I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!
Why are you here? Just to kill people? Just to destroy things? Just to make us sad?
Can't you see you're making us cry? Can't you see the world would be better off without you?
Die.
Go away.
Or else…I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!!
That was her cry. A cry of vengeance, of grief turned to anger, and then hate. It was the darkness in her heart, made manifest.
"Tempest!"
A cry.
"Tempest!!"
A howl.
"Nizelle!!"
A violent rampage.
There was a flash of light and a deafening roar as the wind turned black as night.
"No…it can't be!!" growled Gareth.
"It's Ais!" said Riveria. "She's combining her magic with her skill!"
The huge tornado that took up the entire space contracted down in an instant, shrouding Ais in a fearsome wind. The next moment, she threw herself at Delphyne.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaghhh!!"
Clad in jet-black wind, her weapon sliced the great wyrm's flesh, spilling blood as hot as boiling magma. The girl's armor of storms kept her safe, however, and each slash produced six sharp blades of devastating wind that tore at the beast's hide.
"Rooooooooaaaaaaaaaghhh?!"
Delphyne howled in agony, experiencing true pain for the first time. All the while, the black wind continued eating away at the dragon's flesh so quickly that its regeneration could not keep up.
"She's…she's winning!" cried Riveria. "But…!"
As if to confirm her fears, at that moment a magnificent crack rang out, and a split appeared down the length of Ais's sword.
"Desperate got damaged?!" bellowed Gareth in disbelief. "That beast's hide is stronger than a Durandal weapon?"
The pair from Loki Familia knew all about the darkness that lurked in the Sword Princess's heart, but this was their first time seeing it manifest.
Riveria's eyes trembled in fear. "Stop it… Stop it! You can't keep this up! You'll die!" she screamed. But Ais did not answer her. Her eyes were dark and hollow, and she could not be stopped.
As if feeding on her hatred, the black wind grew in volume and intensity.
"Ais!!"
But the girl ignored the desperate cry, or rather, did not even register it in her mind. The exchange continued. In one such exchange, the Delphyne claw came straight at Ais. She was unable to dodge; her wind surrounding her saved her from being torn, but the impact flew her away.
She felt someone catching her before she hit the wall, but she was far too frenzied in hate that she ignored that and stood up to leap at the dragon again, only for her vision to be blocked by someone's hands covering her eyes.
"Release me! I need to kill it!" Ais tried desperately to free herself.
"Ais, calm down." Hearing that voice, she stopped fraying her arms. The hands covering her eyes were finally removed, and Ais was able to see the face of the person holding her.
"Arin…?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse, and her throat was sore from all the yelling.
"Have you calmed down now? Because if you keep ramming like that, then you will definitely get hurt, and besides, do you not see how much your actions are troubling Riveria?" Arin said in a gentle but firm voice. Making Ais look back at Riveria, who was trying to hold back Delphyne alongside Gareth.
"I am… sorry." Ais could only apologize. Now that she had come back to her senses, she was able to see how reckless and irresponsible she had been. Leaving Arin and others behind to fight an opponent far stronger than themselves and pursue her own selfish goals.
"It's not me you need to apologize to. First, help Garetha and Riveria eliminate that monster, and then join us. After that, you can apologize to everyone, okay?"
Ais nodded, being released from his arms, she held her rapier firmly, ready to help slay the dragon. This time, not blinded by her hatred.
"Thank you, Arin." She said and jumped back at Delphyne.
____________________________________________________________________________
Um, seems like she is back to herself, now with Gareth and Ais keeping the monster at bay, which would give Riveria enough time to cast her spell and defeat the dragon.
I should get back now. My two minutes are almost up.
.
.
.
.
.
When I got back, the girls were still fighting, though there were some injuries here and there, but nothing major. Even Kaguya joined in already.
And Saphira's condition was visibly worsening; now even her nose started bleeding.
"Arin, you are back? I was wondering where you went off to!" Alize chirped. "I didn't believe for one second you'd just leave us all behind and run! Honest!"
"You're as bad at lying as Ryuu, Alise. Best you keep your mouth shut. But anyway, Riveria and others will join us shortly as well."
"That's good. Now we just need to hold on until they arrive." Alise said and leaped at Saphira, bringing her sword down on her. Saphira, even when weakened, easily dodged her strike. From behind her, my blue flames come, which she blocked with her ice wall.
"Tch! She is a monster," said Kaguya as Saphira's palm strike deflected her katana.
While catching Ryuu's wooden sword and throwing her off.
The battle continued, but now Saphira was using less magic for offense and was relying on her melee skills to attack.
The battle raged until a deafening explosion occurred at the place where Riveria had released her spell, and the dragon roared before turning into ashes.
"She has improved." I heard Saphira's quiet voice, a tiny smile graced her lips until the next moment, it was gone.
"Why not surrender now? They will be here soon, and I do not think even you can win in this condition." Said Alise. And she was right, Saphira's condition was getting worse to the point that all her veins had turned black, her ice magic took on a darker shade of blue, while her flames were turning black.
She most likely has suffered injury like Zald, or else we would have stood no chance against her.
"Surrendering is something I can not do, I am afraid, for I have a purpose to complete. And do not get the wrong idea, even in this weakened state, I hold enough strength to freeze you and burn you a dozen times over. So stop disappointing me and use all of your might!"
She was a hero.
Even now, standing at death's door, with the very last of her life melting away like a snowflake, Saphira was a hero.
"Haaaaaaargh!!"
"Luminous Wind!!"
She danced between the blades of justice, nullified the flames that bore down on her like a hammer, and with a sweep of her arm unleashed the fire that swept everything away.
She was a hero.
In power, in strength, in appearance.
Though she walked the path of evil, she was a hero nonetheless—perhaps the worthiest of the title by far.
That is my impression of her. I truly do not wish to kill her, but I also know she will not stop now, not until she is dead.
"Mages!" screamed Lyra. "Keep peltin' her with spells! Don't let up!"
"Keep fighting!" shouted Kaguya. "Don't give up, and don't run!" Their faces were stained in blood, but none of them took their eyes off the witch for a moment.
"Answer that monster with everything we have!!" The disciples of justice raised a rallying cry in response to Kaguya's words. "I can't show my back! Not to her!"
"From the depths of forgotten winters, where sorrow sleeps in crystal tombs," Saphira started chanting a spell.
That's not her usual spell! It's a new one!"
"Wait, this is…"
"It's an ultra-long chant!"
Shit, it's giving me a bad feeling.
"The flame will soon be released. Creeping war, unavoidable destruction. The horn of battle sounds aloud; the cruelty of conflict will envelop all." Another magic chant rang out on the battlefield. I turned and saw Riveria standing there, casting a spell with her staff held in front of her.
But I knew that would not be enough, so.. "All the mages start casting their strongest magic now! I will power them up!" I said and started spreading my flames to all the surrounding as the other also chanted their magic.
"Rise, O children of the endless night, bearers of the final cold. Let the tears of dying stars become the ice that binds all flesh. - Crystalline Requiem of the Forgotten Realm!" Saphira's chant was completed, so was ours.
"Come, crimson flames, the ruthless inferno. You are the avatar of hellfire. Sweep completely, bring a close to the great war. Burn them through, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf!"
"Rea Laevateinn!" Hot air started blowing around Riveria.
"Luminous Wind!" Thirty-seven green orbs of wind floated around Ryuu, as all the other prepared their magic as well for this final confrontation, and I powered their magic with my flames. As well as manifested more flames.
"Niflheim!"
From Saphira's side, the very essence of primordial winter erupted forth. The cold wasn't just cold—it was the absence of all warmth, all life, all hope. It moved like a living thing, a wall of absolute zero that devoured everything in its path. The flames that had been dancing across the battlefield didn't just go out—they froze, suspended in crystalline amber like insects trapped in time itself.
The air screamed as it crystallized. Stone cracked not from heat, but from the molecular bonds themselves, giving up under the impossible cold. Even light seemed to slow, taking on an eerie blue-white quality as it passed through the advancing wall of frozen death.
From our side, all the magic was released as well, Riveria and Rayna fire magic and Celty lightning magic as well as Ryuu wind magic, and my own flames.
Both the blue ice and the blue flame, and the blue lightning strike collided.
The magical forces slammed into each other with the sound of a thousand thunderclaps.
At the point of collision, reality seemed to bend. The three blues swirled together in an impossible spiral—ice that burned, fire that froze, lightning that crystallized. The laws of nature screamed in protest as opposing forces that should have canceled each other out instead amplified one another.
The entire floor of the dungeon began to crack in a perfect spider web pattern emanating from the collision point. Fissures opened up, revealing the darkness of the levels below. The magical energy was so intense it created its own weather system within the chamber—winds howling in impossible directions, snow falling upward, flames raining down like deadly hail.
A wall of steam blocked all vision. Lightning crackled through the steam, illuminating the chaos in strobe-like flashes.
"Hey, are you all okay?!" After the chaos had settled down, I called out to the others.
"Yeah… we are okay!" Came Alise's voice, her figure was somewhat visible through the smoke.
"But how the heck are we still alive?" Said Kaguya, trying to steady herself.
"Elgram shielded us." Said Ryuu as she also stood up.
"We are fine as well." Comes Riveria's voice, as Ais helped her stand up.
"So what happened to her?" Asked Ardee, trying to look through the mist.
We waited until the steam cleared up, and…
"Ho-How the heck is she still standing?!" Lyra voiced all our thoughts.
Saphira was still on her feet, but she was not unscathed, as her whole body was riddled with injuries, I do not think she even has the strength to remain standing for long.
"This is our chance to finish her!" Gareth called out.
The girls hesitated to attack an opponent who was already half dead. But they still moved nonetheless.
"Gospel."
Only to be flung back by the magic that the newly arrived guest used. And seeing that person, I only had one thought.
We are fuc*ked.