could possess. That method wouldn't be enough for her to surpass Kaito, but surpassing Elisabeth was another matter altogether. Now, thanks to a ritual they'd prepared in advance, all the pain being generated in the settlement was being offered up to Alice. "...So that was why you left Satisbarina behind." If their location never got leaked, they could continue to demand God and Diablo while still going around and slaughtering villages to amass mana. And if the location did get leaked, they could sacrifice the settlement to collect all the pain they needed in one fell swoop. No matter how things played out, they would reach their goal one way or the other. It was simply a matter of when. "You never cared if your location got leaked or not, nor did you care what became of the settlement. So...what about your demi-human allies, the ones who were trying to protect their blood purity? You were just tricking them?" "The demi-humansâ€”well, it's not really my place to say. We demanded God and Diablo. However, we never held any great hopes for the world. It's trueâ€”we didn't care if the beastfolk's day of wrath came. The Three Kings' brutal rampage would do well to fill our vessel, and if it served to advance the Fremd Torturchen's growth, our comrades' lives and riches were a small price to pay. Just more dead killers for the pile. After all, it seemed only reasonable that the design of our revenge engulf its creators as well." Once Lewis got started, his words flowed like water. Elisabeth thought back to his earlier proclamation. "If the end of days truly had been upon us, maybe it would have all been fine. All your atrocities could be forgiven, written off as isolated incidents of fear-induced derangement. But God and Diablo failed to bring down the hammerâ€”so I must do it in their stead. I'll take this world, I'll make it my own, and I'll kill every last fool who walks upon it. "I don't need a reason. After all, justice died long ago. At this point, what use does anyone have for something so decent and proper?" Lewis and his allies wanted to become "proper shepherds," and their ultimate goal was the realization of a perfect, idealized utopia. But Lewis had never said a word about letting the world survive as is if it refused to accept his ideals. What if stability on par with what the current world enjoyed had never been part of his utopia's design in the first place? "God and Diablo are powerful deterrents, but even if you couldn't get them, all you needed was strength enough to maintain your reign of terror anyhow. And as long as you could overturn the power structure, long-term stability was of secondary import... So whatâ€”you had no qualms about never allowing peace to exist again? Does your hatred truly run that deep?" "It does. We are warped, Elisabeth Le Fanuâ€”resigned, angry, and broken. This was why I called you weak, you know, why I said you had had everything taken from you. You see, you were changed so completely it took you this long to even realize that about us. And yet because the person who changed you wished it, you'll never see him again. Poor Elisabeth." His tone was that of a teacher pitying their student. Elisabeth bit down on her lip. His statement was an affront of the highest order, yet so too was it an undeniable truth. Once, the Torture Princess had laughed as she basked in the anger and hatred of those around her. And not only that, she understood those emotions in their entirety. But a simple boy had irreparably changed her. Then he left. Smiling like a child. And the day of their reunion would never come. She was struck speechless. But only for a moment. "They did it, Father! It's him! They found out where Kaito Sena is!" "...What?" Alice shouted, her voice loud and clear. As she puffed out her chest, her white ribbons stood straight up. At that point, even Elisabeth couldn't help but let out a cry of disbelief. Only a tiny handful of people knew where Kaito Sena was. How could she have found him? And yet, it didn't look like she was lying. Alice's innocent thrill seemed genuine. Her glee made sense. If they could get their hands on Kaito Sena, then they wouldn't need to make so many sacrifices to the Fremd Torturchen, and they would be able to realize their perfect utopia all the more quickly. That was just how powerful a deterrent God and Diablo were. Alice leaped up with joy and continued on in a singsong voice. "He's in the alchemists' hidden village, buried under the boulders! Rubens and Huey are on their way to secure him now! Hooray, they did it! They're the best! They're such good boysâ€”why, I'll have to pat their heads and give them all sorts of praise!" "You wretch..." Elisabeth let out a hoarse epithet. And at the same time, she dashed forward. Hesitation wasn't in the Torture Princess's nature. All it took was a single second for her to decide that killing them now was her best course of action. As she drew her long sword from a whirl of black and crimson, she elected to go for a thrust instead of a slash. Yet despite her sword's blistering speed, it was repelled by the curved back of a teaspoon. Sparks and azure petals went flying. However, having the sword land had never been Elisabeth's intent. At the same time she thrust it forward, she had also fired off a volley of stakes. But Alice caught them all in a cup. "What?" "Dormouse's Tea Party." The stakes slammed loudly into the cup one after another, launching it up into the air. A moment later, though, the cup sucked them all in like it was eating them whole, and a colony of twinkling, twinkling little bats appeared in their place. Then the bats transformed into azure flower petals and faded away. But Elisabeth wasn't done yet. "Gavel." *** A solemn, bell-like noise rang out. A mass of crimson flower petals scattered magnificently through the air. An enormous iron hammer swung down from empty space, the very air trembling as it fell. The attack was powerful enough to crush someone flat, even if they were clad in full armor. However, Alice didn't so much as flinch. Her white hair bobbed as she did a little spin. "Flamingo Croquet!" Then a strange bird appeared in her arms. Its body was round and pink, and both its legs and neck were long and slender. Then, of all things, she swung it by its supple neck and batted the hammer back, simultaneously using its belly to block the needles Elisabeth had stealthily launched at her. The bird let out a shrill, confounded cry when they hit. Then it and the needles burst into azure and crimson flower petals respectively. The two hues exploded outward and scattered about the area. Alice playfully closed one eye. Elisabeth clicked her tongue. It was painfully clear how explosively the Fremd Torturchen's powers were growing. "Oh, Elisabeth, that just won't do. And you know that, don't you? See, I'm pretty strong. If you play with me like this, you're not going to make it in time. But if you try leaving now, well..." Alice chuckled. It was a mean little bait, but Elisabeth knew full well how accurate it was. Alice and Lewis were no fools. Her explaining the situation to Elisabeth meant that even if she left now, she'd probably be too late. And even if she could make it in time, she would need to kill Alice and Lewis first. But doing so, especially quickly, was going to be far easier said than done. Elisabeth was still shaken, and meanwhile, Alice was having a blast. The Torture Princess and Fremd Torturchen stared daggers at each other. Then, out of the blue Elisabeth felt someone grab her by the belt around her throatâ€” "And up you go." "Hmmâ€”hmm?" Then, just like that, they hurled her with ease. Right into a freshly drawn azure teleportation circle. "Goodness me... You really are going soft, my dear. I told you once before, didn't I?" A carefree voice echoed through the courtyard. Elisabeth blinked. More than once. Vlad was standing on the other side of the azure, and by all accounts, it would seem that he was the one who'd said, "And up you go," and tossed her into the circle. Elisabeth panicked. She didn't understand what was going on. First things first, she needed to collect herself. She shook her head back and forth. Vlad shrugged and continued in an exasperated tone. "Seeing someone beautiful succumb to sentimentality is like gazing at a work of art. And if they were a cruel woman, then all the more so. But as you are now, my precious, you're hideous. Back when you were filled with grim resolve, you were far lovelier, far greater, far more radiant, and far more beautiful." Just like before, his voice was tinged with sadness. Elisabeth stood, determined to find out what was going on. As she did, the teleportation circle started turning, and azure flower petals danced up into the air and began to block off her vision. Right when she was making to leave it, though, Elisabeth realized something. The circle's destination was Jeanne de Rais's hidden village. As the azure moved to obscure him, Vlad flipped something her way. "But you know what? I'll allow it. At this point, what choice do I have?" Elisabeth caught it with one hand. She stared at him, trying to glean his intentions. However, Vlad just shrugged. And the expression on his face was different from his usual condescending smirk. It felt almost forlorn, that smile of his. Like the kind of face one would wear when watching their child. Surrounded by azure, Elisabeth raised her voice. "What are you playing at, Vlad?!" "Hmm... Answering in a way that would satisfy you would take more time than we have. So instead, I leave you with thisâ€”a quote that, as your favorite villainous ally, I'd always hoped to have a chance to say." His voice sounded detached, yet even so, he then began to brood. Through thick and thin, his love of theatrics never faltered. The azure's dance then started to blot him out completely, rendering everything beyond it unseeable and inaudible. But right before it could, he finally delivered his quote. And oh, how grand his tone was. "Go on ahead. I got this." 10 The Fathers' Battle Inside the red room, there was... Well, that doesn't matter. More importantly... ...let's take a look through the window. "Vlad Le Fanu... Youâ€”" "Be quiet. I'm taking a moment to bask in the afterglow." Lewis's voice had a rare hint of loathing to it. However, Vlad cut him off. Explosions echoed off in the distance. A hard hoof had come down, trampling the piled-up cannonballs before they could even be loaded. But Vlad paid that no heed. He stood amid the din and the clamor, closing his eyes in rapt ecstasy. Lewis gave him a puzzled look. "The...afterglow?" "Of having parted with my dearest daughter and of having had my quote land rather well, yes. Surely you understand." Actually, nobody ever understood what Vlad was on about. Realizing how fruitless trying to converse would be, Lewis went silent. Several nonsensical seconds passed them by. Then, after supping his fill, Vlad opened his eyes, and in the same motion, spread his arms out wide and did a pointless little spin to milk the moment for all it was worth. When he spoke, his voice was full and resonant. "All right, that's about enough of that! Sorry about the wait. Now then, let's talk about possibilities!" "...Possibilities? Possibilities of what? As far as I can tell, you and I have