Chương 59: A Quick Talk
Infernal Arms are tools meant to be wielded by those capable of manipulating curses. In other words, something usually not meant to be used by any normal person. No Devil, no Angel, not even most gods would be able to use an Infernal Arm.
Because at the end of the day, an Infernal Arm acts more like a tumor that invades the bodies of their wielders, forcefully integrating itself into their bodies. If the body fails to provide sufficient Curse Energy, then the Infernal Arm will continue drinking and drinking until the body has nothing left to give.
And so,
"That's cruel." Akeno comments, looking not at all perturbed despite her words.
"Is it any better than your idea?" I ask back, and she only smiles back.
Here's the thing; Augusta is a problem. Satanael may be stronger than her, but the flame witch is more dangerous. Her affinity with Soul Magic made her dangerous enough, but her Balance Breaker turned her Sacred Gear into a summon-type, allowing her to summon a massive titan of divine flames.
A titan she can then, if she needs to, fuse her soul into.
That's a bad idea on many levels.
I have no guarantee that I can kill her before she activates her Balance Breaker, so why not disable its function entirely?
Introducing this Infernal Arm I'm holding in my hands. Much like the one I'd given to Sae, this one is shaped as an orb made of wood, with tiny characters written all over it. And when she's off guard, I'll sneak in and force this Infernal Arm into her body.
Now, forcing an Infernal Arm into some random bloke will kill them. But this is slow, and extremely painful.
Forcing an Infernal Arm into a Sacred Gear wielder though? I couldn't really think of what'd happen on my own, but my eyes are more than happy to provide me with the information I need.
And it will be glorious. And very bloody. The two conflicting forces will compete with one another, overstressing Augusta's body and soul and causing both to straight up implode. Which means she won't be able to bring out her Balance Breaker, and she'd die in moments.
Perfect.
"Fine." She eventually says, returning to wiping off some of the blood on her naginata. "And I'll hold back Satanael while you're doing that. Or maybe," She smiles viciously. "Maybe I'll kill him before you can."
"Don't rush." I say simply. "Remember that they're not alone. You have all the subordinates to fight off."
"I know." She says, sighing as she finishes wiping her naginata clean. She throws the cloth away, and it burns before it can hit the soil. "You don't need to remind me all the time."
The Fallen Akeno's sitting on whimpers, the cloth tied around his mouth digging painfully into his jaw. He's been like that for over five minutes now, his limbs secured by thick roots and his wings painfully severed from his back by Akeno's naginata. He's now acting as her personal seating while we talk.
The Fallen isn't alone. His comrades—the ones he'd been surveying Kuoh with—are trapped inside trees I'd grown from below them, slowly being suffocated as they try to free themselves.
Now, we're not just torturing these souls for the sake of it-, or, well, maybe a little. But mostly it's for my sake. Having a catalyst allows me to more easily draw information using my eyes, and though these guys may just be cannon fodder working for Satanael, the sole fact that they're working together allows me to pull in all the information I need.
What do I find? Nothing much. Satanael's wary, but he hasn't done much else but continue his research with Sacred Gears. Augusta hasn't done much either, opting to continue building her charade with her unknowing colleagues.
Funnily enough, Satanael hasn't told Augusta about his encounter with us. It seems to be his pride; he can't let it be known that he fled a battle, especially if he wants to maintain the image he's put on.
Right now, both of them are waiting for information, not knowing that the Fallen that'd been entrusted to watch Kuoh are now about to die. And that we'll be moving not long after.
The plan is simple. I'll be the one dealing with Augusta, bringing her to an isolated location before engaging her in battle. Akeno will instead take care of the rest. She'll take down Team Abyss, Satanael, and the magicians working under Augusta.
It seems lopsided, as if I'm forcing most of the hard work onto her.
Not entirely. I'll come back once I've dealt with Augusta, using a 'Recall' Ofuda to teleport straight to Akeno.
But, mainly, it's because I noticed something odd inside the flame witch's body.
There exists a trace of Divine Energy inside her body, and not one that came from her Longinus. Some god had infused a portion of their divinity into her body, and considering Augusta's affinity with fire?
I have an idea on who it might be, and if it comes true, then separating Augusta from everyone else will be the most important step of this assault-
"Ah. He's dead." Akeno abruptly says, and I snap out of my thoughts to find that the Fallen she's sitting on is indeed dead. He's still locked in place by my roots, but I can feel no more life in that body of his. "What a shame. Just because I cut his wings?"
"To be fair, you did a lot more than 'just' cut his wings." I say back, glancing at the hole pierced through his stomach. It's a small wound, but it's still a wound.
"It was just a mere flesh wound." She quips with a painfully faked haughty tone.
I can't help but cringe. "Horrific." I say immediately. "Never say that in my presence ever again, good lady." I then still for a moment, before I grin. "Actually, no. Please say that to our enemies. Make them cringe to death."
She giggles. "Gladly."
I then hear some muffled screams from behind, and I turn to see that one of the Fallen has managed to free his arm. I can see his energy gathering into his hand, and I can spot the faintest specks of Light gathering around him.
"How cute." I say as I snap my hands. The wood twists, and the Fallen lets out a scream as his entire body is crushed in an instant. The other Fallen quiet in horror, and I give them all a smile. "Do struggle more. We're both deprived of any sort of amusement these days."
It only makes them even more quiet.
"Oh my." Akeno smirks as she gently pats me. "When did this good boy become such a sadist?"
"I wonder why." I say in return.
This act we're doing isn't entirely false, but it isn't genuine either. We're not bloodthirsty psychopaths constantly looking for bloodsport. But it is a facade that'll come in useful eventually. Why not use these dying Fallen as our audience to see how well our charade sticks?
From the way their eyes are shaking in terror, it seems we're doing pretty-
Ah, no, wait. They've stopped moving entirely.
"...did they die from fear?" I can't help but ask, hesitant to even find out if that's true. I quickly walked up to one of the trees I'd entrapped a Fallen in, and from the looks of it, the Fallen really did die from fear. "Damn. What a way to go."
"Can that even happen?" Akeno asks, finally standing up. The Fallen she'd been sitting on finally slumps forward, his muscles losing their tension once the electricity she'd been forcing into his body disappeared.
"Yes, actually." I say, smiling grimly. "An incredibly strong emotional response can elicit some interesting reactions from the brain. At some point, even emotional pain can become physical, and there comes a point where the body just gives up. The synapses stop working, and-" I draw a line across my neck with my thumb. "You know the rest."
"Huh. Interesting." She says. Her tone's innocent, but the look in her eyes is anything but. "I'll remember that."
I smile wryly. I can already tell what she's thinking. She probably has some new plans brewing inside that demented head of hers. "By the way, can I ask something?"
She blinks. "Hmm?"
"Satanael knew you last time." I say. "You know him?"
She grimaces. "I…do, I guess." She says slowly. "He used to visit me with my father back when I was young. We didn't talk, but I remember him telling me stories about the Grigori."
I hum. I've gathered as much and more using my eyes, but it's still nice to hear that confirmation. "I see." I say, staring at the bright afternoon sky. "What a shame. He could've done so much more."
And it is a shame. Had Satanael not been tempted by power and defected from the Grigori, then he could've reached much further heights. He could've worked together with Azazel. He could've unlocked more secrets about the Sacred Gear.
He could've met me.
Alas, that isn't how it happened in this world. By the end of today, he'll be dead.
"Well," I take a breath and smile. "Let's go, shall we?"
She smiles back. "Let's."
With our quick talk over, we quickly clear the scene. The corpses I entrapped are dragged into the earth to nourish new life, and Akeno burns the corpse she'd been sitting on until not a speck of dust remained. We pull out our own 'Recall' Ofudas, and the characters begin glowing a bright white.
A minute later, we disappear from the town of Kuoh.
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