Brunaulf POV:

Percival and Leonard were inches away from reaching us when an explosion of Ki formed a powerful barrier that forced them all the way back to the large mansion.

Beatrix's memories were still entering my mind, but they no longer projected me into them. I felt her fingernails dig deep into my skin and quickly realized what the issue was.

'No, no, no!’

I forcefully blocked as many memories as I could. Her grip gradually loosened in response, and soon, she opened her eyes.

A tear rolled down her right cheek while her gaze met mine. There was a different understanding between us now.

“100% compatibility. This is the first time I have ever used this technique. It is also the first time the urges have stopped.”

The Madness roared as it spiralled into the air, invigorated by Beatrix. My Ki rose even closer towards Monzen, and the limited resource within me expanded heavily as my ability evolved even further.

‘Seriously?’

I gazed at Beatrix, who experienced a similar growth. Tendrils of Torment took on a dark purpley blue colour as they shot high up into the air.

“...Hey, hey! Percival, are you seeing this right now? How is this possible?”

“Synchronization... Of abilities no less...”

Leonard smashed his gauntlets against the barrier in a frenzy but failed to break through.

“That should be impossible. Countless people have trained their whole lives together and still couldn’t achieve Perfect Synchronization.”

“...Indeed, it is exceedingly rare. Her ability must have helped with the process, but the two of them...”

Percival’s eyes narrowed as he watched us carefully.

“They are too compatible.”

I ignored the rest of their conversation as the Madness shifted towards my interlocked hand. It met Beatrix’s Torment as the tendrils wrapped around her had taken on a more refined form of my own technique: Chaos II.

“We will not lose.”

She let go of my hand as she clenched her tormented-empowered fists, raising her Ki to the limit. The Madness pushed me to accept who I am.

I crossed my arms and bent my fingers as I used up all of the madness I had left. It wrapped around me, taking on a new form. Two large slanted ears popped out of my head, a nose slightly extended outwards as retractable claws formed on top of the madness covering my fingers.

The strands intertwined even tighter together, bolstering my physical abilities to the Monzen stage. The visor-like layer over my eyes peeled away as the Madness glazed over them. I arched my back and roared into the night sky as a full moon shone down on the battlefield.

“Madness: Wolf.”

The barrier of Ki shattered away as Beatrix, and I walked up towards our opponents slowly. Percival’s face contorted, immediately drawing out his shortsword.

He bent his fingers over the end of the blade and slowly moved them to the top in a ripping motion. Powerful flames instantly swirled around the blade as we locked eyes.

“Leonard, fight seriously or you’ll die.”

“...I know.”

Beatrix appeared behind Leonard before he could react and grabbed his neck.

“Brunaulf, don't take too long.”

She flung him with such force the earth shattered beneath her feet as Leonard crashed through the reinforced walls. She chased after him leaving me to deal with Percival.

“I acknowledge your skill.”

His hand flashed forward as an arc of fire travelled along the ground at an incredible speed. It reached high into the sky, and I raised my guard to block the incoming strike.

‘Something feels off. There’s something else mixed in...? No. His Elemental Ki is covering something else. Is it his ability?’

I pondered over what this ‘off’ feeling could be as it struck my guard. It cut through the dozens of intertwined madness and pushed me back.

“...”

Percival’s hand continued to leave afterimages as powerful arcs of fire shot towards me with little interval in between. Despite my physical abilities reaching low Monzen, Percival was still able to cut through my defence, albeit not completely.

I kicked off the ground, darting in a zigzag manner. Percival's aim was slightly off as he tried to match my speed—it didn’t take long before the distance between us closed.

“Kehehe~”

My fist blitzed forward as his sword flashed. We traded blows yet again as the madness roared within me. Tendrils shot out from my back, forming large fists that rained down on Percival.

“If only you weren’t so corrupt, fighting against you would be enjoyable.”

His speed increased even further, decreasing the advantage I had previously held over him. The flames coiled around his sword exploded after every swing.

The tendrils separated from my Wolf form, spreading out across the battlefield once more. They assaulted him from different angles as his Ki Armour cracked little by little.

“Kehehe~ You really like to judge people without knowing anything.”

He spun inside as his blade slashed through my chest, pushing me backwards. The strands of madness instantly sealed the opening while I propelled myself forward.

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“Then tell me, Mad Wolf. Why are you here?”

I dodged his sword and smashed my foot against his cheek. He crashed down in front of the mansion, rolling to the side as my fist imprinted itself into the ground next to him.

“I’m here to take my sister back home.”

His face stiffened as my fist crashed against a powerful wall of air. I watched his eyebrows furrow deeply while he clenched his teeth, and his piercing blue eyes locked onto me.

“Explain your words clearly. Are you implying that your sister is being held hostage here against her will?”

I lowered my fist as I gazed into his eyes that burned with justice.

“Right. I’m only here to take her back from that twisted Baron.”

The Madness wrapped around me rescinded. It replenished some of the empty resource while I stood face to face with Percival. He walked past me silently, his fists shaking.

“Go. I will handle Leonard.”

I observed his shoulders rise as a torrent of Ki erupted high into the sky. The flames coiled around his sword flared to a frightening degree while the ground beneath him shattered.

“How dare they...!”

‘...So there are people like him too.’

I darted inside the mansion without looking back.

***

A maid with chestnut hair stood in the middle of the entrance hall. She walked around in circles before finally noticing that I was there.

“Where is my sister?”

My Ki flared as she instinctively jumped back. Her eyebrows curved upwards while she looked at me like a monster, afraid of what I might do to her.

“Wait, Brunaulf.”

Beatrix appeared by my side as the strands of torment slowly eroded away. Percival was dealing with Leonard, which allowed her to join me inside.

“I will lead you to the basement. Once there, the rest is up to you.”

I glanced at Beatrix briefly. A strange feeling fluttered in my chest while I observed her soft lips. I shook my head and banished the feeling instantly.

“Christina, follow me.”

The maid nodded her head while getting to her feet. I didn’t expect Beatrix to know someone on the inside. If she had that kind of information, she surely would have told me beforehand.

‘A coincidence.’

I settled with that conclusion as we darted down the hallway. The maid constantly shifted her gaze between Beatrix and me while we ran at a pace she could keep up with.

“Umm... Beatrix, is he your boyfriend?”

Beatrix remained silent. I had no interest in their conversation, so I focused on what was left for me to do. We turned a few more corners before she opened her mouth again.

“He... is a friend.”

She dashed ahead as I barely made out the corners of her lips rising. Christina ran next to me while we neared the end of the hallway.

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Beatrix call anyone a friend before.”

“What about Nana? Or Roy?”

I raised my eyebrow slightly. The people at the Kassmeyer Mansion all seemed to hold a deep bond with Beatrix.

“Different. To Beatrix, they are more like family. A-Anyway, you scared me at first, but seeing how Beatrix acts around you, you must be quite special.”

“There’s nothing special about me. Let’s hurry up.”

Christina pouted as Beatrix kicked down a wall, revealing a hidden door. She locked eyes with me as I slowed down.

“Brunaulf—”

“Thank you, Beatrix.”

Her thin lips rose while I placed my hand on the door. No more words needed to be said between us. I manipulated the air, blasting the door wide open and jumped down inside.

My brown coat fluttered as I landed on the ground. Torches lined the basement, creating an area similar to that of a dungeon.

I expanded the range of my senses while navigating through the underground tunnels. The cells held all kinds of grotesque beings that led me to believe that Enigma was carrying out secret experiments over on this side too.

The air around me became more streamlined, increasing my speed as I turned the corner. I could sense two people up ahead, sectioned off from the rest of the experiments.

The tunnel became even wider by the time I reached the first presence I sensed. A man, up in age, walked back and forth with his hands on his head in a daze. Saliva dripped from his mouth as his bloodshot eyes darted around constantly.

He mumbled inaudible words before nibbling on his finger. Despite his haggard facial appearance, he was well-dressed, and his body seemed to be well-trained.

“...Damn Percival....”

I approached him slowly, turning his incessant rambling into understandable words. He broke out of his gaze and glared at me.

“Who the hell are you?! How did you get down here?!”

He screeched at me while he bent his head to the side. I stopped walking and looked at the state of the man before.

Percival’s presence here had stopped him from being able to harm my sister as much as he would like. I had no choice but to give him my sincere thanks once I returned to the surface.

“Oh... I get it now. You’re with that girl with the huge breasts... So what do you want? Money? Information? We can make a deal... There’s no need to stay down here...”

I clenched my shaking fists as the culmination of rage built up over the past few weeks caused my blood to boil. My eyebrows dropped down to the top of my eyes, veins bulging on the side of my head as I stood in front of the man responsible for abusing my sister.

He rubbed his hands together as he tried to walk past me meekly. The muscles around my arm expanded, shooting forward as my fingers coiled around his neck.

“Heok! W-wait... M-money... I-I... Have it...”

I watched the air squeeze out of his body as his pupils bulged from the pressure I placed on him. He tried to use what little Ki he could to resist me, but I smashed his head against the stone floor.

“Madness.”

My ability sprouted from my back, spreading out across the area. Strands attached themselves to either side of the wall, creating a network of webs.

Tendrils sprouted up from the earth, sealing off the exit as I hurled his body towards it. He crashed into it and flopped to the ground.

“Keuk... Mercy... P-please... Is... Are they unhappy with me?... What have I done wrong...? I will fix it... Please... M-mercy...”

He rambled to himself while struggling to get to his feet. The confidence in his eyes was torn away once he saw the sick strands of madness before him.

“Madness: Distortion.”

My Ki spread out, blanketing the area in darkness—putting out the torches lined up along the wall. The strands of madness shone a darker shade of red as the man stumbled forward disorientated.

He screamed while trying to break out of the area, tripping over his own feet in the process. Tendrils shot forward, whipping him and searing off his skin layer by layer, torturing him from every angle as the corner of my lips reached my eyes.

After ten minutes, the darkness faded.

The Baron stood before me, bloody and battered as he dropped to his knees. I bent down, lifting him up by his neck and glared at him.

“Madness: Chaotic Slumber.”

The network of strands crashed to the ground in an instant. They squirmed while rushing towards me, forming four large spider-like legs that conjoined together. The madness shaped itself into a large, grotesque face that cast a shadow over the Baron.

“N-no... no... NO...! NO!! HAVE MERCY!”

He squealed like the pig that he was as his eyes rolled back in his head. The giant face opened its mouth; its tongue stretching out and slapping the Baron repeatedly, forcing his consciousness to return.

“Experience true madness.”

My voice was ice cold as the Baron soiled his pants. Blood poured out of his eyes while the face gradually moved closer. He shrieked and screamed as a tendril shot forward, sealing his mouth in the process.

“No one will hear you. No one will save you. Enter a dream where your life will be an inescapable hell.”

My eyes curved upwards as a sadistic smile spread across my face while he looked down at me with terror.

“Kehehe~ Goodnight. You won’t be sleeping well.”

He screamed as the grotesque face swallowed him whole. It passed through his whole body, causing the Baron to convulse intensely. His bones shattered around his limbs, and the madness vomited him out against the wall.

His head slumped forward; his eyes completely white and his face ghastly pale. A mental attack that can only be resisted if one can withstand the madness injected directly into them.

I peered down at the man as the madness consoled me by rubbing my cheek. My smile vanished, and my ability deactivated.

I walked down the tunnel with peace of mind, knowing that right now, the Baron had brutally died at least five times over.

I reached the door, where I sensed a person faintly breathing. I took a deep breath and opened it slowly.

A person hung from the wall, chains attached to her arms and legs. Dried blood splattered the ground below as various torture tools were laid out on a large wooden table.

Her clothes had been almost completely ripped down the middle. Bruises and scars were present everywhere along her exposed skin.

She heard the sound of the door opening and lifted her head up slowly. Her eyes met mine, and her whole body shook as tears poured down her face.

“...B-Brother...?”