[Zero Dimension - One Week Ago]
"Uggghhh! I'm so tired!" Kiana flopped onto the ground, covered in bruises and scratches. The training area around them looked just as beat up - burn marks and weird cracks in the air were everywhere.
"[That was awful! You're using my power all wrong!]" Sora yelled in their shared mind. "[You keep wasting energy on dumb moves that don't help!]"
Kiana rubbed her sore arm. "What 'dumb moves'? I was making our special finishing attack! Every hero needs one of those!"
"[Special attack?!]" Sora sounded fed up. "[You can just blast enemies away or suck them into our void space! Why make it complicated?-]"
"Boring!" Kiana cut in, waving her hand. "I want something awesome! Like the cool moves from Street Homu Fighter! Something that looks really impressive!"
"[YOU-!]"
"Are you two finished?" Reina's voice came from above before they could argue more.
Kiana looked up to see Reina floating down on six glowing wings. While Kiana looked like she'd been through a war, Reina didn't have a single scratch or even look tired after the same training.
"I give up," Kiana groaned, stretching her sore body. "How long were we training?"
Reina's wings disappeared as she landed. "Only forty-three minutes," she said.
"Forty-three minutes?!" Kiana said in disbelief. The training was so rough, she thought she'd been fighting for hours, not just forty-three minutes.
Kiana lay down on the ground to rest. Reina crouched beside her, touching her shoulder to heal her.
This was their daily routine after training. Kiana would complain about how tough it was, lying on the ground, raising both hands up, while Reina healed her.
Even though Kiana complained every day, she kept training. She had her reasons. She wanted to get used to her powers and gain more fighting skills.
Besides saving as many people as she could, she also wanted Reina's recognition and praise. That's why she did this every day.
This was the moment she had been waiting for.
Once Reina finished healing Kiana, her hand lingered on Kiana's shoulder for a moment. "Feeling better now?" she asked, her voice soft but curious.
Kiana opened one eye, still sprawled on the ground, and sighed dramatically. "Yeah, I feel better, but I'm still super tired," she said, closing her eyes again and letting her head flop back, pretending to be completely worn out.
Reina smirked, knowing exactly what Kiana was up to. This happened every time they finished training. Kiana's little act was as predictable as her complaints. Reina slid her hand to Kiana's hair, gently caressing it, her fingers running through the messy strands from the fighting before giving her a light pat. "How about this?" she said, her smile turning teasing.
Kiana's eyes snapped open, and she pouted, crossing her arms. "That's not what I mean!" she huffed, her voice loud with fake annoyance. "I want the other thing!"
Reina tilted her head, her grin widening. "What other thing? If you don't say it, how am I supposed to know?" she teased, her tone playful, knowing full well what Kiana was after.
Kiana's pout deepened, her cheeks flushing slightly. "You know what I want!" she grumbled, but Reina just raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying dragging this out. "Come on, Kiana, just say it," she said, her voice light and teasing.
Finally, Kiana groaned with her face red. "Fine! I want to cuddle and be all lovey-dovey, okay?" she blurted while looking away.
Reina giggled, her laugh soft and warm. "See? That wasn't so hard. Just say it next time~" she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You knew what I wanted, but you just keep teasing me!" Kiana shot back, still pouting as she sat up, glaring at Reina.
Reina's smile softened, and she scooted closer, pulling Kiana into her arms. Kiana melted into the embrace, her earlier complaints forgotten as Reina's warmth surrounded her.
Their bodies pressed close, Reina's fingers traced slow, gentle patterns along Kiana's back, sending a shiver through her.
Kiana's heart raced, her breath catching as Reina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, their faces inches apart. The air felt heavy with unspoken feelings, their closeness sparking a quiet heat.
Reina's touch was tender but deliberate, her lips brushing Kiana's forehead in a soft, lingering kiss that made Kiana's cheeks burn. "This is what you wanted, right?" Reina whispered, her voice low and warm, making Kiana's heart skip.
Kiana buried her face in Reina's shoulder while Reina's arms stayed wrapped around Kiana, their bodies close as they sat on the ground.
Kiana's face was still buried in Reina's shoulder, her hands clinging tightly, as if letting go would break the moment. Reina's fingers moved gently, tracing soft circles on Kiana's back, making her heart pound faster.
Reina pulled back just enough to look at Kiana, her eyes soft but playful. "You're still pouting," she said, her voice teasing. "Is this really enough for you?"
Kiana lifted her head, her cheeks red, and frowned. "You know it's not!" she said. "Being all lovey-dovey without a kiss is just... weird!"
Reina's laugh was light, like a melody. "Oh? So that's what you want?" she teased, leaning closer, her breath warm against Kiana's face. "Why didn't you just say so?"
Kiana's eyes widened, her pout fading as Reina's face came closer. "I—I mean, you already know!" she stammered, her heart racing so loud she was sure Reina could hear it.
Reina's smile turned softer, her hand sliding up to cup Kiana's cheek. "Okay, okay," she whispered, her voice low and warm. Then, slowly, she closed the gap, her lips pressing against Kiana's in a gentle but deep kiss. It was soft at first, then grew hungrier, full of the feelings they'd both held back.
Kiana's breath hitched, her hands gripping Reina's shirt as she leaned into the kiss, her whole body tingling. The Zero Dimension around them feels like faded away, leaving only the heat of their lips and the thump of Kiana's heart.
When they finally pulled apart, Kiana's face was burning, her eyes half-closed. Reina grinned, brushing a thumb across Kiana's cheek. "Better now?" she asked, her voice teasing but tender.
Kiana ducked her head, mumbling, "Yeah... much better," but her shy smile gave her away as she snuggled closer, still wrapped in Reina's arms.
A few minutes later, Kiana felt happy, her heart still warm from their cuddly moment.
She and Reina stood up, brushing dirt off their Valkyrie uniforms and fixing their messy clothes.
"So, do you want to keep training, or should we leave this Zero Dimension and go back to our apartment to get ready for bed?" Reina asked, her voice soft but playful, her eyes looking at Kiana.
Kiana's eyes sparkled, her face lighting up with excitement. "Actually, I want to ask you something! Do you have an ultimate move?" she asked, almost bouncing with curiosity.
"[Why are you still going on with that?]" Sora's voice grumbled inside Kiana's head, sounding annoyed.
"Because I'm curious!" Kiana answered in her mind. "So far, all Reina does is beat us up in training. She never uses any big moves, so I want to know if she has one!"
Sora went quiet, a bad memory flashing in her mind—the night she first met Reina. Even with all her Herrscher of the Void powers, Reina had crushed her so easily, leaving Sora shaken.
"[Then I'm out. I don't want to get involved in this]" she muttered.
"Eh? You're not curious about it?" Kiana pressed, surprised.
"[No]" Sora said sharply, then went silent again.
"I see, an ultimate move, huh," Reina murmured, crossing her arms and thinking hard, her face serious but calm.
Kiana waited, practically shaking with impatience. After a few minutes, she blurted, "Come on, just show me anything! I want to see one!"
"Do you not have one?" Kiana added, her eyes still wide with curiosity.
"No, I do have an ultimate move," Reina said, scratching her head. "But it's like... how do I say it? It's probably too much for this world."
"Too much? What does that mean?" Kiana asked, tilting her head.
"Well, I have this trump card that uses all my energy and power," Reina explained. "If I use it, I'd become like a normal human for a while."
"Huh?" Kiana blinked. "If you use it, you become a normal human? What kind of move is that?"
Not just Kiana, but Sora, inside her mind, was listening closely to their conversation. Even though she'd said she didn't care, Sora seemed curious about the topic.
"[She's got something that big?]" Sora muttered, her voice quieter now, but interested.
" I also have a few trump cards beside that," Reina said, thinking hard. "I have my true form, which I've never shown you, and another big moves."
She had lots of abilities she hadn't used since arriving in this world. The only one she used often was her Creation ability, making whatever she needed with a thought.
"Huh? You have a true form?!" Kiana shouted, practically jumping with excitement. "Where is it? Let me see it!"
Reina shook her head with a small smile. "Sorry, I can't do that. My true form means casting off my mortal body and ascending to a higher dimension. That would alert every organization in this world, like Schicksal or Anti-Entropy and even that cocoon."
"What?!" Kiana gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks. "No way! Don't do that! If you do, your beautiful face and sexy body will disappear!"
"Fufufu, I know, I know, I don't want to use that either~" Reina giggled, her voice light before she returned to the topic.
"The ultimate move I'm talking about is called The End."
"The End?" Kiana repeated, her eyes wide.
"Yes, The End. It's the strongest ability I have," Reina explained. "I need to be in my true form to use it, and it takes all my power, so I've never used it."
Reina, as a replica, had never used the move, but her original self, Rei, was different. He had used it three times in the Granblue Fantasy world and the DxD world before creating her. The End was Rei's most powerful attack, wiping out targets completely, erasing every part of reality—concepts, history, and information—in a way that even an omnipotent being couldn't undo.
"Anyway, let's talk about my other trump card," Reina said, changing the topic.
"The other one is called Paradise Lost."
"Nice! That one has a cool name!" Kiana said, grinning. "What does it do?"
Reina just smiled at the question. Suddenly, three pairs of dark wings sprouted from her back. "Let me show you~" she said, her long black hair turning silver, her ruby-red eyes shifting to sky blue.
"Do you see that giant blue cube over there?" Reina asked, pointing toward one of the massive blue cubes floating in the Zero Dimension.
Kiana looked where Reina was pointing and spotted the lone cube, glowing faintly. "Yeah, I see it," she said. "I remember you told me to destroy it before, but I could never do it, even with Sora's help."
"Then just watch from here," Reina said with a small smile.
After saying that, Reina spread her dark wings and shot into the sky, her silver hair glinting in the dim light of the Zero Dimension.
"[What's she planning?]" Sora muttered inside Kiana's head, her curiosity creeping through despite her earlier grumbling.
Reina soared higher and higher, her six dark wings releasing a shadowy aura that swirled around them.
"Just use the energy I need..." she muttered to herself, the aura fading slightly but still pulsing from her wings.
The energy from her wings flowed through her entire body, carrying the power of the archangels—Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, Sandalphon, and Belial, now called Belle. Each surge made Reina feel her strength grow stronger, far beyond even the Herrscher of the Void's full power.
"The apocalypse shall soon be realized..." she whispered, high above the Zero Dimension.
A massive dark circle appeared behind her, etched with the sigil of Lucilius, glowing ominously.
"[What the hell is that...]" Sora gasped inside Kiana's head, shocked by the enormous sigil that could easily cover an entire city.
"Be dyed in black, and quickly rot in obscurity"
More magic circles sprouted around the massive one, their dark glow lighting up the Zero Dimension. They kept appearing, multiplying until the whole space shimmered with their eerie light.
"I'll start with you. Die!" Reina shouted, aiming at the giant blue cube. Her wings blazed brightly, and all the magic circles flared to life.
"PARADISE LOST!"
Hundreds of magic circles activated with a piercing, high-pitched screech. Thousands of light rays burst from them, each ray splitting into two, then three, multiplying endlessly.
[IMAGE]
The rays shot toward the giant blue cube at a speed so fast Kiana couldn't track them.
BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!
A deafening explosion roared, shaking the entire Zero Dimension as thousands of blasts echoed around them.