Summary chapter 4 part 1

A single man walks through a garden, filled with morning's refreshing atmosphere. He looks approximately 30 years old, he's slender, well proportioned, stiff and really tall, he's beauty is without gaps. Even though there's a stiff atmosphere about him, it is not enough to intimidate others. Seemingly valueing stubborness, he looks like a butler, serving some kind of noble house. The outfit he wears might be the most appropriate for this man: he who lives at night, and who deems daily concerts and dances, and furthermore, funerals to be equivalent. In the same vein, all the flowers blooming in this garden are a little polarized. They have thorns, they host poison, they carry ominous symbolism and act as omens of tragedy... in spite of their multicolored beauty, they have altogether some kind of sinister attribute. They are, frankly, Dragvant flowers. This is a garden in which nothing but Evil flowers can sprout. The very way of life of its inhabitants is to exterminate Good existences. This place is the Garden of Bloodshed Baliga, the domain of the Man Murdering Demons.

The man calls out to a maid called Elnaz, who was taking care of the flowers. She turns to him with a smile in her face, and addresses him as Munsarat, who is in charge of supervising all the maids, while commenting on how good the weather is today. Though Munsarat agrees it's a nice morning, he asks what she hid just now. Caving in under the pressure of her superior, she shows him. It was a human arm, cut from the area of the elbow, belonging to a child apparently. It's still twitching, which is proof of the meat being fresh. Though Elnaz tries to argue it was fertilizer for the flowers, Munsarat sees right through her and scolds her, as it's clearly food, and it's time to tend to the garden, not time for a meal. Though she offers him a bite, he declines, as he's long gotten tired of human flesh, that'd be a thing for youngsters like her. This is a world in which the race/species called Man Murdering Demons live. Though born as humans, they have a strange fixation to, and derive strange sense of accomplishment, or perhaps even a sense of duty, from killing humans. Therefore, it can be said that they are nothing more than Demons who murder people. This fixation is not derived from a Commandment not has the same forcefulness, but it is nonetheless a shared moral code, a habit. And most importantly, they kill only humans, they don't take interest in anything else. It can't be helped if they get involutarily rolled up in their exploits, or if they act in self defense but, as a general rule, they consider a virtuous thing to behave themselves tenderly around other lifeforms. They pride themselves to be a race made up solely of man murderers. As a result, the margin of things they can eat is pretty narrow. They avoid eating living things such as cattle or plants, so therefore most of them are exclusively man-eaters. This applies strongly to young Man Murdering Demons, since their active bodies and minds require high amounts of energy. Mature Man Murdering Demons shift to feeding exclusively of water and minerals, then next step would be considering bacteria, then to eat nothing at all. Munsarat belongs to this last degree, as he hasn't eaten anything in nearly 50 years, and hasn't weakened one bit.

Munsarat is one of the 4 Special Class Daeva, as well as the personal attendant of the Archdemon bearing the Fourth Rank. He's, nevertheless, an archetypical example of Man Murdering Demon, his ominous reputation being well know. Munsarat, the Man with the Saw. He tells Elnaz to choose a flower, given they are going to where "Madam" is, and she thus begins looking for a suitable flower. Munsarat distracts himself by looking at the garden's scenery. Baliga was a vast place, enough for an army march of 1000 individuals in row. There's a magnificent castle in its inner area. This is the entirety of their world, there's literally nothing outside of the Garden, no scenery beyond the sky. Legend has it that Baliga is a floating island, roaming around another world. They are sealed, perhaps exiled as punishment. The reality of the Garden of Bloodshed is that it is disconnected from the outside world, wandering in a different dimensional space. However, going by the fact they could still take victims, it was obvious they were not eternal prisoners. They could act under a conditioned release that allows for limited action, but even then they could just destroy the Garden from within, and get absolute freedom whenever the like. There are two reasons NOT to do this though: If they are nowhere, but at the same time somewhere, then that means they can go anywhere. Basically, the Garden of Bloodshed Baliga will be connected to those places that meet certain conditions, such as those with people who's voices crave for their advent, or that have stench that madly arouses them. Thanks to this, Baliga is kind of an interdimensional base they can use to connect to any place they can hold a feast in. Usually, when this bridge is lowered, the Man Murdering Demons (furigana: Saws) will descend and begin their dinner/dance/feast. Youngsters like Elnaz arrived from the outside through such bridges and settled down in Baliga instead, originally the only inhabitants of the place were Munsarat and his master. Their current state is convenient as it allows them to expand their range of action, plus they find that attribute of being able to appear in place as if they were phantoms and then go away to be oddly charming. Second reason is due to respect and reverence for the woman who confined them to this place, a woman who embodied risking her own skin in battle, who had unbending beliefs even after death. As her bloodshed gave birth to this Garden, staying there is the way things should remain, according to Munsarat. Though perhaps that's the height of humilliation for the person herself... By the way, after Elnaz finishing picking up the flowers for Madam, Munsarat tells her to return to work, although he says that Madam despises all of them, yet they bring her flowers as a form of respect of their own.

Munsarat, addressing "Madam" (who I guess is this woman), says "Ojou-sama" loves her to this day. Munsarat is in the bottom of a valley, right below the castle, respectfuly kneels down, and begins muttering. Before his eyes laid the wreckage of a human body, completely dried up, and its parts scattered about. As a last reminiscence of its former shape, blond hair still remained in the skull. He then remembers the words of the corpse's daughter, who said her mother was beautiful as it is, and wouldn't allow Munserat to tamper with her remains. While he waits for the bridge to lower, he leaves the flowers near this woman who couldn't see her daughter's grow to adulthood, as if consoling the corpse, while telling to forgive them for what's about to happen as it would have been upleasant for her but, you see, they are black and white, addressing her as Quinn-sama.

We shift PoV to our usual team, still in Zahhak. They currently stand in Arzhang's nucleus, that is, Quartz Palace's Chief District Hall. Its civilization can be described as roughly Middle Eastern, roofs are round, buildings have smooth curves, interiors have mosaic patterns, creating kaleidoscope effect you wouldn't ever tire of seeing. Honestly, it feels unusual for a zone under Dragvant rule, though maybe that has to do with Kaikhosru's mindset, he's no destroyer but a plunderer. The love the Rank 6 Archdemon possesses for plundering treasure probably left all of this intact, as relics of the time this planet had a normally functioning civilization. Place is full of dancers, and also Marika. Today only women can enter, Ferdows being the only exception to that rule. They are all wearing typical clothing from the area, in order to fit in with its culture. Aka a dancer's outfit, with exposed zones, bra with beads, and thin loincloth. Ferdows is embarrased as fuck, violently flushing, shivering, embracing both his shoulders and curlying up, even though he's been told that he looks really cute in those clothes, even Quinn thinks he's mad pretty in them. Samruhk though is teasing him about his manhood. Fer and Marika are also growing a close, "sister"-like relationship. Quinn inmediately establishes telepathic contact with Samruhk, asking her what she expects from now on. Two days after the night they met Marika, Kaikhosru issued an edict, saying a new Mistress was to come to Arzhang. His dragon voice rained from the heavens, and one couldn't help but to shudder. Since that happened, there had been innumerable rumours about who it'd be, and Alma's name is in the list of possible candidates, making it being her a worthy bet, although how the new Mistress is like is muddled through the rumours about her (there are accounts saying she's heartless. Others say she is a moderate, others that she's fanatically loyal to Kaikhosru, etc), as they are mixed in with the people's personal hopes and pessimistic outlooks. Though they haven't contributed all that much to her progress, if the mission is going well, there's nothing to grieve, thinks Quinn.

The next day after the eddict was issued, Kaikhosru sent the new Mistress into Arzhang via Dragon Vein Movement (龍脈移動, due to the wording I bet it has to do with Leylines in Zahhak), a kind of teleportation within Zahhak's territory. Next up, she'll have to appoint government officials and gather her handmaids.. This act, seeing as getting within the tiger's den, is admired and seen as heroic by Ferdows. Though Samruhk says that it'd be logical to make a grandiose public parade for her first public appearence, Quinn says that's a fair reasoning... from an Ashavan perspective. To Dragvant, all the citizens are but pieces, so there's no felt need to appear in public before them. And Alma would need to act within those margins to not raise suspicion. Samruhk is amazed by this, as she'd explode in five seconds of that performance. It'd be a difficult thing to enter into contact with the Pseudo-Tentsui'd Alma consciously. Therefore, the most apt course of action is to pose as handmaid candidates (that's essentially the reason to be where they are in such clothing). More than 4,000 women will be gathered for selection, and that'd be the most direct way of confirming the identity of Arzhang's new ruler, while keeping in mind that, whether it is Alma or not, the possibility of fighting is high. The danger could be mitigated if a lot of civilians were present though, as no Mistress would dare meaninglessly destroying the Covetous Dragon's possessions. After more humorous conversations between Marika and Ferdows, a visit is announced. All women there's faces stiffen, and they all kneel. While kneeling, Samruhk is already feeling excited and filled with resolve, not nervous. It's been 9 days since they arrived at Zahhak... and she feels action's gonna kickstart. Quinn feels the presence of someone in the balcony overlooking the entire hall. The new Mistress had finally come. Armed with patience, Quinn decides not to raise her face, although she can tell the presence is unmistakeably Dragvant, though that in itself is not much evidence. Upon receiving the Mistress' order, they raise their faces and so they witness the Mistress' form... all women there can only gasp in envy. She has shining brown skin, silver hair and jet black eyes. She was beautiful. But that wasn't all, what gets Quinn and the others is the sadness and braveness she exudes. Convinced that she couldn't possibly be a Dragvant, Quinn establishes visual contact with her and telepathic conversation ensues: she is, indeed, Alma. Quinn discerns Alma's Commandment through her intuition, and finally understands how she's like that.

Quinn, Samruhk and Ferdows, in the midst of the banquet that followed the event, are formally employed as Alma's chamberlain. While listening to the orchestra and seeing the dancing show, Samruhk is emptying those alcohol bottles. Samruhk asks Alma to change into a Yazata due to there being no danger around because after all, being near her right now causes them as much disconfort as having a Daeva around. Alma says she can't, her Commandment cannot be turned on and off at leisure, and there are suitable restrictions to it, such as when she's in Wahman Yast. Quinn's impression of Alma is that she's of strong character. She is the longest serving Yazata of those remaining. She acts lovingly with them, not being outright malicious like Zurvan, nor a stonewall like Magsarion. Alma continues, saying she's not just continuing to play Dragvant because of her limitations, but also to protect all the innocent civilians there (there's no logical connection for Samruhk there. Quinn says there's a question mark floating above her head). Alma says Arzhang's just heading down a countdown to its drying up, even if it seems to have temporarily revived. To keep the city, and its citizens, alive for more time she's gonna need fear to control the masses, in order to force them to economize. If she reveals she's an Ashavan, it wouldn't be as effective, definately. A pitiful solution enforced by human psychology. Of course, she's not the only one to be indulging in luxury, and tells the team they can play the role of chivalrous thieves and steal from her treasury at leisure, she doesn't give a fuck about Kaikhosru's beliefs on that as he agreed to her conditions. Gaping at such words, here comes the revelation that Kaikhosru new of Alma's true colours and role all along. But, even though he knew this, instead of having her killed, he made her his Mistress and gave her free reign to do with Arzhang as she likes. They simply can't believe it but do not think Alma is lying, instead, they doubt Kaikhosru's intentions. In the first place, thinking of Alma betraying them is not worth considering, as not only does Avesta make that impossible, but being in the same page of an Archdemon is downright impossible, the only possible relationship amongst them that they know is that of killing each other. Kaikhosru's actions thus are weird, he's not only compromising, but showing one sided kindness. This beyond a mere eccentricty, and difficult to believe, so there must be a catch. Alma just says this: Kaikhosru is a man and, be they Good or Evil, there's always a core part of manhood that doesn't change, being a slave to one's pride. He is fixated on Alma, as he can't stomach the fact that there's a woman he can't do with as he likes, so he tries to get her to yield by showing extreme generosity (it's funny the group thinks they should be silent cause of their inexperience, comparing themselves to children in front of a courting game among a man and a woman xD). Quinn inmediately tells her not put too much on herself, as they'll be there to help. Alma jokingly answers they'd be greatly useful, and that she's kind of a slave driver xD.

After Alma concludes the current state of affairs talk, she moves onto other matters. Mainly, if Quinn, Samruhk and Ferdows are the only people who came in support for her. Given Alma's general unawareness (I mean, she's been 5 years in Zahhak), Ferdows orders Quinn to explain everything to her from the beginning. Quinn tells she and Vohu Manah have similar power, and that as she knows, their guardian Star Spirit is dormant. Therefore, contact between on duty Yazata and Sirius will be one way, and they can't contact from their position right now. Wahman Yast will be aware of the living-dead status of each Yazata and of their feather consumption and, if still alive, depending on the circunstances they will be given more instructions, including orders to fight, or orders to return to Wahman Yast itself. When all's said, Alma gets told they came to help her alongside Zurvan and Magsarion. Alma's reaction to both names is difficult to put into words, going beyond the mere fact that both of kind of problem children for the Yazata. It was as if she was troubled and delighted at the same time and, furthermore, delighted while being angry at herself. Those were complicated feelings she was having. Samruhk inmediately lightens the mood by joking about both those guys, saying how they are just a bunch of good for nothings. Alma agrees in Zurvan's case... but specially in Magsarion's, due to "stuff from the old days". Upon Magsarion's topic coming up, Ferdows asks if they were childhood friends, to which Alma nods, beyond being fellow Yazata old timers.

Beginning her story, Alma says she met Magsarion when both of them were approximately 5 years old. It was in a time Wahman Yast was prosperous, full of institutions for the upbringing of Yazata children. They were akin to schools, and both met there. Since she was very young, the details are vague, but she remembers Magsarion's "heretical" attitude and airs. Samruhk is astonished... Magsarion was going stray from the right path at the tender age of 5 years old? Objections come up, as that could simply mean he stood out. Alma however confirms Samruhk's imagination, he was a rather poor student. Quinn notices that, as Alma speaks, the story is more of a Wahman Yast's golden age nostalgia trip, full of yearning, rather than her memories of Magsarion. Those times of glory in which Varhram was in good health, he was together with Nahid, and brave heroes met in a lustrous palace. It might be that this was the ultimate era of happiness for Alma, a time in which she lived a happy childhood protected by strong adults. Magsarion didn't do anything at the time. He didn't do shit while training, and he didn't also when it came to playing. He just stood there, with an ill humoured face, stubbornly refusing to move. Even their teacher was at a complete loss about what to do, normally it would have just amounted to him getting expelled, but you see... you don't expell Varhram's younger brother. Alma didn't like this entire attitude of his, and used to bully him but seeing that she didn't get any meaningful reaction, she lost interest. She hated him. Quinn didn't really imagine that kids of his same generation could have bullied Magsarion, but going by Alma's words doing so was just a waste of time. So at the beginning it was like that with these two, Alma hated Magsarion, and Magsarion didn't give a fuck about anything. Quinn says that possibly nothing has changed till now. At that time, Magsarion's parents were already dead, Varhram was acting like his foster father and honestly, he was also at a loss about what to do with his brother. Nahid and Sirius were also close to him. Alma adds that she was also a daughter of a good (aka important or rich) family too, as if doing a bit of self depreciation after outlining who exactly were Magsarion's "family members". Next part of her story though, she shifts to a soft tone: she proceeds to describe Varhram in such a way (promised man, he can't possibly be a human, he's a god, a miracle from legend) that makes Samruhk ask if he was her first love. Alma says you could say that, but whether she denied it or confirmed it, what was certain is that he was awe inspiring.

Then, Alma jumps off to the attack of Workshop of Destruction. A dark flame burned in Alma's eyes, huge anger and hatred, plus grief and bitterness, swirled inside of her. Alma was 7 years old at the time, according to her, dead weight who couldn't do anything. She couldn't fight, she couldn't even know how people died that day, she could just see a huge thing covering the entirety of the sky. An eye, a voice, that thought them even below insects, and from whom she couldn't escape, the Star Cluster of Extinction. Quinn couldn't just imagine how a 7 year old wouldn't despair at the sight of her father, she kept her sanity around him cause she was just a newborn baby, without experience or character, at the time. Alma doesn't know who saved her, but she sure isn't happy to have been spared. Most of the people she knew died, her mother, father and friends included. After she woke up in the new Wahman Yast, she realized none of this had been a dream and began crying endlessly, she even lost the willpower to die. That's when she met Magsarion again. That's when the group understand, Magsarion had been the only one to begin moving after their crushing defeat, when all hope had been crushed. Magsarion managed to make Alma stand up again by following his example, his gesture made her realize she had yet a long way to live till she died. And probably, others that saw Magsarion stand up also recovered their will to fight. That's when Alma stopped hating him, and discovered that despite appearences he is a great man. From that day on, Magsarion hides his face, no one has seen his mug since then (kek, Samruhk jokes he wanted to hide his embarrasment at being moved by Alma's tears). After saying Magsarion's just a troublesome man to deal with, Alma asks that, if he's in this planet, where the hell is he and what the hell is he doing. He, of course, is with Zurvan, and Alma gets informed. Quinn will explain all the details later, but they should return soon, as Zurvan's "little intuition" is soon going to be fullfilled. They are, speaking of that, puzzled by what he meant by "The Saws will come". Alma, however, goes "Shit, what an idiot I am" and rushes off, leaving the group confused. She rushed to where Marika was, enjoying herself in dancing. The little girl, confused, asks what's wrong to the newly appointed Mistress. Alma just answers with "Are you having fun, lowlife?" and instantly draws her Jamadhar with her right hand and, at godspeed, beheads Marika, before the group can do anything to stop her. However, Marika's severed head begins to float in the air, her pupils reflecting nothingness, and she begins to beg for help, asking why would Alma kill her, etc... only to burst out laughing in the end.

PoV shift... to a young boy that's dying in a street facing Arzhang's lake shore. His name is Karim, and he just turned 9 this year. His soul is benevolent, he's not particularly more intelligent than others, nor stronger in heart and body. He's the very embodiment of an average boy. He's a friendless orphan who still keeps on clutching to life. He's not particularly despairing, just tired. What he has in front of him to eat are soup and bread, already rotten and with maggots infesting them. Next to him is the Quartz Palace itself, residence of former Mistress Nadia, and of the Dragvant. He doesn't want to struggle, he doesn't want to leave, he only wishes for sleep, to meet up with his dad, mom, younger brother and sister at last. Then, something inexplicable occurs before Karim's eyes. He sees a rainbow, a brilliance of 7 colours flies all over the Quartz Palace and cuts through the lake, approaching Karim. A wondrous bridge it was. It was the realization of a miracle, to guide this pitiful youngster into a paradise, separate from this world full of pain and sorrow. Or at least he thought so. Then, some critters appear. They are a group of little girls singing uniformingly, dancing in the rainbow bridge with a pure smile on their faces. More than 20 of them, at any rate. In front of him, a girl he thinks is 5-6 years his senior squats. The girl had clothes of another cultural sphere, maid-like, and Karim doesn't see the worth in questioning the fact that she's an angel. Long story short, little bitch begins scooping with a spoon Karim's eyeballs as if they were ice cream, then carves his skull and gets to the brain. Aaaaand begins eating. And even though boy wanted to die, she begins to see this girl is an abomination that shouldn't exist in reality and cries for help with the few energies he has left. He begins praying to God, saying how he was stupid and how he doesn't want to die. He wants to be saved. Karim dies despairing and falls into darkness, into the nothingness of Hell, where his family surely isn't waiting.

Now the maid, Elnaz, stands up, after having licked the remains of Karim's brains off her spoon. She thinks this is a good stage that "Ojou-sama" will like. Soon, a new maid is introduced, named Farah. With a thunderous roar, 7 bullets came the maids' way, which Farah blew away with a marionette-like dance. From right above the surprised Elnaz, a jet black knight dashes at her with beastly speed, and with steel great sword he tries to cut her thin neck. It was a sure kill, a perfectly coordinated surprise attack from Magsarion and Zurvan. However, this was far from over (Elnaz calls Magsarion onii-san, I'm dying). With that shitty spoon Elnaz was holding, he stops the blow from Magsarion's greatsword that can even smash boulders apart. And what's more, it doesn't yield to the pressure and is beginning to push back. Elnaz asks if he is a Yazata, as it'd be her first time facing one. She continues the deed with her faint, powerless voice. Spinning the spoon with a single finger, she spins Magsarion's entire body and sends him flying like mere waste. It only takes Elnaz swinging her spoon at Magsarion, by merely moving her wrist, to scoop up space. This disregards all that's common sense, with her voice she destroyed a Dragvant mansion and with the spoon space scooping stunt she's basically destroyed and gouged 3 buildings as if they were cheese. Magsarion dissappears under the pile of rubble and dust. Zurvan is also not safe, he may have escaped from the range of Elnaz's spoon, but there's also another demon in a maid's dress to deal with. Like an inverted waterfall, a column of water rises from the lake. What caused this is a fucking plate. But a plate dyed with a demon's power, much like Elnaz's spoon. The plate, as if it was a frisbee, flies while tearing up space while it's a it, and Zurvan barely avoids a direct hit, but he does not avoid the cutting wind coming from its rotation, which makes blood splatter abound. Farah then recovers her plate.

These Man Murdering Demons are a kind of alien lifeform still belonging to the human type that are hated above most because they are the very embodiment of the conflict in between Black and White. There's no possibility of holding a conversation, or of mutual understanding, with them. Nothing you say will reach them. Even if these two girls are exchanging charming words, they are basically monsters who live in another phase entirely. Zurvan's not surprised at all by the spoon and plate, empowered using their 我力 (Power of the Self/Ego). Man Murdering Demons are not concerned with specialized weapons, nor do they study martial arts. This is a typical trait of them, perhaps they do not have the very idea of polishing their killing methods. To these girls, manslaughter is like breathing. It's a way of life, even natural. It's akin to why fish do not ponder about the way to swim. They do not recognize the necessity of killing methods nor of machines. They'd rather use mundane, common things you'd find. For example, a spoon. Another example, a plate. Brooms, dustpans, chairs, desks, or even stationery. The moment they clasp it no matter what it is, it becomes a peerless murder weapon. 我力 is essentially strength of will that can transcend the laws of physics, possessed by high ranking Daeva. It's literally forcing your ego onto the world to twist it, even allowing simple tableware to destroy fucking palaces.

Next moment, the mountain of rubble behind Zurvan explodes and Magsarion charges at the two Man Murdering Demons like a bullet. Both Magsarion and Zurvan draw on the blessing of Vohu Manah and cast "Kshatra" (Defense boosting), then followed by "Fravard" (flight) and "Sewatir" (teleportation). Zurvan Fravard and Sewatir on Magsarion via his irregular, special long distance Blessing technique. Thus they invoke a custom technique made from combination of blessings, similar to Alastor... Hvare-khshaeta. If you were to reinforce strength and combine it with teleportation, it'd result in rampage. But, what if the moved distance were zero? In this case, Magsarion has his defense being reinforced 2 times, becoming harder and heavier, and the coordinates for his teleportation set by Zurvan are not any different than from where he already is. What that'd cause is a vibration phenomenon of great pressure and inmense speed. A great amount of heat will be generated, which will detonate soon after. A great fire and shockwave is generated, and the entire area is crushed and burnt to a crisp. Alongside Magsarion clad in his daemonic armor, the other two Man Murdering Demons should be reduced to paste. Magsarion had turned himself into a bullet, and Zurvan was in charge of the firing. Both Magsarion who turned into a suicide bomber without hesitation, and Zurvan who helped him in that regard without shedding a drop of blood himself, are equally heretical as Yazata. That's why they are aces, in today's weakened Wahman Yast, few people grasp the way of life of the Man Murdering Demons, demons living inside a Garden situated in another dimension, that can show up anywhere. The Garden of Bloodshed Baliga has been connected to Arzhang due to the place's oversaturation of the desire for life and death.

The most significant policy of Wahman Yast, now in inferiority, is risk management. However, its second best one is information control. In light of this, it is only natural that Quinn and the others didn't know of the "Saws", and people who do know, like Magsarion and company, are recognized as being of the kind that under no circunstances would be tempted by death's allure. Such madmen are required to defeat these demons. Zurvan checks up on Magsarion after his crazy stunt, and he's perfectly alive. Though, when the dust clears, the scene before them couldn't be described as being anything other but absurd. Elnaz and Farah are commenting on how awesome the technique was, and ashamed their clothes have been torn off... while having been reduced to wriggling piles of meat, devoid of even human form. There's not even a rational way for them to speak in that state. Then, just in a few seconds, they recover their skeletons, their muscles begin twineing around them, and their entrails and skin regenerate. Their previous form is restored thanks to a reconstruction power much akin to rewinding a movie, the only thing not restored being their clothes. Other than that, these girls stand without a single wound. This was spectacle right out of a nightmare. They are immortal, for no reason, otherwise they couldn't call themselves demons. While Farah is bashful about being seen naked, Elnaz stands proud. While Magsarion's killing intent and anger burns, Zurvan is marveled at the chaos ensuing, fighting the 4th Rank Archdemon's troops in the 6th Rank's planet. We learn these Man Murdering Demons can only stay outside of Baliga while the Bridge of Separation stays lowered, which is usually a period of 1 hours. Usually meaning, that's the time they usually take to annihilate all the locals. The total number of Man Murdering Demons is 88. Arzhang's residents number 400,000, and they wouldn't even need 30 minutes to kill them all. And that's nothing, it is recorded that 7 years ago, there was a certain planet in which lots of the Workshop of Destruction's artifacts proliferated. When the chaos reached its peak, the Man Murdering Demons showed up and took just 3 hours to slaughter 800,000,000 humans. Though the two naked maids pick up their spoon and plate, and prepare to fight, Magsarion averts his eyes in a seemingly suicidal move. Zurvan, meanwhile, flashes a smile of excitement. A figure dressed with black clothes is descending from the Rainbow Bridge, calling out to both maids (here we learn Farah's full name is Farangis), which makes them sudder.

It is none other than Munsarat. Just in that moment, Magsarion lets out a warcry that's unlike a man's voice. A hateful roar that hits all people in the area's eardrums hard and rather than mere sound, it was a kind of shockwave. It was an explosion of murderous urges, born from ultra dense rage. While looking at the looming Magsarion, Munsarat only brings out a simple black rose and, as if giving a present to lowly masses, he lets it drop. He doesn't even put force into it, nor was it thrown, it was casually entrusted to gravity. But even this mere gesture was bound to result in demon-like violence. The black rose pierces Magsarion's belly and slices his body in half, instantaneously. Just this gesture has been able to rip apart a daemonic armor that has withstood all kinds of impacts (including his earlier suicidal bomber technique), an artifact forged by the hand of an Archdemon, as if it were paper. Not with a weapon for battle, nor with a tool, but with a simple flower. The maids indicate with wonder how amazing their superior is, while Zurvan is not even perturbed, still expectant about what comes next. More than anything (even beyond having a Special Class Daeva in front of him), he's fascinated by Magsarion's own brand of "weirdness". Magsarion, now just half a man, begins muttering "Haoma", three times. It might seem like a stacked restoration Star Spirit Blessing to recover from such a fatal wound but, it isn't. He then mutters "Sam" (attack reinforcement) and finally the name of the custom technique he's using now, Gaokerena. In Magsarion's mind, there's only room for think of offense. Of killing only. Of destroying only. Magsarion's upper half, floating in the air, still hasn't let go of his sword. While spreading his guts around, yet turning, he drives a side blow into Munsarat. Though not a direct hit, as it was stopped by Munsarat's arm, it still flung him from the top of the bridge, making him land on a mansion's roof. Without losing composure, Munsarat has only sincere words of admiration for the Wicked Yazata, while saying that behaviour is truly akin to "his", only to then correct himself and say Magsarion's behaviour is falsely similar to "his", nothing but a counterfeit. Magsarion stands at the top of the bridge and, having chosen offense over healing should have brought about his death, but the horrible spectacle ensuing at the bridge made that irrelevant. As if it were a spider devouring its prey in the dark, fangs appear from the armor, bite into Magsarion's torn off body and connect it, slurping his blood, meat, or even something beyond that, mending the damaged areas in the blink of an eye. The jet black knight stands again, seemingly unhurt. However, something's different. It is as if he had lost something he previously, and in turn something had increased, but the true shape of these is unknown. The only certain things are Magsarion's bottomless wicked thoughts, akin to a raging whirlpool, a muzanmuki soul.

Next up, Munsarat's left arm begins crumbling as if it were made of sand. This is of course a result of Magsarion's previous blow, and here we learn of Gaokerena's true effect: overhealing. That is, a forbidden technique that makes cell division speed go mad, thus leading to the body's collapse. It is effective against enemies with wondrous regenerative powers, and the immortal Man Murdering Demons are no exception. Though Munsarat stops his arm's collapse by brushing it lightly, and in turn regenerates it, his clothes included, through his unusually strong Power of the Ego. Even though both Farah and Elnaz have left on Munsarat's orders, the threat hasn't diminished at all. Just while he formally introduces himself, Munsarat's right arm sinks into empty space, retrieving his weapon from Baliga (while also declaring Magsarion a strong man who has his respect, and shall be considered Frederica's guest of honour). Sound begins to be heard, akin to metalic clanks born of rotation. The sound created by his manslaughter machine, which screams for blood and can even twist space, is capable of shaking all of Arzhang. Even though normally Man Murdering Demons do not concern themselves with weapons for battle, exceptions exist. They can feel attachment too, to special, tresured items, such as ones that fit too well with their temperament, or tools they have used to hunt wonderful prey. In short, a sort of trophy, an object that symbolizes their very being. Thus, when holding it, their fighting power increases to incomparable levels. Munsarat's particular "trophy" was the source of his nickname, the reason why he's called the Man with the Saw. The weapon had a 2 metres long handle and at first glance, one would think it was a giant windmill. A disk of steel occupies more than half of the design, its outer circunference being filled with spikes one'd think were shark fangs. In short, a circular saw. And the disk would begin to rotate slowly. It doesn't receive wind, rather the opposite, it places on it heavily violent, overwhelming Power of the Ego that's even capable of driving mad the planet's rotation. Gradually gaining acceleration energy, it generates an inmensely attractive vortex in the atmosphere, and the humans pulled towards it, surrounding buildings included, are finely chopped into pieces. This rotating saw is Munsarat's treasured symbol, and his reputation's embodiment. To Magsarion, who has descended from the bridge unto land, Munsarat mentions he fought Varhram, enjoyed the fight and is proud of such a feat, with even a loving smile on his face. After this, he asks, explictly calling Magsarion Varhram's younger brother (yeah, pretty sure the "he" Magsarion was a counterfeit of was Varhram, what kind of miracle happened at the time of his death. This basically just makes Magsarion even more fucking angry, and the two proceed to fight.

Last PoV shift, I swear. We return to Quinn's group. Quinn right now understands the situation thanks to having read Alma's mind, but the situation is so absurd she just doesn't want to acknowledge it. The situation has to do with a rare phenomenon they can't comprehend... Commandments that can be used then thrown away? Alma explains it is a rare technique that Man Murdering Demons possess. By establishing the binding of having low quality meals for a fixed period of time, they can impersonate an Ashavan of their choice. Not only copying their appearence, but also their memories, their personality, their skills... all is plundered. A literal sheep's clothing. After the previously set time for the bindings passes, one's free to disregard them. In theory, by doing this, one could add and throw away Commandments infinitely. But this topic is purely academical stuff, usually no one would do this, nor could, for the matter. Commandments are beliefs and convictions. Pridefully sworn as a particular way to face the world. It is impossible to replace them on a whim, as one would their clothing. To do so, one's soul should be hollow, empty, a void. Meanwhile, Marika's floating head still asks for help, and Quinn notes this being has, indeed, no maliciousness at all. It is not mocking them, but showing transparency. Marika's head still asks why kill, for aren't they the allies of justice? An obi is appearing on Marika's head, as it reveals her true self. Her human skin is being shed, as if it were an apple's skin. Even Ferdows' voice loses courage as they realize their sin. While thinking about this being literal sheep's clothing, they reach their conclusions: what did this impostor do with the real Marika, and where is she? They of course, know. And begin to grieve, as Marika was a wonderful little girl, full of energy, adorable and even kind of a glutton. They might have been dealing with a fake all along, but her memories and personality were all real. They curse their unforgivable ignorance, deeming it worthy of a death sentence. The true Marika was the insanely ugly foe they had fought outside of Arzhang previous chapter, they had mercilessly cut her down while believing themselves righteouss, and believed it was a feat to be proud of. The massively enraged Ferdows draws his sword and rushes to the creature, in order to kill it in revenge, so at least Marika's soul can rest in peace. However, Alma seizes him by the neck and stops him. Neither Samruhk nor Quinn, who are seething with rage, understand Alma's action. Alma, seemingly really aggitated, orders them to run the fuck away at once. The order overpowers Quinn's will, who seizes Samruhk and Fer and invokes Sewatir, intending to teleport very far away. Then, Quinn feels the gaze of the thing coming out of its "cocoon" that is Marika's skin. Just then, Quinn tasted the flavour of the feeling of "death", as if her body had been smashed into pieces. Something impossible had happened, their teleportation had been destroyed. It was just a simple glance, but this thing did something impossible, it invalidated the power of Vohu Manah's Star Spirit Divine Protection, crushed it.

That moment, a voice came out of the cocoon. It was not Marika's, it's a different voice altogether now. It only lets out a laugh, but at the same time, it's not a laugh at all. The only thing this being has is killing intent, unbelieveably huge and pure. It is an empty, hollow existence. The cocoon bursts, and from the inside comes out a beautiful little girl, with gorgeous blond hair and outfitted with a blue dress. Her appearence, mixing elegance with cuteness, was not unlike that of a noble family's young daughter. However, Quinn new she was just a monster with the form of girl. She was the absolute Evil standing at the top of the cursed race of the Man Murdering Demons, 4th Rank Archdemon Frederica. Frederica, who just introduced herself, claims her hobbies are just killing all. And Quinn knew her from another time, she was the daemonic child who even killed her mother, the original Quinn our protagonist took her name from.