away. Still holding its handle, Kaito called out the sword's name, as though the weapon itself were speaking through him. "Nameless." Then he swung his black blade down, cleaving through the air and leveling its tip toward Elisabeth. She responded by snapping her fingers. All the torture devices vanished. Only Executioner's Sword of Frankenthal remained. The two of them faced each other, silently. Then they dashed in unison. Unlike when she'd fought against the King's replica, Elisabeth didn't resort to underhanded tactics. Executioner's Sword of Frankenthal and Nameless collided. The blow they'd exchanged was head-on. For a brief moment, a torrent of sparks shot out. Without even pausing to step back, they swung their swords again. Due to the point-blank range, swordsmanship played essentially no role in their fight. It had devolved into a simple slugfest. But if either failed to block so much as a single blow, it would no doubt prove fatal. Such was the savagery of the blows they were trading. Under normal circumstances, neither would have been able to let up for even a moment. Despite that fact, though, they exchanged shouts as well as slashes. "Screw your promise to the people! Screw your oath! Sure, I know about that! Hell, I've seen the mountains of corpses you've made with my own damn eyes! There's no way you can atone for the sins you've committed! Well, tough shit! The Torture Princess deserves to be put to the stake! But what about me?! What's gonna happen to the guy you saved, huh?!" "'Tis hardly my concern! Go live out your second life as you please! Live strong and stand on your own! Why, you even have a wife! Is there no limit to your greed?!" "Now who's spouting bullshit?! I'm not the only one! You're just gonna ignore all those people you helped, Elisabeth, all those people you saved, and go off and burn at the stake?! That isn't right! You didn't save us just so we could watch you go get killed! Screw that! There's no way I'm gonna let things end like this!" Kaito swung his sword like a madman. His cries and his attacks were in sync, and he succeeded in pushing Elisabeth back just a hair. She and her sword were forced back as one. Yet still, she responded to his cries and his blows in kind. "'Tis naught but your own selfishness speaking!" "The hell's wrong with me selfishly choosing to put you above the world?!" Kaito's words were firm and resolute. Elisabeth bit her lips. Then they swung their swords once more, each imbuing their strike with the full weight of their fury. A loud clanging noise rang out as sword collided with sword. The two blades grated against each other. As he gazed at their relentless battle, one of the paladins let out a vague murmur. "I don't get it. They're clearly fighting to the death, but..." ...but if anything, it looked more like a simple quarrel. His words were lost on the two fighters, though, their cries reaching fever pitches as metal grated on metal. "I died, you know! I lived a worthless, joyless life, and then I died! But because you saved me from that, you're more important to me than the whole world put together! So I don't give a shit! I don't give a shit about the stuff you've done! Here, Elisabeth, here's what I should've said from the very beginning: For my sake, let me save you!" "Your arguments made little sense from the start, and now your words are no different! Surely, you know such a trifling reason hardly merits rejecting another's pride, let alone rejecting their lifelong oath!" "Sure I know that, but that doesn't change what I have to do!" "This is absurd! The whole situation is an absolute mess! The Butcher, 'salvation,' the imminent end of the world, nonsensical matters keep piling up left and right! "Yeah! And the whole deal about the first demon's flesh!" "Hmm?" "Huh?" And then, as though a pin had dropped, the two of them came to an abrupt stop. They each stared at the other, then exchanged quizzical looks. Then, gathering strength in their swords, they each leaped back, before finally surveying their surroundings. Hina was standing by, waiting, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. The paladins had simply been watching the fight in a daze. And in the back, Jeanne still stood beside Izabella, who had been struggling against the machine's arm the entire time. As expressionless as always, albeit with the corners of her lips turned up just a smidge, Jeanne spoke. "Well? Are you two finished with your little lovers' spat?" ""It's not a lovers' spat!"" Kaito and Elisabeth shouted their protests in unison. And that was how, at long last, the two of them finally settled down enough to talk. "Now that you mention it, there does seem to be some inscrutable little golden lass here, and the Church's orders were decidedly enigmatic. Kaito...to what end did you come here?" "The gold girl's name is Jeanne, but it'd take forever to explain her whole story. I asked her where the first bit of demon flesh came from, and she said she'd show me." "The Butcher said much the sameâ€”that by coming here, many things would become clear. Explaining that would prove lengthy as well, though." They looked at each other anew, then fell silent. After a while, Elisabeth heaved a heavy sigh. Violently mussing up her bangs, she clicked her tongue in irritation. "I haven't forgiven you, mind. Nor do I have any intention of doing so hereafter. But it seems a short ceasefire is in order. There are matters we ought to clear up before resolving our conflict." "Yeah, you can say that again." Kaito and Elisabeth both nodded. As they did, they sensed someone quickly trot up to them. They both quickly whirled to the side. When they did, they found Hina standing there. She was silent, instead merely gazing at the two of them with her big, round, emerald eyes. Upon seeing her meaningful, teary gaze, both Kaito and Elisabeth found themselves slightly taken aback. Eventually, Kaito smiled to try to set her mind at ease, then extended his hand to her. "C'mere, Hina." Hina took it and squeezed it tight. Then she turned toward Elisabeth. Elisabeth met her gaze with a curt, puzzled frown. Before long, though, Hina's puppy-dog eyes beat her down, and she held out her hand as well. "All right, all right. Go on, then. But you mustn't forget. This is but a temporary...truce..." Not waiting for Elisabeth to finish her sentence, Hina took Elisabeth's hand firmly in hers. Based on her expression, Elisabeth was at something of a loss. Hina was still silent. She simply squeezed their two hands with all her might. As she did, a troubled voice rang out from the background. "Stop this! Unhand me at once! What is the meaning of this?! Am I being taken prisoner?! Even if that's the case, surely there must be a better way to transport me!" "Please settle down, miss. You had things you wanted to know, didn't you? And with me kidnapping you like this, you even have a pretext." "But that's..." Kaito turned to look behind him. Deus Ex Machina had taken on a humanoid form and was carrying Izabella bridal-style. It looked almost affectionate at first glance, but its metal fingers were holding her firmly in place. When she'd heard Jeanne's quiet cajolery, Izabella's expression had wavered. However, she was still nobly pursing her lips, no doubt trying to force out words of protest. Before she could, though, Jeanne went on. "And one other thing. It ain't often my buddy here takes a liking to someone, ya feel? You're gonna wanna settle down there, li'l lady. You wouldn't want one of those hard bits to shlick into someplace weird, wouldja?" Upon hearing Jeanne's extreme tone shift, Izabella froze up again. Apparently, her brain had decided to just give up. Not having heard their exchange, several of the paladins rushed over, planning on mounting a valiant rescue for their captured commander. As she turned to face them, Jeanne cast a chilly glare their way. "I'd stay there if I were you, misters, if you value your commander's life. Who's a good boy? That's right, it's you, you filthy dogs!" The paladins obediently lowered their swords, and Jeanne gave them a nod. Then her honey-blond hair fluttered as she turned back toward Kaito. She began matter-of-factly giving out instructions. "Summon Vlad, if you would. His presence will be helpful to explain things going forward." "...I find it nearly impossible to tell if that girl is mad or not, you know." "Yeah, tell me about it." As he agreed with Elisabeth's impression, Kaito ran mana through the stone in his pocket. Azure rose petals and darkness swirled to life. As he elegantly crossed his legs in the empty air, Vlad made a displeased remark. "Good heavens. You forget those you've dragged along with you, then throw yourself into absurd situations time and time again. What a cruel, heartless state of affairs. And it's not even as if I greatly mind the treatment, but I had my doubts as to whether or not you'd survive." "Oh, right. I guess you were in my pocket that whole time." "I'd ask that you try to do a better job of remembering me, my dear successor. Why, I was even kind enough to avoid saying anything about that disappointing display you put on last night; one that anyone but that doll of yours would have been sorely disillusioned by... No, wait, stop that. Do be so kind as to stop trying to smash me against the ground. You shan't hear another peep out of me, I swear." Vlad quickly shut up. As the Kaiser gave a deep, amused snort, Elisabeth tilted her head to the side in confusion. Hina, still clutching Kaito's and Elisabeth's hands, kept gently crying, and Izabella resumed her attempts to struggle free. Jeanne looked at the whole ensemble. With the violent battle having finally come to an end, she made a loud declaration. "Now then, the time is upon usâ€”let us proceed and lay bare the secrets of this world." Jeanne's gait as she walked was leisurely, as though nothing at all had happened. Behind the whore claiming herself to be a saint of salvation, the enemy of the world, his bride, a peerless sinner, the commander of the Holy Knights, a demon, and the demon's old contractor followed after. The seven of them strode onward, to the site the Church had worked so hard to keep hidden. They strode into the underground tomb, where the kings of old were interred. 8 Ends and Beginnings The interior of the underground tomb was made from materials Kaito was wholly unfamiliar with. Also, there were a number of seals placed on it. If they weren't properly undone by a devout follower of God, they would likely prove fatal. But Jeanne, who was practically the poster girl for atheism, successfully unraveled them one after another. "Pray for the sacrifices. Think of the sacrifices. Believe in the sacrifices. Come forth, O tears of my people, O lives of my people." Snapping her fingers, Jeanne caused a number of gemstones to appear out of thin air. Each time she encountered a seal, she placed one atop it at a carefully selected location, then shattered the seal with ease. Kaito wasn't sure what the trick to it was, but the feat's eccentricity was abundantly clear. As he gazed at Jeanne in wonderment, she turned to him and nodded. "I can see you're feeling embarrassed about your own incompetence upon seeing how marvelous I am, mister. And I can sympathize with that. But you needn't feel shame over the fact that you're generally worth less than shit. This is what the alchemists who created me, who