Death of Lust

Higashino Makoto stood in front of the castle gate, his golden eyes gazing at the massive iron gate.

The door is carved with a relief of a woman shedding her skin.

Her hand emerged from her skin; the new skin was smooth and white, while the old skin still clung to her body like a garment half-undone.

Her face was half that of a beautiful young girl and half that of a rotting skull.

"Capella's Castle."

Elsa Granhiert stood behind him, her dark red eyes fixed on the door.

"She likes this... twisted aesthetic."

"That's really quite perverted."

Inside the door was a huge hall, and inside the hall were many "things".

They used to be people.

But now, they are modified, deformed, and repulsive beings.

Some bodies were stretched out, crawling on the ground like snakes; others were compressed, rolling around like balls.

Some have multiple heads, while others have been transformed into numerous insects.

They wriggled, crawled, and rolled around in the hall, emitting low, guttural groans that seemed to be squeezed from the depths of their throats.

"Hey trash... do we have guests today?"

The sound came from the deepest part of the hall.

Crisp, delicate, with a cloying sweetness that instinctively evokes aversion.

A figure emerged from the shadows, appearing to be only ten years old, with short golden hair draped over his shoulders and crimson eyes that gleamed eerily in the candlelight.

Her attire was disturbingly revealing: hot pants, leggings, a bikini, exposing large expanses of pale, bloodless skin.

Sin Archbishops, Capella Emerada Lukenica.

She looked at Higashino Makoto, a hint of curiosity flashing in her crimson eyes, and then laughed.

That smile was more twisted, like the smile of a pervert seeing a new toy.

"Oh dear... silver hair, golden eyes, quite handsome. Are you here to love me? To worship me? To kneel at my feet?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"No."

"So what are you here for?"

"I'll kill you."

Capela's smile froze for a moment.

Then she laughed... a louder, more distorted laugh.

"Hahaha--hahahaha--hahahahaha--kill me? You actually came here to kill me on your own initiative, so this must be love!"

"I'm sorry, but while I do prioritize looks when it comes to women, I simply cannot accept those whose inner qualities are completely rotten."

Capela laughed even harder, his body began to wriggle and change shape.

"Height... around 1.7 meters, 1.6 meters is also fine? Hair color: blonde, black... no, white? Curvy... above average... no, wait..."

Capella, who was halfway through the transformation, stopped in dissatisfaction and glared at Higashino Makoto in an unfriendly tone.

"Can't you stick to one style for once?"

Higashino Makoto grinned.

"Sorry, I'm just that kind of philanthropist. I was hoping you could help me find my favorite one, but what a disappointment. So... you're useless now, can you just die?"

Higashino Makoto raised his right hand, and a ball of purple-gold light appeared in his palm.

The Garden unfolds!

Light emanated from his palm and spread in all directions.

Wherever the purplish-gold light passed, the runes on the walls began to extinguish, and the modified "things" began to tremble, twist, and struggle before their bodies began to disintegrate.

Those deformed arms, heads, and organs detached from them, turning into blood that flowed all over the ground.

Capela's body froze; her Authority failed.

Her body was no longer under her control; the forms she could change at will, the bodies she could reassemble at will, were no longer at her command.

"You bastard... what have you done?!"

Her voice trembled.

"It simply disabled your Authority; it did nothing else."

Higashino Makoto withdrew his hand, and the purple-gold light dissipated.

He walked up to Capella and looked down at the trembling, unchanging child.

"Although I've already asked several people, I still want to ask you... what is Sin Archbishops who has no Authority?"

Capela stared at him, his crimson eyes filled with fear and madness.

"Once you lose the power you were once so proud of, you're just an ordinary person."

Higashino Makoto answered for her.

"You... you can't kill me... I am... I am the Sin Archbishops... I am... I am..."

What is it?

"I am... loved by everyone... worshipped by everyone... I am... the princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom... I am..."

"You're trash."

Higashino Makoto reached out, grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her up.

Capela's feet dangled in mid-air, her hands gripping his wrists, her nails seemingly trying to dig into his skin, but to no avail.

Her strength was too small, so small as to be negligible.

"You... you let go...!"

"Elsa Granhiert, how about trying to cut open your mother's belly?"

Elsa Granhiert emerged from the shadows and walked to his side.

His dark red eyes stared at Capela, those eyes filled with hatred, fear, and an emotion that had been suppressed for over a decade and was finally able to be released.

"Elsa Granhiert... you... you actually... you dare to betray me!"

"Betray?"

Elsa Granhiert's voice was very soft.

"You've never earned my loyalty, so how can you call it betrayal?"

She reached out and gently touched Capela's cheek with her fingers, causing Capela's body to tremble violently.

"What... what are you going to do?!"

"I just wanted to test whether your intestines were anything special, Mother."

Elsa Granhiert licked the dagger in her hand, her eyes filled with excitement and the pleasure of revenge.

Higashino Makoto didn't like the scene that followed, so he wasn't there; all he heard were painful wails.

"Ah... it hurts... Traitor... it hurts... rotten flesh... stinking chunks of flesh... ah... this shouldn't be... love..."

Although he didn't particularly enjoy torture and killing, Higashino Makoto didn't stop Elsa Granhiert. After all, Capella truly deserved what he got, and no punishment would be too much.

He simply walked quietly to the door and closed it.

After a long while, Elsa Granhiert, covered in blood, finally emerged.

Inside was Capella, in a state of utter disrepair.

Her crimson eyes were still open, but the light had faded, and her expression was painful and distorted, as if asking why, or as if saying it was impossible.

He breathed his last just as the door opened.

Her body began to glow, as if something that had been polluted for too long was finally being released.

Light surged from her chest, coalesced above her body, and transformed into a cloud of blackish-red mist.

Lustful Witch Factor.

"Reisen, keep this safe."

"Yes, sir."

Reisen took out the crystal container and put the dark red mist into it.

Higashino Makoto turned around and looked at the disintegrating "things" in the hall.

They were still struggling, still wriggling, still emitting low groans.

But their bodies are slowly turning into blood and gradually dissipating.

Higashino Makoto had a way to save them, but the cost would be too high, so he decided against it.

I've avenged them, haven't I done right by them?

Reisen.

"Exist."

"Give them a quick death."

"Yes, sir."

Reisen raised her hand, and a pale golden light appeared in her palm.

The light transformed into countless tiny golden specks, drifting down like fireflies and landing on every "thing".

They stopped struggling and closed their eyes.

Then, their bodies turned into golden specks of light and dissipated into the air.

Let's go.

Higashino Makoto strode towards the door.

Reisen followed behind him.

Elsa Granhiert followed at the back, her dark red eyes fixed on Capella's corpse.

"You're finally dead... Mother... though your intestines didn't seem that special..."

Then, tears welled up in her eyes, and a smile appeared on her face, a smile that said she could finally put down her burden.

Higashino Makoto didn't turn around. He just kept walking forward, his golden eyes fixed on the gray sky ahead.

Higashino Makoto.

"Um."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. It's a deal. You made me very happy last night, so I'm here today to kill her and let you take revenge yourself... Not a bad deal, right?"

Elsa Granhiert quickened her pace, walked to his side, and walked alongside him.

Higashino Makoto.

"Um."

"Meili, when are you going to pick me up?"

Higashino Makoto, remembering that interesting little girl, was in a good mood and answered.

"Now."