The Crimson Magister

All that stood before her were ordinary humans, some terrified, some resolute in the face of their demise, using their zeal as a shield, but it did not matter. All of them were reduced to ashes as they approached the unleashed form of Aqua.

"Why does every world have these kinds of fanatics? They would throw their life away for nothing." She mused as she casually walked down the corridor.

It wasn't long until she reached another steel vault door, this time enchanted to not easily be broken, strong enough that even a mountain falling on it wouldn't as much as dent it.

'And yet it does not matter to me...' She placed her hand onto the vault door, its enchants attempting to hold back her power. Alas, it was not enough. One by one, protections broke as the vault door melted into a puddle of orange liquid.

As she stepped through, multiple humans waited for her, armed to the teeth and ready to throw their lives away for a useless cause.

"Just hand over the girl and you will be spared" She spoke, her voice carrying the power of the divine themselves, and yet these people were only startled.

They had no fear of the divine, after all, they lived under the protection of their God-King who made sure no divinity ever influenced this kingdom.

'Perhaps they feel like they will survive this.' Aqua scoffed at their bravery, she took a step closer before stopping, mere steps away from the enemy, guards holding their blades at the ready.

Aqua could see fanaticism in their eyes, their lives meant nothing as long as they died in service of the God King.

She had seen such fanaticism and zeal before, and it did not stir good memories. They believed that everything they did was in service of their God and for that end, fear was not an option.

It disgusted her, they should be valuing their lives more, and not devoting them to a cause that would see them die meaningless deaths.

Alas, it did not matter, with each of her steps more and more of them combusted before being reduced to ash, and walls burned and melted as she approached what looked like a stairway that led both up and down.

The upper floor was of no concern for her, Sheira was on the bottom floor and she would rescue her at once and nobody would stop her.

Guards never had a chance to charge at her as they combusted, allowing her free passage. Guards stationed to guard their prized prey were nowhere near enough, Aqua could tell these men were trained decently well but they were common grunts compared to Rolan or even the two disciples she trapped.

As she made her way down she was greeted by soldiers covered by black haze, and a multitude of people carrying a chain of divine, and yet this chain did not lead upwards like usual but instead it circled them.

Aqua gazed carefully at the chains 'Perhaps due to the source being God King.' She shook her head as she approached terrified people.

These men were afraid, they were not expecting someone to so easily get here. Even if they were blessed they showed more fear than those without such a crutch.

"Why do you fear, Is it because you have more to lose? Or is your faith in your so-called God King just a sham!" She shouted, her voice echoing, threatening to shatter sturdy stone walls.

Alas instead of her making them quake in fear, her insult towards the God-king just rallied them together, renewing their vigor. "For fucks sake, why are you so eager to throw your life away?!" Aqua placed her hand on her face as she saw these humans desperately casting spells of protection as they formed a wall.

"We do not know who you are, monster. Or how you got here. But insulting God King is a sin worthy of painful death!" One man spoke, his armor was more ornate, a captain perhaps.

Alas, it did not matter, they were an obstacle 'Fanatics...' Aqua sighed as she flicked her wrist, making the entire room erupt in flames, drowning their screams as they were reduced to ash, leaving only charred room behind as she finally entered the room where Sheira was held.

So much life has been taken by her hand since she arrived in this kingdom, it always weighed heavily on her, and yet, they were servants of cruel divinity. Same as servants of the Supreme Deity of her world, they deserved no mercy.

After all, divinity was always the same. Cruel, uncaring, arrogant, and deserving of annihilation, both them and their loyal servants.

If one served divinity with their own free will they were guilty. And Aqua herself would deliver punishment she deemed appropriate.

When she first arrived in this world, at least the god that granted Azure's blessing seemed benevolent, something she had a hard time believing, and yet 'These gods seem to have the same capacity for cruelty.' Aqua sighed, once again rationalizing her hatred for the divine order.

While she was divine at this point she knew she would not fall into the same trap, she would not be one of those parasites. While their cruelty was their very nature, Aqua's cruelty was born of necessity.

But what else would willing servants of divinity deserve other than the very same cruelty they inflicted upon the world?

With a quickened stride she kicked in the final door leaving only splinters behind, unlike previous doors this one was an ordinary wooden door, but beautifully designed anyway, revealing a lab, a lab with only 2 flickers, both surrounded by dark haze. "NO! What have they done?!" Aqua screamed as she saw a naked elven girl floating in a tube of purple liquid, her form enveloped by the thickest veil of dark haze she had seen since entering this city.

Tubes were connected to her unconscious body, constantly drawing blood, and yet making sure she was alive, her mouth was stuffed with air ducts, making sure she could breathe, and her limbs were bound to the insides of the tube of purple liquid preventing her movement completely as she was harvested for her blood.

"This is disgusting." Aqua looked around the lab, extracted blood was carried elsewhere and she couldn't tell where, but that did not matter.

What interested her more was the man not even noticing her presence, but his presence was unmistakeable, this was Rolan.

"I was expecting you, Goddess..." Rolan chuckled, his new body even older than his previous, and yet, he seemed to have as much vigor as a young man.

He slowly stood up as he approached her, but stopping before her "I see, you took good care of my men. But you are too late" He cackled as he circled the lab.

"You see, the final ingredient for my Magnum Opus was the holy blood you came to retrieve." His creepy voice echoed.

"Unfortunately, you are too weak. I already have my prize." Rolan spoke mockingly, knowing that the goddess before him had to restrain her aura or else her friend would die.

Aqua was taken aback by Rolan's confidence "Why do you need this girl so much, why inflict such cruelty?"

"Cruelty? One cannot be cruel to beings that are not sentient. Only humanity was blessed with such a gift. All others are destined to serve, and that includes you!" Rolan spoke with a mocking tone, his arrogance rising with each word as he took a step forward.

With a solemn look, Aqua gazed into the man's eyes "How... could you." Man's confidence grew, as he approached the Angelic figure.

"Power, you should know that. I have sought holy blood to reach true immortality, and prove myself as a worthy successor to the great Inquisitor!" He shouted, his form saturated by divinity even more than before.

Rolan took another step, making sure to stick close to the tube."Your friend, as you have probably noticed is completely dominated by me. There is nothing you can do to save her" He laughed as his fingers streaked across the glass.

"You are wrong, you will die here. I let you escape last time, and it's not gonna happen again!" Her form flared up, and yet despite her suffocating presence, the usual heat was nowhere to be seen.

"That is where you are wrong, goddess. Do you know what my Mangum Opus does? Do you know why I haven't spared any expenses in procuring holy blood!" Man asked with sickening mockery imbued in his words like poison and yet spoken with pride, almost like he wanted to tell her, to gloat about his accomplishment.

His words did not bode well, he spoke with such confidence that he lacked when he ran away for the first time, Aqua sighed heavily before asking "Speak, I will listen."

"I AM EVERYONE, If you kill this body I will only become someone else, and what will you do then? Goddess." He laughed as he spoke, his mockery cutting deep.

"And If you kill that body, I will merely take over one of the countless souls I have control over! You are too late now. This body was my first test subject once he fulfilled his purpose of finding about Holy Blood." He mocked once again. Rolan knew he couldn't kill being in front of him but it did not matter, her hands were tied, and she had no options remaining.

"And soon I will make you my vessel. Oh, how much power I could have. I merely need to clip the ears and you will pass as a younger human!" he shouted as he charged at her, his speed surpassing sound as he struck Aqua, his hand carrying what seemed to be an ordinary dagger, but whatever it was it never reached her body.

His words infuriated Aqua to no end, no she was livid by these words. She would not let this man even think about tarnishing elven beauty. "YOU WILL DIE!" Aqua shouted as she appeared behind Rolan, his shocked expression visible as she surpassed even his speed.

"Elven Beauty is not for you to tarnish, scum!" With a gruesome crunch, Rolan's head splattered like a grape squished by a child, blood splattering everywhere as it sizzled from Aqua's presence.

In the next moment black flame consumed Rolan's host body, but once again not consuming his actual soul.

Her anger subdued as she looked at the Sheira's container, with a gentle knock the container broke, leaving only restraints and tubes attached to the girl's limbs.

"They will not get even a drop more of your blood," Aqua swore as she slowly removed the tubes, making sure Sheira was fine before removing the shackles, finally freeing the unconscious elven princess.