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Above me stood a titanic figure. He was tall, tall enough to hold me in his hand. He was covered head to toe in shrouding layers of rusted lamellar armor, fastened by a great belt he wore around his waist. Behind his back, flagpoles impaled into his skin waved with the standard of the Khanate. A horned helmet with a black mask stared at me. In his hand, a great blade made of Aquamarine was held effortlessly.
'YOU.'
[HEUS] "WELCOME TO THE AFTERSEAS. HORSE. WELCOME TO MY INFERNAL KINGDOM..."
I raised my claw, ready to dig my own heart out and escape by faking my death in an instant.
[???] "ᴴᵉˡᵖ ᵘˢᵎ"
And... I... I hesitated.
Majordomo and Joco were suddenly gone in my head, like they never were there in the first place.
I looked up...
Between the three fingers of the left hand, I saw...
Souls.
Souls of my men. My soldiers. Souls of some that had been lost during the mission to Scheiracht's castle.
[HEUS] "HOLD THERE NOW, HORSE. YOU PLAN ON LEAVING SO SOON...? YOU PLAN ON... ABANDONING YOUR FAITHFUL TO ME...?"
[TZEL] "ᴳᵒᵈᵈᵉˢˢ... ʰ-ʰᵉˡᵖ... ʰᵉˡᵖ ᵐᵉ... ʰᵉˡᵖ ᵐᵉ... ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ..."
[MASH'CHETET] "ᴹʸ ˢᵏᶦn... ᵐʸ ˢᵏᶦnᵎ ᴹʸ ˢᴷᴵᴺᵎ ᴹʸ ˢᴷᴵᴺᵎ ᴹʸ ˢᴷᴵᴺᵎ ᴹʸ ˢᴷᴵᴺᵎ"
[SIQARIYIM] "ᴾˡᵉᵃˢᵉ... ᵐᵐᵐᵐᵃᵏᵉ ᶦᵗ ˢᵗᵒᵖ.... ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ᶦᵗ ˢᵗᵒᵒᵒᵖᵖ..... ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵃᶦn... ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵃᶦn....ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ... nᵒ ᵐᵒʳᵉ... nᵒ ᵐᵒʳᵉ...."
I gasped.
[HEUS] "IS THE GODDESS OF THE PSYOPS GOING TO RUN LIKE A COWARD AND LEAVE THOSE WHO SWORE EVERYTHING TO HER... DOWN HERE WITH ME? DOWN HERE... WHERE I WILL RAPE THESE SOULS FOR ETERNITY... IN NOTHING BUT BLOOD BLISTERING ANGUISH?"
I reached my hand out.
The Dark Lord closed his, and now the souls of my soldiers were out of sight.
He ran the three fingers across the sword of Aquamarine he held, cutting himself, yet showing no reaction.
[HEUS] "IF YOU WANT THEM... WHY NOT COME OVER HERE AND TAKE THEM BACK? AND AS FOR YOU..."
The Dark Lord's vision turned to Ghole, who was writhing on the deck. He laughed as he pointed his middle finger at the Guide of the Dead.
[HEUS] "YOU THINK YOU'VE KNOWN THE MAXIMUM OF PUNISHMENT I CAN DISH OUT? YOU DOUBT MY ABILITY TO MAKE THE SOUL SCREECH IN ANEW AGONY? THERE IS NO END TO THE NEW EXPERIENCES I CAN SHOW ONE... FOR THIS TREACHERY, FOR HELPING THOSE AGAINST ME... LET US SEE HOW YOU LIKE TO PART WITH YOUR TONGUE NOW."
[GHOLE] "No! ...No! Stay way from me! You've done enough to me!"
[HEUS] "YOUR VOICE IS MINE."
