A High Dragon Lord.

A being only known through the legends of my brethren.

Even I do not know who came up with such a concept, less to whom the credit goes to for starting the legends.

Perhaps it came to them in a fever dream or...in a nightmare? Or could it be that it came from one of my kin who could see into the future?

In hindsight, that could very well be the case. After all, future-sight is something that some Dragon Lords do develop...but it could always be another reason.

Still, I do know that such concept is a simple one to arrive to.

After all, we Dragon Lords are considered as the beings above Dragons.

'Beasts' of the highest order.

Wielders of terrible power and strength.

Revered by the countless tribes of those who share similarities with us but are not of us...directly.

We who have left our more draconian forms and ascended to forms that resemble those of the other races.

Leaving behind the massive form of a...'beast' to become 'humanoid'...

Smaller, yes, but filled to the brim with power that could even shape the world to our desires.

Then it stands to reason the possibility of this being only another stop on a larger mountain to climb.

Maybe there is something...something greater that would only appear if one of us was able to reach that peak.

One that could take that next step. To ascend one more time.

How would that being look? Would they become something entirely different? Would they only change in terms of power but be indistinguishable from us?

Even then, the questions kept piling on and on.

How would that being appear? Could it be that it is not a peak that can be reached, but one that is simply born into? Or could it be a peak that everyone could reach?

How? How? How?

Legends upon legends kept surfacing among the lesser ones in their attempts to answer that...

But they were not alone…

Even among us...the first of our kind, we too started to wonder about that and...to act upon it.

And so, it all reached the most logical conclusion that my brethren could think of.

That even I could think off.

Ascension…through strength and blood.

'The one who shall stand above us, must be stronger than all of us.'

That was the reasoning we all arrived too, one that I now scoff at.

But not one that I regret.

We fought between ourselves.

We killed between ourselves.

We spilt so much blood amongst ourselves that even the Goddess tried to speak with us, dissuade us from the path that we had taken.

'You have grown in an unpredictable way, a beautiful way...do not waste that by killing your siblings...with your power you can be a force of good for the world...and…'

She was genuinely concerned about us. Even if her words are difficult for me to remember…

Sometimes there are words that were not there the last time I remembered them and some that should be there are not.

But that is what communication with the divine is…for others did not even understand that and only got a certain feeling from such interaction.

In the end we ignored her because we knew that she could not force us…no…she would not force us to be how she wanted.

Not even if she was worried.

The blood.

The death.

The violence.

We chose all of it.

And so, the consequences were ours to deal with.

We wanted to know.

We wanted to see.

Most importantly, we wanted to be the one.

Of course, there was one who desired that the most over all the rest.

I wanted to know.

I wanted to see.

I wanted to be the one.

So, I fought and killed my brethren.

So, I took and feasted on their essence.

My power grew stronger because of it.

My knowledge became larger because of it.

Then my hunger for all of that also became bigger.

As such, it was inevitable that I would find myself being the wielder of a pair spears made from the bones of one of my nestmates. A brother if I were to use the terms of the races.

‘Dracanathos Spears’ I named them.

Spears that had been twisted and transformed after being bathed in the blood of many, many Dragon Lords.

A perfect representation of who I was...who I am.

As the centuries passed and after I killed the last of the now known as Ancient Dragon Lords, I understood something.

My power had become greater, yes.

My knowledge had become larger, indeed.

But as I grew bored of battles...my hunger, my path had lost its meaning, for I had concluded that the path…the choice we made was incorrect.

I had killed everyone, and I was not the being of those legends.

There was no peak to reach...only the varying strength that is normal for nature.

I had power that could be said to be above many but...

Where I was...it was nothing more than an empty summit.

But...even as I was living proof of the contrary, the next generations kept believing in that peak.

They kept believing that it could be reached.

Many came seeking to challenge me.

Many came seeking my knowledge.

Many came seeking my advice.

Many came to kill and feast on me.

Their oldest.

Their strongest.

Only one was able to reignite my hunger for battle, my best student, and as fate would have it, a fellow 'Chosen'.

The one who came out of the abyss and now sits on the throne of that kingdom of his.

Xetant.

Our battle might have been close, and in different circumstances he might have won, but that does not change the real result.

He lost.

And I lost what little interest I still had in my brethren.

Thus, I wandered the lands, seeking for stronger foes...

Foes who, in the end, fell one after the other.

No matter their titles, their power, they all ended up the same.

In that sameness, my boredom grew as I already knew the result of every battle before me.

There was no fear.

There was nothing to gain.

There was nothing to feel.

That made me seek entertainment in other ways.

'If strength is no longer entertaining, then maybe knowledge...'

So, I looked for even more knowledge.

And as I went deeper into that well, I changed once more.

Knowledge turned into more power...until I too could clearly see the path that knowledge could take.

More centuries passed and I took another youngling with me, it was a strange whim for me to have but no one could oppose it.

She was...is...eternally loyal, to the point that I cannot see her ever betraying me.

Even before our pact she was still like that.

No matter what order I gave to her, she would do it.

To think that she was partly the reason that I started to find plots and plays as good enough entertainment for me.

I desired to see if she would defy me, defy what I planned out, but she did not.

And so, I turned my gaze away from her and manipulated others.

I relished in them following the script I made for them and enjoyed it even more if they somehow defied it.

But then again, all of this was simple arrogance…no…ignorance.

For as I look with fear and awe at the absurd being before me, I once again have arrived at a realization.

The legends were right.

We were right.

But at the same time...we were wrong...we were so terribly wrong.

The power to be above all of us is something that it is not reached...

It is not something that is achieved through blood and strength.

Destruction Incarnate...

It simply is.

________________________________________________

*CRIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH*

The mirror space cried at the release of such absurd power, one which was relegated to a simple...skill.

And the mountain where two warriors stood trembled before it.

On one side, one could find a Dragon Lord clad in violet armor, she was breathing heavily as her opponent's mana was encroaching her…drowning her.

Her wounds were profound and were healing very slowly given the amount of damage she had taken before.

Her armor had cracks and she was even having difficulty holding on to her spears.

But she was not looking down…oh no, she was looking at it right in the eyes.

It was clad in a black, nightmarish armor.

It was adorned by a crown of black horns.

It was looking down at her opponent with red eyes full a power that filled the entire space surrounding them.

It was a High Dragon Lord, and her power knew no bounds.

"Hoooh~~, are you speechless, oh eldest one?"

Her voice resounded throughout the whole area.

"Is this not what you wished for, oh eldest one? To gaze upon my true form? To unveil the mystery around me?"

She extended her arms to the sides as if to illustrate the massiveness of her power.

"..."

And she did not get any response from her opponent, Violet Death.

So, she kept walking towards her, and each step disintegrated the ground around her.

"You said that the path to victory was obscured for both of us after you managed to scratch me."

Those words could be taken as a simple act of strength, but…

'An extra-dimensional blade to the heart is a simple scratch to her...haha…'

…Violet Death could not help but feel small compared to her.

Those words could even be taken as mockery with the intent to provoke the opponent.

"Nn...!"

But no, Violet Death knew that they were simple facts.

'The King of Storms has no need for things like that...not now...'

She thought as she started to bite her lip without noticing.

"And then you wondered which one of us would be the one to end the other. Tell me, oh eldest one, is the answer to that question still in the dark?"

So asked the Absurd, just as one of Scath's fangs pierced the skin of her own lips, making her bleed and feel pain...pain Scath needed to snap herself out of such silence.

A silence made of fear, frustration, and sublimity.

"I know!"

Thus, she roared such declaration as her eyes widened, filled with a reinvigorated intensity that extended to her hands, with which she once again gripped her spears strongly and with the full intent to continue fighting.

As such, she did not lose any more valuable time and…

"HA...!"

…threw one of her spears at Auros’ face.

But Auros simply avoided it by tilting her head out of the spear's way.

The spear disappeared before even touching ground, only to reappear in Scath's hand shortly after.

It should have been clear to Scath that such an attack was doomed to fail from the very beginning and that was indeed the case.

But she still did it, for in the brief instant that Auros' attention was taken by the spear, Scath jumped back and created more distance between her and her enemy once again.

"I know it."

She said, pointing her spear at the King of Storms, who stopped walking and did not show any intention of moving anymore.

"The life that shall end today is...mine."

That...was merely a fact of the matter.

She knew more than anyone else that her power would not be enough to bring her victory.

She then lowered her spear and looked up at the mirrored sky with a certain emotion reflected on her eyes.

"Are you surrendering then, oh eldest one?"

Scath looked at the moving clouds, the many stars, all of it, as she listened to her opponent's question and...

"Hehehahahahaha..."

...she laughed, genuinely, wholeheartedly.

"...oh King of Storms, this is the first time in ages that I truly laugh."

So she said as she turned her gaze to her opponent while wearing a heartfelt smile.

"How could I surrender when I am feeling like this, King of Storms? No, the only thing that it makes me want to do is indulge in this burning desire of mine."

"Hoooh~~, what is it that you desire now, oh eldest one?"

Hearing that, the eyes of the King of Storms grew sharper as curiosity both filled them and her voice.

"I wish to know, oh King of Storms. I wish to know how my whole being fares against your power. I wish to know how far it is the peak that you represent. And if extinguishing my life is the price to pay for that knowledge...then so be it."

With that, Violet Death's mana started to swell and even if it was not gaining ground against Auros', it still was a great quantity of it.

One that did not seem to match with her current state.

"I see...then I shall grant that wish too. Dragon Lord of the Violet Death, Scath, show it to me. Your whole being. I shall not stop you."

So beckoned the King of Storms and in that moment, a violet magical circle appeared beneath Scath’s feet.

"COME! CRYSTALLIZED FORMS OF MY POWER!! ARTIFACTS THAT I CLAIMED WITH BLOOD!! I SUMMON YOU ALL, LET US BECOME ONE ONCE MORE!"

As she started chanting, a dimensional rift opened and what came out looked like an old wooden door, one that was shaking, barely holding back the incredible magical power that emanated from whatever was behind it.

Then, the runes on the cracked horns of Scath started burning with intensity.

Just as the ones she had in her remaining eye.

They burned with a flame that was of a ghostly violet color, and while it seemed weaker, it was much more powerful.

Meanwhile, the King of Storms stood there in her regal stance, observing everything.

There would not be any interruptions from her as she had already said that she would grant her wish.

Thus, interrupting her would mean going back on her word.

And that would be a grave offense to her...character.

"LET GO OF YOUR ANCHOR AND OPEN, MY LIBRARY!  RELEASE MY ESSENCE, MY KNOWLEDGE, AS I OPEN MY VESSEL FOR IT TO RESIDE WITHIN ME ONCE MORE!"

It was then that the door opened and released a torrent of grimoires of all shapes and sizes. The mana they emitted was so varied that many would find it difficult to identify them all in a short time, let alone figure out what each of them were able to do.

In any case, they all started circling around Violet Death at a ridiculous speed and then…

"[TRASCENDANT FORM]"

…they all went inside her at the same time. Following that, her body started shining in all the colors the grimoires were emitting, resulting in a blinding rainbow-like light, which was nothing more than the terrible amount of mana that had suddenly sprung forth from her.

And as the blinding light died down, Scath stepped forward, revealing a completely restored body and armor.

Even her horns had returned to normal...no...they were now burning with that same ghostly violet flame.

Indeed…even parts of her armor were incased in such flames.

But there was no time for the King of Storms to meticulously look for any more changes in Scath’s appearance, for the moment she finished taking that step forward, she disappeared from her eyes.

"..."

Only to reappear right in front of the still unmoving King of Storms, her humanoid cheeks cracking like porcelain as she opened her draconic maw widely and a magical circle brimming with power appeared right in front of her mouth.

"[BREATH OF THE VIOLET DEATH]!"

No chant needed, she shot out a massive torrent of soul blazing flames at point-blank range, one so massive that it reached the mountain's peak and yet...the King of Storms did not move to evade it.

"...!"

She took it all and the only thing she did was turn her gaze at Violet Death, which prompted her to jump back once again, for if she had not done so, she would have died right there. At least that was what her instinct was telling her.

Furthermore, she realized that her soul blazing flames did not have any effect on Auros because her mana not only was too thick but was more powerful than her flames.

Still, she did not waver before such realization nor was she planning to stop after just one attack.

Thus, she planted her spears on the rocky ground, raised her arms…

"[ARMS OF DURG]"

…and called forth one of her most powerful pieces of equipment, which descended towards her in the form of lightning. Said lightning then wrapped up her arms and took the form of a pair of massive golden gauntlets before she kicked the ground and lunged at Auros.

"[DURG JUDGEMENT]!"

She roared as she punched Auros with a right hook to the face, but again…Auros did not move an inch.

She did not do so to avoid it, nor did her head move when such fist landed on her left cheek.

Not even as the gauntlet released a great shockwave that made the entire mountain tremble and crack in some places.

And not done, Violet Death then punched her with a left hook, but it was just useless.

"Hmph."

"...! [TITANUS SHIELD]!!"

But then Auros swatted at her with the back of her right hand, doing so with an absurd speed, leaving Scath with only one option and that was to block it with another of her powerful pieces of equipment.

One that appeared before her as soon as she called it forth. It was a massive shield that seemed to be made of the most solid material in existence and could even defend someone from the attack of a colossus, but then again that meant nothing before the King of Storms.

"NNNGH...!"

And that includes her hand, for when it reached said shield, it immediately reduced it to pieces, leaving its wielder to be sent flying to the side and into a cliff face of the mountain, from which she immediately fell, landing on the snowy, rocky ground.

But again, Scath was not done.

"[SURTS CLEAVER]!"

Thus, she immediately stood up, kicked the ground, and charged at Auros once again. All while brandishing a massive sword made of lava, which she used to slash down at the Absurd, only to be...

*CLANG*

*CRASH*

...stopped in its tracks and immediately broken by the holy sword that her opponent wielded.

And such clash created an enormous shockwave that deepened the cracks all over the mountain.

Barely avoiding the full force of said shockwave, Violet Death pulled out her wings and flew upwards, quickly gaining altitude as she weaved her mana just as quickly, and when she reached the height she wanted, she raised her right arm and created a ridiculously big fireball, big enough to be considered catastrophic.

"[GRAND FIREBALL]!"

And with that, she proceeded to let it fall on her opponent.

But Auros was having none of it, for she raised her own right hand at the incoming massive fireball and released a simple pulse of her mana.

*ZZZZZZZWIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT*

*BOOM*

A pulse that teared through the fireball and made it explode before it even got close to her.

Having moved the very moment she unleashed such spell, Violet Death not only managed to avoid the explosion of it, but she also was already in the middle of releasing her next attack.

One that involved an ancient looking bow that seemed to be made from an abomination of old and arrows that seemed to be alive.

"[GRAKSIS BOW]!!"

In that moment, she released a massive volley of hungry arrows upon the Absurd. Arrows so strong they could make a hole in the chest of a true colossus and come out from the other side. But as they reached their target, they…

*CRASH*

...broke on impact and disintegrated.

But Violet Death’s attack did not stop there, she immediately teleported right above Auros, summoned another ancient weapon to her hands, a massive one, and swung it down at her.

"[TITANUS HAMMER]!! HAAAAA!"

Only for it to suffer the same fate than a certain cleaver did before the holy sword of the Absurd.

It was broken.

And as its large pieces fell on the mountain, it shook it again, and again, and again, until its already cracked and weakened surface gave out, fell apart and turned into a landslide.

Yet the King of Storms did not move at all.

Why would she need to?

If Scath's attacks were being dismissed like that, then what could some falling rocks could ever hope to do?

Clenching her teeth at such conclusion, Scatch kept going while evading the falling rocks.

She tried an axe that could even pierce the hard shell of the Torturious, a grand monster.

Broken.

A staff that contained the power to cut space itself multiple times and rearrange it in horrible ways.

Broken.

A set of twin swords that controlled gravity itself.

BROKEN.

Artifact after artifact met their end at the face of Auros' holy weapon or her destructive mana.

But artifacts were not Scath’s everything.

She still had her magic.

So much magic…

So many spells…

Thus, Scath began to weave her mana once again, preparing her next spell, and as she did so, she heard something that both sent shivers down her spine and made her eyes go wide.

"Come, darkness that is born in the death of a star..."

The King of Storms was chanting in a language she could not understand and yet...she could not help but be invaded by a terrible foreboding feeling.

"If her mana is enough to destroy a grand fireball then...!"

Such feeling grew worse as the Absurd started to focus all the dark attribute mana she was weaving into one single point.

The tip of Auros' right index finger, which she was pointing at Scath.

"...darkness that bends space in your sheer density..."

*CRIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH*

And in in response to the terrible power Auros was bringing into existence, the mirror space cried in pain.

"[SPEAR OF EVERLASTING LIGHT] [GRAND SICKLES OF PRIMORDIAL WINDS] [SPACE DEVOURING MAWS]!"

Meanwhile, Scath began to call forth various long-range offensive spells, which began to form a vertical ring around her as they waited to be unleashed.  Not only that, but they were all spells of the highest tier she knew.

“…darkness that dilates time itself…”

Another pulse of dark attribute mana was released, and the small ball of darkness was compacted even further.

*CRIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH*

And once again, the mirror space cried, but this time it even trembled before such terrible power.

"[SERPENT OF THE PRIMORDIAL WAVES] [NATURE'S GRAND SMITE] [TITAN'S FIST] [TRUE DARK] [REAPER'S FINAL SCYTHE] [VERMILLION POISON CLOUD]"

With that, she called forth even more long-range offensive spells, which joined the others in the vertical ring around her as they waited to be set loose on their target, showing just how much mana she still had.

"...darkness that consumes all light..."

A last pulse of mana was released and then, before the widened eyes of Auros, the spell was ready.

Thus, there was only one more thing to say…to do…for both of them.

And they did.

"[GRAND FIRE OF THE DRAGONS] HAAA!!"

"…[Black hole]."

For they both unleashed upon the other the spells they had called forth.

"...?"

And just like with the chant, the name of the spell eluded Violet Death as it was in a language she did not understand.

But that was the least of her worries, for the small dark sphere began moving towards her and the more she looked at it, the more she could not believe what she was seeing with her only good eye.

She who had seen dimensional rifts.

She who could manipulate space itself.

She could not understand what she was seeing.

It was a pure and perfect darkness.

One that feeds on everything and leaves nothing.

It was then that she knew that all her spells would be useless.

And sure enough, they were consumed by the small ball of darkness the moment they got close to it.

Even the spatial attribute spell she used was not only bended but broken and consumed like the others.

"...!!"

And then she noticed it.

The pull.

The terrifying and unavoidable pull that thing had.

"Nnng...!"

No matter how much she tried to fly away, it did not let her go.

"[TELEPORT]! WhAAAGH?!!"

So, she attempted to teleport away, but she was met with a terrible backlash as her spell was distorted by her proximity to the ball of darkness.

Furthermore, as she got closer and closer to it with no hope to escape, the pull itself teared through her, stripping her of parts of her armor and even one of her horns.

And as she gazed at the ball of darkness that would bring her death…

"...haha...so this is how much I amount to...very well..."

…she smiled, closed her eyes, and waited for the black hole to be done with her.

Something that would not take long, for the sheer force of it broke through the rest of her armor, torn her scales apart and destroyed the rest of her horns.

The pain was unbearable.

Yet…she was at peace.

After all, she had already accepted her death.

"...?"

But then the pain…suddenly ceased, as the force that was pulling her disappeared.

And when she opened her eyes, not only was the ball of darkness gone, but she found the King of Storms beckoning at her.

"Is that all?"

Her voice resounded over the cries of the trembling mirror space, which did not have much time left before its collapse was but a certainty.

"..."

Of course, Violet Death was confused and speechless before the Absurd’s words and actions.

Not only did Auros stopped such absurd spell as if it were nothing, but she also stopped it before it killed her.

Could it be that that was her plan all along?

To toy with her like that?

"...why?"

She muttered.

"...why?!"

She shouted.

"...WHY?!"

She roared.

She had accepted her death.

She had used her strongest artifacts, she had thrown the most powerful spells she knew, and yet they all were meaningless.

So why did she stop? Why is she asking that question?!

"I ask you again, oh eldest one. Is that your all? Is that your whole being?"

The King of Storms beckoned once more; her sword having changed once again into a lance before she pointed it at her.

"It is all…I do n—"

"No, it is not all. Can you not hear it? Those spears of yours…the souls that reside inside it are screaming so."

"When...?!"

Violet Death had not noticed it, but the spears she had left planted on the rocky ground of the mountain had returned to her hands, and they had been there since the moment she closed her eyes and waited for her end.

Moreover, the aura they were emitting seemed to have wrapped itself around her arms, holding on to them.

But then…one of the spears turned into a ball of red light and melded with the other one, making themselves one.

Its violet color was now gone and instead it took on a boney white wrapped in a violet hue.

Such form was in no way an increase in its power, but the materialization of the latent will within it, its everything, one that also contained the will of its wielder to keep fighting. Even if she had already accepted her defeat.

"Ha...yes, I see..."

Thus…as she gazed at her spear and its aura, she understood.

She had slayed many with those spears.

Their blood had fused with them and changed them.

As such, it would not be farfetched to think that the essence of those beings still lingered within them.

And they were not going to let the one who slayed them accept death so easily.

Knowing this, Scath smiled as the fire in her heart was reignited.

"INDEED! THAT WAS NOT ALL!!"

So she loudly declared as her expression turned fierce and she pointed her spear at the King of Storms.

And before such declaration, the King of Storms smiled and nodded.

"Good. Let us finish this."

With her lance pointed at Violet Death she flew up.

With her spear pointed at the King of Storms she flew down.

Both of their auras made it seem as if they were two shooting stars that were about to crash with the other.

Scath's aura burned brightly.

Auros' aura thundered loudly.

"AUROOOOOOOS!!"

"SCAAAAAATH!!"

They both screamed each other's names as they thrusted their weapons at each other.

And the first one to reach its target among the massive sparks of two clashing mana was Scath’s spear, but the mana that covered her opponent was just too thick to pierce through.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Yet…she still pressed on with everything she had.

'More...!!'

*crack*

Even her thoughts were solely focused on that, so much so that she did not notice what was happening to her spear.

'MORE...!!'

*crack* *crack*

Or perhaps she knew and still pressed on until…

*clang*

…she managed to pierce through such thick mana and scratched the surface of Auros' armor.

But...

*CRASH*

...that was all her spear was able to do before it shattered into pieces.

*KERCHUNK*

"Gagh...ha—"

*CRIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHZAAAS*

And soon enough…her chest was pierced through by Auros' lance and the shockwave that followed made the mirror space collapse.

As she saw the bizarre image of a world falling apart like a broken mirror, blood came out of her mouth, filling it with its ferrous taste, and while the pain was there, it was strangely lesser than what she imagined it to be.

After that, everything turned hazy for Violet Death as she felt how her strength and her consciousness left her, and in those last moments awake, she felt someone carry her.

Then it all turned to black for her as they returned to their original space.

___________________________________________

It is done.

“…”

I...have killed Violet Death...

Even if she is still barely breathing while I carry her in my arms...I know that she will soon die because of me.

And as I undo my [Mana Burst], return to my human guise, and descend slowly to this mountain's base, I can hear her faint heartbeat...

“…”

I lay her down on the ground...softly...because there is no need for more pain, nor will I disrespect my opponent like that...

She...the one whose appearance I chose...would not act like that...

Nor is it something that...I desire to do...

It is strange...I have killed a person...

“…”

I always imagined that one would be screaming after doing something like this...or maybe that I would be fine after witnessing death back in my world...but...

I am not...

So...this is being in shock...huh…

But maybe...doing this...narrating thing I do...is also helping in a way...

Maybe it is...helping my mind process it....

“…”

Maybe that is why...why…even if I am silent from the outside, I can still do this here...in my mind...

I…

I could have let her die...by being absorbed into the black hole but...I could not condemn someone to something that very well be an eternity of pain...

It is also too...detached...

But I wonder...why do I feel like this for her...when I did not feel like this for the part of the army that I killed…

Was it because I talked to her…?

“…”

Because I...enjoyed our fight...?

Is it because she looks...more human than her soldiers?

Did I truly fell into the cliché of…'they are monsters and monster-looking demi-humans, so it is fine'?

Is it?

Man…that justification...always made me gag...but now...

Goddess...

"Dear... I...I am sorry..."

No...don't apologize Nerinne...darling…I chose to do this...

It is natural for me...to feel this...I think...after all, I was never in a war...

But they have...they marched with the intention to fight and die...

Erevain and the rest too...

Even her...just look at her...even with that gaping hole in her chest, she is at peace...

She was prepared to kill...and be killed...

That is why...I know that I have not done something evil...

That is why...I must also steel my mind...and my heart...

Because if Erevain and the rest...can still laugh, love…and live, then I must learn from them...

Their strength...

This is all part...of being part of a new world...

"But...! It was my fault...! You can shout at me...you can resent me...!"

No...

Don't worry my lovely goddess, my lovely Nerinne...I will still be myself...I still love you...

I would never resent you or hate you...for the love of...we even have a daughter...how could I come to harbor those feelings towards you?

No…

I will only be stronger...because in this short time...I have come to love this precious world...and I want to make it peaceful for you...for Ilya...for Erevain and the rest...

I promised you...and I will not break that promise...

After all, Nana might come back from the dead to beat me up if I do so...heh...

'Never back down from a promise, you hear me? More so if it's a promise you made to a lady. Or so help me God, you will know the true meaning of pain.’

Yeah…that is what she would say…

So...even if it is cliché...I will become stronger in heart...so please...stay with me...never leave me...

"Auros...I will never leave you...ever...I love you!"

I love you too...

"Ga...ha...ga...ha..."

She is awake...?

"It seems...this...ancient...body of...hrnn...mine...still has...a speck...of life left. King of Storms...no…Auros…would you listen...to my last words...?"

She can barely speak, let alone move, and yet she has done both things to look at me while she speaks…

"Of course."

There is no way I could deny her...

"When...I am gone...two of...my grimoires will...summon two...grand monsters to the battlefield...an undead from the…nngh…godly war...and a true...colossus. They will lay waste to the…battlefield unless you stop...them..."

Why is she telling me this…?

She could have simply left that unsaid and cause more damage...

"Ah...are you wondering why...I’m revealing my last plan...to you...? Ga...ha...! Ha…ha…that is...simple...you have...defeated me...and as the ancient...draconic traditions dictate...my all belongs...to you. You can feast...on my soul for power...as I did...or use my body...to...ga..ha...ga..ha..."

I raise my hand signaling her to stop talking.

As for her words…I would never do what she is saying...but if she is willing to listen to me then...

"I understand but...the only thing I wish for you is…is for your next life to be a sweet and innocent one. A life where you can marvel at the world before you and not hurt it...that is what I wish..."

Her eyes widen at my words if only for a moment...

"Heh...hehahahaha...ha...a sweet and...innocent life...huh...I see...I see—"

And just like that...she is gone...the light of life has abandoned her eyes...

She has died while having a smile on her face due to my...ridiculous wish...

But it is fine...she really looks at peace...

And I really want her to go to that next life in peace too…so I free the holy light of my spear and...

"Let this light cleanse your soul, let it guide you to a new life...one that I hope can fill you with happiness...to fill you with love..."

...say that.

As I feel her soul leave her body behind, I also notice a surge of magical energy back at the battlefield...

Her summoned grand monsters are coming...and while the Maid-Knights might be strong enough to deal with them...I need to be there...

But I cannot leave her body like this...

So, I plant my lance into the ground and let my instinct guide my words...

"Earth Spirit...if you can hear me...I ask you this favor...take her deep within you…and let her rest be undisturbed…"

The earth responds to me and it buries Scath slowly, respectfully.

Until her body disappears completely and all that is left is a patch of earth with...a lone violet flower on top of it.

"Thank you..."

In a way that flower is more for me than for her...

I…I turn around, not before glancing one last time...to the flower...and leave...

“…goodbye…”

To the battlefield...to my comrades...

____________________________________________________

Before Auros teleported away, she did not notice the small ball of violet light that floated close to her, barely touched the back of her left hand, and disappeared.

 

 

 

To be continued...(Cue Illustration of Auros and Violet Death launching themselves at each other one last time!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus short story:

“My cheerful grandson…do not cry…grandpa is just going back to the Goddess…”

“But…!”

“Shh…smile…always…have fun…my bolt of happiness…I can leave my teachings to you…enjoy them…”

“Grandpaa….!”

“Even if those idiotic parents of yours…don’t…I will always…love you—"

 

Once again, I apologize for the wait, but I hope that you enjoyed the conclusion to Auros’ battle with Violet Death. I had lots of fun writing it and revising it. If you did enjoy it, please drop a heart on this chapter and tell me in the comments below! Furthermore, if you’d like to see the sketch of the story’s first illustration, which adapts a part of the end of Chapter 84, then head over to my patreon where tier 3 patrons can access it! Plus, more extra content!

Besides that, we’ll be having a little character Q&A in the story’s discord server this weekend, so if you have one or two questions you want to ask about or to your favorite character, do join us in the “Reading with Author” channel when it happens!

Special thanks from the bottom of my heart to: EmbraceTheSleeb, Lord-Hollow, YukisoraRin, LordInquisitorSteele, Anon, Anon2, Tikku, Teresa, Ayth, Knight_Redundant, Schoookie, sumdudeguy, pokio, greatred, eeleater and ChaTY!

Please do not translate my work without my permission. Favor de no traducir mi trabajo sin mi expreso permiso.

Please do not repost the official or the fan-made art shown here and in the story in general. Por favor no repostees el arte oficial o hecho por fans mostrado aquí y en la historia en general.

See you all next chapter!