed by blood flowing out. These fangs were actually multiple iron maidens stacked side by side.

The beast's claws are butchering blades, its limbs are made up of devices made to crush people, and holding it all together are chains that bind and shadows that devour. This thing Rusalka brought forth is a terrible beast of metal and blood composed of torture devices. There are some in the Obsidian Round Table that use gigantic and destructive Ahnenerbe, so it would only make sense for Rusalka to have created this in order to stand up to them.

Rusalka mounted the shoulder of the behemoth and shouted:

Do you all know my alias? It's Malleus Maleficarum. It's thanks to you all that I can finally spite the filthy bastard like he did me!

Malleus MaleficarumHammer of Witches, Rusalka's alias can be easily mistaken to refer to the witch swinging the hammer, but its true meaning represents a hammer that strikes witches instead. It is the title of a handbook on witchhunting. Of course, the person who gave Rusalka her despicable alias is none other than Mercurius. But today, now that she hunts other witches instead, this alias has temporarily become proper for her. She is now a witch who hunts other witches.

The beast did not stop devouring witches, constantly ripping and moving. Keeping control of something like this would take ingredients with a far above average level magical power and soul count, and these witches fill that role most suitably. Rusalka's man-eating shadows act as reins to the beast and the torture tools which make up its parts get the job done for the most part, but in this state, it is having trouble lunging at smaller targets. While she is not yet completely used to controlling the beast using her shadows, Rusalka could see a working combination. For example, if she had a smaller, more powerful familiar to make up for what the beast lacked...

Die!

Whoa there ~

Rusalka dodged the strike of one of the witches who had ascended a tree and leapt towards her. This courageous witch was caught inside the tail of the beast, a birdcage covered in spikes, and then violently shaken about. The fountain of blood and despairing shrieks filled Rusalka's heart. A great number of witches had started their counterattack, but at the same time there were many who tried to run. A fine display of those who were worthy and those who were not. But in front of the beast, all were equally prey.

Rusalka started to chant her desire, that she wished to not let a single witch get away...

In der Nacht, wo alles schläftWithin the dark of night, a sleepless night.

Any who heard her aria could feel the mood change.

Wie schön, den Meeresboden zu verlassen.I part with the water's womb in jubilance...

It was not fear they felt, but envy.

Ich hebe den Kopf über das Wasser, Welch Freude, das Spiel der Wasserwellen...as my head leaves its clear cradle, sending joyful ripples along the surface.

If you think about it, the girls here simply either decided to call themselves witches, or somebody who knows nothing of the subject decided to give them that title.

Durch die nun zerbrochene Stille, Rufen wir unsere NamenThe crisp air trembled as we played, exchanging cries loud and high;

They do not even know what a real witch or a real spell is.

Pechschwarzes Haar wirbelt im Wind.my hair, drenched and green, danced in the air.

Both fear and courage are here crushed by the overwhelming unknown.

Welch Freude, sie trocknen zu sehen.And so we danced on, my hair drying in the cool air.

Or could it simply be left reverberating deep inside?

Beri'ahCreation figment

Csejte Ungarn NachtzehrerThe voracious shades from the castle of torture

Even if death awaits at the end of the tunnel...

Shadows came blasting out from all sides around the beast, assaulting all witches and stopping their movement upon contact. The beast pinned and devoured the witches one after another, as they went on to become Rusalka's fuel.

It's time for a bonus round! Or maybe not... I'm just too perfect right now, so there's no fun in that. Say it with me now: I'm p e r f e c t ~

Rusalka probably spoke to somebody out there, but of course nobody answered.

Csejte Ungarn NachtzehrerThe voracious shades from the castle of torture: if she cannot catch up to someone, she will simply pull them down from above. This is Rusalka's desire, creating a phenomenon that freezes the movements of anyone who touches her shadow. By itself, this is quite the simplistic power, but she can freely control the reach of her own man-eating shadows. Furthermore, by incorporating the rest of her magic arsenal, the utility of this power becomes even greater. With Rusalka being this much of a skilled user, it is hard to see her creation figment as inferior to anyone else's.

At this point most of the witches were already slain, and Rusalka only now caught wind of the absence of a major character.

Hey, did Miss Monroe take a run for it? Now I can't see her acting like she's all that and then jump ship when it counts... That'd be a PR disaster!

Despite her provocations, Rusalka knew very well that Monroe did not flee. Miss high and mighty knows very well what happens when she tarnishes her public image. Coming from Rusalka, who has crushed the hearts of many such people before, there is no mistaking it.

Suddenly, the beast lost its balance and its giant body started tilting backwards.

Tch...!

Rusalka tightened her grip on the beast using her reins, and regained its balance. But what bothered her more than this sudden loss of balance was the pain. Normally, having maybe one or two torture tools destroyed does not return much if any damage back to her at all, but with a monstrosity such as this one, it becomes hard to avoid the pain...

...that is because the tip of one of the beast's leg had been devoured.

I am the only one who gets to eat!

Monroe clenched her hands tightly, shouting just by the feet of the beast.

Don't try to act like the greater witch, I won't allow anyone to steal from me!

Though watching her falling comrades and faced with overwhelming power, Monroe stood strong and continued inciting jealousy and anger, she certainly has nerves of steel. It seems there is still more pain and ridicule left to go around...

...but there was also something very satisfying about looking down on someone so desperate.

Hey, this is your first time, right? Then I'll make sure to be gentle with you, NOT! Try getting used to doing it hardcore!

Right when Rusalka shouted this, the remainder of the beast's leg came off, split into a million pieces and assaulted Monroe. Monroe used her hands to devour most of the storm, but she could not eat all incoming projectiles, and some of them came through and damaged her.

This is still pretty vanilla!

Monroe widened her arms and started completely eating up all torture tools. The incoming rain weakened, at this rate she could certainly eat it all up.

That's because we're still at the foreplay part!

Rusalka answered indifferently. A wheel that was frankly too large to still be called a torture tool overshadowed the rain of torture tools completely and came rushing at Monroe.

Gyaaaaaaaa!

The spikes around the wheel peeled Monroe's face right off and took her flesh with it. In only a fraction of a second, her trademark features were taken away from her and she was degraded to the woman who was once Monroe.

I can see it!

Monroe's insides were now completely exposed, and Rusalka was able to see her Ahnenerbe. It was her head. Somebody's skull had been fused with her own head. Come to think of it, for someone whose obsession is eating, their tongue, teeth and mouth... Their head is very much related to this obsession.

Monroe, who was still airborne from the impact with the wheel, was subsequently caught in a large cross made of iron bars, with chains binding her still wide open hands with unreal force. The chains were still connected to all the eaten witches inside the belly of the beast, the weight of their deaths held Monroe down.

A leader should properly lead their subordinates. Looking at you now, they ought to frame you in the director's office as an example of what the ideal leader looks like.

The beast's body fell apart, and from within appeared a pendulum-style guillotine with an arrow-shaped blade. Rusalka jumped onto the guillotine and from midair it launched towards the cross that held Monroe. The arrow-shaped blade swung intensely, and when it reached Monroe, the mouth on her already-destroyed face opened wide. The thick and sharp blade sliced right through her mouth and sliced the top half of her head right off.

One, two...

Rusalka jumped off the guillotine and made a wonderful landing. There was no longer anyone left who dared to come after her. The complete silence after this display of slaughter signalled the end.

So this is what happens when you use a shotgun to kill a fly... This formula is no good, the efficiency couldn't be worse.

Rusalka referred to the poor consumption rate and high damage feedback, a retrospective of her formula from just now. Even if just for collecting this prey, the return rate is way too low. If it had been against a fellow member of the Obsidian Round Table, the consumption rate would destroy her, and she would only end up becoming a big target for her opponent. Not to mention, she was not able to collect that many souls from Monroe's remains at all. Rusalka clearly felt the number of souls she could reap from Monroe was severely lacking, apparently the inside of that gluttonous belly of hers was nothing more than a wicked cesspool, and contained nothing of value. What an anticlimactic ending...

...but Rusalka was yet excited. Because in the facility below the ground she stood on, there were likely tons of Ahnenerbe lying in slumber. It is not very surprising that someone would get so excited when they stand before a treasure mountain. Having slain the dragon, Rusalka entered its treasury, her heart pumping...

Now then, this is where the witch made the wrong decision.

If she had taken a closer look inside the belly of her enemy, it would be hard not to notice. Perhaps the chaos before her let her attention waver someplace else...

And this is where the witch made the right decision.

It was when she was about to take the blade of her enemy head on. It was not in an act of courage, neither in an act of fear... She was just hungry. Her appetite turned everything around.

A simple desire led to the rekindling of her depleted souls. Her heart's all, for her hunger. I want to eat, I want to it whole. The simplicity of her desire was of absolute purity and of godlike quality.

In an attempt to find she who would steal the hearts of all men, he hybridized many young girls with his many Ahnenerbe, and it paid off. An actress worthy of the main stage had finally been born. Certainly an actress this fine deserves her own chance to stand in the spotlight.

The actress sung. While reduced to mere shrieks, her wholehearted aria shook the world, granting her wish...

May her wish shake even the foreknowledgeghetto. As the shadow that guides both the blessed and unblessed witch, may her prayer come to fruition.

This facility located below the earth's surface is a wicked factory for witches. Rusalka thought she heard a faint noise.

If that was a bug, must be a big one...

But in this place it is not so strange to hear noises, Rusalka ignored the sound. This underground facility succeeded in bringing about a gruesome hatchery of magic no matter the costs. Here lie otherworldly remains created by means of surgical science, Ahnenerbe gathered as a source of magic power and contraptions of all sorts brought about by inhuman means the likes the Obsidian Round Table could not even match. A place like this would not be the same without a despairing cry or two.

Rusalka assessed the stock of Ahnenerbe, if there ever truly were Ahnenerbe that got lost from the institute, they would certainly be among this collection. These shelves were stuffed with items and documents, and with a simple touch some of the documents would already come falling off.

Keep things organized, will you. I guess it's no surprise 'cause they got the witch part wrong too...

Grumpy, Rusalka picked up the fallen documents, among them one of the pages caught her attention. It was a data entry about a particular Ahnenerbe.

Of course, if you shove this into someone's skull of course they'd get a thing for cannibalism.

The document did not mention any names, but Rusalka could recognize the Ahnenerbe in question, it was the skull that was fused with Monroe's head. In the 19th century, George Donner led the Donner Party in an attempt to move from the east coast of America to the west coast, but following a series of less fortunate events, they became snowbound in the mountains. Eventually, they even resorted to eating each other's flesh in order to survive, these bones belong to those who survived and escaped the mountains.

The bones of those who have eaten the flesh of multiple people are sure to be riddled with curses, but is a single Ahnenerbe of this caliber truly enough to make one so gluttonous? Rusalka noticed a connection between the documents she was reading.

What!?

Reviewing the next document, Rusalka sounded discomforted, these documents listed the knifes, axes and other tools used by famous cannibals. All of these, including the bones from the Donner Party, were at some point given to the same person: Monroe. Rusalka knew the names of these people all too well, as she searched her memories for the cases they were involved in, she realized what they all had in common…

…they all purely ate people. It was not a matter of famine, poverty or mental disability, they were all cannibals who loved to eat other people. Even the last survivor of the Donner Party ignored the food offered to him by his rescue party and chose to continue eating people instead. To him, there was no longer any difference between the meat of cows, pigs, sheep or humans. Then of course it makes sense for someone like that to prefer fresh meat over preserved meat.

For this many diverse Ahnenerbe to be gathered in one place and to be forcefully fused into a single person, of course that would create a gluttonous monster the likes the world has never seen before. It is easy to see why Monroe was so full of herself now, every other person was like a lesser being to her, and her potential dinner. Now even Rusalka had a strange expression when faced with a pastime that went too far even for her standards, and the monster in question would come to present itself to her shortly afterwards.

It was a woman with the top half of her head blown off. It was easy for Rusalka to tell even without using her magical eyes that her colour is now nothing but a muddy mess. Her body had strange protrusions lined up almost systematically, it took some time for Rusalka to finally realize that those protrusions were teeth and fangs.

Wait, you're Monroe!?

_

Rusalka addressed the woman, but she did not answer. Still, judging from the cut on her head, there is no mistaking that this is indeed Monroe. It makes sense that she cannot answer, as she no longer has a brain, but somehow this brainless body still managed to jump at Rusalka. Taking this anomaly head on is a fool's errand, Rusalka retreated, causing Monroe to crash into the table holding the Ahnenerbe collection from before. For quite some time after crashing into the table, Monroe went motionless.

This has to be a joke, right? You're eating those?

Rusalka whispered dumbfoundedly. It is not so much that Monroe is not moving, but rather that she is eating the Ahnenerbe along with the table. And not just with the remaining lower half of her mouth, but the teeth all over her body are all moving and eating. Right now, Monroe's entire body is her mouth. In fact, her leap from just now was probably not even meant to reach Rusalka, she simply wanted to sink her teeth into the magical power before her.

Monroe is now only a glutton and nothing else, craving only to devour her prey according to her primal instincts. She has become something very far from being called a witch, instead a perfect incarnation of Beelzebub, the demon of one of the seven deadly sins: gluttony.

The disorder in her shaking skin, along with the eerie satisfaction in having become one with so many disgusting people gave a similar vibe as a swarm of flies. The Lady of the FliesBeelzebub, ruler of her colony, had manifested right here and now.

Tch-

Rusalka clicked her tongue and released her man-eating shadows without hesitation, dropping the wall on her right-hand side on top of the monster. Perhaps if she does not raise her arms, it might ignore her. But if it is going to eat up all that it can inside this facility, then its next move remains unpredictable. Perhaps a village? A city? An entire country? What if this fattened abomination starts going after the Obsidian Round Table, the biggest possible prey? Rusalka's sense of impending doom and self-preservation gave her that extra push to keep going.

Eaten by shadows from below, and assaulted by a large wall from above, Beelzebub was being attacked from all sides. But that next instant, Rusalka could sense great hunger. Her shadows and the wall were both eaten up whole, violently scooped up down the very stomach of the perpetrator. In only a split second, a portion of souls Rusalka had worked hundreds of years to collect had been taken from her. To think that all her magic along with her torture tools and shadows would be devoured like this... Just how much of a glutton is this?

The teeth inside Beelzebub crunched away. In harmony with this faint sound resounded a sense of unease, and at the same time, curiosity. With this new taste, it seems she has determined Rusalka to be the tastiest prey she had ever eaten.

I really would've liked to fight someone a bit more sublime than this...

Having said that, Rusalka retreated, left the room and hid behind the wall. This is no opponent she can fight head on, or rather, she does not want to. Only somebody like Wilhelm could happily trade punches with that thing. On the bright side, this is indoors. If she can take some distance and set up traps, she could probably put up a fight. If she really is the avatar of gluttony, she should be easy to trap. Rusalka's back was trembling even thinking about it.

Acting on that fear, Rusalka turned around, but Beelzebub's sudden appearance after eating the wall and bursting in was a matter of a split second.

Beelzebub turned to Rusalka, emitting some high frequency noise. Beelzebub is nothing but gluttony incarnate, this pure craving of food is a powerful form of desire, and with that, magic power. It has made her movements extraordinary. However, she can probably not see Rusalka's traps in this form, all she can see now is her prey; Rusalka.

This was my best suit, you know? At the very least I'd have hoped for you to still have a head that can understand what "compensation" means.

Rusalka's military outfit had torn during her close escape from just now, and her white skin now lays exposed. Luckily she was not hurt, but had her skin been touched, her flesh and souls would have surely been scraped off. Not even her defenses at the level of the Obsidian Round Table can pretend to be able to withstand that.

Beelzebub went for Rusalka again and leapt. But this was not just any leap, she twisted her body and spun. With her entire body being her mouth filled to the brink with teeth, she would devour the entire space around her. With this penetration power and frenzied rage, she is like a food excavator.

Rusalka dodged the leap of hunger, but Beelzebub made a quick landing and started to wave her limbs and head around freely. This is truly a mouth that will eat up the enemy no matter how it does it. Even traditional Chinese lion dancers act more mature than this. Rusalka would keep getting more and more driven into a corner in this small hallway, and when Beelzebub had finally devoured the last bit of distance between them and grabbed hold of Rusalka, her body would defy the laws of physics and fly across the hallway.

Ouch, this really does hurt... Guess I've learned that now...

Rusalka let go of one of her own chains, she managed to narrowly avoid death by pulling it to get to safety, but Beelzebub had already started twisting her body and leapt at Rusalka once more. There is still some distance between them, so she probably needs to jump a couple of times more until she reaches Rusalka, but there is not enough time to escape.

This is a dead end, there is no other option than facing her head on. It was here that Rusalka contemplated her own powerlessness. Her man-eating shadows, Die BlutgräfinElisabeth Báthory and Csejte Ungarn NachtzehrerThe Voracious shades from the castle of torture all have very little effect now that she has to use them to fight head on. What she needed most at this moment was brute courage the likes she has never had before. For Rusalka, who has always put herself before anything else, this was unlikely to ever happen.

If she were to be eaten right now, Beelzebub would come to know the taste of an Obsidian Round Table member and surely target Lisa and Beatrice. In Valkyrie's case, she would definitely have enough brute courage to fight back. It was at this moment Rusalka had an idea. Applying what she knew from memory and her new idea, she came up with a quick formula and strategy, this may actually work...

Looking at the remaining distance, Beelzebub seemed to have around two more jumps left. In that case, there is still enough time.

YetzirahFormation

Palinda MorsThe Pale Mask of Death

Ah! Ich habe deinen Mund gekust, Jochanaan.O, my beloved. I have laid my lips upon yours.

Ah, forget it! I'm skipping this! Why in the world does your Formation stage even have an aria? Take after Spinne, will you, he doesn't have to sing anything at all!

Rusalka disregarded the aria she herself had begun singing. After all, this is but a rip-off. She thought to at least properly copy her incantation, but she did not even have time for that. If its owner, Lisa, heard about this, she would surely get upset. Rusalka wrapped her own body in shadows, covering up the parts of her body that were exposed. It was a jet black dress. There is another use for Lisa Brenner's Pale Mask of DeathPalinda Mors besides using the mask to raise a single corpse. When she requires quantity over quality, the mask can extend to form a dress that covers her body. Rusalka simply wanted to copy that dress.

Beelzebub has one jump left, one jump until she reaches Rusalka. Rusalka pulled back her arm and thought of another Obsidian Round Table member. What she would receive from Beatrice is her fearlessness and calm and collected skill. Using what she has received from her fellow female Obsidian Round Table members, she would pierce through the Lady of the Flies.

Beelzebub had come yet closer, and her body had already opened up, focusing on a single target point. While her entire body is a mouth, only the part that opened up is connected to her stomach.

Eat shit ---- !!!

Firing herself up with a scream quite unlike her, she lunged her arm forward. Her shadows extended up her arm, forming a spear and penetrating Beelzebub's insides. Every time the dress shrank, the spear would become longer and stronger. Rusalka clenched her teeth, bearing the agony of her body slowly melting away, and focused on one point, her enemy's stomach. Her spear made of shadows had reached inside Beelzebub, split into a million branches, and ransacked and destroyed Beelzebub's stomach.

As if choking, Beelzebub's body shook heavily. The souls inside her stomach that she never digested were released all at once.

If you're so fond of eating, at least try being a little mindful of your health. Eating and eating like an animal is something that only noblemen of hundreds of years ago would do.

Rusalka watched Beelzebub in discord. Even if her hunger and stomach size had become infinite, her digestation system had never evolved. It is only natural that when you prick a hole into the stomach, any yet vital souls inside would come flying out.

Souls came bursting out from all over Beelzebub's body. Those with no strength left came flowing over the floor, and those that still held power flowed towards the ceiling. If anything, this could visualized as a powerless precipitation together with a lofty sublimation. It is like maggots crawling over the floor while a swarm of flies disperses.

Rusalka tried her best to absorb as many souls as possible. She could regain the souls she had burned up and taken from her, but she could not take any additional ones for profit. Souls with no strength left in them served no purpose after all. At long last, Beelzebub's corpse melted into the ceiling and disappeared, there was no way she would ever return now.

I wouldn't wanna be found dead with undigested food inside of me... Poor thing...

Rusalka trembled without thinking. After all, if she had taken one wrong step she may have ended up just like that. Such a scenario crossed her mind. Why, of course she eats people with her shadows too, but at least she possesses enough moderation to not expose herself to such a death. And right now she is the one who won and lived, so she has yet to live on beyond Monroe's demise.

Rusalka brushed her premonitions aside and thought of what to do about her current situation, being almost completely naked.

Lisa Brenner waited patiently on the beach and had her eyes dead set. She figured the strange presence she felt came from the inward part of the island Rusalka disappeared into, and pondered a worst-case scenario. But her eyes were actually fixated in the opposite direction; the various battleships floating on the ocean. Lightning flickered around the fleet.

Make yourselves known.

This current display must be a literal interpretation of that order. Beatrice, who was late to the party, was in the process of making her power known to the American navy, running across the water, cutting about. She looked dazzling and elegant doing it, but also somewhat lost in thought.

To think she'd actually still catch up... She's so punctual.

Rusalka's voice resounded behind Lisa, who still looked at the ocean.

Welcome back. What happened to you?

Lisa looked around and noticed Rusalka's white appearance. It appears she had changed into a long white dress. Likely made of a tender material, it swayed heavily in the wind.

Oh, this? I got my clothes all torn so I tried looking for something else, but this is all I could find. If the wind were just strong enough to blow my skirt away, I could show you levels of obscenity that shouldn't even be possible. 'Cause, I'm not wearing any! I'm really not!

You should, it's cold out and you might get sick.

I love that part of you, Babylon.

Rusalka stood next to Lisa, holding down her skirt.

Valkyrie's really right on time, huh. How'd she get here? She couldn't have come running?

That girl is way too clever, there's no way around it.

She doesn't look like all that much of a meathead at all from here, although meathead allies are scary enough in their own way... I thought maybe she wouldn't show up and I already went and made backup plans...

Rusalka pointed at the ocean body, with a group of boats on the other end. They all advanced in a straight line towards a nearby fleet.

Are they carrying bombs?

Hmmm, you could say they're bombs. Maybe more like human bombs? They're all witches. I found them locked up in the facility below, those are all failed products. They don't listen to orders, they're insane or their powers are too dangerous. And so they've been banished from their witch community. Outcasts, the lot of them.

Ah, so then...

Lisa understood. The witches inside those boats were all the black sheep of the herd, even more twisted than the ones she had the pleasure of meeting inside the airplane, and much farther removed from the pack.

But I believe they represent the true witches. They have been through much more contempt for no reason at all than those well-behaved little princesses with collars around their necks. And now they are finally free to roam the wild, I think that is a true witch... Of course I may have brainwashed them a little bit, but once they finish their battle royale on board those ships and set foot into the wide world, they will be free. There will be no more chains on you!

While many of the boats ended up sunken, the witches succeeded in boarding the battleships of the nearby fleet. The decks of these ships must be in total chaos at this point, with the chain of command in complete disarray.

Facing such a bright light, Rusalka covered her eyes.

Well then, time to go. I think it's about time for us to let Valkyrie's light guide us home.

On the ocean, one of the battleships had been cut by lightning, a perfect dissection through its center. Surely a sight to reaffirm what Beatrice's absolute brilliance and power output looks like. Rusalka started to walk towards the water, letting the shadows below her feet create a way for her to walk on.

You coming? If you're tired, I can make you a moving footpath. The kind that keeps moving even if you sit down or take a nap. I'll even order drinks.

Oh? I didn't know you offered service all the way out here.

Well, see it as a form of compensation for infringing on your copyright... Actually, forget I said that. I'm just a sweetheart.

Somewhat suspicious, Lisa stepped onto Rusalka's moving pathway. Even on top of the raging waters, the shadows retained their composure and repelled the incoming waves. As she started walking, Lisa suddenly remembered something important.

Oh, that's right. I heard you'd been tracking down lost Ahnenerbe from the institute, what happened to that?

Rusalka had been hunting these down since before this adventure begun.

I've stored everything of value inside my shadows. Other than that, I tracked down a little more than just Ahnenerbe along the way... I guess they just threw the rest away. So it's fine, don't worry about it.

Rusalka kept walking as she answered Lisa's question. It was easy to see how she had already conceded the case, and how she was even a little saddened about it.

It was November the 28th in 1962 when the Soviet Union finally removed their nuclear missiles from Cuba, and the world was at peace. The Cuban Missile Crisis came to a resolution and the cold war would move towards an era where strained relations between the United States and the Soviet Union would heal once more. It had been fear that drove the top brass of these two behemoths to do what they did, all under the pretense that the Cuban Missile Crisis would destroy the world. The people of the world thought that nuclear missiles would spell their doom, the governments of these two sides did not deny that either.

On that day, on the island of Cuba, mankind suffered a massive loss and bended the knee to a danger even greater than any nuclear arsenal could pose. And it would be buried in history forever.