ES - Chapter 252 (Patreon)

Chapter 252: Valerie and Balor, the Decision

—

The air in the warehouse had grown suffocating. Valerie sat frozen, the cold glass of coffee still in her trembling hand, feeling like a mouse cornered by a group of cats. Her eyes darted from Gasper's trembling figure, held by Angela’s iron grip, to Rizevim, the mastermind behind this situation.

Every muscle in Valerie’s body screamed at her to move, but she was paralyzed by the weight of the moment. Her body felt no longer in control. The scent of ash and iron hung in the air, blending with the damp rot of the warehouse’s dark corners. 

Angela Odinsdottir, built like an Amazon, stood beside Rizevim like a living fortress. Her massive sword rested against her shoulder which rustled as she spoke. “You’d think a dead God of Chaos who finally received the chance to revive would handle things better, but I guess even the dead are disappointed sometimes,” she said, her voice cold as the blue in her eyes.

“Oh no, dear Angela, why be rude to our soon-to-be friend?” Rizevim gave a slow, mocking clap. His silver hair shimmered under the low light of the warehouse as he stepped forward, grinning. “Heh… What a cute little gathering we have here, I must admit. But I’d prefer if we could talk without disrupting the gathering, yes? Let’s not drag this out longer than necessary.”

He gestured, taking in the vampires crowding around Valerie like nervous, obedient pets. His eyes locked onto Valerie, and she could feel the malice that spoke of the wild things he’d love to do to her. “I’ll take silence for compliance. My dear Valerie, let’s talk business.”

“W-what business?” Valerie’s heart pounded in her chest, but she couldn’t find the words to respond. She wasn’t sure if she was more terrified of Rizevim or of the words that she knew would leave his lips. 

The grip on her coffee cup tightened, and her breath hitched as she glanced once more at Gasper, whose wide, terrified eyes were pleading with her for help. “Valerie…”

“I’m a particularly greedy man,” Rizevim cut off the poor vampire boy’s words, his tone relaxed and conversational. “But I don’t want to Graal myself, not as my Sacred Gear. Which is a good thing for you, Valerie,” he leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a whisper that felt far more sinister. “For it means I wouldn’t mind making you my little slave… as long as you use the Graal to do my bidding.”

“....”

“With the right wishes, you and I could accomplish… such wonderful things. I can take revenge on your brother. I know the bad, bad, terrible things he’d done to you. Don’t you want revenge?” He asked with a glint in his eyes.

Valerie’s fingers trembled at his words, her breath catching in her throat at his sly offer. Slave? She swallowed as the word echoed in her mind like the final nail in the coffin.

Before she could form a response, Balor's voice cut through her thoughts. “Submit to you, a weak and meek fallen prince?” It was a sound cold and regal, dripping with royal disdain. Balor’s laughter echoed through the vampire secretary’s mouth. “I think not. How about you turn around and leave the way you came from? That way you can live the rest of your days at least, rather than needlessly dying here today.”

Rizevim scoffed, parting his lips to speak, but Balor cut him off. “Quiet. You, who are a mere shadow of a once great name, dare to eye the Grail? Miserable bastard.”

Rizevim closed his lips. His expression darkened. Then he chuckled, lazily meeting the secretary’s hollow gaze. “Ah, the Demon God speaks at last and so rude at the very start.” His voice was laced with mockery, but his eyes turned back to Valerie. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I am talking to your master.”

“You’re slow, prince,” Balor said.

“Oh no, I am not. You’re definitely not the one in charge here, for whatever reasons. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sticking with her. Valerie, my dear… you don’t need to make the decision of your enslavement right now. I’m a reasonable man. I understand it’s a somewhat heavy topic.” His tone softened, like a wolf offering comfort to a chicken. “You can take your time. But first…” 

“First?” She looked at him with trembling eyes.

His smile turned sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. “You’re going to use the Sephiroth Graal to put Balor under my control. Make a wish right now.”

Valerie’s blood ran cold, and her gaze sharpened at Rizevim in disbelief and terror. She looked at Balor, whose jaws were clenched, and back at Rizevim. “What…?”

Rizevim’s smile widened, eyes gleaming. “Oh, did I speak too quietly? I fail to understand what’s so confusing. I said you’ll wish for me to control him.” 

“....”

His voice dropped, all traces of warmth vanishing. He slowly nudged his chin at Gasper. “Or, my dear, I’ll make sure Gasper Vladi doesn’t make it out of this room alive. I’ll tear him apart finger by finger, limb by limb, and make him experience death a thousandfold.”

As if in support, Angela’s grip on Gasper tightened, her smirk deepening. She raised him slightly off the ground by his neck, her fingers curling into his throat as he let out a strangled gasp. He growled, his eyes going white as his legs dangled in the air.

Valerie’s breath hitched. Her eyes widened in horror, flicking from Gasper’s desperate face to Angela’s cruel, unforgiving grin. “His neck is soft.”

What a… bad person! Valerie couldn’t move. Her entire body was frozen, her mind racing. She wanted to scream, to beg, to do anything. But Balor’s voice slithered into her mind like poison, cutting through the chaos.

“You dare falter now?” Balor hissed in her head, his tone colder than it had ever been. “Do not even think of bowing to this fool. You know the price if you listen to him, Valerie.”

Valerie’s chest tightened. Gasper’s terrified eyes locked onto hers, and a wave of nausea hit her like a tidal wave. 

She was trapped. Her throat quivered. She felt like that day when she saw her pet cat being tormented by her brother before he killed the little thing right in front of her. She could do nothing back then, just stare, for she was helpless.

No, this felt worse. Caught between two monsters, both demanding her loyalty and her cursed power. What could she do? Her lips parted, but before any words could leave her lips, the warehouse ceiling exploded.

“Yahoo~!”

A cheerful voice cut through the tension like a knife, and in an instant, Dragon God Quetzalcoatl came crashing through the roof. 

The deity landed with a thud, her rainbow-colored feather wings flaring wide as dust and debris scattered around her. She straightened up, her heavy, muscular body smooth as her eyes scanned the scene before her.

“Well, well, well!” She drawled, her lips curling into a grin. “Looks like I stumbled onto quite the party. Devils and Asgard, and then what’s that?” Her gaze flicked over to Lilith, and she blinked. Quetzalcoatl stared at her for a moment and then blinked. She chose to ignore the little thing and turned to Rizevim and Angela and finally rested on Valerie and Gasper. “Alright guys, you can enjoy your meeting. I’m simply here for the vampire. The trap one. Can I have him right now, or do I have to break more walls?”

“I humbly ask the Dragon Goddess to stay for tea, please,” Rizevim said, smirking lazily at her. When Quetzalcoatl frowned and opened her mouth, the world froze for just a moment. Silence passed, and then the warehouse rippled.

In the blink of an eye, a figure shot out from the fabrics of space-time. It was Erlang Shen, whose fist rocketed toward Quetzalcoatl’s face.

– Boom!

The blow connected with a sickening crack, and Quetzalcoatl was sent flying across the room, crashing into the far wall with enough force to shake the entire building. Before she could even react, Erlang Shen stepped out of the swirling void, his expression cold and unyielding as he advanced.

“Been a long time, Quetzalcoatl,” he said, resting his spear on his shoulders.

Valerie hicked. A silent chaos churned through the warehouse, for a member of the enemy faction had found this place. The harsh impact of Erlang Shen’s punch still reverberated, and as Quetzalcoatl rose from the ground, the tension only increased.

Rizevim Lucifer, standing at a side, “Oh my, you didn’t see that coming, dragon?”

“...Ah shit,” Quetzalcoatl grumbled, wiping dust from her mouth as she staggered upright, jaws clenched in frustration. “Does it make sense for some nobody to sneak up on me just because I’m not a Chief God anymore? Fucking hell!” The ground trembled, and then the entire dimension did.

The [Dragon Icon] roared to life, manifesting around her in a crackling aura of power. The air shook like an earthquake. She wasted no time, launching herself toward Erlang Shen, her fist a blur of raw force. “You Daoist fool!”

But then Lilith moved.

Her tiny form flickered into view beside Quetzalcoatl, her cold eyes narrowing before she casually backhanded the dragon goddess. The blow was meant to send the woman sprawling across the dimension, leaving her half-destroyed, but Quetzalcoatl caught her wrist mid-strike, glaring at the Ophis clone with unrestrained fury.

“I am not a little fly, you clone,” Quetzalcoatl said, and Lilith blinked, almost in surprise. 

Then, with a speed that defied reason and every law of physics, the little girl threw a punch straight into Quetzalcoatl’s face. The impact exploded in a shockwave ripple that sent Quetzalcoatl flying out of the warehouse, slamming into buildings outside with a crash that echoed through the realm.

“Heh. Erlang, take care of her outside,” Rizevim ordered lazily. Erlang Shen, clearly annoyed at being commanded, still complied, stepping toward the shattered exit to finish what Lilith had done.

Rizevim’s attention snapped back to Valerie, his smirk deepening as he saw the uncertainty in her eyes, her hesitation like blood in the water to a shark. “So?”

Valerie’s forehead felt cold. Gasper was still trembling in Angela’s grasp, her grip tightening around his neck. Every second that passed weighed on Valerie like a thousand chains pulling her into despair.

Rizevim took a step forward, his voice dark, almost seductive. “Valerie, please. You don’t have much time. Make the wish. Use the Sephiroth Graal. Submit to me… and I’ll spare your friend. I’ll let you keep him. Isn’t that what you want? To save him? I shall also treat you like the princess you are, that your people never managed to do.”

Valerie’s heart pounded in her chest. The beat of her pulse was deafening in her ears as she glanced desperately between Gasper, Balor, and the enemies around her. Could she really do it? Could she truly leave Balor’s leash in Rizevim’s hands? Could she truly throw chaos into the world just to save Gasper? Then again, his safety was a promise from a devil—which meant nothing in retrospect.

“....”

Her fingers clutched the cup of coffee in her hand. Then, the cup transformed. The Holy Grail glowed faintly in her hand, a soft, almost pleading light.

“...Valerie, don’t do something stupid,” Balor’s voice slithered into her mind, colder than before, more commanding. 

Her fingers trembled as the weight of the decision crushed her. Her lips parted, and the words she never thought she would utter slipped out. “I wish—” the cup lit up. “—FOR RIZEVIM LUCIFER TO BLOW UP INTO SMITHEREENS!”

For a moment, Valerie felt the power of the Grail surge through her, feeling it bend reality to her will. Her mind saw what she wished. She vividly imagined Rizevim’s body exploding into a mist of blood and flesh. She could see it, almost taste the satisfaction of his demise, and she waited for that vision to come true.

But in the real world… nothing happened.

“Hah,” Rizevim growled at her. “Stupid bitch,” he spat, voice filled with amusement. In an instant, he teleported in front of her, his hand reaching out to snatch the Grail from her grasp. “You really have no clue who I am, do you?”

His unique power, the Sacred Gear Canceller, had easily nullified her wish. The Grail, her one chance at stopping him, was useless in her hands. 

Now it was all over.

Rizevim’s fingers brushed against the Grail. He curled his fingers around it. But before he could hold it, his hand dropped to the ground. It was a gentle thud.

He blinked. His hand was severed cleanly at the wrist. Then he hissed. Blood sprayed out in thick spurts, staining the cracked floor below.

Balor, or rather the secretary he possessed, stood between them, staring down at Rizevim with cold contempt. “Do not touch her,” he said simply.

Rizevim recoiled, rage flashing across his face. “Lilith!” he barked, his good hand clutching the stump. The Ophis clone leaped into action, launching herself at Balor with deadly precision. 

Balor barely flinched, his voice booming through the warehouse. “Amalgamation!” he roared before Lilith could reach him. The world hummed. In an instant, every vampire in the room except Valerie rushed into his body, merging with him, flesh melding into a grotesque mass of power.

Lilith’s punch connected with his face mid-transformation, the force of it enough to send shockwaves through the warehouse, stronger than the punch she landed on Quetzalcoatl’s face. And yet Balor’s form continued to change, undeterred by the blow.

Rizevim blinked, momentarily stunned by the raw power radiating from Balor’s new form. His grin returned, wider than ever. “Oh, he’s powerful! Valerie, you better make that wish right now,” he called out, his voice dripping with venom. “Otherwise, I’ll kill you and your little boyfriend!”

It was a false return, not a true revival—he didn’t have Gasper to make a true revival. That was why the transformation looked so gross. And yet, he was so strong! If I’m not wrong, he’ll try to take Gasper as soon as he can. Otherwise, this revival would collapse, and he might die. Rizevim noted. Once again, Gasper was the key.

In a fluid motion, he grabbed Gasper from Angela, holding the trembling boy by the collar as if he were nothing more than a rag doll. “I—”

Rizevim’s words were cut short by the explosion that followed.

Lilith and the falsely transformed Balor clashed again, their fists meeting in a devastating blow that sent a shockwave tearing through the warehouse. The walls buckled, collapsing inward as the air filled with the roar of destruction. Fire and energy erupted from their clash, a blinding light consuming everything in its path.

Everyone was blasted out of the warehouse, even the army of Asgardians. They went flung far, some falling on top of their own weapons, killing themselves. 

When the dust settled, Rizevim coughed, stumbling as he stood up, Gasper limp in his arms. The boy had fallen unconscious, his neck had almost broken in Rizevim’s grasp during the explosion. “Shit,” he cursed. The once-solid walls of the warehouse were gone, reduced to rubble and ash. In the center of the chaos, five figures stood.

Wait, Five? 

Lilith, her form crackling with energy, faced off against a grotesque, bat-like humanoid creature.  The amalgamated false form of Balor, his body oozing with bare flesh and blood and twisting with dark power. The 

On the sidelines, Valerie sprawled on the floor untouched by the explosion. Her wide eyes locked onto the figure standing protectively in front of her, the additional face that had appeared in the chaos.

Aqua stood with his hands in his pockets, calm and unbothered, while Mai hovered just behind him, gently beside Valerie, steadying her. Aqua’s gaze lifted to the battle unfolding ahead, his expression unreadable, as he faced the two weapons of mass destruction in front of him.

How bothersome, Rizevim noted, wiping blood from his lips. I thought the situation would pass smoothly. Annoying little bastard.

**

**

**

Author Note: Life’s far too busy for comfort lately, and my birthday’s coming. Next week! 25th October. I don’t usually celebrate birthdays but my beggar friend’s been begging me for too long to feed her, so I gotta clear my schedule and do that 😕and thennn also feed a different friend group. So I’ve decided to take a week off on updates and will return on 27th October. Take care!!