Chapter 127: It Feels So Good!
Curses flooded through me, filling me to the brim with pulsing Curses. Strength coursed in my veins as my feet pushed themselves forward, and my posture lowered to consolidate my core.
At least I think that's why.
Both of my arms moved outwards, one closer to my hip and the other pushed out, hovering towards the incoming Heathens.
Then, my feet moved.
They pushed onto the ground, throwing me into the midst of the Heathens before the damned creatures had a moment to react. The chitinous clatterings flooded my ears as I arrived by the side of the foremost Heathen.
The group of crab-esque Heathens packed to the brim with familiar Curses surrounded me-
Or do I surround them?
Chuckling at my antics, my eyes moved to the eyes of the foremost Heathen.
In response, its eyes moved in slow motion towards me as it tried to react to me in time. But my left hand was already curled into a fist as power moved from my feet, up my hips, through my waist and into my arm.
Crack!
My fist collided with the chitinous armour-
Splash!
-and smoothly splurged through the brittle chitin and into the depths of the Heathen. The slimy flesh, organs, and blood filled my nervous system for a brief second, before-
Wow.
-before the Curses within my fist burst outwardly from the inside out of the Heathen.
It exploded.
Spectacularly so.
The eyes that had been staring into my soul were thrust into the sky and plopped down onto the deck a moment later alongside the pile of scattered chitin and flesh.
Each remaining crabby Heathen reacted to their deceased brethren in the same manner:
Wrath.
I think?
It felt like it from the surge of Curses bursting from their eyes. Only one thing, though; it doesn't matter how angry you are.
First Step, Defilers—I consider, we consider, these weaklings.
And my Book of Heresy, its Tales, prove it.
I'm not a combatant, nor am I a fully grown adult. Relatively speaking, I am weaker than Jill, Elden, Nemora, Hilda, and Esme. Even Vanessa
But here, compared to these Defilers...
I plucked my arm back into place, twisting on my heels to face a claw snapping at me with the intent of splitting me in half-
Clack!
-lifting my left arm, I received the attack in silence. The claws pressed down on my forearm, slicing through my long-sleeved white shirt, but my skin, my Cursed self, remained unharmed.
Wrapping my fingers around the claw, come here, I pulled the crab into close vicinity with a violent movement and punched its head inwards instantaneously.
It was that easy.
"Next~" Giggling at my strength, at this display of power that I'd felt missing over the past 14 years, this lack of freedom over my existence that now seemed to be unshackled:
My body moved again.
It rushed amid the horde while Nemora came down for a soft landing beside Hildekar.
Darting between the Heathens, my fists and legs thrashed out like a true combatant, breaking apart the crabs one after another. The abominations came to an end one by one with each passing second.
Tap.
By the time Nemora landed beside Hildekar, I stood amid a field of dripping blood and pools of burst flesh.
The released weight from my chest brought a smile to my face. Not even the improvised cemetery formed around me could drown this smile;
This free smile;
This truly happy smile;
I'm happy.
Stretching my limbs over my head, I couldn't help but release a groan of utter relief. A sigh that I'd been holding in for so many years.
Knowing that I'm strong, that I'm not useless...
It feels so good.
"Someone's excited?" Elden's awkward voice came through in my ears.
"The fuck are you doing up there to sound so sultry?" Vanessa's sharp tongue came afterwards, dropping down into a pit of ice.
Oh shit.
I forgot they can all hear me.
I said 'Next~' all giddy when they could all still hear me.
"Alora, you should work on permission the next time around. Not being able to speak normally without everyone hearing us is a significant downside." Nemora's recommendation drew a nod from me; I agree with that wholeheartedly.
"Shut up already, Elden. Move faster." Jill's usual taciturn voice wasn't as stiff as I was used to it had been in the past; he was more verbal, but with a hint of...
Spite?
It's like Elden has influenced him into mocking people all day as well.
Luckily, it wasn't as horrible as Vanessa's case. She's a whole separate can of worms that I won't bother dealing with any time-
Ah.
Nevermind.
I do need to deal with her.
Esme will hold a grudge against her for supplying me with drugs, and I have to mediate it...
Anyways.
Putting all that aside, "We should clean this up." I pointed at the clump of corpses scattered about the quarterdeck.
And, as I pointed backwards, a flicker of flames, Cursed Flames, jumped from my thumb and towards the Heathens. It wasn't an accurate toss of fire, but it landed on the pile of corpses nonetheless and lit them afire.
Within seconds, the mess had disappeared into nothingness. My improved control over the Cursed Flames meant that no more mistakes like that one time I melted the door handle of the Sparkles store.
Just then-
"Problem."
-Esme's voice came through.
"Something is here. Something is inside The Canary."
My heart sank.
"Something is inside Hilda."
It whisked over with ice, freezing me solid with dread.
"And..."
Esme's voice turned a notch higher with vivid concern.
"It's coming out."
---
Hilda heels backstepped away from Esme, her calm yet confused face twisting slightly as she:
"You should get away from me, Esme."
The modest, antique maid's outfit framing her full body squirmed from a series of shivers thrumming in shockwaves throughout her innards; she felt off, too off. Like something deep inside of her was begging to be released.
Esme cautiously backed off.
She didn't need the warning; she could feel it.
The familiarity, the Curses oozing from Hilda's body in faint pulses; the abnormalities releasing from Hilda were pushing her alarms to their limits.
This wasn't a Defiler, this wasn't a Fallen either.
This-
"It's coming out." Esme warned the others immediately.
-was a Profaned.
Raising her left and right arms upwards, a coalition of the purest of Blessings twinkled around Esme's body.
She was ready to react to anything.
"What is, Esme?" Nemora instantly asked her.
"I don't know. Something Profaned, that's for sure, but what exactly, I don't know. Hilda herself seems to recognise that there's something wrong with herself. I believe that this is Hilda I'm talking to at the moment, but she's been infected with a Profaned Heathen of some sort."
"You hear that, Jill, Elden? Jill, prepare to hold Hilda down, and Jill, make sure to keep Hilda alive. If you have to hurt her to save her, do it."
"You hear that, grasshead? Hold her down."
"Fuck off."
Jill's surprisingly crude, yet certainly fitting, response drew a cackle from Elden that reached everyone's ears.
Several members of the cohort who were listening in over the line were tempted to comment, but stayed quiet for the sake of the operation.
Nevertheless, Esme and Hilda were standing mere feet away from each other whilst the back-up was still on its way. Esme had at least another half a minute before the duo arrived, but, before then...
Shiver.
Hilda's body quivered.
Her teeth clattered as she bit down squarely to keep her rattling teeth tamed.
"What's happening to me?" Hilda understood, intrinsically, that something was about to burst out of her from the inside out, "Esme, I'm going to try something, so take a step back."
"Alright." Esme shuffled back slightly, clearing more space for Hilda.
With her immediate surroundings emptied, Hilda took a deep breath, raised her right hand-
"Huh?"
-then proceeded to stare emptily at her still empty hand. Nothing had come out.
"Why isn't my Manifestation revealing itself?" It was unprecedented. Manifestations are a part of oneself. Suddenly not being able to conjure up a Manifestation while uninterrupted during the process is the equivalent of abruptly losing your brain or heart; only death would be the outcome if one lost their Manifestation.
Yet Hilda was alive.
Meaning she hadn't lost her Manifestation.
It was still there, but she couldn't release it.
"Why? What's going on?" This wasn't something Hilda was experienced with. She couldn't figure out for the life of her why this was occurring.
"Authority?" Esme asked.
"Authority... If something is pushing its Authority onto me from the inside out..." The light bulbs flickered on in Hilda's relatively clueless brain, "Maybe? That would make-"
Shiver.
Hilda no longer had the time to contemplate the matter.
Something was changing.
Releasing.