Welp, it’s definitely him.

Knight Carter, since you’re on screen, would you care to explain how you ended up pinned to a wall?

No.

N-no?

No.

Uh… Can you at least verify if it lined up with what actually took place, sir knight?

I refuse to take part in this farce.

Knight Carter answers plainly while still glaring at the devil. The atmosphere in the courtroom becomes incredibly awkward. Several people clear their throats and shift in their seats.

Seep! Dude, do you have a theory?

Well, we know Carter worked in the sewers. It’s not a stretch to assume he ran into some cult members and was captured. Heck, judging by his character, he may even follow the cult members to the hidden passage.

And the knives?

Somebody was probably a sadistic bastard.

The skinny man?

Who else?

Yeah, okay, I see it now. The skinny man runs his fingers along his knife with a wide grin. Eleanor and crew hide behind the rows of pillars, trying to assess the situation.

“You’re more resilient than you look, boy. Kekeke! But that’s good since it means we can keep playing, and playing. Just you and me and my little friends.”

“...Bastard… where is… bomb… where is…”

“Bombs, bombs, bombs! Is that all you can talk about, you naughty boy? Such barbaric things! Not like my friends here. No. My beautiful friends and the master’s ceremony. Yes! Ceremony! It’s going to be glorious! And you’ll get to see it all from the front-row seat… if you manage to live that long! Ke kekekeke!”

Eleanor can’t use her bombs, else risk killing Carter but she’s unconfident she can take on the skinny herald in a straightforward fight. Then she has an idea. She signals her men to keep their lips sealed no matter what happens. Eleanor manipulates her voice into one she heard earlier…

“...My Herald!...”

The tongue’s voice slips out of Eleanor’s lips and echoes the chamber.

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“Master?! This Saraf greets the master!”

“...Saraf, Jia Ju is dead. There is a betrayer in our ranks who revealed our plans to the Elders of this land…”

“That nasty hag is dead?! Then—”

“...Yes, they destroyed my Tongue. It takes me a great deal of effort to communicate with you now…”

“Those worthless scums! How dare they offend the master?! O great lord, please allow this Sudhir Saraf to seek vengeance in your name!”

“...No, my herald. You alone are too weak…”

“Then the others—”

“...We already lost too much tonight. I do not wish to lose more. Stop the ceremony and retreat for now. We shall live to fight another day…”

“But master…”

“...Do you deny my will, Saraf?...”

“No, lord! I do not dare! However… Why are you calling me a herald?”

Eleanor widens her eyes. At that moment, another figure emerges from the shadows and stabs at her! One of Eleanor’s four guards throws himself in front of the blade but that doesn’t stop the attack. The blade cuts past the man and tears into Eleanor’s flesh!

“My angel! Why you!”

A guard creates lava in his palms and throws it at the assailant. But it sinks back into the shadows and emerges behind the man, slicing his head off!

The shadow figure aims for the two remaining men, but Eleanor pulls them away and leaps on the shadow. The man stabs his sword at Eleanor again and again, but her body keeps reconnecting itself. She extends her arms and legs to wrap around the man and bites his throat. The man screams and flails around but Eleanor sticks with him like glue.

He turns himself into a shadow again, but this time Eleanor dissolves herself and follows him down. She becomes a corrosive mold that bites away at the living shadow. These two formless beings fight each other as Saraf engages the two remaining guards.

Carter who sees a bloody battle happening before his eyes grit his teeth and tries to pull himself free. Tears roll down his eyes but he stomachs through and pulls his right hand free. Saraf manages to kill one man so Carter works faster.

The boy frees himself and dashes at Saraf with a knife in hand. Saraf is about to kill the last guard, but Carter stabs him in the back, making him cry out in pain. But Saraf is still standing and is absolutely furious.

Saraf breaks the guard’s neck with his bare hands and jabs his hand at Carter. Suddenly veins burst out of the ground, binding the man in place. Carter, who sees an opening, grabs a knife and stabs it at Saraf’s heart. Carter pulls out the knife and jabs it into the man a few more times until he gives his last cry.

The vein releases Saraf, dropping him to the floor. Carter is in shock at his handiwork. He drops the knife and drops it on the ground, appearing like he wants to puke. But a hand pulls him back as a black sword slashes up from where Carter was standing.

The shadow man returns but his left arm is missing and half his face is burned off by acid. Carter looks back at the hand that saved him and sees a girl who also looks beaten up badly.

“E-Eleanor…?”

“Hey, kid. Fancy running into you here.”

“D-don’t call me a kid. You’re younger than me!”

“Haha… ha.”

Eleanor laughs dryly and collapses to the ground. She’s bleeding from every orifice and coughs uncontrollably.

“Damn… disease… this shit is getting… old…Cough!”

“Eleanor!? Eleanor, stay with me!”

The shadow man draws his sword and walks toward the teenagers. Eleanor pries her eyelids open, looking at the man and the boy who’s crying for her.

“Kid… Do you trust me?”

“I do, Eleanor! I do trust you! You saved my life once, remember!?”

“...Good… Cough! Cough! I’m going to give you… power… use it to get… out of here…”

Eleanor connects to Carter and gives him every ounce of mana she has left. She reaches her hand up to wipe his tears, but doing so leaves a red mark on his face.

“...Escape… live... for me… Bai…ley…”

Eleanor’s vision fades and the image turns black.