Reference Man's Summary:

The story began on a battle field of blades and skeletons. The MC, Siegfried Shieffer, had forgotten his name, where he was, who he was, and was about to succumb to critical levels of corruption when two monsters, Sylphis (a Mantis) and Athena (a Lizardwoman), found him. To save his soul, they performed a “soul link”, a sacred ceremony that joins the souls of man and monster, enabling the sharing of emotions and more the stronger it becomes. During this, he remembers he is a water mage, and a damn good one at that. When he asked how they knew he'd be here they told him of a vision the leader of Zipangu, a nation far to the east. He was part of a prophecy. Thankful to them for saving his life and desiring to somehow recover his memories, they began their journey together.

As they traveled they met a band of Minotaur mercenaries led by the woman/monster Tian. They were on a mission to eradicate a bandit camp and, seeing as MC was a mage with two warrior companions they could be a big help. Agreeing to help for part of the reward, they made for the camp. They managed to obliterate the camp and After a quick duel with a Witch that ended with a successful decapitation he realized she had one final “gift” to bestow upon her Mantis killer, corruption.

Corruption in this era of the demon lord warps the mind AND body. As the nature of corruption is dictated by the current demon lord (who is currently a succubus, btw), you can easily guess to what ends they are warped towards. As her willpower was about to run out, Siggy discovered he had the ability to consume, and thus utterly destroy, corruption. Using this ability, he saved Sylphis from a life of wanton rape and debauchery. However, this caused him to pass out, where he essentially conversed with his subconscious.

This gave him a few fragments of his identity. He was a greedy, passionate man who loved himself quite deeply. But , like a real life philosopher once said, love is ultimately selfish. We want our friends and lovers to be happy because only if they are happy can we feel happy ourselves. Thus it was so for him, the happiness of his friends and lovers was his own as well. Thus, he sought their happiness as strongly as he did his own. He also remembered a Yukiwarashi that he once played with as a child, but not much else.

Further travels brought them to the Crosswalk, a human city. There they met a “purifier” of the holy order, a religious organization with influence that matches or even exceeds that of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages that despises monsters as evil beings but grudgingly allows some of them to exist. This purifier wasn't as uptight as feared, and was actually quite personable with his monster companions. The purifier tells them the daughter of the ruler (whom with she had a sisterly bond) has been corrupted and that she is unable to expunge the taint upon her soul. Siegfried once more uses his ability to achieve what traditional methods could not. Once done he felt corruption down an alley and sent Sylphis to investigate. The source immediately charmed her and sent her after her allies.

After Siegfried and Athena restrained her he went in to investigate himself, only to be enveloped in corruption. Surprisingly, he was totally immune to this very powerful form of it. He played along, getting a Succubus to reveal herself and try and seduce him. He tried to sneak attack but failed. After giving chase he finally managed to consume her corruption, that is, her entire being. He was heavily wounded by this now ashed corpse however...

After being healed and saying farewell to the purifier and Tian his threesome used a teleporter to travel to the college of mages in search of his lost memories. He found some of them when he encountered Avina, the yukiwarashi he knew as a child. Sadly, he discovers that he only met a lingering apparition and that the real Avina died long ago. He also learned that his own mother, Mana, was also dead. At this time a Youko named Tsukiyoumi appeared before the group. She offered to make Siegfried her husband. He refused. Nevertheless, she came with grim tidings. In 30 days hence, Siegfried is fated to die. How? Unknown, but that he ought die is certain. She offered a teleport to Zipangu that, among other things, would derail at least that days fate and thus, hopefully, those of days to come. He accepted her offer's price, a deep, passionate kiss. Upon this pleasing payment, all were now upon the land known as Zipangu.

They journeyed towards the castle of the current queen of the land, Ame-no-Uzume, daughter of Tsukiyoumi and an immensely powerful 9-tailed Inari. After hearing her request that he be part of a yearly ceremony he discovered that he really, really liked fluffy tails for some reason. The ritual was strange, as he had to journey inside Athena's seemingly holy blade. Upon entering this sacred realm, he found himself mysteriously consuming it like it was a form of corruption. He stopped upon seeing an Angel, Hadraniel, who shockingly was one of 13 legendary heroes that defeated the previous demon lord. Like Siegfried, she had lost most of her memories and with them, most of her legendary power. Furthermore, she could now only manifest if she had an “anchor” to the present. That is, a soul link to someone outside the realm of the blade. He agreed to be that anchor, forming a third link in the process and thus enabling the legendary hero to once more interact with the world.

This wasn't all there was though. Monsters, by their very nature (to many of their regrets), generate corruption. The Isle of Zipangu had defied the will of the demon lord for a long time. They refused to let it become another demon realm of rape and excess. To prevent corruption from overrunning their realm, they opted to yearly deposit the accumulated corruption into a Ryu named Orochi. Siegfried thought about consuming this immense store of corruption to make things easier upon all, but a nagging instinct kept him from doing so. He so wanted to, but some part of him just knew better. He watched with great pain as Ame deposited a years worth of corruption (a VERY sizable amount mind you) into Orochi, the slumbering Ryu. It pained him to see both of their suffering, but deep down he knew this was the necessary action. His ability was still an X-factor, and he felt its hunger... Clawing, begging... did it...have a will of it's own?

Soon after this came a terrible revelation. The holy church was planning to invade Zipangu, to purge it of the monstergirls inhabiting the island. To have any hope of repelling this invasion, Ame would need the strength of two other ruling powers upon Zipangu, the tribe of beasts and the tribe of Lizardwomen. Siegfried's initial companions, Sylphis and Athena, had deep ties to both and would be instrumental in this endeavor. Both, however, faced mortal danger in being the “bargaining chips” that would be necessary. Athena most especially, being a “traitor” to her kind. Siggy, more fearful of Sylphis not being able to return to his side without direct intervention, trusted Athena's fate to Ame-no-Uzume. Telling Athena to, above all else, survive. His words and emotions reached her, and she vowed to do so. Thus, he journeyed with Sylphis and Hadraniel to the kingdom of the beastkin.

In the beast kingdom he received the blessing of a most fortunate sort. A Tanuki named Tanuya became a quick friend. Good thing she's also an info broker. His group also discovered an abandoned Oomukade, a young, frightened, and crying girl he that he and his companions later came to call “Bletsia”. She proved herself more than useful later on, having a natural gift in creating Oofuda (think magic scrolls).

After somehow resisting a most subtle and powerful charm magic Sylphis and the beast-kingdom came to realize that the church had been most careful and cunning in preparing for the coming invasion. Even sneaking mystic siege engine's/mechs within their own borders while charming most of the Mantis order. This discovery did not come without cost, as an old nemesis appeared. A fry-faced woman named Belvedere poisoned Sylphis with exotic holy magic. This woman killed Avina, pissing off Mana royally. Her entire unit save herself was incinerated by Mana and carried the grudge over to Siggy.

After getting Sylphis to an infirmary, Siggy received a powerful, yet dangerous potion. A potion of forced vampirism. It could save Sylphis from the poison. Also, if he took it, he'd become a “force of nature”, a magus powerful enough to destroy most all who could ever stand in his way. However, it was not perfect. The user's very sanity would be in danger, and the thirst for fresh blood “vampirism” implied... He kept the cork in it and decided to use his still unknown consumer power to save his Mantis ally instead. Hadraniel vowed to knock him out if he displayed tendencies he feared he may... and good thing too. For as he feasted upon the holy energy killing his companion “the beast” first manifested itself. It needed to feed, and Siggy could not control it now. Only by some miracle did he stop consuming the energy from his loved one. Hadraniel warned him, she could only barely feel him then, he was going “far away”, to a place she feared none could reach him.

Having removed the poison regardless, he began to search for information within the beastkin Queen's library. Finding a secret passage, he encountered the old corruption and an encrypted book. The old corruption caused blind psychotic rage, likely what caused the previous queen to maim and nearly kill the current one, her daughter Rhy. Decrypting it brought a revelation, his consumer power is the result of machinations of both the previous and current demon lords. It hinted at the end of the world and that “The Tenko” would be “the instigator” of it all. Another nemesis, a shadow from Hadraniel's time, also made its presence known.

After his return to Uzume's castle Tsukuyoumi forced him to make a choice. Avina's mind/memories were trapped within a stone he acquired at the mage college. He could place it in a Golem, making it more able to consume the holy WMD the church was about test on Zipangu at the cost of her ego or try to fuse it to a slime body, keeping her memories/ego but potentially crippling him in the process. Being a practical man, he chose to fuse it to the Golem, essentially killing his childhood friend/lover with his own hands. He aided Hadraniel in recovering a portion of her memories afterward. Greatly increasing her power but also discovering something disturbing. A second angel existed within the blade, and that she had to repel “something” to keep it from interrupting this process.

Afterwards, Siegfried felt the link coming from Athena deader than it ought be. As though she was blocking it intentionally...He eventually found her in the baths. They talked at length but she was obviously hiding something. After finishing up he discovered she had lost her sword hand. She told him she was now useless as a person but he would have none of it. He told her that he and Sylphis would be that home no matter what. And with that, she broke from her depression.

Tsukiyoumi then invited him to a drinking game of sorts, and, given all that had happened, he took her up on the offer. After more than a few drinks Tsu confessed her feelings for him, and he reciprocated. They bedded each other as a result, an end Siegfried did not regret.

After this, more memories revealed themselves, he once had a bodyguard, Mylen, perhaps the only woman he may have had feelings for before his amnesia. He needed to see her, the last living link to his past he could remember. Tsu and Hadraniel agreed to help find her.

He traveled/teleported once more to the lands of his birth with Tsu's help, only to find her utterly corrupted by a Lilim, a daughter of the current demon lord and one type of being that could have rendered the battlefield he awoke in at the start. She fought him, seeking death for her corruption before she became a slut. He convinced her to stop, to allow him to use his ability to try and save her at least in part. For while the corruption had fused with her to a degree that made total purification impossible, he could at least keep her from becoming a full-on Succubus. She accepted.

This was a colossal mistake. The beast (his consumption ability) was obviously nearly sentient at this point and now was when it chose to assert itself. It manifested, threatening to consume all before him and made Tsu, now his lover, its primary target. Through a miracle granted through the sacrifice of Mylen's Fey weapon, Tsu was able to summon the other angel, Radiance, who sealed it away. But now agents of the church as well as his estranged brother were now before him, demanding an explanation for this scene.

Gil Rosario, his brother invited him to have a private discussion. Siggy and Gil had been kept apart for their entire lives despite knowing of each others existence and relation. He asked Siegfried what side he was on and he told him. He would stand with his companions, that is, with the monsters of Zipangu even if he has to fight Gil and his own house because of that.

Gil then revealed that, while he officially supports the church, he wants their crusade to fail. Furthermore, he actually wants to ally with Zipangu in the aftermath of that failure. For one, he would smuggle a contingent of his most loyal troops to Zipangu to fight on the side of the monsters while keeping the forces already committed to the Church as far back as possible. The other part was a bit surprising, he wanted Sigfried to marry Ame-no-Uzume to solidify this alliance. When asked why, he claimed that the noble's who instigated a civil war against him were correct in their charges.

That is, he was/is, though officially denied, a heretic. He had indeed loved/married a monster. Said monster was tied to the Beastkin royal line of Zipangu. Though his lover/wife and their child died in the war, he wanted to honor their memory. Siggy wanted to believe all of this, but he was no politician. Thus, he requested that he be allowed to consult with Tsukiyoumi. The king allowed him this, though implored him that, if most any part of their conversation got out to the wrong ears, he would surely burn for heresy as the previous king did. Understanding the apparent trust the king had placed in him, he made for the infirmary where his Yokuo lover lied sleeping.

Mylen and Radiance were with her. Radiance was playing a most soothing melody on an instrument constructed of holy energy, yet Mylen seemed troubled. She was herself again to be sure, but the mark of her corruption remained. Her eyes were now blood red, and still had leather wings sprouting from her back. She expressed doubts and regrets, but Siggy assured her all that mattered was that she was herself once more, and her new “features” were meaningless before that fact.

Still, he needed his Youko lover's help in the matters of intrigue. He wished to wake her himself, but Radiance deprived him of that chance. The diplomacy was rather quick. Despite his previous paranoia, the king and Tsu asked him but one question. Can humans and monsters live together in peace?

He said yes, so he and Tsu decided to trust his brother. He pledged two thirds of his army to the cause in response, but regretted to state that it'd be two weeks before they could join the fight. This move would surely make an enemy of the church, furthering their reasons to trust him. So too did his answer for why he didn't just marry Ame himself. His realm is more tolerant of monsters, but they're not ready for a monster queen. As Siggy is a relative, if he marries her he'll still have a reason to ally with them. Doubts assuaged for the time being, he sought out his mother's grave. Now quite certain that the skeleton that lied on top of him at the start of all of this belonged to her... yet Mylen was quite insistent on accompanying him on this as well. When they got to the grave memories of his mother were awakened. She had neglected him at first but eventually came around and became a very loving mother. Mylen too, was overcome with emotion. They hugged and comforted each other before Mylen revealed what had happened before he arrived. He had made the acquaintance of a beautiful white-haired woman. Shortly afterwards he disappeared and she was corrupted. They both wanted to find the Lilim that caused her death with a passion, but defending Zipangu would have to come first. She agreed to accompany him.

He searched his mothers room for clues, but it didn't turn up anything. Then he went to his room to retrieve his mask from his days as the butcher. It started to rekindle his memories of those days but he pushed them aside. At this time a little girl who would become the next leader of the Shieffer family walked in, after some talk she declared that her true desire was to be a hero.

It was a pure dream, but she didn't really know what being a hero meant save from maybe killing the demon lord. Siggy told her that it does not necessarily mean fighting. She implicitly agreed, voicing her concerns over not hurting anyone and wondering if there were good monsters.

Siggy was all to happy to introduce her to his companions in exchange for her silence on his presence. Sadly, Tsu and Mylen were having a heated argument as they walked into the infirmary. After he diffused the situation they introduced themselves and actually got along quite well her (especially Tsu). Figuring what probably happened hours ago he and Radiance went into the shrine within the sword.

Upon entering Hadraniel asked him “What are you?” He answers that he's human, to which she replied that he lost control and that the beast she fought felt familiar, like a monster. Gripping her spear with a serious look she stated that she had to remain true to her title. A hero stands with humanity, yet up till now she'd been in the company of monsters. Is she really a hero?

Siegfried responded by asking what exactly is a “human”. The monsters were not the same as in her era, they had acquired a type of humanity and that he couldn’t bear to just stand by and let the Church slaughter them all.

These questions and assertions got through to her like nothing else had before. She admitted that she was unsure of what was even human anymore as tears began to wash down her face. She completely broke down. She was about to kill Bletsia when he stopped her, and she was very happy that he stopped her. Then that same man who showed her so much hope and joy goes and turns into a true monster whose power feels as though it will bring about the Apocalypse...

She suddenly confessed her love for Siggy and that she feared the beast would soon devour him from within. And worst of all, there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it. He said they would find a way to change this terrible fate, together. Though she thinks it impossible, she would stay by his side until the end, loving him from afar.

After this Lystia/Radiance came forward and apologized for not speaking with Hadraniel earlier. Hadraniel was shocked at her presence, as if she was seeing a ghost. She said that the Tenko's summoning was about to run out and that she wanted to help as much as she could. She told Hadraniel that a hero must give humanity what it needs, and that she would always love her. With that, she faded into nothingness. Hadraniel claimed to have remembered something and urged the obviously fatigued Siegfried to rest. As he slept within the shrine world he had a dream. A dream of a terrible battle between Hadraniel and a dark warrior, whom she called Kyorn. This berserker managed to heavily wound the Angel, lamenting that she had held back against him and foolishly clung unto Lystia's ideals after her death. She stubbornly protested. Lystia wanted a better world, and she would fight for it till the end. With tears in his eyes he flew away on dark wings as soldiers closed in on the angel bleeding blood of silver. With that, he woke up.

Tsu said they should really get back to Zipangu. After getting some distance, she teleported everyone back. Upon returning everyone thought Mylen was a Succubus. Siggy hastily introduced her, diffusing the hostility. Ame then announced that their return was serendipitous, for she was about to embark on a mission to hopefully retrieve another war asset. One of the other 3 surviving heroes, Kyorn the Marauder.

Garret, the court alchemist, had a blood oath with him and could thus find him with a sacrifice of life- force. But that name rang bitterly in Siggy's ears. No doubt, this person and the one in the dream were one and the same. Hadraniel, however, voiced no complaints about going to retrieve him, but seemed to remember him. The queen then told him he ought attend to his harem and he countered wittily.

Athena then took him aside and told him where this hero was located, The Cursed Swamp. He saw its initial formation through his ordeal to return Hadraniel's memories. It was a true Death World that only the most desperate and daring attempt to cross. Despite his consuming nature, he told Ame that he wished to accompany her.

She then told him that she had been there before. Indeed, it was the place of her birth. She survived in what could only be described as “That Hell” for longer than anyone, man or monster should have. It was then that Tsukiyoumi found her and adopted her as her own daughter. Furthermore, the corruption in that place is so thick it distorts time itself. Though they had planned for a week long expedition, only a day would likely pass in the outside world at most.

Siggy wanted to bring everyone he could, including the crippled Athena and the Golem. Yet Tsukiyoumi would not be able to come. Someone would need to oversee the preparations for the war and she was most suited. She gave Siggy a scroll co-written with Bletsia. She told him it could summon the hero Batrion. She also urged them to not allow Ame to stray, that night was the most dangerous of times, that there were/are still wandering champions that though undead, still fight to aid the living and that a fire at night is a sure sign of their presence and to go there no matter Ame's admonitions. But most terrifying of all, she stated that the shadow, the nightmare of Hadraniel, would likely stalk those grounds, hunting...

Regardless, he and his companions wished to accompany the queen on her quest for this hero. She smiled as she approached a leader of the beastkin, An Anubis, who could open a portal to the cursed land. With a donation of their mutual blood the portal was opened. And with that, Ame, Siggy and his companions entered an alien world of death.

Night was about to fall so they headed for the forest. Yet luck was on their side for as night encompassed them they saw a fire. As they approached it they saw an armored figure, a champion that Tsu had told them would be a most valuable ally. Though obviously undead he had not fallen unto madness as most forsaken souls like him would have. Garret offered to trade with him and in return for a music box the undead champion offered a straw doll filled with magic older beyond most people's comprehension. He hesitated to take it, but the champion silently insisted. Afterward Siggy updated Mylen on the situation. Telling her most all that has happened to him and his companions the past week. She accepted it all as him being most busy, and went to sleep. He then had a strange dream. An apparition similar to the Nightmare of Hadraniel had appeared, but it was not that being.

No, this was something that does indeed play dice with the universe. He rolled a “5” and judged that such a roll gave Siggy access to an answer to a single question. He told him “You are about to lose something precious” he said. Siggy asked how he could prevent this. The apparition answered, “By waking up.”

He woke up at the madman's urging. He desperately looked around and saw a rapidly diminishing hourglass above Ame-no-Uzume's head. He cried out to her, just barely alerting her to the danger she was in. An undead abomination ambushed her but, thanks to his warning, she evaded her death and dealt it in turn to her dawning assailant. Though she eviscerated him, the truth of this land was made clear to all. Most everything was definitely out to kill them.

Afterwards the champion left them and they continued onward towards the lair of the Marauder. Just before they exited the forest into a plain Siggy felt that something was...mocking them. Once they exited the forest he saw a strange insect and a many faced shadow that consumed it. His hunger, the beast, also stirred within him. At that moment a large number of red skeletal undead, something that ought be impossible given it was still daylight, ambushed them. His companions proved their competence in holding them off, but they just kept coming, as far as he could see the ground just seemed to keep spawning more of them.

Curiously, the beast actually allowed Siggy to keep control instead of fighting for it, as if its own survival depended on his. After intense combat a ghost apparently possessed one of them and pointed towards a mansion in the distance. He called for them to make a break for it when Ame finished her own spell, summoning a massive Chimera to run them towards it as it decimated the undead horde. Sadly, like her mother, magic takes its toll on her and she doubled over vomiting corruption. He picks her up and grabs onto the beast, but it's obvious he won't be able to hold onto her and it for long. Hadraniel realizes this and lends him a hand.

Just as she had helped him into a better position she is taken down hard onto the ground in an instant by a shadowy figure. It was obvious who the culprit was, the nightmare of Hadraniel, The Shadow. Siggy glued Ame to the Chimera as he cried out to go back. Sylphis managed to get it to turn around. He and his companions jumped off as the creature Ame summoned was consumed by a river of corruption. Her magic formed a protective barrier around them to ensure they would not meet the same fate. Sigfried and Ame landed closest to the Angel, who was now half engulfed by this pestilence. Ame told Siggy to hold it off as she prepared a spell. Hadraniel ordered him to abbandon her. And through all this the beast was screaming, urging him with all its might “EaT It! EaT It!”...

Siggy drew the holy sword. Upon unsheathing, it decimated the undead army in a nova of holy energy. The shadow was unphased however, continuing its attempts to consume Hadraniel. He took the Golem, thinking her immune to the illusions this shadow loved to employ, as his wingman. Athena charged the abomination, enabling Siggy to draw close enough to attempt a strike with the blade. It had little effect, the darkness consuming its light. He was able to hear it as a result however. It told Hadraniel that she doomed her companions by her existence. After he struck it tried to literally bite his head off Ozzy Osborne Style. He defeated the attack with Steam Breath. He was getting desperate, but he realized that he had one more trump card to play before relying on the beast to consume it.

Tsu and Bletsia had authored a scroll to call forth Batrion. The finest individual the Holy Church had ever produced. A man/woman (nobody was sure) that could cause the corrupted to explode from within. So he drew the scroll and summoned him. Reality tore apart, and with the clang of armor the greatest paladin the world had ever known entered the stage.

At this time Ame completed her grand spell, but it didn't do much. Though she punched the ground in frustration Batrion proved his/her worth. With one throw of his/her mace the lake of evil exploded into nothingness, revealing its progenitor. A lean, masculine figure engulfed in darkness. Instead of just smashing it to bits Batrion held it down, allowing Sylphis to charge unabated with the straw doll. The straw doll could condense sunlight into a sword despite the clouds. Light was, after all, the antithesis to this shadow's existence. He held it down as Sylphis stabbed this sword of light into its chest, defeating it. While the Golem tried to eat what little remained it was to no avail the motes of utter darkness merged with Hadraniel. This “nightmare” was apparently a part of her very being.

The nightmare apparently defeated, a new figure appeared. An albino 8-tailed Inari who embodied the concept of “bitch” appeared before the party. She was the owner of the mansion. That she had taken an interest in Sigfried, and that she would offer shelter to all of them if he accepted her invitation. Just one problem, the shadow had “gifted” Athena with a replacement appendage. A demonic arm. It was big, long, and dragged along the ground due to the length of its very sharp claws. He accepted her invitation, but only for long enough for them to recover.

Once within the mansion the Inari revealed her name: Ama-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto. Everyone realized the obvious implication but didn't press on the matter and she quickly made her exit. Batrion spotted a pen and some paper in the room and gestured to it. He wanted to talk. Siggy and company gathered round. He said that his existence was, like the nightmare, anomalous and that if he didn't “find his path” he would “step outside of time”. It also meant that his very presence disrupts fate. He also confirmed the beast was sentient and that he should try talking to it. Before he goes to sleep, reach out to it and it will likely speak to him in his dreams. It was also revealed that Siggy is a lot like a demon lord, even able to see the souls of the dead and that this mansion is a nexus that is keeping these souls from passing on.

Even more intriguing was the revelation that Tsukiyoumi was one of the 13 heroes and that they all willingly bound their souls to her so she could summon the deceased back into the world in the event of an emergency. He actually got this knowledge from her, revealing that for some reason she can't reveal what she knows but that he didn't have that problem. The nightmare was also still not defeated and that, by trying to help Hadraniel the party had played right into its hands. It cannot kill her, only try to break her. With each additional combatant it grows in power exponentially. It is an enemy she must face and defeat alone without help. He didn't know much about Athena's new demon arm, but said that it would fully integrate with her in a few hours and would likely begin to leak corruption at that point. The only solution he could come up with was amputation before that happened. Athena wanted to keep it however and the party reluctantly agreed to abide by her wishes.

Garret then indicated that Kyorn was likely in the basement of this mansion somewhere. The path was tight and lined with plants and after a bit of travel Ame pricked her finger to create a spectral door. The beast was intrigued by what lie behind it, but believing that following its advice probably isn't a good idea he declined to open it. Ame or rather, her mother, Ama, was annoyed at this and said that she just wanted to show him how much of a sham queen Ame was.

He woke with Ame's hand on his head as they made their way towards a massive greenhouse thick with trees and even more plants that apparently ate souls and shot back with poison barbs. After an hour of fighting this jungle the party arrived at a large apparently immobile and large plant creature guarding a staircase. Siggy summoned a slime girl drone to scout the area that was damn near instagibbed by its tentacles. It spoke, saying only 2 people could go down. Garret and Siggy decided they should go.

As they descended Garret started to fade away. This is why he didn't get close to people anymore, he was already dead, only lingering on because of his blood oath with Kyorn, and that it let him linger long enough to have a child. Rhy, current queen of the beastkin and that he, Kyorn, and Ash had journeyed together in a quest to free the spirit of a pink haired girl from a terrible curse. This quest claimed the lives of everyone but Kyorn. The spirit of the girl was in the mansion and that he would want to take her from this place to wherever he's going.

They opened the door, Garret now almost fully faded, and were confronted by a beautiful Alraune, Ifè. She asked what they wanted, and was greatly saddened to hear they were looking for Kyorn. Garret got rude with her, or rather Kyorn, demanding he awaken and trolling him a bit as he dragged himself up from the depths of the flower. He told him not to fuck up or get blinded with rage, and that he ought read his memoirs once he gets back to the castle. And with that, Garret faded away completely, his clothes and gear falling to the ground Obi-Wan style.

Kyorn agreed to help them in the war if they fulfilled his conditions, bring Ifè and free the ghost by killing the goatman spirit. While Ifè could harm spirits she can't do anything in transit so they'd have to figure something out.

On the way back it became apparent that something was wrong with Ame but she insisted everything was fine. Unfortunately, halfway to the exit Batrion began to fade away. Tsu's summonings only last for a few hours and his time was simply up. As he finally faded completely away Siggy realized why Batrion was mute. There was no man within that armor, Batrion was the armor, somehow animated by a kind and fatherly soul.

The door to the Ballroom was near the exit, and when they got to it Ame began to break down, losing her balance, getting angry for no reason, and pleading for things to just be over. The beast was interested in what lie behind the door, Siggy tried asking it for information, but it just laughed at him. He asked if they could take another route but was assured that this was pretty much the only way out. So they opened the door.

Inside a masquerade ball of spirits is going on with the goatman, High King Queldan, observing the festivities. He told Siggy to “dance and awaken” as the spirits of their deceased loved ones appeared before them. Kyorn said they were phantoms and ought to just wreck everything in sight. Ame, speaking in her mother's voice, produced a plume of smoke and shot in his direction, asking him to breathe it in. He did, causing him to pass out as everyone else began attacking.

He found himself in a snow covered field with Ama and a spectral, shadowy dog, that is, the beast within himself. Ama told him that his “cocoon” was almost ready to hatch. His mind was then assailed with dark and disturbing images, essentially a montage of all the ways he could have died, could die, and many terrible things that might occur if the beast takes over completely. Then Ame spoke to him, revealing that she had no idea about her past before meeting her adoptive mother Tsukiyoumi. She had many different potentially true pasts but no way to know which were false. She desperately cried out to Siggy to tell her who she was. Ama said that he didn't have to answer her now, that there was another option...if he didn't mind getting his hands dirty with a little bit of murder.

He said he didn't like murder, but if it helped his future wife somehow... his face told Ama all she needed to know and she summoned the high king into their little realm. His head though, was now one of a human. He was shocked at her betrayal, but he didn't get much chance to talk as Siggy immediately punched him, pinned him on the ground, and began to choke him to death. Yet this act triggered a dark memory, that of his first kill. A maimed, bloody, and very pregnant lamia upon a torture table. The High Inquisitor guiding his hands and instructing him on the “proper” technique of choking the life out of someone...

He awoke to an utterly trashed ballroom that now bore more resemblance to a battlefield than anything, and saw the spirit of Garret, trapped like all the others once were, with the pink haired spirit on his shoulders, asking him to say hi to his buddy.

While all this was going on Bletsia was just having another normal night until a fierce storm hit the castle. During this time Yuria told her that this is the optimal time to receive the blessing of the water dragon Orochi. It'd be hard to get to the shrine in this storm, making it a kind of adventure. A child still, the thought of adventure excited her to her core. Rhy voiced her concern, it was night and Tsu was sick. She ignored these admonitions and, being ever so considerate for a child, didn't want to trouble Tsu for affection when she was ill despite the fact she loved to be loved on. So she hugged Rhy with her long body, accidentally dosing her with her paralytic toxin with her mandibles unconsciously.

The storm raged outside but she didn't quite know where the shrine was. A guard understood her miming and pointed her in the right direction. She was actually quite good at keeping herself from ending up face first in the dirt due to the harsh winds and heavy rain and thunder. She arrived at the shrine no worse for wear. She saw a trap door open that conveniently led below the shrine. Her curiosity getting the better of her she crawled down. A door awaited her at the bottom. She tried to open it slowly like her “big sis” Sylphis would, but it didn't budge. Fully giving in to her curiosity and throwing caution to the winds she decided to brute force it. This worked, revealing a room where she beheld her deceased mother.

Now she knew, knew, she was dead. She saw her die with her own eyes, indeed, it was why she didn't speak. Her voice reminded her of the dying cries of her mother, but, but here she was. Apparently alive and reaching out to her! She tried to embrace her, and in doing so did she become ever so tired...

About an hour after this Siggy and his party arrived via portal from the swamp with the Alraune Ifè and the Hero Kyorn in tow. The guards informed them that Bletsia had vanished an hour ago. Hadraniel did not take this news well. She kept it together of course, but it was obvious. She was not happy about this at all. Yuria was also unconscious due to being dosed with a tranquilizer. This was very strange as, after all, even an incompetent/fresh mole would quickly and easily discern that she was part of the Queen's inner circle and thus a very worthy target for assassination, yet she was spared despite an apparently golden opportunity to decapitate at least a portion of the enemy's leadership. So why was she still alive? Nevertheless, if she was infused with a small amount of holy energy she would likely awaken shortly.

During this time Sylphis had journeyed to the shrine and made it back to Siggy, now within the room Yuria was sleeping. She said his presence was required immediately at said shrine. And thus Siggy and his companions begin the search for the goals/likely location of Bletsia's kidnappers as well as the traitor that aided them.

Siggy's group was lead to the shrine and into the basement where the slumbering Ryu lie. The air was thick with corruption, so thick that the beast was apparently satisfied by just a few breaths. Ame, Tsu, the Anubis Mebuchednazi, and a new summoned hero, Xihe, soon joined them. The anubis looked shocked at Tsu's appearance, but she bid Siggy not to look and he resisted the urge. Xihe told them that she saw the culprit right before she escaped via portal, the Demon Lord. Furthermore, the portal could have led anywhere, even back to her fortress deep within the demon realm. He asked why the Demon Lord would want Bletsia and Tsu answered, she has a gift with the creation of magic runes. The scroll for summoning Batrion should have taken her half a day and a full night's rest to recover from, but for her, a fraction of the time and a 30 minute nap. This would make her invaluable to any experimental mage, but only if they knew Zipangu style magecraft.

Siggy was obviously less than pleased, claiming he was willing to go alone if there was any chance at saving her, but his hopes were shot down. Ame and Tsu were too weak now to cast a portal and even if they were they still have no idea where she is. She told him not to worry, she considers the Demon Lord her rival and that she would know how mysterious her power is. Thus, she wouldn't risk ruining it by corrupting her. As bad as things were, it was unlikely that she would be harmed in any way. Also, while this would make her more apt to interfere with the war it could result in a temporary alliance between Zipangu and Church forces against her. Fanatical though they may be, they are not stupid. She will have to move carefully if that's her plan.

Mebuchednazi then made a shocking demand, she wanted Yuria to be put under house arrest immediately. Her reasoning was that she was a child recovered by Ame in enemy conquered territory during the Demon Lord's Incursion 30 years ago. Rhy refused to believe she was a traitor, she had been so kind to her and Bletsia, how could she? Then again, the Demon Lord is nothing if not patient and devious. It was very possible that by taking Yuria in, Ame had played right into her hands.

Siggy then informed them of the holy sword in his possession, that it could awaken Yuria despite the tranquilizer within her. With nothing else to do he left Ame and his lover in the Ryu's sanctum. When he got outside Hadraniel was apparently about to take on the whole damn party. She said she would save Bletsia, to which Xihe responded that she's acting exactly like she did when Lystia died and that no matter what the girl was still alive. Her rage was unending, robbing her of almost all reason.

Her form was fuming, smoke rising from her wings and mouth. Her nightmare had taken her frustration and amplified it to the point where only her survival instincts were keeping her from fighting her friends. She said that being a hero meant solitude. In his desperation and flooded with her rage he attempted to slap her in response. She asked him what he of all people knew of heroes, and Xihe answered. This, along with his own attempts to talk her down, calmed her rage. He said he'd always be there for her as he sent her back to the Shrine-World. Fumes still rising from her, she quietly muttered “I'm sorry” when light engulfed her as she disappeared into the sword.

He entrusted the sword to Mylen and sent her to revive/interrogate Yuria as he investigated this turn of events. This outburst was unlike anything that Xihe or Kyorn had ever seen from her, and he had to know why. Athena blamed herself and her new arm. She seemed largely alright until she tried to talk to her. After a few minutes she lost it and went outside. Xihe said that Angel's aren't entirely grounded in reality, that they have to constantly assert their existence on this plane somehow to keep their body and mind in synch. Hadraniel certainly got the worst “companion” out of the heroes from the previous demon lord, but Lystia was a close second. She was able to ward against it to an extent through daily meditation. The sword, with time dilation, was actually convenient. Only about an hour a day within it would likely give her the time required for a proper meditation session.

Tsu then summoned him through a Kitsune-bi and he came to her. She had been scrying on the interrogation session. Yuria didn't have any useful information and her response to Bletsia's kidnapping seemed genuine, but she wasn't sure she could still trust her. She asked Siggy what he was willing to sacrifice to win this war? He responded like a true commander, he knows what is asked of leaders in times of war. But she wanted a different response, it wasn't his life she wanted, it was his very humanity. She wanted him to be “her man” in the war.

She wanted him to assassinate Yuria. He asked if she was playing into her hands, though a definite possibility she was unconvinced this was true. She believed that Yuria was the Demon Lord herself. The reason being that she bore the mark of a claimant to the throne.

After a Demon Lord dies, there is a war for succession. It is very similar to a Grail War from F/SN. Those who wish to become the new Demon Lord and see the throne somehow will bear the mark of a claimant. Only after all others who bear the mark are dead can one pour their lifeblood upon the throne and sit upon it, granting them the immense power worthy of the title “Demon Lord”.

At least, that's how it's supposed to be. After the previous Lord assumed the throne (a mere human shockingly) the ritual was hacked by the powers of Heaven. They created an artificial Demon Lord, an artificial life form that by all rights was already a demon lord who could just take the throne despite this once the then current Demon Lord was good and smoked. The Tenko of Heaven, Tsukiyoumi. That is, the woman in front of him. She was/is by all rights a Demon Lord and had the chance to ascend to the throne herself. She decided not to however, ceding the right to the Succubus that now bears the title (who has ruled far longer than any previous lord, around 200 years). This was also why she implored him not to look at her. After a summoning she reverts to her true form, a form that could damage his sanity if he beheld it as would a Lovecraftian Horror.

She had to summon Xihe after being poisoned, and Yuria was the one who brought her the last meal. That, and the fact that the last chance to become a claimant was about 200 years ago, convinced her she was the demon lord. Yet Heaven hacked the ritual, who is to say the Succubus hasn't done likewise? Siggy asked this, asked if she could place a mark on Yuria. Tsu began to break down. She simply didn't know, but she was still convinced that the Jurougumo wasn't Yuria.

She offered to come along to his own interrogation of her, but that if she came, she would ensure that Yuria died this night. If she was right, and Yuria was the Demon Lord, it was more than obvious that she wouldn't stand a chance against her in her current state, and given what Siggy knew of her, she might risk her own life to oppose her anyway. Fearing this, he told her to get some much needed rest. She reluctantly took his advice and retired.

Mylen said he wouldn't get away from her tonight as she handed him his gear. He confided that he apparently couldn't escape his previous role, that of the Butcher. She showed emotion, anger, at this. Revealing that, he made her promise something. If he ever fell back into that persona again, that she would end him. He asked her to accompany him and she agreed.

They made their way to where Yuria was locked up, the infirmary. They dismissed the guards and, after a small bout of nausea, he and Mylen entered. The room was thick with a kind of perfume. It smelled nice, but was strong enough to make him uncomfortable. She parroted her previous responses perfectly. But this damned perfume, and the fact her alibi's were so weak, made him instinctively believe that something wasn't right.. As a precaution he entered Focus, something that ought to have set off a kind of alarm within the castle yet nothing seemed to happen. Yuria fatalistically replied that he was going to kill her now. This wasn't his intent so he blew it off, saying he just needed to clear his mind. He then asked her about the perfume.

She got a strange look on her face, like one who had abandoned hope. Mylen inquired “What perfume?” and instantly the gravity of the world multiplied, sending them both to their knees the moment she finished her question. He tried to kill her right then with his most powerful spells, but they all fell right to the ground right after he launched them. Even Mylen could not stand against this absolute pressure, her body unable to move against it despite her most earnest efforts.

The spider half of Yuria began to crack, and form this chrysalis emerged a vision of pure beauty. It was obvious now, the perfume was corruption, and the source was undeniable. Tsu was correct in her suspicions. Yuria was the whore of whores herself, the current Demon Lord.

She offered to release them if they agreed to speak to her peacefully, but Mylen would have none of it. The look in her eyes showing immense rage and hate as she spat at her, but the Demon Lord smiled kindly. She asked him if he could calm her temper as he called with all his might to the beast, anything was better than being cornered by this slut, but he got nothing.

He snapped at her with rage and hate. And yet despite these feelings and his embrace of focus he couldn't help but get aroused in a big way. Her voice, her beyond silk-smooth green hair, her every single movement, her perfect purple lips, how she revealed her cleavage as she removed the sacred sword containing Hadraniel from his waist and cast it from his reach, all of it!

She was just...too damned...beautiful. This was what a true Succubus was, a being of such pure and utter seduction that none could really say no to her advances if she chose to press the issue. Mylen somehow managed to make it to her knees, the wings on her back about to be ripped from their sockets It was sadly obvious that, despite this heroic effort, there was no way she could break through this gravity.

She released Siggy while keeping Mylen pinned. She said she was sorry for all of this but she had no choice. Bletsia was a key, an existence needed for her to achieve her dream. Siggy could see it clearly, people fucking in the streets, orgies lasting for weeks and the inevitable collapse of society under the weight of wanton hedonism and excess. Yet she read him like a book and said that wasn't what she wanted.

The beast finally awoke but didn't attempt to assume control. He retorted by stating her plan was incomplete because she still needed him for something, and that he wouldn't cooperate because her plan would result in the functional extinction of human women and the theft of all reason as everyone was corrupted. She claimed that it was only her daughters that desired that and that one day he may find himself her ally. Her time in Zipangu made her have doubts about the plan, that human women may not need to be sacrificed to end the cycle of violence between man and monster and that she had grown fond of that land. She asked, had he?

He said he had as well, even sacrificing any chance of regaining his past life in order to defend it. If she wanted a repeat of 30 years ago where she tried to make Zipangu a Demon Realm, he would never help her, period.

She then asked how he was feeling and he responded venomously. On her order, the beast had been placed inside him and almost consumed him. Or so he thought. She had subsumed herself within the “Yuria” persona for 30 years, yet he's only been alive for around 25. She told him how she hid her claimant mark. First, fool your friends. Second, fool the world. And finally, you fool yourself. It was a total subsumation, she really didn't remember who she really was until she saw the “corpse” of one of her daughters. Tsu claimed to have killed a Lilim, the one that stole Avina's “soul stone” after they arrived in Zipangu (She did mysteriously get it back after all). This was then, logically, the critical event that triggered a good deal of what has happened up to now.

She said that disunity was rampant amongst her daughters and that she didn't know which one could have done this to him. She also offered him a boon, on the cheap as it were. A valuable item that she didn't have time to tell him how to use, but it's a powerful item nonetheless. Her price? A kiss.

His allies had managed to infiltrate the space they were in and heard this exchange but didn't act. It was the Demon Lord after all, next to no entity could hope to claim superiority. Siggy asked if he'd become her thrall if he agreed, to which she argued that she'd lose everything she hoped to gain if she made him one. The kiss was a mere ritual to activate this “gift”, would he just trust that she only wished for love? That she would uphold her end of the bargain?

He agreed on one condition, that Bletsia would remain safe and unharmed. She gave her word. He approached her. It really didn't get much more heretical than this, to make out with the Demon Lord herself. He held her in his arms, yet the flood of his thoughts, sentiments, and his own arousal caused him to hesitate. The Demon Lord would have none of that and kissed him herself. It was one hell of a kiss, as expected of her kind. Even the beast was contented, but it was cut short when Mylen tried to jam a sword into her skull. She caught it effortlessly with one hand, Mylen stating that she considered her just as responsible for Mana's death as that Lilim. Admonishing her to trust in Siggy she reached inside herself and produced a black jade, perfect in its small, oval form but not giving off reflections like it should. She then told them her name, Daiyu Jawahir. She then disappeared and Siggy passed out, dragging Mylen with him into a nearby bed almost unconsciously.

He awoke to find every one of his companions sleeping around him. He wanted to do something nice for everyone and thought that getting them all breakfast would be a good idea. Only problems were he didn't know where the kitchen was and he can't cook for shit. He escaped without waking anyone and the ghost girl they saved in the swamp lead him to the archery range where Kyorn and Ifè where. She could apparently journey away from her flower from a time, it was taking her significant distances from it that proved problematic. They agreed to help him find the kitchen.

They quickly did by way of Siggy's face colliding with the door. The kitchen was abuzz with activity and some of the girls were ogling him and Kyorn. The Head Chef, a Scyllia, demanded to know what they were doing in there distracting her workers. He said that he needed breakfast for the Queen and his companions and that if she wouldn't help he'd have to do it himself. After getting incensed at this suggestion she said she was already ahead of him, the Queen's meals take priority and that she's used to making meals for her consorts as well. Taking the carts full of food they made their way back to the infirmary.

Mylen seemed a little mad that he didn't make it himself and tried to leave, but he stopped her and everyone began to eat and converse with each other. Rhy, however, was barely touching her food. He tried to reach out to her but it was obvious she was determined to remain in her “shell” for the time being and, not wanting to cause an incident, he dropped it and resumed eating. Getting to small talk he learned a few of the girls' quirks before Mylen left the room.

He followed her and struck up a conversation. He asked how she was doing and she thought about the other girls. She was fine despite her new wings and simply needed to get stronger after last night. She also respected the other girls, they were strong and highly competent.

Then he asked about her thoughts on Tsukiyoumi and his relationship with her. She wasn't happy, but she didn't blame him as he had lost his memory and that while he was a little different from the man she knew, she was kind of confused as to why he was apparently seeking her approval. In the end, she just wanted to remain by his side and fulfill her vow to protect him.

He was considerate, he didn't want to hurt anyone through his actions. He knew his relationship bothered her, hazarding a guess that she was jealous. She responded. His mother was dead, he had gotten himself involved in a war, and was about to marry into a monster dynasty. She wasn't jealous, she was scared. And with that, she walked off.

Shortly afterward a strangely armed Tsukiyoumi invited everyone to the hot springs of Lady Elicia. Their escort to the spring was light. Siggy questioned this at first but realized that everyone there was a badass and that a heavy escort would have killed the mood Tsu and Ame were going for. When they arrived Siggy was shocked, Elicia was a Yuki-Onna, like Avina would have been if she had been given the chance to grow up.

Upon stepping inside the establishment Siggy and Mylen got a bit of culture shock, the architecture wasn't anything like they were used to. They eventually found their way to the room where Ame and Tsu were. A conversation ensued where they discovered that Ame had always been one for pranks. After learning of an embarrassing story involving an overturned lamp in a stockroom they saw a somewhat disturbing sight.

Sylphis, Athena, and Hadraniel were coming out of the forest hauling an apparently struggling Sea Bishop towards the establishment. She was a spirit healer, one who could heal mental trauma, brought in by Athena's request. She thought Rhy could use one given what's happened. She used to have one in her castle, but she was outed as an agent of the church thanks to Siggy and company. Obviously, this wouldn't be a problem with her being a monster in service to the Sea God. The springs were her home away from home and she was just shy, hence the struggling.

He then decided it was time to enter the bath and managed to convince Mylen to come with him. Sylphis had convinced Hadraniel to join them as well. She was extremely embarrassed, but he managed to get her to cave. Yet again, he got blindfolded so that he couldn't “enjoy the view” as he bathed with them. Mylen guided him into a comfortable spot and they made with some banter. Then she got serious. She deduced from Hadraniel's actions that she was in love with Siggy. Not one to beat around the bush, she asked him in a blunt and direct manner what his intentions were with them. He said he loved them all, and that he wanted them to stay by his side, the girls quickly covering themselves as he took off the blindfold. Mylen seemed happy with this admonition. Hadraniel, however, seemed conflicted. She said that as a hero she would only bring tragedy to the one she loves. At the same time, she did want to try living for herself a bit. Her conflicting feelings overwhelming her, she began to cry silently. After everyone finished bathing Siggy came across Ifè who was fueling the rapid growth of plantlife around her sleeping form. A conversation with Kyorn was about to get started when Tsu requested that Siggy come with her and he agreed. He was brought to an underground grotto filled with beautiful, glowing crystals and he deduced that this was the Sea Bishop's home. Now quite alone, she asked him another disturbing question: “Can you choose duty over love?”

He honestly didn't know. At the very least, he'd try and find some other way first. The subject then changed to Hadraniel. She had told her of what occurred in the bath and begged her forgiveness for falling for her lover. She was no longer the person she once was, and thus may be unable to make such a choice. A choice that would have came easily to her before and thus, the burden may be placed upon him in the future. He said he'd do whatever he could to ease her burdens, and she completed his thoughts by stating that she knew he'd do the same for her and that it was something she's trying to keep him from doing.

As he left a dense fog came over the entrance of the cave. Strange, because it wasn't there before yet he could feel no magic. Even stranger, there seemed to be a hole in it through which he heard the beginnings of a conversation.

Deciding that it was all too convenient he eavesdropped. Sadly, he couldn't see anything through the hole, just listen. The other voice conversing with Tsu was a dead ringer for his own mothers. They discussed the war, Tsu's waning power of foresight, and the Demon Lord. This other voice said she was likely his “missing link”, that Hadraniel and Lysta “wouldn't be enough.” She ended in saying that their ray of light has shown through the clouds, and that she must not waste it.

All of this had gotten him extremely curious. Who was this person that sounded like his mom, and what did all he just heard mean? He hid from Tsu as she came out and then went inside. What he found was an almost unnaturally beautiful woman. His mental defenses were shattered by her mere presence, just being in the same room as her made him feel as though he was being embraced by a loving family. She asked him if he knew who she was and he answered, “Mother?”

He was right, technically. She was “no longer” Mana, but also didn't possess a true name. “Mother Earth”, aside from being a mouthful, can't really be called a name. He asked how the Demon Lord would help him. “She...will allow you to grow, so that you don't devour yourself” was her answer.

He immediately understood what she was getting at and asked about the beast. What was it exactly? She said it could be considered her brother. Asking how he could ever hope to control or even survive such an entity she told him he would have to rely on his inner strength as well as that of his companions. That still didn't answer the question though, what exactly was it? For lack of a better description, she was/is a sentient amalgamation of all the good every sentient creature in the world is capable of, an embodiment of all the good in the world. Which meant that the beast was the embodiment of all the evils of the world, doused in the darkest corruption.

This was a little much for him to take in. After all, this would make him a kind of demigod, but she wasn't done. He'd already met her twice on the island. The first was at the archery range after he decided against consuming the corruption within Orochi. The second, was when Avina's soul stone was stolen. Not only that, she did it in order to awaken the Demon Lord. The leaders involved in this gambit to win peace between man and monster had no real plan for after the war. Even if everything goes well, the peace will not last. Sadly, she had no idea how they could actually manage it. To do this, he would likely have to betray everyone. So she asked him once more, demanding a definite answer. Would he choose Duty, or love?

With a heavy heart he chose duty. No matter what, he couldn't fail. He had to make their dream come true. For Tsu, Gil, and all the people he'd gotten close to, he had to succeed. She was pleased with this answer, and told him that she would release the seal. Now, finally, he would learn the truth. She formed the symbol for infinity and pressed her finger to his head.

Immediately, he was assaulted with visions just like the ones he had in the swamp. Only this time, they were much more clear and vivid. He saw himself lying with Sylphis, then he saw himself marrying the Purifier Leila, lying with Ame, killing himself after Zipangu's victory to deny the beast “its due”, bleeding out in Hadraniel's arm in front of an unknown armored angel, and so much more...

It wouldn't stop, scene after scene, some of pain, others of loss, and yet others of warmth and joy. He never lived past the 30th day, but there was an obvious implication in all this. Those weren't visions, those were memories. And there could only be one logical explanation for them in all their contradictions. He, and his companions, have been trapped in a time loop. Those 30 days have been repeated, over and over again a countless number of times. This was why the girls were so quick to fall for him. In effect, they've known each other for lifetimes. Mother Earth had created the loop, she had to make sure the peace would last. But, most foreboding of all, even if he were to die it wouldn't get rid of the beast within him.

Somehow, the golem had gotten inside. She told him to link with her if he wanted to succeed. She had placed a great gift within her that would activate once he did so. He did, gaining the ability to consume magic while in focus. Not only that, he could make his projectiles like that as well. In essence, he had become the ultimate magus killer. Now it was time to get down to business. She began to summon illusions of those she would like to see exit the stage, permanently.

To open up a path to the good end there were 4 people that had to die. The first is the ruler of the Oni tribes and leader of the Oni/Lizardwoman faction, Amarantha Amisi. She was going to ally with the church in the coming war. That couldn't be allowed to happen as it would tip the scales decisively in the Church's favor. Sadly, he would have to betray Zipangu by killing her himself in order to get inside the Church camp to take out the second target.

The High Inquisitor Ahriman Edan. Essentially the Commissar for the Church forces, he has it out for their commander, Hieronymus Lex. He had a history of working with monsters and didn't hate them. A good deal of Church higher-ups do and Edan is the one who will pull off the assassination. That would make a lasting peace all but impossible as he is about the only one with enough power and influence to make it stick (or even a willingness to try). Wasting Amisi would prevent the alliance and make a good first impression on the Inquisitor, affording him the chance to get close enough for an assassination.

The last two, however, would be more difficult. Orion, the Angel knows as “Embodiment of Strife” was backing the crusade. It was he who created the holy WMD and is the only one who knows how to make more. He has great influence within the Angel community and he believes that the monster race must be exterminated. This will be a tall order because, as an Embodiment level angel, he's one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Confronting him unprepared would be suicide she told him.

And finally, an image of a pale beauty appeared before him. His last target, Mana's killer and the one responsible for Mylen's corruption. Deruella, fourth daughter of the demon lord and certainly one of the most powerful Lilim in existence. She too was involved in all this but she wasn't sure how deeply or what her plans were. In all the loops he never killed her or nor encountered the Demon Lord. She was convinced they were the missing links in all this, the reasons things never ended well.

He asked what would happen if he pulled it all off and managed to kill them all. She said she wasn't sure, but that it would result in a chance to change the world. Man and monster could stop fighting, the Angels could end their isolation, and even the demons might have a change of heart. To do this, he would have to betray Zipangu, the Church, and generally piss everyone off. She said that she would try and help him along the way as well. Unable to think of anything else he left the cave. Surprisingly little time had passed and it was still afternoon.

Now having a deeper sympathy for his Youko lover he decided to go see Sylphis and Athena, the link making the effort of finding them minimal. He had walked in on a conversation they were having. Athena had planned the fiasco in the baths. He wanted to thank his “knight” for the act, but she refused to tell him what she'd like. She was no longer a knight, and it was a gift in her mind. Sylphis said they knew those girls were into him and felt that everyone's feelings should be laid out before the war to avoid needless drama.

Laying out feelings eh? Ever since he woke up in that battlefield they've been his nearly constant companions. He'd fallen for them in that time and he confessed his feelings in an unusually awkward manner. They were glad he did and indicated that they shared his feelings, but they had chosen duty over love and he didn't need anymore burdens.

He was going to protest but was quickly interrupted by Athena. She asked him why he came to Zipangu in the first place. At the time he accepted Tsu's offer he had no real memory of them. The only thing he knew then was that they had risked their lives for him and that this land was their home. It was because of them that he decided to go. They carried on into the night, laughing and being happy in each other's company.

Later on the girls took a bath. Siggy was tempted to sneak a peak but decided against it and had a conversation with Kyorn. He asked him veiled terms what he would do in a situation that called for something apparently horrible. He spoke of his past mistakes and said that above all don't have regrets and be sure you can look at yourself in the mirror when all is said and done. He said that Tsu and Hadraniel wouldn't take well to his death or betrayal and that they were practically different people from the ones he remembered. They were almost unapproachable. Hard, harsh. Now they were warmer, they actually talked to other people. He urged him to keep doing whatever it was he was doing and that whatever he's got to do, he should do it right.

Siggy went to a private room and began plotting when the ghost they saved from the swamp appeared and “spoke” by causing words to appear on paper. She asked him if he was about to do something bad and he told her the truth. He would, and they couldn't know why. She told him that, like Kyorn, his fate was broken. She could see fate, but he didn't appear to have one. She then spoke of a curse, a curse she hoped he could break.

The previous Demon Lord introduced the concept of fate into the world and weaponized it, using it against the heroes. Their fates are cursed, doomed to never have the good things in life for long, they cannot even have children. This should have ended with the previous Lord's demise but it endures for some reason. He gave her two notes, one for Tsu saying “Trust me” and another more longwinded one for Mylen to prevent her from doing anything that might harm Zipangu. He then came into the main room where the girls were just finishing up changing. Hadraniel flew off in embarrassment and then Ame offered for him to go in the bath. It was obvious she was up to something but he was down for this little game. After a conversation dripping with seduction and bravado he walks into the bath and finds Tsu on a rock, apparently asleep.

His addiction to her fluffy tails immediately took over as he he stroked and rubbed them in a daze. This woke her up and she froze, apparently never expecting this to happen. She tried to leave but Siggy wouldn't allow it, simply grabbing her and sitting her down while drowning himself in fluffyness.

Ame came in shortly after, having shrunk herself down to the size of a toddler, and cracked a joke about getting a sister. He froze the water she was standing on, causing her to slide right into his arms, retorting that she'd need a niece to play with. At this point he was intent on digging his own grave, letting pride and bravado control his actions and his words. This did ultimately work to his advantage though, causing Tsu to go full dom as she ravaged him.

After that he exited the bath and bumped into Mylen. She mocked him as a “harem lead”, asking him if he got what he wanted. He respond by saying that, with her there, yes. She swore to him that, after the war was over she was going to make him hers and hers alone.

The link told him something was going on with the Angel so he rushed to her location. A clearing full of flowers with whisps of light streaming up from the plants and flying towards her, being absorbed by her. She eventually notices him and a wave of emotion flows from the link, an amount of love so great it actually hurt. She asked him why he was here and he said it was because he wanted to. She starts crying, mentioning that this is a preparation, and a heresy for her kind, she was taking the magic of the land into herself. This meant taking the life of the forest into herself, meaning that once she was done everything in the forest except for anything sentient would be dead. Her resolve was unwavering though, because of the love she felt for him. He kissed her gently, and she told him it was her first real kiss.

That morning he was amidst the armies of Zipangu, the final preparations being made. Battalions assembled, immensely powerful rituals being performed, the works. But he had a mission, get deployed to Amisi's position and assassinate her. This proved to be quite easy, Tsu already suspected she was up to something and couldn't really spare anyone else. Convincing her to lend him Emeth was also easy, as until she developed an independent personality she was “useless” despite how important she is to her war strategy. She also knew the Golem would watch his back.

After telling his other allies of a “change of plans” he was lead to two Centuars who would quickly get them to their destination, the Oni headquarters located at the sight where Tsu did the terrible things that lead to her stepping down. When they got there he asked an Oni to take him to her leader and she did so. She was only walking, but he had to jog to keep up with her, his presence there not at all going unnoticed.

The keep was a total wreck, a ruin in all but name. From the chapel emerged his target, Amarantha Amisi. She was a rather odd looking Oni, her skin a healthy peach, eyes of gold, and was actually slightly shorter than Siggy himself. He introduced himself in an arrogant, overblown fashion. She accepted him into their ranks as she walked back into the chapel.

He started looking for a covert way into the chapel, but to no avail. After a time the Oni's asked him to come inside without saying why. His target asked him if he thought they could win the war. He said that it wasn't impossible. Furthermore, he identified the magic he'd been feeling ever sense he got in as a magic dampener, meaning he could fling spells without alerting the forces outside.

Amarantha then started to talk about the demon lords incursion 30 years ago. She believed that Siggy was there to keep an eye on her because in her mind neither the Queen nor she trusted each other. Perhaps in seeking to shake his assumed loyalty she offered to show him some “buried secrets”, that is, the origin and history of the “Potion of Forced Vampirism.”

He feigned ignorance and played along, but was quite intrigued. After all, he knew next to nothing about it. She explained that before the Demon Lord invaded her people were rebelling against Tsu's rule, but that ended once the incursion began. Eventually Tsu told everyone about the potion. It, hypothetically, made anyone who drank it immensely more powerful. Most of the other monsters were hesitant to use it though, so it only saw widespread use amongst the Oni.

She and her entourage led him into a “closed world”, one of several on the island. A magical realm created as a last ditch evacuation shelter so that at least some of Zipangu's people could avoid death or corruption in the event all became well and truly lost. At least, that was the plan. Zipangu did win the war, but these places were now more akin to containment cells holding abominations.

She explained that the potion really did make people and monsters much more powerful than they ever were before, even granting them rapid regeneration. There was just one problem, it contained a bit of the old corruption. See, the potion was created by manipulating the old corruption and the Vampirism disease, two things that used to be unrelated. As they continued along their journey through this forsaken hell filled with undead and other nightmarish creatures it became abundantly clear. This was the ultimate fate of one who consumed the potion. To lose their sanity and join the ranks of the undead, or worse.

They arrived at their destination, a giant worm with multiple, glowing eyes, the thing that was/is Amarantha's mother, about the only abomination to retain its sanity after reaching that state. The worm moved towards him and an image flashed in his mind, an image of a man holding a holy sword. He immediately and accurately concluded that this worm was telepathic, that it read his mind, that it mistook him for someone else, and that it knows he intends to murder her daughter. Facts that greatly complicated his mission.

Surprisingly, Amisi dismissed her bodyguards and actually tried to negotiate with Siggy. She asked him about his past as the Butcher. He told her that he was a different person now and changed the subject to her psychic worm of a mother. She came clean about her plans and asked him why he wanted her dead.

He came clean in turn, revealing the information he got from Mother Earth, about how her plans are doomed to fail because unless he kills Ahriman, Lex will take a dirt nap and the next guy won't honor it. He turned to the worm and another vision, a voice that sounded similar to the demon lord promising a healthy birth. Amarantha asked for his demands but made it clear she didn't want to die. He said that she didn't have to necessarily be killed, but everyone must believe she has and that he was responsible. He demanded that her mother comb his mind if she didn't believe him.

The next vision revealed a terrible truth. In order to give birth to a healthy daughter despite the corruption of the Vampirism Potion she had consumed, Amisi's mother cut a deal with Deruella, but the price of this Faustian bargain was not made clear. The current chieftain began to obviously break down and he observed that her eyes had a rune in them similar to the charming runes he'd encountered before. It was now obvious, she'd been made into a pawn of Deruella, she'd likely been charmed from the moment of her birth. The Jade began to resonate as Amisi lost it and attacked Siggy.

Her mother intervened and confronted her, beaming a vision where she assumed the pose of supplication, placing her head to the ground. The voice of the Demon Lord entered his mind and asked him to hold out for a few minutes if he didn't want to kill her. The beast made its presence known, asking if he really had abandoned his past persona, to which he responded that it abandoned him.

Carrying out the Daiyu's wishes would sadly not be easy, the bodyguards had apparently released the horrors from their cells, a veritable army of darkness was making its way to his position. Fortunately they had to make their way through a bottleneck first, grouping them up nicely for his preferred method of attack, Ice Lance volleys. Unfortunately one of them managed to get through and sneak up on Emeth, who was now in it's mouth. Siggy launched a large spike at it but it dodged, but in doing so enabled Emeth to break free at the cost of an arm. With her freed, it died in a hail of ice.

The horrors were now piling into the place, too many for him and Emeth to really stand a chance against. So they made a tactical retreat. Siggy tried to slow them down as they ran away, but they proved to be quite good at regenerating themselves as he took aim at their legs. Every time he knocked one down, it'd be back up shortly after. The situation was beginning to look hopeless when the Demon Lord chimed in telling him to get back to Amarantha. As they made their way another large horror barred their path and the horde of abominations was closing on them. Emeth beamed her plan to him through the link. She'd stay and hold them off by herself to give him the time he needed.

He agreed to her plan and made his way to his target. Emeth, thankfully, didn't volunteer with the intention of dying. She overloaded all the runes in her arm and punched the large horror, generating a massive explosion and giving them some much needed breathing room. Due to her immunity to magic, she was unharmed but this move cost her the ability to use her remaining arm. The Demon Lord thanked him, and said she'd take it from here.

They finally made it back to the worm and Amisi, who were locked in combat. The horde was closing again and Emeth was able to hold them off even without the use of her arms, but that would only last for so long. The Beast was not happy about this turn of events, cursing the Demon Lord as a song filled his head. The jade and himself began to leak out a massive amount of corruption, and then it imploded.

He had dropped his sword onto the ground and it was reacting to the corruption. Much to the Beast's delight, it was now radiating much more holy than it usually did. A hand was now rising out of the puddle of corruption and he had a hunch as to whom it belonged to. He acted on his instincts and sheathed the sword to prevent it from potentially interfering with whatever the Demon Lord had planned.

The Beast wasn't happy, but Siggy replied that he won't stop him. To which he replied ominously Two people appeared out of the puddle. The Demon Lord herself and someone with a polearm. Now fully materialized, the Demon Lord turned to the horde and cast a spell that wrecked the balance of corruption within them, causing them all to die gruesomely.

After this the other figure revealed itself to be a Baphomet, a high level monster spellcaster that looks like a little girl. He asked her what was going on, why were they helping him? She replied that the Demon Lord is dying and that he's their best shot at getting to an ideal world before she expires. He asked her what was causing it, but she said that it would be best to hear it from her personally. The demon lord then violently dispelled the charms binding Amarantha's mind. However, it appeared that such an act was very difficult for her as she coughed up a large amount of blood shortly after. After recovering she asked him what to do with Amisi. Only needing everyone to believe she's dead he suggested that the Demon Lord shelter her in her castle, and she agreed. As proof that he killed her he requested that the now freed Oni Chieftain give him one of her horns and she acquiesced.

Daiyu asked him why he was showing leniency. He responded that he didn't believe in a path to a better world paved in blood and that he didn't wish to kill anyone he didn't have to. She offered to give him another Jade, meaning another kiss. He agreed and they did so.

As he tried to counter her sensual assault he felt something strange and pushed her away, spitting out a bit of corruption. The Beast had attempted to consume the Demon Lord but Siggy caught him before he could do any real damage. Dejected, it returned to whatever depths it lurked within him. The baphomet, Belphegor, then offered to give “adequate protection” to her master in the event he ever wanted to do her. Even if reformed, these demons still seemed to be quite hedonistic.

As the Demon Lord and Amisi departed through a portal of corruption Siggy felt a great deal of relief. He found a way to spare someone. The situations with Amarantha and the Pregnant Lamia were very similar and yet he found a way to save her despite the apparent need to end her life for his own goals. He really was a different person now, a concept that filled him with joy.

Departing for the exit with the Baphomet Belphegor they come across the corpse of Amisi's lieutenant Maya, ruling her out as the one that released the horrors and implying that Deruella controlled more people than just their leader and that they'll be walking into an ambush the instant they exit the closed world.

When asked of her abilities the Baphomet stated that she wasn't much of a caster despite her race's natural affinity for such things. She did, however, possess a powerful “mystic code” in the form of her scythe. It could easily “cut” most anything even with the hilt. She also had a convenient “fuel tank” for the Golem, who was naturally running on fumes after the fight with the Horrors.

Knowing their foes were likely to be Shamans (Oni Spellcasters) he elected to go out first, his new manaphage ability hopefully offering him some protection. Sadly, his luck ran out and he got slammed by the head of a Statue by an awaiting Oni upon entering the chapel, breaking through his defenses and shattering his right arm and several of his ribs.

Thankfully he didn't lose consciousness and responded by impaling the oni's skull with an ice spike. There were now two oni fighting another one who quickly asked for his help. He and Belphegor decided to grant it, the little girl seeming most pleased with the prospect of combat. She easily held her own with one of the oni with her weapon, proving to be a better caster than she claimed as she laughed maniacally. This provided a distraction that enabled Siggy to close to the optimal distance to deal with the other Oni.

Just as he was about to complete his spell the Beast interrupted him, displaying a desire to simply sit and watch like he did earlier with the sword. Only this time he was serious, messing with his body and forcing him to one knee. Emeth ran interference and prevented her teammate from attacking him and allowing Belphegor and the loyalist oni to take her out. Siggy was extremely angry when suddenly a memory of Avina flashed into his head. She spoke of a “ultimate spell” that involved the sacrifice of a part of the soul. Humans, by their nature, shouldn't be able to cast such a spell, but the nature of a Yukionna allowed for it. Grasping at straws and desiring to punish the Beast he decided to go for it. Taking a part of it somehow and filtering it through his system a pure indigo crystal manifested in his palm. He pointed it at the remaining enemy and it exploded into a flashy display that utterly destroyed her from within and made her into a kind of ice statue. Something that should not have been possible given the known laws of magic.

The memory itself seemed off however. Like he never really had that discussion. Then he realized that he didn't, it was from another loop. The only true common factor in all of them was his awakening in that field, the sole survivor of that spell cast by a Lilim.

The baphomet departed through a small portal, telling Siggy that Bletsia was just fine. He briefed the remaining Oni on the situation and on the “death” of Amarantha. Then the church liason that was to finalize the alliance between the Oni and the Church arrived, Leila Xenon, the Purifier he met back in the Crosswalk.

The oni informed them that they wouldn't be able to maintain their arrangement. After healing him he expressed a desire for her to not return to her superiors empty handed he offered himself and Emeth be taken back. She was suspicious of him so he informed her that he had killed Amisi himself and presented her horn as proof.

This sent the Oni into an intense rage. She demanded they all leave and that, once order had been restored among her people she would have Siggy's head. The outburst did get her to bring him along though. As he stepped outside the pressure forced him to his knees. The amount of magic in the air was immense. During the civil war the mages and human-monster units remained largely undeployed. This was truly a “real” war with everything both sides have to bear being brought out and used.

After traveling for a bit they rendezvous with Leila's team of purifiers, all of them wearing masks. The were briefed on the situation and asked if Siggy was up for an operation. In his current state and with Emeth badly damaged he declined and continued on with Leila towards the Church encampment, a path that took them somewhat close to the frontlines.

The two armies were clashing, making their different strategies apparent. Zipangu relying on summons whereas the Church relied on holy shields and enchanted crossbow ammo. Had the Oni not been in disarray they could easily flank either side and turn the tide decisively in either's favor.

After a bit more time they were ambushed by a Grizzly, two Lizardwomen, and a Lamia archer. Their uniforms indicated that they belonged to the elite Order of the Shining Knights, not mere foot soldiers.

It seemed that lady luck had suddenly decided to abandon Siggy. Everything was going fine though until the Lamia used a “Shieldbreaker” round to punch through his defenses, imbedding itself on the right side of his back.

The grizzly saw her chance and charging with all her might she shattered his armor, landed a few wounds, and sent him flying. Sadly, he landed on the arrow, breaking it off and imbedding it deep within himself. The Grizzly was about to finish him off when Emeth came in and delivered an explosive kick to her side, finally knocking her unconscious. It was at this time the Beast decided to chime in and warn Siggy that the arrow wound was fatal. His vision fading and the last of his defenses fading as the beast taunted him he considered drinking the potion, pondering the irony of the act now that he knew its true nature.

But he decided against it. He still had strength and there were only two enemies left. If it was ended quickly enough Leila could still heal him. Fighting the pain and standing up he launched a sphere of ice at the occupied lizardgirl's head. The attack was perfect, but something was wrong. Emeth jumped away as the ice shattered, covering the knights face with corruption which quickly began melting her entire face off. Shortly afterwards Emeth mercifully broke her neck.

The beast, very much amused now, told him than when the harmony of his body is disrupted he can “lend a hand” like he just did. Leila then finished off the Lamia and ran over to Siggy. Noticing the fact that he's bleeding a healthy amount of blood and corruption she asked him an obvious question: “You...What...are you?”

The beast chimed in, revealing the fact that it could read Siggy's mind. Lelia healed his wounds and then started asking questions. Why join the church now? Back there in the Crosswalk he seemed to be almost in love with the monstergirls, so this doesn't make sense. The mask she was wearing apparently suppressed all emotion, so it was like attempting to convince an A.I. He said that he was joining the church to save those he cares about.

This still didn't make sense in her emotionless state so she asked what side he was on. He told her he stood against corruption and that Human and Monster didn't matter to him. He said that the Oni Chieftain was a pawn an agent of corruption as well. This made sense to her. The war was very different from what everyone was expecting. This fighting was nothing like it is on the frontlines of the Demon Realm. But if the corruption was hidden...

This convinced her, but she warned him that if he betrays the church she'll kill him personally. She even offered to smuggle his gear in which he took her up on. After an hour they arrived within the camp. He was strip searched and interrogated then thrown in a crappy cell with Emeth... Who suddenly became very affectionate with him while sputtering on about how she loves him.

The beast urged him to have sex with her, but he refused, instead choosing to question Emeth about her “feelings.” He asked her why she loved him and she replied after a moment of great effort “Saw you...” This wasn't really an answer so he pushed on and she added “Before my eyes”

He asked her what she meant by that and she responded, describing the scene where you activated her and some of his own memories. The Beast then suggested that he could bring back Avina's personality completely, essentially resurrecting her from the dead. He said he wouldn't do that, she's her own person now. It called him a hypocrite and went back to wherever it goes when he's not talking or interfering.

He then asked her to go into more detail about the “white room” she saw. She said that she saw him and the beast, whom she referred to as the Devourer. She said that things were going to be hard and that she was sorry, she's not Avina He told her she didn't need to be. Siggy decided that this would be a good time for a nap and he let himself trail off into sleep with Emeth in his arms, hoping not to be forgotten in his cell.

A few hours passed before Leila showed up to escort them to the main camp. On the way Siggy informed her that he had recovered his memory and told her his actual name. She recognized it as 'The Butcher', killing the mood he was going for. She deposited him inside a finely furnished tent once they arrived at the camp.

He looked around but didn't find anything of interest except a snack (which he quickly devoured), and an ominous letter saying that the “Angels have struck as planned”. A short time afterward a woman in full battle dress and a taller, brown eyed man entered. The man called himself Hieronymus Lex and offered Siggy a drink.

He accepted and took a shot. He recognized it's flavor and the way it went down, it was the exact same stuff he'd had with Tsu the night he made love to her. Lex said he quite liked it and couldn't believe it comes from a land of monsters. He then took out the Amarantha's horn and asked him why he killed an uncorrupted monstergirl.

He decided to tell him a half-truth, saying that she was charmed by what had to be a Lilim and that, once he found out about it, was attacked. He then asked who he was speaking to, the butcher, or the lost head of house Shieffer.

He responded that he was simply himself and that he was doing all he could to prevent the spread of corruption. A long moment passes before Lex gives an answer, that he wished the Church thought more like that. He then asked one final question, would the leaders of Zipangu be averse to diplomacy?

Siggy knew this was a very dangerous question. Wanting to hide how deep his relationship was with them he said it was possible and asked why he would want to even attempt such a thing. It could be seen as a heresy and they weren't going to leave just because he asked.

He said that he was aiming for the impossible. The monsters of Zipangu possessed humanity and free- will, something he took an oath to protect. However, the Angels came some time ago and instituted moral reforms that have yet to go public.

Whereas some monsters could be tolerated before, now the policy would be to kill every last one of them and that the church must lead humanity on this holy mission. It was the church that instigated the Civil War in his country and successfully overthrew the rulers of Methmold. And now here the Church was, fighting creatures that repelled a demonic invasion. Not everyone was on board with the crusade and he was one of them. What he wanted to do was use Siegfried to further his own plans, to try and change the world.

Siggy stated that was part of the reason he was here but was cautious. He asked what kind of world they wanted to live in. They said they didn't know, that the world always goes in an unexpected direction after a change but that they believe that the monsters should be given a chance.

Unfortunately for Siggy, there was politics involved. That would likely be the last time he'd be talking to Lex and that tomorrow he will issue an order to have him flogged. This would make it look like he hates him. Siggy understood what Lex was getting at, he was to infiltrate the inquisition. He agreed and Lex warned him that Ahriman does not abide failure. When he approaches him with a mission he absolutely must succeed.

Leila then beat Siggy to within an inch of his life and literally dragged him into prison. He lay there wondering about the girls when a wisp appears in his cell. It spoke out in Rhy's voice, saying that she was doing this on her own and wanted to know if he really betrayed them. With a heavy heart he told her to ask Tsukiyoumi. She then informed him that all the other girls were listening in. They all had doubts before but now, this was goodbye. He felt terrible, but believed he made the right move.

The next morning unfolded just as foretold. He was flogged mercilessly by Ishmael. Leila offered to take him and Emeth to the local Golem expert and he accepted. Siggy asked for his sword back in a roundabout way and she refused, seeming oddly possessive of it. He let it go for the time being.

The golem expert, a short blonde by the name of Ithel Hermingild, was rude, crude, and apparently proud of it. She berrated Siggy for allowing Emeth to fall into such a state of disrepair, stating that pretty much everything, even the runes, would need to be replaced.

She started with the arms, saying that they come in 3 flavors. He asked Emeth and she said she didn't care, but he opted for human arms as Tsu said she needed Emeth to be human.

The fact that Emeth actually answered on her own led her to conclude that she had no control rune, to which she had a veritable nerdgasm. She offered to give him prototype arms that, while still human looking, had a liquid metal reactive armor that hardened them in response to trauma. The price was her being the one in charge of her maintenance and keeping notes on her development.

He agreed and she got to the legs. He chose human again quickly and then got to the subject of runes. There were many kinds of things one could kit out their golem with. They came in many flavors but the most interesting ones were those of “Shared Affinity” which would require a large quantity of blood but would enable Emeth to use Ice magic in much the same way he could. The beast was very pleased to hear that, telling him to go for it and show her his “tar, jelly blood”.

He thought about it carefully, both affinity and holy would suit his purposes but then again the Beast wanted affinity and Siggy didn't trust it. Emeth voiced a desire to protect him so he chose holy. She then began to undress Emeth so she could instal everything, rejoicing at her reactions. She said he could stay and watch but she didn't need him to be there.

Not trusting the mechanic either he watched her work on Emeth for a time. Ithel was enthusiastic and he learned something about Golems and Alchemists. Golems have several failsafe systems and Emeth probably has more than most. Also, because of the thick magical energy generated by the runes and alchemical processes it was apparent why most Alchemists aren't mages. In the end though it did seem like Ithel was a good girl and could be somewhat trusted.

He then went outside to look for Leila as Hermingild wouldn't be done until evening, but she wasn't there. He had no idea where she went but overheard some soldiers saying she was on the road out east. He found a small, crude shrine with a small tent behind it, intense holy energy coming from inside. He took a look and found Leila with his sword, glowing brightly and emitting a kind of dust.

After breaking her meditation she asked him if she could borrow the sword. The reason being that she could sense a sad, tired angel within it and wanted her freed. Siggy agreed, hoping that she really could help Radiance somehow. She then took him to the mess hall.

He feared it would be the horrific rations he'd experienced in the past but instead was surprised to find they were serving a delicious stew with equally delicious bread. She said that Zipangu had an interesting way of handling corruption. They didn't know the whole story like Siggy did, but it seemed the church figured out quite a bit.

He asked about what happened after he left. She said she followed after him the next day after a redcloak, the King's special forces, was apparently going after him. She made it all the way to the College of Mages when his trail suddenly went cold. When she investigated a lab she ran into a Lilim. Thankfully an eight tailed woman (i.e. Tsu) came in and helped her fight and kill it. The woman then told her that Siggy was safe in Zipangu.

Tian was also doing well, last she heard she was trying to get into the King's personal retinue. He asked her feelings about monsters. She stated that she didn't like them very much but also accepted that not all of them are bad. Inquiring about the Lilim, she told him that they favor subtly and guerrilla tactics. In fact, the Inquisition and Purifiers were created to counter them. There are between 15-20 of them and they have teams that can strike deep into enemy territory to fight them but... it's been a very hard fight. She was about to ask Siggy something when the troops started making a ruckus about angels debarking.

Fearing Orion may be amongst their number he decides to go check on Emeth. Ithel wasn't done yet but expressed a desire to be friends with him. She then handed him a letter bearing the mark of the Inquisition. It had only one sentence: “When the stars light up the night sky, come to the docks-Alone-”

Leila came back soon afterwards and told him that angels really did depart from the ship, a child and two others wearing robes and masks led by an angel that looked more artificial than organic, metalic skin and gem-like eyes. Siggy knew of only one being that fit that description, Orion. She also spoke of other rumors, about how there was an aerial invasion of beastgirl territory and that a man with a holy sword came to their defense. She said she only knew of one man with a holy sword, but then dropped that thought and asked him what was bothering him.

He flashes the letter at her and she gets the point. She offers to stay out of sight and watch over him, but he turns her down. Fearful of her getting caught and spoiling the meeting. She then left him to stand watch over Emeth.

He kept the appointment that night, too bad the inquisition didn't. They were over two hours late but someone did show up. They snuck up behind him and put something into his pocket. Then, in a truly unhuman voice told him to search the ship called “Scarlet” and get rid of whatever it's smuggling. After waiting a few minutes he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the item, an Inquisitorial Rosette, something only very high ranking Inquisitors ever get their hands on.

Siggy got right to work, asking around for info and quickly found the ship he was looking for. The guards tried to stop him but a quick show of his new badge made them get cooperative immediately. He told the guards to put the ship on lockdown. He went down into the ship where the crew was not very friendly towards him, right up until he flashed his inquisitorial credentials that is. He orders them to gather before him so he can interrogate them. He also offered to hear their confessions if they had any.

The interrogations were largely fruitless. Captain said it was an easy assignment, just transport some cargo for the war effort. Siggy picked up an air of “no snitching” and most of the crew was in the camp, but his efforts did get through to one of them. He confessed, the Captain has been known to engage in low level shady deals, smuggling things like spices and runaway couples. No monsters or drugs though, at least to his knowledge but he trusted the captain. Inquisitor Siggy said that such sins were minor and he would absolve them of it and bring no persecution, so long as they remitted any contraband into his possession. He took out his badge during this exchange, and deduced that damn thing was bugged, relaying any sound in the area directly to Ahriman's ears.

He then paid the captain a visit. The door to his cabin was already open and he was apparently passed out from too much drinking. He entered focus and tried to sense any magic. There was something under the bed emitting a small pulse of magic. As he opened his eyes the Captain sprang up and complained about him not being a pretty girl. He didn't look drunk or tired, so it was all an act. He called himself Franco and Siggy already knew his type. The kind of person that feigns ignorance and incompetence to hide the fact that they are anything but.

He demanded to know what was under the bed. Franco denied this but Siggy insisted because of the magical pulse. He made an excuse but Siggy didn't buy it. The captain, realizing he was cornered, gave up and opened his smuggling compartment and revealed a box. He opened it, revealing a large pair of fertilized Harpy eggs that were a few months old. He claimed that they were uncorrupted and that his job was to deliver them to someone in Central. Franco asked him if this was such a horrible thing in a sad yet hopeful voice. Ahriman was almost certainly listening in and Siggy knows what he would want him to do, smash those “vile” things with righteous fury.

He'd already killed monstergirl children in the past and he really didn't want to do it again, but to get in good with Ahriman it looked like he had to. Stalling for time with his questions he desperately wracked his mind and came up with an idea. As his origin was fluids, he could potentially make a very convincing simulacrum of the eggs, harpy fetus and all. But this would take time and could possibly burn him out. He decided to go for it, praying the Captain was as sharp as he hoped.

He wrote out his plan on a piece off paper and showed it to Franco. His eyes nearly popped out of his sockets but he understood his role. Buy him time to complete the replicas. Play along, act enraged and defiant as Siggy played the role of a fanatical inquisitor.

The false eggs were nearly completed after a heated exchange but Siggy was fast approaching his limit, a few more details were necessary but he was very close to the burnout point. He could consume the alchemical warmer, but that would leave evidence that something was off about the whole affair. He nodded and the captain began to rough himself up. His people are said to be stubborn by outsiders, and he was going to make good on that stereotype. He was going to impress Ahriman and he was not killing those harpy babies. This resolve fueled the completion of the fakes without incident.

With the now perfectly crafted Simulacrums in hand he escorted the Captain to the deck and utterly gibbed them in front of everyone, churning a few stomachs in the process. After giving a final warning to the Captain he departed the ship and handed the rosette to a robed figure who said “We'll contact you again.” His little adventure as an inquisitor over, he headed for Ithel's tent.

She had recently completed her work on Emeth, who was muttering in her “sleep”. She was truly impressed, believing she just might awaken on her own. He decided to see if that would happen and went to look for Leila. He found in the back of the tent, hiding away behind storage crates, obviously in a great deal of pain. He asked if there was anything he could do to help her. She told him that she didn't have arms anymore, the ones she had were in fact magical prosthetics and she had forgotten her daily maintenance, causing them to act up. She asked him if he could get the creams she had back there and put it on her. He agreed to do so in exchange for asking how she became a purifier in the first place. She told him it was because Lex gave her a purpose, that she was the youngest purifier, a mere 18 years within the world. Emeth had awakened at this point and was causing a commotion in Ithel's tent. They both went to investigate.

Emeth was surprisingly more outspoken, demanding that Siggy “Go Home” with her. A damn good thing he handed over the bugged Rosette to robed figure. For if Ahriman heard what she said he'd be burned as the hardcore heretic he truly was right then and there. He hugged her as he whispered his reasons into her ear. He begged her to accept that and she did, collapsing into a coma.

He asked Ithel if she knew what happened and she responded by asking if he stole her. He said yes and then got told more about golems. For really important, valuable ones the owner tends to have a replica through which, by inscribing runes upon it, the owner can issue remote orders. What happened was that the order conflicted with one of her directives, causing a crash. What was so strange was that usually, when you impede a golem's orders they get violent. Yet that didn't happen here. To keep this from ever happening again she would need to hack her “helix” and transfer ownership privileges to Siggy. To do that she would have to employ a bit of Blood Magic. Leila and her got into a heated discussion over it, something involving a past incident where Ithel admitted she fucked up. First time she tried to make a sentient golem it went berserk and killed her associates.

There were two ways to go about it. Either the safer, more time consuming route, or the route that was similar to a blood oath where he just spills a ton of blood all over the helix. Siggy knew Tsu, she was many things, but unprepared was not one of them. He told her all he could about her without revealing the depth of his relationship with her. Obviously terrified, she asked him if she had a soul.

He told her yes and she reminisced on her past failures. She swore she would overcome Tsu's programming or die trying and that, no matter what, she wanted to remain by Emeth's side. Ithel's words and convictions made Leila unable to report the recent events to Lex like she planned, hoping that one day, she'd ever be able to so completely risk her life for a cause like her friend has.

The next morning Siggy tried to take Emeth to Ithel so she could hack her helix but she refused to go into the tent, insisting she was fine. He told her that she almost walked out on him last night and that she had to do something to ensure that wouldn't happen again. Not wanting to be useless, she complied. Ithel said that she would need a drop of Siggy's blood and a drop of Leila's because, unlike her, she was still a virgin.

After that was done with she told him to put on an emotion-cancelling mask and that the Inquisition and Purifiers were executing a joint operation, and that his “benefactor” within the former had requested a favor, that he participate in this operation and bring back a “peculiar” monstergirl alive. The “alive” part was quite unexpected, but he agreed to go regardless. The Beast would have none of that mask's BS and broke it immediately, but thankfully it still stuck to his face like it was supposed to.

Using teleportation stones they quickly got to the main staging area of the op. They were told there were 3 areas of concern, areas that were the exact same as the ones Tsu showed him on a map before his betrayal. The first was where a good amount of fighting was taking place. The second was a meatgrinder, everyone getting their ass kicked by what looked like an angel. The third was a forest to the north. All who have been sent into that forest have not returned. Going to the last two would guarantee an encounter with Hadraniel and Sylphis respectively in Siggy's mind. So he picked the first. Things went smoothly enough, sneaking deep into enemy territory without setbacks, but he couldn't shake his feeling that it was because something wanted that to happen. He and Leila eventually happened upon a clearing with many dead elite troops, all of whom had their hearts ripped from their bodies. A short time later a woman with a familiar, demonic arm stepped from the shadows. They both knew who they were. Athena, his former knight, clenched her demonic fist in condemnation as the old corruption flowed from it like water.

It was obvious what this was to him. Tsu wanted to cripple the Inquisition and Purifiers here permanently. He told Leila to retreat and report that this was indeed a trap for these elite orders, and to “deal” with the merc reinforcements. Kill, placate, irrelevant, they must not interfere.

He tried to explain without compromising his mission, in vain. He had his mission, Athena had hers, and she was not exactly reasonable. She signaled for reinforcements before she attacked. She was once a betrayer herself, she was not about to allow him to make the same mistake she did. She said she was going to bring him back.

She fought with all her corrupted might, she said she would bring him back but the way things were turning out it'd be in a body bag. He dodged a lethal attack perfectly, the spear of her dark claws missing him by mere millimeters as he saw the opening. He brutally smacked her in the face with a sphere of Ice in response to her mistake.

He winced, feeling her pain and experiencing the great sorrow of doing such a thing to a woman he loved. She got back up, clearly out of it, pleading that he not make her mistake. Her emotions were cascading, the pain, fear, and crushing loneliness, they almost reduced him to tears in empathy.

He fired a second sphere, truly knocking her out this time. He hated himself for it, but would not falter even if he loved her. He laid her within a bush, praying nobody would find her. Then things went south.

Mylen had just dodged a sneak attack ice spike to the head from an adventurer. Yet that wasn't the reason went FUBAR. In the midst of battle another faction had shown itself at the worst possible time.

A “Fallen Maiden”, Whilmarnia Noscrim, the top servant of Deruella had shown herself. Declaring this to be a rare opportunity, she had formed a throne of corruption as she descended unto the battlefield. Everyone was now in more danger than ever.

He couldn't let everyone get corrupted, especially to Mylen. Thankfully, due to the magic flooding the air, she hadn't noticed his presence.

Yet even given that... Could his now drained self hope to stand against such an enemy? Even with Mylen's insane skills and her unmatched hatred for all things related to Deruella the odds were stacked against them.

He was pretty sure that if he attacked it would be the end of him but... No. This bitch had a hand in his mother's death and was going to finish corrupting Mylen into a full Succubus and make her a servant of Deruella. Hatred welling up inside him he discards the mask and charges from his cover.

Mylen was both happy and surprised to see him, and Noscrim definitely didn't see this coming. She blocked the acid at the cost of her auxiliary weapons only to get 3 spikes lodged in her back. The demon lord also chimed in, telling him to stay back and that she fights like an angel, meaning she could take an insane amount of damage and keep going no problem.

They had fought together for years, she was his always at his side in battle during his days as the Butcher, so they had developed their own unique synergistic fighting style. She had a kind of Battle Precognition, so he could fire spells without having to worry about hitting her with friendly fire.

Despite being hard pressed Noscrim was almost laughing. Declaring how she wanted to spread her love to Mylen, how she had been wanting a worthy apprentice for so long. Then the gleam of green scales behind the target caught his eye.

Luck had seemed to smile upon him this day so he kept it up, launching all he had directly into the melee. But now Noscrim was done being nice, she roared in her rage as a powerful gravity aura was deployed in front of her. Corruption swelled and launched itself at them, forcing them to defend. Then Sylphis made an appearance and went for an assassination. She didn't land the kill but did remove a wing.

It was now obvious that Whilmarnia was on her last legs, crying in fear as she pleaded into her ring. She was calling for Deruella to bail her out as she maximized the gravity aura and focused all her attention on defense, blocking Mylen's sword throw and Siggy's spells.

He wasn't about to let her get away so he poured all of his energy into one spell, supercharging a single, large spiral ice projectile to pierce her defenses and end her life in one shot. A black tear had begun to open behind his victim as the Demon Lord told him to get the jade out. He did so as he fired this insanely powerful spell. Pale hands tried to force the portal open as Noscrim turned and called out to her mistress, only to get her heart utterly destroyed by Siegfried's spiral spike.

The hands gripped harder into the tear in desperation as Leila called for Radiance, send her phantasm right at the portal, dispelling it instantly. Somehow, they had managed to conquer an impossible foe. Whilmarnia Noscrim, the first of the Fallen of Lescatie and Deruella's second in command, was dead.

Noscrim's body decayed at an unnatural pace, leaving but dust and corruption, even her sword and ring returned to nothingness. Sylphis was apparently alright despite spitting out a chunk of corruption which oddly failed to affect her like the last time this happened. For some reason, she seemed to be highly resistant to it now. He could feel Hadraniel closing fast on his position, feelings of fear and pure joy flowing through the link, not one bit of doubt or hatred was there.

Mylen was intent of following him. He tried to dissuade her, but she was having none of it. She'd had enough of being away from him, spilling the beans about her personal circumstances right in front of Leila. Sylphis also spoke, telling him she wished he'd hurry up and come back and that next time she really was going to try and kill him.

Siggy bound and hauled Mylen back to the Main Camp. When he got to the dungeon the Warden almost pissed himself at the prospect of holding a “Succubus” and was quite relieved to hear that Siggy would be watching over her spacious cell personally. Leila told him they would have to talk once this was over.

About 20 minutes later a pair of scarlet robed inquisitors tell him to bring the “goods” and follow them. He and Leila were led deep into the camp, passing Lex's tent and entering into the inner sanctum of the Inquisition, Ahriman's headquarters. Leila said she'd never been within the grounds of this “Flaming Fists” faction and that this stank of a hastily put together shady deal.

Several robed men exit the large tent in front of them, forming a corridor of sorts, and telling Siegfried to bring the Succubus and go inside, but the purifier Leila was not to follow. He complied and entered. Within was his target, High Inquisitor Ahriman and a garish, extravagantly dressed fellow enjoying a feast fit for a king. Ahriman said the succubus was a token of good will for the other man, Audo Tius. This was a name that Siggy recognized by reputation, head of one of the families that ran the “central” nations on the continent. A complete and utter hedonist of such impossible wealth that it wouldn't be surprising if he could match the Church's own substantial coffers coin for coin. He made an offer to buy Mylen off of him, price not being an object of consideration.

He responded by telling them a censored version of the days events. Given all that, it would be unwise to remand her into Audo's custody. Ahriman began to clap slowly and agreed with Siggy's assessment while praising him for a job well done. He asked Tius if it was alright if he waited until after the “animal” was questioned thoroughly and he said it was fine, so long as he got his “prize” (one of the “Slime Queens”) he'd wait until the end of the war, offering to ship in more supplies and agents to aid the church in this endeavor.

Then a clamor within the camp as Ishmael entered the tent and declared that the “prisoner” was now under the personal protection of High General Hieronymus Lex and that the two of them were to follow her. Obviously displeased yet seemingly expecting this outcome, Ahriman gave him a simple nod as he and Mylen complied and followed the angel as she led them towards Lex's tent for his own personal interrogation.

Ishmael told him to go take care of his own business as Lex interrogated Mylen but he protested, wanting to see this interrogation himself and not being keen on the General getting any of the credit for his “capture”. He was offered a drink and he cautiously took it, afraid it would be poisoned but it wasn't. Satisfied by the gesture of trust he asked Siggy how exactly he captured this succubus.

Being shrewd he noticed that, like Ahriman, the High General already seemed to already know how. When he asked he stated bluntly that she came willingly and pointed out his logic. Siggy was impressed by how sharp Lex was but didn't let it show, instead asking the logical question of why would a succubus follow him willingly to what would almost assuredly be her own demise. He said he didn't know and needed Sigs to tell him why, for if he had all the information required the war would have already been won.

He told him that he managed to kill Noscrim with some help. Lex didn't buy it at first but Leila backed him up. Surprised but quickly regaining his composure he asked how Mylen was captured if she didn't come willingly. Siggy told them that Mylen helped him take out Whilmarnia for some reason. She told them it was because they were a great threat to Zipangu and that she only allied with him out of convenience.

Lex and Ishmael responded to that answer by immediately attacking them. Lex tried to sever Siggy's jugular but the beast assumed control and grabbed the dagger in an effort to save his host. Mylen decked the General hard and started to get to work on the Angel, landing a few blows but got fought back and encased in a holy force field.

Then Siggy noticed the blade was dull and that this looked rehearsed. Lex said this was all to confirm his suspicions. Completely cornered, the mage spilled most all the beans relating to Mylen. The General told them that Ishmael is a walking “lie detector” and that their story pinged it harder than ever before, and then asked him why he seemed so intent on ascending the Church hierarchy when he was already a powerful man given his nobility and the army under the command of his house. He revealed his intentions, to stop the spread of corruption and bring happiness to those he cares about. Heironymus didn't like that vague wording but accepted his reasons. He said that Mylen should be handed over to Ahriman if he wanted to quickly climb the ladder of power but if he wanted he could transfer all power over the prisoner to Siggy. He also promised Mylen some respite from the constant torture of she did end up with the High Inquisitor.

And then he gave Siggy a dire warning. Ahriman Edan is a true, complete and utter sociopath and that he should be very, very careful around him.

He decided to keep her in his custody. They gave her a face concealing mask to mark she was being cooperative and Siggy escorted her to a private cell. She said she'd play her role no matter what, the Inquisition can't do worse than what the Fey did to her as a child. He left her shortly after, the woman giving him such a warm and loving gaze that he cursed himself.

When he exited the tent Leila was nowhere to be found. He guessed she had headed towards Ithel's tent so that's where he went. He was correct, Leila was there but she didn't know why he would be looking for her. She said that her being relieved is a sign that Lex and Ismael have taken an irreversible step towards something. She could just fully join the purifiers but all the things with Siggy just weren't adding up. He expanded a bit on his previous answer, but that he couldn't tell her everything and that he wanted her to trust him.

She said she wasn't sure she could. She reminisced about her past then said she finally had a cause worth dying for. Siggy warned her that it was better to live for a dream instead of dying for it and asked what it was. She said she believes she knows how to get Radiance out of the sword, and that she intended to see it through. He offered to speak with her later in Mylen's cell as she walked away.

Belphegor then chimed in using the jade to deliver some information about Bletsia and the Demon Lord. That the throne that powers the Demon Lord may be repaired using Bletsia's talents. The reason Daiyu is so sick is because the thing is broken and in need of some fuel. Said fuel is usually provided by killing the Demon Lord and having the civil war to decide succession, their collective life force replenishing the artifact. Since that hasn't happened the Throne's broken state translates over to Daiyu.

The best way to keep her from dying before they complete repairs is for Siggy to soul link with her. A prospect the beast wasn't having any of, threatening to kill her the instant that happens. She then left saying he should keep in mind that he'll probably have to link with her sooner rather than later. Then a totally naked Emeth grabs his hand.

Ithel quickly got her some clothes and told him about what she found out. Aside from the Prime Directives being weak, her matrix was seemingly connected to thousands, a beautiful network resembling a web. She didn't know what that meant though.

He saw her going in circles in her reasoning. There was one piece of the puzzle she was missing, the fact he had a link to the golem. He asked her how far she was willing to go to fulfill her dream. The answer was pretty far, yet she lamented how everyone she ever got close to always seemed to disappear. That pushed him over the edge and he told her of the link. Such a thing was supposed to be a grave heresy but she didn't care at all now. It was the last piece indeed, for with that she put it together.

Many have tried to create a commandable golem army. Yet the central terminal's influence was always too weak. The orders issued by it were never strong enough as its power was diffused by the network. Best anyone got was a bunch of nigh-incompetent workers. But if that terminal had an ego like Emeth could develop it'd be possible for her to command that hypothetical army despite the dilution that usually happens. Siggy also concluded that if anyone had a motive to create a golem army it'd be Zipangu. They can't get corrupted or mind controlled, and they did suffer an invasion from the Demon Lord. A golem army would be a perfect counter given their tactics, even better than the vampirized soldiers they resorted to.

After she swore herself to secrecy about all that he headed back to the tent/cell Mylen was in. She wanted to cuddle in the bed and he obliged, with Emeth standing guard near the entrance.

He engaged in some lucid dreaming and commanded the Beast to show himself. He tried to intimidate him and failed. The Beast said that he liked Siggy's struggling and was thus willing to compromise. He wouldn't try to take over until the final day of the prophecy. He would also spare the girls, he liked them and wanted them for himself. The Demon Lord would of course die, didn't matter when, just that she died. So no linking with her. He'd also let his ego remain somehow after he took over.

In exchange he'd help Siggy out, even allow him to cut on him to power his ultimate spell if it was needed or fun. To seal the deal, he ought go and fuck Leila. He really wanted her virginity. He asked him what Siggy thought of the deal, the cheeky cunt clearly amused by all this.

Disregarding the offer he asked further questions. Why did he hate the Demon Lord so much? And what did he intend to do about the person who planted him inside himself? That's obviously part of a plan. He said she was there when he was implanted, and that he would simply kill the bitch that put him inside Siggy upon his arrival.

He contested his logic. Daiyu was Yuria when he got implanted, so it couldn't have been her. In all likelihood it was Deruella. The Beast said no, that it was Mother Earth and that Siggy wasn't his first host, but he was the most effective. He disregarded this as well and continued on about how he didn't want the Beast to fuck over the Demon Lord if he did link with her. He agreed, saying she'd get what's coming to her upon his emergence.

Siggy complained about the Beast changing his story. It revealed that it was all made up. He doesn't remember a thing before being put inside him, just feeling a bit resentful that Siggy constantly thwarts his plans. Still, he could be sure the Beast wouldn't immediately try to kill the Demon Lord the instant the soul link was complete.

He woke up a bit early and reluctantly got himself out of Mylen's embrace. He left to get food and woke her up. After a show of being submissive to Mylen they finished their meal and Siggy made his exit only to be confronted by a red robbed inquisitor, asking if he had made any progress with the prisoner.

After saying no and waiting for him to be well out of sight it dawned on him. There were lots of shops around and he had no orders, and he hadn't cashed in that reward for killing the witch almost 2 weeks ago, so it was time to go shopping! After haggling with a blacksmith he got 1200 gold and his promise to make available his finest works. He bought a good deal of equipment for everyone for a low price. Wanting to do something for Mylen and Emeth he went and bought a lute, wood whittling materials, and books pertaining to everything except politics. After dropping everything off in Mylen's tent he went in search of Leila. Upon finding her at the docks she said that an old instructor urged her to fully join the Purifier order but she didn't give him an answer yet because she still had to talk with Siggy.

After getting to the tent he decides the only way to keep Leila as an ally is to spill the beans and tell her about his plan to kill Ahriman in order to save Lex from assassination. She was outraged at the news, but Radiance told her he was telling the truth. She left to gather intel on Ahriman's faction and to inform Ithel to prepare for an escape once Siggy has plugged Ahriman.

Afterward Mylen told Siggy to kiss Emeth and he did, getting not much of a reaction out of her, but when he moved to kiss Mylen too she pushed him away. Something was bothering her so naturally he asked about it. She wanted him to promise to do something before she confided in him. She warned him that Ahriman is much more of a threat than the High Inquisitor he knew and worked for during the purge. He'd only have one chance to beat him and that he was not to risk his life to save her.

He contested the notion of her disposablility but she was insistent upon it. She went on about how she was ashamed to be his lover. How she only pursued him at first to keep from being thrown out by his family and to get closer to Mana, whom she admired. Only during the purge did she really start to feel anything towards him as a real person. And she also felt inadequate. She didn't hate the other girls but she was still possessive and that apparently she isn't enough of a woman to satisfy his greed. In short, she didn't want him to die because of her.

He was about to get all mushy about his feelings for her when Leila interrupted. The guard detail around Ahriman was 12-15 people at all times and that there were two magitek mechs outside the tent as well. Given this information, and Mylen's insistence he do it sooner rather than later, he decided to pay a visit to Ahriman's camp to ready a torture chamber, the issues between the two still unresolved.

Ahriman was pleased with this development, and requested that Tius be allowed a front row seat to the “upcoming attraction.” A pity Orion was also right outside for some reason, killing any sane hopes of pulling off a non-suicidal assassination. Siggy agreed. After Mylen suffered gruesome torture scene he told him about how troublesome Succubi are to torture and that above all after each session the succubus ought lose something permanently if you hope to get anything out of them.

He revealed a strange dagger, one that sent the Beast running for the hills in a fit of panic, and removed half of her pinky finger. After expressing his hope that this would be the first of many sessions and that he ought convene with his friends as tomorrow was going to be important. He instructed him to carry her back to his tent as is so that all might be reminded of what the inquisition is all about. After getting to the tent Emeth was absolutely livid, demanding to know who did all that to Mylen. Leila healed her up and then helped Ithel literally drag Emeth outside along with a table she grabbed onto.

Siggy broke down at this point, the rage he was getting through the link from the golem pushed him over the edge. The positive feelings the others were trying to send him only increased his guilt and self- loathing. He kneeled down and started crying, with Mylen embracing and encouraging him, saying this was the first time she ever saw anyone cry for her sake.

It was quite a breakdown, he just sat there in a broken state and it took until nightfall before he got himself together again. Just after that Ithel and the gang came into the tent and explained that it wouldn't take long to make a prosthetic for Mylen. He was also expected to pilot a mech for a mission tomorrow. Leila would be unable to accompany him as the church was preparing to assault two linked forts the day after tomorrow.

Ithel explained the basics. They are insanely durable and quite maneuverable despite their appearance. When activated it will drain a significant portion of his magic but he won't feel the fatigue from that until after he deactivates it. So he best not do that until he's well and done with his business. Also, the armors are the result of rediscovered Dwarven knowledge and contain a Dwarven soul, a race that has gone nearly extinct. Piloting it would involve synchronizing with this soul (Think of it like an Evangelion) and that there was a danger of burnout if he went all out for too long.

He asked if they could be ready to leave by tomorrow in case he somehow got the chance to kill Ahriman that soon. Ithel was really nervous but said she could just abandon everything because the most important thing, her prototype Golem arms, were already attached to Emeth. Leila was also ready, all she needed was the sword so she could continue to work on freeing Radiance.

There were two ways to go about leaving. One was to sneak or force a way out. But Leila instead favored hijacking the Flaming Fist's teleportation circle using a few tricks to redirect its set destination. Given the terrain, the worst case scenario coming true was next to non-existent.

The only problem with that plan was that the circle is obviously heavily guarded at all times. They'd likely have to fight their way to it. They thought it was a good plan regardless when a golden butterfly appeared near the entrance, a sign that mommy wanted to have a chat. He left them in the tent and wandered out into the nearby forest.

After following the insect for a bit he was teleported into a strange world above the clouds. He thought his mother would be angry or dejected because he didn't follow her plan, but she wasn't. She didn't like what he did to Mylen but forgave him because of how hard he's trying to keep her alive and get her out of there. But now a bigger question was asked, was he willing to die in order to preserve the lives and safety of the women he cared about?

He said that so long as the world would change for the better, he was. She said that because of his actions she was unsure if he would be alive at the end but, because of this, there were going to be two chances. Either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow he'd have a chance to kill Ahriman. If he does it tomorrow it'll be pretty risky and he probably won't be able to retrieve his dagger. However, if he waited till the day after Leila was almost certain to die but the recovery of his weapon would likewise be almost certain.

She said the dagger was important because of its unique power. Anything stabbed by it, dies. Even she, a goddess, would die if one managed to land a fatal blow with it by human standards, period. Reason being for this is that it's basically Black Barrel's little brother. A weapon from the age of pretenders almost as old as she is. It forcibly imposes the human concepts of logical outcomes and death upon the target.

Such a weapon would be very nice to have, giving him the capability to easily kill his remaining foes and possibly even the Beast. But it would likely cost him Leila's life to ensure retrieval. Saying that Ahriman would choose the knife over Leila he would do the opposite and save her over the knife and attack tomorrow.

She told him his chance would come between late afternoon and early evening. The only reason this opening would present itself is that Deruella has hastened her plans and that one of her agents has infiltrated into the camp. Lastly, she had to enchant the half finished wood carving he had on him. He was to break it when/if he forms a soul link with the Demon Lord. Otherwise, she won't survive the process.

After some banter about how she didn't remember raising him to be the kind of man to go for a harem she sent him back. He immediately informed them of his plan. He essentially wanted to bum rush Ahriman with everyone. Leila would take Mylen to Ahriman's camp on the pretext of more torture after she's sneaked some weapons and that fey shield in. After he's dead they run for the circle, kill anyone who gets in the way and teleport to Zipangu held territory. All business concluded Mylen suggested they sandwich the golem between themselves and go to sleep.

He woke up and got 2 magical stims and one pain killer from Ithel before heading towards the circle. The stims would boost his magic power at the cost of making him excitable while the pain killer would reduce even burnout pain to negligible levels as well as provide a light heal in exchange for making him groggy and lethargic.

After meeting his wingman, a woman wearing an emotion suppression mask in tight leather clothing that covered her entirely, he met Ahriman before the mech. He explained that using ranged attacks while piloting it would fry him pretty good with a heavy dose of burnout. That was the only downside however because the armor was strong as a fortress wall, could conjure most any weapon, the open cockpit is protected by a strong force field, and was highly maneuverable, more than capable of mimicking any human movement. There was the risk of it going berserk, but the High Inquisitor believed Siggy could keep a handle on his emotions. With that he created a stairway to the cockpit.

He got in and tried fiddling around with the key for a few moments before a clearly amused Ahriman told him to enter Focus. After doing so he felt another presence enter into his mind, the beast tried to do something about it. It narrowly avoided Siggy's attempt to cut another piece off of him because of that outburst. The voice asked if he could get close to his heart, meaning he'd essentially read his mind as he worked his way to the proper spot in his consciousness. Siggy agreed and warned him about the squatter. The presence also informed his new pilot that Ahriman had bugged the seat but he deactivated it. The beast and the dwarf got along poorly, but he managed to talk it down.

Once he was fully synched the dwarf praised Siggy as the most interesting man he's ever met and that he approves of his goals. He called himself Arnvidur and wished for his new pilot to do the same.

It didn't take long for him to get acclimated to the armor, earning him cheers from Ahriman and a nod from the wingman. He then got briefed by Edan. They didn't have much info which was why he was sending in the mechs. A pair of angel scouts were surveying the recently taken lands and found an interesting structure. They went inside to investigate, and they didn't come back. These weren't normal foot soldiers either, they were some of the best elites they had. Their orders were to neutralize any enemy forces and wreck any teleportation circles they may find.

Ahriman informed them of the code names, Siggy was one, his wingman was two. He couldn't think of any more questions so with his blessing they were teleported to the scene of the crime... The chapel where he allegedly “killed” Amarantha. They broke in easily, nobody was guarding it, yet the fog gate was still active.

Siggy suggested they go through it together but “two” objected. Telling him that her orders were to either forcibly close the gate by wrecking everything around it (smoking out the occupants) or letting him go in. If he did go in she would remain outside and close it forcibly regardless in 20-30 minutes. He chose to go in, assuring her that he'd be back in 20 minutes.

Being his own brand of paranoid he went in and saw a castle in the distance. He and Arnvidur sensed a powerful magical energy in that direction. They quickly ended up in the courtyard. While the Demon Lord did a good job of thinning the herd there were still quite a number of abominations around yet they were seemingly ignoring them.

It didn't take long for the source of that power to clash with the armor, Kyorn the Maurader. With him was the worm that used to be/is Amisi's mother. His stated goal was her extraction from the area so that she may pass valuable information to Zipangu.

He looked and was every bit as intimidating as his legacy and title would lead one to believe. Siggy pleaded with him, begging him to see the reason behind his actions. He paid said pleas no regard and attacked him with righteous fury. The Berserker told Siggy that all the betrayers he has encountered (and he's seen quite a few apparently) sound just like him and thus, he has no reason to listen.

He tried again, appealing to a hypothetical situation, but Kyorn would have none of it sadly. However, in a strangely quiet tone, he admits he saw the images Ms. Amisi had to show him.

Thus, he gave him two days, just two, to make amends. Two days to prove he was not just another traitor like the rest he had encountered. If Siggy failed in this task, Kyorn swore he would personally kill everyone Siegfried has ever cared for then hunt him down afterward to maximize his suffering! A good thing for Mr. Shieffer that if all went according to his plans, he'd have done so by the end of that very day.

He then told him his plan. Amisi would go first, then he would go out soon followed by Siggy. He would hold them both off long enough for her to escape, the prospect of the upcoming battle clearly amusing him entirely too much.

Siggy followed his plan. After the resulting destruction he ended up on the ground. Siggy charged him but underestimated his potential. Kyorn flew at impossible angles and speed, outmaneuvered him completely and landed a devastating attack on Two while howling in pure rage as a result. This took its toll on him though, allowing Siggy to land a hard counterattack with an exploding spiked shield that turned Kyorn's own immense strength against him. He was sent straight through the remains of the Chapel and deep into the forest, Aurnvidur commenting that even that display wasn't enough to end the Maurauder.

Two then told him that Ahriman wanted them to return to camp and they were soon teleported back. He was pleased with their results and understood their apparent failure given their opponent was a rogue legendary Hero. He then revealed two's identity, Belvedere, the woman who killed Avina and almost killed Sylphis to boot. Siggy was barely able to contain his immense hatred for the girl, concluding this was yet another test by Ahriman.

He then lied, saying that he tried to follow his advice by attempting further amputations, but the fingers just kept regenerating. This piqued Edan's interest, asking if the cut he made had any changes. After answering in the negative he said he'd have to see this himself, though a bit later as he had business to attend to at the moment. Shortly afterward another inquisitor approached him and asked for the mech's key, telling him to find an excuse to be in the compound before 3 to 4 in the afternoon. He recognized the voice behind the mask. It was Ismael, Lex's second in command.

He handed it over and went back to his tent to make final preparations. The church was as well, bringing the magical Holy WMD onshore with most people in the camp assigned to ensure nothing happens during its arming ritual, meaning the guard within Ahriman's camp would be significantly lighter. Going over the plans one last time they set out for the camp.

On the way Amisi contacted him through the jade. She informed him that Daiyu is going to die soon and that he needs to hurry up and get the job done fast so he can save her. After she cut out Emeth informed them they were being followed.

Deciding to ignore it for now they continued forward. Eventually the stalker launched a dart at Leila but Siggy managed to block it. Good thing too because it contained corruption. He worked his way to the gate undaunted and requested entry. The guards said Ahriman had specifically ordered them to not let him in. His posse could go in though to make the preparations for another session. He tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't budge. So he lied, saying that someone had just tried to assassinate Mylen.

That one got through to them so the guards let him in. As luck would have it the one that escorted him in was Ishmael undercover. She took them to the torture chamber and asked him what his plan was discreetly. He was about to spill the beans but caught himself right before he would have committed verbal suicide. All the pressure had gotten to him and he almost forgot something very important.

This was “Ahriman's” camp. This was “his” world, and in his world, everything is bugged. Almost slapping herself in the face Ishmael and everyone understood and put on an act while they wrote their responses in the air. He told her he wanted to kill the bastard. She didn't seem to mind this and told him that he was in his heavily reinforced tent and that they'd have to pierce it somehow. He was also probably in there with his new agent (that is, Belvedere). All he had to do now was wait for his mother's signal...