Archive of Our Own

Kagami folded her arms and felt terrible for doing so. Marinette looked so… wretched. So alone, so terrified.

"Marinette," she said aloud, or maybe 'aloud' was too forceful a word. It was only loud enough to be audible in the little shared space between them. "I know the way you look at me when you think no one can see you. I know the guilty conversations you think you have only shared with Alya." She sighed, let her eyes fall to Marinette's hands — which were twitchingly squeezing something-or-other. "I know you have intentions towards me. Why do you say no when I ask you to be my girlfriend?"

Marinette swallowed so loudly that it felt like an explosion in the silence. "There… there are no intentions. I can't have intentions with… with you." She clenched her hands around whatever it was that lay in her palms. "I'm not allowed to."

"Not allowed to?" said Kagami. "I am requesting you to have intentions with me. That's more than a mere permission."

"That's not — I know you say that, but… this is about… a third person who might not… exactly agree…"

Kagami felt her fists tighten by themselves. "A third person?"

"Well… more like… three third persons…"

Puzzling. Kagami was aware that Marinette had had some feelings for Adrien, and with some goodwill and a lot of imagination you could also pretend the girl had also had feelings for Luka. But three people? All at once? When Marinette seemed to long since have moved on from the one-and-a-half — one-and-a-twentieth, rather — that Kagami knew about? "Who are they," she said aloud.

"It's…" Marinette seemed even more wretched now, curling her entire body like a silly straw. But her eyes drifted for a moment, and Kagami caught where they landed: on the wood-and-silver wall crucifix, the one hanging on the far wall of her room. It had never struck Kagami as a pleasant thing, being dusty and smudged, and yet it looked even less inviting now — the sun shone starkly on it, a focused beam cutting through the room and slicing a circular scar into the wallpaper. "It's… God doesn't want me to sin… God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit…"

"Sin? What?" said Kagami, frowning at the cross. "What sin?"

"He… doesn't approve of lesbianism," squeaked Marinette. "Father Henry says so. And Father Olivier… and Father Guillaume… I can't be with you, Kagami… he wouldn't approve."

Kagami frowned even deeper than before. She looked from the searing crucifix to the shadow-clad Marinette, and realised Marinette wasn't wretched at all. The wretched thing was whoever had told her she could not love whom she wanted.

"The only sin is that old men are telling you to let this god command your life," said Kagami, reaching for her gym bag. She was surprised at how calm she sounded, and how steady her hand was as she slid it into the padded inner pocket. "Love is never sinful. If God thinks otherwise, he is not worth listening to. Nor are your surplus fathers."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I will have a word with your church," said Kagami. She gripped tight around the handle and pulled her sabre free with the slow gravitas she thought it deserved. It glinted beauteously in the same light that also rendered the crucifix ugly. "Multiple words. Severe words."

"Kagami! What are you —" said Marinette. "Don't bring the sword to church!"

"How can I convince them without a solid argument?"

"They'll think you're coming to kill them! They'll put you in prison!"

Kagami shrugged. "I'm not going to kill any priests," she replied, though she would not make any promises that she wouldn't hurt them if they got in her way. Swishing the sabre back and forth in the empty air, she imagined the tip left golden stripes behind. Satisfied, she turned to Marinette again and smiled like Buddha.

"Marinette… I am going to kill God."

✟ 📿︎ ✟

Marinette remained behind. That was for the best. Kagami was a trained fencer and a holder of the Miraculous of Perfection, and Marinette was a scared schoolgirl who had been brought up to trust in the power of a divine creator. Marinette didn't even have a Miraculous of her own. Not to mention, the clergy at Notre Dame seemed to have an immense power over her, having convinced her that her natural urge to kiss Kagami was somehow wrong. As such, she would be a liability on Kagami's mission.

The bells of Notre Dame tolled dramatically as Kagami walked up the steps and through the doors. As though they knew what was about to happen underneath them. The church, which was recently rebuilt after a recent fire, must now withstand another assault: if Marinette's god was to be sufficiently weakened that she could take him down, she needed to destroy his places of worship.

Unfortunately, the bell seemed to be tolling for a church service. There was a large crowd of people gathered inside, seated between the arched columns that led up to the new, black altar. Regardless: her sabre —

"Miss?" said a sharp voice. "Miss. You can't bring that in here."

Kagami turned. The voice belonged to a short little man, with pointy eyes and not a single hair left above his ears. Below his ears, he had a narrow white moustache.

"Excuse me?" she said.

"Swords are banned. Please leave it somewhere else, miss."

She looked down at her trusty fencing weapon. It had carried her through dozens and dozens of tournaments and competitions. This would be the first time she attempted her techniques on architecture, however — let alone crowds. Even now, in the yellow light of retro lamps, the metal glinted magnificently.

"I'm afraid I don't care for any of your church's bans," she said. "That is the whole reason why I'm here."

"That's as may be, but this is a public space —"

"I don't care," said Kagami, pulled the sword and pointed it straight at him. "Get out of my way, or face the consequences."

He took a step back, half raising his hands. His eyes darted everywhere around him for help, but Kagami knew none would come in time — and he seemed to realise the same, clamming his mouth shut. She turned away from him and made to walk deeper inside, and she was aware of him pulling out some kind of communications device that he tried to whisper quietly into, but he was of no concern to her anymore. Her purpose was clear and her target was…

… actually, her target was less clear. Fathers Henry, Olivier, and Guillaume had all been mentioned, and she had no idea who would even be present today. She also knew little about church in general, but she thought it was strange for there to be three fathers to a single house. Perhaps she would learn more about the church's internal structure as she tore it down.

Her shoes clacked harshly against the stone floor as she stepped closer to the front. Murmurs quickly arose, despite the priests' chanting; then the priest in front of the altar noticed her and stopped chanting, and the murmuring became Murmuring. Two more priests, who sat on wicker-backed chairs off to the right beside the altar, sat up rigid.

"Deus nos adiuvet," said the altar priest, a man whose hair was short and graying, and the majority of it had already escaped his head. The rounded black glasses on his nose looked precariously small. "Voca vigiles. Homo insana advenit."

Kagami struck a pose with her sword pointed diagonally downwards, out to the side. "Where is Father Henry?" she proclaimed. "Or Father Olivier, or Father Guillaume?"

The audience in the pews were hurrying to their feet. Not all of them, a lot of them sat still as though confused, but the ones towards the back were largely trying to make themselves scarce. Which was good: the fewer bystanders, the better.

"I am Father Philippe," said the priest. "Please, calmly depart the premises. This is a house of God, not of fighting."

"If your god did not seek a fight, he shouldn't have called his judgement down on an innocent teenage girl," replied Kagami — as calm as she could be. She pointed the sword towards him, and even more people got to their feet and moved to the side; some pulled out their phones. A circle was forming, which was frustrating: she needed them to leave, not loiter. "Prepare yourself."

Father Philippe raised his hands in something he probably wanted to be a conciliatory gesture. He might feel safe, given he was still about thirty yards away from her, but her powers were beyond his understanding. "My child… I assure you, God wouldn't pass judgement on you. He is a forgiving lord, and as long as you bare all your sins to him he will —"

"I am not concerned with my own sins," said Kagami. "Your god's morality is perplexing and cruel to my ears. I am concerned with the judgement he has placed on the girl I love."

"… who is the girl you love?" he said, looking perplexed.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," she told him, trying to sound proud but not haughty. More people pulled out their phones. She clenched her fist around the sword's pommel hard enough that her knuckles stung.

He blinked at her. But one of the priests on the side sprang to his feet and said, "Wait… Marinette? The girl who comes in to confess her yearnings to kiss a girl twice a week?"

Kagami flared her nostrils at the priest. He looked like a more rounded-out version of Father Philippe, with the main differences being that his face was covered in a significant amount of stubble, and that his spectacles were red instead of black. He also had less hair, despite seeming at least two decades younger than his colleague.

"If you take her confession," she said, "then you must have told her that she is sinful."

"Alas, yes," he replied, shaking his head sorrowfully. "It is truly unfortunate when —"

"Father Bertrand!" hissed Father Philippe.

"— a good Christian soul like hers is beset by impure thoughts, clouding her mind from its true purpose." The priest next to Father Bertrand started frantically tugging at his sleeve, obviously pleading for him to stop; something that sounded like 'Confessional secrecy'. Father Bertrand did not seem to be listening. "I have told her to recite the Lord's prayer and thoroughly study Paul's letter to the Romans many a time, but she always returns with the same issue. I pray that she can free herself from her demons."

"Father Bertrand. Noli illam mulierem insanam irritare. Father Stéphane, please escort the congregants outside. You, stranger… this is a house of the Lord. We do not want it sullied with anger or hatred. Please pack your sword away and leave. Or if you wish, I can take your confession and listen to the obvious anguish in your soul?"

Anguish. If Kagami had any, it was tempered with anger. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. "Marinette doesn't have any demons," she said aloud. "She has perfectly natural desires. I am here to punish an institution that has told her otherwise. Everyone! Out of this building!"

"Deus nos omnes adiuvet, ea nuces est," moaned Father Philippe. "Vigiles! Vigiles!"

"Be quiet with your magic spells and depart!"

As they argued, almost everyone else hurried away. The exceptions were Father Bertrand and three separate younger men, each of them rather tall, who all started to approach her. One was completely bald, while the other two just had short blonde hair. Father Bertrand moved inbetween the pews but did not actually make a move; he folded his hands over his stomach instead, as though he was praying.

"A house dedicated to The Lord, Our Shepherd, will never falter in the face of threats," said Philippe. He raised his nose. "Dómine, libera nos a malo."

Kagami lowered her sword. The men who approached her hesitated for a moment.

"But will it falter in the face of its own corruption?" she said.

Then she raised her sword high and slammed it into the floor. "Voice of the dragon," she shouted.

Immediately, the men crumpled, slamming their big hands over their ears as the roaring noise assaulted them. The priests were less affected — Father Philippe struck a grimace and gritted his teeth, but he didn't fall over.

"You will leave this place," she told them. Inside their ears, the thundering echo shaped itself into words. "You will not interrupt my righteous purpose."

The men listened. With appreciable alacrity, too. They rushed away, still clamping their hands over their ears like they thought it was helping, and Kagami barely glanced towards them before turning back to the priests. She became aware that Father Bertrand's lips were moving, speaking inaudible words.

"Your god is protecting you," she said.

"Our God protects everyone," replied Father Philippe. As he did so, a sudden light appeared around him, not coming from a window but instead shining straight down from the ceiling. It was enormously bright, not enough to blind, but every part of its beam seemed to have its own glow — it wasn't a single source shining down but instead a column that projected its own light, rising from him and all the way up to the vaulting stone above. "All who oppose him will stumble."

Father Bertrand prayed more loudly now. As they spoke she heard him say: "Omnípotens Dómine, Verbum dei Patris, Christe Jesu, Deus et Dóminus univérsæ creatúræ: qui sanctis Apóstolis tuis dedísti potestátem calcándi super serpéntes et scorpiónes…"

"I won't stumble," she replied. "I am strengthened by the force of justice."

"Only God is just!" shouted Father Philippe. Dust tumbled from the ceiling. "All humans are born into sin! You cannot oppose him!"

Father Bertrand said, "Dæmones effugáte."

It wasn't just words. There was a thundering crackle across the entire space, and then the light of the column — moved. A tendril lashed out towards her and she only barely had time to raise her sword in defence; she was pushed backwards several feet, but remained upright.

"That was a warning," said Father Philippe. "Potentia Dei."

"Warnings will not stop me," said Kagami. She set her feet apart, let the sword slump down slightly.

"… et potestátem donáre dignéris, ut hunc crudélem dæmonem, brácchii tui sancti munítus poténtia, fidéliter et secúrus aggrédiar…"

But Father Philippe seemed to be scrutinising her. He lifted his hand to his chin, stroking it with the inside of the index finger.

"You must be Kagami," he said.

She deepened her frown at him. "What of it?" she said, not entirely comfortable with confirming her identity to one of Marinette's tormentors.

"Marinette mentions you every time she gives a confession," said Father Philippe. Like he was discussing the weather of ten years ago. He might has well have shrugged. "Every time, she tells us that she wants to hold your hand. To kiss you. In fact, she informs us in great detail about…" here he paused briefly, and his expression transformed into a grimace. "About the filthy dreams she has about you. Such a dreadful affliction. Are you a demon, Kagami? A false spirit in the Devil's service? Are you the entity that is corrupting Marinette's pure heart?"

Kagami's eyes had opened wider and wider throughout his little speech, but now she forced them back to a normal size lest she tear her skin open. Her pose had also faltered. Marinette wanted to do that kind of thing with her? And this was his reaction to knowing that?

"I…" she said. Which wasn't good enough. She went back into position, tightening her arms and strengthening her legs. "Marinette is pure of heart whether or not she desires me. I am not her demon. I am her oni."

"… exorcizo te, immundíssime spíritus, omnis incúrsio adversárii, omne phantasma, omnis légio, in nómine Dómini nostri Jesu Christi eradicáre, et effugáre ab hoc plásmate Dei…"

Father Philippe scoffed. "Regardless of what you are… to destroy you would finally purify Marinette's heart. Prepare yourself, temptress, and let the holy grace of God rend you asunder!"

She braced. This time, she was ready for it — the lash of light struck much harder, and it was followed by a preposterously loud bellow from Father Bertrand as he spoke the words, "Causa discórdiæ," both of their attacks battering her with the force of a large and speeding car. But she planted her feet against the floor and stood firm, and when the energy dissipated, she had scarcely moved at all.

"Deus…" said Father Bertrand, before clapping his hand over his mouth.

"You are a demon," said Father Philippe. His eyes were wide with something that might be fear. "Not just any demon. An arch-demon."

"I'm not," she replied.

"Quick! Father Bertrand! Call in reinforcements — the archpriest! The archbishop!"

Father Bertrand started to mutter something new in Latin. She allowed him. She heard the words "Vocāmus Pater Dumas. Vocāmus Pater Ulrich. Vocāmus Pater Patris," and while she didn't understand the words, she understood that he was following Father Philippe's command. "Pater Patris. Mitte vocem tuam ut nobis auxilium feras. Amen. Amen. Amen, in nomine Patri, in nomine Fílii, in nomine Spiritus Sancti."

A small spark flew from his lips and departed, almost faster than the eye could see, towards the front door exit of the church. It would all be for naught.

She pointed the blade at the beam of light and spoke her counterattack — "Flight of the dragon." Tendrils of lightning crackled at her feet, and she launched herself forward with inhuman speed, flying over both Fathers' heads and piercing straight through the light. It shattered like glass but dispersed like a fine spray of water, and thunder boomed around the room. She landed on the black, uniform altar on one knee and one foot, breathed in deep. Further forward stood the old altar: not an upside-down dome, but a golden cross that towered over three statues. She didn't recognise any of the figures depicted, but she saw that one of them had lost its head: it must be recent, because the head was rolling on the floor in a dusting of marble shards.

"Devilry," said Father Philippe. "Evil! Ruin!"

"I will destroy your church," replied Kagami, turning slowly towards him as she rose to her full height. "And I will kill your god."

"Dómine," whined Father Bertrand.

"You can achieve nothing against the power of Adonai!" protested Father Philippe.

"Oh, I can," said Kagami. "Observe."

She raised the point of her weapon straight up. A snap of electricity could light the roof aflame again, turning the Notre Dame back into ashes. She could tear the fundaments from the ground with water, toppling the stone construction into the rising Seine. She could shattered the stained glass with wind. Two measly vicars could not oppose her.

Before she could do anything, however, another light glowed sharply around her. This one did not come from the ceiling but instead shone down through the windows behind, and it was stronger but of the same character as Father Philippe's light: it seemed not to have any origin, but instead to be a source of light in itself. She shielded her eyes against it with one arm, holding the sabre tight in the other.

My children, said a voice. It, too, didn't have a clear origin but instead sounded like it came from everywhere. Philippe. Bertrand. Stéphane. Depart now with grace. I will take care of this intruder.

"Monsignor Olivier!" said Father Bertrand. The relief in his voice was thick as soup. "Thank — thank you!"

And you, Kagami… I will give you one chance to depart in peace, with the blessings of the Lord upon you.

Kagami shook her head, still wincing from the light. "Show yourself, so I can defeat you!"

Ah… of course. A brave spirit like yours cannot be swayed by words alone.

The light moved. Like cloth in a swirl of water, it spun towards a central point, merging the disparate beams from the windows to the middle of the floor. For a moment, the brightness was unbearable — and then, all at once, there was no more light. When Kagami opened her eyes again, she saw… a man who looked deceptively like the two other priests. He was slightly taller, but he too wore the same spectacles and had greying, balding hair — though he still had more than both of them combined.

"I am Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas," the figure said, bowing.

"Are you human?" she asked, suspicious. She didn't normally see humans take shape from photons, but then again, she was made from a feather. There wasn't much room for her to complain.

"Indeed, I am. Though the Lord has imbued me with an indomitable soul." He sighed. "Philippe. Bertrand. Both of you, escape now." The two priests hesitated for a moment, and then ran fast and clumsy towards the side exit.

"Will your indomitable soul stand against me in my purpose?" said Kagami.

He shook his head. "I am here to speak to you, Kagami. I can tell your heart is in anguish. You want to protect your friend, and you believe that my church has hurt her."

Anguish. There was that word again. "You presume a lot about me, priest."

"Then do you not seek to protect Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Do you not believe Notre Dame de Paris has hurt her?" he said, smiling beatifically. She closed her mouth. "I know you have noble intentions, Kagami. But do not let your mind be tempted into fury."

She frowned towards him. There was something about the way he spoke that felt wrong, his intonation just a few degrees off. And yet he smiled, and his eyes radiated kindness.

"You understand, most of our parishioners have impure thoughts," he continued. "Marinette is not exceptional in having a desire for same-sex relations. Most people feel like that sometimes, albeit… perhaps less strongly than her. No, what makes her exceptional is her honesty."

"… what do you mean?" she asked. She knew full well that Marinette was often dishonest, even though there were good intentions behind that dishonesty.

"During the rite of confession, most people lie. They keep quiet about their worst transgressions, and many tell us nothing at all. A normal confession is, 'I envied my friend's phone, and I thought about stealing candy from the corner store.' Maybe they did do those things, but my guess is… no, they did not. It's too embarrassing to admit to actual sins, so they make up lists of almost-sins instead. But Marinette… she is so honest that she will talk at length about her sexual fantasies. She confesses to get her actual sins off her chest, because she believes so strongly in the power of the church. Can you grasp that, Kagami? Can you understand how remarkable her faith is?"

Kagami swallowed air. "I… can, yes," she said. Leaving aside how remarkable Marinette was in general, Marinette also had an unshakeable rigour in many ways. She could move a mountain if she really wanted.

"Here in my church, we do not condemn her." He clapped his hands together, then pulled them apart, a strange gesture that almost felt practised. "We admire her strength of character. Her honest admissions of fault. The fact that she dares share with us her sinful thoughts about you is… a testament to her belief."

"Yes… she is truly remarkable," said Kagami. She lowered her sword. "That's why I love her."

"And your love for her is beautiful, Kagami. However, God sees it with different eyes. Sin can creep into us through anything, even love. If you want, I can take your confession. God will forgive you for your misguided heart."

For the blink of an eye — no, even shorter — she wanted to say yes. But then the true meaning of his words crept through: being in love with a girl was a sin. Being in love with a girl required forgiveness from Monsignor Olivier and his god. And Marinette's belief that those things were true must be respected, not challenged.

"Your words will not deceive me," Kagami said, biting her teeth together. She had underestimated him — this man was a sorcerer of words, not a mere priest. "Step aside, Monsignor. Depart, like your brethren."

His smile only got deeper. "You misunderstand me. I am not here as your enemy."

"You stand in the way of my purpose," she told him.

"Yes! I do. Of course I do! Because I am rector-archpriest of Notre Dame de Paris. I am her, and she is me. Any harm that befalls her will harm me tenfold! But I am not here to fight you. I don't have the power to withstand your… force of the dragon, was that what you called it?"

She frowned harder. "Then I will level it immediately."

"You cannot." He shook his head. "You see, I didn't come here to fight you. I came to hold you back until someone arrived who could take you on."

"Then you failed," she said, though she took the time to look around the room. It was indeed still empty.

He cackled. "You are wrong," he said. "I can feel his presence. The archbishop of Paris has arrived… Monsignor Laurent Ulrich."

The side door to the left slammed open without warning. Out stepped a man who looked like a clean-shaven Monsignor Olivier, though he was shorter and his glasses had a thinner rim — and he carried a golden cross, with the points bedecked in rubies. He didn't hold it like you would normally hold a cross, though, but instead he carried it at his side with one hand, the other hand resting atop the upper node.

"Rector Olivier," the new man said.

"Archbishop," replied Monsignor Olivier. "It's good that you could come. This young girl —" he indicated Kagami with a throw of his head — "seeks to destroy my church."

"God's church," Monsignor Laurent said.

"The church I hold more valuable than my own life," replied Monsignor Olivier.

Kagami jumped down from the altar. The sound caught both their attentions, and they turned towards her. "I won't tolerate distractions," she said. "Leave now, so I can tear down this building. Then I will move on to Sacre Coeur, and after that…"

Monsignor Laurent stepped forward. There was something about his positioning that suggested he wasn't only an archbishop: he carried himself like a trained fighter. His posture, his footwork, the way he focused his eyes on her — it was impossible to tell what he was trained in, exactly, but it must be some kind of martial art.

"You feel different from the others," she told him. It was mostly to try and suss him out. Attacking first seemed like a bad idea, given how little she knew.

But the archbishop didn't answer. He only locked eyes even more tightly.

"Monsignor Laurent is not a man of many words," said Monsignor Olivier.

"I won't let your guile distract me again," said Kagami. "Veil of the dragon."

"Oh, I don't need guile anymore. The archbishop is more than capable of handling you himself," replied Monsignor Olivier. Monsignor Laurent briefly flared his upper lip, showing teeth. Kagami suddenly became aware of his necklace: it was silver, glinting sharply even when light wasn't falling on it, and depicted Jesus crucified on an even-armed cross. The cross was flat and sharp-edged, almost like a weapon in itself. Was he trained in the shuriken… maybe the way of ninjutsu?

"We will see," said Kagami. If the man's strength was solely dependent on his judgemental god, then she would defeat him. But whatever he was trained in, if he was good at it, he might cause her trouble.

Might.

"Monsignor Laurent is very defensive of his churches. Always has been, even before he became the archbishop of Paris. Anyone who seeks to harm them will surely face his wrath." Monsignor Olivier laughed briefly, as Monsignor Laurent took another step forward; Kagami entered a defensive position, sword held in front. "Did you know that every Roman Catholic bishop holds the title of 'The Most Reverend'? It means, someone who is to be respected. However… for The Most Reverend Laurent Ulrich, his colleagues joke that the most important part of the title is 'rend'."

As he said that, Monsignor Laurent gripped the top of the cross and pulled on it. It came away from the bottom with a metallic squeal, revealing a sword. A sabre, in fact, just like her own — except his was gaudy, gold and rubies shining more than the blade itself. A show weapon.

"You are a fencer, then," said Kagami. "I am also that. I trained under Monsieur d'Argencourt."

"And Monsignor Laurent trained Monsieur d'Argencourt," said Monsignor Olivier. He sighed. "Archbishop? Please take care of this intruder, post-haste."

It was like a switch flipped inside Monsignor Laurent. His eyes shot fully open, his teeth bared, and he dashed forward like he was pulled on a rail. Kagami braced her sword, wanted to read him more than she wanted to counter — and his first strike glanced off her edge, not forceful but probing. He must also be reading her.

"So," she said, eyeing him as he pulled back and entered another offensive position, "the church trains its ministers for war, but not for upholding standards of confidentiality?"

Monsignor Olivier sighed again. "If you are referring to Fathers Philippe and Bertrand, their breaches of the Seal of Confession were… unfortunate mishaps."

"Telling a whole room of congregants about the contents of Marinette's confessions were an unfortunate mishap?" she asked, allowing the bile she felt to fill her voice.

"Indeed. Catholic history is filled with such unfortunate mishaps."

Kagami didn't reply. The only things she knew of from the church's history were rather more than 'mishaps'.

"But you must be happy to have discovered her feelings for you?" he continued. "You might never have known otherwise."

Kagami furrowed her eyebrows. But she kept looking at the archbishop, because he held the sword. "I already knew of her feelings. You and your people did nothing for me except insult the girl I love."

The flash of Monsignor Laurent's blade was all Kagami needed to see. A momentary shift that indicated another attack. She parried his blow, which was far more forceful than the last one; she jumped aside before he could follow up with another. His attacks were still inscrutable to her, despite their simplicity. The necklace dangled between his arms, almost seemed to be cutting the air apart.

"As I said, an unfortunate mishap. But surely you must realise that homosexuality is not right? It cannot reproduce, it cannot provide an understanding of the fullness of God's being. All societies in the history of the Earth have favoured the union of one man and one woman into a single unit under the Creator's protective wings."

She could argue against his position. Many societies didn't favour heterosexuality. A lesbian couple could absolutely reproduce. Many societies didn't worship their creators at all. And — the church itself required celibacy for its priests, which was not equivalent to being straight.

But that would be a distraction, a waste of time. If he knew his position was illogical, she would be arguing with a liar; if he didn't know, then she would be arguing with an idiot. "Love is not a sin," she told him instead. "Love is what makes life worth living."

Monsignor Laurent touched his fingers against his necklace. It glinted faintly at the contact, but seemed to do nothing else.

"The archbishop is actually quite progressive in his views, you know," said Monsignor Olivier. "Moreso than many of his peers. He seeks to change how our Catechism discusses homosexuals, saying we must speak the language of the modern age."

For a moment, Kagami felt her grip on the sword falter. But then she realised he was worming his way back in, and reinforced her veil. "He seeks to change the wording, but not the practice? He would have Marinette keep her shame — force her to return for more confessions, which she believes she delivers on pain of purgatory or hell?"

There was a pause. Then Monsignor Laurent charged forward, sudden, immense; she managed to evade the swing by rolling to the right, but she felt the wind blowing off him like a force all its own. She tumbled along the floor before shooting back to her feet, ready for the next attack.

Or so she thought. But then she felt a sharp pain in her right shin and faltered. She looked down to see a cut in her tights. It was clean and straight, but the fabric had already parted somewhat, and she could see the cut had also struck flesh. Two thin trails of blood were already forming.

"You don't need to make it sound so dramatic," said Monsignor Olivier. She looked up at him — and at Monsignor Laurent, who now stood close to him after the attack. The archbishop was licking his crucifix necklace: there was blood on it. Her blood. "A soul like Marinette's will surely be safe from Hell. Purgatory… that depends on if she can change her thoughts."

"I don't need her to change anything," said Kagami, trying to strengthen her stance again. The pain was there, but it wasn't burning. She could bear it. "I don't want her to change anything, except her trust in monsters like you."

Monsignor Olivier chuckled, the sound echoing darkly. "You know, there is a way we can save her. Perhaps the Allfather can ignore her desire for homosexuality… but he will not so easily forgive her lust for you. A demon who seeks to ruin His home on Earth. A force of evil who can stand her own against the prelate Ulrich, even if only for a short while." Monsignor Laurent, beside him, sneered and raised his sabre once more. "By killing you, we defend Marinette's soul. We purify her in the eyes of God, so she can still become a faithful housewife to a man from our congregation."

The crucifix necklace sparkled pink in the lamplight.

Kagami… saw red.

"I don't mind dying with the honour of a battle well fought," she said. She managed to control her voice, but only barely. "A Tsurugi never backs down from a challenge, even an overwhelming one. But you, archpriest, archbishop… to die by your hands would be the greatest dishonour imaginable. Not only would I suffer the indignity of losing to inferior foes, but I would also die in the knowledge that you would abuse the most wonderful girl in the world."

The two men watched her with calm satisfaction. She wanted so badly to wipe those smiles off their faces — to smear them against the back walls of the church. But that would also be dishonourable.

"I won't stand by a moment longer," she told them. "I will defeat you, and I will tear this church apart, stone by stone if I need to. You are unworthy of Marinette's trust — no, of even kissing her feet."

Monsignor Olivier's smug expression melted into a burgeoning anger. "Archbishop?" he said, his fingers twisting. "End this she-devil's sorry life."

Monsignor Laurent obeyed without hesitation. He shifted his feet, positioned his sword, — and he flew forward with the speed and precision of a master fencer. He must be aiming at her chest, perhaps even directly at her heart. She braced her sword and firmly anchored her shoes against the floor.

He was a metre away.

He was a foot away.

He was an inch away.

She bellowed, "Wrath of the dragon!"

Monsignor Laurent didn't stand a chance. Nor did Monsignor Olivier, who tried to transform back into light; she wrapped both of them in a gulf of flames, a physical force that melted Laurent's sword and necklace and burnt the cloak off Olivier, before throwing them against the stone floor of the nave. They didn't get back up again.

Kagami kept directing the flame. She aimed it at the wooden structures between the altars, then turned it towards the chairs on the floor, a roiling writhing snake-like mass that would have its vengeance on Notre Dame. This place which hosted an institution that had broken Marinette's spirit, broken it so thoroughly that she dared not ask for her heart's desire.

"This will destroy that," she said, speaking words she remembered from an old book. She forced the fire larger, igniting even more of the wood and cloth. "The fire will destroy the edifice."

She unclenched her hand. The flames poured further, licking across the vaults overhead, catching on everything that was flammable and melting the paint off the ceiling.

And then it… stopped. Receded. And the burn marks disappeared with it, leaving behind pristine and unburnt material.

Something was happening. She glared at Monsignor Olivier, but he was still unconscious on the floor. The church's protector was gone — so why was the fire receding? Why wasn't her most powerful attack doing anything?

Suddenly, a light wrapped around the two unconscious monsignors. It lifted them up into the air and placed them back on their feet, swirling around them like a golden wind. Their hair and clothes returned to them, reconstructed from the ashes at their feet, except they were now pristinely white — the only thing they didn't get back was the cross-shaped sword and the bloodied necklace.

"What's going on?" she said aloud. Their eyes were still closed. "Who is doing this?"

DÓMINE, AUDI, said a voice — resounding from everywhere at once, just like when Monsignor Olivier first appeared. But this voice was more distant, and it was sharp like the lash of a whip, without any of the warmth that the archpriest's voice had had. DÓMINE, AUDI SERVUM TUUM. SERVA SERVOS SERVĪLĪBUS TUOS.

"Are you the god of this church?" she called out. Neither of the monsignors opened their eyes, even though they seemed to be standing on their own feet. It was like they were puppeted in sleep, held aloft by the swirling light. "Are you the one I seek to kill?"

NO, IDIOT, the voice replied. I'M ONLY HIS MOST HUMBLE SERVANT.

The large circular window at the front of the church shattered. Something was coming through: a man, Kagami realised quickly, though he was far more resilient and acrobatic than any man could be. He somersaulted through the rain of coloured glass, blurring into a strange sort of cannonball that flew much farther than any of the glass — and then, barely a second before he would crash into the centre of the floor, he stuck out his limbs and landed in a single-knee crouch, one hand steadying him against the marble and the other held out to the side. When he turned his head upwards, she realised that she had seen him before on the news: a faintly recognisable man, much though he looked like a variation on all the clergymen before him. He had white fading hair and narrow rectangular glasses, and pale skin that contrasted his all-black robe. There was a thick silver bracelet on his right wrist. She didn't recall his name, but she knew his title.

The Pope.

"Hello," he said. It didn't sound like a pleasant or even casual greeting. It sounded like he was speaking like that because he didn't want to offer her anything more. "Kagami Tsurugi."

"Pope," she said.

He pushed all the way upright, then started to walk slowly towards her. "Pope Leo the fourteenth. Bishop of Rome. Vicar of Jesus Christ. Successor of the Prince of the Apostles. Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. Patriarch of the West. Primate of Italy. Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Province. Sovereign of the Vatican City State. Servant of the Servants of God. Pater Patris."

"That doesn't sound like the epithet of a humble man," replied Kagami.

It was a reflex, an outburst she didn't think through. Because as the man came closer, his shoes echoed deeper than they should. There was an aura of menace around him that far surpassed that of his underlings. Her heart beat faster just from looking at him. His eyes seared. Whatever had empowered the Fathers and the Monsignors, the Pope had more of it. A thousand times more.

"Didn't you hear me? 'Servant of God's servants'?" he said. "That's the most humbling thing to be." Kagami didn't respond. "And when it comes to being the servant of God's servants…"

The two gold-wrapped Monsignors jolted upwards and flipped on their backs, as though lying on invisible stretchers. The Pope moved his fingers and drew a cross in the air, and slowly the men flowed diagonally towards the shattered window: they didn't protest or even stir.

"Where are you sending them?"

The Pope shook his head. "To God, to God. They will now meet Saint Peter at the gates to Heaven, where he will either judge them worthy or send them to Purgatory."

Kagami balked. "You mean I killed them?"

"What? No. I killed them. You only sent them unconscious."

"So…" This was moving a little too quickly for Kagami's understanding. "You took the life of your underlings?"

He shot her with a glare that locked her in place. "You do not question my choices, Kagami Tsurugi. They failed in their duties. Getting to see Heaven is a blessing, regardless. You do not question my choices."

As he spoke that last 'not', he grabbed the sides of his robe and tore them apart. Buttons flew, threads tore — and underneath, he wore black trousers with a narrow red trim, puffing out around the knees before narrowing tight halfway down his shins. His upper body, once the robe was off, was completely bare. The only thing he had on him was a layer of oil, which accentuated his toned muscles. It was a sharp contrast to Monsignor Laurent: the archbishop had not been physically intimidating, but his movements were capable and well-trained and his technique had been strong. However, the Pope was raw force, and the way he filled the space around him suggested he had never needed to learn technique. There was a powerful, undirected chi around him, one that must never have been aimed anywhere because he could get the job done just by indiscriminately aiming it outwards. He was a bomb made flesh.

"I hate this!" snapped the Pope. "I hate it! I was called to do ministry for God Almighty, not to wrestle insignificant conflicts! Today I hoped to immerse myself in prayer, but you — you," he pointed a trembling finger at Kagami, "have forced me to deal with the petty concerns of a single congregant, concerns that she shouldn't even have!"

Kagami opened her mouth, but hesitated before she could protest that the importance of gay people's comfort far outweighed that of his ability to pray uninterrupted. "You mean… Marinette shouldn't be worried that the church will condemn her for desiring me?"

She didn't even stop to consider that maybe the Pope didn't know. With everything that had been revealed to her so far, she would be less concerned to learn that he knew her home address than to learn that he didn't know what was going on.

But he made no indication of either knowing or not knowing. Instead, he looked like he didn't care. "Yes! Yes. She shouldn't even desire you. She should devote her life to Christ, our Saviour, instead, like any good Christian."

Ah. "Oh. You meant like that."

"This is all Francis's fault," he said. "All Francis's fault. He decided to meddle with doctrine. Fiducia supplicans was the worst idea any Pope has had since we had two Popes at once — and now I have to deal with it!" He threw his right arm out to the side and a burst of energy emerged; Kagami instinctively jumped out of the way, even though it wasn't close to hitting her. Several chairs splintered, were flung against the wall and columns. "I have to play nice and do politics about it, say the Church welcomes homosexuals, but also emphasise that our teachings haven't changed and homosexuality is still a sin! It's such a mess, and now it's all in my lap."

He rounded fully on her, pointed another finger in her direction. This one quivered so hard that his bracelet clattered. "And it's your precious Marinette's fault too — if she'd only stop desiring the forbidden fruit, no one, no one would be having a problem right now! I should have her exorcised for her transgressions, or at least castigated from the pulpit."

Kagami knew she would have attacked him a while ago, if all she sensed off him was anger and words. But there was that feeling of something deeper, darker about him — something that suggested he held a power far beyond that of his muscles. If he was truly his god's greatest servant, then that god must have given him incredible strength, straining to burst free from his body. And Kagami knew she was strong, but she knew that if she opposed him without assistance… she probably wouldn't make it out alive.

"And do you want to know the worst thing?" he continued. "The worst thing is that even in the Vatican, I can't escape the homosexuals! My cardinals want to kiss each other! Prostitution, male prostitution, has its greatest market in Rome! All because people are corrupted by sin into believing they want to pound each other, I, I have to stand on stage surrounded by men that I know have barebacked one another and tell the world that the Church opposes homosexuality. But it doesn't! It just pretends to! But I oppose it and if I had my way, I would kick them all out! Oh, it makes me so angry! And you, my little lesbian troublemaker… I can't remove my homosexual cardinals without tearing the Lord's one true Church apart, but I'm going to take my anger out on you. And once I'm done with you, I'm going to do the same to Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

He slammed his fist into his open palm. A shockwave tore through the building, ripping all the chairs to pieces and shredding banners along the walls. Kagami only barely had the time to dive behind the altar; her hair fluttered from the force, and splinters and dust surged past.

A power like that… the Pope was a man who could level the entire city by himself, if he wanted to. She wouldn't stand a chance without help. Crushing herself against the black stone, she whispered, "Longg… bring the storm…"

"Come out and face me," the Pope said. "Or I will tear that altar out of its podium and pancake you with it! Cūlus! Cunnus!"

She breathed in through her mouth, out through her nose. Then she jumped up on the podium, Longg's sword already in her hand, and tried to strike an intimidating posture.

But it didn't work. Because he stared at her for a second, and then he laughed. "Ahaha! That's almost sweet. You think a mere Miraculous will help you against the power of the true Bishop of Rome?"

That — somehow — was the point where her curiosity finally burst free. She had become desensitised to religious figures knowing her and Marinette's names and secrets by now, but she hadn't thought they would know about the Miraculous. "What do you mean?"

His laugh became a sinister chuckle. "God is the Lord of Miracles. Observe — Heterro, straight and narrow!"

And… he transformed. Like any Miraculous holder. A small golden dot swirled around him and landed on the bracelet, and all of him glowed for a second. He stood with his arms pulled back and his chest shot forward, like a werewolf howling at the moon, as the outfit coalesced around him: he was still bare-chested, though his muscles seemed even more prominent. His hair had grown wild and ragged, like a poorly kept lion's mane. His trousers were now a blood-like red, flaring out into tatters at the bottom. But worst of all, he had suspenders striped in yellow and auburn.

Then his weapon took shape in his hands. It was a golden cross with ruby inlays at the ends of each extremity, just like Monsignor Laurent's. But his was too big to be a sword, and he held it with both arms like a club. He grinned at her, but not out of any apparent satisfaction: instead, he seemed to be masking a deep rage.

"I also have a Miraculous," he said. "All Popes receive a Miraculous, and I have the Miraculous of the Lion."

"Lion," echoed Kagami. "Leo."

"Did you think Popes choose their names randomly?" he asked, sneering. "We get trained in using miracles from the day we become cardinals. Which means, Kagami Tsurugi, that I have the advantage."

It wasn't a surprise that he attacked, but his speed was incredible. She only barely had time to jump away before his club smashed into the altar, cleaving it in two in a spray of dust and stone. She landed in the nave, amidst the debris of wood and ashes, and gulped for air.

"Hmph," he said. "I would have been disappointed if you died immediately."

"I won't let you kill me," she replied. "I won't let you hurt Marinette."

His eyes gleamed red for a moment. "As though you can stop me!" he roared, and swung his club again. This time he didn't move towards her, but the force of the resulting wind would have blown her away if she didn't jump up on the wall to escape.

"I won't let you kill me," she repeated. If she was the only thing standing between him and Marinette, she would have to stay alive. "I'll defeat you and I'll destroy your churches."

"Then try it! You won't get anywhere against me," he said.

She frowned warily. But she had to. "Lightning dragon!" she shouted, and she pointed her sword at him, and she launched a bolt of electricity towards him, and he simply stared at her —

— and he raised his hand, and the lightning just vanished.

"What? But…"

"The Miraculous of the Lion is the Miraculous of Abnegation," he said. His calm was unnerving, especially compared to his earlier wrath. "And the power it gives me is… Erasure."

"E-erasure?" she said, gulping.

"Any ability you can use against me, I can just wipe it from reality. The lightning, the fire, the supernatural shout… it will all be for naught." He let out one more chuckle, one that was very understated. "And of course, erasure can be done in many other ways, to many different things…"

She caught the hint in his voice immediately. "You will not erase Marinette's identity!" she yelled, threw herself forward on a wind, but he swung his club and she had to dodge out of the way again.

"I will erase anything I want," he said. "Anything I want, whenever I want. And I will start by erasing you!"

Another swing. She dodged, and she blocked the next hit but the force with which he struck was so great that she flew backwards anyway; she barely managed to land on her feet. In pure desperation, she tried to blow a wind on him, carrying shrapnel from the earlier destruction — but he didn't even move, other than to raise his hand to wave it all away. His hair didn't even shift.

"Damn you!" she shouted at him.

"Impossible. God loves me. It's you who is damned."

He jumped after her with the cross raised high, ready to slam it into the floor — and she read it, she did read it, she could see everything that was about to happen, she knew he would embed the cross deep into the marble and she hoped to use that chance to stab him in the side — but even after crushing the floor he somehow managed to swing the club back out and he slammed it hard into her stomach and she flew backwards, upwards, until she crashed into the remnants of the shattered altar. She whimpered in excruciating pain.

"Pathetic," he said. His steps were loud and doldrum against the floor, like the deepest church bells. "You, a mere teenager, thought you could stand up to the power of the Lord Almighty? The Creator, the All-Mover, the All-Knower? You thought you could defeat His most powerful servant?"

He towered into view. She could barely move as she saw him close the last of the distance and take up position by her feet; every part of her ached. It wasn't just her stomach, either; she had felt something crack when she landed and she didn't know if it was her ribs or her spine or the back of her skull, but there wasn't a piece of her that didn't feel like it had been whacked with that club of his. And now he lifted the club over his head with both hands, but slowly as though he wanted to torment her.

"And now… you will go to Hell, where you belong," he sang. "An enemy of God you shall be from here until forever." His fingers interlocked around the cross, and he closed his eyes. "Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecatta mundi, dona eis requiem. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam."

She closed her eyes too, and spoke a silent prayer of her own. Forgive me, Marinette, because I couldn't save you. Forgive me for being too weak to defeat those who have power over you. But do not forgive me for leading you astray, because you belong anywhere except in the claws of a man like Pope Leo XIV.

The Pope cleared his throat. "Dies irae, dies illa. Kagami Tsurugi — Ryuuko — temptress, demoness, corruptress of souls — I erase you from existence."

Kagami braced.

There was a click.

Someone said, "Erase this, asshole."

The ensuing flash was bright and red and loud and Kagami shot her eyes open. She saw… a massive weapon. Something that might have looked like a cannon if it wasn't held in just one hand. And that hand belonged to, once the flash faded — Fauchévre. The goat heroine.

"… What?" said Kagami.

"Stay there," said Fauchévre. "You're hurt. I'll deal with this shitlord."

"But —"

It was no use. Kagami pushed herself up on her elbows, and it stung horribly but she managed to get herself high enough that she could see Fauchévre's relentless attack against the Pope. Fauchévre battered him again and again with the goat's brush weapon, she kicked him in the arm so hard that he howled in pain, and she yelled, "How dare you? How dare you?"

"Erasure! Erasure!"

"You can't erase a brush! You can only erase what the brush has already painted!" she told him. "Idiot!"

"I —"

"Shut up!" she yelled, and she hit him hard enough in the side of the head that the sound of his jaw snapping echoed against the walls. "You've said enough! You've all said enough! Now let me have my say: I don't care about your teachings anymore! You hurt my girlfriend! And the punishment for that is death!"

She pulled something off her side. Kagami realised that it was her sword — Ryuuko's sword — as it plunged through the Pope's chest and sent a spurt of blood into the air. But… Kagami no longer cared about any of that. She cared about Fauchévre's words.

"… Girlfriend?" she croaked. "Ma… Marinette?"

Fauchévre jolted, as though she was surprised to be spoken to — no, like she'd forgotten Kagami was even there, somehow. She hurried to pull the sword out and then rushed over to Kagami and she said, "Kagami! Are you okay? Do you need medical attention, should I get Scarabella?"

Kagami stared up into Fauchévre's bandit mask — the wild hair that surrounded the curled horns, the fur trim that dangled thick off the hero's shoulders and lapels — and she supposed she'd just asked a very stupid question. "It is you," she said. "But…"

"Of course it's me!" said Marinette. Her eyes were like a puppy's; the corners of her lips quivered. "I saw the news and I knew you had gotten yourself into trouble and then the Pope arrived and — and I couldn't just let you do all this on your own! You went out there to fight for me? I couldn't just… you… Kagami, I don't want you to die, ever."

"Well," said Kagami, more than a little dazed. Maybe she was concussed, or maybe it was everything else. "I think I'll die one day but… probably not today?"

"Yeah," said Marinette. She sniffled, then giggled. "Not today."

"Urgh…"

"And! And I'm sorry I called you my girlfriend. I don't know if you want me but I thought about that discussion we had earlier and I realised, you're more important to me than God is and I don't think God would care about gay people, because why would it be a sin to be in love? That's, like, stupid, and I do have intentions towards you now so I don't know how you feel really but —"

Kagami lifted her hand up and slapped Marinette gently across the cheek. "Idiot," she said. "The conversation started with me asking you out. Of course I want you."

Maybe it shouldn't have been surprising that Marinette got embarrassed by that. Maybe it shouldn't have been anything except the most natural thing in the world — but really, the most natural thing in the world to Kagami right now was just to bask in the glory of Marinette's furious pink blush.

"Er, um," said Marinette. "Are you fine to, to walk?"

"… I don't know," said Kagami. She tried to push herself up further, and she managed somewhat, but she did hurt a lot. It was… possible that she had broken ribs. "Ungh… I don't know. Help me up?"

"Yeah, um, of course…" said Marinette. She gingerly wrapped her arms around Kagami, and Kagami's heartbeat immediately ran quicker at the closeness, the touch. They both got up slow, and Kagami found herself leaning entirely on Marinette, and only a little bit because she deeply enjoyed the sensation of Marinette's heat. "How, how are you feeling?"

"Better now," said Kagami. On consideration, she did have multiple broken ribs, but Marinette didn't need to know that. "One moment…" She breathed in deep and focused on one last spell for the day. "Strength of the dragon."

It was wrong to say she repaired herself. But now she could at least bear the pain, and her injuries wouldn't get much worse. It would keep her until she could get to Scarabella. Her bruises stopped hurting, and the ribs faded to a more distant ache.

"Okay," said Marinette. She reached into her pocket. "Here, take this…"

'This' turned out to be a small icon of Mother Mary. One that was small enough to enclose completely within two hands. The thing Marinette had clutched so tightly earlier.

"… why?"

"Because… I don't know," said Marinette, and giggled awkwardly. "She's given me strength sometimes. Maybe she'll help you too. Also she's… never told me it's wrong to be gay?"

Kagami stared at the icon for a moment. Then she smiled and clutched it to her chest. "She's already helping," she said.

"Good! Now, um, please escape," said Marinette. She walked over to the dead Pope and pulled the bracelet off his wrist. Then she raised her brush in the air and said, "Genesis!"

"What are you making?" said Kagami.

"Oh, um… about 10'000 kilograms of C4," said Marinette. "You said you wanted to destroy the church so you could kill God? I'm helping you."

"Oh," said Kagami.

"And after Notre Dame's been torn down… it was Sacre Coeur next, right?"

Kagami smiled, looked over her shoulder at the broken altars, held the icon even tighter to her heart. Not Mary. But Marinette.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah… definitely."