of the orb screeched loudly. "A demon dares insult ME?! I live my life properly and piously, in service to the Saint, in service of God, and it insults ME?! Izabella, don't hesitate, don't think, just kill them, kill them, kill them, and do NOT let them advance!" As the man flew into a crazed rant, Kaito glanced toward the entrance to the underground tomb. What could be down there? As he pondered that, Yah Llodl gave a declaration. "This is for the sake of salvation!" Salvation again, huh? Jeanne spoke of salvation, and so did the Church. In all likelihood, the difference between the two was monumental. What are they each trying to save, and what are they trying to save it from? "Kill them! Why are you hesitating?! Carry out your orders! Follow your righteous command from God, from the Sai-Sai-Sai-Sai-Sai-Saiâ€”" Suddenly, the voice started skipping. With no prior warning, an explosion had gone off right below the communication device. "...Huh?" "Whâ€”?!" Blasted by the explosion's shock wave, the orb went into a tailspin. Its ridiculously large wings proved a detriment as it was quickly blown off into the distance. The people present had no time to dwell on what had just happened, as their visions were blotted out with crimson and black. Rose petals danced extravagantly through the air. Everything in sight was violently painted over in black. Desperately trying to hold their ground, the paladins called out. "Commander Izabella!" "Settle down; I know whose doing this is! What I don't know, though, is why she's being so vicious!" The whole area descended into chaos. Even Izabella, who supposedly knew who the culprit was, was visibly trembling. Kaito and Hina, on the other hand, were calm as could be. The two of them let out low murmurs. ".........Welp, she's pissed." ".........She does seem quite upset." Then, with the same absurdity it had started with, the explosion suddenly subsided. In an instant, the area grew silent. And in the center of that silence stood a dark young woman. Her posture was graceful, and her beauty seemed nearly inhuman. "So you've finally come. The proud wolf. The lowly sow." Jeanne gave a soft whisper, the first one present to give voice to their wonder. Then, as if to raise the curtain, she continued. "Torture Princess Elisabeth Le Fanu!" It was the black Torture Princess. The huntress of demons, the peerless sinner, had finally made her appearance. The black Torture Princess and the golden Torture Princess faced off for the first time. However, the black princess didn't spare the golden princess so much as a glance. Her crimson gaze was focused on one man, and one man alone. Her servant, Kaito Sena. "...Kaito." "Elisabeth." Elisabeth called out his name concisely. Kaito replied in kind. As luck would have it, they were standing in the Capital, surrounded by land consumed and released by the mass of flesh. In many ways, it resembled the moment they'd parted. Back then, when the battle had ended, Elisabeth had been left there alone. That, too, felt like it had been a century ago. Elisabeth closed her eyes. Then, just like before, she turned her head up toward the faint rays of sun peeking through the clouds. Every conceivable form of anguish crossed her face: anger, sorrow, grief, and loneliness. Then her expression changed to that of a child, pleading for something unknown. But abruptly, all of that vanished. She opened her eyes back up once more, then looked at Kaito, her gaze calm and absolute. A moment later, even that faded. Her crimson eyes went wide, and she balled her fist up tight. Then, thrusting that same hand forward, she pointed at Kaito with a single black nail. As she did, she made her bold declaration. "Brace yourself, Kaito. Your death is nigh." "Is this really how it has to be?" Kaito found himself questioning if that was how events were meant to play out. Surely, there were other things that needed to be said, if nothing else. But before he could lend a voice to his exasperation, a shrill noise rang out. Apparently, the Church's communication device had recovered from the blast. As it violently flapped its white wings, its puppeteer, Yah Llodl, shouted at the top of his lungs. "Ha-ha-ha, splendid, splendid! Well said, Torture Princess, what a fine hound you are! Go on, thenâ€”fulfill your role! Remember your sins, and remember the shackles you bear! Until the day of your death, try to do someâ€”" With a thump, a stake wedged itself in the talkative orb's center. The voice coming from within cut off. As it did, Elisabeth spoke, her tone as cold as ice. "You lot brandish your whips at your chained hounds, driving them as you please. But I am the proud wolf and the lowly sow." White lights began running all across the communication device. Then, with a loud boom, it exploded in midair. "I am no mutt." A cascade of white feathers fluttered down toward the earth, providing a dramatic backdrop for Elisabeth's unwavering declaration. "Go squeal elsewhere, pig. This is a matter for me and my rage alone." A few stray feathers landed on her head, and she shook it gently. Her silken black hair flared out, then returned to its resting position. As the feathers fluttered down to her feet, her expression shifted. "Now then, Kaito. For a servant, you've been fooling around long enough. I do hope you're ready for your punishment." Her smile was nostalgic in a sense, but it was also fiendish through and through. Seeing it, Kaito Sena realized something. Ah, I see... I guess we gotta get that out of the way, don't we? Elisabeth had made up her mind to punch him with all her strength. Everything else could come after that. In fact, at the moment, nothing else seemed to matter. She was standing there, and so was he. They'd reunited. That was all there was to it. And for precisely that reason, Kaito replied with a wicked smile of his own. "Damn straight I am! I'm more than ready. And I'm ready to fight back, too." The former master-servant pair glared at each other. Ignoring the bewildered paladins completely, the two of them both began summoning their strength. The air was flush with tension. The force they were emitting was so fearsome that no one dared tell them to stop. Then, in the next moment, they both cried out at the top of their lungs. "Executioner's Sword of Frankenthal!" "La (dance)!" Elisabeth drew her sword, and Kaito snapped his fingers. A blade danced across the ashen ground, and a lavish blast of crimson flower petals and darkness exploded to life. That was the signal that the curtain had risen on the battle. Confused as they were, the paladins charged as one. The battle between the Torture Princess and the Kaiser's contractor had begun. Although they'd been thrown into disarray, the paladins leaped into action as well. Watching them charge, Hina and the Kaiser sighed. Displeased, the two of them spoke in turn. "My beloved Master Kaito and my dear Lady Elisabeth are in the middle of their battle, I'll have you know! They don't have time to be dealing with you small folk! If you all would go lie down and wait like good little children, that would be splendid!" "You think of challenging me, with such frail human bodies? How delightful. If the boy weren't such a nag, I'd have gladly gobbled you all up. Not that you lot look to have much meat on your bones, I suppose." Hina deftly repelled the paladins' attacks from all directions with her halberd. With a displeased expression on his face, the Kaiser swept away his attackers with his tail alone. Slowly but surely, the battle had gotten underway. It was a chaotic affair, with little rhyme or reason to it. Izabella brought her palm to her face in spite of herself. Wh-what's going on? This is a mess, and the situation makes no sense. There are too many unsolved mysteries... But even so, trying to bring my men together at this point would be a fool's errand. If I want information, I'll simply have to emerge victorious. With that, Izabella made her decision. She readied her sword, prepared to carry out her orders. It was then that she noticed someone's gaze on her. Jeanne was staring at Izabella, as though in expectation. Then the golden girl gave her fingers an elegant snap. "Bandersnatch, Gargantua, Jabberwocky, Pantagruelâ€”go forth." One by one, the machines took off. In the space of an instant, Izabella understoodâ€”the golden girl meant to oppose her. But even if she squared off against the machines head-on, she was no match for them. My blade is unsuited to deal with their kind. Fully understanding that, Izabella still dashed toward Bandersnatch. The fanged beast stopped in its tracks, then began shooting fangs at Izabella like bullets. Refusing to break stride, Izabella drew her spare sword from her back. Then she thrust it into the ground. Kicking off against its hilt, she leaped high into the air. Bandersnatch's fangs met nothing but empty air. Upon landing, Izabella resumed running. Gargantua moved to block her path. It was shaped like a twisted human figure, but its appearance gave her little to work with as far as figuring out an effective way to take it down. Instead, she dodged it and leaped to the side. The figure followed her in hot pursuit. Without a moment's hesitation, Izabella reached down and scooped something off the groundâ€”the destroyed communication device. She threw it at the humanoid. Pierced by the figure's arm, the orb let out a final explosion. The orb itself shattered, but it caused the humanoid figure to violently lurch. Jeanne spoke, the admiration in her voice diminished by her affected tone. "Oh my, how unexpected." "Probably blasphemous, what I just did. But it was past the point of being repairable. No harm done." Izabella smiled as she spoke. Having slipped past Bandersnatch and Gargantua, she was now standing directly before Jeanne. Her body brimmed with tension as she squared off against the mysterious girl. Jeanne's expression was still disturbingly mechanical as a compliment made its way across her lips. "I see, miss. Foolish as you are, you aren't half-bad for an ignorant pawn of the Church." Although Izabella had no way of knowing it, the compliment she'd just earned was rare in the extreme. Jeanne nodded deeply, her honey-blond hair bobbing as she did. "I've taken a liking to you. I think I'll keep you for myself, li'l lady." "Iâ€”I can't help but find your phrasing disturbing, but I have a great many things I want to ask of you, as well! If it's a fight you desire, then I'll gladly oblige!" Izabella dashed toward Jeanne. A little closer, and her sword would reach her. Before it did, though, Jeanne snapped her fingers. Bandersnatch reared up behind Izabella. As it did, she made a humiliating realization. ...She's underestimating me! Based on its appearance, Bandersnatch's method of attack was the easiest to gauge of the four. In other words, Jeanne was saying that if Izabella couldn't even deal with it, then she had no value as an opponent. As Izabella was pursing her lips over that fact, the beast leaped. Before it could catch her in its maw, Izabella kicked it in the side. But the beast relentlessly tried to slip its fangs into the joints of her armor. That very moment, Izabella detached her mantle. Then she scooped up the beast's entire floating, fanged body in it. The sturdy fabric endured for just a moment, which was long enough for Izabella to smash the whole thingâ€”mantle, beast, and allâ€”into the ground. Then she closed in on Jeanne. "You're mine!" As she tried to strike Jeanne's exposed chest with the flat of her blade, though, Jabberwocky leaped forth. The unpleasant-looking machine took the