Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen, Vol. 4

by Keishi Ayasato

  Jeanne nodded deeply, her honey-blond hair bobbing as she did.

  “I’ve taken a liking to you. I think I’ll keep you for myself, li’l lady.”

  “I—I can’t help but find your phrasing disturbing, but I have a great many things I want to ask of you, as well! If it’s a fight you desire, then I’ll gladly oblige!”

  Izabella dashed toward Jeanne. A little closer, and her sword would reach her. Before it did, though, Jeanne snapped her fingers.

  Bandersnatch reared up behind Izabella. As it did, she made a humiliating realization.

  …She’s underestimating me!

  Based on its appearance, Bandersnatch’s method of attack was the easiest to gauge of the four. In other words, Jeanne was saying that if Izabella couldn’t even deal with it, then she had no value as an opponent.

  As Izabella was pursing her lips over that fact, the beast leaped. Before it could catch her in its maw, Izabella kicked it in the side. But the beast relentlessly tried to slip its fangs into the joints of her armor.

  That very moment, Izabella detached her mantle. Then she scooped up the beast’s entire floating, fanged body in it. The sturdy fabric endured for just a moment, which was long enough for Izabella to smash the whole thing—mantle, beast, and all—into the ground.

  Then she closed in on Jeanne.

  “You’re mine!”

  As she tried to strike Jeanne’s exposed chest with the flat of her blade, though, Jabberwocky leaped forth. The unpleasant-looking machine took the blow in its master’s place. Sparks flew, and Jeanne nodded once more.

  “Impressive.”

  “I am a commander, after all.”

  Izabella showed no signs of stopping. As she drew back her blade, she leveled a palm strike at Jeanne’s jaw.

  Jeanne blinked in shock, but the surprises would not end there.

  “Oh?”

  “Huh?”

  At that moment, the two of them were both blown to the side.

  And it wasn’t just them, either—the paladins met the same fate. Only Hina, who’d clung to the Kaiser, managed to endure. The Kaiser himself said nothing, but his annoyance was written all over his face.

  Deus Ex Machina frantically reassembled itself, transforming into a warped yet supple metal net. Jeanne swooped down atop it, like a princess being caught by her valet.

  Izabella, for her part, managed to twist herself around in the air before sticking the landing on her own. She then looked up, trying to figure out what was going on. When she did, she immediately grasped the situation. She let out a quiet murmur, forgetting for a moment the fact that she was in the middle of a fight.

  “…This is chaos.”

  A massive Wicker Man had just ruptured from within, its chest shredded to pieces. Kaito, having made his escape, wiped the sweat from his brow. Based on his expression, he was clearly in over his head. After all, normal circumstances would leave him woefully unequipped to go up against the Torture Princess. By some miracle, though, he was managing to endure her relentless attacks.

  Elisabeth, on the other hand, showed no signs of letting up.

  “Gibbet! Ducking Stool! Hellhole!”

  “Takes me back, y’know, watching you go all-out like that!”

  Kaito let out a half-desperate shout as he dashed. And just as he’d implied, the space around was growing more dangerous by the moment. One of the paladins fell into the pit of man-eating bugs, and another one hurriedly pulled him out.

  As he ran, Kaito avoided it altogether. But one of the five simultaneously deployed Ducking Stools found its mark. Right before he was bound in place and plunged underwater, Kaito called out.

  “Kaiser!”

  “What, you can’t even deal with this yourself?! I’ll have your head if you die on me, O unworthy master of mine!”

  Although he had yelled out in frustration, the Kaiser moved in a flash. Grabbing the back of the chair in his teeth, he hurled it into the air. A tank of water appeared in the ground, but instead of falling, Kaito went flying over it.

  Letting loose his blade, he cut himself free from his restraints. He then managed to land safely somehow.

  Once more, he and Elisabeth faced each other. He, for one, was exhausted. But Elisabeth’s face didn’t have so much as a bead of sweat on it. Crossing her arms, she cast an angry glare his way.

  “Why do you run, Kaito?”

  “Is that a serious question?! If I took that shit head-on, it woulda killed me! C’mon, Elisabeth, hold your fire for a minute and hear me out!”

  As Kaito launched his ardent plea, Hina snapped her neck up.

  It was hard to make heads or tails of her situation—she was hoisting up one paladin who’d fallen in the water, yet at the same time, kicking away another who’d come to cut her down.

  Even though her surroundings had descended into chaos, though, she still spared the time to call out.

  “That’s right, Lady Elisabeth! Even though I’m Master Kaito’s companion, I’ve been getting the sense that I’d best not intrude in you two’s battle! But if you insist on harming my beloved Master Kaito any further, my dear Lady Elisabeth, I will have to stop you, even if it means I must kill you!”

  “You too, Hina, enough from you! Not stopping Kaito when he decided to leave… Fools, the lot of you!”

  Elisabeth’s rebuke was swift and brutal. It was so threatening, in fact, that Hina found herself at a momentary loss for words.

  Elisabeth’s black hair fluttered as she turned back toward Kaito, before ruthlessly snapping her fingers once more.

  “Iron Maiden. La Guillotine.”

  “Man, a guy can’t catch a break.”

  Another vortex of darkness and petals. A pair of maidens, red and white, lined up from within. They each had a decidedly different ambience.

  One was bewitching, and the other was pure. But while the impressions that the two statues gave off differed, they had their beauty and monstrous, overwhelming presence in common. As he glared at the two women, Kaito’s thoughts raced.

  I wanna get as far back as possible. If Iron Maiden hugs me, it’s all over. And from here, I won’t be able to deal with the speed of La Guillotine’s blades.

  Kaito set off an explosion of mana at his feet. With speed surpassing that of any human, he fled.

  La Guillotine brought its arms together as though in prayer, then opened them again. A blade shot out from its elbow at unbelievable speeds. No matter how high Kaito raised his physical capabilities, following them visually would be impossible.

  He snapped his fingers, virtually on instinct alone, and launched five blades into the air.

  “La (stop)!”

  One of them crashed against La Guillotine’s blade. The strength of the impact sent the two slabs of metal spiraling off in opposite directions. As the paladins scurried about to avoid them, each cleft into the earth and vanished, leaving huge gashes in the ground.

  Kaito breathed a sigh of relief. As he did, though, he felt a chilly breeze at his back. Panicking, he whirled around.

  Fu—

  The red maiden was standing there behind him. With a smile full of affection, Iron Maiden extended its arms.

  Then its neck was rent to the side. The kindness of its expression didn’t waver, even as its head toppled to the ground. It crumbled to pieces, then transformed back into rose petals and scattered.

  As it vanished into nothing, Hina stood holding her halberd in Iron Maiden’s wake. Her emerald eyes were wide and crazed.

  “Only I, his companion, am allowed to embrace Master Kaito, you hunk of junk that knows nothing of love.”

  “Thanks, Hin— No, get back!”

  As Kaito shouted, Hina leaped backward.

  Torture devices and chains had mercilessly borne down on him once more.

  The back-and-forth between Kaito and Elisabeth continued on in much the same way.

  At some point, they’d become the only two still fighting.

  The paladins simply gazed at the two o
f them, dumbfounded. And Izabella had been captured by Jeanne, who’d finally gotten serious. Deus Ex Machina had merged together and was presently pinning her to the ground.

  “Stop that at once! Let me go! Are you listening to me?!”

  “Quiet now, miss. I don’t have any more time to play with you. This is turning out to be quite the show.”

  Jeanne crossed her arms as she calmly observed the battle.

  Desperate as they were, Kaito’s efforts were impressive. He continually summoned blades, with no time to even gather his breath. Each time the beheading axes and innumerable iron stakes bore down on him, he drove them back. Occasionally calling on aid from Hina and the Kaiser, he successfully continued prolonging his life.

  The difference in strength between him and Elisabeth was overwhelming. But in spite of that, he continued putting up a valiant fight.

  Armed with tenacity and zeal, Kaito fought back with all his might.

  His actions clearly weren’t driven by a fear of death, either. It was as though he was crying out in violent protest.

  “Like hell I’m gonna let Elisabeth kill me,” he was screaming.

  “Like hell I’m gonna let her kill anyone else she cares about,” he was screaming.

  “To go to such lengths… Such folly, and such conviction.”

  Jeanne murmured. Azure and crimson rose petals were whirling like tempests before her eyes.

  The two masses coalesced, then crashed straight into each other. Each wave of vividly colored darkness was trying viciously to engulf the other.

  Her dress and hair whirling about in the wind, Elisabeth let out a cry.

  “You chose to become the enemy of humanity, Kaito! You chose that path yourself, bearing sins you had no business bearing! That being the case, hurry up and present me your neck already!”

  “Screw that nonsense! And screw dying! Just listen to me, Elisabeth!”

  “No, you listen! What’s nonsense is becoming mankind’s enemy without the resolve to die doing so! You’re but a little sheep, bleating with neither determination nor resolve! Cease your foolery!”

  “It’s not like you wanted to die either, right?! It’s fine, just listen—”

  “Time and time and time again… You’re the one who refused to listen!”

  “What—”

  “I told you countless times! There was no need for you to bear those sins!”

  Chains shot forth, veritable agents of Elisabeth’s frustration. They carved at the ground beside Kaito. Having gone too fast, they also cruelly scraped away at the Saint statue’s cheeks. Massive fragments toppled to the ground, and dust billowed up where they fell.

  Agitated cries rose up from among the paladins. Elisabeth ignored them as she called out again.

  “’Tis a heavy thing, to harm others, to be loathed by the world, and to constantly shoulder sins, I told you!”

  “Elisabeth…”

  “’Tis too heavy a burden for you to bear, I told you!”

  It was like a desperate wail.

  Or perhaps the screams of a child.

  Hearing her heartbroken voice, Kaito ground his teeth into his lip. He’d never wanted to make her cry.

  I swore to myself that I’d protect you.

  He’d sworn to himself that he’d keep his hero alive, no matter the cost. But had that really been right?

  Kaito tossed that question around in his mind. Seeing Elisabeth’s face, could he state that with any amount of confidence?

  Did I really make the right choice?

  Kaito Sena closed his eyes, just for a moment. His younger self sat before him in the darkness, just like he had once before. The young man innocently yearning for his hero gazed questioningly at Kaito. But when he sheepishly reached out and grasped Kaito’s fingers, the real Kaito clenched his fists tight as though to squeeze back.

  And with that, Kaito let out an internal bellow.

  DAMN RIGHT I DID!

  “I’d rather bear it a million times over than let you die!”

  Then, at long last,

  Kaito Sena snapped.

  The Earl’s Grand Guignol. The Governor’s banquet. The Grand King’s circus.

  There was no shortage of things that had sparked Kaito’s fury in the past.

  However, because of his experiences from when he was alive, his emotions had a sort of built-in brake. Whenever he was about to succumb to his negative emotions, he quickly regained his calm. And the decisions he’d been able to make as a result of this trait had come in handy time and time again. But as a result, Kaito Sena had never truly snapped.

  Yet now, he’d gone well, truly, and completely off the rails.

  All the common sense, reason, and composure in his brain had evaporated away into nothing.

  Taken over completely by rage, Kaito snapped his fingers. Six blades, the most he’d ever been able to summon, began whirling above his head. At times, strong emotions, even negative ones, could grant people abnormal bursts of power. His anger had surpassed its limits, and a new image welled up within Kaito.

  Then Kaito shouted, his eyes open as wide as they would go.

  “La (transform).”

  The blades lay atop one another, then merged into one. They melted like sugar, writhing as they took on a new form.

  A jet-black long sword hung in the air. Then it plunged straight down, directly into the earth.

  Kaito snatched it up by the handle as though selfishly claiming it for himself. Perhaps he’d been unconsciously mimicking Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal, as azure runes glittered across its blade.

  All things are pardoned unto me. But I am ruled by none.

  After flashing once atop the jet-black blade, the runes faded away.

  Still holding its handle, Kaito called out the sword’s name, as though the weapon itself were speaking through him.

  “Nameless.”

  Then he swung his black blade down, cleaving through the air and leveling its tip toward Elisabeth.

  She responded by snapping her fingers. All the torture devices vanished.

  Only Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal remained.

  The two of them faced each other, silently. Then they dashed in unison.

  Unlike when she’d fought against the King’s replica, Elisabeth didn’t resort to underhanded tactics.

  Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal and Nameless collided.

  The blow they’d exchanged was head-on.

  For a brief moment, a torrent of sparks shot out. Without even pausing to step back, they swung their swords again. Due to the point-blank range, swordsmanship played essentially no role in their fight. It had devolved into a simple slugfest. But if either failed to block so much as a single blow, it would no doubt prove fatal. Such was the savagery of the blows they were trading.

  Under normal circumstances, neither would have been able to let up for even a moment. Despite that fact, though, they exchanged shouts as well as slashes.

  “Screw your promise to the people! Screw your oath! Sure, I know about that! Hell, I’ve seen the mountains of corpses you’ve made with my own damn eyes! There’s no way you can atone for the sins you’ve committed! Well, tough shit! The Torture Princess deserves to be put to the stake! But what about me?! What’s gonna happen to the guy you saved, huh?!”

  “’Tis hardly my concern! Go live out your second life as you please! Live strong and stand on your own! Why, you even have a wife! Is there no limit to your greed?!”

  “Now who’s spouting bullshit?! I’m not the only one! You’re just gonna ignore all those people you helped, Elisabeth, all those people you saved, and go off and burn at the stake?! That isn’t right! You didn’t save us just so we could watch you go get killed! Screw that! There’s no way I’m gonna let things end like this!”

  Kaito swung his sword like a madman. His cries and his attacks were in sync, and he succeeded in pushing Elisabeth back just a hair. She and her sword were forced back as one. Yet still, she responded to his cries an
d his blows in kind.

  “’Tis naught but your own selfishness speaking!”

  “The hell’s wrong with me selfishly choosing to put you above the world?!”

  Kaito’s words were firm and resolute. Elisabeth bit her lips. Then they swung their swords once more, each imbuing their strike with the full weight of their fury. A loud clanging noise rang out as sword collided with sword. The two blades grated against each other.

  As he gazed at their relentless battle, one of the paladins let out a vague murmur.

  “I don’t get it. They’re clearly fighting to the death, but…”

  …but if anything, it looked more like a simple quarrel.

  His words were lost on the two fighters, though, their cries reaching fever pitches as metal grated on metal.

  “I died, you know! I lived a worthless, joyless life, and then I died! But because you saved me from that, you’re more important to me than the whole world put together! So I don’t give a shit! I don’t give a shit about the stuff you’ve done! Here, Elisabeth, here’s what I should’ve said from the very beginning: For my sake, let me save you!”

  “Your arguments made little sense from the start, and now your words are no different! Surely, you know such a trifling reason hardly merits rejecting another’s pride, let alone rejecting their lifelong oath!”

  “Sure I know that, but that doesn’t change what I have to do!”

  “This is absurd! The whole situation is an absolute mess! The Butcher, ‘salvation,’ the imminent end of the world, nonsensical matters keep piling up left and right!

  “Yeah! And the whole deal about the first demon’s flesh!”

  “Hmm?”

  “Huh?”

  And then, as though a pin had dropped, the two of them came to an abrupt stop.

  They each stared at the other, then exchanged quizzical looks. Then, gathering strength in their swords, they each leaped back, before finally surveying their surroundings.

  Hina was standing by, waiting, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. The paladins had simply been watching the fight in a daze. And in the back, Jeanne still stood beside Izabella, who had been struggling against the machine’s arm the entire time.