As soon as he had equipped himself in the heavenly armor, the wicked figure launched across the carved soil, darting around him with vicious speed–repeatedly encircling him with swiftness that left afterimages of blood in her wake.
"Murder!"
The scream of the woman boomed as she swept through the path, unleashing deathly slashes that carved through the dirt.
"Kill!
Each yell was followed by quick bursts of slashes infused with the figure's bloody aura, eradicating anything in her way as she swept through like a bolt of lightning.
"Eliminate!"
Leaping up into the sky, Katliah yelled out one last time as she was engulfed in true bloodlust; the crimson shine infused with her armor, turning it into a bloody complexion as she spun both of her weapons using her chains.
Every rotation caused a greater force to be built; a crimson wind swirled around the spinning blades, being spun around with enough speed that the wind began howling before–
"Destroy—!"
As the maddened member of the enigmatic cult finally whipped her blades downward, Bastian finally responded as he looked upward, squatting down briefly as he breathed in:
["Angelic Wings"]
Bright-white wings manifested on his back in an ethereal form before he launched himself upward, ascending through the sky with intensity. The golden dust that was left in the trail of the wings repelled the range of the bloodlust aura, paving an open path for Bastian straight towards the spike-covered figure.
"You–!"
There was no chance for shock or anger to flood up to the wicked woman's mind as the winged man was far too fast; it was merely a fraction of a second, not enough time for a single raindrop to fall upon the world's crust from the time he launched until his fist drove into her stomach.
'How is he this strong…? Bastian Seraphheart–this is the strongest Reincarnator…?' Katliah questioned.
The impact was too much for the woman's body to withstand completely as a shock wave blew out from her back, causing her abdomen to be caved in brutally by the blow. It was a hit that would undoubtedly be the death of a normal human being, but the nomad already knew what sort of twisted kind of person he was dealing with.
"...Geurgh…! That hurt! I'll murder you! Murder!" Katliah spit out blood as she spoke.
Without paying any heed to the maddened words of the one who embodied "Bloodlust", he manifested golden ropes of light in each hand–["Heavenly Binding Principles"]
"Wha–?" Katliah watched without being able to react.
The bindings moved without restrictions of matter or weight, completely wrapping around the limbs and body of the spiked woman without any trouble. Burning with extreme prejudice towards the sinful, the "Heavenly Binding Principles" bore a heat that could not be hidden from behind armor; the punishing temperature felt as though it pressed against the woman's bare skin, inciting growls of agony from her as she struggled.
"Nnngahh…!" Katliah let out.
Bastian clenched the heavenly ropes before yanking the figure down to the ground with him as he gently landed, allowing his wings to flap once more with a seraphic beauty before they disappeared.
"Word of advice: don't struggle. The more you fight against your ordained punishment, the more your "sin" will rise–if that burn is unpleasant to you already, just wait until those ropes decide you're completely soaked in sin," Bastian warned.
"Nnn…"
Despite her clear anger and tangible bloodlust, even the crazed woman seemed to understand her situation as she stopped shaking around and attempting to fight off the unmoving tightness of the bindings.
"Sit up. I've got some questions for you," Bastian said in a demanding tone.
"Nnhf…" Katliah clenched her teeth, growling like a rabid beast.
As he tugged the golden ropes, they seemed to incur a scathing pain through the person they held onto as tight as a mother's hold, forcing the woman to sit up. There was no kindness to their grip; a scathing light that imbued a conceptual agony through skin, flesh, and down into the marrow of one's bone–all in accordance to the density of their sins.
"Now, it's time to give me some answers–starting with what your group wants with Emilio Dragonheart," Bastian questioned the crazed warrior.
Katliah gritted her teeth, looking up towards the man as blood leaked down her chin, "I ain't tellin' ya a damn thing, so just–Aaaagh!"
The moment there was any resistance found to answering the question, the nomadic man slightly tugged on the golden bindings, causing them once more to send a wave of unavoidable pain through the captured woman's body.
"Once you're caught in the hold of "Heavenly Principles", it's already over. For those that have led a life of evil, like yourself, anyway. Do you get it now? Unless you want to face total retribution, I'd suggest speaking–now," Bastian ordered, "I'll repeat my question one last time: what do the Children of Chaos want with Emilio Dragonheart?"
Catching her breath for a moment, layered in sweat and leaning her forehead against the dirt after suffering the brutal punishment from the radiant bindings, Katliah picked her head up, looking at the man with a glint in her crimson eyes.
"...Ya can shove yer questions up yer ass. It won't just be me. There will be more, hunting you and your kin to the ends of Arcadius. All to further our Lord's will. I rescind my contract!" Katliah screamed.
For a moment, Bastian was left perplexed by the meaning of the woman's shouting, though quickly realized what she was doing as he tightened the bindings in a panic.
"No–! Don't—!" Bastian yelled.
"Take your payment now–!" Katliah cried out.
The words spewed from the lips of the woman, piercing through the heavy rainfall, were meant for a non-present force; the entity in which she borrowed her unnatural authority from. The woman's eyes went bloodshot as crimson liquid leaked from her eyes, mouth, nose, and every conceivable pore as she smiled.
"You…!" Bastian muttered in frustration.
"See ya in Hell!" Katliah said with an ear-to-ear grin.
Before Bastian could attempt to speak or take any sort of action, harrowing spikes pierced outward from within the woman's body-every square inch of her body was skewered endlessly. It was not a painless death, there was no doubt about that from the sight of it; there wasn't a single piece of skin left seen from the woman–only a statue of spikes, coated in blood and left silent from the brutal end.
'She was willing to kill herself to avoid being questioned? Just what the hell is it these people are truly seeking? What are they hiding? I can't think of a cause worth becoming as twisted as this–using their own lives like expendable weapons to further some nebulous goal,' He questioned.
Relinquishing the golden bindings, he let out a quiet, disappointed sigh at his failure to obtain information on the elusive group.
Looking upon the grotesque corpse left behind, resembling only a bloody, pointy statue now, he was quiet for a moment. There was a tiredness in his eyes that went past just a few sleepless nights; perhaps weeks, months, or even years.
Turning to the side, the man's gaze befell the mountainous skull as his path was now unimpeded, leaving him only moving forward.
—
[Back To Present]
After the eventful clash with monstrous forces, the three headed out from the seal, leaving the underground area before resting at a quiet section of the nearby forest. They all needed rest and recovery before anything else–which Bastian had covered, providing healing for Excelsior and much needed food in the form of cooked deer.
The three were certainly suited to such troublesome encounters, all seeming to be on the same wavelength as Emilio used a small bit of fire magic to stoke the campfire, Excelsior split wooden logs to create seats for them, and Bastian provided the food and aid.
"So, a member of the Children of the Chaos attacked you? If they had an Aspect, they were definitely high-ranking," Excelsior remarked.
Bastian tossed a twig into the campfire, "I doubt she was that high within their organization–to be frank, she wasn't much trouble. I'd say either of you two could've dealt with her handily."
"I just don't get it…Why do these "Children of Chaos" people want with us so badly?" Emilio questioned.
"From what I've gathered, Reincarnation like us are "vessels" that Primordials seek. A lot of what I'm about to say is conjecture, seeing as it's impossible to get these cultists to spill their secrets, but I believe it has to do with our Systems," Bastian explained, "Our Systems are what separate us from normal people who live on Arcadius. Sources of great strength that ignore the fundamental laws of this land…I'd venture to guess it's an enticing catalyst for Primordials."
The explanation seemed to be backed by the respected wisdom of Bastian, who seemed wise past his years as he moved calmly when stoking the campfire, slowly eating the cooked meat.
"It all comes back to Primordials, huh…" Emilio said.
"That's the reasoning for us anyway," Bastian told him.
"Yeah, but there's something different about you, right, Dragonheart?" Excelsior noted.
Emilio looked between the two, not having an answer, "Different?"
"The truth is, the way the Children of Chaos have targeted you and treated you…You're definitely a special case," Bastian said, "As to why, that's why I'm trying to find out. It's not just them, though–there are a lot of eyes on you, Emilio. It's not surprising considering the waves you've made already."
"I haven't really…done anything," he rubbed the back of his head.
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