Slayers - Volume 11 - Chapter 4

4: Crimson, When the Marionettes’ Feast Ends

“Freeze Arrow!” Aria fired a flurry of frigid projectiles to interrupt the mad laughter reverberating around us.

Hey, hang on!

Rather than dodging the arrows, Kailus just tanked them! Then—Whoosh!—a freezing wind assaulted us, exactly like the one Mycale had refracted. Except, actually, this was more “chilly” than “freezing”...

“Just as I thought...” Aria breathed.

Of course! She’d dialed back the power of her Freeze Arrow in an experiment to see if Kailus had absorbed Mycale’s power.

“Bwahahaha! That won’t work! Don’t you see? Mycale’s power is mine now! Your spells can’t harm me!” he cackled, apparently failing to realize that it was just a test.

Sheesh, what a hack...

Yet while Kailus was third-rate in the brains department, he still wasn’t to be trifled with. We had no way of knowing if Mycale was the first person he’d absorbed... In fact, it was safest to assume he’d gone on an absorb-a-thon before this and had a host of weird powers to choose from.

But then...

A doubt flashed through my mind for the briefest of moments, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Our priority now was figuring out how to beat Kailus.

“Just so you know, I have more than just Mycale’s abilities! Allow me to demonstrate!” he bellowed, then let out a bestial howl. A dozen icy bolts appeared in the air around him.

A lesser demon’s power?!

Kailus launched the arrows... straight at himself!

Not good! The ensuing wave of biting cold rushed over us even as we leaped away.

“Guh!” Gourry groaned slightly, but readied his sword and dashed at Kailus. However...

“Hraaagh!” Kailus howled again, retreating backward. Another blast of cold followed.

Sheesh, this guy really knows how to use his abilities! Had he just fired the Freeze Arrows on their own, Gourry would’ve been able to knock the icy projectiles aside with his sword or dodge them. But there was no deflecting sheer cold. Naturally, the diffusing of the blizzard meant that it barely did any real damage, but repeated blasts would eventually lower Gourry’s body temperature enough that he’d be too numb to move properly. Not even the big lug could dodge a Freeze Arrow when he could barely feel his legs.

Kailus certainly talked like a washed-up villain, but he made the grade in terms of skill. That meant we’d have to counter with some schemes of our own.

“Gourry! Aria! This way!” I cried, then darted down one of the corridors that branched off of the entry hall. “Lend me a hand, Aria!” I called. I explained what I needed from her, and we began chanting spells together.

“Think you can escape?! Think again!” Kailus shouted excitedly as he gave chase. On cue...

“Dam Blas!” I fired—not at Kailus, but the ceiling right above him!

Crash! It collapsed with a ruckus, raining down rubble of all sizes.

“Tch! A cheap trick!” Kailus backed up to avoid the falling debris, then climbed over it in the still-roiling dust to continue his pursuit. And when he did...

“Dam Blas!” On my signal, Aria fired a second spell at the ceiling. Dust now filled the hallway.

“More petty tricks!” Kailus leaped back again, cursing all the while.

Meanwhile, our team fled further down the hall. As we went...

“Dam Blas!” Aria slung another blast at the ceiling.

“Would you stop it already?!” Kailus bellowed, again pulling back to avoid the collapse, then clambered over the rubble to press his chase.

That was the moment I’d been waiting for.

“Ragna Blade!” Responding to my words of power, a black blade appeared in my hands. No way could he disperse this attack!

“What the—?!” Kailus shouted in surprise when he heard my voice in much closer proximity than he’d expected. “Hraaaaagh!” He quickly raised a war cry, sending an arrow of light he’d conjured straight into himself.

Shahh! Kailus’s whole body gleamed, and the light he dispersed shot up and down the hallway. When it did, I leaped and brought my black blade down on him... from directly above!

“What?!” Kailus finally caught on, but it was too late! The sword of darkness soundlessly cleaved him through.

See, after I’d signaled Aria to fire a Dam Blas on the ceiling, I’d cast the Levitation spell I’d been chanting and used the dust as a smoke screen to rise up through the hole she’d made. The second floor was laid out like first, so I’d kept pace with Aria and Gourry’s retreat down the corridor below while chanting my Ragna Blade. Aria’s next Dam Blas had opened a hole in the floor below me, and I’d leaped through it while cutting down at Kailus.

“Guh!” Kailus’s whole body instantly turned black. And then...

Clu-pow! It burst. When the dust settled, the only people in sight were Gourry and Aria.

“Did we do it?” she asked.

I nodded firmly. “As far as Kailus goes, yeah.”

“Then...”

“The question is... what will the remaining enemies—the ones Kailus was controlling—do now?”

There was still Aileus tangled around the mansion, the winged doll, and the flying lesser demons—and those were just the ones we’d met so far. I was hoping Kailus’s death had released his servants from their curse or mind control or whatever it was. If it hadn’t, they’d probably be coming for revenge, and I shouldn’t need to explain what a pain in the neck that would be.

“We’d better check before we go save Bell. It wouldn’t be a great look if we picked her up only to face a full-on assault on the way out. Speaking of which, can Bell use attack spells?”

“No, none...”

“No offensive magic whatsoever?”

“She can’t use any magic at all as far as I know. I was interested in it when I was younger, so I joined the sorcerers’ council. But my parents ran a small tavern and my sister usually helped out there instead... I think she preferred cooking to sorcery.”

“I see. All the more reason to get a handle on things outside first. Let’s see what we can from the windows there,” I said as I opened the door to a nearby room.

It looked like a guest suite, about the same as the one we’d found Bell in before. I had a look out the window facing the terrace. There were no signs of any enemies... or of any hostile presences at all.

“What do you think, Gourry?”

“Not sure how anything could be out there... I’ll step outside, just to be sure. You guys stay here.”

“Got it. Be careful.”

Gourry opened the window to the terrace, sword in hand. He scanned around for any signs of life, and shortly thereafter, set foot on the terrace. He then turned back to face the mansion, and...

“Whoa...” he breathed with a mix of surprise and confusion.

“What is it?!”

“Well, it’s... Just come out, okay?”

Aria and I shared a look, then cautiously stepped out onto the terrace ourselves. We turned our eyes toward where Gourry was looking.

“Huh?”

“What in the...” The two of us breathed in equal bewilderment.

Aileus’s vines coating the mansion, along with the lumps of flesh scattered here and there among them... were all now completely withered. The lumps looked like large, dead flowers rustling dryly in the wind, while the... vines, tentacles, whatever they were... had turned brown, desiccated, and lifeless.

“Is he dead?” Gourry whispered.

A deafening silence fell over us.

“You don’t think...!”

A thought struck me. I swiftly cut back inside and across the room to reenter the corridor. Gourry and Aria followed.

“What is it, Mistress Lina?!”

“Just checking something!”

I ducked into the room we’d flown in through earlier tonight—Bell’s former room. I ran up to the broken window, exited to the terrace... and after a gasp, I just stood there in silence.

Out on the lawn lay the winged doll that had once commanded the winged demons, looking like a marionette with its strings cut. The flying demons, previously everywhere, were now nowhere to be seen.

“What’s going on here?” Gourry whispered from behind me. But of course, I didn’t have an answer for him.

“Is this... because Kailus is dead?” Aria whispered uncertainly.

Given the timing, that was likely the trigger. Yet while it was certainly possible to create chimeras whose lives would expire when a certain person died, you’d have to really jump through some hoops to get there.

“But why would Kailus set it up like this?” I asked.

“Well...” Aria thought a minute. “Perhaps he didn’t like the idea of his subordinates outliving him... Oh, or maybe he programmed them that way as an incentive for them to protect him! I’m sure that’s it!”

“Hmm...” I hummed thoughtfully at Aria’s theory. It would definitely explain a few things, but... Something just didn’t add up.

“Hey! Wait a minute!” I wasn’t sure if he’d heard us or not, but Gourry’s voice suddenly took on a serious tension. “If Kailus wanted to take everyone with him, then... isn’t your sister...”

Aria and I looked at each other, aghast, then booked it into the corridor.

“Sister! Sister!”

“Mistress Bell? Answer if you hear us!”

“Hey! If you’re there, say something!”

The three of us called for Bell as we scoured every room we could find. You’d think a place this size would have a servant or two around, but it was totally deserted. Our cries echoed through the empty mansion. After a good search, we concluded that, at the very least, Bell was nowhere on the first floor.

“You don’t think she’s...”

“Aria, don’t lose heart! There’s still the second floor!”

“R-Right...”

I ascended the stairs and threw open the door to a nearby room with an audible slam.

For a while, we just stood there. There was a wide-open window on the other side of the room, its lace curtains billowing in the breeze. A white rocking chair sat facing the night. Sitting in it...

“Aria?” Bell turned to look at her sister. There was a smile on her face that seemed somehow melancholy.

“Sister!” Aria cried as she ran up to her, and Bell stood up to embrace her gently. “Sister... Sister.”

“It’s... over, isn’t it?” Bell asked quietly, sweetly stroking Aria’s head.

“Yes... We beat Kailus. Now the city can be peaceful once more, and we can be together again...”

Bell simply gazed into the distance silently. It was like she was staring at something in the distant past, now gone forever.

“Is there anyone left in the mansion?” I asked.

“No. They’ve all been gone. Since the day the insurrection started,” Bell responded, her gaze still faraway.

I knew it was a big damper on the sisters’ reunion, but there was something I had to know. “By the way, are you okay, Mistress Bell? Kailus seemed to have made everyone else into a chimera, including himself...”

Aria looked up in realization. “That’s right... Sister, are you all right? Did Kailus... He didn’t do anything to you, did he?!”

Bell just smiled softly again. “I’m all right, Aria. After all, it wasn’t Kailus who changed them. It was me.”

For a moment, none of us were sure what she meant by that.

“Sister?” Aria whispered hesitantly.

Bell simply continued to smile. At last, I saw it... the quiet madness dwelling in her eyes.

“What... are you talking about?” I asked hoarsely, but Bell didn’t even spare me a glance.

“Kailus... He deserved it. To lose his honor, his life... branded a traitor. He brought it on himself... by stealing my love... and my happiness...”

“You mean... Kailus killed him after all?” Aria asked, shocked.

“Him”? Bell’s first fiancé?

“He didn’t say it in so many words... but... in my heart, I knew he did it. And so I changed Kailus... the others too... to make him start that insurrection... and to die in the disgrace he deserved.”

“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sister. What do you mean, you changed them?”

“Aria, I thought that I had given up. I thought that there was nothing left for me, that I had accepted my fate. But I was wrong. Despite all my resignation... hatred still began to amass in my heart. And so I changed everyone. I changed them all and incited insurrection in Kailus’s name.”

“You’re lying!” Aria shook her head fiercely. “That can’t be true! Because... if it was, it would mean you’re the one we’ve been fighting!”

“I love you, Aria... my one and only sister. But...” Bell smiled sadly. “But... after my love died, Kailus asked me to marry him. I rebuffed him, of course. Until one day, he said to me, ‘What if your little sister... if Aria... ends up like your fiancé?’”

Wordlessly, Aria began to tremble. I couldn’t see her expression from where I was standing.

“That was when I became certain... that Kailus had killed the man I loved. Though looking back now, perhaps he simply wanted me to think that so I’d do as he wanted. Still, in that moment... I thought, ‘I can’t let Aria die... I just have to do as he tells me.’”

So the reason she married Kailus... was because he coerced her by threatening Aria? What a bastard...

“That... That can’t be true...” Aria whispered tremblingly.

“It is, Aria,” Bell responded quietly. “So... I love you... but at the same time...”

“I also hate you...”

Bell had sent her sister away because she loved her, so that she wouldn’t get mixed up in the fighting. She also sent Aria away because she hated her, so that she would blame herself for leaving the city alone... and spread the word that Kailus was behind the insurrection. Perhaps Bell had sent Zonagein to keep watch over Aria too.

I couldn’t deny that this explanation snapped a lot of pieces into place. If Bell’s aim was to disgrace Kailus and get him killed, then after he was dead, she’d have no need of subordinates. On the contrary, having them put up too much of a fight against the imperial army would be contrary to her goals. That was why she’d programmed them to die.

But... how did she do it all?!

“It’s not true!” Aria shouted, her voice trembling. “It can’t be! Because... you aren’t capable of any of the things you’re describing! You don’t even know anything about sorcery!”

“You’re right... I don’t know the first thing about it. Kailus made sure that I never learned, even after we married. I’m sure he was afraid... that I might take revenge on him if I did. And so... no matter how great the hatred inside of me grew... there was nothing I could do... until that person gave me power.”

“‘That person’?” I whispered, my brow knitted.

It didn’t sound like she was referring to her dead fiancé, or to Kailus.

Still smiling at Aria, Bell answered me, “They never gave me their name... But they realized that I craved power and granted it to me. So I used it. It would have been easy to simply kill Kailus, but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted him to die a traitor. Thus I used my power to change everyone and exploit them.”

“No! You couldn’t do that!”

“But I did, Aria. And once we’re dead, it will all finally be over.”

“Aria!” Hearing those words, I made a beeline for the younger sister and grabbed her hand, tearing her away from Bell. I’d thought that she was going to kill Aria... But Bell just stood there, as still as could be, showing no sign of reaching for a hidden weapon.

“You’re lying, Sister!” Aria screamed, tears in her eyes.

Bell looked from her to me and Gourry. “I’m sorry that you have to be dragged in this. But it will be over soon. No matter what kind of man Kailus was, it wasn’t right for me to use innocent people for my revenge. That’s why I’m going to kill myself too. But... it is necessary that Kailus’s legacy remain that of a traitor... and so... you must die with me.” She turned her gaze back to Aria and raised her right hand. “Behold, Aria... This is the power I have been given. Come to me... Dulgoffa.”

What?!

Shadows appeared, coalescing in Bell’s outstretched right hand. Then the darkness came into focus, forming a pure black blade.

“H-Hey! Lina! Isn’t that—?!” Gourry shouted.

“Yeah,” I responded with a calm that surprised even me.

I knew that name... and I’d seen that sword before. Dulgoffa was a demon that took the form of a blade wielded by a high-ranking demon General called Sherra. Gourry and I had crossed paths with her once before, and we’d seen the kind of grotesque monster the demon-sword could transform people into.

That explains how she “changed” everyone... It would’ve been easy with the sword’s power.

“Sister! Stop this!”

“Let us... end this,” Bell whispered as the magical sword began fusing with her hand.

“No!” Gourry screamed, speeding across the floor. The sword in his hand flashed. He was probably hoping to stop the fusion by slicing the demon sword out of her hand. But...

Zing! The blade in Bell’s hand casually deflected his strike.

“What the...” Gourry whispered, confounded, as he leaped back.

Gourry’s skill with a sword was masterful. To parry a serious blow from him would require equally masterful skill, if not multiple arms like Zonagein. It was hard to imagine Bell had that kind of fencing training, and yet...

“You’re too late. The sword has been inside me all this time. Our fusion is nearly complete. I do not know how to fight... but... Dulgoffa does.”

Dulgoffa’s blade was drawing into Bell’s right palm itself. Her hand was stained black, and the darkness continued to spread. Nobody could stop it now. Bell’s whole body began to turn black until, at last, she was one with the magical sword.

“Sister!” Aria’s scream echoed powerlessly around us.

When Gourry and I had witnessed Dulgoffa transform someone previously, it was against the victim’s will. They’d become a true horror after the fusion—a writhing, hideous mass of flesh. But Bell had accepted Dulgoffa of her own free will. Not even I could say for sure if the being that stood before me now was Bell, Dulgoffa, or something else entirely.

Maybe this was what a true fusion with Dulgoffa looked like. In form, she looked quite a bit like Mycale. But whereas Mycale’s body had been a clear, sparkling emerald color, this being’s entire body was the shade of night, the black of void. Like a goddess carved out of pure ebony...

“Sister...” Aria tried to call to her, but in response, the being wordlessly raised her right hand.

“Move!” Gourry took off running. He flew straight at Aria from the side, sweeping her up in his arms without stopping.

Not a second later—Crash!—the wall behind Aria shattered from some invisible pressure.

Not good!

“Gourry! Skedaddle time!”

“Got it!”

I flew out into the hall. Gourry followed behind me, carrying Aria.

“Sister! Sister!” I heard her cry in agony.

Yet I knew there would be no way to restore her sister after this. We were going to have to... well, to kill her... but doing that in front of Aria would be cruel...

“Gourry! Let’s get outside for now!”

“Right!”

We rushed down the stairs and kicked open the front door.

“Aria! Once we’re in the city, go somewhere and hide!” I shouted. The lawn here at the estate was regretfully sparse of trees and other cover.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

I responded with silence.

Aria fretfully looked away. “I... I suppose that is the only option. I understand. Please do it,” she whispered, the words strained. “Master Gourry... I’m all right. I can run on my own...”

“Okay,” Gourry said, then set her down.

“Let’s go at least as far as the city together,” I said.

“Certainly,” Aria agreed.

I was afraid she might suddenly turn back, insisting on trying to convince her sister herself, but thankfully it seemed I had nothing to worry about. Except...

Huh?!

I felt a hostile presence incoming before we’d even managed to leave the property.

“Aria!” I cried.

We were running side by side, and no sooner had I pushed her away than something invisible passed between us, without sound or wind. And then...

Crack! A tree on the lawn far ahead of us snapped. I stopped and turned back to see the being slowly emerging from the front door. Guess getting Aria to safety was out of the question now... Aria seemed to be the main target, after all. It was likely Bell’s conflicting love and hatred for her sister had snapped into a delusional fixation when she fused with Dulgoffa. Even if we hid Aria somewhere, Bell would probably ignore us and hunt her down first.

“Looks like we’ll have to finish things here...” I muttered.

“Yes... it does,” Gourry agreed.

We stopped our flight and turned to face the being that had formerly been Bell.

“Get back, Aria! But don’t go too far!” I called.

“I won’t!” she called back.

With that decided, I quickly began to chant a spell. The ebony being raised her right hand again. Her target this time was... me?! Right. She’d judged me an obstacle to her killing of Aria, and had thus decided to take me out first.

Keeping up my chant, I leaped to my right. An invisible presence then tore past me, and after unleashing it, the being charged straight for me. That was when I finished my incantation.

“Sight Frang!”

Bwoosh! Responding to my words of power, a thin mist rushed out to veil the area. This spell was usually used to make a quick escape, but I’d seen it used before against invisible projectiles. You could track their trajectory more easily by watching for ripples in the mist.

The being raised her hand once more. I felt a chill up my spine and jumped to the side again. I didn’t see any movement in the mist, and yet...

Crack! I heard another tree split in the distance.

Wait, can she fire those things without even disturbing the air around her?! How is that fair?!

I counted the facts that she couldn’t fire them off in rapid succession and that they were relatively easy to sense coming as wins, and kept on dodging them accordingly... but it wasn’t exactly fun. We really needed to finish this ASAP.

As the being approached, Gourry interposed himself between us. I chanted a spell from behind him.

“Hyah!” With a cry, Gourry sliced at her!

Shing! Clank! I heard the din of metal on metal as she blocked each of Gourry’s slashes.

At some point, she’d produced a black dagger in her right hand. It was longer than a normal one, but not long enough to be called a shortsword. She’d probably formed it from her own body instantaneously to parry Gourry’s attack. But...

Clang! Cling! Clank! The metallic chorus continued as they traded blows. She seemed to be on par with Gourry in terms of skill, but as he was only human, she likely had an overwhelming advantage in terms of endurance.

She makes for one tough opponent...

Luckily, her invisible blasts seemed to require a degree of concentration to manifest, which meant they were off the table while she was locked in melee combat. With that in mind, I finished up my spell and... Seeming to realize what I was about to do, Gourry leaped back to put some distance between them.

Okay! Now!

I immediately fired! “Dynast Blas!”

Lightning struck the five points of a pentagram around her, then converged on her! But—Vrm!—her body trembled and a black mist enveloped her. It neutralized my magical lightning!

Not bad! In that case... I quickly began chanting my next spell.

Gourry moved to stop her again as she turned toward me once more. She blocked his sideways slash with her dagger yet again. Immediately, Gourry pulled his sword back and tried a thrust this time—but she produced another dagger in her left hand, using it in tandem with the one in her right to block his piercing attack. With her blades scissoring his, she lunged at Gourry!

“Guh!” Gourry quickly moved back.

While their deadly melee continued, I finished up my next spell! Gourry broke away from her again, probably anticipating my timing.

“Zellas Bullid!”

The ray of light I fired streaked straight toward her. She saw it coming and dodged it with a half step. As she did, Gourry attempted another charge, but...

Zing! She blocked his strike with the dagger in her left hand. Nevertheless, that held her in place for a brief moment!

Yes! Just what I was waiting for! The Zellas Bullid spell could be controlled by its caster mid-flight. Moreover, it channeled the power of one of the highest-tier demons, Greater Beast Zellas Metallium! Not even Dulgoffa could take that hit unscathed!

My ray of light had missed her once, but I willed it to change course midair, hooking it back around at her again from behind!

Got her! Just as I thought that, she artlessly raised her hand, brandishing her dagger. Then came a strange noise. Wha—

She’d cut through the incoming beam with her dagger! The slice had split it in two, dispersing the light on either side of her. The aftershocks of the scattering power hit Gourry, who lost his balance with a cry.

Not good! One second’s opening could get him killed!

And indeed, she swiftly struck at him with her dagger after cutting through the light. Perhaps out of sheer desperation, Gourry ducked down low and swept at her leg with his foot.

Then, like it was nothing—Whump—she just collapsed.

“What the...” It had been so easy, Gourry couldn’t help but pause.

He hadn’t caught her by surprise or anything like that. It looked like she’d had a real amateur moment there.

Could it be...?

“Gourry! I don’t think she can handle kicks!” I shouted.

Bell had said that Dulgoffa knew how to fight. But when I thought about it, why had she gone out of her way to produce daggers in both hands? If she’d wanted a longer reach, she could have extended her arms themselves... So what was the big idea?

Does Dulgoffa only know how to fight like a sword?

If my stupid theory was right, then beating her might not be so difficult after all.

“Well... let’s find out!” Gourry said, sweeping her leg again as she started to right herself. Once again, she toppled helplessly. “Sorry! I really need to beat you!” After knocking her to the ground a second time, Gourry brought his sword down on her.

Ding! There was a hard metallic sound.

“What?!” All of us cried out at once.

She hadn’t blocked Gourry’s blade with her daggers. He’d plunged his sword right into her chest... without causing a single scratch to her ebony skin. Gourry swiftly and silently leaped away.

Of course... Should’ve seen this one coming.

If those daggers were physically a part of her—they’d just taken the form of daggers to capitalize on Dulgoffa’s skill—then it stood to reason that her entire body was every bit as hard. Gourry’s sword didn’t have a name, but it was still a magical blade of considerable power. If even it couldn’t pierce her hide, then...

“What do we do, Lina?!”

“How should I know?”

“Can’t you use a spell to make my sword sharper?!”

“No way!” I responded firmly.

Sure, there were spells to temporarily enhance the power of ordinary weapons by imbuing them with magic. But there was no telling what they’d do to a sword that already had magical properties. If you got lucky and the magics played nicely together, you could very well end up with a souped-up slicer... but it was just as likely that nothing at all would happen, or worse, that you’d break the enchantment and end up with a useless hunk of metal. Worst of all, you might get a bad reaction that caused the magic to go haywire and blow! And this was no time to be taking a gamble like that.

The being quickly picked herself up, flipped away, and ran for the house.

“Is she trying to escape?!”

“Get her!”

If she’d truly lost her will to fight, then we had no reason to pursue... but given that she’d fused with Dulgoffa out of a delusional fixation on Aria, I was guessing she wasn’t going to give up just because we’d bested her once. And if I’m being honest, I’d rather face a dozen brass demons than the prospect of something like her lurking out there with my number.

Besides, there was no guarantee she would limit her rage to us and Aria. Her fixation was specific at the moment, but what if she turned on the world at large? She’d already used Dulgoffa’s power to transform the innocent people of the Crimson sorcerers’ council, after all. We couldn’t leave her out there unchecked.

“Could that dark blade do it?” Aria called from behind me. “The one you used to kill Kailus. Could you use it on her?”

“It would be tricky, and I’d have to outfence her...”

Even if her mastery was limited to bladed weapons, she was skilled enough in that regard to go toe to toe with Gourry. She’d probably run me through before I could get within kicking distance. More pressingly, that spell was a real drain on my magic... which was already pretty tapped from using it on Kailus earlier. I could cast it again, sure, but I wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long. I’d probably get a few swings in at most, and I wasn’t really confident I could land a solid blow in that short window.

As we pursued the being, she flew through the still-open front door and into the mansion. She stopped in a corner of the grand hall, beside the now-lifeless body of Zonagein. She reached for his corpse, and...

Skrrk! She stuck one of her daggers into him!

What in the world is she... Before I could even speculate, she withdrew the dagger and turned back to face us. Wait, don’t tell me...

“Stop!”

At my warning, Gourry and Aria halted in the doorway behind me. We then watched as spider legs tore out from her back! Kra-pash!

Ahhh! Freakin’ knew it!

“Retreat!”

“R-Right!”

“No objections here!”

We did a quick about-face to retreat. When we did...

“Freeze Arrow!” incanted a voice behind us. It was muffled, but it was clearly Bell’s.

“Scatter!” The second we were out the door, we split up, letting the arrows of ice blow past us.

Aaagh! Seriously freakin’ bad!

We reconvened and continued our retreat. I immediately felt a presence behind us. We turned to look... and she was right on our heels!

“What do we do, Lina?!” Gourry asked, sword at the ready.

“How am I supposed to know?” I responded in exhaustion.

“How could you not know?”

“I think she can absorb the power and knowledge of anyone she sticks with her daggers. So if she so much as scratches one of us, she’ll master our fighting styles too!”

“Are you sure?!”

“Pretty darn sure!”

It was clear from her appearance that she could absorb physical properties. That she could also absorb knowledge was a guess, but I felt it was an educated one based on the way she was suddenly busting out Zonagein’s greatest hits. Bell didn’t know the first thing about magic, and Dulgoffa wouldn’t have Freeze Arrow in its repertoire, so that knowledge must have come from the old sorcerer.

One way or the other, things were starting to look pretty grim for us. It would be impossible to beat someone with Gourry’s mastery of a blade and arachnid appendages without taking a single scratch. The spider legs would also make her tough to outrun, and an aerial escape was equally off the table. If we took to the skies, she’d just absorb the winged doll in the garden and take flight after us. And once she could fly, we’d be truly helpless against her. We really had to put her down here and now.

“She absorbs knowledge... Does that mean she absorbs memories too?” Aria asked.

“Well... sure, probably,” I responded, my eyes still locked on our enemy.

“Very well... I’ll finish this.”

“What?!” I couldn’t help looking over at her.

A genuine smile appeared on her face. “Please, save my sister.”

I...

For a minute, I couldn’t figure out what Aria was getting at. But then she took off running—straight for the being.

“Aria?!” I reached out, but my hand just missed her.

I finally got it. I understood what Aria meant to do.

“Tch!” Gourry took off after her, but he, too, was too slow. The spider’s legs were already reaching for her.

Aria thrust her hands forward like she sought an embrace. “Become one with me... Sister!”

And then—Skrrk!—the being’s dagger pierced her chest. Without hesitation, I began chanting a spell. I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I owed Aria this much.

Hail, Lords of the four worlds’ darkness

I beseech your bond and beg you this boon

Aria’s body fell limply to the ground with a soft thud. A spasm coursed through the spidery legs that bound her.

By your powers combined, entwined,

Bless me with magic mightier than mine

The talismans on my belt, my collar, and both wrists let out a faint glow. The being’s body began to heave, as if crying. I started off slowly toward her while moving into my next incantation.

Blade forged of the freezing black void,

Be released under heaven’s seal

“Hey! Lina!” Gourry called from behind me. He must have realized for himself that the violent rage had left her.

Become mine, become part of me

Let us mete destruction as one

Smash even the souls of the gods...

I stood before her, my spell finished. I quietly raised my right hand and recited the words of power. “Ragna Blade.”

Darkness took shape in my right hand, and the blade of pure void sliced through her.

I stared silently out into the city beneath the moonlit night sky.

“Hey, are you crying?” Gourry asked.

“Yeah, right,” I responded, looking back over my shoulder with a small smile.

We were on the street by the canal just outside of Kailus’s mansion. No one else was around.

“I was just thinking, it feels so... heavy,” I whispered, looking back over the city again.

“Hey, you mind if I ask?”

“About what?”

“Why’d she stop all of a sudden?”

“Aria stopped her... She used that being’s ability to absorb the memories of others to let Bell know how much she loved her.”

In that moment, Bell had probably heard her sister’s thoughts and come to understand her feelings. When the hatred vanished from Bell’s heart, it fractured the core delusion that had allowed her and Dulgoffa to attain a perfect fusion. That would’ve left Dulgoffa to absorb Bell against her will if unchecked, which was why I’d had to step in... To respect Aria’s sacrifice, and save Bell’s soul. Yet even so...

“C’mon, Lina.” Gourry walked up to me and placed a hand on my head. “Cheer up... I’ll carry half the weight for you.”

“Gourry...” I reached for him slowly... and latched an arm tight around his neck! “Look at you, Mr. Obligatory Expressions of Support! I think you just know I’d throttle you if you tried to brush me off!”

“Urk! B-But you’re throttling me anyway!”

“I’ve got to take my chances when I can, don’t I?! You’d dodge or fight back otherwise!”

“Of course I would! But... it looks like you’re okay, at least...”

“I guess I am... Just stewing in depression won’t do anybody any good.”

“True. Anyway... we stopped the insurrection, and the sword is gone,” Gourry said with a smile. I smiled back, but halfheartedly.

He was right. After my dark sword hit her, her body had turned to ash and then vanished without a trace. That had probably done some damage to Dulgoffa, at least. But General Sherra was still out there, which meant Dulgoffa would be back. Why had Sherra given it to Bell? What were the demons plotting? I still didn’t have the answer to those questions.

I silently kept staring at the moon in the eastern sky. The night had only just begun.