Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Rogue Journey Vol 2 Chapter 5

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Rogue Journey - Doll, comply with my commands - Chapter 5 - It......continued the mission   Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Doll, comply with my command Chapter 5 - It……continued the mission.     “Don’t expect us to give up so easily!”   Cleo’s hair was wet, she shook her head while she shouted with a sharp voice. But parts of her body were still tied with rope, so she was easily grabbed by the golem.   She was helpless, its grasp was so strong that she couldn’t even speak.   “I’m being kidnapped! You Devil! You smell like you haven’t washed in a week!”   “…………”   Vulcan looked down upon her from the stone giant.   “Well, looks like that d.a.m.n sorcerer isn’t here……you’ll just have to do.”     They were now in an open hall with an altar——they are in the Bajirikokku Fort. Cleo was struggling in the golem’s grasp, behind them was a portrait of a green haired woman.   “Stop squirming.”   “I’ll stop squirming when I have my hands round you’re neck!”   Behind her was Vulcan, who was happily sitting on a small throne.   He then stood up, and made a hand gesture.   “I will eliminate the root of all evil! The enemy of all common people! The loan shark sorcerer!”   “Can you even do that?”   Cleo asked. Vulcan laughed confidently.   “Of course I can, and then my debt will be gone!”   “That’s a lame ambition.”   “What was that? My loyal followers will not tolerate such an insult against their master!”   “You’re the type of guy who bullies girls with stone giants. What’s wrong, can’t you do it yourself?”   “How dare you! Say that again and I’ll have you squeezed like a grape!”   “…………”   Cleo didn’t want to anger him any further, for he might actually use the stone giants to harm her. She could only sit there helplessly, waiting for someone to come to her aid.   ***   They made their way along the embankment of the ca.n.a.l——until they found a crack in the wall. They slipped through and found a small room, in the middle of the room there was a manhole.   Opening the lid, they made their way down an iron ladder.   “……Can we get to the ruins this way?”   “Yes. We just entered the sewer, the sewers and the ruins are connected.”   “I see. I don’t want to stay in this stench any longer than I have to, so let’s pick up the pace.”   The sewer was damp, and full of a nasty stench. They had to cover their mouths with handkerchiefs as they moved, this did this for over an hour. As they moved, they noticed cracks over all the walls——they were clearly artificial.   “How did the Heavenly Being’s breathe down here?”   “Well, the Heavenly Being’s created the Bajirikokku Fort to be impregnable——there are magical words carved into the cracks of the walls, that way oxygen could be created if they were buried alive. They also created a magical barrier above the fort to protect them from water, that way they could prevent flooding. Though occasionally fish do fall through the barrier, the air is also very humid.”   “Hopefully we’ll be able to breathe some of the clean air, once we’re out of this stench.”   They continued traversing the sewers until they arrived at some kind of swamp like environment, it was dark and muddy. There was a lot of vines hanging from the ceiling blocking their path, both of them pushed their way through.   Suddenly——a bright light appeared before them.   Orphen could feel his feet touching stone, for a moment——he took in a deep breath, they finally arrived.   Bajirikokku Fort——   They had just entered Bajirikokku Fort through a route in the underground sewers. The path they took was very large, and about five meters wide. Normally at this end of this path of the sewer you’d find a dead end, unless you know where to look.   “This area is called the back bone.”   Stephanie explained.   “Back bone?”   Orphen asked inquisitively, Stephanie nodded.   “That’s what it’s called. The fort was modelled to mimic the biological structure of a certain creature. Different parts of the fort are named after parts of the body. The head, the tail and so on……”   “If you say so, but I don’t really understand what you mean.”   “The head and tail sections are stairways, this is how you enter and leave. If you take the stairway upwards you’ll pa.s.s through the barrier and end up at the bottom of the ca.n.a.l.”   After she said that, they could hear someone screaming——   “Master!”   It was Majic, he came flying through the vines right into Orphen.   “What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you?”   “Cleo’s been captured!”   “I told you to keep her safe.”   “It’s not my fault, Vulcan arrived with that Golem of his.”   “Figures, we’re heading towards him anyway so nothing’s changed.”   Orphen told Majic to follow them. He then suddenly asked him, pulling a coin out at the same time.   “Majic. Heads or tails, what do you prefer?”   Majic gave him a serious look and replied.   “Tails.”   “I didn’t expect to hear that answer……head’s it is. Steph, which way?”   “Take a right.”   They turned right and went forward. The road ahead went on for a while, it seemed to be curved. Orphen felt like they were going round in circles, he then muttered something.   “What did you say?”   Majic asked. Orphen ignored him and kept moving forward.   “I’m sure Cleo will forgive you for your misgivings, Orphen.”   Majic said, Orphen cursed inside himself.   “I know.”   Orphen said, sticking out his tongue at the same time.   The group continued to walk until they reached a cloister, Stephanie told them they had reached the head. They came across a pa.s.sage and an opening, looking down it seemed like they were entering a skull. They entered a spiral staircase about 10 meters across——looking up, they saw a distinct blue light. It was probably the water of the ca.n.a.l.   From time to time, a fish would drop down from above.   “……I guess this is how Vulcan and his megalithic infantry come and go.”   “But how do they climb up the stairs?”   “Look over there.”   Orphen pointed to a pillar, which was in the centre of the spiral stairway.   “They probably climb up that.”   “……That doesn’t seem very appropriate.”   “That stupid racc.o.o.n dog, everything he does is inappropriate. I remember one time he said he was hungry, he jumped right into the river to catch a frog. Cut it into ting pieces right on the spot and brewed it, all the while people were watching.   Orphen held on to Stephanie, helping her walk down the stairs.   “Sometimes I wonder why I even decided to follow master.”   “Who knows? Maybe you have a strong bond with your master.”   “…………”   The spiral stairs went on for a while——if you looked up you wouldn’t be able to see the entrance, now they arrived at the lowest part. The bottom of the stairway was like a dungeon, all covered in brick and with one door. Orphen looked at the door with an inquiring look, he then looked at Stephanie. She nodded and replied.   “From here we can enter the lowermost part of the fort. They’re shouldn’t be any kind of traps, we’re so deep inside that no one would bother.”   “Let’s hope so.”   Orphen said as he held the doors handle.   “……I wonder what’s behind door number one.”   “This isn’t a game, master.”   Majic said. Orphen just smiled back at him.   “I wonder who’s waiting behind the door, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d Vulcan or the Killing Doll.”   “……What are you going to do if it’s neither?”   “Well, let’s find out.”   Orphen suddenly turned to doors handle, and stepped through.   Opposite the door was an altar, behind it there was a portrait of a green haired woman. Neatly arranged around the altar was ten megalithic infantry. One of them was holding a figure——it was Cleo, she was tightly bound by rope. Vulcan stood at a golems feet with an insidious smile, nearby was Dortin who was staying out of sight.       “I’ve been waiting a long time……Orphen.”   That was the first thing Cleo said.   Orphen raised a hand to cover his eyes, he refused to look at her.   “Get me down from here now!”   Cleo shouted. Orphen wasn’t having any of it.   “I didn’t come here for you, I came for that stupid racc.o.o.n dog.”   “That goes without saying. But like always, you need to be taught a lesson.”   “…………”   Orphen had to decide what his next move would be, to rescue Cleo or to pummel Vulcan.   “What did you call me, a stupid racc.o.o.n dog?”   “Yes.”   Orphen said very clearly. He was trying to restrain himself from doing something stupid.   “I beg you, please save me.”   Cleo cried, meanwhile Orphen and Vulcan glared at each other.   “This is all your fault.”   “Shut up, Cleo. I’ve got to deal with this little bean sprout.”   “I’ll show you how much of a bean sprout I really am!”   Vulcan didn’t realize what he just said, he was only concerned with one thing right now: teaching Orphen a lesson.   “Magical word, bind this fool!”   “Magic? What is this?”   Orphen said, he couldn’t move his body.   “A magical word, obviously. You shouldn’t have kept that message the doll gave you……a magical character was attached to it.”   “Master!”   Majic cried, but Stephanie was oddly calm——no, she was on the verge of giggling.   “Stephanie?”   Majic said, he was dumbfounded as to why she was going to laugh.   “You men are so useless.”   She said as she walked over to Orphen and reached into his pocket. Orphen looked fl.u.s.tered.   “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything funny.”   Stephanie said, as she pulled the piece of paper out of Orphen’s pocket.   “I withdraw thee, shrew's dance.”   Orphen was not restricted anymore. Vulcan had a very angry expression.   “It wasn’t meant to happen like this!”   “h.e.l.lo, damsel in distress here!”   “Playtime is over, forward Megalithic Infantry!”   The golem holding Cleo put her down and charged Orphen, it was about to attack as it raised its arms.   “Master!”   “Orphen!”   Majic and Stephanie shouted, Orphen raised his hand and shouted.   “Sword of Light, whom I do release!”   After a flash and a loud noise, the huge portrait behind them started to fall.   “I see thee, Lady of Chaos!”   A black swirling vortex engulfed the stone giant——the gravitational forces utterly destroyed the megalithic infantry. The attack was so fierce that parts of the altar were damaged.   “Tyler! You can do it!”   Orphen didn’t stop in his recklessness destruction, as another golem charged his position.   “In my left hand, the statue of hades!”   “I’m not done yet!”   Vulcan ordered more golems to attack Orphen.   “Sword of Light, whom I do release!”   “Dakada, Monkey 1000. Get him!”   “Ominous starling of death, guiding me!”   A giant shockwave was emitted and the stone giants were shattered into many pieces.   “My ultimate trump card——”   A golem which was slightly bigger than the others began to move. Orphen raised his hand to shout, but——”   Bang!   Small streaks of lighting filled the room, the megalithic infantry were crumbling——no, they were collapsing inwards. This happened until each remaining golem was turned into a ball of rock.   Then, there was nothing left.   After the dust had settled, Orphen could only see a figure sobbing. It was Cleo, she had her hands buried in her face. Next to her was Dortin and Vulcan, who were both tied up with rope.   “Ah! Someone made her cry!”   Majic said to Orphen, standing behind him.   “Yeah…I can see that.”   Orphen scratched his head, while he watched Cleo.   Majic waved his finger at Orphen and spoke.   “Master, as usual you never learn.”   “But I……”   “No buts. Just listen to her crying.”   Orphen very reluctantly listened to Cleo’s crying. Her voice was intermittently mixed with unknown words.   “I’ll……get……my……revenge……I’ll……pull……his……nails……out……with……a……vice.”   “Now, this is starting to get interesting.   Orphen said.   “Master. If we wait a bit longer I guess we’ll see some real suffering.”   “Just don’t get too close, or else she’ll hurt you too.”   Stephanie whispered.   “I just wish this whole battle was a little more interesting.”   Orphen said, obviously a little unhappy.   “Ahahahahah!”   “Huh?”   Orphen looked towards the altar, the laughter was coming from there and becoming louder.   “……Stop acting so high and mighty!”   Everyone was now looking at the altar——Vulcan was standing there. They had no idea how he got out of the ropes, Dortin sat beside him.   Standing behind the brothers——the Killing Doll stood with an elongated needle protruding from its middle finger. It seems the doll cut the rope, but n.o.body knew when it did it.   Vulcan shook his fur cloak, and pulled out a knife.   “You d.a.m.n loan shark! Today we will determine a winner!”   “……You still owe me money, a.s.shole. But if you can’t pay it we can always work something out.”   Orphen said, but he no longer focused his attention on Vulcan. All the hairs on his body were standing upright, as the Killing Doll calmly observed him.   (That b.a.s.t.a.r.d……)   Orphen said inside himself.   The doll continued to stand behind Vulcan, though it looked like it was using the two brothers as a s.h.i.+eld.   (That doll, is it using them as a s.h.i.+eld?)   But Vulcan didn’t even notice this, he was more concerned with boasting.   “Looks like you lose, now that I’ve got this doll on my side I’m unstoppable!”   “Well, brother——”   Dortin interrupted him. Vulcan then proceeded to knock his brother to the ground with his sword.   “It was decided that these ruins were to be the battlefield. Fight the doll! Sorcerer!”   “You don’t need to remind me, you little s.h.i.+t. I came to the Bajirikokku Fort knowing full well what would happen.”   Orphen said, then he stuck out his arm.   “Sword of Light, whom I do release!”   A blast of light surged towards the portrait above Vulcan, it burned, then part of it exploded. Debris from the painting made Vulcan scream.   Meanwhile a loud roar echoed throughout the hall, Orphen jumped like a frog. Right after he jumped, a bolt of lightning just stuck his previous position.   "Waha ha ha ha ha!"   Observing Orphen’s antics——the doll let out an unpleasant laugh. It also retracted the blade back inside its finger, and loudly declared:   “During this battle, I’ll also tell you my story.”   “Majic, keep an eye on Cleo.”   Orphen declared. There was nothing stopping him from getting to the altar, overturned wreckage and scattered boulders from the megalithic infantry was littered about the room. The altar was damaged, some of the statues were destroyed. The portrait was beyond repair, the once beautiful face of a woman now gone.   Majic and Stephanie stood motionless by the main entrance, they were both stunned. Cleo’s cries could still be heard. Dortin both had his hands on their head, meanwhile Vulcan watched eagerly. There was a look of pleasure on the Killing Doll’s face.   At the same time, Orphen had a shocked expression, he was staring at the ceiling ——a strange object was falling to the ground.   “……What……?”   Orphen just looked at it——it was a metal sphere about 50 cm in diameter, there wasn’t any visible markings or even a seam. It was a ball. More b.a.l.l.s continued to appear and float in the air——somehow they started to glow.   Crackling!   Electricity struck at ground in front of Orphen’s feet. Orphen was sent straight towards the ground, he started to rapidly chant a mantra.   “Sword of Light, whom I do release!”   He rolled as a blast of light emitted from his hand, heading straight towards the flying b.a.l.l.s. It flew straight through them and impacted the ceiling——it seemed to have no effect.   “That was a direct hit!”   “I can’t believe this.”   It was clear that the Doll was toying with him. Orphen looked at it with anger, but didn’t say anything. He s.h.i.+fted his gaze back towards the floating b.a.l.l.s.    (What the h.e.l.l, that was a direct hit. All I’ve been able to do is let that Doll enjoy himself, but there’s got to be something I can do.)   Orphen thought for a moment, he then stood up and ran in the opposite direction——the metal b.a.l.l.s pursed him.   “Ha ha ha! Run all you want, fool!”   Vulcan shouted. Orphen decided to throw an insult at him.   “Shut up, midget!”   “Master!”   It was Majic’s voice. Majic and Stephanie had run to Cleo’s side, both of them picked up the crying girl.   “Orphen, please tell me you have a plan?”   “——I’m working on it!”
  Orphen rushed towards his friends, and jumped right into them, sending them all cras.h.i.+ng towards the ground. A moment before, a bright light appeared about Majic’s head. They had just avoided being burnt to a crisp.   “My goodness.”   Majic said. But it wasn’t over yet, Orphen pulled them all up and pointed towards the exit.   “Get the h.e.l.l out of here!”   “You want us to run away?”   “I can’t do anything with you guys in the way, the doll could always take you as hostages. Now, go!”   He then turned to Cleo.   “That means you too, Cleo. You’ve got to think about your own safety, understand?”   “Orphen……”   Cleo spoke in a low tone. Her hair was a little stringy and tear marks were visible on her face, it was clear she had been through a great ordeal.   “Master.”   Majic spoke next.   “Does that mean you care about my safety too?”   “You’ve got a big mouth, you know that?”   “I’ll take that as a no.”   “Knock it off. Listen, Stephanie will take you back the way we came. Now move it!”   Orphen said as he pushed Majic. The trio were about to leave when——   A pillar of fire appeared in front of Majic, the doll was now smiling. On its right elbow there was magical flas.h.i.+ng text.   “Did you think I’d let you go?”
  Looking at the fire, Majic was scared. Stephanie was trying to keep Cleo calm, meanwhile Orphen was thinking of what to do next.   “It’s useless Orphen, you can’t win.”   “Leave me alone.”   Orphen now faced the altar.   “You said you wanted to tell me you’re story, it doesn’t matter anymore. I understand.”   “Understand what?”   The Killing Doll’s stared coldly. Orphen lifted up his head and smiled.   “Steph said that she made a mistake by waking you up, I found this very strange.”   “Oh…”   “Steph could not have woke you up. For hundreds of years ago, the Heavenly Beings created you.”   “……Orphen?”   Stephanie asked, obviously puzzled. Orphen then pulled a pendant out from under his s.h.i.+rt.   “Reading magical characters is a tricky business, not everyone can do it. It’s unbelievably hard work, even for those from the Tower of Fang. Steph, I don’t mean to belittle you——but it isn’t possible for you to use those magical words. Let alone awaken a Killing Doll, using the Heavenly Beings magic isn’t so simple.”   “However——”   Stephanie said as they looked towards the Killing Doll, it had begun to laugh loudly.   “What are you talking about, human sorcerer?”   “I don’t think she awoke you, it must have been preordained.”   "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"    The Killing Doll started laughing uncontrollably, as he stumbled backwards.   “Oh, my master! You fool! You miscalculated! You miscalculated!”   He then waved towards Orphen.   “My master——”   He then put his hand on his head.   “We were supposed to wait two hundred years! He miscalculated it! Aren’t you supposed to be G.o.ds?!”   “……What the h.e.l.l is going on?”   Stephanie asked. Orphen shook his head, and wiped his brow.   “Isn’t it obvious?”   “……I guess so.”   And suddenly the Doll stopped laughing.   “I’ll tell you something. A thousand years ago, when the Heavenly Beings were powerful. The battle of Bajirikokku Fort happened, and they won, or so the legend says.”   The Doll waved its arm mockingly.   “The legend is wrong, they failed! The walled city was completed destroyed, and the fort was lost.”   The doll then shrugged its shoulders.   “They all died from exposure to Bajirikokku’s poison. After the long battle, those who were left all waited to die as their bodies were eroded by the poison.”   “If that’s the case……they were still regarded as demi-G.o.ds. Even if the poison had a severe effect on them, it would take a while for them to die.”   “That is true. But during that time they built ca.n.a.ls and then the city, the humans came to the city and the two races became one.”   “And this resulted in a mixed race, humans that could use magic.”   “But nevertheless, I feel betrayed.”   Majic quietly crept up behind Orphen.   “Who betrayed him, master?”   “The answer is simple.”   The Doll’s lips were like a crescent moon as it smiled.   “Everyone betrayed each other.”   “……How so?”   Orphen asked.   “The Heavenly Beings were corrupted. The Heavenly Beings could survive for a while with the poison, but it was deadly to humans. The humans they came in contact with died one after another, and naturally the humans began to feel wary. The humans thought the Heavenly Beings wanted to obliterate mankind. The Heavenly Beings were jealous that the humans were increasing in numbers and gaining the powers of sorcery. Meanwhile the Heavenly Beings were low in number, and had a very low birth rate.”   “……As a result……”    “Yes. The time of the Sorcerer hunting began, and the Killing Dolls were created.”   “…………”   The room went quiet. Then as if the Dolls mood changed, it raised its voice.   “Everyone betrayed each other because they didn’t trust each other!”   “……Listen to yourself, you already know who betrayed who.”   “We didn’t betray anyone, because we remained calm. At that time, our orders were to eliminate human sorcerers. Nothing more, nothing less.”   “Then why did the Heavenly Beings disappear?”   Majic asked, almost shouting. Then the dolls eyes opened wide, as he replied.   “Poison, their downfall was ensured by that d.a.m.n poison. But Sister Isutas.h.i.+ba, she wanted to leave proof that they existed.”   The Doll raised its finger, and pointed towards the burnt portrait.   “She was a strong woman——she gave us an ultimatum. She wanted us to wipe out all mages in this city, but leave the normal humans alone. She also commanded that hundreds of other Killing Dolls were to be secretly hidden throughout the continent, waiting to commence their final command.”   “Is that so?”   Orphen paid attention to the ceiling and the floating metal b.a.l.l.s, he looked at Stephanie, and she then spoke.   “It’s the truth. There are a lot of coffins stored in the Bajirikokku Fort, inside there are——”   Orphen spotted a metal ball crackling, and immediately shouted.   “Sword of Light, whom I do release!”     A torrent of light spun through the air, Orphen’s attack impacted the ball just as it was about to attack. The metal ball exploded into a million pieces.   While avoiding the metal fragments, Orphen spoke to the Doll.   “So that’s it. You blow them up, just as they are about to attack. Seems like you’re little b.a.l.l.s can’t handle that much energy.”   “Brother…Brother.”   Dortin had been listening up until now, and he spoke with fear in his voice.   “This is getting serious, let’s get out of here.”   “You should be ashamed!”
  Dortin didn’t notice it, but Vulcan had sprinted over and hid behind Orphen. Vulcan flew into a rage as he waved his fist at his brother.   “I never once thought that my own flesh and blood would betray me!”   “Why you little——”   “Orphen, you’ve got to save my brother.”   “Oh……”   Orphen sounded bored, and he kicked Vulcan to make him be quiet.   “Okay, enough of this hostage c.r.a.p. I agreed to come so let him go.”   Dortin walked over carefully, Orphen watched him and the Killing Doll carefully——hundreds of characters started to appear all over its body. Orphen knew he wouldn’t win in a straight up fight, so he’d have to fight tactically.   “Are you really a doll?”   “……What?”   The Doll said, as its eyes twitched.   A thin smile appeared on Orphen’s face, he wanted to draw the enemy’s attention.   “Can’t you turn a blind eye to this situation?”   “I can only follow the mission.”   “Yes. But——”   Orphen’s gaze moved from the Doll to one of the statues behind it.   “You’re so careless, don’t you pay attention to your surroundings?”   “What do you mean?”
  The Killing Doll quickly a.n.a.lysed what Orphen was looking at, but it was too late——   From one of the statues, a blonde girl jumped at the Doll with a sword in one hand.   “You——”   The Doll tried to outstretch its fingers, but it was too late——Cleo brought the sword down upon the Killing Doll, cutting from its neck to its lower abdomen. Although no blood was spilled, the Doll looked badly damaged.   “The——pain!”   Cleo’s feet touched the ground, and screamed as she charged the Doll. Its eyes were now filled with anger, it raised its arms to protect itself.   “…You filthy b.i.t.c.h! How dare you attack me!”   “Sword of Light, whom I do release!”   Orphen lifted his arm and a blast of light flew towards the Killing Doll.   “Ahhhhhhh!”   The explosions made the Doll stagger but it sent Cleo to the ground, the Doll then retreated to the side of the altar. Orphen jumped up onto the altar and picked up the fallen Cleo, and whispered.   “You did a good job, partner.”   Cleo raised her face to look at him.   “Partner?”   She pondered on the word, with a look of surprise on her face.   And then——   Bang!   A white radiance of light was being emitted from the Doll’s current location, accompanied by a wave of intense heat and wind it pushed Orphen and Cleo from the altar.    Orphen stood up——   Looking upwards at the altar, Orphen was filled with terror. The Doll stood on the altar, apart from its injury, it looked relatively intact. Its cold eyes now looked down upon Orphen and Cleo.   “You dare attack me?”   “You started it.”   Orphen stood up, and outstretch his arms to protect Cleo. He smiled and spoke.   “But don’t worry, next time we’ll get rid of those snazzy characters you’ve got all over your body.”   “You won’t get them all. In order to eliminate sorcerers, we were given hundreds of characters. And——”   Orphen interrupted the Doll and spoke.   “Even if you have hundreds, losing even one means that you lose power. Playtime is over, you must be destroyed!”   He then reached into his chest, and pulled out a pendant——a dragon wrapped around a sword.   “You are just a third rate doll! Bring it on!”   “As you wish.”   The Doll cried, and moved its fingers towards its right shoulder. He pressed down and a magical character started to glow——numerous arrows of light were sent towards Orphen.   “Spin around me, Armour of light!”   Orphen chanted the incantation, everyone around him was enveloped in a wall of light. But some of the arrows of light pierced through the barrier and struck the ground.   “——!”   It appeared Orphen had been injured by the resulting explosion, he was lucky that the arrow didn’t hit him directly. He then looked around hastily, to confirm his companion’s condition.   ——He was stunned.   The entire room was in a mess. Pieces of the floor were all over the room, there was water everywhere. There was a giant hole in the ceiling where water was pouring through, they would even see the sky. The entire altar was destroyed, save for the statue of a Heavenly Being that was deliberately saved during the attack. The walls of the room were cracked, and water was seeping through.   Endless particles of dust filled the room so that Orphen couldn’t’ see. Cleo and Majic were most likely buried under some rubble.   “b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”   Orphen shouted, he was going to look for his companions——but he couldn’t move his leg, it was numb.   “Oh, come on.”   “Does it hurt?”   The Doll’s cruel voice floated around the room. He then quietly approached Orphen from the rear, his skinny fingers extending to pinch Orphen’s neck.   (I can’t move……)   Orphen said inside himself. The Doll then spoke.   “This won’t hurt a bit. The drug will take effect rather quickly, then you will be rendered inert. It’s quite an innovative drug, wouldn’t you say? Once you’re mind has been cleansed, I will take away you’re humanity.”   “…………”   “Don’t expect that little girl to help you this time, for she is at my feet….unconscious.”   Orphen desperately tried to look though the dust, but to no avail. Meanwhile, the Doll continued to talk.   “If you’re wondering about that other black sorcerer, it’s useless. To save you the effort, I’ll tell you where she is. She’s currently at the altar, buried under rubble.”   “…………”   “How sad, how tragic. But what about your student?”   “…………”   “Majic! Can you hear me?”   Behind him came the Doll’s sarcastic voice. But Orphen ignored it, and tried talking to Majic.   “To defeat this third rate doll I need your strength. Listen, you should be able to use you’re magic.”   Orphen listened for an answer, a bead of sweat fell from his forehead.   “I’ll teach you the basic methods of casting magic. Listen……you’ve got to keep your eye on the target. Focus on the target and clear your mind, the breath. Breath slowly so that you’re body becomes relaxed. The more you breath, the stronger you’re attack becomes.”   There was no response.   (Did he hear me?)   Orphen was getting desperate.   “If you’ve done that, then you’re ready. Those vocal exercise better have paid off, use that light attack just like I showed you.”   For a moment, tension filled the air.   “Sword of Light——”   “…Huh?”   Both Orphen and the Killing Doll turned around.   “——whom I do release!”   Orphen couldn’t believe his eyes, a huge ball of light and heat was sent in his direction. It flew past the Killing Doll burning it, and hit the walls of the hall. It easily penetrated the wall, shaking the entire Bajirikokku Fort.   “This guy…?”   The Doll was shaken, but ready to fight.   “So much power……”   When the ball of light and heat dissipated, water poured through the open hole.   The Doll now seemed to relax his body——Orphen seized this opportunity to take the needle out of his neck, pulling off the dolls finger caused him some pain.   (Get your hand off me, creep!)   At the same time, Orphen ordered his body to pick up Cleo’s sword at his feet. He swung the sword towards the Doll’s neck and got stuck halfway through cutting off its head. Orphen then let go of the sword and began chanting an incantation.   “Sword of the Descending Demon, that I doth carry!”   In Orphen’s hand, a humming noise could be heard, as if there was an invisible sword, it began to increase in weight. Orphen starred at the sword stuck in the Doll’s neck, he then brought the invisible sword up to the left side of the Dolls neck and slashed.   He kept slas.h.i.+ng and stabbing until his sword touched that of Cleo’s, and then with one last swing the Doll’s head went flying through the air.   The Doll’s head flew for a couple of meters, and landed in a mountain or rubble, then it rolled to the ground. It continued to roll until it stopped right in front of the Heavenly Being statue.   “…………”   Orphen watched the entire thing, meanwhile he was unconsciously stroking Cleo’s blonder hair.   “It’s over……”   Whack!   The Doll’s body slammed against the ground, Orphen wore a weary smile. He then looked at the giant whole which Majic created with his attack, water was pouring through, the entire room would be flooded within ten minutes.   (That guy……he was quite the challenge, yet he wasn’t even human.)   “M-M-M-Master!”   Majic shouted.   “How did you do that?”   As Majic approached Orphen, he saw that he didn’t look happy.   “Well, I just——”   “You moron!”   Orphen suddenly got angry, and threw some rubble at Majic.   “What was that for?”   “You tell me, look at your hands!”   Listening to Orphen, Majic looked at his hands with a puzzled expression.   “My hands! They’re burnt!”   “You hurt yourself with that spell, which tells me that you didn’t aim properly when you attacked! Moreover, you missed the doll too!”   “I didn’t know if I would succeed.”   “d.a.m.n it, didn’t you listen to my instructions?”
  The others including Stephanie began to wake up——she mumbled, then stood up out of the rubble. Near the entrance, they could see Dortin and Vulcan. Cleo said a few words as she rolled over in her sleep.   “Oh……is it over, Orphen?”
  Stephanie said as she approached, Orphen was about to respond but——   “Ahahahaha!”   A burst of laughter interrupted him——   At the statue of the Heavenly Being, the Doll’s head laughed aloud for a while, then it spoke.   “Do you think it’s over?! After I stop functioning, another doll will wake up and take my place! I have a thousand compatriots, do you really think you can take them on?!”   “…………”   Orphen silently stood up.   “What will you do?”   Orphen didn’t answer. He went straight towards the body of the Killing Doll, and lifted it into the air. Orphen then looked towards Dortin and Vulcan and asked them a question.   “Did any of you guys see him destroy the Alliance of Sorcerers building?”   “Well, I——”   “By the way, I fainted.”   Vulcan said in a rather proud tone, Orphen had to smash a piece of rubble to silence him. Orphen asked Dortin again.   “Did you see where the Doll wrote the magical character?”   “I remember……”   “You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”   The Doll screamed.   “Shut up! Don’t speak out of turn. If we can draw the character again with the Doll’s fingers, then we’ll be able to reproduce the effect.”   Dortin showed Orphen how to draw the character, then suddenly——explosions and tornados started to go off all around them. The first of escape was Vulcan and Dortin, followed by Majic and Cleo, Orphen was ready to go but someone grabbed him from behind.   “……Steph.”   Orphen looked at her, with a puzzled expression.   “What’s wrong?”   “……I want to ask you something. After listening to the Doll’s words, don’t you feel anything?”   “What did he say?”   “Don’t you remember? Those things he said about the Heavenly Beings. If it’s true, the persecution of sorcerers in this city all happened because of a misunderstanding——”   There were tears in Stephanie’s eyes, Orphen just shrugged.   “Well, there’s nothing we can do about that.”   He then looked back towards the Doll’s head, and the now flooding room.   “I wouldn’t believe anything that b.a.s.t.a.r.d said, you’d never know if he was telling the truth or not.”   “But, do you believe him?”   “a.s.suming that the Heavenly Beings were being eroded by the poison, it was probably also infectious. Then it’s possible that the half breeds created from the union of regular humans and the Heavenly Beings also inherited the poison. If this is true, then perhaps a large percentage if not all humans are infected with the Bajirikokku fort poison. If left unchecked, this could be the downfall of humanity as we know it. In order to avoid this outcome, a purge may be needed.”   “So, Sister Isutas.h.i.+ba was dying and she ordered the Doll’s to kill the sorcerers. Knowing full well that other humans may be infected?”   “She must have had her reasons. Anyway, we can be thankful that the Dolls didn’t carry out their mission. For if they did, we wouldn’t be here to talk about it.”   Orphen then motioned for her to go forward, he was about to leave too but he turned around——and looked at the now burnt portrait of Sister Isutas.h.i.+ba.   “All’s well that ends well.”   Orphen smiled and looked the Doll’s head, now half submerged in water. It was t.i.tled upwards, looking at the statue of a Heavenly Being, a statue of Sister Isutas.h.i.+ba.”   “Anyway, there’s no evidence to say that all the Heavenly Beings were killed. For all we know, they are walking among us today. Though let’s hope that we won’t have any more misunderstandings.”   The Bajirikokku fort now started to shake violently, Orphen and the group quickly left the place.   Translators Notes     Man was this chapter long, it was like an extra 10 pages than the last one. But anyways, it’s done now. If you noticed, I’m now using Heavenly Beings instead of Celestial Beings. I went with Heavenly Beings because that’s what ADV used in their translation, even though both are right. I also didn’t know if I should have used a gender neutral p.r.o.noun for the Killing (Murder) Doll, so you’ll see both “he” and “it” throughout the chapter. I also forgot to put “Steph” in when Orphen talks to Stephanie in the last chapter(s), this is mainly because I actually forgot about that. But it’ll all be fixed when I go check the entire book when I’m done. I’m also looking into getting a limited print release of the first and probably second Orphen novel, I’d like to hear about what you think about this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the translation and I want to know what you think about the translation.