"Here's your order, ma'am."

"Thank you~."

In a snowy village, a woman sips her warm drink. The bar owner walks away and tends to other customers as she begins to gulp it down. Her mismatched eyes reflected in what remained at the bottom of her cup. She sets the mug down and playfully runs her gloved fingers up and down the scar on her face. It reaches from her hairline down to her chin in a diagonal fashion. It's long since healed but still stands out terribly.

She's dressed wearing a silver cloak and a black, tight-fitting shirt. Her usual silver mantle carries a very identifiable mark, so instead, she's wearing her backup. The woman turns around in her seat from the bar and looks out the window.

The sun has risen to its peak, casting a glare over the snow. If not for the immense shadow provided from the corpse, there would be no respite from the sun. The dragon that died there long ago still looks over the village even though it's nothing more than bone.

The woman's gaze lingers on the monster. She had heard that it wasn't just any old wyrm, so she hastened over to investigate. Sure enough, on arrival, she could tell what it used to be.

"A Ravager~!"

Her excited whisper causes a few gazes to go her way. She licks her lips in response while cracking her knuckles. She can feel the excitement kicking in. It bubbles up inside her and spreads throughout her whole body. Just as she's about to let it consume her, two people bust through the door.

"Nike! Weren't we going to go to the inn first?"

"Thirsty..."

"Ah, well, alright. I guess we have been drinking snow water for the last few weeks."

After searching for a table, they sat down. Arc sighed dejectedly and played with his hair. Meanwhile, the girl accompanying him made no indication that she was alive besides her quiet breaths and occasional blinks. They ordered their drinks and made small talk while waiting.

"Only a few more days until we make it to Angleod."

"Yes."

"You nervous?"

"No."

"Ah, well, I'm nervous."

"Why?"

"The Commander is coming! He's like one of the best knights in the world! Who wouldn't be nervous?"

"I see."

"You know I love you and all Nike, but your conversation skills are sorely lacking."

Arc's eyes close, and his smile widens, but underneath, his face is stiff.

"I'm sorry. I'll try harder to be worthy of your love."

Nike's tone doesn't change, but her brow seems to crease just a little bit more than before. At this, Arc practically jumps out of his seat. His limbs flail, and he sounds hysterical.

"You don't have to do that! I was just joking." His hands tenderly cup one of hers. "I love you just the way you are."

"Oh, I see."

Arc's eyes glanced to see her ears tinged red and her lips slightly upturned. To most, these subtleties would be unreadable, but to Arc, they were his lifeline. He could have sworn that she was squeezing his hand back as well.

"Goodbye~!"

The woman sitting at the bar waved cheerfully before exiting. Anyone could tell at a glance that those two were adventurers. She would much rather avoid them if possible.

"Aw, but if I leave, I won't be able to keep this new toy."

Her eyes set back on the Ravager before her eyes. She was bursting with wonder and excitement. Her imagination ran wild as she thought of everyone's reaction, the trauma that would consume them, their screams, their blood, their deaths. Her breathing hitched as white pants huffed out of her mouth.

Passerbys gave her concerned looks. Others seemed to be disgusted with her. She didn't mind, if anything, being noticed and made a mockery of caused her panting to intensify.

"I'll just do it. I went out of my way to draw a magic circle around this village, after all. It would be a waste not to use it." Her sing-songy voice mockingly sounded as she resolved herself. Completely ignoring her thought process from a few moments ago, she began the chant. She took her hands and grasped them in each other. Then slowly, she slipped them apart until she only held on by her fingertips. "Return those who breathe back to the infancy that we all crawl away from. Return them into the safe and courteous womb that is death. Bloody Cradle."

A translucent crimson radiance seeped through the air. On the outskirts, red characters radiated, and the power that crept in them ignited. A woman walking near her coughed. The baby she carried in her arms did as well.

Across the path, a man getting water from the well began choking.

"Ah!"

Inside the bar, she could hear a chorus of hacking. All around her, people began convulsing. The sounds they made continued to grow in volume. In each cough, she could the climax coming.

"Oh my~!"

With her hands cupped to her ear, she listened in. The smile on her face grew even broader, and the flush on her cheeks deepened. She longed for this. She enjoyed this. To her this moment, this moment was truly heaven. The moment before the climax, when their eyes become filled with fear. When they realize what's about to happen, that is what she longs to experience, time and time again.

"Here it comes!"

One by one, rosy phlegm spewed forth from their mouths. Brought up by their coughs, the blood flows onto the ground. Their eyes flick around in fear as they try to calm down. But no matter how hard they try to stop their fit, the coughs continue. Tears well up in their eyes as they realize that it won't stop.

"Amazing."

Her quiet comment gets drowned out by the symphony playing around her. By now, no one is standing. All of them lay on the ground holding their chests as they continue to choke. Cardinal-colored pools spread near their heads. In a minute, the coughs die down. No longer are they so loud one would have to cover their ears. Then slowly, even the murmur is gone, and all that remains is stagnant silence.

"...So depressing."

Her smile fades, and the red accompanying her face vanishes. With a sigh, she trudges forward toward her new toy.

"You!"

Her footsteps halt in the red snow. A smile replaces her frown. With vigor, she turns to face the two behind her. The blonde man has a simple sword in his hands while the orange-haired beauty brandished a spear.

"What did you do!?"

Arc yelled at the top of his lungs. His anger exploded out, but she picked up the shakiness of his voice and the sweat beading down his forehead.

"Whatever do you mean? I'm just as frazzled as you by this whole scene!" She places a finger on her chin and pouts. "I mean, a bunch of people just started coughing up blood. I was going to go check and see if anyone else was alright besides me."

"Cut the shit! Who are you?"

The woman shrugged before dropping her facade.

"I am Kommandantin Nekromant, devout member of the Freiheit Cult." She gave a mocking bow before staring him down. "I must say I'm a little discouraged by the fact that you both survived Bloody Cradle. That proves that you're not just some small fry, which makes my job a lot harder than it has to be."

Despite her complaining words, the manic smile on her face was unmistakable.

"Nike! I'll support you, but approach carefully."

Arc retreated a few steps while Nike advanced with her spear at the ready.

"I appreciate all the effort you're putting in for me! But alas, I can't play for too long." The lively banter left as she clasped her hands. "Succumb to your master's wishes, Rise."

A whirlwind of negative energy temporarily permeated from her before dispersing. Sensing no immediate change, Nike lunged forward, her spear aimed at the cultist's body.

"Watch out!"

Arc screamed but was too late. Nike fell face-first into the red snow. Looking back, she saw a hand holding onto her ankle. Arc's sword severed the hand of the dead man before lifting her back up. All around them, the shuffling noises of living corpses sounded. In no time, they were surrounded by the fallen. Men, women, children, all of the villagers circled them. The life fluid they used to have clung to their lips and eyes, slowly turning to red frost. Their eyes didn't see them but instead seemed to be staring at something far off.

"I'm sorry to force you into this situation. It's just that I really want to see what you'll do. Will you run? Will you heartlessly cut them down to face me? What will you do? HUH!? TELL ME, WHAT WILL YOU DO!?"

"I... I can't do that to a kid." Arc backed up into Nike. "I'm sorry, Nike. I'm sorry I'm so weak..."

Upon seeing his face full of guilt and despair, a wave of pleasure surged through Nekromant's body. She shivered and held herself so she wouldn't fall over. Eagerly she waited for the climax of this situation. For the woman to scold him. For him to break even further and for one of them to become a pirouette of red.

"That's fine. The Arc that I think is cool doesn't need to be strong."

"He doesn't?"

"The Arc that is my hero, the Arc that is my shining light, that is my ideal, only needs to be willing to help those who need it. Something like power isn't necessary. The strength to help others in need when no one else will; that is all Arc needs."

Her smile fell. The eruption of feelings bubbling up quickly dissipated as if they weren't there to begin with. All that remained was a deep emptiness.

"Tch. Kill them."

Apathy rang in her voice, and she no longer paid attention to them. With her back turned, she walked toward her new toy.

"Piercing Heaven."

Her eyes widened at the glowing spear poking out from her chest. Turning her head, she saw the woman's emotionless eyes and the torn bodies of the villagers.

"Ha... Haha HAHAHAHAHA! How exciting! How wonderful! How unexpected! You killed those children without a second thought and drove your spear through my heart! Never before have I been so expertly slain. I thought my fun had ended, but it looks like it has just begun!"

Nike ignored her words as she began slicing into her flesh and bone. With a horizontal swipe, she moved to end it, but the spear wouldn't budge. On the other side, Nekromant's hands shakily held onto the tip of her spear, refusing to let it move an inch.

"Strengthen!"

With his palms facing Nike, Arc recited a miracle. With renewed vigor, the spear slowly started to slice apart her body, the point getting closer to her lungs.

"Are you trying to slice in me too? How rude! You should ask a girl before shoving it inside her. Bloody Excess."

The blood accumulated on the ground sprang forth as daggers. Nike immediately jumped back, taking her spear with her, but even the life clinging to her spear point shot at her.

"That barely hurt you at all. How dissapointing~."

Red razors stuck out of Nike's arms while some embedded into her legs. Nekromant smiled as she leaned in, listening to the slow dripping of her entertainments blood.

"Healing!" Arc cast his miracle, but even as the light accumulated on Nike, her wounds did not fade. "What? Her magic is interfering with mine! Just how strong is this woman? High Healing!"

The blood dried up, and her new skin and muscle pushed out the blades.

"Thank you."

"No need! Nike, I think you need to use it."

"Understood."

Her hand dragged to her face and then slowly pulled back as if she was unveiling something, then as if materializing out of nowhere, she donned a mask. Its design was simple. It was white with no discernable features besides two black lines that marked her right side.

The cultist watched with intrigue. "I'm assuming that you put that mask on for a reason besides fashion. Is it a magical item? Although I've never heard of an item being materialized without a single summoning gate." Dropping the speculative tone, she put one hand to her head while the other rooted around where her heart used to be. "Does this mean we can keep playing?"

Nike closed the distance, skillfully dodging blades of frozen blood. With a lunge, she shot forward with blinding speed, kicking up a mist of red. At the last second, Nekromant barely dodged. Her cheek rips apart as it's pierced by the spear's edge, exposing teeth and muscle alike. As fresh blood spilled forth, the smile that accompanied the madwoman was something found in a nightmare.

"How wonderful! You're so much faster!"

Before Nike could attack again, numerous blades headed toward Arc. In a flash, she was beside him, protecting him from the onslaught.

"Thanks, Nike."

"Your love for him is absolutely fantastic. But like all things, love will fade, the excitement wears off. As we experience new things for the first time, we get met with a sense of adventure and the unknown. But as we contend with the phenomenon known as adjustment, all former happiness that could be gleamed is slowly but surely lost to the aether. The love you feel will fade just as the love I feel towards you is fading away at this very moment. So before our happiness can rot, how about we end this already. The sooner I see you writhing in despair, the sooner I can get back to my god."

A newfound sense of danger spread through the atmosphere as Nekromant channeled an untold amount of mana, spurning on a feeling of dread.

"She's strong, but you're stronger! Nike, you can do this!" The girl protecting him simply nodded. "That's why no matter what happens next, you keep pushing forward and beat her, do you understand?" A hesitation stopped her, but after looking into his pleading eyes, she begrudgingly nodded again. "Use Synergy on me." Her firm hand clutched his shoulder. A momentary surge of power overtook him. "With pain and worship, may you find the power to keep moving forward. Overcome!"

"Oh! So you can even use master-level miracles? You two are impressive! But I do really need you to die for me. Bloody Field." A wall of rose-colored light encased the village while everything inside was dyed to match. "It's impossible to run now. Bloody Surge."

The woman in front of them became shrouded by a wave of cardinal blades. They were sent forth as if they were being fired from an invisible bow. With extreme precision, Nike swiftly shattered each one approaching her with the tip of her spear. Her movements compared to before were much faster, and her impressive counter of the blades was a prime showing.

"You just keep managing to capture my heart! But can you take them all?"

The blades tripled, and the barrage continued. From all sides, they assaulted her. She could only manage to block a portion of them the rest she attempted to dodge. But as the pressure continued, slices were appearing on her body. Red ornaments poked out of her arms, legs, and torso. One scraped against her mask while another one narrowly missed her throat. Before the injuries would accumulate to the point of slowing her down, Arc would cast a miracle to heal her.

"You're running out of time! You need to do it soon!"

Arc's desperate voice reached Nike's ears. With all of her might, she stomped into the cold snow before leaping off of it, propelling forward. With herself torpedoing, blades still encroached toward her on all sides.

"Boost."

Maxing out her concentration for the next few seconds, Nike found the path of least resistance and carved her way through. She swung her spear and brandished her fists against the armory. Then through the other side, the woman once again came into view. She was still wearing the same weary smile. Her white and green eye carefully watched.

"Al Takoni."

Nekromant blinked, and in the next moment, she found herself separated. Her left shoulder diagonally down was ripped apart all the way to her stomach. Yet no blood spilled. Nike's legs trembled as her arms gave out. Before she could fall, she planted her spear in the ground to support herself. Cracks ran up and down her mask, threatening to shatter it.

"You surpass every expectation I set and then some. You made quite the effort splitting me in two like that. I hope it was worth your friend's life."

Nike's eyes widened as she looked past the monstrosity in front of her and saw her hero in shreds.

"Now that's the despair I was looking for! I do wish you would have shown me that sooner. Now I have no choice but to rely on my new toy. I mean, just look at me if you do that again, even I might die! Ehjo!"

In the distance, a rumbling echoed. Snow fell off the corpse that hadn't moved in hundreds of years. Its bones creaked as a black something stuck itself to the body. The Ravagers head slowly raised off the ground and looked directly at her. The light burning in its sockets hailed despair.