A white drizzle of bones swept through the cobblestone streets of the royal capital in frantic, piercing gusts that blanketed the roads with countless brittle thorns... as I composed the epic piece 'Glory of the Fallen' on my ethereal keys.
Skeletal soldiers flooded the skies in a dazzling and macabre choreography that echoed with the creaking of their limbs.
Red reigned supreme, spreading in a vast web that mercilessly tore the infinite army to shreds.
Crack!
A slender projectile lay motionless just a few millimeters from my eyes, blocked by a vast wall of soldiers, as I composed the epic piece "Glory of the Fallen" on my ethereal keys.
"It had been millennia since anyone had dared to stand up to me," she remarked. Her voice fell like cold silk in the wind, as she gave a slight bow with a playful smile on her face. "I hope your actions are as sharp as your words and that you remain alive long enough to satisfy this empress."
"An empress without a crown is nothing more than a queen in exile," I replied, extending my right hand in a formal invitation as my invisible fingers brushed against the next note. "Let me compose the symphony of your downfall, my lady. I'll take care of the opening beat."
The piercing sound reverberated like thunder in the hearts of those present, plunging the atmosphere into a deep, sepulchral silence.
Under everyone's gaze, the skeleton soldiers began to fade into a dense cloud of fog that enveloped the area around the stage.
Boom, boom, boom!
But the calm vanished as quickly as it had arrived, plunging the atmosphere into despair as they witnessed precisely what they least wanted to happen.
The giants' footsteps thundered throughout the area, causing the streets to shake violently as they advanced toward the center of the stage.
"Stay calm!" roared the soldiers' leader in frustration, locked in an intense battle against the girls besieging them from all sides.
Boom, boom, boom!
His face turned pale and sickly as his attention focused on the flapping wings of a massive dragon that was hurling the fighters into the air.
He struggled to his feet, his chest heaving, tasting the metallic liquid in his mouth.
"Lightning Squad, call for reinforcements from the church!" he ordered calmly, quickly wiping away the drops of blood trickling down his forehead.
I raised my hands from high above the kingdom to welcome the second act of the performance.
Beneath my boots lay a dragon hundreds of meters long, distorting its surroundings with the intense body heat radiating from its form.
Madam Crimson began channeling Fire and Darkness into her palms, reciting a spell at a speed impossible for an ordinary human to comprehend.
"Black fire": those were her words, which, though spoken in a low voice, echoed throughout the place with a thunderous roar as she was impaled by the giants' massive clubs without halting their advance.
My imposing mount let out a heart-wrenching howl of pain upon coming into contact with the black flames that clung to its mana.
I leaped toward the sizzling dragon while dodging the graceful trails of blood my mistress was flinging in my direction, counterattacking with the yellowish dragon that swept the surroundings with powerful electric shocks, leaving a strong smell of ozone in its wake.
The bloodstained lady somersaulted from the nearby wall, channeling wind mana into the soles of her feet to propel herself between the buildings.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The thunderous impact of the maces traced violent arcs that began to bring down all nearby structures, causing several cracks in the city's translucent shield.
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My mistress continued on her way, ignoring the buildings that shook from side to side beneath her steady footsteps.
Two more dragons appeared at my side, bombarding Madam Crimson with beams of light and darkness that transformed the surroundings into a sparkling whirlwind that swept away everything in its path.
I spun around at lightning speed and delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of the woman in red who had silently appeared behind me.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
We exchanged thousands of blows in rapid succession, generating countless shockwaves in a magnificent choreography that resonated with our splendid romance.
I had become so immersed in the performance that I completely forgot one important detail… The anti-magic chains were cracking.
This is bad; I want to stop, but my body refuses to give in.
I took a step back so as not to ruin the scene, concentrating Yin and Yang mana in my hands, with the second act about to reach its climax.
"My apologies, Lady Crimson, but all good performances must come to an end," I remarked, dodging the barrage of punches raining down on me.
The woman in red took a step back with a faint glimmer of reluctance in her crimson eyes, raising her palm toward the sky, preparing for her final attack.
Darkness loomed over the city, as a great sword of blood enveloped the entire realm, silencing the kingdom's spectators.
I fused the two elements into a dreamlike wheel spinning counterclockwise.
"Primordial Chaos": those were the last words that came out of my mouth before everything in the air vanished.
There were no thunderous explosions or dazzling attacks that lit up the entire capital—just a huge pool of fresh blood flooding the streets with its nauseating stench.
***
The creaking of old wood filled the enormous room, along with a strong musty smell emanating from the walls.
I walked slowly toward the boy at the far end of the room, stirring up a light cloud of dust that clung to my luxurious robes.
I sat down across from the young man, drumming my fingers on the wooden table as I carefully pulled a letter from my pockets.
The boy's bruised face turned pale as he tried to snatch the piece of paper from my hands. Each attempt only served to increase the pain in his wrists, which were bound with anti-magic chains.
It was quite a sight to behold: watching him gasp for breath as he struggled to free himself, only to end up riddled with wounds and healed once more by my soldiers.
"It's quite a stroke of luck that my father and sister are busy," I said, calmly taking a small sip of my comforting tea, which my loyal warriors had brought me. "Isn't that right, Asmodeus dal Blackwood?"
"You're a scoundrel, Prince Marc!" he growled, his eyes bloodshot, as the dark guards at a snail's pace cut off his fingers.
"I know, but don't think that flattering me will save you from this situation," I paused my knights momentarily to prevent him from breaking too soon. "Either you die quickly by telling me who sent this letter, or would you prefer I extract the information by means you assuredly won't like?”
I narrowed my eyes, waiting for Asmodeus's answer, drumming my fingers as the ticking of the clock echoed through the room.
"The Church? Ash Stage?" I probed, searching for any kind of microexpression that might give him away.
I set the empty cup down on the table, and a broad smile spread across my face as I caught his slight reaction at the very last second.
"So you're with Ash Stage, huh? Starting tomorrow, the Blackwood family will cease to exist," I said, rising from my chair and grabbing the letter with a new goal in mind.
"Wait! I'll confess, I'll confess!"
I ignored him… No, actually, there was no need; he was probably just buying time for his companions.
I slammed the door shut, silencing the young man's agonized scream.
***
The squeals of rats echoed through the depths of the dark, moss-covered corridor.
A strong stench of manure rose from the greenish waters flowing through that place.
I adjusted my glasses and delivered a swift strike at the enormous crocodile peering out from the bank, threatening to stain my favorite suit.
When I reached the end, a nauseating stench nearly made me throw up my breakfast: there were several rat skeletons, each several meters long, scattered along the path, but the most repulsive thing was their rotten, completely bloodless skin; I could even swear I'd just seen a green aura emanating from them.
"Hey, Pisces, do you really have to go about things this way? At this rate, you'll never get married," I said, covering my nose to protect myself from the unbearable stench that threatened to cloud my consciousness.
The annoying crunching of bones ceased just before the woman threw the enormous, emaciated rat into the murky waters nearby.
"Fufufu, you're such a joker, Leo-kun. I've already met my ideal husband, but if you're looking for a chance, this empress won't turn down a fierce battle," she remarked without the slightest hint of shame, savoring the blood that still lingered on her lips.
"Yeah, yeah, you've got it all figured out. Have a nice honeymoon… I don't care what you do with your life," I replied calmly, pulling a document out of the little book. "Here's the list of candidates."
I withdrew my hand as soon as she took the envelope, avoiding any contact that might leave a lingering odor on my clothes.
I tucked the little book into my pocket before turning to Pisces while adjusting my glasses.
"I could have gotten more, but a certain person thought it was a good idea to put on such a spectacle right in the middle of the city. Which led me to lose one of my assistants," I explained.
"You're no fun at all,” she said before disappearing into a pool of blood.
Yeah, and I never will if it means catching your astronomical amount of bacteria, which could jump onto me with the slightest brush of our hands.
I turned around quickly, doing a favor to whoever happened to be passing by by collapsing the structure that was holding it up.