**FRAGMENT OF DIABOLOS! SPLAT!!**

ALPHA

"Hieee…! What the hell are you?! What did we even do to deserve this?!"

A sea of blood. That’s really the only way to describe the scene where this guy was currently losing his mind.

"It" had appeared without a hint of a warning. No monologue, no motive, just a sudden burst through the wall followed by a high-speed massacre. Even as I watched, another cultist became a snack for that Jet-black Blade. At this point, nobody even had the Ki left to fight back. Their only thought was a desperate, "I’ve gotta be the first one out of here!"

Too bad the only exit was right behind "It."

"What did we do to you?! We didn't do anything!" the man shrieked.

"It" turned toward him and sneered. Even behind that Jet-black Mask, you could tell the expression was pure, unadulterated malice.

"H-Help—!"

The man didn’t finish that sentence. His body split perfectly down the middle, from the crown of his head to his crotch. He fell apart in two wet thuds, spraying blood like a fountain. "It" stood there, letting the red rain soak into her. She looked like she was actually enjoying the shower.

From a distance, she had the silhouette of a woman, but her vibe was 100% devil.

Realizing she was running low on prey, "It" decided to finish things up. She extended her blade. And I don’t mean she stepped forward—I mean the Jet-black Blade literally grew. It wasn't a metaphor; the thing stretched out long enough to pierce through the outer walls.

She took a massive swing with her oversized toy.

"S-Stop it—!!"

Crunch. She sliced through the entire building, cultists and all, in one go.

"And there she goes," I muttered.

From my vantage point atop the Clock Tower, I watched the building collapse like a house of cards. It was almost comical. My long blonde hair—I am a beautiful Elf, after all—whipped around in the night wind, sparkling against the darkness.

"Delta… that girl seriously never heard of the word 'overkill.'"

I sighed and shook my head. Nothing I could do about it now. I looked out over the Royal Capital. The whole city was starting to wake up and panic. Everything was proceeding exactly as planned. And, naturally, everyone’s attention was currently glued to the pile of rubble Delta had just created.

I mean, at least she makes for a great distraction, I thought. Makes it easier for the rest of us to move.

If you could ignore the massive collateral damage, her performance was actually top-tier.

"I suppose it’s time I got moving, too."

I adjusted my Jet-black Mask, hiding my face, and stepped into the night.

---

ALEXIA

The outside world was getting noisy. I opened my eyes for the first time in hours.

Between the Man in the White Coat and that one female caretaker, my social calendar was pretty empty. Since I was still chained to this pedestal by all four limbs, I didn’t have much to do except nap. I’d reached a sort of "mutual non-aggression pact" with my roommate, the Abomination, but the growing ruckus outside suggested the status quo was about to change.

I felt a grin tugging at my lips. Rescue? Finally?

"I don't suppose someone could smash through that wall in a really flashy way?" I muttered to myself.

I was definitely getting stressed if I was starting to talk to myself. I rattled my restraints, knowing it was useless, when a voice cut through the silence.

"My apologies. Did I wake you?"

The Abomination actually raised its head.

"But you should probably stay awake. I have a feeling this is going to be fun."

I knew I wouldn't get a real answer, but I kept talking to it anyway. Boredom does weird things to a person’s sanity.

A moment later, I heard the door lock click. Someone was in a massive hurry.

"Damn it! Damn it all!!"

The Man in the White Coat burst in, looking like he’d crawled out of a blender.

"Good day to you, too," I said, leaning into the sarcasm.

"Just a little more! I was so close!"

He completely ignored me. He looked terrified, which was a great look for him.

"T-They’re here! It’s over! It’s all over!"

"Oh, give it up," I told him. "Resistance is a waste of time. Tell you what: let me out of these chains and I’ll try to ask them to spare your life."

Emphasis on the "try," I added mentally.

"As if they’d let me go! They’re going to kill everyone! Everyone!!"

"The Midgar Knight Order doesn't just murder people for fun," I countered. "If you surrender, they’ll probably let you live."

Yeah, right, I thought. Even I don't believe that.

"The Order?! Who gives a damn about the Order?! They are going to slaughter us all!"

"Wait, not the Order?"

If not the knights, then who? Or maybe this guy was just finally having the mental breakdown he deserved.

"Either way, you’re done. Just quit."

"No! No, no, no! I won't! If I can just finish this!"

He started clawing at his own head, his bloodshot eyes landing on the Abomination.

"I-I have the prototype. Even a failure like you should be useful for this!"

He lunged forward, jamming a needle-filled device into the Abomination’s arm.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," I said, feeling a genuine chill. "I’ve got a really bad feeling about this."

He ignored me, obviously, and slammed the plunger down, injecting some mystery cocktail into the creature.

"Now! Show it to me! Show me the Fragment of Diabolos!!"

"Wow. Can't wait," I deadpanned.

Then the Abomination started to bloat. Its muscles swelled, its bones cracked and lengthened, and its right arm—already pretty monstrous—deformed into a massive, wicked limb tipped with claws the size of human legs. Its left arm stayed fused to its chest, like it was clutching a secret.

The thing let out a roar that sounded like a tea kettle screaming in hell.

"S-Splendid! It’s magnificent!" the scientist shrieked.

"Well… that’s certainly a development," I muttered.

Naturally, when you grow that much in three seconds, chains tend to break. The Abomination’s restraints snapped like toothpicks.

"I did tell you to stop," I sighed.

Then came the splat.

The creature’s right arm came down, and the Man in the White Coat turned into a red smear on the floor. He didn't even have time to scream.

"Okay, then."

The Abomination turned its head. Our eyes met.

I tensed up, watching its every twitch. Being chained to a rock didn’t give me many options, but I wasn't going down without a fight. I really didn't want "collateral damage from a moron's experiment" to be my cause of death.

The creature swung its massive right arm.

I twisted my body as hard as I could, praying to avoid a fatal hit. If I can just survive the first strike—!

CRASH!

The arm completely bypassed me, smashing the pedestal I was chained to instead. I got thrown into the wall by the shockwave, the wind getting knocked out of me.

"Guh…!"

I did a quick inventory. Bones intact? Check. No major bleeding? Check. Still mobile? Check. I scrambled to my feet, ready for round two.

But the Abomination was gone. All that was left was a smashed pedestal and a giant, gaping hole in the wall.

"Did it… actually save me?"

The swing had been aimed away from me even before I moved. Maybe it was intentional? Or maybe it just had terrible aim.

"Whatever. I'm not complaining."

I walked over to the flattened remains of the scientist, fished out the key, and unlocked my Magic-sealing restraints. Finally, my Magic Power started flowing again. I took a long, satisfying stretch to get the kinks out of my joints and stepped through the hole in the wall.

The hallway was long, dim, and littered with soldiers who had been flattened like roadkill by my former roommate.

"I'll be taking this," I said, picking up a Mithril Sword from one of the bodies. It was a cheap mass-produced piece of junk, but it would do.

I moved down the corridor and rounded the corner, only to stop dead in my tracks.

"I can't have you running off on your own," a voice said.

My eyes went wide. "Y-You? What are you doing here…?"