The Eskapa soldiers and Sandata watched in stunned horror as Serenity beheaded Ruri, one of their divine protectors. Despair gripped them; Ruri's death was a devastating blow. As a Sandata, she symbolized hope, bolstering their faith and safeguarding Endoryo's nations.
"No… Lady Ruri," a soldier whispered, voice trembling.
Pyun's fury erupted, her aura blazing with unchecked energy. "I can't believe I just watched my comrade die!" she roared, unable to stomach her inaction.
Suddenly, a commotion broke the silence. "Look! Lady Ruri's body!" a soldier shouted.
On the monitors, Ruri's form dissolved into red smoke, drifting away. Xxv had saved her using his crimson smoke technique, emerging from the haze with Ruri cradled in his arms. Weakened, he collapsed to his knees, battered from the explosion Ruri unleashed. It had taken three seconds to fully enter his smoke, and the blast's force dispersed it, ejecting him to the floor's edge.
"I made it just in time," Xxv panted, "but that technique drained me at such a distance."
As he knelt, Ruri's trembling hand touched his cheek. "Lady Ruri, are you okay?" he asked.
"Xxv? Your scent… it's you," she murmured, her eyes closed, permanently blinded. "I'm glad you're alive, not caught in my attack." A faint smile crossed her face, despite her frail state. "I failed to defeat her. I'm sorry… I couldn't save anyone from the warlord."
Tears streamed down her face as guilt consumed her. She felt she'd failed her soldiers and the applicants relying on her as Endoryo's beacon of hope. Xxv gripped her hands, urging her to conserve her strength. "Don't speak, Lady Ruri. You need to hold on."
But Ruri couldn't suppress her anguish. "I failed as a Sandata of the heavens. Forgive me… I wasn't strong enough to save everyone." Her voice broke with sobs. "Forgive me…"
Xxv felt her pain, his own heart heavy with failure to aid her. "No, Lady Ruri," he said firmly. "You did everything you could. Every soldier here knows you fought to save us. That's enough."
Ruri's hand slipped from his cheek as she apologized one last time, her protective energy fading. She fell unconscious, her body limp. "Hold on, Lady Ruri," Xxv vowed. "I swear we'll survive this."
Serenity clapped, her voice dripping with mockery. "Impressive, surviving Garuda. But you've weakened, haven't you, dragon?" She sighed, disappointed, as Garuda landed behind her, roaring. "I didn't expect much, but you can't even handle simple tasks."
Her fishing rod reappeared, slamming into the ground, summoning another massive tombstone. Dark energy surged from its magic circle, spawning thousands more undead. Xxv, undaunted despite being surrounded, unleashed a fierce aura, his body wreathed in crimson flames. "Red smoke?" Serenity mused. "Oh, I remember you—the hero who defeated criminals and saved towns. Interesting, but you're just Magdalena's lapdog."
Xxv gently laid Ruri down, drawing his Sanitoshi blade, flames intensifying. "You've caused countless tragedies in Endoryo, slaughtering thousands for your selfish desires. Your sins are unforgivable."
Red smoke enveloped the area as Serenity scoffed. "You're too young to understand. You call me a monster based on the Eskapa's lies. I don't seek war or destruction—those I crushed sought to surpass and kill me. I merely retaliated."
She challenged him. "Why does the Eskapa invade my nations to weaken me? You crave war, so I deliver the destruction you desire."
Xxv raised his sword. "Only the Eskapa can bring true peace to Endoryo. Eliminating a destroyer like you will make that possible."
"Your beliefs are worthless," Serenity retorted. "You choose to eradicate threats to your rule. Well, boy, I'm telling you—I won't be the first erased in this war." Xxv's body began to dissolve into smoke, carried by the wind.
Serenity yawned, unfazed, gripping her fishing rod. Xxv's blade flashed from the smoke, aiming for her, but she parried with her rod. "She blocked my attack with that thing?" he thought, stunned.
Serenity yawned again, bored. "I'm not interested in fighting a second-grade warrior." Xxv vanished, reappearing to strike from different angles within the smoke, but her rod's strings moved faster, shielding her. "Impossible," he muttered. "She reads my moves, and even with my physical enhancer, I can't cut her strings."
Serenity stretched, planting her rod in the ground. "Our power levels are worlds apart," she said. "Five hundred years of fighting countless beings gives me this edge." She paused, then raised her foot, stomping with immense force. The ground shattered, dispersing Xxv's smoke and forcing him out, tumbling across the floor.
As he clung to rocks to stop himself, Serenity appeared, their faces inches apart. "Killing you is child's play," she sneered. Xxv leaped back, swinging his sword, but she blocked with her arm. "Your blade's dull. It can't pierce my barrier."
He tried to retreat, but Serenity's speed overwhelmed him. Her arm pierced his chest, aiming for his heart.
"Argh!" he gasped, collapsing, but his body dissolved into red smoke, reappearing among rocks, clutching his chest. "I barely activated my crimson item in time," he panted. "No—she let me escape before crushing my heart." Her mocking smile haunted him.
"She's toying with me, testing my limits," he realized. Serenity continued, "Your potential's wasted on a human's limited body. After I kill you and make you my slave, I'll find your precious princess and kill her, so you can be together forever—well, not alive, of course." She laughed, amused by her jest.
A sudden slash severed her right arm. Xxv's body crackled with red lightning, his sword blazing. "Don't you dare touch my princess!" he roared, charging, lightning dancing around him.
Serenity, unfazed, picked up her severed arm, wielding it like a blade. "Impressive, breaking my barrier unnoticed. They taught you Supreme Mode, but how long can your weak body sustain it?" She admired his courage, warning that mismanaging it could make his body explode.
Xxv didn't respond, his expression resolute. Serenity smirked, inviting another attack. "Show me your true power, hero!" Red energy surged, his sword's blade crackling. "Vanish, monster—Crimson Flame Clash!"
His sword unleashed a lightning strike, slicing through Serenity's arm and severing her head. Her dark aura dissipated as her head rolled across the ground. Silence fell, the soldiers watching in disbelief, praying Xxv had won.
"Did he do it?" they whispered, hope flickering.
Xxv collapsed, his energy fading, writhing in agony as his arms' bones shattered from the technique's toll. "My arms… the pain…" he groaned, reaching for his sword. A presence loomed behind him, paralyzing him.
A floating magic circle appeared, and Serenity whispered, "Well done, boy. I enjoyed our game." Xxv tried to turn, but she kicked him, sending him crashing near Ruri's unconscious body. Blood spilled from his mouth, his side aching from the blow.
Serenity picked up a sword from an undead, approaching slowly. "I let you show your strength. Now, let's end this game." She reiterated that he was no different from others, doomed to fail. "Even Magdalena couldn't kill me in three battles, despite your claims of divine backing. What chance do her puppets have against an immortal like me?"
Xxv's body trembled, his legs failing. "I can't die here," he muttered, crawling toward Ruri as undead closed in. Serenity walked ahead, taunting him with the threat of beheading Ruri before his eyes. "Please, don't," Xxv begged, reaching for her.
Serenity sneered. "You can't save anyone. Your weakness and human limits ensure that. But don't worry—soon, you'll shed that frail body and join my undying army." Her smile widened as she raised the sword.
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