Chapter 98 - Blood Thorn’s Curse II

The fight between the two of them gave Vera enough time to cut the connection between the carriage and the demon soldier's bear, leaving it ownerless until she connected her root to it.

"I GOT IT!"

"GO!!"

Vera took the carriage while mounting Teddi while Fayette remained with Miki fighting the demon soldier.

*BAANG!!*

"UGH!!" She grunted in pain when the bastard punched her waist, quite close to where her crystal is, thankfully, she had plates; otherwise, that would have been devastating.

Her bones ribs bent inwards and she noticed that with physical strength alone, she wouldn't be able to defeat him.

The demon noticed how the carriage went away and dodged one of Fayette's swings, he's as dead as he can be regardless of the outcome, whether he returns to the city or whatever... his only choice is to leave to another city and hope to not meet Manson ever again!

*BAAANGG!!*

Miki crashed heavily against the other bear nearly having the two of them crash drastically as one of the worms protruded with its myriad jaws from beneath the ground.

'I need to go!'

Fayette didn't need to keep going against this demon, the objective has been completed, but she would have rather slaughtered this demon here in case he followed them back to the fortress, the location cannot be disclosed by any means, especially considering the party involved in this heist.

With Miki taking them out of the way, they managed to evade the jaws of the worm, but that's something so convenient for Fayette.

*SLASH!!*

"AAHHHH!!!"

She changed her objective and cut one of the Demon's Wings, she realised that the horntail is no longer useful against these foes, she needs an enhanced knife.

*WHOOSH!!*

The demon retaliated by swinging his spear but that momentum was everything she needed, with a missing wing he lost his balance and a kick from Fayette was all he needed to be sent tumbling down the bear and straight in the worm's vicious jaws.

She regarded the bloody carnage as the worm sank once again underground, she'd leave no loose ends that would threaten their peace.

"How are you, Vale!? Vera has the carriage and is taking it home."

"Yes, I am!"

"I'm still fighting this bastard." He answered back from the badge, not sounding as preoccupied.

"Should I go and help!?" She preferred to head there rather than return to their place.

"Come!" He yelled and rendered her surprised, when does he even ask for help!?

'Hmph! It seems you're learning to trust us.' 

The blonde turned heels leaving a gargantuan sinking sand hole in her wake, it's not a direct kill, but this is the first Demon Soldier she has taken down.

**

**

*BAANGG!!*

"B-BASTARD! STOP RUNNING!" A staggering Charles Manson approached with a missing arm; now, everything is so much more difficult, he had to change his hammer for a sword, there is no way he could efficiently battle with that massive hammer while only having a single hand, every time he tried to take a 'potion' Valentine would attack and delay him.

As time passed his skin turned burned and harsher with crimson flames protruding, he was going berserk as the strength increased exponentially.

Valentine fought with extreme cautiousness and a keen eye, analyzing that power, the pros and cons... he wants to give that power to Fayette, if it is even possible to steal it.

His only hypothesis is that by eating the bastard's crystal... an action that he'd rather Fayette not partakes in; she'd obtain those powers.

Regardless of how disgusting it would be to devour Charles Manson's soul, they're currently in need of power that can't be turned down and he already has plans in regards to what ability he wants.

If he's correct then those 'curses' or regiments as Volna called them, are each able to bestow someone a 'power'... in extreme cases like Vera's case.

This excuse of a human being was obviously able to happen upon such a miraculous encounter, and he wants to take that power away, it gives him explosive strength but seems to consume the flesh at the same time, it's not something he'd like to give to Fayette, but compared to the Blood Maidens which he believes to be another regiment, she's better off using this own.

But he's slow and Valentine; although aware that he can't directly engage against a foe this strong, knows very well how to cripple a tiger before slaughtering it.

He doesn't need Fayette's assistance, but he has plans for his blonde woman.

"Who would have thought that the infamous Charles Manson would end up dying in such a pitiful way, all those people you killed for what? you achieved fuck all." He mocked further and as expected, the furiousness of the flame increased ridiculously.

"YOU KNOW ME! I AM NOT YET DEAD, PIG! DISGUSTING PUSSIES LIKE YOU WON'T EVER BE ABLE TO KILL ME!" As increased his rage he lunged more like an animal and less like a human.

Valentine hadn't picked up the Rose Eagle Thorn, he didn't dare to, there are too many things to consider and myriad thoughts in his mind but right now is not the time.

He flashed by Manson who showed an obvious opening and cut through one of the cracks from which flame flowed, directly obliterating the entire leg.

*BAANGG!!*

"UGGH!!!"

Valentine sighed, in a one-one skirmish; Bellcroft had been way more difficult.

But if those two were to fight, perhaps Manson would have come out as the victor as they're both heavyweights.

But Bellcroft was faster, something that cost Manson a lot in this battle.

"Y-YOU!" Falling on the ground, the light at the end of the tunnel turned bleak for Manson who immediately felt something stinging his eye.

*FIUSH!!!*

The knife went through his eyesocket, slowly and profusely.

As the blood poured out, Manson who was about to retaliate found Valentine throwing a knife straight through his wrist and kicking it harshly against the sand, pinning his hand in place with a cold expression.

This is the kind of people he slaughtered like chicken when he was alive, they all feared there mere mention of his name, this little flaming bitch would be no different.

"UGH-WUAAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!"

Manson grunted but still managed to pop up a smile in the moment of disaster, his power receded giving way to a calcinated skin as he laughed madly with the gales of sand interrupting his echoes.

"How many times did you do this to your victims." Valentine spoke with coldness and wrath, the evil this person had caused in the world would forever be remembered surely up to Fayette's generation.

"Many times, I can't even count~" The man felt no regret; no, he regrets he didn't kill more!

"..."

"Do you know what's the best?" He spat some blood against Valentine's shirt and smiled, totally uncaring of his knife twisting within his brain.

"They will never know how many of those pigs I killed, there or here!~"

*FIIUSSH!!*

"UGGHH F-FUCK!!"

The knife went the deepest possible as Valentine grit his teeth without mercy.

"W-Why don't you go ahead and said who sent you? was it Marques W-Warcroft?" Manson asked, it would be a win for him so long as they could untangle the identity of this individual... Warcroft is just one of Sinclair's many enemies but given the objective of this convoy... he's the more likely one to have orchestrated this ambush

*FIUSH!!*

"Who is that? I came here for the resources... also, your power... where is your crystal?" He asked with furrowed brows, there is a hint in that question.

"What? Do you want my power?! You won't have it! THIS CURSE IS MINE AND MINE ALONE!!!!" Manson immediately started to retaliate furiously; further confirming Valentine's thoughts.

*FIUSSH!!*

"You're not going to live anyway... might as well give it better use than your rotten corpse!" Without even waiting anymore, he sliced Manson's entire laughing head that fell on the ground with a thud and started to search for the tattoo.

He didn't need any further confirmation, that must definitely be the root of his power, Valentine continued to search as the man's maddened laughter resonated across the gales of sand as if he didn't care at all about the fact that his eye had just been gouged out.

Unprecedented wickedness served as the prelude of the unimpeded erasure of a rotten soul, brimming with darkness for thousands of years.

"Hehe~! If I die... YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!~" Mason yelled and the blazing veins reactivated with even more strength than before, turning crimson dark and inflating his body!

!!!!

Valentine didn't have enough time to run but he tried; as fast as possible he tried to get away from this obvious self-destruction.

*BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM----------------

A festival of blood and flesh accompanied with a blaze of crimson fire spread across several thousand of metres, Fayette who had been coming noticed the gargantuan explosion that blasted the corpses of all the demons away and even overturned the carriage.

!!!!

She ran faster together with Miki, not bothering with the blazing fire that scored her flesh and burned her all over, Miki was intact.

For several minutes she sought his silhouette in the site of an explosion, only coming upon a small crystal... one brimming with silver brilliance and blazing might.

She ignored it and continued to search for Valentine whose figure she couldn't see amidst the corpses of the demons...

"VALE!"

"I'M HERE..."

!!!

A pile of scorched flesh raised up in annoyance, feeling his entire left side numb, he had tried to dig into the sand back then but wasn't fast enough; thankfully, already used to being burned to smirteens, he is okay.

Fayette embraced him tightly and took out one of the potions.

"We have to leave quickly, those worms might come again looking for the motive of the explosion.." She had to give her stubborn boyfriend an excuse or else, he wouldn't take this potion now, they have counted potions and won't be able to get more until they either return to the Mahogany Devilish City or head somewhere else.