Blood Princess, Kill them All

Death God

After confirming that Mary had fallen from the cliff, Magrat retrieved a rectangular device from his pocket—a mobile phone. For a mage, it served as a convenient tool that required no charging, only the infusion of mana.

“It’s impressive how the signal reaches this far. Must be magically amplified. The fusion of magic and science is truly fascinating!”

Leaning against a nearby tree, Magrat tapped his toes on the ground as he listened to the ringing sound coming from the device pressed against his ear. To his surprise, the person on the other end picked up quickly. “Who am I speaking to?”

“Oh, hello. Is this Lord Romeo? It’s Magrat speaking.”

“Magrat? The assassin my father hired! How did it go? Have you taken care of Francis and Mary?”

“I got rid of Francis without a any problems. As for the young miss, she fell into the Valley of Death. Most likely dead.”

“Good. If she were to survive, my life would be in jeopardy.” Romeo let out a relieved sigh on the other end of the line. He then posed a question with a serious tone. “Hey Magrat, there’s something I need to confirm.”

“I don’t feel obliged to answer anything unrelated to the job.”

“But this is related. You were hired by my father, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, did you inquire about why my father wanted Mary dead? I haven’t been informed the reason, including the cooperation with the Pulcherrima family?”

“Weren’t you all planning it from the start?”

“No, you’ve got it wrong. She was supposed to marry me. It was a calculated move orchestrated by my father. But the plan changed on the eve of the party. Even The King, who’s supposedly at odds with my father, showed up. It all happened too suddenly!”

“Perhaps they had a change of heart? Sometimes you just feel like killing someone. I have those moments too, you know. Ahahaha!”

“Answer seriously! You’re talking to the heir of the Slaver family, you understand?”

“Well, you see, I’m not really interested in nobility and all that. I have different beliefs. Anyway, the job is done. I bid you farewell, see ya!”

“W-wait, I still have more questions!”

Magrat abruptly ended the call with a click. He tossed away the device, but instead of falling to the ground, it was crushed and destroyed mid-air.

“Now that the party’s over, guess I’ll go home.” With his hands in his pockets, Magrat walked away from the scene.

◇◇◇

Surrounded by an abyss of darkness, Mary felt the suffocating heat and putrid stench engulfing her, whether her eyes were open or closed. It felt like she had finally fallen into the depths of hell.

Hell, huh? It’s only natural. A place befitting my uselessness and incompetence in the face of my sister’s lifeless body.

Resigned to her fate, she reluctantly lowered her eyelids, hoping for respite in sleep. Yet the scorching heat refused to release its grip. She mustered the strength to open her eyes, gradually adjusting to the darkness.

Emerging hazily before her was Francis, lifeless and sprawled across her, as if covering her completely. Mary attempted to embrace her sister’s body, but her own limbs refused to cooperate. Bones jutted out from Francis’ body, piercing through Mary’s arms and shoulders, numbing her with their intrusion. The same unsettling sensation plagued her back and legs.

The impact of the fall had also taken its toll on her organs, as each breath carried the metallic scent of her own blood.

Awful… I’m I still alive…

She lacked the strength to even utter a sound, but the realization that she hadn’t crossed over into the afterlife only intensified her longing for death. As her consciousness sharpened, so did the pain coursing through her body.

But the coldness… It feels like my life is slipping away. Just a little longer, and perhaps I can finally die. I must endure.

Resistance seemed futile. The cliff that loomed before her, towering dozens of meters ahead, offered no feasible means of escape. Mary resigned herself to her imminent demise, her gaze absentmindedly fixed upon the sky. The stars above appeared to gaze back at her with pity.

In the end, I’m nothing. I was a burden even in my sister’s death. I never should have been born in the first place.

As memories flickered before her like a revolving carousel, the same conclusion echoed through Mary’s mind. If only she could have exacted revenge on the man called Magrat, perhaps things would have been different. The same applied to Romeo, the one ultimately responsible for Francis’s demise.

I want to disappear. To be consumed by pain and misery, fading away unnoticed, becoming nothing.

Her sinking feeling seemed unending, her consciousness slipping away. But just as Mary blinked, a figure draped in a black robe materialized before her. The silhouette hinted at a woman, drifting in the air, silently observing Mary.

Death God… Ah, this is the Valley of Death. It truly exists, coming to collect the dead.

The Death God reached out, extending a hand towards Mary’s body.

Take me wherever you wish.

Mary surrendered herself. As its finger made contact with her chest, it sank deep within her body.

Thump!

From the depths of her growing cold, a surge of intense heat erupted. Mary’s eyes widened, her body convulsing.

It… It’s entering… me?!

The Death God continued to sink itself within her. It wasn’t just the arms, but its entire body, legs, and even the robe—rather than piercing through, it intruded and merged with Mary.

“Aaahhhh! It’s hot…! Something inside me is burning! My body… it burns…!”

A scorching and viscous heat, akin to the flames of hell, overflowed from Mary’s core, spreading through her body, reaching even her fingertips. Unable to utter a sound, she writhed in agonizing pain, manipulated by this “unknown energy.”

And as the Death God fully assimilated within her…

“Aaaahhhhhh! No, nooo! IG-gaaaahhhh!”

A deranged scream tore through the air as Mary’s body underwent a grotesque transformation. Her chest bulged outward, and a skeletal head resembling that of a beast burst through her skin with violent force. Its first target was the lifeless body of Francis, as it sunk its teeth into her, tearing her apart and devouring her whole.

My sister’s body… bitten, crushed, destroyed… Ahhhh! It becomes a part of me!

The consumed flesh connected Mary’s mouth to her insides, intertwining the devoured corpse with her own flesh and blood. More mouths burst forth from her chest, piercing through her skin. The grotesque creatures extended their necks, feasting upon the surrounding corpses, one after another.

“Within me, something that isn’t me… Ahaha, ahahaha! It’s entering! That’s right! At last, I won’t be empty anymore! No more hollow emptiness! The heat… It melts my mind! It’s all messed up! Sister’s within me! Happinesssss! Ahahahahahahaha!” Mary’s face contorted with madness as she let out a broken laughter.

***