Chapter 23:

  Identity and Vengeance

  (End of Fshback, Back to Present, Elizabeth's POV)

  Lucas had given everything for Elizabeth. A hidden, powerful skill that even Lucas didn't know he had. [Selfless Sacrifice] had been activated with one simple word: Wish.

  As the name suggests, by giving your life selflessly for another, they could live again...and again...and again. For as many times as it took to get it right. It was only because of Lucas that Elizabeth had the ability to regress. He gave his life for hers...literally. One that took its toll on him through each life.

  With each regression, that silver streak of his grew. It was a reminder of his sacrifice, and just how precious of a gift he had given her. She vowed to protect him. To keep him safe, and she failed...so many times that it drove her insane. Her love for Lucas was unconditional and without restraint. That's why, the mere fact that someone would harm him sent her into a state of murderous intent.

  Lucas never changed in all the times she's met him, and honestly, neither had she. Not exactly. Though he gave her a whole new lease on life, there was no hiding who she really was. He may have rewritten reality for her, but he never changed who she was, for he loved her as she is.

  She was known as Elizabeth Falcrest, Heir to the Falcrest Family, but there was another name she held. Another side of her. That of the Demon Queen of the Dark Sun Realm Critical Dungeon; Elizabeth Von Angeal.

  Upon her name, she would sow true fear this night. [Von Angeal] activated, and she began to change.

  Her skin cracked, fking away from her fair tone to reveal a darkened ash. The whites of her eyes became drowned in darkness. The emerald gold of her irises melded into ruby orbs within the void that was left behind. Darkened horns sprouted from just below her hairline, curving up and back, like that of a great demon.

  Her armor gave way to rge, bat-like wings with a hardened, scaled outer shell. Her hands and feet became like cws, and a tail, long and supple, grew to move in tune with her angered thoughts. Tapered to a point, it was a deadly asset as much as it had been gentle in her time with Lucas, caressing his face teasingly whenever she had the chance.

  How cute his flustered face had been. Those were distant memories. Fond memories. Memories she hoped to recreate one day.

  Elizabeth Falcrest was but one facet of who she was. A Pyer who had stumbled upon the Realm of the Dark Sun and became entwined with its Queen. In a desperate attempt to clear the Critical Dungeon and pacify the powerful demon Von Angeal, her party sacrificed Elizabeth in a ritualistic manner. However, it backfired.

  Unknown to anyone, Elizabeth Falcrest was the perfect human match for the Demon Queen Von Angeal. She became her host and sughtered those who betrayed her. It was an unprecedented event that caused both of them to merge into one, yet with two separate minds. It was disorienting and had unforeseen consequences.

  Due to the nature of Critical Dungeons only being able to be cleared once, it took this merging as her being defeated, and yet she was still alive. Like a glitch in a game, reality didn't know how to handle this. Everything began to colpse and spill out into the Wild Zone, eventually merging the two of them. Much like how Elizabeth Falcrest and Von Angeal had become one.

  This severely weakened her, and she was constantly at war with her own mind. The Von Angeal took over for their own survival. Pyers tried to kill her, but she struggled. She fought. She grew angrier and full of hatred. Humans were nothing but trash. No one helped to cure her.

  Elizabeth Falcrest did not see herself as human any longer, and Von Angeal knew nothing except being a demon. It wasn't long before Elizabeth only saw herself as a monster. While still of two minds, they didn't know anything else. It was only upon regressing that she remembered, as well as being shocked that they were still of two minds. Neither could see this mortal form as anything except a host.

  Her wish had been granted. She had become truly human, but with a skill called [Von Angeal]. Even without her demonic blood, she was better than your average human in most things. Two minds focused on one goal, protecting Lucas. Over time, the two minds became indistinguishable from each other. Both loved Lucas, and so there was no need for any doubt or separation of the two.

  She was simply Elizabeth. Lucas's precious Ellie. Very few were allowed to call her that. Even her family mostly refrained, using Eliza or her full name.

  Lucas's sacrifice had made this change permanent, and thus so too was the cataclysm of D.C.'s Wild Zone. The Realm of the Dark Sun could not exist without its Queen, and its Queen was forever changed. Traces of her realm still lingered here in the Wild Zone, and under the [Von Angeal] skill, she was able to draw upon it for strength.

  She was at her apex. A predator hunting its prey, and below her among the foliage of the dense concrete jungle was a spearman, exhausted and on the verge of death. Several monsters y sin around him, and he was bleeding profusely. It was only the beginning.

  Elizabeth nded in the shadow of a vacant, overgrown building, tossing several potions to Bryan as he bled out.

  "Drink," she ordered, her voice holding a deep, demonic echo, and he obeyed.

  She stayed in the shadows, lurking out of sight. Her red eyes glowed in the night, watching him emotionlessly. Once all the potions had been used, the bleeding began to stop, and his wounds healed. Looking around, she was unimpressed with the number of creatures he killed.

  Four Scarab Vines and three Hellhounds. Dark, vicious beasts like wolves which breathed fire from their mouths. She held a unique disdain for them, unable to stand their visage. The wounds still fresh from Lucas's st death. With a wave of her hand, they became ash to her ghostly fmes.

  Many of her skills she had copied from Lucas as a way to remember him. He had been the one to develop that [Infernal Crescendo]. Indeed, several skills could be created by Pyers if they had the ingenuity. Lucas had created a smaller version of that skill in an attempt to consolidate his weaker magic for a heavier impact.

  It proved effective, and she improved upon it. It was her way of remembering him fondly. Every time she fought, it was like he was with her again. It was what kept her mostly sane through many of her regressions where she kept her distance from him. It was also a way of honoring him.

  He loved magic, and always wanted to be a mage. The fact he could no longer become a Pyer was even more of a reason to use the skills he taught her.

  "You're not even near the den," Elizabeth sneered, disgust in her tone, "Remove your boots then stand and march."

  Bryan obeyed wordlessly, removing his boots before standing from the ground and continued his trek East. She followed as a silent watcher, ensuring that he never stopped, even has his feet began to bleed upon the difficult terrain. He winced, groaning in pain, and she bid him silence. He muffled his agony as best he could.

  Soon, tears began streaming down his face and blood spilled from his mouth from clenching it too hard in an attempt to limit his sounds. A sadistic smile curled Elizabeth's lip. Every so often, she'd give him a potion, and start again.

  As the night went on, a deep, fiery orange glow encircled the moon. The Realm of the Dark Sun lingered here, and she would utilize it. For a while, time was irrelevant. No matter how far Bryan traveled or how long he did, he got no further to that den until she wanted him to.

  Bryan made a mistake when he thought that attacking Lucas while she was in the Wild Zone was a good idea. It was the worst pce he could have been trapped with her at. Once she allowed him to reach the den, it was filled with Scarab Vines and Hellhounds, and one particurly nasty Ogre. She forced Bryan to fight until he could no longer lift his limbs, and even then, she showed him no mercy.

  She watched him struggle, healed him, and sent him back repeatedly. Her presence with [Von Angeal] active kept the creatures at bay from her, but Bryan was another story. They eventually learned that he would return, and began waiting for him. She watched as the Ogre smmed him into the ground, breaking several ribs, only for her to drag him back with and sm a potion down his throat before tossing him back into the fray.

  She never touched him physically, disgusted at the thought, using [Shadow Magic] to do it for her. Once everything except the Ogre was dead, Elizabeth had the shadows drag Bryan back. It was time for the real fun. Tossing him against a rock, she released [Enthrall]. It was time for him to know what was happening.

  Like memories flooding into him, Bryan recalled everything that had happened. His body began to shake as he checked himself for injuries, only to remember the potions he drank. That's when his eyes fell upon her. Standing menacingly in the shadows. A Great Horned Demon.

  "W-What the fuck are you!" he shouted, trying to scramble away, but to no avail as his body refused to listen.

  "Your only salvation," Elizabeth replied coldly, her voice reverberating from the shadows, "You will die, but after finishing your work at this den. Your pathetic life will finally have a use. Aren't you happy?"

  She smiled dryly, showing the sharp canines that had grown upon her transformation.

  "Th-That's...insanity!" He shouted, grimacing in pain, "You're insane!"

  "I gave you a chance, Bryan," Elizabeth expined simply, "You wasted it. Don't bme me. You've always been like this. Lucas...he's naive, but it's only because of him you've lived this long."

  "Lucas?" Bryan said his name as if he was confused and didn't know who that was, "What are you...wait. That bastard! Who are you?"

  Without a single word, Elizabeth silently motioned with her hand as shadows ripped Bryan's tongue from his mouth. His screaming became garbled, cwing at his face in agony. Nonchantly, Elizabeth tossed a potion to him. Watching him hurriedly downing it.

  Severed limbs were hard to heal without a healer, but if a strong enough potion is taken in time, it was possible to reattach it or even regrow it. His torment was far from over.

  "Watch your words," she stated coolly, "You wouldn't want your final moments to get worse, would you? If so, by all means, say something like that again."

  Elizabeth felt a deep seeded glee at the thought of furthering Bryan's torment, but she was disappointed when Bryan shook his head vigorously, his tongue having grown back.

  "N-No...I'm sorry, I didn't..." Bryan's eyes darted around in thought, "Does that mean...you're Elizabeth?"

  Once again, she tore his tongue from his mouth, grateful that her disappointment didn't st long.

  "I told you," she stated viciously, "My name is not to be uttered by your lips."

  He tried to speak, but only garbled sounds escaped. He held his hands out pleadingly.

  "A potion?" she asked, holding up a bottle, "Is this what you want? No. I don't think so. Not this time. Lucas taught me to give at least one chance with things. I gave you a chance with your words, much like your life, and you wasted it."

  The look on Bryan's face was delightful. It was a look of realization that he had truly, utterly fucked up. There would be consequences to his actions. She waited for a time, letting his wounds fester for a while before finally tossing him a smaller vial.

  It was just enough to stop the bleeding, so he didn't choke to death before she was done. He took it as gratefully as anything else. Most likely trying to bide for as much time as he could for his pathetic life. That was the most gratifying thing about this.

  That tiny sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, he might live only for him to realize in that st moment of his life that he would die. This was a side of her she hoped that Lucas never saw. He was understanding and knew that some things were necessary, but what Elizabeth did was beyond necessary. It was for her own satisfaction.

  Lucas would accept her, but she never wanted him to see this.

  "If you're done sniveling, you have a fight to finish," Elizabeth motioned towards the waiting Ogre, "He's grown quite fond of you, you know. Aren't you popur."

  She sneered, mocking his popurity and celebrity status. Bryan looked at the Ogre warily yet did not move.

  "You have ten seconds," Elizabeth told him, "If you do not move in the next ten seconds to fight, I'll throw you to him. Remember that thing about chances? This is your one for fighting."

  Swallowing hard, Bryan forced himself to his feet in fear. Gripping his spear with shaky hands, he rushed the Ogre, screaming a garbled war cry. It was a sight to behold. He was supposed to be A-Rank, but he fought like a child filing at an adult. The Ogre could do nothing but scratch its head in confusion.

  The blows just didn't have the force they used to. Raising its giant club, Bryan was hit with the force of a truck into a nearby building. Bones cracked and blood poured forth from his mouth. He coughed, struggling to stand as a potion was tossed at his feet.

  "Drink," Elizabeth ordered, "It's still alive."

  Bryan looked around for any escape, but knew that in his state, he couldn't. Taking the potion, he drank it and reached into his inventory. Elizabeth watched as he pulled forth several potions and downed them as well. None of them were healing potions.

  Elizabeth recognized Haste, Strengthening, Stamina, and Endurance. All potions to boost one's physical capabilities. She remembered how he became an A-Rank. He was a Booster. Someone who used potions to enhance themselves.

  She watched on in amusement as he went for another, stronger assault against the Ogre. He nded a few good blows, making quite the headway in the fight. However, it wouldn't st. Even with the boosts, his body was too fatigued. Too strained.

  He had taken many potions and pushed his body past its limits many times. It could no longer adhere to the stress and would soon colpse. In one, final burst, Bryan's spear nded a critical hit, downing the Ogre with a hole through its chest just in time for the buffs to wear off.

  Huffing and puffing, Bryan smirked in victory, only to hear the howls of multiple Hellhounds. A fear settling upon Bryan's face.

  "Congratutions," Elizabeth cpped sarcastically, "You cleared the den, but it looks like the smell of flesh attracted an entire pack. You should probably run."

  And run he did. Stumbling forward into the night, Elizabeth followed him. The Hellhounds nipped and bit at him as he ran, tearing into him. She could hear his heart beating rapidly. Feel the fear. She relished in it until he circled back upon the den.

  The look of desperation as he realized she had used [Perception Distortion] to trap him in a loop was priceless. However, she wasn't going to let the Hellhounds have the final blow. No, she ensured that she was the one to do it.

  "You should have listened to me, Bryan," Elizabeth told him, her cwed hands becoming engulfed with ghostly fme that soon took on the form of a sword.

  The Hellhounds began to back away from him as she approached.

  "Before you die, allow me to show you something," she smiled cruelly as she activated [Nightmaric Visions], "The truth of who you are to this world. Trash."

  He saw how insignificant he was to the world. How no one would mourn him when he died. How everyone would soon move on. He always wanted to be the center of attention, but to know that he meant nothing and was nothing was the ultimate nail in the coffin.

  His senses came back to him just in time to see Elizabeth's ghostly bde severe his neck from his body. Leaving his remains to the Hellhounds, they rushed in and began tearing him apart. She would watch until he was devoured, nothing left except his spear that she would leave there for his guild to find.

  [Von Angeal] would not st much longer. While she could take on this appearance at any time, the power that came with it was limited. At least for now. Only sting as long as it did thanks to the Realm of the Dark Sun permeating this Wild Zone. She still had a few things to gather, but she wasn't worried. Everything would go according to her pns. She didn't spend all those lifetimes for nothing.

  Before the st of her power waned, with memories of her st life still fresh in her mind, the image of Lucas half-torn by Hellhounds fueled her hunt. Every st one of those Hellhounds paid for the past they did not remember. Only then could she return to camp, refreshed and impatient to return home. Her heart ached for Lucas.

  -----

  Nikushimi