going to get really ugly. Elisabeth cast her fatigued gaze forward. A gleaming crystal sat before her. And in it, Kaito Sena and Hina were sleeping peacefully amid the boulders. By all rights, Alice's statement should have come true. Elisabeth shouldn't have been able to make it in time. However, the crystal was still there, safe and sound. Elisabeth turned her focus to the duo responsible. The two stood as a pair, gold on the left and silver on the right. Jeanne and Izabella. By the time Elisabeth got there, the mixed-race people had already been trounced. Two of themâ€”likely Rubens and Hueyâ€”were lying unconscious on the ground, and Jeanne stood astride them with one foot planted on each. According to Jeanne and Izabella, those two had fought tooth and nail to let the rest of their allies escape. The fact of the matter was, though, that it didn't much matter what exactly had happened there. The bigger problem was why Jeanne and Izabella were there at all. How had they gotten there on such an impossible notice? And what's more, why weren't they at the demi-human settlement to take part in the crucial battle happening there? However, Jeanne and Izabella had answered those questions in full earlier. "Oh my, Fool, you didn't know? Damn, you really did go soft! C'mon, how fuckin' obvious was it that the best way for those jackasses to turn the tables on us would be snatchin' up God and Diablo?" "We knew that you two were handling Alice and Lewis, so we got permission to stand guard here. Jeanne was the one who figured out where to go. She reasoned that if you wanted to hide something, this would be the best place to do it. When we split up, I assumed she would be back immediately, but it turned out that she got it right on the first try. That intuition of hers is really quite something. I must admit I'm proud of her." After hearing that, Elisabeth was satisfied. Now that she thought about it, that did make sense. She hadn't considered it at the time, but Jeanne knew how well hidden this place was better than anyone. Once she realized that was what happened, a flood of relief washed over her. If those two had actually switched sides on her, it all would have been over. Afterward, they used Vlad's window to learn what was happening in the settlement. Izabella shook her head and turned her gaze skyward. She whispered, her voice choked with bewilderment. "Who would have dreamed that they would use the Sand Queen's corpse like that...? I mean, that's the object of their worship. How could they even think of doing something so blasphemous? I can't even begin to wrap my head around it. It all just seems so unbelievable." "I can certainly see it seeming that way, especially to you. But I daresay you have it backward." "...How so?" "Desecrating the Sand Queen's corpse is a grave taboo, aye. But that's precisely why the idea came to them. The mental weight of betraying everything cast the thing they were supposed to protect most of all in a brand-new light. If they were already going to sacrifice everything for the sake of their race, then there was no need for half measures." Elisabeth tried to conjure up an image of Aguina in her mind. However, she could no longer picture that sharp-tongued intellectual with any sort of accuracy. She had no idea what kind of expression he bore at the moment. That fact was probably sad, all things considered. At the moment, though, there were other issues that demanded her attention. Once the Three Kings got injured, they would have begun beating a defensive retreat. Officially, though, I'm a traitor. My showing up would only serve to throw the human forces into disarray. I have to send Jeanne and Izabella back, move the crystal, and if at all possible, aid our side's retreat while remaining unnoticed... Such thoughts were highly unbecoming of the Torture Princess. Well aware of that, Elisabeth laid her hand on the crystal. It was cold and hard against her palm. First things first, she began trying to think of somewhere to send it. Then Jeanne spoke. "There's something I really must ask, lady. What do you intend to do? The mixed-race folk have their sights set on the crystal, as do the masses. Plus, everyone's got their asses all riled up now. Plus, the situation's changed, and you know what that means." Given the current state of affairs, hiding the crystal for any prolonged amount of time would be nigh impossible. The likelihood their foes would get their hands on Kaito Sena, as well as the danger if they did, had just gone through the roof. Izabella picked up where Jeanne left off. "With the beastfolk's help, it would probably be possible to find somewhere safe to put the crystal. But with the Three Kings of the Forest injured, there's a real danger that Sir Kaito Sena will end up being used as a bargaining chip. The situation really is different now. And whether we have the crystal or not, our enemies aren't going to hold back anymore." At the moment, scores of people were dying over in the settlement. Every second counted. However, the two of them were willing to expend that precious time asking Elisabeth about her intentions. That was simply how large of a threat the prospect of God and Diablo falling into enemy hands was. Elisabeth quietly returned Izabella's gaze and nodded. She was all too aware of that. The information has already leaked once, and no plan is ever perfect. Even if I hide it somewhere only I know, there's a limit to the range of unexpected situations I can deal with. There's no way to totally guarantee the crystal's safety. That meant that at the moment, the best course of action would be to destroy it. However, that was something Elisabeth refused to do. And besides, there was something else she knew, too. On a long enough timeline, even that would amount to folly. Even if they destroyed the vessel and returned God and Diablo to their higher plane, someone would eventually just summon them again. When that happened, it would truly mark the end of days. In time, the world would surely be destroyed. "If we smash it, a new contractor will eventually rise up anyhow. They already figured out how to make the Fremd Torturchen, and with each experiment a talented mage performs, the day of destruction grows that much closer. The only way to achieve true equilibrium is to free this world from God and Diablo and to end the cycle of creation and destruction altogether." The problem was, how? Elisabeth knew the risks involved, and she knew she couldn't do it alone. As she got to work drawing the teleportation circle to her chosen destination, she prepared to explain her plan. But then she heard it. To. Fro. Chitter. Chatter. There was a voice. It was a young girl singing, her voice loud and full of pride. She called out, her tone that of a person dashing through a field with deranged abandon and laughing their head off. "Holy, Holy, Holy!" she cried. "Lord God Almighty! "Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. "Amen. "Hallelujah." Elisabeth could definitely make out someone whispering. A chill ran down her spine. She didn't know why, but she felt as though she had just been asked to do the impossible. That she'd just been given a perverse order. Until the day of your death, try to do some good at least. And if you cannot do good, then die. Then someone continued that thought in a strangely childish voice. "So if you say that God, too, should perish..." Then doesn't that mean the world should perish? Wouldn't that be the greatest good of all? Suddenly, Elisabeth recalled the sight of a young saint's eyes. So much had happened since then that the memory was a bit foggy. But the hatred in those eyes had been something else. Apparently, the saint's explanation was that her body had moved on its own when she saw the danger Izabella was in. However, that didn't explain the intense emotion she had expressed. And that wasn't all. Izabella had probably only told Kaito Sena's location to a few trusted confidantes. That way, the information wouldn't have been lost with her if she failed her mission. But no matter how tight-lipped a paladin was, there was one type of person they would always willingly divulge anything to. After all, the saints were the most respected people in the Church. Realization shot through Elisabeth like a bolt of lightning. She knew who had leaked the location to Alice's men. Suddenly, Izabella looked up. After looking around, she gave a relaxed greeting. "Hmm? Who goes...? Ah, pardon my rudeness. Might I ask what brings youâ€”?" "Izabella, you fool! Get back!" However, Elisabeth's shout came too late. At some point, a girl with dead eyes had appeared before them. Her slender legs were bound, but without a word, she unfastened all her restraints. When she did, the wounds on her pale legs opened up, revealing the rows of saliva-covered teeth inside her flesh. A snake slithered out from within their warm darkness. Then, with a flash of light, it shot toward Izabella's throat. Elisabeth conjured a shield of darkness. However, the divine beast shattered her hastily improvised defense with ease. Izabella's half-mechanical face froze in shock. Then the divine beast bit deep into human flesh. Namely, the back of Jeanne's neck. "J-Jeanne...?" "Rgh... Gah... Well, that stings...like a bitch..." "That won't do. Won't, won't, won't do. That won't do." Izabella let out a dumbfounded cry. As she did, Jeanne's groan and the saint girl's words came in unison. As she whispered, the girl slowly rocked from side to side. Sure enough, her eyes burned with an intense hatred. The mouths on her legs wriggled and squirmed in accordance with the saint's quiet fury. Several more divine snakes poked their heads out of the openings. They emanated a slithering sound, as though trying to imitate the real things. Meanwhile, Izabella's confusion grew ever deeper. "B-but why? Why...why would a saint such as yourself...? Jeanne? Jeanne!" The Torture Princess clicked her tongue. Izabella was too straitlaced to understand what was going on. For now, that made her useless. Upon reaching that verdict, Elisabeth moved to provide the other two with cover and squared off against the young saint on her own. The girl's skin was deathly pale, and she was still rocking from side to side. She directed a quiet whisper at Elisabeth. "You. I, knew it... Ever since, I heard, you were moving the crystal. I knew, you would reach that blasphemous conclusion. Because that's all you have. You want, to cut Him off." "...Interesting. I see your mind's clear enough when it comes to matters involving God, then." "You want to, separate the world from God, and take us saints, and cut off our connections to Him, don't you?" The young saint's head slumped to the side at an odd angle. Elisabeth raised both eyebrows. The girl had her pegged. She was rightâ€”Elisabeth wanted to find a way to free the world from the system that was God and Diablo. That was the only way to save the people who lived in it. To those two higher entities, their world was nothing more than a castle of sand. As things currently stood, stability would remain forever beyond their reach. Elisabeth unashamedly explained her theory to the saint. "And what's so wrong about that? At the end of the day, God and Diablo are naught but natural mechanisms! Entities that do nothing but repeat their cycle of creation and destruction! 'Twas man that decided God worth worshipping, but both of them are terrifying in