mechanical substitutes, and any one of her attacks would be sufficient to rend flesh and crush organs. Yet not only did Elisabeth evade her deadly strikes, she did it with footwork reminiscent of a dancer's. Then she leaped backward with feline agility, landing on her feet with a light tap. Her black hair hung in the air. Before she had a chance to blink, Izabella closed the gap and bore down on her. Normally, no human could have possibly moved that fast. However, Elisabeth just snapped her fingers without so much as pausing. "Recreation of the Plain of Skewers: Impaled Victim." An ugly noise rang out as the earth split open and stakes exploded up from the ground. Izabella reacted immediately, twisting her body at a sharp angle as far as it would go to avoid the stakes. "Flexible" didn't even begin to describe itâ€”if anything, she looked like a puppet being pulled about by strings. And what's more, she even evaded the stakes coming at her from her blind spots. Even so, it would appear that she was still the one in charge of regulating and maintaining her core strength. As Elisabeth watched the unified decision-making in action, she gave an admiring nod. Ah...'tis well and truly a waltz for two. The women of gold and silver were dancing as a pair. All of a sudden, Izabella grabbed a stake as it sprouted up beside her, wrenched it from the ground like an animal gnawing off a hunk of meat, and hurled it at Elisabeth. It shot through the air with the speed of a cannonball. Elisabeth brandished her sword. Then the world stood still. Or at least, that was how it looked to the paladins. As the stake approached her head-on, the Torture Princess cut it down. While the thunderous noise of her slash rang out, a great rush of crimson flower petals flew through the air like a chorus of cheering voices. And for a moment, neither side moved. Elisabeth and Izabella faced each other, neither saying a word. The silence was almost deafening. The air was fraught with tension. And as before, the saints didn't move. Nor did Vlad. Nobody wanted to break the unnatural stillness. Two pairs of eyes, one crimson and the other a mismatched blue and purple, stared into each other. Both women smiled ever so faintly. Then they dashed forward in unison. Elisabeth held her long sword aloft. Izabella reached out with her armored arms. The two clanged into each other. Both sides mercilessly pressed forward, each refusing to give so much as an inch. All the while, the gears in Izabella's face continued turning, their constant ticking and tocking a complete tonal mismatch with the rest of the scene. The woman of black and the woman of silver drew together, their lips so close they were practically kissing. Then Izabella let out a whisper that was barely more than a sigh. "I take it you've noticed, Elisabeth?" "Of course. Izabella Vicker...you're holding back." Sparks flew. And as they did, the two parted. Silver and black hair became intertwined, got entangled, then came free. It made for such a bewitchingly beautiful sight one almost forgot they were watching a battle. The two women twirled round each other thrice, then came back together. Sword and palm met, as hands would of partners reuniting in a ballroom dance. Elisabeth and Izabella shared another surreptitious exchange. "Good, then we're on the same page. King Maclaeus knows as well. Destroying the crystal with God and Diablo inside would eliminate a great weakness of ours, but it would also remove the sole thing keeping the rebels from going completely on the warpath. We would ensure our safety for a time, but it would eventually lead to our ruin. As suchâ€”" "â€”our best option is to steal the crystal and hide it beyond the masses' reach. 'Tis quite the crafty plan, to say nothing of the fact that it forces sin upon my shoulders without so much as my consent." "Yes, that's the problem. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but would you be willing to bear that burden?" "'Tis a good plan. I've no objections. I am the Torture Princess, after all. A woman steeped in sin. Crown me with thorns and cast stones at me all you please." Elisabeth's voice was quiet but dignified all the same. Izabella gave her a small nod. All the while, their blades kept screeching against each other. Elisabeth jumped back, casting a shower of sparks in her wake. She took another look around. The paladins couldn't intervene for fear of exacerbating the situation, and moreover, they had been swallowed up by the atmosphere of the scene. However, Vlad was staying just as motionless as the saints. And this was why. In a sense, their current situation was taking place atop the farcical stage as well. All the people gathered there were but witnesses to the charade, and in all likelihood, many of them had no idea about the Torture Princess's arrangement with the king. And that was for the best. The fewer people who knew, the less likely the truth would be to get out. That was probably also why he hadn't told Elisabeth about it beforehand. Deciding to have her pull it off with no advance warning had been a risky gambit, but he had threaded the needle excellently. Plus, there was something else the Torture Princess knew. This choice of his...'Tis not only I who bear a heavy burden but Maclaeus as well. There were many who had their eyes on the throne, and given how weary and angry the people were, there was a fair chance the mob would hang the king for his failure. Elisabeth shot Maclaeus a questioning gaze. Are you really fine with this? However, he offered her no answer. And that in itself was answer enough. There was no need for him to say it aloud. "...Good heavens. I commend him on his growth, but perhaps he's matured too much for his own good." Elisabeth's voice was a low murmur. Maclaeus looked up to Kaito Sena, and he deeply regretted having forced everything onto him. Now, though, the king who once fled on his own had braced himself for the weight of responsibility. Elisabeth thought back on what La Christoph's disciple had said. "People who bear such burdens seem so sad, each and every one of them." However, her ruminations were cut short. Taking advantage of her lapse in concentration, Izabella drew a concealed knife and threw it at her. The Torture Princess tilted her neck, but her decision to evade using the smallest motion necessary ended up being a poor one. A thin red line appeared across her fair throat. And a moment later fresh blood splattered across the frozen ground. Red, crimson, scarlet. Soiling the pristine earth. Without even sparing a glance toward the blood, Elisabeth snapped her fingers. There was no time to neatly heal the wound. Instead, she chose to roughly stitch it closed with string, an act that bore a striking resemblance to torture. More knives followed the first, but this time, Elisabeth sliced them away. Upon catching one knife on the tip of her sword, she spun her body in a half-turn. The knife, newly propelled, shot back toward its original thrower. Right before it landed, though, Izabella leaned forward and bit down. A horrible ringing noise reverberated through the air. The blade glinted as it sat pinned between her teeth. The paladins let out cries of shock and amazement. And thus did the extravagant dance continue. Meanwhile, the blood that fell from Elisabeth's throat began moving. Its crimson trail slithered across the ground like a snake, carving through the ice and forming a precise pattern. Finally, crimson met crimson. The snake had swallowed its own tail, and the trail's start and end were linked. A complete teleportation circle now sat on the ground with Kaito and Hina's crystal at its center. The blood began glowing. Feigning surprise, Izabella stopped in her tracks. And Elisabeth, presented with a flagrant opening, took it. She fired off a roundhouse kick. "Gah!" The kick landed squarely in Izabella's gut. After going still for a moment, she went hurtling out of the teleportation circle's radius, bouncing off the ground several times and crushing piled-up snowflakes beneath her with each step. Eventually, she rolled to an unseemly stop. With an injury like that, not even a seasoned veteran would guess that she'd taken the fall on purpose. Jeanne bit her lip. In all likelihood, she objected to the decision. However, Izabella's had been a necessary sacrifice. The more pain that was suffered, the better it would sell the lie. That went for Izabella, Elisabeth...everyone. And so without pausing to reflect, the Torture Princess raised her voice, loud and brazen. "You're finished!" "My liege, get back! It's dangerous!" Just as she expected, the paladins quickly moved to get the king outside the circle. They readied their shields and drew their swords, but they knew full well how powerful the Torture Princess was. They made no moves other than to protect the king. It was a prudent decision. Elisabeth nodded. All the audience members had left the stage. Now it was time for the ball's curtain to fall. The Torture Princess gave an elegant bow, and her black hair fluttered as she raised her head back up. Maclaeus was standing silently behind the paladins' guard. The Torture Princess mouthed a silent whisper. "Farewell, Maclaeus, O tragic king of man, O wise fool who admired the Mad King." "Good-bye, Elisabeth Le Fanu. May you find yourself in good health until the day they string us both up." The two of them locked eyes for a moment, knowing it might well be their final parting. Then they quietly averted their gazes. A wall of crimson rose up between them. Light from the teleportation circle danced through the air, and the petals began hardening. The cylindrical pillar was complete. And in that moment "Ah!" the moment before the crimson blocked out everything they sensed a wave of malice so hideous it was almost palpable. "Daughter of mine!" Vlad let out a rare scream. The pillar cracked. There was a hole right in the middle of its wall. And through it... ...a massive amount of blood could be seen gushing from Elisabeth's shoulder. "Whaâ€”?" That was enough to strike even the Torture Princess speechless. Not only had the attack pierced through her teleportation circle, but it still had strength after breaching the wall. That was a feat no ordinary attack could boast. To say it was unexpected would be an understatement. However, Elisabeth choked down her alarm and focused her attention on her shoulder. Upon seeing what was squirming atop it, she finally realized what had happened. It was a divine beast in the form of an albino rat snake. Its long body was faintly luminescent, and its scales rippled and flowed. If you wanted something to bite holes in dark magic, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better option. "Bah, how annoying!" Fully removing its fangs would take time. Instead, Elisabeth chose to prioritize mending the teleportation circle while still keeping its destination masked. If the unthinkable happened and she got caught, it wouldn't just put her in jeopardy but Maclaeus as well. Between the pain and the blood loss, her body temperature began rapidly dropping. However, she chose to ignore that fact. Pain was but something to be swallowed down. That was what Kaito Sena had done. Seeing her lack of resistance, the snake began slithering around and trying to gnaw through her shoulder. Elisabeth scoffed. I can reattach it later or else find a replacement. In fact, you'd be doing me a favorâ€”with the arm loose, I can crush it and you in one fell swoop. But right when the Torture Princess made her decision... "...Hmm?" ...a splat sounded out... ...and the