Capítulo 97: Madness
"I looked silly?"
Vanis asked in utter bewilderment, completely forgetting the injuries she sustained.
I nodded. "Yeah. You reminded me of the birds I watched flying outside while I was confined in the Dawn Palace."
"Seeing them so free boiled my blood," I sneered, my voice dripping with malice. "Every time I saw them, I wished I could just clip off their wings and put them in a glass box for the rest of their lives."
"But I will have to suffice with you," I giggled, the sound high-pitched and deranged. "You do look like a bird that just lost its wings. Bewildered and injured after plunging to the ground."
"What the hell happened to you?" Vanis asked, her face contorted with pain and shock as she tried to get up.
"I have attained freedom," I replied and activated Haema. Blood swirled above Vanis, forming two spikes that hardened into crystallized blood.
With a flick of my finger, they drove into Vanis's legs, pinning her to the frozen ground.
"What are you doing?!" Artemis yelled into my earpiece as Vanis's scream, now music to my ears, echoed all over the valley.
"She said she would hunt me down," I replied, looking down at Vanis taking deep breaths, her eyes wide with pain and confusion. "I can't have that."
A gust of wind ruffled my torn uniform and a shadow fell on me.
"Interesting, isn't it?" I glanced back at Asphodel's blank visage.
"Humans can be worse than daemons."
I turned around and faced the Abnormal. Despite the monstrosity before me, I felt a sense of unnatural calm.
"Hey there, big guy!" I waved cheerfully at its face. "You look very handsome without the face."
My lips curled into a grin. "Or were you so ugly you had to delete your face to look handsome?"
"I'm pretty sure there were better face care routines for that."
There was silence after I said that. The daemon's head tilted slightly as if processing my words.
"Mordred. Are you cracking jokes with the deadliest Abnormal standing before you?" Vanis asked from the ground, her voice tinged with shock and pain.
I glanced back at her. "What else am I supposed to do? Make out with it?"
There was a stunned silence after my words. Even Asphodel took a step back.
I was disappointed. "So you're not into that?"
The daemon just stood there, its head tilted to the side, regarding me with its empty blank visage.
Looking at the Abnormal I spoke into my earpiece. "Artemis. How long until the Commander arrives?"
"In about a minute."
"Ah," my lips curled into a smile as a fun idea popped up in my head.
"Minerva, my dear sweet AI," I called her in a sickly sweet voice.
"Yeah?" she asked uneasily, clearly uncomfortable.
"Delay my dear uncle," I said, still in that unsettlingly sweet tone.
"WHAT?"
Artemis, Minerva, and Vanis yelled out in unison.
"Are you insane?" the Shield's AI asked, her voice rising in shock.
My grin widened. "Of course I am! Why do you think I stabbed myself and called upon the Goddess of Madness?"
I swung my bloodied sword in the air, laughing maniacally as a powerful gust of wind shattered the side of the valley beside me.
Crimson runes glowed along the length of the blade and a red smoke emanated from the sword.
"I can take on the handsome boy over there," I declared.
"I will not delay him," Minerva replied, her voice steady.
I sighed dramatically. "Very well then."
I switched my sword to my left hand and extended my temporary blood right hand to the daemon.
"What do you think about working together? I know you can understand me," I said with a casual smile.
"MORDRED PENDRAGON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Minerva yelled in my ear while Vanis looked at me in utter shock.
"What am I doing? Well, I will be joining hands with Asphodel to fight Kay and destroy the Shield," I replied and laughed.
"I've always wanted to fight either Kay or Asphodel to the death and since you denied me the opportunity to fight with Asphodel, I am afraid I would have to face my dear uncle."
My laughter echoed all over the valley. "This is going to be epic! A daemon and a Deathwalker working together to bring down the sole defense that is keeping the horrors of the Tear at bay!"
"You think you can take on the Commander?" Minerva asked in a dangerous voice.
I scoffed. "I have the combined skills of Vanis and Kay ingrained in my very being. My limiter has also been removed. You should be asking if Kay could take me on."
"He's telling the truth, Minerva. Taking on the Madness of the Haema Incarnus has removed his limiter," Vanis said in a strained voice as she struggled to free herself.
I turned around and looked down at her with a smile. "Thanks, Vanis. I really appreciate that support!"
I snapped my fingers and two more blood spikes materialized above her and plunged into her knees.
I giggled as her screams drowned out Minerva's words in my ears.
"That's my gift to you. Hope you like your new shattered kneecaps!"
Straightening my body, I finally heard what that pesky AI was talking about.
"What you are doing is treason, Mordred," she warned, her voice cold.
"So what? You are equally guilty, Minerva," my smile widened, "After all. You were the one who gave complete control over Processing Room 12's barrier to the Karsus spy on that day."
"That's..." the cold AI's voice wavered, a rare hesitation.
I shrugged, my voice laced with genuine sympathy. "I kind of understand why you did that. You had no choice. That guy knew where to poke you painfully. He knew your weakness."
"What are you talking about, Captain?" Artemis asked. "That guy hacked into Minerva to get control!"
I burst out laughing. "Minerva hacked? By that dumbass?"
Still laughing, I said. "My dear Artemis. No one can hack Minerva! Not even Merlin can do that! Her getting hacked was a convenient excuse she cooked up to hide the truth."
Turning to Asphodel, I held out a finger. "Can you wait a bit? I want to screw over Minerva."
To everyone's shock, the daemon nodded and even gave a thumbs-up before plopping onto the ground.
"I don't know what happened to you, little prince. But things are getting interesting. So I will wait," Asphodel's horrific grin returned as it rested on the ground.
"What am I seeing?" Artemis asked, her shocked voice clear in my earpiece.
"The fruits of madness, my dear Artemis," I answered and switched to Minerva.
"Now. Since my uncle could arrive at any moment, let me tell you something, Minerva."
"When I was done with that spy, just before he died, I asked him how he gained control over the barrier. He told me something interesting. He said that he used your weakness."
"You... are bluffing," Minerva stammered, in a voice I never imagined she even had.
A voice filled with fear.
I smiled manically and hugged myself, finding it difficult to control this sudden exhilaration.
"Oh, I am not bluffing Minerva," I visualized her human avatar before me.
Imagining her cold blue eyes trembling with fear and her nervously fidgeting body gave me sadistic pleasure.
The mad whispers resurfaced as I inched closer to the abyss of insanity. The raw power flaring inside me is raring to be free.
Please wait a bit more, my sweet power. We will be free. So please wait.
"Listen, Minerva. When my new best friend and I tear apart the Shield, I will make sure to use your weakness to destroy you," I said, my voice dripping with venom.
Minerva's voice trembled as she spoke. "You wouldn't! If you do that-"
"The Shield will collapse and not even Kay would be able to handle the fall," I interrupted her, savoring the moment.
"And that's your nightmare," I taunted. "For the forgotten child of Merlin overshadowed by her younger sister. Fulfilling your duty as the Shield's AI is the only thing that defines your existence. It is the only candle you can hold to the superiority of Ace."
"The Shield has become your everything. It has also become your prison that you can never escape from. I will raze it to the ground, the very meaning of existence before I destroy you."
I continued with a sadistic smile. "The fall of the Shield would unleash the daemons into the world and you will fail your duty. The only thing Merlin entrusted you to do and you will fail her."
"Minerva," I called her name softly, almost tenderly, as if to a lover. "Will you delay Kay?"
There was a short silence before she responded. "You are an abominable monster."
"I am the monster you guys created," I responded back in a cold voice.
"Very well. I will delay the Commander."
I grinned. "Thank you!"
In a flash, I was in front of Asphodel.
Before the daemon could react, I plunged my sword straight into its chest. The white blade sank into its black flesh like a knife through a well-cooked steak.
"Sorry buddy! The alliance is off! Let's kill each other!" I squealed like an excited child.
Asphodel's hideous grin widened and it rose to its feet, unfazed by my sword in its chest.
"I expected much, little prince."
*******
"Minerva! What is the situation!"
Kay yelled out immediately as he teleported into his office.
"Asphodel is in front of the Tear and is engaged in combat," the AI responded immediately into his earpiece.
The Knight of the Round frowned when he heard her voice. Minerva sounded unusually odd like she was shaken by something.
"Minerva. What is happening?" he asked, his voice tight with concern.
"The rail guns are destroyed and the Vanguard is compromised. We have heavy casualties, but they are being taken care of," she reported, her voice wavering slightly.
"What about Asphodel?" Kay took out his sword, his eyes glowing fiercely.
"Captains Vanis and Mordred drove it to the Tear, and that's when it started talking."
He frowned. "Asphodel talked?"
"Yes, Commander. Captain Vanis has been taken down and is currently unable to fight. Captain Mordred is engaged in combat with Asphodel right now," Minerva's voice trembled when she mentioned Mordred's name.
Kay froze. "Mordred... is fighting Asphodel?"
"Yes, Commander."
He gritted his teeth, and the office trembled as his aura leaked out.
"Teleport me immediately!" he ordered.
He expected the familiar green flash of Minerva's teleportation to take him before the Tear in any second.
Except, nothing happened.
"Minerva. Teleport me," he said, his voice a low growl.
"I... I can't, Commander," she replied, unease evident in her tone.
His eyes narrowed, glinting dangerously. He stormed over to his office door and grabbed the handle.
It didn't budge.
"What is the meaning of this, Minerva?" Kay asked, his voice a dangerous whisper as the trembling intensified.
"He... he told me to delay you," the AI stammered nervously.
Kay's eyebrows furrowed. Why was Minerva obeying someone else?
"Minerva. What is happening?" he growled.
"Mordred has accepted the Madness of the Haema Incarnus. He was the one who took out Captain Vanis," the AI said, her voice quivering.
Kay was shocked. "He accepted the Madness?"
"Yes. He has become a monster, sir. He... threatened me," Minerva's voice broke. "I had no choice."
Kay's mind raced.
Mordred threatened Minerva? How?
A recent memory resurfaced, causing him to freeze up.
The only time he had seen Minerva like this was a year ago, the day of Iris's incident.
That was the day the AI begged him for forgiveness.
His face turned grave. "Minerva. Did he figure it out?"
"Yes. He knows my weakness. He even threatened to join hands with Asphodel and destroy the Shield," was Minerva's reply, each word dripping with dread.
Kay sighed heavily. "The Madness of the Haema Incarnus. There is no way to stop someone who accepted it."
"Mordred said he would defeat Asphodel. He said he could even beat you," she pointed out, her tone almost pleading.
He nodded reluctantly. "That's because he can. He probably accepted the Madness to remove his limiter. Removing the limiter enables him to combine mine and Vanis's skills."
Clenching his fist, he muttered, "I should've arrived sooner."
He looked ahead, his resolve hardening. "Show me the live footage. If things get out of hand, you must teleport me to the battlefield."
"But Commander, if I do that-" Minerva protested.
"Nothing will happen to you or the Shield. I will make sure of that," he declared, his blue eyes turning cold as ice.
"Even if it means I have to kill Mordred."
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
just_a_fox
just_a_fox This battle is about to reach its end. What do you think of Mordred's Madness?
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