Pestilence: Rise Of The Pure Undead

Lizi's style of swordsmanship might appear unnecessarily flashy and graceful to those unfamiliar with the handling of a blade, however, the efficiency of her technique spoke for itself, each motion meant something, each movement that seemed superfluous was a feint or distraction, slashes rained down violently, thrusts cascaded without stop, all portions of the weapon were put to good use, handled with ease as though it was a distinct limb.

Isabela struck down with a direct punch, compared to the refined sword style of her opponent, even the average joe would be able to understand what the blonde chief was all about, she was a brute, serving as arms and crushing fists for the rule of stagnant water.

Once the trusted and beloved daughter of the former, late chief- All of the villagers and townspeople had naturally felt inclined to like her from the moment she was born, so once the old chief passed away peacefully, and she came back from a big city with a medical degree, it seemed only natural for her to take over her father's role…

That trust was weaponised, and all of the people under her care were exposed to the stagnant water, indeed, the allure and power of the mysterious substance easily seduced her, the high priestess had known how to be convincing, and so, Isabela now willingly serves as the first line of defence, her body enhanced by the consumption of stagnant water.

Her strike pierced the ground, sending cracks all around the damaged area, Lizi even felt the soil beneath her feet shake from the sheer force of the blow, there was no cutting it, a single of those strikes, even if it wasn't a direct hit, could break bones and crush flesh, moreover, although Lizi had not yet used any mana at all, she could feel that the altered constitution of Isabela brought upon by the contact with the stagnant water, it felt as though her bare fists would be able to make contact and push back against energy-based attacks.

Lizi moved back several steps, taking upon a fancy-looking stance that caused the chief to see her own reflection against the side of the blade.

"Say, I am suddenly feeling very interested in that stagnant water of yours, mind explaining what it's all about?" she asked, watching as the doctor formed a rather pretty smile, though, considering that she was covered in blood from smashing down the corpses of her fellow people whilst trying to catch Lizi, it looked anything but that at the moment.

"Glad you asked! It is a divine gift! I myself am only capable of wielding the power it grants in a most crude manner, but still, I was granted a most divine body! As you can see, your attacks may cut my flesh, but that is meaningless, for all damage I endure will swiftly be healed, I am effectively immortal, and this is only a primitive application of the gift the stagnant water grants!"

"Huh huh? I was wondering though, how did you come up with that thing? Like, I do not mean to insult you guys or anything, but I have the feeling that you didn't discover the stagnant water by yourself" since Isabela seemed willing to talk, Lizi took this opportunity to take a breather and consider her possibilities.

"The High Priestess discovered the nascent version of the water herself, she used to be nothing more than a little cult leader, you know? Hidden away in the mountains, with only a handful of believers, but one day… A divinity appeared before her"

"...Is that so?"

"Yes, although the title of divinity is apparently not technically correct, to us, he is indeed a god- Lord Loimos was the one who elevated the stagnant water to what it is today, he guided Lady Fe toward ascension, and now, it is our mission to spread the gospel throughout this corrupt world! The dogs of the Republic and the fools who believe in the lies of the Collectivists come here day and night to try and seize the stagnant water for themselves, but that is a foolish affair… Why bother? The stagnant water will to you eventually"

Isabela sighed deeply, and cracked her neck.

"Why is your sword trembling?"

Lizi had not expected to hear that name all of a sudden, if there was something that everyone that had moved to the Peaceful Realm knew, regardless of when or where they were born, it was the name 'Loimos', synonymous with despair and misery, the face of the foul Undead Empire, and the one who had killed her father, a surge of wrath could not help but course through her upon hearing this name being spoken out loud, with such reverence.

"Are you stupid? Do you not know that the undeads will kill you all eventually?" she growled, but the chief just tilted her head to the side.

"Of course we know, the might of stagnant water can only be unlocked when one has unburdened themselves of life, Lord Loimos and his Missus were quite clear and outspoken about this… The domination of this world… It is our divine trial to prove that we are worthy of undeath! Why did you think I was so unbothered when you slaughtered my people?"

"Did you think that I was a heartless monster? No! They might have not been able to adapt to the divine blessing, but in death, they will be reborn better, so whether they die today or later- Or how they die is of no importance, they will be back, all of them, without exception"

Lizi sighed, channelling her anger into her swordsmanship, Antieeld had since long taught the eldest daughter how to control one's inner turmoil and redirect toward something of value, and right, Lizi's sword felt like as though it could cut through anything as mana flowing through it and throughout her whole body, wrapping her in a most simplistic, yet most effective augmentative spell.

A spell she could maintain for hours, regardless of the situation, even capable of keeping it up whilst sleeping profoundly.

"One last question, Miss"

"I was wondering why there are no children anywhere around here?" she tightened her grip on the sword.

"Children are innocent, they do not need to go through a trial to prove themselves, so we let them join Oblivion first"

"That's what I thought…"

No more words were spoken, as Lizi surged forward, blade swinging toward the chief, a single slash cut straight to the bone, leaving a gash upon its surface.

The galero hat was sent flying through the air as the swordswoman slashed her opponent across the face.

Each motion made with the intent to cripple or kill, yet, the enemy stood strong still, trusting in the divine body she had been granted…