a moment, even Kaito felt as though victory was at hand. Suddenly, the surface of the mass trembled and a chunk fell off. "...Huh?" Kaito narrowed his eyes in confusion. It was a chunk of raw flesh, but its form was like that of dough cut out by a child with a crude cookie cutter. Waving in the wind, the thin figure floated through the air. It was shaped like a warped human. It nimbly evaded La Mules's oncoming attack. It was slammed by its shock wave, though, and the figure drifted even higher into the air. However, it didn't look as though it had sustained any damage. Looking at it, Elisabeth furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. "Hmm, 'twas originally quite different, but I remember that shape. Flesh in the shape of a man... I see. The Monarch has split off." "Split off?" "They likely wanted to avoid all being targeted at once. Quite clever for a mass of flesh. The fruit of its survival instinct, I'd wager." Elisabeth nodded. Pursuing the figure, La Mules spun her neck with alarmingly smooth motions. However, her foe's movements were too quick, and she was never able to settle on an angle of fire. She's like a fixed battery. La Mules was unsuited for battle against a foe constantly on the move. Suddenly, the figure found itself assailed by red arrows. The paladins had been on standby throughout the town, and it seemed they'd launched a magical attack. However, the figure drifted lazily and passed directly over them. It was unclear what it had done to them, but their attacks came to an abrupt stop. The whole scene seemed somewhat ridiculous, which made it all the more ominous. Kaito felt a chill run down his spine. Shaking her head, Elisabeth spoke. "The task is beyond them. I shall hunt him down." Godot Deus nodded. Using communication devices, the priests attending to him contacted what was likely another unit and told them to hold their fire. All the while, the strange figure was growing in size. Frowning in unease, Kaito finally came to a realization. No, that's not it! It's not getting bigger! It's getting closer! At the same time, Godot Deus cried out it a tense voice. "Protect La Mules!" The paladins moved in unison. As La Mules prepared her next shot, the holy warriors worked together to form a perimeter around her. A few priests took positions around them. The next moment, a deep noise rang out, and the massive humanoid figure passed over the heads of Kaito and the rest. The faces of a number of victims floated upon the surface of its flat stomach. Looking up at them, Kaito shuddered in disgust. He'd met the eyes of every single one of them. And they were all laughing. *** On an impulse, Kaito dashed. "Oh-ho, not a bad decision." As the Kaiser's sarcastic compliment echoed in his ears, Kaito dashed up the footholds he'd unconsciously crafted out of darkness and azure flower petals. He reached out, grasping at a height that would have been impossible for a normal human to reach. With his beastly arm, he slashed at the faces lined up overhead. He crushed a number of them, and blood came billowing out. At the same time, all the intact faces opened their mouths. Bloodred drool rained down over the paladins. "Ah, ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Bloodcurdling screams rang out. Wherever the saliva touched them, the dribble melted the paladins' armor. A horrid stench wafted through the air. After eating through armor, skin, and bone, the fluid even bored holes in the ground. Kaito bit his lip in horror. However, he quickly turned his face away from the victims who were beyond saving and surveyed the extent of the damage. La Mules was unharmed, as the priests surrounding her had thrown up a barrier to protect her. On top of that, they'd used their mana to strengthen and consecrate the paladins' shields, and the paladins formed a seamless wall around her. The figure whizzed past the top of the hill, its movements like those of a breaching whale. Then it did a loop and came back, racing once more toward La Mules and her guard. As it did, the sound of a heel clicking rang out. A radiant woman stood atop the hill, facing the figure. "It's been a while. I see you've taken on such a hideous form, Monarch." Her lustrous black hair fluttering in the wind, the Torture Princess squared off against her demonic prey. Having noticed her, the victims' faces on the figure's stomach opened their eyes wide. As though acting as conduits for the Monarch's emotions, they launched into an agitated, hateful howl. "Elisabe...be-be-be-be-be-be... ElisabeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEETH!" There were men's voices, women's voices, old people's voices, children's voices, and beastly voices. The cries of the victims were resounding. "How miserable you lot are. How ugly and powerless. Wait but a hair longer. It shall take me little to snuff out your pitiful lives." Basking in their cries as if it was applause, Elisabeth drew the Executioner's Sword of Frankenthal. Crimson flower petals scattered as she swung it before bringing it to a controlled stop. She pointed its sharp tip at the Monarch. "Splendid Executioner: The Boondock Saints!" Darkness and crimson flower petals swirled above the buildings of the capital, then launched something toward the ground. Metal glittered as it descended with a thunderous roar. Lumps of various shapes and sizes heaped up by the hundreds. Each one of those lumps was a blade. Carving knives, shears, pocketknives, and spears all piled up in a purposeful pattern. One by one, the various blades interwove with an artistic sense of balance. Eventually, the giant made of blades was complete. Its torso was composed of every kind of bladed object imaginable. Its right arm, though, was adorned with an executioner's ax, and its left arm boasted a sword designed for decapitations. The blade giant rose to its feet with surprisingly delicate movements, then swung its executioner's ax. Like a slab of meat in a butcher's shop, the humanoid figure was cleaved clean in two from top to bottom. Despite that, though, each of its halves tried to scurry away. The next moment, it had been chopped into fourths. The giant had moved faster than the eye could see, catching both halves with its decapitating sword and slicing them horizontally. The figure had no chance to escape, and its flesh was shorn into pieces. Losing their strength, the tiny chunks collapsed to the paved ground. Without a moment's delay, the giant crushed them underfoot. As he watched the one-sided beatdown, Kaito suddenly realized something. The Boondock Saints and La Guillotine aren't torture devices, they're executioner's tools. Each time the blades flashed, the screams of the figure's victims grew quieter. Each blow sliced through every face in its path, so the sum amount of pain the giant was doling out couldn't have been that high. Those were probably the two that Elisabeth called on when she needed to end lives quickly. Eventually, and in stark contrast to its original form, the Monarch had been cut down to the size of a dinner steak. Suddenly, one of the faces on the remaining chunk of meat violently swelled up. It was unclear how it had fit inside, but a body dropped out of it onto the ground as though it were losing a tooth. That body was the Monarch's concealed true form. Unlike that of the Grand Earl, whom Kaito had once seen, the Monarch's skin was melted, and he looked barely human. The Monarch sat still, hanging his head as though waiting for the end to come. The blade giant raised its foot, looking to deal him the final blow. Wait a minute, that's...! As it did, Kaito stumbled upon an idea. He snapped his fingers. "You're plotting something twisted again, aren't you, boy? Very well. I shall act as you desire." Answering his summons, the Kaiser appeared in midair. Kicking off against the ground with his steely feet, he dashed to the Monarch's side. Narrowly slipping between the giant and the road, the Kaiser grabbed the Monarch's neck in his mouth and withdrew. A loud noise rang out as the giant slammed its foot down onto the empty ground. The first-class hound had captured the Monarch alive. Having had her prey snatched from her grasp, Elisabeth whirled around to face Kaito. "Just what do you think you're doing, Kaito?" "I had an idea. Would you mind letting me deal with him?" Kaito responded with a request. Murder flashed across Elisabeth's eyes as she glared at him, and the knights around them cast distrustful gazes his way as well. However, Kaito pressed on without hesitation. "It's not like he's strong enough to run. I can't tell you what I'm planning on doing with him yet, but...if worse comes to worst, and we don't succeed in taking down the mass today, then I think we're gonna need him." "Even so, you intend to retain two demons in your custody?" "I'm not gonna make a contract with him. What if we left managing him up to the paladins?" "...And this is truly necessary?" "It is." Hearing Elisabeth's question, Kaito nodded with a serious expression on his face. The two of them glared at each other. Eventually, Elisabeth realized that Kaito didn't plan on backing down. Clicking her tongue, she heaved a sigh as she continued. "While I know not what you plan for him, I'll admit there is merit to capturing him. I grant you my permission. However, don't you dare let him get away. Godot Deus, take heed. We're bringing the Monarch back alive." "As Elisabeth says, there is value in capturing a demon. As long as he remains under Church supervision, I shall allow it." Hearing them agree, Kaito nodded. Not being overly fond of their annoying chirping, the Kaiser waited for the humans to reach their conclusion before dragging the Monarch over. Still hanging in the Kaiser's mouth, the half-melted man showed no signs of movement. After checking to make sure he'd been dealt with, the paladins separated from La Mules's side. Elisabeth did the same, turning the blade giant back into crimson flower petals. It was too small to be of much use dealing with the full mass of flesh. La Mules went to start her barrage back up. A fresh bird was on its way out of her mouth. At that moment, Kaito narrowed his eyes. He felt as though the mass of flesh, having lost the Monarch, was wriggling. The next moment, its wound frothed as though the spot had begun boiling. With smooth motions, eyes, a nose, and a mouth protruded from its surface. Above them, spiderweb-like fibers stretched out and began stitching skin together. Eventually, a man's face was displayed. Although its muscles looked flaccid, its chiseled features and virile masculinity could be clearly made out. It opened its thick lips. "â€”Graaah!" A gray roar emanated from its dark throat. The paladins immediately threw up their shields. Working in unison, they protected La Mules from the discolored air. The priests also acted quickly and threw up their barrier. All of their responses were precise. However, the moment the roar passed over them, they dropped to the ground like puppets who'd had their strings cut. Even so, the rest of the paladins tried their best not to seem fazed and instead calmly tried to deal with the situation. "Squad Two, advance!" Following Izabella's orders, a different group of paladins raised their shields and, accompanied by a handful of priests, took their places defending La Mules. As they did, a convoy of healers retrieved the fallen. However, once they were safely on the back slope of the hill, Izabella checked their conditions and frowned. Peering at them alongside her, Kaito tilted his head. "They're...just asleep?" "Yes, that's what it looks like. What in the world happened up there?" The fallen