Hard Times Ahead

After several minutes of waiting for Baron Galafern to return with the Divine Artifacts, Liamion found his nerve and broke away from his mother’s grip, slipping past the knights who had brought his brother and sisters to one area to make it easier to protect them, and approached the stairs. Despite being the embodiment of Corruption and antithesis of the Pure, the Demon Monarch König Geistdunkelrustung had been a being of his word, so the young prince reined in his fear and called out to her. “Inessa!”

“Liamion! Get back here!” His mother called out to him, but he ignored her.

The girl who looked like Inessa glanced back at the armored shadow, and, receiving a nod of approval, began to approach. “Liam. You can’t call me that anymore.” She said.

“Why not? You are Inessa, are you not?” Liamion asked, as gauntletted hands grabbed him and began to pull him back.

However, the knight who began to pull the prince back froze when Geist stared directly at him. “No harm will befall the young prince. Allow them to speak.” He said, assuring the young boy’s safety.

“Speak?! With a woman who willingly allowed herself to be Corrupted?” Kathritrina asked, appalled at the very idea.

“And whose fault would that be, Your Majesty?” Lilith asked back, her words sharper than a blade. “Who was it that pushed Essa and I to go to such lengths?”

Reaching Liamion, the ashen-skinned former Champion crouched ever so slightly to look him in the eyes and smiled. “I am still Inessa, but Seepu says my name is ‘Laimessa’ now, so we’re almost name buddies.” Giggling at how similar the beginning of their names was, her expression got more serious as she continued. “I’m sorry, but I’m a Corrupted monster now. A good boy like you can’t look at me like that.” She said, her features softening at the boy fighting to maintain his composure and not break down into tears.

“But… I was going to be the one to save you…” He said weakly, his voice trembling. “When I grew up and–”

“It would have been too late. I would have died had Geisty not Corrupted me.” She replied, shaking her head. “That’s just how the world works sometimes. I’m an unlovable monster now.”

“That’s not true!”

To hear such a sentiment come from behind her, Laimessa wasn’t surprised. Even as Lilith, Lylia was still Lylia and would stick with her through thick and thin.

But hearing the young prince say the exact same thing, in the exact same tone, at the exact same time as the lavender seductress shocked the entire banquet hall for a long moment.

“L-Liamion! What do you think you are saying to that Corrupted, ugly, vile wom–”

“She’s not ugly!” He yelled back, cutting off and turning to face his mother. “Inessa isn’t ugly! She’s never been ugly! She’s strong and noble and proud and kind and… and… the most beautiful girl in the world!” His anger and frustration compel him to not keep it bottled up any longer. “E-Even now, Inessa is beautiful! And one day, I’m going to save her. So what if she has been Corrupted?”

“Liamion! Stop talking nonsense and get back over here this instant!” Kathritrina said, vibrating with anger and struggling against the knights holding her back.

“Is that so?” Laimessa asked softly, giggling at the young prince’s declaration. Reaching up, she took his royal tassel into one hand and used one of the swords dropped by the initial six knights to sever the base from his neck. “Then you can’t continue to be a child. You’ll need to be a man and come and get me.” She teased with a playful grin, twirling the purple braid around her finger.

“Y-Y-You… You Corrupted whore! Do you have any idea what you have done?!” The queen shrieked, seeing the memento of her son’s youth be taken from her.

The Laimessa simply smirked at the apoplectic woman, pocketing the tassel as she ruffled Liamion’s hair. “But I’m not going to wait for you. If you take too long, who knows? I might end up falling for Geisty~” Giggling, she looked back at her shadowy ruler. Her fondness for him wasn’t romantic, but the second prince didn’t need to know that.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Liamion stared at the towering, terrifying figure. “J-Just take good c-care of her until I c-come to get her back.” He said as confidently as he could, his voice only barely cracking.

“All Corrupted are under my care, young prince,” Geist said back, not entirely sure what just happened, but rolling with it regardless.

“M-My apol…apologies f-for the… the wait, M-Miss Lilith!” Returning much quicker than anyone had anticipated, winded and dripping with sweat, Baron Galafern returned with the former Saintess’ Divine Artifact. He was also accompanied by several more knights and members of the church than he left with. But one look at the menacing figure seated on he throne in the middle of the grand staircase extinguished any cavalier thoughts of resisting they had.

“Oh, that was certainly quick, Lord Galafern,” Lilith said, motioning for the baron to bring the items to her.

Sending Liamion back to the royal family after a quick hug, Laimessa returned to Geist’s side and began putting on her old equipment over her clothes, along with Lilith. “Seriously, Lia, you should cover up more. Everyone can see your… well, everything.”

“Let them, Essa. Or are you just jealous?” The voluptuous demoness joked back, moving in an exaggerated way to make her plumper parts jiggle enticingly. “I told you I didn’t need an overcoat.”

“But you have such a great figure! Ah! I’ve always wanted to dress you up, but you always wear the same thing. It’s such a waste, especially since Geisty can make clothes out of nothing.” She said, exasperated. “When we get back, I’m making you get some real clothes. Trust me, I’ll still make you look sexy as hell!”

“I don’t really mind. Those clothes you got Geist to make do look interesting.”

“You both do understand that spell can alter any matter into anything the caster can imagine, yes? I could use it to turn a rock into a puppy.” Geist interjected. “I used it to create clothes for you because there was nothing else around.”

“Right. But don’t you want to see Lia in a bunnysuit, Geisty~?”

“...Carry on…”

The banquet’s attendees watched on in stunned, confused silence as they couldn’t fight back, couldn’t leave, and didn’t know comment on what was being said. Once the two Corrupted women were in full dress, though, they waited with bated breath the see what would happen next.

“Okay, ready Geisty~” Laimessa said.

“Make it quick. This gown feels uncomfortably stifling.” Lilith added.

Standing from the makeshift throne, casting magic to turn it back into the marble staircase from which it was formed, Geist raised his hands over each of their heads. “For millennia, you have relied on the power in these ‘Divine Artifacts’ to prosecute the Corrupted, and eliminate them from the world. My predecessors were slain, over and over, unable to resist, and from that, from our suffering, your society has persisted without opposition. However, it was not the power of your Goddess from which these relics were crafted.” As he spoke, Geist’s shadowy essence dripped from his armor, flowing like a gaseous liquid over Laimessa and Lilith. As it rolled over a piece of the immaculate, pristine, goldened items, it eroded and tarnished the metal, swallowing it up into the light-devouring darkness, and continued to spread out over the women. “What began with Champion Leopollis’ party, stealing away the power of each Demon Monarch and weakening them so future Champions would face weaker threats, ends today. In the name of… of König Geistdunkelrustung, I hereby reclaim the Corruption that has emboldened the Pure!”

The shadows that leaked from his armor gushed forth, covering Liamessa and Lilith completely. Both women stifled moans of ecstasy as sure concentrated Corruption surrounded them, permeated their bodies, and bound them to the great, nigh endless font of darkness that was Geist’s Demon Monarch essence. And, as quickly as they were blotted out completely by the impenetrable, shifting shadows, Geist retracted his insubstantial form, revealing both the former Champion and former Saintess as the ruined remains of their ‘Divine Artifacts’ fell away into smoke and ash.

Even with him holding back the pressure his aura exerted, the people watching on could feel his power vibrate the air from sheer presence alone. There was no room for doubt that this was the being who stood above all Corrupted. The Demon Monarch returned to his prime, whose name would be etched into their history for millennia to come. This was König Geistdunkelrustung.

Taking a deep, cathartic breath and easing into the power flowing through him, Geist looked at the two of them. “Are you both certain about this?” He asked, holding out his hands.

Laimessa and Lilith looked at each other and nodded in unison, firm in their wordless decision.

“Then I shall take my leave first.” He said, retracting his hands. “I wish you all an enjoyable rest of your evening.” Casting several more spells that required no incantation in rapid succession, one of which forcing all the young children and plainly dressed servants who were still conscious to fall asleep, he vanished without a trace.