Curses flooded through , filling to the brim with pulsing Curses. Strength coursed in my veins as my feet pushed themselves forward, and my posture lowered to consolidate my core.
At least I think that's why.
Both of my arms moved outwards, one closer to my hip and the other pushed out, hovering towards the incoming Heathens.
Then, my feet moved.
They pushed onto the ground, throwing into the midst of the Heathens before the damned creatures had a mont to react. The chitinous clatterings flooded my ears as I arrived by the side of the foremost Heathen.
The group of crab-esque Heathens packed to the brim with familiar Curses surrounded -
Or do I surround them?
Chuckling at my antics, my eyes moved to the eyes of the foremost Heathen.
In response, its eyes moved in slow motion towards as it tried to react to in ti. But my left hand was already curled into a fist as power moved from my feet, up my hips, through my waist and into my arm.
Crack!
My fist collided with the chitinous armour-
Splash!
-and smoothly splurged through the brittle chitin and into the depths of the Heathen. The slimy flesh, organs, and blood filled my nervous system for a brief second, before-
Wow.
-before the Curses within my fist burst outwardly from the inside out of the Heathen.
It exploded.
Spectacularly so.
The eyes that had been staring into my soul were thrust into the sky and plopped down onto the deck a mont later alongside the pile of scattered chitin and flesh.
Each remaining crabby Heathen reacted to their deceased brethren in the sa manner:
Wrath.
I think?
It felt like it from the surge of Curses bursting from their eyes. Only one thing, though; it doesn't matter how angry you are.
First Step, Defilers—I consider, we consider, these weaklings.
And my Book of Heresy, its Tales, prove it.
I'm not a combatant, nor am I a fully grown adult. Relatively speaking, I am weaker than Jill, Elden, Nemora, Hilda, and Es. Even Vanessa
But here, compared to these Defilers...
I plucked my arm back into place, twisting on my heels to face a claw snapping at with the intent of splitting in half-
Clack!
-lifting my left arm, I received the attack in silence. The claws pressed down on my forearm, slicing through my long-sleeved white shirt, but my skin, my Cursed self, remained unhard.
Wrapping my fingers around the claw, co here, I pulled the crab into close vicinity with a violent movent and punched its head inwards instantaneously.
It was that easy.
"Next~" Giggling at my strength, at this display of power that I'd felt missing over the past 14 years, this lack of freedom over my existence that now seed to be unshackled:
My body moved again.
It rushed amid the horde while Nemora ca down for a soft landing beside Hildekar.
Darting between the Heathens, my fists and legs thrashed out like a true combatant, breaking apart the crabs one after another. The abominations ca to an end one by one with each passing second.
Tap.
By the ti Nemora landed beside Hildekar, I stood amid a field of dripping blood and pools of burst flesh.
The released weight from my chest brought a smile to my face. Not even the improvised cetery ford around could drown this smile;
This free smile;
This truly happy smile;
I'm happy.
Stretching my limbs over my head, I couldn't help but release a groan of utter relief. A sigh that I'd been holding in for so many years.
Knowing that I'm strong, that I'm not useless...
It feels so good.
"Soone's excited?" Elden's awkward voice ca through in my ears.
"The fuck are you doing up there to sound so sultry?" Vanessa's sharp tongue ca afterwards, dropping down into a pit of ice.
Oh shit.
I forgot they can all hear .
I said 'Next~' all giddy when they could all still hear .
"Alora, you should work on permission the next ti around. Not being able to speak normally without everyone hearing us is a significant downside." Nemora's recomndation drew a nod from ; I agree with that wholeheartedly.
"Shut up already, Elden. Move faster." Jill's usual taciturn voice wasn't as stiff as I was used to it had been in the past; he was more verbal, but with a hint of...
Spite?
It's like Elden has influenced him into mocking people all day as well.
Luckily, it wasn't as horrible as Vanessa's case. She's a whole separate can of worms that I won't bother dealing with any ti-
Ah.
Nevermind.
I do need to deal with her.
Es will hold a grudge against her for supplying with drugs, and I have to diate it...
Anyways.
Putting all that aside, "We should clean this up." I pointed at the clump of corpses scattered about the quarterdeck.
And, as I pointed backwards, a flicker of flas, Cursed Flas, jumped from my thumb and towards the Heathens. It wasn't an accurate toss of fire, but it landed on the pile of corpses nonetheless and lit them afire.
Within seconds, the ss had disappeared into nothingness. My improved control over the Cursed Flas ant that no more mistakes like that one ti I lted the door handle of the Sparkles store.
Just then-
"Problem."
-Es's voice ca through.
"Sothing is here. Sothing is inside The Canary."
My heart sank.
"Sothing is inside Hilda."
It whisked over with ice, freezing solid with dread.
"And..."
Es's voice turned a notch higher with vivid concern.
"It's coming out."
---
Hilda heels backstepped away from Es, her calm yet confused face twisting slightly as she:
"You should get away from , Es."
The modest, antique maid's outfit framing her full body squird from a series of shivers thrumming in shockwaves throughout her innards; she felt off, too off. Like sothing deep inside of her was begging to be released.
Es cautiously backed off.
She didn't need the warning; she could feel it.
The familiarity, the Curses oozing from Hilda's body in faint pulses; the abnormalities releasing from Hilda were pushing her alarms to their limits.
This wasn't a Defiler, this wasn't a Fallen either.
This-
"It's coming out." Es warned the others imdiately.
-was a Profaned.
Raising her left and right arms upwards, a coalition of the purest of Blessings twinkled around Es's body.
She was ready to react to anything.
"What is, Es?" Nemora instantly asked her.
"I don't know. Sothing Profaned, that's for sure, but what exactly, I don't know. Hilda herself seems to recognise that there's sothing wrong with herself. I believe that this is Hilda I'm talking to at the mont, but she's been infected with a Profaned Heathen of so sort."
"You hear that, Jill, Elden? Jill, prepare to hold Hilda down, and Jill, make sure to keep Hilda alive. If you have to hurt her to save her, do it."
"You hear that, grasshead? Hold her down."
"Fuck off."
Jill's surprisingly crude, yet certainly fitting, response drew a cackle from Elden that reached everyone's ears.
Several mbers of the cohort who were listening in over the line were tempted to comnt, but stayed quiet for the sake of the operation.
Nevertheless, Es and Hilda were standing re feet away from each other whilst the back-up was still on its way. Es had at least another half a minute before the duo arrived, but, before then...
Shiver.
Hilda's body quivered.
Her teeth clattered as she bit down squarely to keep her rattling teeth tad.
"What's happening to ?" Hilda understood, intrinsically, that sothing was about to burst out of her from the inside out, "Es, I'm going to try sothing, so take a step back."
"Alright." Es shuffled back slightly, clearing more space for Hilda.
With her imdiate surroundings emptied, Hilda took a deep breath, raised her right hand-
"Huh?"
-then proceeded to stare emptily at her still empty hand. Nothing had co out.
"Why isn't my Manifestation revealing itself?" It was unprecedented. Manifestations are a part of oneself. Suddenly not being able to conjure up a Manifestation while uninterrupted during the process is the equivalent of abruptly losing your brain or heart; only death would be the outco if one lost their Manifestation.
Yet Hilda was alive.
aning she hadn't lost her Manifestation.
It was still there, but she couldn't release it.
"Why? What's going on?" This wasn't sothing Hilda was experienced with. She couldn't figure out for the life of her why this was occurring.
"Authority?" Es asked.
"Authority... If sothing is pushing its Authority onto from the inside out..." The light bulbs flickered on in Hilda's relatively clueless brain, "Maybe? That would make-"
Shiver.
Hilda no longer had the ti to contemplate the matter.
Sothing was changing.
Releasing.
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