Blood gushed from the severed stump of Soulgros’s arm. The crimson spray splattered onto Rast’s body, even landing on his cheek. He twisted his face into a wide, manic grin.
“Ugh?!” Rast grunted, aiming to push her back with his shield, but his attempt was cut short by a powerful kick to his abdomen from Soulgros.
“Haha! You fell for it!” Rast laughed, though the kick had dealt him considerable damage. The thrill of severing the arm of a dark guild member filled him with near-madness. Soulgros, struggling to maintain her balance, staggered unsteadily.
“Oh… Well, this is quite the mess,” Soulgros commented nonchalantly, gazing at her severed arm.
Rast was taken aback, speechless. He had expected screams of pain and anguish, not this calm, detached reaction. It was anticlimactic for someone so eager to see her suffer. What Rast didn’t know, however, was that Soulgros lacked any sense of pain.
“You seem rather carefree for someone who’s just lost an arm. You can’t fight me now,” Rast declared.
“Hm?” Soulgros responded, her tone almost questioning.
“You were my equal when you were unscathed. Now, with one arm missing, your ability to fight is drastically reduced. How long can you possibly hold out against me in this state?” Rast’s confidence surged. He was already certain of his victory, but now he felt it was guaranteed. He grinned savagely and licked Soulgros’s blood from his sword. This was out of character for a champion of justice like him, but the thought of vanquishing a dark guild member made him giddy with excitement.
Soulgros watched this display, her eyes widening slightly. Rast mistook this for fear and smirked, relishing what he believed was her terror.
“Now, let’s end this…” Rast began, his voice dripping with anticipation.
Rast, who had been speaking so confidently to Soulgros, found his voice growing softer and weaker until it faded completely. The reason was simple: an overwhelming, paralyzing killing intent bore down on him, making it impossible to speak.
“Wh-What…?” Rast stammered.
This killing intent did not come from Soulgros, who had lost her arm. Instead, it emanated from the man standing behind her, wearing a gentle smile. This man, whom Soulgros revered as Master, did nothing overt. He neither brandished a weapon nor gathered magical energy for an attack. He simply stood there, smiling.
Yet, the sheer force of his presence was enough to freeze Rast, a warrior of justice, in his tracks and render him speechless.
“Oh, Master’s anger on my behalf excites me, but this killing intent is really intense. I almost want to be hit by it,” Soulgros murmured, her voice dripping with adoration as she gazed at Master with a blissful expression.
Rast, however, had no room to pay attention to her words. The immense killing intent made his head swim, and even standing firm on the ground became a struggle.
“Ha… ha…” Rast panted, his breathing ragged. His blurry vision caught a glimpse of Soulgros, who was now practically fawning over Master, asking him to direct his killing intent at her.
Master, however, had already shifted his attention away from Rast. He was now looking at Soulgros with a slight, amused smile, gently rebuffing her advances.
Something is wrong, Rast thought. Why am I still suffering from this oppressive force?
“Um? Rast-dono, Master’s killing intent isn’t directed at you anymore. If it were, you’d be dead within ten seconds,” Soulgros explained, glancing back at him.
“What…? No way…” Rast gasped.
Indeed, Master was no longer directing his killing intent at Rast. However, Rast’s torment showed no sign of abating.
Finally, Rast collapsed to the ground.
“Wh-Why…?” he murmured weakly, utterly confused as to why he was lying on the ground. The confident expression he had worn moments ago was now replaced with one of pure doubt and anxiety.
“Well, if you’re going to carelessly get covered in my blood, this is bound to happen,” Soulgros remarked casually.
“Blood…?” Rast echoed, his mind struggling to process her words.
Soulgros reluctantly tore her gaze away from Master and explained to Rast.
“That’s right. You see, I’m not exactly an ordinary human, and my blood is quite special. Well, it’s more of a liquid that mimics blood,” she said, holding up her severed arm as if to show it off. “I can change my blood into various liquids at will. The blood you got drenched in is a powerful paralytic toxin.”
“P-Paralytic?!” Rast tried to move, panic setting in, but his body wouldn’t respond. Only his eyes and mouth retained some mobility.
“Don’t worry,” Soulgros reassured him. “It’s not a toxin that stops all muscle activity, so it won’t affect your breathing or anything like that.”
Rast felt a brief moment of relief wash over him, but this soon turned to anger at his own vulnerability.
“Damn it!” he cursed.
“So, Master, what should we do with him?” Soulgros asked, casting a sidelong glance at the incapacitated Rast before turning her attention back to her Master.
Master, who was typically the one to stop his guild members from going too far, simply smiled wryly this time. It was clear he had no intention of intervening.
Soulgros was certain that Master’s unusual stance was because Rast had cut off her arm. Master, who thought of his guild members as daughters—much to their mixed feelings of gratitude and occasional frustration—was undoubtedly furious with Rast for harming her.
“Hehe, you’re making me blush, Master,” Soulgros said, grinning foolishly beneath her mask. Master tilted his head, watching her with a bemused expression.
“Just heal me already!” Rast shouted at them.
Yeah, like I’m really going to do that, Soulgros thought to herself, reverting to her true thoughts.
“Hmm… Killing you outright doesn’t sit well with me, but I also can’t forgive you for targeting Master, even if it was part of your plan…” she mused, scratching her chin.
Though Soulgros was generally amicable to those who didn’t threaten Master, anyone who did would find her a relentless adversary. Master had already left Rast’s fate in her hands. After pondering for a moment, Soulgros finally seemed to settle on an idea, clapping her hands together with a cheerful expression.
“All right, here’s what we’ll do. Rast-dono, you’ll forget everything about us. After that, you’ll be free to go,” she declared.
“What…?” Rast looked up at her in disbelief. Could it really be that simple? He had come to kill them, and yet they were offering him such lenient treatment?
“Is that… all?” he asked, still stunned.
“Of course. You will forget about me and Master. Now, let’s get started,” Soulgros replied, moving closer to him with a bright smile.
“Fine! Just do it quickly!” Rast snarled, still glaring at her.
Soulgros nodded, her smile unwavering, as she approached him with light, carefree steps. As Rast watched her, a sense of disbelief and a strange amusement filled his mind. He couldn’t help but feel a bitter laugh bubbling up inside him at the absurdity of it all.
Fools! Rast seethed internally. I don’t know what kind of drug they plan to use, but our guild’s healers can easily counter it. Once my memories are restored, I’ll hunt you down and kill you! Justice will prevail, this time for sure!
He wanted to shout his thoughts out loud but knew that doing so might get him killed. For now, he would endure this humiliation in silence. Even if the poison was beyond what Praeshield could handle, they had connections with high-ranking healers who could help. Comforted by this thought, Rast allowed himself a slight smirk—until Soulgros’s next words wiped it off his face.
“Since Rast-dono seems ready, let’s start tampering with your brain!” she announced cheerfully.
“Wh… What?” Rast stared up at her in shock, his earlier confidence crumbling.
Soulgros reached out toward his head, her demeanor unsettlingly gleeful.
“W-Wait! What do you mean? Aren’t you going to use some drug on me?” Rast protested.
“Huh? No, no. If we did that, you wouldn’t feel any pain, would you? This is your punishment for targeting Master, so you need to experience some pain,” Soulgros replied, shaking her head as if the answer was obvious.
Tampering with my brain? Rast’s thoughts raced, panic setting in. The mere idea of the pain he was about to endure sent shivers down his spine.
“However, I must warn you, I’m not very good at tampering with brains. Sometimes I mess with things other than memories, so please bear with me,” Soulgros said, her tone casual as she extended a finger toward Rast.
Her finger melted into a viscous liquid, writhing and undulating as if seeking a target. Rast let out a strangled cry, unable to contain his terror any longer.
“Y-You’ve got to be kidding me! Why do I have to go through this?! You’re evil! You torture, manipulate, and kill innocent people! You’re a vile dark guild! So why is it that I, a champion of justice, have to suffer and endure this pain?! Why?!” Rast roared, his eyes bloodshot and spittle flying from his mouth.
Yes, he had come here to defeat the dark guild for the sake of the kingdom for the sake of justice. Yet here he was, lying on the ground, about to endure something far worse than death.
“It seems you’re misunderstanding something,” Soulgros said, watching him with a calm gaze as he panted heavily, his paralyzed body pressed against the ground, eyes full of murderous intent.
“Yerkchira the Messianic Legion does not commit crimes or massacres without reason,” she explained.
Which, of course, implied they would do so with a reason.
“You probably think we’re just like Steel Scraps… or rather, the Steel Matriarch,” Soulgros continued. “No wonder you’re so determined to see us as enemies. How troublesome.”
Soulgros was certain that Rast’s intense hatred for the dark guild was largely due to Heinichen the Steel Matriarch. Unlike the secretive Yerkchira, Heinichen frequently committed blatant crimes in the public eye. They were an irritating nuisance.
“Well, be that as it may…” Soulgros knelt beside Rast, her voice clear and melodic.
“Attempting to harm Master is more than enough reason for Yerkchira’s retribution. Are you ready to have your brain scrambled?” she asked.
“H-h-hick!” Tears welled up in Rast’s eyes.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.
Those were his final coherent thoughts before his screams echoed through the forest.