Ch 155: Extreme differences in treatment.

"Welcome back" said Asuka as Rin and the others returned. Then her eyebrows shot up as she noticed the two limp bodies Akeno and Britomart carried.

"How is Sakura? And did you decide to kidnap some girls while you were at it? Like there's not enough people living in this house already?"

"Look at their outfits, Asuka." smiled Akeno.

"Mostly black leather under their robes. Okay, they're not civilians."

"The Church's Inquisition. They apparently decided that us having too many Servants on our side was a threat, and they wanted to cut us down to a more reasonable size or something. Consider the Church as hostile from now on."

"Those numbskulls!"

"Yes. And they used some kind of ritual that could forcibly dematerialize our Servants. Scathach resisted it because she's simply that strong, and Britomart was immune to it thanks to the Soul Contract's benefits. They didn't like that. At all. Anyway, we have two captives and killed six inquisitors.

"I'm not going to ask what you're going to do with those two, I already know the answer." smiled Chisato. "But will you have time for it?"

"Time is becoming increasingly valuable, yes." sighed Akeno as she took the Sanctuary out of her inventory and started charging it.

"I'm ditching school for a while. I'll confine those two and keep them preoccupied, but for now, my priority is Sakura. She's in urgent need of a good talk. One without you, Rin. I suspect she'll open up more easily if you're not here."

"…Fine." sighed Rin.

"Britomart, can I entrust Darkness to you for a while?"

"Yes! I'll keep her busy and happy." smiled Britomart.

"To be handed over like I'm just a parcel." muttered Darkness as she started heating up.

"Medb, you get a reprieve. Lucky you. But don't worry, I'll make sure it's a short one."

Medb snorted. "I won't let you use it as an excuse to extend your turn, though. You may end up regretting it."

Akeno nodded and gestured to Britomart, and they left for her room.

…

Sakura regained consciousness slowly. She felt warm and comfortable, but hungry. And oddly tired, considering she was sleeping until now. And she felt something was different with her body, but she couldn't quite figure it out.

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a bedroom she didn't recognize, and sitting beside the bed on a chair was Akeno, dressed in a white shirt and black leather pants, a book in her hands. A book with a pink cover, about Tamamo and being a housewife.

"Welcome back, Sakura. We were worried about you." gently said Akeno.

"Akeno-senpai? Where am I?"

"Inside my reality marble artifact. The one where you saw me disappear in with Britomart, Darkness and Medb most of the time. We need to have a talk, and I'm sorry for not having noticed and done this sooner."

"I do not see what there is to talk about, Akeno-senpai. I just decided to leave because there are too many people in the house. I needed space." said Sakura.

"What is the last thing you remember before falling asleep, Sakura?" asked Akeno, ignoring the lie.

"…I had found a quiet place to stay for a while. I ate dinner, renewed the magic ward and went to bed. How did you even find me?"

"Assassin came to us. She almost begged us to save you."

"What?"

"I'll be blunt, Sakura. I already know, about Angra Mainyu and you. Yesterday night, while you were sleeping, Angra Mainyu took control of your body. It is obvious that his control was imperfect, as the most he could do was have you shamble around, but Angra Mainyu was hungry, and it almost devoured Assassin."

Sakura opened her eyes wide in disbelief. And then she realized what felt different. Her bond to Angra Mainyu was gone. There was something else deep inside her, in the place where her bond had been, something she didn't quite know how to reach.

"W-What did you do to me?"

"During your sleepwalking session, you were attacked by Gilgamesh, one of the very strongest Servants. Assassin tried to defend you but was overpowered. Angra Mainyu devoured Gilgamesh, and would have done the same with Assassin, if she hadn't managed to escape in time. Assassin realized that if you were to enter a residential area in that state, Angra Mainyu would start a slaughter, and you would have to live with the knowledge that you did this. Although, it would have been a short life, with the Church and the Association wanting your head. Assassin was aware of this, and came to us, so we could save you."

"We severed your bond with Angra Mainyu, Sakura."

Sakura trembled as she hugged herself, her emotions a mess. Had she really almost killed her best friend, Assassin? And come close to killing many innocent people?

"I… Akeno Senpai, can I see Assassin?"

"…Yes. She's outside right now, and due to the time flow differential, fetching her is going to take a while."

Akeno disappeared, leaving Sakura alone.

Her vision began to blur. Had she really lost control of Angra Mainyu? She felt disgusted with herself. But at the same time, losing Angra Mainyu's power stung badly. She once again felt vulnerable. Helpless. Afraid.

After a few minutes, she wiped her tears, and had mostly recovered her calm when Akeno and Assassin reappeared near the bed.

"Master." knelt Assassin immediately. "I am sorry for betraying you. Please punish me."

"I… Assassin, did I really almost kill you?"

"It wasn't you, Master!" exclaimed Assassin, raising her head. "I know you would never try to harm me! It was Angra Mainyu's doing. Please do not ever try to blame yourself for this!"

"I… I am so sorry. I never wanted for this to happen!" sobbed Sakura.

"I know. You're a good person, Sakura." gently said Akeno.

For a few minutes, Akeno didn't say anything as Assassin hugged Sakura, offering her shoulder for Sakura to cry on. Then Sakura calmed down, and Assassin once again knelt on the floor beside the bed.

"…Sakura, even before Assassin came to seek our help, I had my suspicions. Shinji, he… forced himself on you, right?"

Sakura flinched, looking at Akeno with wide eyes, but Akeno only looked at her with sympathy. After a while, Sakura nodded slightly.

"That is why you wanted Angra Mainyu's power, right? Maybe to take revenge, or to make sure it would never happen to you again?"

"…yes." whispered Sakura.

"I do not blame you for it, Sakura. Your desire for power is right, even if your way to go about it was wrong."

"I have an alternative I can offer you. I could make you easily as strong as Assassin currently is, and your power would slowly grow over time."

"…how?"

"My boyfriend, is the Champion of a Goddess. One of the abilities he was granted, is to share with his subordinates some of his own powers. And he had a lot of powers to share."

"Is that why you are so strong?" asked Assassin.

"It is the main contributing factor" nodded Akeno.

"Noah has granted me the following abilities. I am immune to any curse, mind-control, hypnotic or weakening magic…"

Akeno enumerated every single one of the abilities Noah had shared with her. At the end, Sakura looked at her with eyes that were both sad and hopeful.

"Akeno-senpai… What should I do, to also have those powers?"

"As his emissary, I can establish Soul Contracts in Noah's name. What you should do… entrust yourself to Noah and me, Sakura. We will take care of you, give you the safety you deserve, and we will help you heal."

Sakura took a deep breath, and she nodded.

Akeno smiled and slowly moved closer to her.

"Sakura, I am going to start. You can say no at any time, and I'll stop. Assassin will remain close, so you can feel safer, and she will act if she thinks I am going to do something forceful."

Assassin nodded.

"…are you going to... But I am… filthy." said Sakura, shaking her head as she shed tears.

"You are not. You are beautiful, Sakura. Let me prove it to you."

Sakura didn't move as Akeno got closer, and closer. Their lips touched, and Sakura shuddered.

"Entrust yourself to me, Sakura. I will give you the affection you deserve." whispered Akeno. She kissed Sakura again.

…

Medusa carefully watched Sakura's expressions as things grew more intense. But had no point did she think she needed to interfere. Akeno was being very careful, and Sakura, while very passive, wasn't an unwilling participant. She even felt a little envious and wondered if she, too, would ever get to experience the touch of a lover.

…

"Thank you, senpai." said Sakura as she and Akeno laid on the bed. Akeno had made her orgasm a few times, using only her mouth, fingers, and a bit of scissoring.

"You do not need to thank me, Sakura." smiled Akeno. "It was pleasant for me, too. We are going to repeat this kind of things, over and over, to try to overwrite your memories or your unpleasant times. We are not going to manage to make you forget entirely, but it will still help lessen your trauma. It's a kind of exposure therapy. So, prepare yourself, Sakura. I am going to be very affectionate with you from now on."

"…yes, Senpai." said Sakura with a smile. It was a small, fragile smile, but a very precious one.

"Would you allow me to use a strap-on at some point? It is a magic one, that would help you and make it more pleasurable."

"…okay."

"And, although it may be a bit too early to ask, do you want your Servant to get involved later on?"

"Master?" exclaimed Assassin in surprise. She had remained kneeling near the bed the whole time. But Akeno could feel the sexual tension coming from her. The Servant wouldn't mind joining them in bed.

"I… want it." nodded Sakura, blushing. "I had never, done it with a girl before. But it felt good. And I want Assassin, no, Medusa, to feel good as well."

"Are you willing, Medusa?" asked Akeno, smiling.

"Yes." smiled Medusa.

Akeno, deep inside, was making some victory laps and already establishing a tentative schedule. She would just make gentle and tender love with Sakura and Medusa for two or three more days, to get them used to lesbian sex, before she would start to get Corruption involved. And Medusa would help keep Sakura busy while she dealt with the other two "guests" in the basement.

…

Ciel couldn't believe how badly things had turned out.

This mission was supposed to be simple. Seek the possessed Magus who had killed a VIP, giving them an ironclad excuse the Association wouldn't dare contest, depower her using the Sacrament, deliver judgement, and return home.

instead, it seemed a group of Magus and Servants had beat them to the punch and secured the target. Then Caren, being as… intense as her reputation within the Church suggested, had instantly ditched any chance at a reasonable negotiation and provoked them, then started the fight.

And the fight had gone, badly, to say the least. She had been knocked out. And she had woken up to…this.

She had been stripped naked, and bound to a X-shaped contraption. Caren was there, too, in all of her naked glory. She was bound to a stout wooden chair with leather belts secured around her wrists, ankles, waist, above and below her breasts. Caren's mouth was filled by a red ball gag. The same kind that filled her mouth, supposed Ciel, from the feel of it.

She glared at Caren for putting them in this predicament, but the masochistic cow only seemed to derive pleasure from it.

After what felt like hours, the door of the basement opened and her captor entered. Akeno, as was her name, was dressed in a lewd outfit, a black leather bodysuit that clung to her body like a second skin, black leather corset, long black leather gloves, and high heeled boots.

"How are my pets doing?" asked Akeno. Ciel only grunted in disgust as she glared.

Akeno walked to her with a smile and Ciel tensed as a gloved hand reached for her left breast, kneading it.

Ciel tried to ignore the sensation, but it proved too distracting, and her head reddened as she felt her nipple grow stiff.

"We hadn't done anything to you, or the Church." said Akeno. "Sakura's issue had been resolved, the possibility of her being possessed again by that evil thing ended permanently. And yet, you bunch decided to try to murder us. Because you are all such hypocrites. You pretend to be servants of God, but despite your religious teachings clearly forbidding murder and promoting tolerance, you are all too happy murdering people for power and influence."

Ciel protested vehemently into her gag.

"Oh? You think I am lying? I am going to ungag you, to hear what you have to say. But you better think about your words carefully. How I treat you might depend on them."

Ciel nodded, and Akeno removed her gag. For a moment, as she worked she jaw open and shut, she thought about spitting on her, but reconsidered. It wouldn't be smart.

"I… am sorry." sighed Ciel. "It wasn't supposed to turn into a fight. We were sent to kill Sakura because she had killed an important person, and to stop her before she killed civilians. But when she saw you guys, Caren flew off the handle. She's always been a maniac about sinners and punishment. The Inquisition may make mistakes at times, but we still work hard to protect humanity."

Akeno looked at her for a few seconds, then at Caren, and back at her.

"I can tell that you just said what you believe to be the truth. Why was Caren the one calling the shots among your group, then, if she is known for being such a problem child?"

"…She is the highest-ranked among us."

"Which begs the question, why is she higher-ranked in the first place? It would seem the higher-ups in the Church do not care much if they have a rabid dog in their ranks murdering more "sinners" than necessary. And what does that say about the Inquisition as a whole?"

Ciel couldn't utter an answer. This was something she had wondered about at times as well. But the Inquisition has little tolerance for questions that might indicate a lack of faith, and retiring wasn't an option, nor was just leaving. Defectors were hunted down as apostates and silenced.

"Are you even aware that the God you worship truly is Alaya, the human part of the Counter-Force?"

"…Yes." confessed Ciel. "But the public wouldn't accept that easily. They would rather believe in a being that looks like them."

"What about this relic? Do you know what the creation of this thing involves a human life?" asked Akeno as one of the Relics the inquisitors used for the Sacrament suddenly appeared in her hand.

"Yes. After a Saint or a Saintess passes away, the Church requests for their relatives to donate a part of their body. I do not know the exact process, but relics are created using the donated body part as a core."

"What about you, Caren? Do you believe what she… actually, what is your name?"

"…Ciel."

"Thank you. Caren, do you believe what Ciel said about those relics is accurate?

Caren nodded with a grunt.

"I heard another version, from a source I trust." said Akeno, looking at the Relic. "As a general rule, Alaya doesn't directly deal with threats to mankind, like a nature spirit turning into a demon after being corrupted by pollution, or genuine threats like Angra Mainyu. instead, she chooses a brave and kind human being, grants them the power to deal with whatever the threat is, and point them in its direction. Then the enhanced person defeats the evil being, the Church talks to them, convinces them to convert to Catholicism, if they weren't already Catholics, and the person is canonized into a Saint. Do you agree with me so far?"

Ciel nodded, and so did Caren. None of what Akeno had said so far seemed controversial, and she wondered why she had started talking about relics at all, if she already knew about their creation.

"But, you might wonder, what happens to the enhanced people who refuse to convert or join the Church, or to let the Church erect them as Saints and claim credit for defeating evil?"

Ciel blinked, as she had never even imagined that someone might actually refuse. The vast majority of the Saints were Catholics to begin with, as it was the dominant religion in Europe for a very long time, but now that Akeno was pointing it out… The relative lack of Saints born in regions of the world where the Church was less prominent… things just didn't add up.

Akeno shoved the relic in front of Ciel's face.

"This, is what happens to them. The Church doesn't want to let heroes run around, proving that miracles aren't the exclusivity of the Christian faith. So, they murder them, harvest their bodies for parts, and create relics out of them."

"…No! The Church sometimes do ruthless things, but they wouldn't go that far!" denied Ciel, shocked. It would be monstruous, and would be in direct opposition to Alaya's intent… And yet, when she thought about some of her superiors, she could imagine them being callous enough to give such orders.

"The Church, in the end, is like any other large organization made of humans. Ruthless and power-hungry individuals will always scheme for more power, for higher positions, and their ruthlessness will give them an edge over decent people when it comes to climbing the ranks or getting rid of rivals. It is like a naturally occurring societal filter, but one that is always working to humanity's detriment. There is always a high concentration of sociopaths among the upper ranks of any organization that has lived long enough. But, well, I'm not expecting you to renounce the Church and repent just from hearing about this."

"I represent Noah Enfield, the Champion of one of the Seven deities who created the Root and this world, and our job isn't just to protect humanity, but also reform its most objectionable aspects and fight corruption. I do not work for Alaya, but our purposes are similar. And you, Ciel, as well as Caren, are going to work for us."

"No. Even assuming what you said about the Church is true, that is something we will investigate after we get out of here. We won't join you."

Akeno smiled, and Ciel became uneasy. There was a cruel light in her purple eyes as she stared at her.

"I am done speaking about the Church. Revealing some of its darker secrets to you is enough to suit my purpose. The organization you serve isn't worthy of your loyalty. Now, I only need to provide you with incentives to jump ship."

Ciel didn't answer.

No further words were exchanged as Akeno gave her water to drink, food, and let her go to the toilet. Ciel was kept restrained by steel cuffs the whole time, and suffered the indignity in silence.

When she was done cleaning her, Akeno redressed Ciel in a shiny, black latex bodysuit. Ciel instantly hated the garment for how lewd it looked, but it was, if barely, better than being stark naked. Ciel's arms where then restrained by a black leather armbinder, and knee-high ballet boots that kept her feet en-pointe, making her balance more precarious.

Ciel bit her lower lip to stay silent as Akeno wrapped a steel chastity belt around her waist, and a black leather collar around her neck.

She forced Ciel on her knees, gagged her again, and made her crawl into a cage before she closed the door.

Ciel watched helplessly as Akeno repeated the process with Caren, watering and feeding her, forcing her to relieve herself on the toilet seat, before dressing her up in a white latex catsuit, binding her in black leather like Ciel, and putting her in a cage a few meters away.

Caren, unlike her stoic self, had been very vocal as soon as she got the chance, repeatedly expressing sorrow for the sinner Akeno was and trying to convince her to repent for her sins.

When both were locked in their cages, Akeno smiled as she fiddled with her smartphone.

"I will tell you what is going to happen now. The suits are going to give you pleasure. But they will not let you cum. And get used to being in those cages. I will only bring you out of them to give you food and drink and clean you up."

Suddenly, Ciel felt the suit vibrate against her crotch and breasts, and she protested into her gag.

"Ciel, if you want the torment to end, all you have to do is forsake the Church and swear yourself as my and Noah's sex slave. Then, the torture will be replaced by proper training, and I will make you into an obedient and submissive maid, eager to serve Noah and I. But you will grow to love it and get regular orgasms as rewards. We will also allow you ample free time and give you opportunities to assist us in making the world a better place."

"As for you, Caren… You will eventually break and agree to become a sex slave as well. But unlike Ciel, you will not be allowed an orgasm. Because you do not deserve it. You will be kept orgasm-free for the rest of your life. You will still learn to serve me and Noah with your body. And you will draw masochistic pleasure from being forever denied."

Ciel looked at Caren's expression and saw it already. The cow was looking forward to endless torment! Maybe she thought that being denied would be the ultimate devotion to the Lord, even more than being chaste, or maybe she was just that huge of a masochist. Ciel didn't know, and she soon lost the willpower to care about Caren. The vibrations were definitely more than distracting, and enduring them would require all of her concentration.

Akeno smirked as she left the basement. the special collars around the necks of Ciel and Caren would ensure they would come around sooner than they would believe. She had drawn Stop runes on their skin to ensure that they wouldn't orgasm. And once they surrendered to their fate, Akeno would go to town with them, working hard to plant Crests on them and increase their level quickly. She wanted them to break soon, so that they would tell her about the Church's strong and weak points, and exactly how dangerous this organization was.

With her sadistic tendencies sated for now, Akeno stripped out of her intimidating outfit to change into a more innocent one. Sakura must have recovered her stamina by now, and it was time for a second round of gentle sex.

And she would need to complete Artoria's training as soon as she could manage, in order to have more Servants immune to the Church's rituals. And have Medusa sign a Soul Contract as well.