https://youtu.be/DY5V57iNUuk

As of now, Raina's previous sadistic mood had been replaced somewhat. Overseeing the carnage was growing boring - it was initially fun, but was turning out to be more of the same. Her monsters would either die to the few adventurers she could see nearby, kill anyone else who got nearby, or spread out, never to be seen by her again. She almost considered coming down to kill more people herself just to spice things up. Heck, she'd even take Van's insufferable attempts at narration over this boredom.

She could feel the magic slowly and gradually becoming snuffed out - a sign that her 'children' were dying. As expected - not everyone was some civilian, after all. But even the ones Van had buffed were being destroyed, much to her frustration. Viera was definitely here and doing something. But she had to wonder if Calypso and Van had managed to spot whoever else around here was competent enough to fight them. If they weren't just expendable, non-sapient masses of magic, she might even have to intervene.

She remained seated, adjusting her hat and humming a quiet tune to herself as she waited for something interesting to happen. And as the hours came and went, that eventually came as she felt a surge of lightning assault the tree, and looked down where it had struck to see Viera running towards her, the glittering particles of fallen zombies in her wake. Raina regarded her with interest, a smirk spreading across her face with a raised eyebrow as she crossed her legs.

"Viera Abner." she said, her voice sounding somewhat more regal and imposing than usual. "We meet again - and under such wonderful circumstances-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Viera pointed her staff at her and fired a golden lightning spear at her. Raina leaned to the side, narrowly dodging the attack, and though mildly peeved at having her introduction disrupted, managed to compose herself. "Well, now. It seems nobody ever bothered to teach you manners." she said, pink light twinkling over her body as she jumped down from her branch, floating gently to the ground as she faced the blonde. "Why don't I be the first?"

"Maybe I'd be more polite if you put a lid on the cliche villain lines." Viera deadpanned, and at her insolence, Raina couldn't help but feel her eye twitch. "I knew this was your doing. Come to offer souls for your evil god?"

"The Beginning doesn't take souls until officially anointed, sweetheart." Raina shook her head with a smirk. "This operation wasn't even my idea. You can blame your bardic ex-boyfriend for that."

"He's not my-" Viera sighed, gripping her staff tightly in one hand. "Forget it. If not souls, what do you gain here? Cheap, sadistic thrills?"

"Why, Viera, I didn't know you thought so low of me." Raina pouted, her voice dripping with sarcastic lamentation. "The only cheap thrills I'll be getting today will be from tearing you apart, limb from limb!"

As she spoke, she reached into her boot, pulling out a tapered wooden wand, with a sprig of wilted ivy attached to the pointed end. She pointed the wand at Viera, who stared with eyes that were at worst mildly bothered. "But, since you're going to die anyway, I might as well explain the idiot's plan." she mused. "The Beginning is coming soon, and we want to be prepared. We want to know who might stand in our way; and what better way to draw out adventurers than to attack the innocent?"

"Huh, not a bad plan." Viera raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you didn't come up with it."

"Ohoho? And what could you possibly mean by that?" Raina smirked wider, which did nothing to hide her irritation.

"Well, it just makes sense, doesn't it? Van's always been the smart one." Viera continued, feigning a casual demeanour in front of her insults. "He's the brains, Calypso's the brawn, and you're...well, slightly more cowardly brawn, I guess?"

"Me! A coward!" Raina clenched her teeth. "Do you have any idea how valuable my part here is? I'm no coward, I'm the star here!"

"You're barely even a comet." Viera rolled her eyes, pointing her staff at a fuming Raina in return. "But you and your children burn out today."

"Ugh, shut up and die!" Raina growled, raising her wand to the sky and waving it around. Viera looked back at the tree behind the witch, spotting the various gashes in it glowing as more zombies began to crawl out of it, approaching the ground with slow, unfamiliar movements. Raina pointed her wand at Viera, and at once they laser-focused on her. "As your superior, I command you to unceremoniously perish at the hands of my horde!"

https://youtu.be/9Ta-8SilgVs

Viera narrowed her eyes, letting lightning surge through her body before entering a low stance and preparing to rush ahead, Raina in her sights. "This is what I mean! You can't even fight your own damn battles!"

Like a bolt from the blue, she lunged at the witch, already primed to deliver a deadly blow. Before her fist could connect with her face, however, Raina flickered her wand, and one of the zombies appeared in front of her, taking the hit in her stead as its head came clean off. Viera gave her a narrow-eyed "are you kidding me?" stare before coming at her again, engaging her in melee and alternating between punches and strikes with her staff.

Raina continued to step back, keeping her wand trained on Viera and desperately trying to create some distance between them. With a quick wave, she generated a purplish sludge bomb on the tip of her wand and hurled it at Viera while jumping back. Viera swerved out of the way, and at once Raina began to move her wand in a few broad arcs in the air before pointing it straight up, bathing the surrounding area in a pink light.

"I don't even need to fight directly to win!" she declared, smirking uneasily, and all the zombies that had gathered at the tree base were now transported closer to the fight in the blink of an eye, surrounding the space between them. "Consider my continued presence...a formality - what's a party without its gracious host?"

She pointed the wand at Viera, and the zombies began to groan angrily as they stared at Viera with their wide, glowing pink eyes. They slowly approached her, brandishing their venomous claws and dripping jaws; practically knives and blades, with how sharp they were. As she saw this, she gripped her staff tightly, stepping back and trying to work out the best way to proceed.

Knowing she couldn't let them get too close, she set aside her desire to punch for now and pointed her staff in front of her, funnelling her magic into it through her body as she recited a short prayer in her mind. Thrusting it out, she unleashed a wild burst of lightning from it, momentarily stopping their approach while she began to chant to unleash something bigger. Before she could, however, she stopped to jump out of the way of another ball of sludge.

So Raina would be active in this fight after all. Viera shook her head, holding her staff in two hands and taking aim as she repeatedly shot out lightning spears, impaling the horde through their skulls, but they didn't seem to decrease significantly in number - after all, she was just one woman. A ring of electricity surrounded her body as she held her staff out in front of her, taking a deep breath and calming her mind.

"Oh, elegant Suzaku..." she began, spotting a larger ball of toxic waste launching towards her and making a mighty leap to the side. It exploded right as she landed, spreading in a wide radius and splattering over the ground. Viera hissed as some of it splashed her, but didn't let up as she continued her prayer, feeling her body well up with energy with each word. "Grant me lightning - a holy wrath to strike down those before me!"

She swallowed her fears before imbuing her legs with enhancement magic. Spotting another magical sludge bomb flying towards her, she jumped into the air, dodging the blast and looking down at where she was about to land - right in the middle of the horde. She took a deep breath, watching their eyes follow her movement, and landed, submitting herself to their mercy. She felt blades raking her skin, pain spreading across her body, and a searing radiance taking residence within her.

Unlike the venomous claws, that last one was fully intended on her part, and she tried to brush off her wounds to the best of her ability as she clutched her own sides and hunched over. Golden lightning began to crackle around her body in short bursts, and at once she knew to let go of the magic inside her. So she did, and electricity surrounded her in a brilliant, massive spherical discharge around her, frying the zombies and leaving Raina with merely a handful of poisonous beasts.

Viera fell to her knees, beginning to have regrets. Most of the zombies were dead, but now she was covered in scratches - deep, poisoned ones that ached with every breath she took. She figured she'd have to deal with the poison first, so she whispered a prayer to herself, digging her staff in the ground.

Raina remained in place, stunned by the display of divine magic, and stared for a little while as Viera slowly glowed with a soothing golden light. The witch had narrowly avoided the blast radius, but being in such close proximity had thoroughly shaken her. She shook her head quickly, clenching her teeth in annoyance - this wasn't how this was supposed to go! She pointed her wand at her, generating more poison while the remaining monsters slowly approached her. How dare she make her dirty her own hands! Her death was going to be so much more painful now.

"Well, it looks like you're at the end of your rope now!" Raina announced, trying to maintain her smug, regal facade. Viera slowly, painfully stood up, utterly unconvinced that Raina was anything but wholly infuriated. "Why don't you say your last prayers? It's clear who's gonna win, now!"

Viera clenched her teeth, about to open her mouth only to raise an eyebrow, looking around before looking back at Raina. "Maybe you might, maybe you won't." she murmured. "It's just me versus you and the few kids you have left."

"That may be so, but I can make more in an instant!" Raina growled slightly, waving her wand in the air as if she were about to demonstrate then and there. Viera shook her head slowly in response, sighing.

"If so, then I guess I am dead." she rolled her eyes. "On an unrelated note...do you smell smoke?"

"You think I'll fall for such an obvious distrac-" Raina began, only to stop herself as she took a whiff of the air and picked up the rapidly-strengthening smell of burning wood. She raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out where it was coming from before she turned right around and found her tree, where she had spawned the monsters from, burning up in a great, smoky fire. Leaning against it with a mischievous grin was what appeared to be a red-haired salamander, clad in black robes and with a sword at his hip. As Viera looked over in that direction, she saw him there and blinked a couple of times.

"Ashbel? How long have you been here?"

"Not too long. I ran out of zombies and came here looking for you." Ashbel replied, waving at her before pointing at a flustered and astonished Raina. "I'm assuming that's not the Beginning, right?"

"Far from it. She's just a Deliverer." Viera shook her head. "And not even a very significant one, either."

"I'm insignificant?" Raina snapped. "Who even are you? You're just some...some gnat! An irritating little bug who can't stay out of my hair!"

"What, do you have fleas?" Ashbel smiled slightly. "There are combs that can help with that."

"You shut your mouth!" Raina roared, pointing her wand at Ashbel. As if obeying some kind of command, the zombies all turned to face him and leapt towards him, jaws wide open. Ashbel placed a hand on his sword, readying himself, and as they reached him, he unsheathed it, slashing in a wide arc as thick flames flowed from his blade, cutting and searing them in one breath.

Gritting her teeth, Raina waved her wand, summoning forth a stream of black ooze and shooting it at Ashbel. The demon jumped over to the free side and began running closer to her while trying to stay out of harm's way. As she drew the beam of waste closer and closer to him, she found her concentration broken as Viera threw a lightning spear at her side, and the spell gradually fizzled out. Once he saw he was safe, Ashbel lurched forth in a burst of speed and appeared right in front of Raina, his sword to her neck as he looked into her eyes, taking in her newfound feelings; fear, with a hint of disgust.

https://youtu.be/eo5qwkYE_Is

"So, this is what the Deliverance can do? Gotta say, I'm impressed." he said, talking as though he couldn't kill her with a single move. "But you've killed a lot of people, you know. Almost made the Tigers look like heroes. And you even hurt Vi. Don't like that very much."

"Well...tough for-"

"You aren't holding any of the cards here, lady. You dropped them once I burnt your tree." Ashbel pressed the steel of his blade ever so slightly closer to Raina's throat, and at once the last of her bravado vanished, leaving an utterly terrified look on her face that made him chuckle. "But, that look on your face is priceless, so I've decided to be nice. Let's make a deal!"

"Uh, what?" Viera, who had been listening, stared at her bodyguard incredulously. "Ashbel, what are you doing? You can just kill her already, right?"

"Sometimes, the enemy is more useful alive than dead." Ashbel replied, maintaining his cheerful, grinning expression. "Because you can't get any information off a corpse. Trust me, I've tried."

He then looked at the trembling Raina, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her from running off. "So, how's it sound, poison-lady? You answer my questions honestly, and I don't kill you." he said, before tightening his grip on her shoulder while keeping his sword trained on her. "Deal?"

"...what do you want to know?" Raina murmured, unable to bring her volume up much higher and not daring to move a muscle.

Ashbel, pleased with her cooperation, flashed Viera a grin before looking back at the witch. "So, the Deliverance is here in Seiryu because of the Empty Light, right?"

"...yes."

"Then you've gotta have some idea where it's gonna appear, right?" Ashbel asked calmly. "Why don't you spill the beans?"

Raina growled slightly, growing increasingly disdainful of this red-haired nobody who had her at his mercy. "...the Temple of Benedicts."

"Thank you! Now for the next question!" Ashbel grinned. "Viera, do you have anything to ask, or should I take this one?"

"I might as well." Viera replied, having taken the time to close her wounds with magic. "There's just one thing that's been eating at me since this whole thing started. That hobgoblin in Suzaku...was it your doing?"

"Yes, that was me." Raina rolled her eyes. "Should've known you'd get in the way even back then. Are you stalking me or-"

A tight squeeze to the shoulder was all it took for her to shut up, bringing a smug little smile to the demon's face. Viera crossed her arms, watching her companion with a raised eyebrow. "You think you might be enjoying this too much?"

"Entirely!" Ashbel grinned, before looking back at Raina as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Just one more. Why destroy the world? Do you have some way to survive that?"

"...hmm." Raina murmured, trying to figure out how much she was allowed to disclose about that. "...every Deliverer has their own reason for following the Beginning, so if you want the main motivation, ask him. As for what comes next, the Light will sort it out."

"Uh huh...and if I were to head over to that Temple today, would I meet him?"

"...most likely."

"Great! Can't wait." Ashbel smiled a little, looking back at Viera. "Temple of Benedict. Commit that to memory."

"Benedicts." Viera corrected him, crossing her arms. "Are you done with her?"

"Just about." Ashbel nodded slowly, turning his gaze back to Raina. "Everything you've said is true, right?"

"What, do you think I'm stupid? Of course I'm being honest." Raina rolled her eyes. "Now, let me go."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hold on a sec." Ashbel said, letting go of her shoulder but not moving his sword. "Viera, how good are their white magicians?"

"...well, I've landed some nasty wounds on them before, but they were always back in action the next day."

"That'll work." Ashbel hummed, and before Raina could properly process what that could mean, he formed a jagged dagger made of rock in his free hand and promptly thrust it into her arm. Not expecting this move, she unleashed a ghastly scream, immediately moving her hand to cover her gaping wound that was positively gushing with blood. Viera, watching this, had her eyes visibly widened, not used to seeing Raina this low or Ashbel this...efficient. Even his facial expression had become utterly serious now.

"Don't you think you're going a bit far there?" Viera asked, frowning. "I don't like her either, but you said you'd spare her, right?"

"This won't kill her, but it should put her out of commission for today." Ashbel explained, before suddenly staring into Raina's eyes with his own, a wicked fire dancing in them. "Right?"

"R-Right..."

Ashbel nodded, removing his sword from her neck and putting it in his sheath before taking the hand of the arm that he hadn't stabbed and shaking it quickly. "Then that's the end of that. Pleasure doing business with you!" he said, before pulling away from her and turning to Viera. "C'mon, Viera. Let's go find Sly."

"Uh, sure." Viera said, and the two walked off, leaving Raina on her own. "You know, you're pretty scary sometimes."

Raina stared blankly into the distance, barely able to hear their words as she looked back on everything that had happened just now. Perhaps Van and Calypso had done their part of the plan, but she had been defeated. With silent tears in her eyes, she held her head low, dragging herself off to safety.