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An Archer's Promise Chapter 67: Chaos Part 3
🕑 Added 2024-11-16 09:58:37 +0000 UTCFully beta read by Shigiya and Fluffy Slayer
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-Feoh-
There was fire everywhere.
The thick columns of black smoke curled into the sky like the breath of some monstrous entity, catching the attention of both Radomira and Draco. Radomira’s gaze was drawn toward the city entrance, her heart pounding as Draco moved beside her, each step she took filled with dread. They arrived moments later, only to be confronted with a scene that could only be described as a living nightmare.
The heat was suffocating, an invisible force pressing against their skin and lungs as they approached. The air shimmered with waves of unbearable warmth, and the sounds of countless people screaming and calling for escape filled their ears could be heard long before they arrived. Amid the chaos, not everyone had fled. Brave souls—men, women, and even some older children—remained behind to combat the relentless blaze, carrying buckets filled with water to extinguish the torrential fire rising from the ground beneath.
The very same flames that roared from the sewer with enough force to reduce everything in its path into cinder. It was a blaze unlike any natural fire, hungry and vengeful, spreading with terrifying speed. Those who couldn’t escape in time were claimed by it, their screams cut short, leaving behind nothing but charred, lifeless forms.
“What is going on here!? Another attack!? Draco!” Trying to make sense of the carnage before her, Radomira could only think of a single person capable of committing such an atrocity. Whirling around, she glared at the blonde figure trailing behind her. “Stop this!”
Yet much to her dismay, the blonde held an expression of confusion that morphed into disinterest after surveying her surroundings. “Do you blame me for the chaos beseeching this city?”
“Then who else!?”
The Beast shrugged, “I am all-powerful. My strength grows with each passing day by doing nothing but living in this poor excuse of a kingdom. Why burn away my source of power without any reason? It was already on its way to ruins, it's beneath me to meddle with its path in this way.” She answered without hesitation, her voice clear even in this chaotic environment.
“Then who…”
Weirdly enough, despite wanting to believe otherwise, Radomira found herself believing Draco's words. They hadn’t known each other long, but the girl never struck her as a liar. Still, the truths she spoke were often difficult to accept.
“Why ask when you already know the answer, brat.” Draco scoffed at that question. “This Kingdom is built upon the foundation of decadence, incompetence, and pure greed. There is no ruler standing at the helm commanding those beneath, nothing but an ignorant child who has been put into a decorated room while ignorant of the happenings of her kingdom. Eventually, those seeking power would grow greedy and start devouring themselves to the point of becoming no different to animals.”
“I… I don't understand. Archer is here!”
“And?” Draco pushed back. “His presence is not some miracle that will resolve all the issues plaguing these kingdoms. Counter Guardians are not meant to handle matters in such manners in the first place, he has gone out of his way to take an inefficient approach from their standards. In fact, you can say all of this is partially his fault in the first place.”
The young Tiefling couldn't believe her, she vehemently denied this statement and even wanted to smack the girl. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! Stop trying to turn me against him! Archer just wants to help people like he did with me!”
“Stupid child, I gain nothing substantial from lying to you or turning you against your precious ‘Archer’. Everything that is happening right now has no bearing on me and my goals.”
“Then why are you blaming him!? He’s nothing like those monsters!!”
The pig brothers' faces flashed in her mind, churning her stomach with revulsion. Though she'd witnessed their repulsive fate, doubt gnawed at her. What if they survived? The thought of those brutes returning to drag her back into slavery sent icy tendrils of dread crawling up her spine. She shuddered, pushing away the persistent fear that they might one day reappear to reclaim their lost "property."
Archer was nothing like them and she couldn’t understand why Draco was blaming him for this.
“It is his fault. For he allowed this to happen. Silly girl, let me remind you that the duty of a Counter Guardian is to destroy all threats to humanity and its continuation in history. What should have happened upon his arrival was not him going on a small journey to save that dark elf Queen and her subordinate but to eliminate the mercenary group and anyone associated with them — including most if not all of the nobility and clergymen present in this continent that were a threat to humanity existence.” A chill ran up Radomira's spine when those bright crimson eyes stared back at her. “Which means all seven kingdoms, along with every threat, should have been eliminated a long time ago. You as well, would have been destroyed along with everyone here.”
“Shut up…” She spoke in a hushed tone.
“Taking a different path than that of the norm has inadvertently endangered the rest of the kingdoms around Eostia. These people have gotten their hands upon a weapon they have no idea how to utilize. Just take a look for yourself.” She raised her hand and pointed not that far away from the source of the fire. Despite them being surrounded by flames, not everyone had escaped. In fact, now that she took a closer look, the young Tiefling girl noticed a horrifying sight.
“N-No!”
“Stay away from me!”
“Come here!”
“What are you doing!?”
It hadn't dawned on her yet, but there was a subtle scent lingering in the air around her. Vastly overpowered by the stench of burned wood and acrid smoke — she recognized the presence of a particular ‘perfume’ as Draco liked to call it reaching her nose.
“No… why again…?”
Radomira's senses weren't completely overwhelmed, nor were her powers spiraling out of control. Yet there it was - her aphrodisiac, unmistakable in the air and intensifying with each passing moment. Its effects were already visible, as men and women alike seemed to forget the danger around them, their fear of the flames replaced by a different kind of heat.
“A-ah~! Ha~! Harder!”
Amidst the chaos, a disturbing scene unfolded. A young woman and a man, at least three times her age, were locked in a frenzied embrace. Their clothes lay discarded nearby as they writhed together on the street, oblivious to the inferno around them. The woman's cries of pleasure cut through the crackling flames, drawing the attention of others affected by the strange perfume. Like moths to a flame, a crowd of lust-addled people converged on the pair, hands grasping and bodies pressing together.
Similar scenes occurred all around her, with the carnage becoming more and more than just a sound in the background. The sounds of moaning and skin against skin began to overwhelm the area.
“What a disappointing sight.” Draco looked unbothered by the whole thing. Saton top of a destroyed rooftop that had fallen to the street at some point, she gazed at the scene with her legs swinging back and forth lazily. “Behold, these are the type of people your guardian wants to save, the very same one he fights tooth and nail for. Of course it won’t stop them as they are too much lost in their own little world, but it just is the reality of the situation.”
“Why… Why is my power being used here!? I didn't lose control of it!” Unable to bear the horrific scene any longer, she bolted, desperately seeking refuge from the chaos and the hungry gazes following her. Her feet pounded against the scorched ground as she fled, driven by a need to escape the debauched madness her abilities had unwittingly unleashed.
“Humph, idiot. Since you were captured you have most likely excreted enough of this substance for someone to make a weaker and less potent copy using yours as a base. The scent is yours undoubtedly, but not nearly as fragrant. Oh?” She stopped midway as she took the moment to steady herself.
A few men had tried to approach her, their hungry gazes going over her body with saliva dripping from their mouths.
“Hah… hah… that pretty mouth… hah… come here… come here and let me put it to good use…”
“C-Come here girl… you look like a noble brat… I always wanted to fuck one like you…” With Radomira hidden from view, neither one of them was able to see her, pinning their entire focus on the young-looking blonde.
“The gall.”
Their bodies fell to the ground before they could even touch her, decapitated long before anyone even knew what happened before their flesh turned to ashes. “Seems like even a small dosage is already this effective on them, whoever did this is planning to down the entire kingdom obviously. Or rather, I doubt they had much of a plan to begin with. Humu, that makes sense.”
Her nonchalant attitude is starting to get on Radomira’s nerves. “How can you be this calm with everything going on here!? Last I recall you mentioned living a luxurious life here to satisfy your boredom! If this keeps going on any longer, then so will your lifestyle!”
It was a small part of her, a very small part of that had her hoped that perhaps this bratty little blonde would be willing to help her out. To put an end to this madness if she managed to show her reason. But her hopes were raised for naught, as Draco showed neither the care nor the energy to remedy the situation.
“Do not think I haven’t caught onto your little scheme to get me involved, brat.” After all, this was the Beast Archer warned her about. Scheming was her forte.. “This chaos works splendidly for me just as well. My first desire upon arrival was to regain enough of my strength to just wash away all of this filth — they are just making my job a little easier. The mistake is correcting itself. I do hope this is enough to get rid of the guardian and his ambition—!”
The sharp crack of palm against cheek sliced through the chaos. Draco's head snapped to the side, her eyes widening in disbelief. For a fleeting moment, a kaleidoscope of emotions flickered across her face - shock, confusion, and a dangerous glimmer of rage. Slowly, she slowly turned back to face Radomira, her crimson gaze burning with barely restrained fury.
"You dare..." Draco hissed, her voice low and menacing.
But Radomira did not back down.
“Why is it the same with you whenever you talk about Archer? You don't know him! You don't understand him! I don’t get why you are so insistent on making him suffer for doing what is right! You mentioned once that you wished to create a better world but nothing you've done so far has shown this! All you have done so far is to hurt a kind man who was just trying to help people and achieve that goal. In fact, the real parasite is you! Ah!” Unwilling to hear another word, a massive red-clawed hand clamped over the young girl's face and slammed her into the wall.
The pain nearly made her lose consciousness, but her willpower forbade that. She stared back at the furious crimson eyes that had grown sharper. She was no longer dealing with Draco but instead a true monster disguised as a cute little girl.
“There are many incorrect points within your statement, enough to warrant you a quick death with how absurd your ignorance is. The humanity you see now is in its truest form, flawed and limited. There is no salvation for them, no matter how much you believe that or that guardian of yours — They would have destroyed themselves sooner or later, with or without our presence. Wasted potential, inefficient, greedy, slothful, and weak. All of them.”
Pushing back against the crimson-scaled hand, Radomira barely managed to get enough space to speak. “N-Not… hn! Not all of them are like that… Archer… C-Claudia and B-Brynn are human too.”
Had this been the past, when she was enslaved, then she would have shared Draco’s sentiment. Or rather it would have been much worse, believing that the human race in general did not deserve to exist with the kind of monsters they showed themselves to be. Her time here showed a different picture, that despite the vast amounts of crooked individuals, there were still people who she could trust.
They did not deserve to die or be labeled as such.
“They are equally flawed. It is their negligence that birthed this disaster to begin with. No… In fact, you bear a part of the responsibility for this yet you have the gall to point the finger at this Emperor.” Letting out an infuriated sigh, Draco slammed her against the ground. Her body hit the road hard, bouncing a couple of times. Sharp gravel tore into her skin, leaving a trail of cuts across her body.
“...”
She remained there, lying down without saying a word after what the blonde said.
“You call me a parasite, yet worry not for your existence but that of the feeble humans here who have fallen prey to the aphrodisiac.” Those words stung as they were the truth, she knew full well how dangerous her powers were and even learned more about them from Olga.
And to see it being used like this… making countless people suffer, was becoming too much for the little girl to bear.
“You can do nothing but cry and complain, you hold a fair amount of potential but have not made the slightest bit of effort to use them. Archer this and Archer that, nothing but over-reliance on a spirit sent here on a mission, and who is failing in his duty. Your powers are not within your control but instead in the hands of others, how pitiful. If you want to blame someone then blame yourself.”
“...”
Her fingers dug into the dirt below, tears streaming down her face with the reality of the situation bearing down on her shoulders. Draco was right, in the end, she was nothing but a weak child.
“... I just wanted to spend my time with Archer. I wanted to eat his food every day, to be pampered by him, have my hair combed by him, and feel loved by him. I.. I-I didn't want to be like this, I don't want to force him to deal with problems that happened because of my existence!”
She wanted to be taken care of by Brynn, Olga, and Maia as well, hang out with Chloe who always secretly came over to peek at Archer, and be treated as family by Claudia.
“At the end of the day, to live the life you want, you need power. Nothing would change that. You may cling to capable individuals, but it still boils down to you alone. Continue to stay naive, continue to hide behind others while your enemies use what belongs to you as a weapon, and it will lead to the inevitable.”
Radomira sat motionless, her mind becoming numb. The chaos around her faded to a dull roar as she stared vacantly ahead. Draco's harsh words echoed in her ears, each syllable becoming another weight pressing down on her small shoulders. She felt herself sinking, drowning in a sea of powerlessness. The world blurred at the edges, reality slipping away as the overwhelming gravity of her situation crushed what little fight remained in her. At that moment, she was nothing more than a lost child, adrift in a storm far beyond her control.
“If you want everything here to come to an end, for this nightmare to disappear then just wait here. He is bound to arrive sooner or later and finally come to the realization that these people were beyond saving.” She did not need to guess who Draco was talking about, in fact, a part of her knew that Archer was going to save her one way or another.
But she did not feel proud or happy with that train of thought. She was going to be saved once more. “He… he won't kill everyone. He's not that kind of person…”
“Does it matter?”
It boggled her mind how confident Draco was about his next action, how she predicted that he would get rid of everyone. She had seen him go through plenty of challenges just to save a singular person, if all of his issues could be dealt with by killing everyone then he would have done so already. He saved her when he did not need to do so. How could such a person be so willing to destroy everything?
It just didn’t make sense to her.
“H-Help!” A young voice reached her ears, belonging to a child around the age of those she encountered this morning. Swiftly turning around, Radomira discovered a face that looked rather familiar, that of a boy who lived in the orphanage she once visited with Brynn. She remembered this boy talking about how both Archer and Celestine once went over there.
His name eluded her mind, but it didn’t matter as he was currently lodged under a wooden pillar from a partially collapsed house. More of it started to crumble down around him, threatening to crush him.
“No!” Was a decision made on the spur of the moment, her wings extended behind her back and she flew over as fast as she could. Though Draco called her powerless, she wanted to prove that Beast was otherwise.
Not just Draco, but herself as well.
That even in her current state she was capable of making a difference. No matter how small it was, no matter how insignificant it turned out to be… She rushed over there as if her life depended on it.
‘Just one, please just one!’
The distance between them grew smaller, and hope started to bloom within her heart, a small spark showing her the light at the end of the tunnel.
Until…
Crash!
The rest of the building collapsed when she was just a few inches away from him. Her outstretched hands barely touched him as the entire rooftop crushed his body and left her in a state of pure shock.
“...ah.”
She felt even more lightheaded, completely numb to anything and everything around her. She held onto the hand of the one person she tried to save, proving the Beast's claim to be true.
‘I am useless.’
Olga calling her a genius with her magical talent sounded like a joke. Stated to be a Tiefling loved by magic itself and blessed by the natural spirits, to exceed all expectations from even the most talented of human mages and equal to some of the most powerful elves.
This very same creature she praised could not even save a single person and instead caused the death of many.
“It's my fault.” The scent of her aphrodisiac lingering in the air brought forth nothing but grievance. What was supposed to be a gift according to some turned out to be nothing but a curse mocking her at every opportunity it could.
Having become so numb, the girl did not even see the approaching people all eyeing her like a fresh piece of meat. Eager to rape her in every way possible to satiate their lust.
With no resistance whatsoever, she let them grope her body. Fondling every part from her chest to her butt, perhaps hoping this would be enough to atone for what happened. Radomira's clothes were ripped away and laid bare for others to get their tongues gliding on her skin. Guards who had their fill from unfortunate victims were all greedily looking at the untouched flower before their eyes who by now resembled a young teenager instead of a child.
“—!”
Blood splashed on her face, and the next thing she knew, a pair of arms firmly held onto her. As the young Tiefling was pulled away from lifeless corpses that were littered around her. She recognized this touch, “A-Archer…” her voice shook as well as her body. “Why… Why is it always me? I-I didn't want any of this to happen… it's my fault… I can't do anything… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…”
She cried, with tears staining his clothes. Without even realizing gripping onto him with both arms and legs.
“It's not your fault.” He said firmly, gently caressing her back. The soothing sensation doing nothing to bury the guilt deep within, continuously apologizing for being so useless again and again.
‘It is my fault. You saved me and I instead ruined everyone's lives.’ Even if his touch gave the girl a sense of serenity, it only lasted for a few moments, unable to stop other negative emotions from sweeping her.
“...I will handle this. You don't need to worry about a thing, I give you my word," Archer reassured her, his voice almost startling Radomira with how eerily calm it sounded. Unlike his regular tone, there was a clear presence of anger and… resignation.
She blinked in confusion as Archer set her down on the rooftop. His hand ruffled her hair with an absent gentleness, but his eyes... They were cold, distant. Empty. She searched his face, trying to find a glimmer of the warmth she knew, but saw only a grim resolve that chilled her to the bone.
"Archer?" she whispered, her voice small and uncertain. But he said nothing, his hollow gaze fixed on the chaos below.
Void of any of his usual self, that sarcastic but kind demeanor which despite constantly frowning was actually just a facade to her eyes. Hiding away someone who genuinely cared for her and those around to some degree, small as it was, that emotion existed within.
But now… it was like looking into the eyes of a soulless puppet.
It frightened her.
There was no anger, no joy, or any kind of discernable emotions present when he turned to face the pink and black smoke-filled lower part of the kingdom.
“Trace, on.”
A wave of mana surged around him, she sensed and even saw beautiful waves of blue light coalescing around his arm, taking the shape of a large bow taller than herself along with several blades floating around them. Then another strange weapon came forth, different from the rest, for it was not a blade at all but some sort of parasol, though that alone was not what caught her attention.
‘T-That is… so much!’
Her senses were nearly overwhelmed by the immense surge of Mana flooding into the weapon, each wave more forceful than the last. The warping metal drew her gaze, shifting and reshaping itself the moment it touched his palms.
It was then she recalled the story Olga had told about Archer’s destruction of the Kuroinu. How she described arrows powerful enough to obliterate castles, single shot capable of leveling reinforced towers, and a relentless storm of projectiles raining from the darkened sky, piercing anyone who dared stand in his path.
An entire army and fortress was reduced to dust by a single man. Even Brynn had shared a similar tale of a summoned sword eclipsing the very sun to cleave an entire mountain range.
But seeing this about to happen in person, did not awe her in any way. But rather it made her worried, guilt-ridden, and distraught, for that was not the kind of face she wanted to see him make, ever.
“A-Arch—Archer,” gathering her courage, she went forward and grabbed his sleeves. “D-Don't do this.”
“Radomira?”
Her action must have surprised him for he was clearly unprepared for this. “You don't have t-to do this. Don't do th-this, please…”
She begged, not completely for the sake of those below but instead for him.
Perplexed, he let out a soft sigh before reaching out, his fingers brushing against her cheek as he gently tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ears. She relished the sensation for a brief moment, relieved that he reverted back to the person she knew but that joy only lasted for a moment.
“I am sorry, but this is for the best. I was wrong before… If this is not taken care of soon then it is very possible that those responsible will escape and endanger even more people.” He explained calmly, but his words made her blood run cold. “I… I clearly wasted too much time, I was too optimistic with my current method and my mistake led to this mess.”
“Don't say that!” She clenched his hands, pushing back her tears, not willing to cry even more than she did. “It’s not your fault! It's not your fault… it's not… It's mine!”
“...” He didn't say anything else as she desperately tried to stop whatever he was about to do.
“W-What about Brynn? Maia? Claudia? Olga and Chloe!? No, not just them, but there are many innocent people still down here!”
She noticed his hesitation, his body tensing for a single moment till he took a deep breath. “It is impossible to save everyone, I… I tried my best, I really did — but it’s clear now that this approach may not have been the best for the world in the end. I waited too long.”
“But you don't want to do this!” Trembling with desperation, she sought any excuse, any reasoning that could resolve this. “You care for them, they care for you. It's obvious you don't want to kill them so why are you forcing yourself to go this far…”
“Because there is no other way, Radomira.” As if devoid of fear, only resignation could be detected in his voice. “Had there been any other way then I would have gladly used it by now. But at this rate, even if I fail once, it would be catastrophic. Nothing will stop these dangerous beings from escaping and causing havoc upon the people.”
She sensed his mana coursing through his body, the aphrodisiac thickening around them until it enveloped the entire area in a dense, oppressive cloud. Strangely, it didn’t affect her as it might others, rather it felt warm and almost comforting to the Tiefling, though it stirred a growing heat within her. Her body, defying her will, seemed eager to produce even more of it.
The girl resisted, biting her lips hard enough to draw blood. “Why do you have to be the one to do this, Archer? You don't want to kill them, I can tell, so why force yourself? Why does it have to be you!? You're just hurting yourself!”
He offered her a helpless smile, “Hn, it is rare for someone to worry about me in such a situation. I appreciate it, I really do. IMy role in all of this is… complicated to explain. Maybe one day I will tell you, or perhaps you will figure it out yourself. But in the end, this is my duty, I need to clean up this mess before it spreads any further and empowers Draco even more— for the sake of humanity’s survival.”
Ah, so that was why.
‘Because he is a Counter Guardian.’ She used the title Draco mentioned early on. It never truly clicked what such a thing entailed, and she continued to nod as if understanding what the other party tried to explain.
“I won't blame you for hating me after this or decide you don’t want to stay around. I’ll take you somewhere safe, far away from all of this— some placeI doubt evenDraco will find you so easily. There’s a small inn run by a silly girl, assuming she’s managed to keep it afloat. You can live peacefully there.”
Dazed, she watched as Archer turned his attention back to the carnage ahead. The fires had mostly dwindled by now, leaving behind a dense cloud of pink smoke and the rising chorus of moans echoing through the ruins.
The wind surged, carrying another wave of mana as it burst forth from within him. Beautiful ribbons of crimson energy streamed from the weapon, twisting and coiling itself into the shape of an arrow. Focused, Archer pulled it along his bow.
Her body continued to shake, unsure whether it was due to her escalating emotions or the aphrodisiac playing tricks on her mind. But one thing was clear, Radomira had never felt such fear as she did now, watching Archer preparing to release the arrow in his hand.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Her heartbeat accelerated like never before, the world around her fading into nothingness, leaving only his steadfast figure before her.
‘I will drop you off somewhere safe.’
Those words echoed endlessly in her mind. A statement that was no different from a death sentence to someone like her, still scarred from her time as a slave. It forced her to confront a harrowing possibility: that the strongest pillar of support in her fragile world might one day vanish.
It doesn’t matter if Olga survived and were to be by her side, or anyone else for that matter.
She couldn’t accept them the way she did with Archer. It was different, she felt safe with him, but not with them. Without him, she could not even sleep at night; the nightmares of her past would return to haunt her in his absence.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Worst of all, she knew that if he crossed that line… To destroy the entire kingdom, then the kind Archer she knew, who smiled at her every day, loved to cook for her, and told her plenty of stories would disappear.
To be replaced by the soulless entity she had glimpsed previously. An image so starkly at odds with the one she had come to know that it left her feeling sick to her core.
No, he was going to suffer as well.
Her emotions continued to rise. Denial, continuous denial of the reality laid before her.
She could not accept it.
Radomira refused to accept this!
These people used her powers, HERS! What gave them the right to do so and take everything away from her again!?
It did not belong to them.
“Give it back.”
It belonged to no one. A curse that she alone was to bear for the rest of her life.
“Give it back!”
She would accept it, despite the uncertainty and fear that lingered within her. She would embrace that part of herself if it meant wrestling this weapon away from those who wielded it to harm those she cared about.
‘Your powers are not your own—they lie in the hands of others. How pitiful.’
Draco’s biting words echoed in her mind, so vivid and sharp that it felt as though she was leaning in, whispering them directly into her ear. Her laughter, dripping in pure contempt, intertwined with a myriad of raging emotions that flooded her till the dam broke.
“GIVE IT BACK!”
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-Main Castle-
“Hm?”
Back at the main castle, a certain Dark Elf queen's senses picked up a strange sensation. A similar reaction emerged on Celestine's face with both elves turning their heads over in the same direction.
Distracted long enough for an enraged priestess to notice it immediately.
“Do you think this is the time to start daydreaming, you fool!?” Her voice was more strained than her usually calm self, even sounding aggressive. She was kneeling in front of a barrier looking completely haggard with dark circles around her eyes, giving the impression that she hadn't slept for days. “I won't be able to hold on any longer!”
“Humph, Is this truly the extent of your blessings? Or perhaps you're still hoarding it aside and feeding it to that insect within you. How deplorable. In any case, keep focusing on the spell, the detoxifying process will take some time with how stubborn the aphrodisiac is in the first place.”
Of course, rather than give her an answer, Olga did not miss the chance to throw a half-baked insult at her. Which actually proved to be quite effective when Kaguya seemed like she was a second away from abandoning her position and jumping over to snap her head apart.
“You conniving two-faced harl—”
Crack!
“Olga-sama!”
The barrier broke the next instant and one of the men outside managed to rush in and almost tackled Olga were it not for Maia appearing at the last second and punching him away.
“Can you two stop fucking with each other and concentrate!? Now is not the time to shit talk each other! Even I’m having a hard time dealing with these fuckers!” The redhead exclaimed loudly, holding dual blades and plunging the blade within the man's legs preventing him from getting up again. The second one sliced upwards cutting through another person who got in right after the second one. “Shit! At this rate, they will all pile up on us and fuck us to death! I don't want to die being stuffed by unwashed dicks!”
“Maia!” Claudia looked at her incredulously, clearly not liking her choice of words.
“If you hate it then let's make sure it doesn't happen! Stop holding back against them, Claudia!”
“They’re still our people!”
“Then kick them in the balls! Or kick them out of here! Alicia over there is getting it!”
“Alicia!?”
Olga cursed, if this went on for any longer then they would have no choice but to go down the path of pure bloodshed. She would never repeat the same mistake as she did against Vault and allow herself to go down without a fight!
It was then she noticed another aroused fool slip past the blockade and head straight for Celestine. His hands were already slipping past her meager amount of clothing to reach for her chest, not to mention his erect member was aimed directly at her nether regions, ready to penetrate her. If the Goddess Reborn were to be raped in front of everyone, then morale would plummet and she could not afford to have these fools give up on her!
Worst of all she knew that fool would never actually hurt someone and might even let him ravage her if it meant saving him! “Chloe, quickly go over the—what?”
The following words got stuck in her throat. What she predicted did not occur at all. For that very same person suddenly halted as soon as Celestine's hand touched his face. All colors on his face vanished with blood starting to drip from every orifice, some of it landing on the blonde's face who watched him with an icy expression.
“Fuck off!” Maia appeared the next second, grabbing the man by his collar and throwing him away towards Alicia who instantly pierced his head with a rapier. “Fucker deserved to die!”
“Celestine!” Serafina ran over, using her powers to heal any possible injuries to her sister. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
“I am fine, sister, just saddened I could not save the poor soul.”
Saved the poor soul?
Had they not noticed?
Olga never recalled Celestine having such an ability before.
Both of them stared at each other, one covered in blood while the other struggled to recognize the person she believed to know inside and out. “Do not worry about me, Olga. Only one person is allowed to touch my body and use it as he pleases.”
“Archer?”
“Yes, my precious Shirou.” Celestine’s face flushed red, not from embarrassment but instead from something else entirely. A hazy stare coupled with a lustful expression that stunned even Olga, who wouldn’t for a thousand years imagine seeing it on this woman's face. “He can use me however he wants to~!”
Just what happened between them for her to become like this? But this only made her more determined to question him later on after everything was done.
“Don't get in my way, will you, Olga?” She asked nicely, with an out-of-place smile.
Despite feeling uncomfortable with her, she refused to back down, she couldn’t afford to show weakness here. So as much as it frustrated her to do so, the Dark Queen pushed those words out of her mouth “Given what he has already savored in the past, I doubt he would give you the attention you so seek.”
Regardless of how beautiful Celestine was, that man had still bedded with two equally as attractive elven women. She doubted he would feel anything special with Celestine. “Kya!”
Olga yelped as a sudden, sharp pain shot through her chest. Before she could react, she found herself yanked forward, face-to-face with Celestine. The usually gentle elf's fingers dug into Olga's flesh with surprising strength, her grip like a vice.
The others were too preoccupied by the horde to even notice what was happening. “Where do you think you're touching!?”
Olga asked in pure shock, never having been treated like this by anyone, even Vault! Yet it somehow ended up being Celestine of all people who was staring her down with emotionless eyes.
“Did you sleep with Shirou?”
“L-Let go of me!” Completely thrown off her previous confident stance, she tried to break away but held back another moan when Celestine firmly grabbed onto her most sensitive spot — almost making her fall to her knees.
“Did you sleep with Shirou?” She asked again, applying more pressure as Olga struggled to hold back the moans coming out of her lips. The lingering aphrodisiac in the air did not help!
“What does it matter to you? Perhaps he thinks I am superior to you. And there is nothing you can do about that.” She would never sleep with a human like him, who constantly got on her nerves.
But Celestine did not need to know that did she?
“You little who–”
Just as Celestine was about to say something, they heard Serafina gasp. Even the sound of the Princess Knights battling and the roars from the aroused people around them ceased.
Finally, Celestine let go of her chest, an opportunity Olga used to quickly create some distance between them and check her surroundings to see what the fuss was all about. Strangely enough, every single hypnotized civilian had stopped in their tracks, frozen in place like living statues.
“Did someone use an immobilizing spell?”
Using that kind of magic on such a large scale upon an entire population required a tremendous amount of mana and control. Only she would be capable of doing so with the proper staff and resources, and it was obvious that no one here was her level unless…
“Is that insect assisting us finally, Kaguya?” She tried to question the priestess but grew speechless when she discovered the latter had already fallen unconscious and was currently protected by Claudia.
Then it could not be her.
And given Celestine's reaction, it could not have been her either and neither was it Serafina.
Paying close attention, she discovered a strange wisp of purple fog and smoke starting to arise from people's mouths and a slight amount even coming out of herself and those around. The small wisps all gathered into a large cloud before they swiftly headed somewhere else.
Those from whom it left all fell to the floor, no different from puppets having their strings cut.
Olga recognized the fog itself and its origin, but was uncertain how the perpetrator who brought forth this disaster managed to get their hands on so much in the first place.
“Radomira?”
It was there, far in the distance within the lowest section of Feoh that a column of the same substance rose to the sky. And from that same place, a crimson light emerged flying right above the kingdom, passing close enough for Olga to experience a flashback of the moment Vault died.
The crimson projectile streaked overhead, warping reality in its wake. Olga instinctively ducked as it blazed past, the sheer power evoking memories of Vault's demise. The weapon tore through the air above them before slamming into the city walls with a thunderous crash that shook the very foundations of Feoh.
“—!”
A colossal inferno erupted, devouring everything in its path. Trees crumbled to ash, and the city walls cracked and crumbled under the intense heat. The destructive force left nothing but scorched earth in its wake.
Her eyes widened as realization struck. By some miraculous twist of fate, they had narrowly escaped obliteration. The Dark Elf queen let out a shaky breath, her usual composure momentarily shattered by their brush with death.
"Holy shit…" Maia muttered, summing up the collective sentiment of the group. "The fuck was that!?"
No amount of barriers could stop that projectile when even the doors to her throne room—crafted from some of the hardest material and reinforced with powerful spells, had failed to withstand that heat.
Her knees buckled, and she crumpled to the ground, drenched in sweat and overwhelmed by a wave of intense nausea. ‘W-We lived.’
What had happened down there to make him miss his target?
Were they even the target?
.
.
.
He had to destroy this kingdom for good. This was no longer a matter of a handful of individuals he could track down and kill one by one. Instead, it had spiraled into an uncontrollable frenzy of deranged people consumed by their lust, attacking anything that moved and raping them until their bodies gave out.
The smoke from the sewers spread at an alarming rate,threatening to engulf the entire area within minutes, if not less. There was no guarantee that a similar outbreak wasn’t unfolding elsewhere, and it might already be far too late to stop it.
‘At this point, this is no different to a small town overrun by an infestation of ghouls or apostles. A quick death would be akin to mercy for them.’
Aside from Prim, whom he had brought to safety, Archer had no idea what had become of the other Princess Knights. Had they managed to escape? Succumbed to the fog? Overwhelmed by the relentless tide? He couldn’t be certain. Either way, he had to focus on the immediate crisis. Stopping whatever the Beast was attempting to achieve took precedence—before it was too late.
He did not blame Radomira for any of this. He just hoped that after dropping her off at the Emerald Inn— where Alice, Anna, Grace, Bianca, and that old man Jint were staying— she would find some peace.
It had been far too long since he last wrote to Alice about the stressful matters lately. He only hoped she wouldn’t feel too bad now that she had a couple of people around to support her.
“Hah…”
With Caladbolg II brimming with magical energy, transformed from a renowned Noble Phantasm into a devastating projectile capable of leveling a vast area, he pulled it along his bow and aimed it for the center of Feoh.
A single attack would not suffice given there were also the underground tunnels. Still, he had the reserves to shoot a couple more in order to finish the job.
But right as he was about to unleash the Broken Phantasm, an enormous gust of wind swept through, carrying with it an extremely high concentration of aphrodisiac that assaulted his senses.
“Argh!”
A sudden gust of wind, laden with an intense aphrodisiac, slammed into Archer like a freight train. His focus shattered immediately, and he cursed under his breath as his grip on his bow slipped. The arrow rocketed skyward,veering wildly off its intended mark. It blazed across the sky in a fiery arc, soaring over the castle and streaking towards the distant edge of Feoh.
The projectile crashed into the distant city wall with a thunderous boom. A blinding flash erupted, followed by a massive shock wave that reverberated through the very foundations of Feoh. As the dust settled, a towering mushroom cloud rose ominously over the devastated section of the city.
But Archer did not pay any attention to that. His focus was entirely on the sudden assault on his body. Covering his mouth and nose with both hands, he coughed violently, struggling to catch his breath. A rising heat surged through him, threatening to overwhelm his senses, but he forced it back through sheer willpower.
He examined his surroundings, finding an unsettling amount of that aphrodisiac gathering unnaturally in one spot behind him. Like iron filings drawn to a magnet, it coalesced around Radomira, engulfing her completely.
“She lost control over powers again? No... this feels different. Why is it being attracted to her instead?” He said in between coughs. Slowly, he began to back away, hesitant to make any sudden moves. Uncertainty gripped him as he tried to discern what was happening to the child.
Before he could even call her name, a shadow shot forward at incredible speed. In the split second it took him to sense its presence, it was already in front of him. His thoughts shifted immediately, it wasn’t just extraordinary speed, it was pure teleportation.
“Damn it!”
The sheer force of the impact, combined with his precarious position, sent Archer sliding off the roof. Instinctively he tightened his grip on the person clinging onto him as his back hit the ground with a resounding thud, his armor hitting stone.
His mind raced with countless thoughts, but they were swiftly pushed aside as he focused on the figure before him. Her hands clung tightly around his waist, their grip so strong that, without his armor or reinforcement, they might have caused injury. Adding to his discomfort was the sharp pain of two horns digging into his skin as she buried her face against his chest.
“Radomira?” He called out her name, uncertain if this was truly the same person who stood behind him a couple of seconds ago.
“Sniff… don't leave me, papa… sniff… Please don't! I took everything back, so please stay with me! Waauuuuuuuuuh!”
The person cried, her voice muffled by the fabric of his clothes as she continued to hug him tightly. Yet, what struck him first wasn’t the sudden disappearance of the aphrodisiac cloud or even the eerie stillness that had settled over the area, with everyone affected now lying unconscious. But instead, it was the voice that spoke to him.
It didn’t sound like the voice of a young child, rather, deeper than usual, with an unfamiliar resonance. Yet, the more he listened, the more apparent it became that it was her after all.
The second change was her height. Even with just a quick glance, it was clear she was taller than everyone else, towering over all of the Princess Knights.
“What… happened?”
Finally, she lifted her face.
The person staring back at him was a strikingly beautiful woman, her curvaceous body accentuated by a generous pair of large breasts and flawless, alabaster skin that seemed to shimmer when reflected against light. Her once-purple hair had deepened to a rich magenta, cascading down in silky waves long enough to brush the ground.
Another eye-catching physical trait was the pair of large, black feathered wings on her back, now far grander and imposing than before.
Yet that very same beautiful image of a sensual beauty was instantly shattered when he saw the snot-filled face and puffy eyes streaming with tears continuously crying and begging him to not leave her.
He did not need to guess who she was, the realization alone made him feel even more lightheaded. His hand instinctively moved to her head, ruffling her hair. The familiar sensation beneath his fingers only reaffirmed what already knew.
“How did you end up like this, Radomira?”
“Uuuuuh!” She wailed, intensifying as she clung to him with a strength that rivaled even Maia’s, making every attempt to pry her off futile. “I promise I'll get better! I will never let anyone use my aphrodisiac again! Just don't… don't say that you will leave me like that… I won't be able to survive, papa. And please, I hated seeing that look on your face, it was so painful to watch!”
He could barely make out her incoherent words.
Hearing the raw vulnerability in her voice, Archer realized he had severely underestimated just how dependent the girl had become on him. He gently ruffled her hair, the same soothing gesture that had worked before and, according to Brynn, even helped ease her nightmares. “Alright, I promise! So just calm down and tell me why you suddenly look like this?”
It seemed that his gesture and question managed to momentarily bring her back under control, her tear-filled eyes meeting his with a flicker of confusion.
“E-Eh, what do you mean?” She said, completely oblivious to her physical change. “Urgh… I absorbed… too much… ”
The next moment, her eyes rolled back, and all strength drained from her limbs. He watched as Radomira fell onto his body, fully passed out — though her hand remained locked around his with an iron grip. What lingered in his mind, however, was the last part of her phrase. It drew his focus back to his surroundings, making him truly notice that even the fog within the distant areas had completely vanished.
“My head…” Archer's body, surprisingly, bore few physical wounds from the ordeal. Yet his mind felt like it had been put through a wringer. The concentrated aphrodisiac had nearly overwhelmed his senses, threatening to drown his rational thoughts in a sea of primal urges. Only through sheer force of will and the constant circulation of magical energy through his body had he managed to stay in control. Now, with the immediate danger passed, that hard-won mental fortitude began to crumble. Exhaustion surged over him in relentless waves, leaving him drained and foggy-headed. He struggled to keep his eyes open, fighting against the pull of fatigue that threatened to drag him into unconsciousness..
But he could not rest now, he still needed to find the one responsible for this mess… Beardsley had to be around — Archer could not let him escape.
“I will have to talk to Olga about this later and find Beardsley.”
That woman surely had an answer for this.
“That will no longer be an issue, Archer.” A voice spoke behind him, recognizing who it was, he was surprised to find Prim standing a few distance away with a handful of Knights behind her.
“We came as soon as we could. Though may I ask… who is this demon?”
…
-???-
Amidst the chaos, much of the kingdom lay in ruin, yet a few places managed to remain intact and well protected. Among those was the Pantielle household, a grand residence that had somehow escaped the destruction unscathed. However, the once-bustling estate was now eerily devoid of any life, as the maids had fled in fear of the calamity — Draco fully expected to find herself walking through its empty halls alone.
She paused at the grand hall’s threshold, taking a final, deliberate look at the silent space before turning to leave. Her gaze lingered for a moment longer, until her expression hardened, and she slowly turned her head, “Come out, I do not have time for this nonsense — face me, or die.”
Upon her command, several figures emerged from the darkness vested in robes, all bearing the same insignia as they kneeled before her. “Humu, this Emperor recognizes your presence. Now, speak.”
One of the men in the middle stepped forward, slowly pulling back the hood revealing a head completely covered in bandages and from whom she sensed a particularly familiar essence.
“Oh great goddess, I kneel before thee and ask for forgiveness for having failed to recognize your arrival back then. Even more so after handing your blessing down to worthless heathens like the Black Dogs. I shall accept any and all punishment for my sins.” He spoke reverently, which pleased her quite a bit. “You know what I am.”
“Indeed I do, our true goddess who has descended and answered our call. I, Shamuhaza, wished I had the luxury to have been the first one to welcome you to this world.” She remembered him, being the one who handed her over to Kin, he had not changed a bit. “The surrounding kingdoms have noticed the weakened state of Eostia, some of them have already begun to make their moves. It is only a matter of time before everything will be plunged into chaos and we can rebuild the world to your desire.”
He showed a wretched smile, bringing out his hand and showcasing a level of confidence she found intriguing. “The Insect God Cult kneels to your authority, whatever you desire we shall accomplish for a new world to be born.”
“The other kingdoms you mentioned, humph, let's see if they are all as rotten as this one.” From the moment she arrived in this world, she had not heard from them once but had a good understanding of them through Kin. “And about your cult, I remember you being good friends with Beardsley.”
Shamuhaza nodded his head, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes at the mention of that man's name. “At one point in time, yes. But now, he is of no use to us. We have received reports that he tried to escape recently through the tunnels but was captured by the remnants of the Holy Iris Chivalric Order led by Princess Knight Prim outside the gates.”
The Holy Iris Chivalric Order? From what she heard, this name belonged to a band of Knights Alicia used to be a part of and who now worked under her command. Said to be the purest Knights in the kingdom, she never had any interest in them.
Oh, a shame really. Despite acting outside her command and taking advantage of her name and ruining her little playground — he was still a useful piece. More so than the Pantielle household had shown themselves to be.
“Should we send our people to break him free?”
At that, Draco shook her head.
“As you mentioned, he has outlived his usefulness. Those who disobey my commands, especially one who has orchestrated such an incohesive blunder, is not worthy to be by my side. Let him be butchered like the pig he is. We have much to do.”
Now she found someone much more interesting to further her goals.
Comments
SsanghwaSilver
As much as I find the whole thing fascinating Celestine REALLY needs to come to her senses and calm down by a few dozen levels as a person or given how she is developing she will become a rabid animal that needs to be put down.
Ryujin Jaeger
Welp shit is going to hell in a hand basket. Wonder how Archer gonna get outta this situation. Also is he just gonna go full purge mode. So many questions. Guess we'll see soon enough
Hadrian v.E.
Radomira should surely be taking a different form of affection for her DADDY Archer now 😏.
NamelessGuardian
Well, I expected to see Archer acting like a Counter Guardian for the first time, what a shame. Though I can see why you didn't do that. the shit is still going to hit the fan, so let's see what will happen.
GameCrusher55
Once more a dark, but good story. I like how you had Radomira save Archer from making a terrible mistake and becoming the heroine who saved Fiore. What destination do you have Archer set for next, or does he still have to stay in Fiore for cleanup.
D D
I'm fairly certain that Radomira is genuinely a child. In this chapter, she even refers to herself as 'nothing but a weak child.'
Devyn Salvo
It's official Celestine is on her way to become a full Yandere and like all Yandere mindset "there can be only one"
Carlo
You would think they would teach Olga not to mess with yanderes in evil magic school. Seems important for the curriculum.
The_Flying_Wrench
Heh. That goddess is going to have a fit.
Benny
Wow I actually did think that Archer was gonna nuke the kingdom there for a moment but Radomira came in at the last moment to absorb her power to save the place. Had a feeling that her absorbing her essence would change her into her adult form before the line came about. Wonder if she was always an adult but her constant leak of her aphrodisiac power made her weak both in body and her mind and that she simple forgot who she once was? Also now that Radomira is an “adult” that she’s going to start calling Archer papa to “Daddy dearest” now lol Anyway great chapter and hope to see what comes next after this disaster.
