The battlefield is silent. Cainhurst is in pieces, broken down and destroyed from within. The sky is blotted out like a stormy day, and the blood within my body continues to pump through every vessel with burning vigor- no. Burning, seething hatred.
Every second I spend looking at him, I see those same grey walls as always. I feel the purple fire. Stare into the red eyes that have haunted my every waking moment.
Flashes of my own weakness assault me endlessly, memories of the one and only time I had ever been made truly vulnerable in this life. The only time I had ever been laid bare, and utterly weak.
The only time I had ever been truly helpless.
My father always told me that anger is a sickness. Always spoke so righteously about every little thing in life, but he especially detested the notion of hate.
A good man has no need for it. A good man forgives. Be a good man, son.
Tell me, am I supposed to forgive now, Father? Am I supposed to turn my cheek and move on from what has been done to me? Am I supposed to repent for all the lives I've taken in search of this vengeance?
Am I still a good man? If we met as I am now, would you embrace me, Father? Or would you cast me aside for what I've done?
...No.
There is no forgiveness to be granted. There is no repentance to be had. What's done is done. If I am to die, if I am to reckon with my own mortality once more, then I'll do it on my own terms this time.
I will not go so easily.
My footsteps echo across the shattered battlements of the Castle, thunderous taps of my boots in the silent, ominous air.
Every pair of eyes upon my form feels like a noose around my neck, my fingers tightening on the handle of the Rebellion as I move to stand on the edge of Cainhurst's rooftop, surrounded in the air from all sides.
"The sheer audacity!" Bidleid laughs out, clapping his hands in delighted amusement as he watches my every step.
"I was worried you were going to roll over and accept your demise like a good little dog, but it seems you still have some fight left in you, Demi-fiend!"
As if spurred on by his words, all across the battlefield, from every direction, the Loyalists cry out. Their jeers, their raucous laughter, it's all downright cacophanous, the air thick with their amusement as they all sneer and chime in.
"You're fucked, Demi-fiend!"
"Should've stayed dead, Rat!"
"All that fighting, and for what!?"
"Gonna make an example out of you!"
"Keep talking, shitstain!"
"Hope it was nice while it lasted, prick!"
"Nowhere to run, Demi-fuck!"
My smile only widens at the sound of their visceral hatred, my arms held out at either side and basking in their scorn. The whole time, however, my eyes remain locked onto Bidleid's own eye- my eye, taunting me from within his fucking eyesocket.
The moment I open my mouth to speak, the battlefield goes silent once more.
"Was the audience really necessary, Bidleid? We could've just settled this ourselves, you know. One on one."
He snorts in derision, his smirk widening as he gestures to the army around him.
"Did every noble gladiator not have spectators to cheer their name? Did every successful warrior not have legions of observers at every great battle they fought?"
I scoff, the sound of it as loud as a gunshot.
"Cut the shit already. You're a coward, pure and simple. Couldn't hack it against Sirzechs by yourself, and now that I'm becoming a thorn in your side, you're bringing a brigade with you - to make sure I don't tear you apart like he did."
His smile widens. Something cold flashes through his eyes, finely honed malice.
"...you're bold, I'll give you that. Still as relentlessly mouthy as I remember too, Rat. If you think I've brought this legion with me for the sake of my own assurances, then you underestimated my disgust for you."
Bidleid continues speaking unimpeded, the air turning several degrees colder as his fists clench at his sides, metal creaking audibly.
"I could've torn you apart where you stand minutes ago. I could've buried you back in Lucifaad. I could've hunted you down and butchered you the second you started causing problems... and yet, I didn't. Why? Because I don't just want to kill you, Demi-fiend. If it was that simple, you'd already be dead and forgotten."
My brow raises, amused now in spite of the dire circumstances. My shitty HUD flashes with a message from Anya, an earnest request to take this seriously, but I toss it aside without hesitation.
"Oh? So what's the real reason, Bidleid?"
A flash, faster than I could blink, and he's stood ahead of me now, the both of us staring at one another eye-to-eye from across either side of the rooftop.
"You intrigue me. You... amuse me. A half-breed like you, second class scum of the Underworld- a wretch in every sense of the word... and yet, still, you fight. You struggle. You persevere. You go against everything I have spent years believing. Like a rat, scurrying in the halls of a mansion."
He sighs, staring at me with a sickening look of fondness in his eyes.
"After that red-haired brat and I had our duel, I believed it all to be hopeless. If the natural order of things had decided that Sirzechs was my better, if my own blood had failed me... what right did I have to rule the Underworld? What purpose did I have?"
He grins, downright giddy at the way my jaw tenses in anticipation, fingers twitching.
"...and then, one day, you showed up in my city. You, with your bumbling naivety, your hopeless will to fight. You, who had nothing to your name but a desire to survive, had managed to best me, time and time again. A white lie. A small wound. A refusal to admit defeat. Small, tiny victories. I'll admit, Demi-fiend... for just a brief fraction of a second, I was afraid of you. Of what you represented."
My breaths come in a deep, steady rhythm. My eyes stay glued to his form like it would burn me if I even tried to look away.
"Should I be flattered?"
He shakes his head, grinning widely now in the same sickening, crooked manner I've come to know so well.
"No. If anything, I should be the grateful one between the two of us. You, Demi-fiend, have proven to me that I was wrong. There is no such thing as natural order. There is no such thing as a rightful place. Had it not been for your existence... I would have never had this realisation. I would have never improved upon myself. I would have died."
Am I supposed to be happy to hear that?
I guess it explains the oh so cute little nickname he blessed me with so long ago. And the budding obsession he's had with me. I walked into his life from nowhere one day, and upended everything he knew.
"...are you done, yet? You clearly must have been rehearsing this speech for a while."
Bidleid stills for a moment. His fist clenches once again, metal groaning beneath his hand, before it washes out into a cold smile. He grins at me, smiling from ear to ear with my own eye like it's all just a game to him.
"Careful, Rat. I can hear the terror in your voice. I simply want you to know that I will never forget you, for as long as I live. You have given me a reason to fight on eternally, and for that... I will give you the privilege of a warrior's death. A privilege you most certainly don't deserve."
The world falls silent. Rain I'd anticipated prior finally begins to fall, starting as small droplets and quickly becoming a thunderous downpour that worsens the tension in me.
With my back against the wall, and the clock ticking down at every second, I finally get to work on investing the Stat Points I'd gained from the Cainhurst massacre using this small moment of reprieve.
Level: 287 (210/560)
120 Stat Points Available!
40 Levels, 120 Stat Points, and not nearly enough time to open all the Skill Tokens. Better make it count. No more games.
Alistair Mammon
Level: 287 (210/560)
HP: 20500
MP: 9800
STR: 180
AGI: 180
INT: 140
VIT: 160
LUK: 120
50 to STR. 45 to AGI. 15 to VIT. 10 to INT. Just enough to maximise as many new Stat Skills as I possibly can from Stats that matter, while also pumping most of the new boosts into my physical attributes.
140 STR Stat Skill Unlocked!
Lonesome Road: User gains 5% bonus to STR when fighting alone.
Insignificant. Useless. Next.
160 STR Stat Skill Unlocked!
Firmly Planted: User cannot be knocked down after taking damage, and will remain standing against all attacks unless willing.
Useful. Better than the last. Worthwhile-
"Astonishing. Simply astonishing. I'd heard tales of your unique power, seen a fraction of it down within the catacombs of Lucifaad, but witnessing it again here and now- seeing your empowerment first hand... I can't help but feel envious of you, Rat. I could rule the Abrahamic, with a gift like yours."
My System delving is interrupted by Bidleid's appraisal, his eyes gleaming with blatant fascination as he watches me work. One of the Loyalists behind him looks to the Satan in confusion, glancing between us.
"My liege, should we not attack while he is weakest? If the Demi-fiend is growing stronger, would it not be best to kill him before he can have the chance-"
Bidleid scoffs, cutting off his soldier's words and folding his arms tightly.
"...No. Let him try. Let him scrape for whatever dredges of power he can find, let him scurry so uselessly in the name of survival. Let him feel hope, so that I may rip it away with that much more satisfaction."
He speaks with a wide grin, stretching across his lips as he lifts a hand to me.
"Let him show me a glorious battle, so that I may grant him an equally glorious death."
...I'm not under any illusions, Bidleid. I know my hopes of escaping this are close to null, and I know that you're enjoying this.
I don't care. If you want to give me this chance to be better, then I'll make sure I put it to good use.I'll make sure you come to regret it. I'll claw through anyone I need to, by teeth and bone if I must, for my survival.
160 AGI Stat Skill Unlocked!
Arachnoid: User can stand straight on any and all surfaces, at any orientation.
Useless to me.
180 AGI Stat Skill Unlocked!
Electro-static: Constant movement will generate 'Charge'. While Charged, all attacks are imbued with Electric Damage, including Magic based attacks.
Far more worthwhile than most. Need to be quicker, this is taking too long. They could attack at any moment, honour is a worthless concept in battle.
140 INT Stat Skill Unlocked!
Bookworm: User can understand all Magical Scripture and Scrawl. Written forms of archaic knowledge, even those intended to be unknown, are automatically translated.
Fuck's sake, when the hell am I gonna come upon a Scroll carrying forbidden arcane knowledge or some shit? If I'd been reincarnated into a different world, I might just have made a use of this Skill.
Forbidden knowledge is forbidden for a reason, anyways. I could just invite problems on myself if I ever use it.
160 VIT Stat Skill Unlocked!
Steel Fiber: User's skeletal structure is now Reinforced. Bones are much more difficult to break, and joints are far less vulnerable.
I'll never complain at a passive bonus.
180 STR Stat Skill Unlocked!
I Like Those Odds: User gains a 0.5% Bonus to all Stats for every Enemy Target within a 100 Metre Radius.
...one last boon.
With nothing else left to do now, I swallow down the last of my reservations over this moment, clench my fist as the blood in my body begins to boil, and meet the madman's gaze once more.
"Come on, then. Let's dance. One last time."
Bidleid laughs openly at the challenge, a sneer on his lips as he closes the distance between us in the blink of a stolen eye, the legion of Loyalists around us following suit immediately after.
"Music to my ears, Demi-fiend!"
------------------------------------
[Diallos Belial]
"What do you mean he's trapped in a barrier!? This doesn't make any sense! They couldn't possibly have planned for this!"
I sigh, hand running through my hair and patience withering by the second.
Lady Sitri's frustrated screams are understandable, of course, but they aren't helping the situation.
"They've set up a pair of barriers around Cainhurst. One a few hundred miles wide, blocking access to the greater Underworld around them, and another blocking all teleportation in and out of the Castle. It's covering half of the Gusion lands, my Lady."
Her fist clenches.
General Glasya-Labolas watches the action with a small frown on his face.
"Fine then. We'll just have to teleport as close as possible, break the barrier, and close the distance!" She says, the air cold.
The General beside her sighs, hand to his head. The gathering of Satanihilus that were willing to heed the call stand behind us now, tense and in formation. Ready for battle.
"As much as I dislike the idea, I can understand that the dire nature of these circumstances demands action. I just worry that we will not be quick enough. Is there still no word from Sirzechs and Ajuka?"
I shake my head, hand clenching the knife at my side tightly, palms sweating.
"Nothing. General Astaroth was last seen near the Familiar Forest a few hours ago, and hasn't answered any communications we've sent. General Gremory was last seen in Lilith a day prior, but other than that, we aren't aware of his location."
Even more minutes have passed since General Glasya-Labolas' speech. The legions have gathered, we've regrouped with Lady Sitri's garrison from where they had reached the Helterwoods behind Cainhurst, but no progress has been made.
No teleportation into the castle. Not even teleportation anywhere nearby. Not only will we have to travel the distance, but we'll first have to break the barrier itself, and then do the same again to reach Cainhurst.
...whoever is setting up these barriers, they clearly don't want us to have a single chance at reaching the Demi-fiend.
I think I have an idea of who it might be, as well. I think everyone here does.
Nobody wants to say it aloud, though. Hope is already dwindling in spite of the General's efforts to rally morale before. If the Demi-fiend is trapped with Satan Beelzebub, if this has all been an effort to ensure that wretch can take the half-breed's life unimpeded... then this will all have been for nothing.
If we allow ourselves to have that thought, we allow ourselves to lose hope. We give him what he wants. Legions and lives could never possibly match the power of vigor and will. As long as we believe, we will fight.
Such is the hopeless optimism of the Satanihilus. Such is the nature of our folly-
"Fuck this. I'm not gonna sit around and wait all day with my thumb up my ass! I'm gonna go in there, save that stupid prick, and make sure he never gets an idea like this again!"
Lady Sitri's wings spill out from beneath her cloak before anyone can react, a spear formed in her hand courtesy of the Frostweaver Trait she holds.
Her knees lower, halfway to flying off without another word spoken to us, before General Glasya-Labolas places a firm hand on her shoulder and stops those ideas.
"We need a plan, Serafall. We cannot just throw ourselves at this issue and hope that we walk away with the Demi-"
Lady Sitri scoffs. She brushes her fellow General's hand aside without a thought.
"Wait all you want. Plan, scheme, cower. I don't care. Every second we waste is a second he could be dead by now, and..."
She pauses, her jaw tensing and teeth gritted so hard I worry they might crack.
"...I'm the only one who's allowed to kill him. Nobody else. I won't let that bastard die."
A hollow excuse, and yet none of us can bring ourselves to call her out for her lie.
Lady Sitri's eagerness is plain to see, and mere moments after she finishes speaking, she blurs towards the distant barrier, not even offering a goodbye or an affirmation for us to follow after her.
In spite of this, though...
"Reckless as ever. Fine, then. We've no reason not to try. We've no honour if we let him die without making an effort. I will not allow a single one of my men to die here. No matter how hopeless it may seem. No matter how difficult it will be."
General Glasya-Labolas' willingness to fight for Alistair's life is all the encouragement the Satanihilus need. Drawing out his own wings a moment later, the General looks back to his legion with a tired smile on his face, and offers one last piece.
"...this is your last chance to leave. I will not force you to fight a battle you want no part in. I will not make you shoulder the burden of my stubbornness. If you have any doubts, and reservations, please... return home."
A quiet, tense moment passes.
Some members of the gathered legion step away, heeding his warning. Others only seem more encouraged by those words. There is no shame, there is no judgement.
There is only the quiet understanding of self preservation. The acknowledgement that not all of us are so selfless as one another. Such is the nature of our kind.
General Glasya-Labolas takes one last look at his gathered soldiers, a small, hesitant smile upon his lips. He takes to the sky immediately after, several hundred Satanihilus following him into battle.
...I watch them all leave from the ground.
------------------------------------
[Alistair Mammon - Ten Minutes Later]
A blade embedded in my shoulder. A fireball burning my skin away. An arrow gouging out my eye. A binding spell forcefully curling my knee down. Blood and rain coat my body im equal measure, pouring from the sky and from the holes in my body.
All wounds then wash away immediately after they arrive, my Doppelganger cleaving a man's chest in twain and Alduin's heads gorging on an unfortunate Loyalists body, all within the radius of the Circle of Life.
The cycle continues endlessly, as it has done since the first blade was swung, my body in a constant state of agony and euphoria as blood is spilt and woven new, a neverending dance with myself as the guest of honour.
"Is that the best you can do!?" I cry out, grabbing an oncoming sword by the blade, tugging the owner forward by their weapon and jamming my sword into their neck.
Death Wish is still on cooldown, having been used the instant this battle started to give me an advantage against a weakened legion. With Pestilent Propagation working alongside it, almost every member of Bidleid's legion was afflicted with Blight.
Several minutes have passed. I've killed more Devils in this small period than I've ever done before in my life, and yet still it isn't enough for me.
"You came here to kill me, did you not!?" I say shortly after, ducking beneath the latest blast of Mana sent my way, twitching a finger and sending a wave of my own blood in response to behead the attacker.
The moment I lift from my duck, my cheek is damn near torn open by Bidleid's fist, his spiked gauntlet slamming my jaw with enough force to make my vision blur. His foot crashes into my chest next, throwing me onto the waiting blade of a Loyalist.
-4310HP!
Thorn appears in my hand in the blink of an eye, tilted behind my head and letting luck guide my aim as the Ricoshot takes effect, killing the Loyalist whose spear I'd been impaled upon.
His fall is slow, giving me ample opportunity to lift his corpse with a third limb formed of blood and begin draining the crimson liquid from his throat, drinking deep and never once stopping in spite of all manner of harm being sent my way.
Every wound is healed immediately by the Doppelganger and Alduin's efforts, sweeping and cleaving through the endless onslaught of Devils that seem intent on killing me ever so slowly.
STR: 368
AGI: 372
There we go. Just what I had been hoping for. I toss aside the Loyalists corpse without a second glance, Instinct flaring in my mind as I Parry aside an oncoming spear aimed at my neck. The world slows for a brief moment, but I don't bother retaliating.
With this small period of awareness, I turn my head and Sonido towards Bidleid himself, having been occupied with Alduin temporarily. In the fraction of time it takes me to reach him, our eyes meet.
The meeting of the Rebellion against his gauntlet is almost oppressive, the thick metallic sound echoing loud enough to make a lesser man shudder- yet still, we don't stop. Sparks fly endlessly, clash after clash as steel meets steel in pouring rain.
Even better, though... is the fact that I'm winning. His fists are being Parried aside with increasing force, the War God's Blessing boosting my strength at each passing moment, my own raw power in equivalence with his talent.
He snarls at the sight of my shakey grin, dashing forward with a fist raised to crush my skull beneath his grasp.
"Oh, you can do better than that!" I shout, disappointed, as I Sonido forward and beat him to the punch, my boot slamming against his chest and tossing him into the Doppelganger's waiting hands.
The moment he falls into my clone's grasp, I Blink and swap places with it, knotting my hand in Bidleid's hair and drawing the Rebellion against his throat, a half second away from beheading him, before his hand slams against the ground and a Magic Circle forms.
I back away as fast as I can manage, theInstinct practically screaming at me to dodge this attack- and for good reason.
Just a split second after making contact with the ground, a veritable geyser of insects appears beneath Bidleid, consuming every living thing within the radius.
A portion of Alduin's leg. His own Loyalist forces. None of it is spared, every last inch of flesh becoming fuel for the Lord of the Flies' legion, a strangled gasp leaving Bidleid's throat upon consuming them. He turns to me, grinning widely, my own eye staring back at me with bloodshot intensity.
"A dirty trick, Demi-fiend! You've certainly grown since last we fought. More, Rat! Give me a worthy battle, don't you dare disappoint me!"
With a smile on my lips, I don't hesitate to oblige his request, having finally brought enough of his armada onto the plains surrounding Cainhurst to even the odds with one simple trick.
"Disappoint you!? I wouldn't dare! You won't forget this Devil's power!" I cry out, grinning widely as the onslaught of bugs is sent my way, the buzzing of their wings drowning out every other noise for miles around.
The Rebellion is dismissed immediately, both of my hands held high and quickly Freikugel cast on each palm, burning away as many of the vile creatures as I can manage, closing the-
DANGER!
Hissing in annoyance, I cut off the Freikugel in either hand and grab hold of the young woman that tried to stab my spine from behind, forming a Dread Mirror from her lifeforce before cleaving her in twain with a bloodblade.
The moment I turn around, I've less than a second to respond before Bidleid's fist is inches from my face, a Magic Circle erupting beneath my feet at the same moment.
Thinking quickly, I Blink away from the danger, finding myself instead amongst a sea of Loyalist forces with Alduin beside me, a litany of weapons embedded in his hide.
I don't even bother to think. Sheer instinct guides my hand, and amongst the veritable storm of Devil's attacking my body, I cast Gaea Rage.
For just a single moment, nothing happens.
...and then the earth beneath us trembles. The ache in my chest burns deeper, my hands now clutching my stomach as I heave each breath, the burning sensation in my body only worsening by the moment.
The agony builds moment by moment, made only worse as the Loyalists surrounding me regain their footing and immediately assault my body with every weapon they can muster, thousands upon thousands of HP gained and lost within just a few seconds before-
The world bursts apart.
My throat burns within the force of my screaming, arms thrown out to the side and back bent low, as the spell finally takes effect. The earth around my body glows, trembles, before bursting apartwith violent force, the sheer explosive power of it sending gargantuan chunks of debris into the air and destroying anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the initial radius.
It's not enough.
My free hand lifts to the air with a vicious cry of giddiness, Gravity Magic coating my limb as I grab hold of the shattered debris and sling it across the battlefield, crushing and bludgeoning any who stand in it's way. Bodies, chunks of the Castle Cainhurst, even my own abandoned pieces- none of it is safe from my pull.
"What's the matter, Rats!? Afraid!? Don't you dare start running!" I scream out, a Sonido bringing me into Bidleid's range just as his Bees tear apart my Doppelganger.
He turns, stunned at my sudden appearance, before being thrown into the walls of Cainhurst by a chunk of debris, a thunderous crack echoing from the collision.
With the momentary freedom, I summon the Caduceus into my hand and stab it into the ground, forming a cragblade from it with one last application of GravityMagic.
The tempo of our battle is shifted when the debris is shattered with a single punch, a frown now marring the madman's lips as he shakes off the ache in his bones and comes to stand tall before me once more. I rear back and watch him approach, my world narrowed down entirely to Bidleid's-
Only then, do I feel a hand touch my back, for a mere fraction of a second.
The Circle of Life falls away just a moment later, and so too does the battlefield go still.
I wrench around on the spot, eyes locked on the member of Clan Belial who rendered my Healing Worthless... but my Sonido towards the assailant is interrupted by my own unsteady hand, my eyes widening and advance stopped short as I realise just how young and terrified he is.
...a child.
No wonder myInstinct didn't activate. Shaking, snivelling, teary-eyed and utterly frightened. Far too young to be here.
"T-this is... this is for m-my Father!" He says, eyes closed tightly shut as fresh tears fall.
The Caduceus trembles for just a moment against his throat... but that's more than enough to seal my fate.
The second my most valuable tool falls away, the Loyalists experience what I can only describe as a second wind. Battered, bruised, broken, and bloodied - yet still they cheer endlessly, gathering around the young child who ensured their victory to protect him and make sure this moment lasts.
They push me aside with Magic and might, hauling the young boy behind several bodies and acting as meat shields, Bidleid himself stalking around to take point in front of the child's bulwark and putting as much distance between he and I as possible. They know exactly what this means for them.
It seems the curtain call has arrived.
...no. Not yet. I'm not done yet.
"Time's up, Vermin. You're exposed, now. I hope you know what this means."
I shake my head, laughing through each heaved breath in response to Bidleid's smug words. My eyes scan across the near silent battlefield now, shifting between every Devil gathered here, basking in the hatred and giddiness in their eyes.
"Not yet. I'm not done, yet. I refuse."
The madman only smiles in return, lifting both hands to the air and drawing forth a storm of insects, blotting out the sky through sheer volume and size.
Spells of all types are drawn at every direction; poisonous lances, fireballs, windblades, noxious gas and bindings. Rain continues to fall in endless downpour.
In spite of all the trouble...
My hand lifts in Alduin's direction, drawing him back into the Summoner's Ring before he can be left helpless at their mercy. He cries in confusion, frustration, whips around in betrayal as he takes one final look at me- before disappearing from sight.
...all the good times, and all the bad...
The slow, steady rhythm of my breathing begins to turn hoarse, a visceral need filling my every last cell. A need to fight until my last breath, to die with a smile on my face.
My free hand lifts again a moment later, the Rebellion appearing and lifted to my side just as the Caduceus is. I stand before the legions of my most hated enemy, exposed and vulnerable... yet now, I can fight back, for as long as I have time left in this world.
...when I felt hatred, and malice...
They grin at me. Wickedness, spite, hatred, malice, emotions of all forms and origins burn in their gaze as countless Devils stare at me like a fresh cut of meat. The rain continues to fall. My blood has long since mixed with it, the lands around Cainhurst now coated in a thick layer of blood.
...when I felt warmth, and love...
I take a slow step forward. Bidleid matches the gesture. Our eyes meet. There's nothing but cold, wretched amusement in his gaze.
...I always tried my best.
The hollowness within my chest builds. I ignore it. Regrets, anguish, all the things I wish I could have done, the things I wish I had said- I cannot let them consume me.
The world is drowned out. My thoughts are drowned out. Static takes over my mind.
All that remains is wretched spite.
"Was it worth it, Rat? The resistance, the desperation, the bloodshed? Was any of it worthwhile now that we're here?"
My hold tightens over the Caduceus. The Rebellion hangs low at my side. My body turns, my signature blade pointed at the Satan Beelzebub a moment later.
I smile one final time.
My Mana pulses through the Contract burned into my arm, the only message of warmth I can give to my beloved servant in these harrowing circumstances.
"Every last second."
------------------------------------
The last minutes of my life as a free man pass by in the blink of an eye. My blood boils from within, and my HP continues to drop.
The world around me is saturated with thick, crimson blood, the grass surrounding Cainhurst long since disappeared behind a sea of corpses and viscera... and yet, no matter what I do, it just isn't enough.
Every wound taken is a weakness to be exploited, a sluggishness in my body that builds and builds relentlessly.
I can't hope to keep up with them all. They hack away at me, piece by piece. For every Loyalist I kill, two more slash into my flesh. I start off strong, but lose momentum with each passing moment.
Every wound is a lash against my person, an ache in my body, a reason to keep going just as much as it is a burden I can't escape.
They laugh. They taunt.
They know the end is near.
My swordhand lifts to block another spear sent my way, jumping over a sweep at my legs and placing my hand against the spearman skull- a blade of my own blood skewering him through the head and his body faing to the ground immediately after.
Every swing now feels like a nightmare. My body aches with unnatural exhaustion and agony, but I can't stop. I won't. No matter how hopeless it may seem. I can't let them-
-1220HP!
A gauntleted fist crashes into my back, my body locking up at the sensation. A blade is embedded in my shoulder, a gust of wind slicing open my thigh immediately after. I remain standing, gasping in pain.
-282HP!
I turn, blades raised in the last amount of effort I can offer, the meagre defense batted aside with nothing but cold, giddy laughter from Bidleid's grinning lips.
"I'll never forget you, Demi-fiend!"
His boot slams into my chest with enough force to send me skidding back against the dirt, the Rebellion stabbed into the ground to keep me steady in spite of the pain.
Bidleid then dashes forward at my weakened form one final time, the world moving in slow motion now as those remaining from his legion cheer.
With nothing else to do, I lift the Caduceus in a guarding stance as his fist burns through the air, counting down the seconds until he makes contact with me.
A single, quiet moment passes, until-
His gauntlet collides with my blade.
For a moment, my arms hold back his assault, a shockwave forming in the wake of our clash. Spite fuels my every heave of breath, hatred burning in my blood as I push every ounce of effort into holding back his bone-shaking attack.
As I push against his gauntlet with every fibre of my being, I almost think for a moment that I'll stay standing, that I can hold off his strike from reaching me, that I can stay alive for just a few seconds longer-
"You fought well, Alistair. Now, put an end to this pathetic display, and die with dignity."
...and then it's all over.
CRACK!
Caduceus shatters into a thousand pieces before my very eyes, the handle dropping down to the earth with a deafening thud.
Bidleid's clawed fist sinks into my chest a moment later, my heart crushed in his hand.
With my Soul now shattered, the System falls apart just as quickly as my body does, agony coursing through every nerve, through the very essenceof my being.
White hot pain, pain, painpainpain-
-16400HP-
-ERROR-
-ERROR-
-ERROR-
Vision fading, mind tearing apart at the seams and agony festering on every nerve of my body, I only barely manage to stay up on one knee as Bidleid kicks me off the end of his gauntlet.
[Use-ERROR- We cancann0not - yOu a- ERROR-]
Dark red blood spills from my lips as I cough and heave on ruptured lungs, spilling in thick, relentless torrents, my hand shakily lifting to the gaping hole in my chest.
-ERROR-
-ERROR-
Black spots fill the corners of my eyes. Breathing grows difficult. Thoughts no longer form in coherent sentences.
Bidleid looms over me now, ripping the Rebellion from my hand and smiling widely.
A thousand voices spill into my mind, echoes of who I was, who I want to be, who I could have been, who I never will be, their memories all burning into my own.
A thousand Alistair's from different timelines, a convergence of fate, different lifetimes that aren't my own. Each fragment of Caduceus before me represents a path I never walked, a road I couldn't travel.
"You'll burn like the rest of them, Serafall."
"Oh, my adorable little terrorist Nekoshou."
"I love you, Penemue."
"My very special boy, Tannin!"
"Forgive me, Yasaka."
"Ars Goetia must burn for my peace."
"If God must perish, then so be it!"
"The light of Heaven will fall upon you."
"Divine Dividing!"
"I've come to save you, Rias!"
"You... are... my... silence..."
Through all the voices, all the visions eating away at me, all the countless whispers and thoughts and prayers and memories and pain, so, somuchpain- one agonising thought stands out above the rest.
The last one I'll ever form, the last I'll ever have as I lie in the dirt, staring up at the raining, burning sky of Hell itself.
"...Forgive me, Grayfia."
The Rebellion falls. My eyes feel heavy.
"Die."