Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"I-I see...sounds like the training was quite productive," Remarked Bishop Malachite with a strained smile, while thinking to himself, "Shit! Damn it! This is really bad! What the hell am I supposed to do!?"

"Yes, Father, the Knights gave us a lot of useful advice."

"Indeed, it was interesting to see their perspective, they helped identify areas of weakness in our abilities and instructed us on how to correct them."

"Thanks to their instruction, we can grow stronger and more competent, and therefore become more useful to you, Father Malachite."

It was the 5th of November, 1918, and the Inquisitors had returned to Malachite Town following their training in the Capital. And Bishop Morn Malachite was less than pleased with what had transpired there...

"That's, uh, that's very encouraging, I look forward to seeing the results of this training," Nodded the Bishop, before adding with a tense smile, "So, about this letter addressed to me...why exactly did the Commander send it?"

"Hm? Oh, she didn't tell us, she simply asked us to deliver it to you."

"Is something wrong, Father? Is there an issue in the contents of the letter?"

"N-no, nothing like that, I was just, uh...I was just curious why the Commander of the Knight Order would write to a lowly Bishop such as myself," He replied as he did his best to maintain a calm front, as he thought to himself, "This is really bad! Why? Why the hell is the Commander requesting an audience with me!? No matter how I slice it, there's only one plausible explanation...it must be regarding the girl, Ravella. She must have roused the Commander's suspicion. Damn it...!"

"Are you alright, Father? You seem a bit on edge."

"O-oh, yes, I'm fine, just feeling a little under the weather, that's all. Excuse me, I'll be retiring to my quarters to get some rest," He responded, briefly glancing at Ravella before turning around and walking away with a grimace.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I hope you feel better soon."

"Rest easy and focus on recovering, Father, you can count on us to keep the church safe while you rest."

The Bishop made his way to the back of the church, towards his room, before opening the door as he reached it and entered the room, shutting the door behind him.

He then marched over to his bed, picked up a pillow and let out a furious, frustrated yell into it as he pressed it against his face, the pillow muffling his yell before he flung it at the wall with all his strength, trembling with anger.

"Damn it! If only I'd known about the Knights' plans for this training beforehand, I could've hidden Ravella and had her skip it entirely! But those bastards, they blindsided me with it at the last minute, so I didn't have the chance to hide her! Still, I thought it would be okay, I instructed her to keep to herself, hold back and avoid standing out...but then I got nervous that she might end up standing out anyway if she seemed too emotionless and unremarkable, so I added a command to readily follow the instructions given by the Knights during the training sessions.

My intention was to make her seem like a perfectly average and ordinary Inquisitor...but then the Commander decided to hold one-on-one sparring sessions, and just my luck, she happened to spar against Ravella. To make matters worse, she instructed her to go all out, and the conversed with her afterwards...and given how creepy and emotionless she comes off as, it's only natural that the Commander's suspicions would've been aroused. No matter what commands I give her, I can't change the blank, emotionless tone she speaks with, it'd be stranger if the Commander didn't find her suspicious!

Maybe I should have commanded her to hold back no matter what...no, a skilled Knight like the Commander likely would've been able to tell, and if that had happened, it would have been even more suspicious.

Damn it, how the hell was I supposed to know that she'd hold one-on-one sparring sessions!? I suppose I should consider it lucky that she didn't ask Ravella to unleash her Aura, that would have been absolutely damning. Shit! There's no way I can get out of meeting with the Commander, I might be able to delay it, but the more I put it off, the more suspicious it'll seem. What the hell am I supposed to do!? What can I do!? Shit...could this day get any worse!?" Seethed the Bishop, as he paced around the room anxiously, blissfully unaware of the fact that his day was indeed about to get a whole lot worse.

Meanwhile, by the Knight outpost in the town...

"Whew, glad that's over! It's absolutely sweltering out there today, I feel like I've lost half my weight in sweat!"

"Welcome back, Vice-Captain. Anything out of the ordinary during your patrol?"

"Nope, didn't run into any issues out there, but it's like a oven out there," Came the response, as he wiped his face with a towel.

Jacks Aldi, the Vice-Captain of the Second Squad, and the man in charge of the Knight outpost in Malachite Town. He was the nephew of the current head of the House of Aldi, Countess Vivian Aldi, who resided in the Capital.

He was in his early-thirties, with medium-length, spiky, dark silver hair, dark pink eyes, a fair complexion, and was on the tall side with an agile build.

"Looks like it's my turn to go on patrol now...I'm really dreading having to walk around in this heat though," Spoke up one of the other Knights, stretching his arms up.

One of the few Commoners in the Knight Order, Dox Sordes, he was a Second-Class Knight despite possessing abilities comparable to a First-Class Knight. He had Noble blood running through his veins, he was in his early-thirties with short, curly, dark orange hair, light yellow eyes, a fair complexion, and was slightly taller than the Vice-Captain, with a strong, sturdy build.

"Wow, you're usually so driven and a bit of a workaholic, it's strange to hear you say something like that," Chuckled the Vice-Captain in response.

"Meanwhile, I didn't utter so much as a word of complaint during my patrol," Smirked another of the Knights with a smug, triumphant look on his face.

A First-Class Knight of the Second Squad, Diar Malachite, the son of the Noble in charge of Malachite Town, Viscount Witt Malachite, as well as the nephew of Bishop Morn Malachite.

He was in his mid-thirties, with medium-length, straight black hair tied up in a short, tight ponytail, his eyes were are gradient mix of black and blue, he had a light brown complexion, and was tall with a muscular build.

He was earnest and hard-working, which made him competitive against Dox, the pair constantly trying to one-up each other in a friendly rivalry.

"That's not a fair comparison, your patrol was in the morning, when it's nice and cool, while I have to patrol in the middle of the afternoon, the hottest time of day," Frowned Dox defensively.

"Hm? What was that? Could've just been my imagination, but that sounded like a, dare I say it...an excuse?" Responded Diar tauntingly.

"Alright, knock it off, you two," Sighed Jacks in exasperation.

"Yes, Vice-Captain."

"Just so long as we're clear that he started it."

"Come on, you sound like a child, don't-...," Began the Vice-Captain, before trailing off as the sound of footsteps approaching the entrance echoed out.

A man with black hair and glasses stepped in through the doorway, a somber look on his face as he bowed his head to the Knights...

"Please, I need you help...I need to get to Amber Village immediately, I...I just got a call from the clinic there, my mother is gravely ill and I need to get her to a better hospital immediately. Please, I beg of you...teleport me there, I'll...I'll do anything. I'll give you everything...it's not much, but you can have everything I own, just please, help me save my mother, I-...!" Pleaded the man.

"H-hey, calm down. Please, lift your head...there's no need for any of that, we'll be more than happy to help. You don't have to give us anything. I'll have our Teleporter take you to Amber Village, and then transport you and your mother somewhere with a better hospital. Hm...there's a hospital run by a high level Recovery Mage in Sapphire City, that should do," Mused Jacks, before glancing back as a Knight in the back of the building came jogging over, "Ah, good, looks like you heard all that. I'll leave it to you, Port, make sure this young man gets to his mother, and then get them to Sapphire City safely."

"Got it, you can count on me, Vice-Captain," Nodded the Teleporter, as he began to approach the man.

"Thank you so much, I won't forget this kindness...in fact, I actually kinda feel bad about this now," He remarked, before he suddenly shot forward with immense speed, slamming his palm onto the Teleporter's stomach, who let out a sharp, wheezing gasp before losing consciousness as his eyes rolled back in his head, his body going limp.

"What the-...!?" Blurted out Jacks, before starting to reach for his weapons as the man swiftly took out a Spell Card from his pocket and pointed it straight behind him.

He then vanished along with the Teleporter, disappearing before any of the Knights could react.

"What...what just happened?"

"Tch, isn't it obvious? We were attacked!"

"Damn it, they got Port...quick, contact one of the other outposts, request backup immediately-...!" Began Jacks urgently.

"Oh, don't bother with that, it's no use," Suddenly came the man's voice from the doorway, the Knights quickly turning around to see him leaning against the doorframe.

"You bastard, you tricked us...what did you do to Port!?" Snapped Diar, before firing out a blast of light at the man, his eyes widening in surprise as the man swiftly raised his right hand, the light blast seemingly colliding against an invisible wall and dispersing before it could reach him.

"Relax, he's fine...I just knocked him out and hid him somewhere, that's all," Came the response.

"What the-...hey, we have a problem, Vice-Captain! The phones aren't working!"

"Damn it...I see, you cut the town's phone lines," Realized Jacks with a grimace, before adding, "Just who the hell are you?"

"Ah, right, I suppose I should introduce myself," Replied the man, before reaching up towards his hair and giving it a pull.

"A wig?" Frowned Dox, as the man revealed a head a flowing white hair with a couple of black stripes down the front.

"I recognize you, you're one of The Irregulars," Remarked Diar warily.

"Indeed I am...Aster Stark of The Irregulars, a pleasure," He introduced himself with a smile as he bowed slightly, before springing back as Diar shot towards him, his right fist glowing as he leapt towards Aster and drove it forward.

Aster swiftly put up a telekinetic wall in front of himself, Diar's fist slamming onto the wall with a sharp flash of light upon impact, cracks spreading out across the wall before it shattered as Dox shot forward with a spear in hand and thrust it at the cracked spot on the wall with immense force, breaking through it as Aster swiftly backed away, springing out of the building and stepping onto the street.

"Evacuate the area, everyone, it's not safe here!" Jacks yelled out to the civilians in the area.

"Why are you here!? Have you come to kill my father!?" Exclaimed Diar, clenching his fists as the people around the area quickly ran away.

"Hm? Ohh, right, you're the son of the Viscount in charge of this town. No, he's not one of our targets...I mean, yeah, he's a lazy, neglectful slob who barely fulfills his duties in taking care of this town, but he doesn't discriminate against Commoners, so we have no reason to kill him," Responded Aster with a shrug.

Diar's father, Viscount Witt Malachite, was an alcoholic and drug addict who spent most of his time getting wasted in bars and neglected his duties in running Malachite Town.

While frequenting the bars in the town, he'd formed friendly relationships with several Commoners and got along with them well.

Diar was as driven and hard-working as he is because he didn't want to end up like his father, despite admiring the way he got along with the townspeople and didn't discriminate against them just because they were of a lower social class.

"I see, then it really is true, The Irregulars only kill people who oppress and discriminate against Commoners. But then, why is he here in Malachite Town, if not to target Viscount Malachite?" Wondered Jacks, before addressing Aster, "Tell me, why are you here? What's your objective in this town? Are we your targets instead?"

"Hm, they're not attacking, looks like they trying to get some info out of me first...but that works in my favor. After all, my role here today is to buy time, so the longer I keep them talking, the better," Aster thought to himself, before responding, "Oh, no, none of you are targets. You've done a lot of good for this place, the corruption in this town as far as the Nobility is concerned is pretty low, and ordinarily, Malachite Town would've been close to the bottom on our list of targets. But after observing this place over the last year and a half or so, I noticed something...the Bishop in charge of the church here, he's not the righteous, upstanding individual that he seems like at first glance."

"What? The hell are you talking about? My uncle has worked tirelessly to make up for my father's negligence, his efforts are the main reason why Malachite Town has thrived!" Shot back Diar.

"Yeah, he's done well to maintain that image...but it's a lie, nothing but a front. After observing the church here, I came to the conclusion that there's a high possibility that he's been using an Ancient Magic Artifact to brainwash the Inquisitors and control them," Aster informed him, before thinking to himself, "In all likelihood, Raven's sister is here, she's likely under Bishop Malachite's control. I didn't tell Raven that, because he'd definitely have wanted to come here if I did, and I doubt he'd be able to maintain his composure, only Tacitus and I know about the possibility that his sister is in this town.

Plus, I could be wrong, there is a chance that she isn't here, we couldn't observe the church too closely since we'd be at risk of being noticed, but even from a distance, it was evident that there was something off about the Inquisitors in this place...that said, there's no guarantee that Raven's sister is here, it's not impossible that there are at least one or two other church leaders doing the same thing as Bishop Malachite. No point in getting the kid's hopes up only to disappoint him, after all."

"I...I refuse to believe that, it can't be true, it just can't! And I will not let you kill my uncle!" Snapped Diar, as he fired off a barrage of piercing light arrows at Aster, who formed another telekinetic wall in front of himself to block the incoming projectiles, before glancing around as Jacks and Dox surrounded him on either side.

"Alright, looks like we're done talking here. I will say this, I have no intention of killing any of the three of you, let's just make that clear...but don't think that'll give you an advantage. Because, frankly, you don't stand a chance of defeating me," Smirked Aster, as he drew out his twin blades...

Meanwhile, in the church...

"Okay, I've calmed down...no point in getting heated over what's done. I need to clear my head and think of a way to deceive the Commander, I just need to act like I've got nothing to hide and try to bullshit my way out of-...," Bishop Malachite thought to himself as he stepped out of his room and strolled out to the middle of the church, before his train of thought was cut off as he spotted a figure stepped through the entrance, walking into the building.

"Good afternoon, Bishop Malachite," He greeted the Bishop.

"Hm? He looks familiar, have I seen him somewhere before?" Frowned the Bishop uncertainly, before putting on a smile and responding, "Yes, good afternoon...how may I help you?"

"My name is Tacitus Drake, and to answer your question...you could help me a great deal by dying right here and now," Came the response, before he suddenly shot towards the Bishop, whose eyes widened in alarm as he stumbled back in fear.

Tacitus manifested Berserk, his Relic Armament, from his Storage Ring, raising the large sword up as he closed in on the Bishop, before a hooded figure rapidly swooped down from the rafters, landing in between Tacitus and the Bishop, drawing out a pair of daggers and coating them in lightning.

"Stay behind me, Father, I'll protect y-...!"

"You're in the way," Interrupted Tacitus, swinging his sword down with immense force, hitting the top of the Inquisitor's head before the large blade sliced down through his body, tearing him vertically in half, as several more Inquisitors zipped down and landed around Tacitus, surrounding him.

"What the...? I can't use my Magic!" One of them cried out in surprise, a thud echoing out as the body of the Inquisitor who'd been cut in half hit the floor, blood gushing out of the two halves of his body and pooling around the floor.

"What's going on!?"

"Kill him! Do whatever it takes to kill him, even at the cost of your lives!" Exclaimed Bishop Malachite, as he backed away in a panic.

"Of course, Father...we shall protect you no matter the cost!"

"We would gladly give our lives for you sake!"

"That all but confirms it, you really have brainwashed them...seems we were right. And that means you're the one who attacked us back then...you're going to pay for what you did to our hideout," Stated Tacitus icily, before he shot towards one of the Inquisitors and swung his sword across, slicing her head off before she could react.

"Damn it! Without their Magic, they don't stand a chance against him! Where the hell is Ravella!? She might be able to hold her own, at least, but I don't see her here!" Bishop Malachite thought to himself frantically as he desperately wracked his brain for a way out, while Tacitus proceeded to effortlessly mow down the Inquisitors surrounding him.

The front entrance was the only way out of the church, the windows were too high to reach without the use of a ladder, and there weren't any other exits. In other words, he was trapped, he couldn't reach the front entrance with Tacitus in the way, and there were no other ways out.

Meanwhile, Tacitus had already cut down about half the Inquisitors in the church. Without their Magic and only their weapons to rely on, they were helpless against his quick and brutally powerful attacks.

As an Inquisitor sprang up behind him with a sharp metal spike in hand, he swiftly spun around and whipped his sword across, slicing the Inquisitor's stomach open before slamming his foot onto the injury as blood gushed out of it and kicking him away, before turning his gaze to the right as a whip came slicing through the air towards him.

He swiftly ducked under the swing of the whip, before it got pulled back as it zipped past the top of his head.

"Where the hell were you!?" Snapped Bishop Malachite.

"I was using the bathroom," Came a blank response.

"A whip, blonde hair and that emotionless tone...it has to be her," Realized Tacitus, as he turned his attention towards the Inquisitor, "There you are...I've been looking for you, it's nice to finally meet you, Ravella Kyzer."