Everyone was shocked by Lillian's sudden revival and transformation.
"You monster!!" Julian shouted. His face was now beet-red from fury.
"Eheheheh… That's no way to thank the demon that resurrected your daughter, now, is it?"
The now resurrected and transformed Lillian looked at herself curiously. "I'm… alive?" she said, her voice filled with confusion.
She looked at her hand and then felt her head to find two new additions to her body.
Horns.
Once more, unexpectedly, Leo came up from behind. He was much more battered and bloodied than before, and it looked as if this time he was poised to strike down Lillian with his broken sword.
"I'm sorry, milady, but I refuse to let your honor be tarnished!" Leo shouted. Lillian looked back, shocked by this unprovoked attack.
Suddenly, a demon's tail shot through Leo's head.
Kalika watched on in utter shock as Captain Leo's body fell limp. His sword fell with a clang, and the audience watching tensed with disbelief, etched on everyone's face as the army of demons laughed.
The Demon King smiled happily as the tail reeled back from the head, dropping the body to the ground. The tail then returned to its owner, who was none other than Lillian. She looked down at the now-dead Captain Leo, almost devoid of emotion. She then caressed her tail very gingerly before giving an apology. "I-I'm sorry Captain… you startled me…"
"Heh. What a foolish man. Against a demon fed my blood, he stood no chance." The Demon King stated.
Lillian became sad after hearing the Demon King's words, realizing that she was, in fact, now a demon herself. She became more bitter looking back upon Captain Leo's corpse.
Suddenly, Lillian was struck by a fireball, which burnt up most of her prisoner's clothes and made them a little more revealing. She was surprised, turning to find that the fireball came from a reluctant Grimwald. He was poised and ready to jump down the balcony with one foot on the railing.
"Your majesty, you and the princess need to escape now, otherwise-!" Grimwald was cut short as he suddenly found himself eye to eye with Lillian, as she had both of her hands on his face.
Grimwald was unsure what was happening. He found himself utterly speechless, unable to even draw a breath.
"I…I'm sorry, Grim. It looks like… this is where we part ways…" Lillian masked her sadness, forcing a bittersweet smile. "I'll always cherish the short time we spent together while I was still human..."
She cried a little before closing in with a kiss that lasted a few seconds. Soon after, Grimwald's eyes became lifeless, leaving Lillian to embrace his detached head for a short while longer, all before lifting it and engulfing it in fire, burning it to ash. She looked back up towards the balcony to her family, still standing in the very spot where she had been resurrected.
The Demon King looked on, impressed by Lillian's immense power. He then turned to watch as Kalika could only look on in horror, as she witnessed the now headless body that belonged to Grimwald fall over. The body started to gush blood throughout the balcony floor.
"This can't be real." She became pale, her entire body trembling as horrifying thoughts raced through her mind. "NO! It can't be real!!"
The sight was sickening and horrific, and she was left unable to turn away from it. As the blood ran past her, she instinctively screamed and fell to the floor.
Julian tried to avert her gaze by getting in front of her, placing both his hands on her shoulder to turn her from the scene, but the damage was already done. Kalika was already freaked out, as she understood that she would have no control over whatever came next. Julian continued to try to calm her down tirelessly, but to no avail.
"Kalika. Kalika! You need to pull yourself together! You need to create a purging barrier! If you don't, we could both die! I know you can do it. I've seen it myself!"
Julian understood the dire situation. Two of Lillian's most cherished companions were killed without hesitation by her. There was no question in his mind that she would be after him and Kalika, too.
Kalika looked on in confusion before realizing what he meant. She became much more emotional as she whimpered. "No…. No. I-I can't…."
"You have to! If not both of us, you have to protect yourself at least!"
Flustered, Kalika became teary-eyed and her face flushed red as she shook uncontrollably. "No… I can't do it… I don't have magic… I… I can't use holy magic… or fire magic… or any other kind of magic. I'm a fraud. A fraud who can't use magic." Kalika's last statement hit Julian hard as he saw Kalika weep from this sudden confession.
"No. you're just lying to yoursel-." Julian stopped himself for a moment. "I can't lose both my cherished daughters.". Kalika could feel a deep sadness in the voice of the father who adopted her.
"F-father?" This surprised Kalika as she was always treated more harshly than Lillian when she was young or when Lillian and Julian completely stopped seeing eye to eye. This was a side of the father who adopted her that she had never seen.
A sense of dread soon overcame Julian as he realized his own folly. "What have I done…"
Kalika now saw her now demonic sister behind Julian, standing on the balcony railing with a look of deep disappointment. With a flick of Lillian's finger, Julian exploded, blood now splattered onto Lillian and Kalika alike.
And with that, Lillian smiles graciously. "I didn't think you'd ever tell Father the truth… I'm happy."
Julian's blood and body parts poured like rain. It wasn't long before Lillian chuckled carelessly for a second before giving a crude joke. "I guess this makes us blood sisters, huh?"
Kalika, witnessing this, was left in complete disbelief at the sudden death of her adopted father. It was almost maddening, to the point where reality was just a dream turned into a nightmare.
"N-no way…" Kalika muttered.
Kalika tensed up, completely unable to move as Lillian slowly approached her.
Lillian crouched to the eye level of her adopted sister. Placing two fingers on Kalika's cheek, she couldn't help but look into Kalika's eyes, watching her expression. All the while, Kalika was starting to hyperventilate, unable to accept the reality before her.
The reflection of Lillian's smiling face can be seen in Kalika's eyes, as she could only look on in terror. "Thank you, Kalika. For being my sister." And with a flick of a finger, Lillian twisted Kalika's head and forcefully snapped her neck.
The pain in her neck was quick, and Kalika couldn't feel anything at all. Her vision started to go dark even though she wasn't closing her eyes.
"No, No, No, No, No, No, No!!" It became apparent to her quickly that she was dying, but she didn't want to die. Just as she had everything in her grasp, she didn't want to be consumed by darkness. "I don't wanna die. Please. No. I want to live! I… I."
"I refused to die. I refused to die. I refused to die." The same desperate thought played on and on, over and over like a record on repeat, throughout her mind and her body.
"I...."
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!" Kalika suddenly found herself shouting out loud with tears in her eyes, and Lillian's finger seemingly still on her.
Both Kalika and Lillian looked at each other, befuddled. Lillian's cheek instantly became flushed as she blurted out a chuckle. Kalika could only look on in confusion, as she didn't understand what had just happened.
Lillian smiled, backing off of Kalika and seating herself on the balcony railing. She cocked her head with a knowing smile at Kalika.
"W-what's-" with a snap of Lillian's finger, Kalika was suddenly engulfed in a torrent of flames. She screamed in agony as she felt her skin melting off her. The pain was unbearable for Kalika, and she was forced to bear the pain until, once again, the darkness finally reached her once more.
Like before, Kalika awakened with the caveat that her dress was completely burnt. Kalika was taken aback by this and started covering herself. "M-my dress!"
Kalika looked back in terror at Lillian, finding her completely blushing as she covered her mouth with her hands. Lillian removed her hands from her mouth to show an expression of absolute bliss. "T-thank God," Lillian said, almost becoming giddy.
"W-what's going on?" Kalika muttered.
Kalika knew what she felt was too real. She understood that there was no way it could be a premonition, especially with her dress completely burned. Was she being revived somehow?
Lillian started chuckling some more. "Never in my life have I ever felt so blessed. What a wonderful gift." Lillian smiled excitedly at Kalika.
Without warning, Lillian flicked her fingers downwards for Kalika to find a sudden darkness, only for her to awaken, like the times before. Lillian flicked her fingers again. This time, certain parts of Kalika's body went numb; Kalika could see that her arm was now gone, followed by a delayed onset of pain. Kalika looked on in horror before she found that she was unable to feel her entire body, followed by darkness once again.
Again. And again. And again. And again. From intervals of sudden darkness to sudden and painful numbness, to the constant awakening. There was no doubt in Kalika's mind. She was being killed constantly and being completely revived and healed.
The sheer amount of time Lillian was killing her was maddening. The pain was maddening. Lillian's sadistic expression, as she laughed each time she'd killed Kalika, was maddening. Kalika couldn't take it anymore as she attempted to plead. But each time, she'd only be killed before she was able to say a word.
"S… S… St…. Stop it…. Ple… Please!!" Kalika finally pleads after such a long time. Lillian stopped shortly after. She looked at Kalika lovingly. Lillian just waited patiently as Kalika cried uncontrollably. She sat in her completely ruined, cut, and burnt dress.
"I-I'm sorry. Please. Stop. I'm sorry. P-please. Just kill me already. I don't want to feel it. It hurts… so bad… Please… Stop reviving me…" Kalika had had enough. She didn't want to suffer through all the pain Lillian was giving her.
Lillian continued to look at her pitiful sister, still smiling. At this point, Kalika was waiting for Lillian's response. After a few moments, Lillian finally said something.
"Reviving you? I haven't done a thing. Hehehe."
Kalika was surprised by this fact. "Besides… Why would I forgive you? After everything you've done?" Dread filled Kalika's heart soon after hearing those last few cold words.
Lillian continued, "You're going to be my toy to play with. Each and every day. We're going to have a lot of fun together." Hearing those words sent chills down Kalika's spine, terrifying her.
"I-is God punishing me. Is this his retribution?" The thought that this was God's way of punishing Kalika became just as terrifying as her now demonic sister.
Despite knowing that she was completely outmatched, she opted to run away. Like a switch in her brain, Kalika tried to get up, only to realize that her legs literally felt like jelly, leaving her crawling away as her only mode of escape.
"Please! Someone! Anyone! Save me!!" Kalika was yelling out loud in desperation.
Kalika desperately dragged herself across the balcony, floor only for all hopes to be immediately dashed as she saw the Demon King simply sipping some tea. The Demon King glanced at a desperate Kalika.
"I see that you're alive again…" The Demon King seemed a lot calmer than before.
"W-when did you…" Kalika started to hyperventilate again. She then got the urge to look around.
Kalika turned her head to find that the demon invasion had entirely decimated the city. The buildings around them are in complete ruin, as others are simply burning down, including the castle she once called home. Not only that, but the streets were filled to the brim with the corpses of civilians and guards, both young and old.
"It seems your sister was having a lot of fun with you for the past few hours…Although that's to be expected since we demons take pleasure in others' suffering, the ecstasy from it is just... irresistible."
Kalika screamed out as a sharp pain was felt in her back. Kalika was stabbed with a sword that once belonged to Grimwald. Lillian gave a sinister and knowing smile. Lillian was up to something.
Lillian then bent down, hugging her knee. She dropped a white glowing crystal towards Kalika, who was suffering from the pain. Kalika slowly turned her attention to the crystal, recognizing it as a crystal filled with holy magic.
Kalika remembered that as a child, Lillian would infuse her magic into a dull, lifeless-looking crystal and turn it into a brilliantly shining crystal. Incidentally, this was also when she discovered her own lack of magic. However, she later found her strange ability to channel the magic from the crystal, which no one else was capable of.
Knowing this, she kept this power a secret from most people she knew. She even kept this a secret from her adopted family. That was... until the time was right for her to show herself and prove herself as the Saintess to the masses.
Kalika understood that this crystal was her last hope for survival, so she struggled with the pain, trying to grasp onto the crystal. Kalika grabbed the crystal, but it wasn't long before Lillian also put her hand on Kalika's arm. Lillian kept Kalika from moving her hands from the ground with the crystal underneath it. "What are you waiting for? K-a-l-i-k-a."
The Demon King was starting to get intrigued.
Kalika clutched the crystal tightly. Without thinking it over, and out of desperation, she attempted to channel every bit of the crystal's magical properties into her hand.
"I-I-I refuse… I-I refuse to be my sister's plaything!"
"D-DIE!!" She shouted as she closed her eyes.
Kalika channeled magic, instantly forming a protective barrier around her. It spread around her for about a meter, practically stopping in front of the Demon King. "Oh?" The Demon King was surprised by what he saw.
Kalika opened her eyes, expecting Lillian to be disintegrated into bits upon being in contact with the purging barrier she created. However, Lillian was inside the barrier, completely fine and unharmed. This surprised both the Demon King and Kalika. "W-what the- W-Why!!??".
Kalika realized that Lillian already knew about Kalika's little secret, which she'd been hiding.
"How long did you know?" Kalika went pale.
It wasn't long before Kalika was kicked with tremendous force through the sword impaled in her and into the church. Kalika could only cry out from the pain and confusion as half her torso was cut through.
Lillian stared menacingly at Kalika as she entered the destroyed church wall. "I've known this ever since we were kids. I just never told you I knew. I didn't even tell Father."
Kalika was shocked to learn that Lillian had always known about this strange ability, never once revealing it before her death. Lillian once again approached her sister, reentering the small barrier. She started to smile fondly.
"Ah~. It feels so nice and warm. It almost feels nostalgic." Lillian enjoyed the feeling of the barrier that was used to keep demons away.
"So, this is how you convinced the fools that you were the Saintess." The Demon King was now behind Lillian, just outside the barrier.
"So, you, yourself, don't have any magical prowess, but you can use the powers of others from those dinky crystals…" The Demon King then touched the barrier himself, only to have a single finger of his vaporized trying to touch it. He doesn't flinch and lets his finger regrow itself.
"Hmmm…It's pretty powerful as well... For what it is. However, it seems that your sister must be immune, perhaps because she is the actual Saintess herself." The Demon King chuckled to himself, amused. "What a wonderful Irony; the Saintess born to kill demons has become one herself. I couldn't have written it better myself if I wanted to."
The Demon King crouched down to meet Kalika's eye, smiling more widely with satisfaction. "Still, I don't think I've seen an ability like yours myself. This world is still such an unknown frontier; it looks like conquering it will be more fun than I expected."
"N-no…" Kalika said softly as she realized that she had doomed the world.
Lillian soon grabbed Kalika's head and killed her again. Blood began to flow, instantly leaving the body. With Kalika now dead once more, Lillian used this opportunity to embrace Kalika in a hug.
"Are you sure you want to keep your sister with you after everything that happened?" The Demon King questioned.
"My sister… She is the best gift God has ever given me… I want to cherish her and make her mine."
The Demon King chuckled at Lillian's statement. It didn't take long for the barrier to be dispelled afterward. Kalika's head mysteriously attached itself to her body. It wasn't long before Kalika reawakened. Like those other times, she reverted to normal as if some invisible force was healing her. She shuddered as she realized that Lillian was hugging her.
"I wonder how many different ways I can kill you. Maybe I can feed you, your own heart. Or maybe I can sever your arm and use it as a weapon. The possibilities are endless, Kalika." Lillian was starting to get excited.
Kalika became pale and froze as she heard her sister's declaration. "I-i-is this really Lily?"
Feeling Lillians' grasp tighten on her, Kalika froze. Her throat tightened, and she couldn't breathe. Her eyes darted around, looking for any signs of life other than her own as their once beloved capital burned to the ground.
Lillian embraced Kalika further. "We're going to have so much fun,"
Kalika choked. As she stared on in horror. "Someone. Anyone. Please... Save me."