The battle between Ixion and Zero was insane.

Missiles, laser beams, machine guns were launched without stopping.

Ixion and Zero, being airships, could not fight like humans, their only method was to shoot each other from behind, but they had enough of that, they wanted to end it right away.

So, without moving, they started shooting at each other.

Ixion had a splendid defense, so Zero couldn't match it... although he was doing it.

Missiles that touched and hit Zero's body exploded much of his body, but for some reason he regenerated.

Ixion was angry at the sight of that abomination.

"Zero, what have you done to your body to be able to do that?"

"Ufufu, are you curious? I'll tell you since you can't win."

"Just like you, I used what we hate so much, magic."

"The magic element I absorb so I can do this. The regenerative properties by combining the sacred tree roots with me is wonderful."

The moment Randolf's emblem and others disappeared, he asked Zack to join them with his main body.

"That way, I can use the power of the emblem to not only regenerate destroyed structures, I can also get stronger."

Zero's cannons increased in size and the level of force used on them meant that the moment he shot Ixion, his main body recoiled from the impact.

Zero taunted him as he revealed his trump card.

"Ixion, just like me, you use the magic element for your convenience. That aberration over there uses magic circles like Battler, even your missing cannons are proof of that."

"You had said it was called artificial magic right?"

"You're a complete liar and above all a wimp."

"I used the magic element to strengthen myself, I'm using it unlike you who uses it to replace your weakness."

"I'm superior to you, you can't beat me hahaha!"

Ixion after being quiet for a while, spoke.

"Are you there?"

He said something strange that made Zero feel ignored.

"Did you start hallucinating? Faking insanity won't help you."

"I see, it's finally time to end this."

The missiles stopped and their cannons were put away.

Zero was confused at the sight of that strange movement.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Ignoring him completely, Ixion spoke.

"Well, proceed with plan B."

"Plan B?"

"You think a plan B will save you?"

"Don't joke with me!"

Zero began to bombard Ixion with everything he had with him.

"To the very end you insist on taunting me! Treat me like a treat! But what do you think? I'll win and rebuild humankind and you won't be able to see it because it was too late for you─!"

"Hi~ hi~!"

Zero was interrupted by a mysterious voice.

"Who is it?"

He heard it he that mysterious voice. Ixion communicated the following to him.

"It's finally time. You've been taking too long."

"Sorry~, but I had to wait until Airi-chan arrived safely."

"Seeing how two cute girls hug each other and their chests squeeze from the pressure is extremely beautiful. I wanted to cry, but I don't have how to cry." (laughs)

"I didn't ask you that."

"Sorry Zero, let me explain the voice you heard in your head."

"This is plan B... plan Bell."

◇◇◇

Bell flew to the location where Zero's guard was.

She was surprised to see the level of technology here, she could use it for various things... but she won't.

The reason Bell is here she explained to Zero as Bell flew around the location.

"You see, I was thinking. 'What if Zero has some way to be able to withstand my attacks and even be able to bounce back from the damage?' it would be very bad for me."

"That's why after you destroyed Schwert I calmly thought the following. 'At no point did this guy ever talk about Bell? Could it be that he won't know her?' and that's how we ended up here."

Bell added things to what Ixion said.

"After hearing that, Bell-chan got scared. I thought that bastard Ixion was using me as a sacrifice for you to attack me."

"I still need you. Don't think I'll get rid of you for now."

"That's worse! You hurt Bell-chan's feelings!" (Crying)

"Stop playing Bell."

"I'm sorry... I'm here."

In front of Bell was a huge computer that was over ten meters wide and fifteen meters long.

"Now this is big. No doubt his brain is big."

This was the real Zero. He lied to Ixion and everyone that his main body was an airship.

This one kept explaining to Zero.

"After Bell agreed, I was waiting for the time needed for her to come to your hideout. That's why I moved away from Aster's center and circled around, I never did it because I was at a disadvantage just in case."

"Not just that."

Now Bell was explaining.

"I was hiding under the islands floating straight to the given location, among all the computers, only yours is the only one untouched by dust and roots. Hence, this is your real body."

Bell approached the monitor, there was a slot there.

"Alright~, it's time for Bell-chan to save the day by doing little things to you~."

From Bell's body, a USB-like object came out and she inserted it in there.

"Get ready to receive all of Bell-chan's power, I'll turn you into a cute girl, boys turned into cute girls are the best!"

"Bell, skip that. I don't want to hear it."

"Never!"

Bell burst out in anger.

"This is the chance I've waited so long for! The chance where Bell-chan gets to satiate all her desires she can't show! I'm going to explode satiating my forbidden fetishes by Master!"

Ixion silenced Bell so that neither of them would hear the horrors she was saying, which included cross-dressing men with men and older gentlemen.

Zero asked Ixion.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"I told you. I'm going to kill you, I never joke or be taken lightly, but how to kill you?"

"You have superior equipment to mine is truth. Your technology unlike mine is better. But even with that."

"How to kill you and feel satisfied? The answer is simple."

For the first time, Ixion made Zero feel fear.

"I created a cannibal virus, dangerous enough to kill you. This virus once installed, will eat everything, your circuits, your internal memory, your processor, it will move to all the technology in the place and once finished, it will die since that was its programming."

"Aren't I wonderful? I created one of the most dangerous technological weapons in the world. It's a shame not to steal your technology, but satiating my revenge is more important."

Zero wanted to feel nauseous, but being bodiless he couldn't.

"Ixion, you are without a doubt an aberration. Able to kill your own companions, betray your original masters, all to help a miserable, simple human being. Is it worth it?"

Ixion without hesitation, said to him...

"Zero, I'll tell you the same thing I told Derrick that day. The reason I can't leave that fool Master and that I will take to my grave is..."

Ixion told him a secret, which he would later erase so that this moment would never exist.

After hearing it, Zero didn't know how to react.

"... Are you serious?"

"... For that reason, you betrayed the former humankind and your companions?"

"Ixion... exactly who the hell are you? Your way of reasoning is not normal, you're not an artificial intelligence like me, are you?"

Ixion was silent, he answered him in a dubious manner.

"I am... or maybe not? That, you'll never know because you're already dead."

"Ixiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooooon!"

Zero wanted to attack Ixion, but he suddenly started coughing.

"... My brain... it hurts a lot."

"The virus is working faster than expected. Bell, how's it going over there?"

◇◇◇

Bell dancing in the air replied.

"Everything is going well, indeed, it's almost a show."

Bell recorded as the surrounding airships, armor and computers displayed an "Error" message and then sparks flew from their bodies.

They would explode after a while, very rhythmically and beautifully.

While the big computer, the real Zero, screamed in pain as its screen blackened.

"It hurts! That's enough! I give up! Help me please!"

"I can't. Ixion said he would kill you, I was going to kill you too for daring to kidnap Airi-chan and Lucy-chan. Touching Master's women is wrong, the most appropriate punishment is to suffer before you die."

Zero's screams increased as the screen gradually darkened.

"Please help me! I beg you!"

"Rejected."

"I'll be your subordinate!"

"We don't need one because Erselica-chan and the idiots are."

"Ixiooooooooooooooooooooooooon! I implore you, help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Zero pleaded with Ixion, who after pretending to yawn, raised his cannons and aimed at Zero.

"You're boring. My revenge is already complete, die at once."

"Ixiooooooooooooooooooon──!"

With that last cry of pain, Ixion shot at Zero.

The airship exploded in flames from one side and then began to fall to the ground.

After a while, a huge explosion came into view.

"With this we end it all it seems. By the way, Bell."

"Tell me."

"What I said to Zero I say to you as well. If you dare to mention this to Master even once or in any way... I'll will kill you at that moment."

"Huh~! Haven't I been listening to you for a while now~?"

"Bell-chan has been singing since the beginning~. So if you said something very dangerous and secret, I couldn't listen to it so I wouldn't put myself in danger~."

"Bell-chan just wants to sing~."

Sensing Ixion's anger, Bell pretended not to hear anything.

Ixion's angry red eye reduced its color after hearing that.

"That's fine with me. I don't want to get rid of you yet."

Ixion turned to Rudel's location.

"Master must have already finished everything over there to enter the final phase of revenge."

◇◇◇

"Zack!"

Everyone getting off Aurora went to see if Zack was still alive to arrest him, but upon seeing his body, they were disgusted at the sight of him.

He was a mutant out of some horror movie.

Only Diana approached him.

At the sight of him, she cried.

"Zack... no. Why did this happen to you?"

Zack answered her with his voice slowly distorting.

"Zero... Zero did this to me. He... he betrayed us from the beginning."

"... Zero did this!?"

Diana couldn't believe it, but seeing Zack's state, she could only think it was true since not having supported him is proof of it.

She hugged him.

"Zack, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's all my fault."

"If I hadn't been stubborn, you wouldn't be like this right now."

Diana confessed that it was her fault, but she only cared about Zack and not those who died because of them, not even her servants.

She stopped hugging him and turned to Alisa.

She knelt down banging her head on the ground.

"Please, I implore you. Help him. Help Zack."

Alisa glared at her.

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"After everything you did, you have the nerve and shamelessness to ask me for help?"

"Dream on. We'll help him so he won't die before his trial."

Diana was horrified, not only was Alisa not going to help her, she also showed that they would be convicted.

Diana looked at the others, they all turned their backs to her, as she turned to Randolf, he only ducked his head.

"Zack searched for this just like you. All I can do is try to help my son, I won't stick my hands in for him or you, sorry."

"Same here. I feel sorry for Zack since I've known him since he was a child, but I support whatever punishment Rudel gives him."

More and more Diana's expression is filled with horror, she looked at Erselica looking for help, Erselica for sure knew that Zack is a reincarnate like them due to his duel with Rudel.

Therefore, she should understand her situation, but Erselica also rejected her.

"I deny myself. You sought this out, if we had talked or come up with another method, this wouldn't have happened."

Lucy spoke to her.

"Diana, even being your older sister, I won't be able to get Rudel not to give them punishment. It pains me to say this, but you caused this, the most I can ask of him would be not to execute you."

Diana burst into tears, at that moment, she remembered how she died.

◇◇◇

(Just like that day, I was heartbroken.)

Diana in her previous life was engaged to her current boyfriend.

She was days away from getting married.

But a week before that, her younger sister died.

She committed suicide due to taking too many pills that stopped her heart.

Diana and her family always had a neutral relationship, her younger sister was no exception.

But undoubtedly what shocked her most, was that her last words were.

"Do you also tease me like they do?"

She answered her disinterestedly something horrifying.

That same day, her younger sister died.

This fact shocked the local community, the news broadcasts came to ask questions.

"Why did your sister commit suicide? Was she suffering from family abuse?"

"How do you feel about your sister dying?"

"Didn't your little sister leave a will?"

Day after day the news hounded her and her family.

One day, before the wedding, her family said.

"We'll go on vacation until things calm down."

"... Huh? But my wedding is tomorrow? Are we really going on a trip?"

"In that case, you can stay, we'll leave you everything you need for the wedding. But we're sick of these newsreels asking us day and night about that girl."

"Truly, I regret having her."

Her mother's words echoed in her head.

For the first time, Diana understood how her sister felt.

If only she had understood her, she wouldn't be like this.

Just on the day of the wedding, her fiancé called her.

She was already at the church in her white dress.

"I'm sorry. I won't be able to marry you."

"...H uh? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

"If you wanted to break up with me you had to do it before the date."

"It's not that. The reason I'm breaking up with you is because I came to your house today and found a letter in the trash looking for some documents I threw there."

"In that letter... your younger sister talks about how she committed suicide because of how horrendous you are as her family."

"I have a younger brother, we fight, but it would never come to that."

"I don't want to be with a horrendous woman who is capable of ignoring her sister asking for help. I don't want to imagine how you would treat our children, goodbye forever."

The call was hung up and she cried.

◇◇◇

After staying for hours drinking in the church where everyone left after the cancellation.

She took to drinking the alcohol there.

A TV next to her reported.

"A passenger flight with more than 300 people on board, had a tragic accident. The engines exploded due to a failure of maintenance equipment reported the airline."

"At the moment the rescue team is searching for the charred bodies to hand them over to their relatives. We will pass on the names of the victims so their relatives can find out if they are there."

Diana watched the news with disinterest, paused the transmission with the control and there she found her family's name and flight.

They had died.

She thought at that moment.

(Is this revenge? ... Or is this karma?)

(Did she cause this?... Or did we earn it?)

(No... I don't want to be alone...)

After backing up a bit, she slipped on a bottle she threw.

After hitting her head, she staggered.

"A doctor..."

She went to get help, not knowing it was too late.

That hit was so hard, she had internal bleeding.

After a few minutes of arriving at the hospital.

Diana closed her eyes forever, but not before asking for forgiveness.

(I'm sorry. I was a lousy sister and that's why this happened.)

(If I had the chance to start over, and a sister, I would prevent this from happening again.)

So it was that after opening her eyes, she found herself in a beautiful garden.

She was looking at the grass and a voice called out to her.

"Diana, are you all right? I told you jumping from so high was hard for us."

A little girl─ Lucy was in front of her crying.

At the time she didn't know until sometime later.

Diana reincarnated and vowed to protect her family after finding out she was in that game.

◇◇◇

After understanding her mistake, she only wanted to protect her family, she cried again.

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't want it to end like this. I was just looking for happiness for everyone."

As she cried, a voice called to them from above.

"This was where you were."

They all raised their heads to see Battler above them.

As they descended, they noticed that in addition to dust and dirt, he was covered both his body and his axes in blood.

Rudel spoke in a disinterested tone.

"I've had enough of killing soldiers. The rest started to flee when they saw Zack escaping."

"After I destroyed the last ones who planted a fight on me, I came to check out the situation and here are the culprits."

Diana pleaded with Rudel.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault I admit it!"

"For being an idiot this happened! I implore you, please help him!"

"..."

Rudel wanted to say something, but he was silent. Then he said to her.

"Are you an idiot?"

"Do you have any idea what he just did? Plus, what you guys did?"

"This won't end with a simple apology. This is a problem that will be solved when I cut that guy's head off and put it on my mantelpiece."

Rudel's cold words, chilled everyone. Diana made protected Zack.

"Please forgive Zack! He's not to blame."

"I asked for his help. If someone should pay for everything he did, it should be me and no one else."

"You will pay too, just like him. Just like this country."

"Huh?"

Both Diana and the other Aster citizens present made the same sound upon hearing that.

"Do you think it will all end like this?"

"After annihilating half of the soldiers and knights as nobles, including the great nobles like Linus and Randy. Do you think the others will be quiet?"

Randolf was the most surprised to hear it.

(Did he kill Linus and Randy?)

(Rudel. How much did you hate them to go to that extreme?)

Rudel didn't stop.

"I've already accomplished my second revenge, to strike fear into their hearts. Now the third remains, which is with that idiot."

"But even with that. do you think the people of Aster will keep quiet? Won't they want revenge? If it were me, I would hate that son of a bitch and wish him dead to the point of allying with enemy countries of the Kingdom."

"For that reason, I will destroy your heart, your symbol of hope. Both Aster and the whole world, I will teach them not to mock me or fuck with my peace of mind."

"I will..."

At that moment, Ixion arrived and Rudel said dialogues of an enemy of humankind.

"Destroy the sacred tree."

"Sorry for the delay Master."

"You took too long, did you finish Zero?"

"Of course I did, Bell is coming soon."

"Good. Ixion, we're moving on to the final phase."

"You'll save Zack for last?"

"I will kill him with my own hands after erasing the seed of vengeance from your hearts."

Battler rose.

Sara and Lucy confronted him.

"Wait, Rudel! Don't you think that's going too far?"

"It's true. Destroying the sacred tree will make you look like a real monster. Didn't you say you didn't like being seen like that? What do you think will happen to the kingdom that trades magic stones with us?"

Rudel without caring what his girls said answered them.

"I don't care. The Rudel that everyone stomped on and made fun of is gone."

"I will make true what everyone feared. Don't worry, you who never made me your enemy, including Jude, I will give you asylum in the Kingdom."

"But Aster will be wiped off the map today."

"Let's go Ixion."

"Understood."

Rudel's anger towards Aster that built up for a whole year exploded with that statement.

Rudel was a true villain, Diana, Zack and everyone else provoked this.

Diana went running while crying to hold Airi's hands.

"Please. Convince him, you're the only one who has that power."

She tried to Airi, the one who possessed the sincerest and kindest heart of all, could convince him.

Airi seeing all of Aster's looking at her with saddened eyes, averted her gaze and only said.

"I'm sorry. When he makes a decision, no one can change it. I'm sorry."

Diana broke down.

Sara covered her mouth as Lucy approached Diana.

"See what you provoked!!! I told you pissing Rudel off was very bad!"

Randolf sat on the floor and laughed at the situation.

"How ironic. Rudel in the past told me he would protect Aster and now, Rudel said he will destroy us. Hahaha, truly this is my punishment for sinning so much."

Jude started to cry thinking how many will die because of Rudel's wrath.

Erselica wanted to cry too.

"I told you idiot. Don't provoke him, making him your enemy was your worst decision."

◇◇◇

Ixion asked Rudel as they approached the sacred tree.

"Master. Do you really plan to destroy the sacred tree?"

"You think I won't?"

"Normally you are a liar and tell lies."

"No more of that Ixion. I meant it, with the fall of that tree, I will teach this country not to seek revenge. The same will be to the world, a message that if they dare to attack me or the Kingdom, I will destroy them."

"... I really like that you are finally heeding me and conquering the world, but for some reason it irritates me that it didn't go the way I wanted it to."

"I'm not conquering the world you idiot. I'll just destroy my enemies and live like a count after graduating."

"... Really. You change only with what suits you."

"Shut up. We're here."

Rudel and Ixion stood several meters away from the sacred tree.

Ixion aimed all his cannons, summoned several robots that had rocket launchers and even Lumiel who was manifesting explosive magic circles.

"What the hell is that?"

Rudel asked as he saw Lumiel. Ixion answered.

"A toy of mine."

"I see."

Battler aimed his machine guns and several bazookas came out of magic circles.

Rudel stood thinking, everything that happened here.

Good times and bad.

Allies and enemies alike.

Before pressing the button, he said to himself.

"All of this happened because of you. If you hadn't sought my wrath, we'd all be sitting at the same table eating."

Rudel sighed and pressed the button.

"We'll get that damn tree over with at once."

"Let's get to it."

Rudel's anger and Ixion's power combined sent missile blasts flying at the sacred tree.

At that moment, Aster lost the war.

◇◇◇

In the middle of the streets filled with people demanding to know from the knights what those airships and explosions from earlier were, Fritz was running.

He was trying to get to the dock to board the ships after hearing that the military was planning to attack the Kingdom.

He rushed out of the dungeon to get to the docks.

"I must get there fast. So they won't leave me here."

He didn't know why they wanted to attack them, but it was better to run.

After turning a corner, he saw something that stopped him.

Not only him, but also the passersby and knights stood watching.

"... What is that?"

Some were horrified, others were crying, even children were asking their parents who didn't know what to answer what was happening.

Fritz knew the meaning of this.

"It can't be... he did it again."

Everyone watched in horror as a gigantic airship and an armed unit black as night bombarded the sacred tree with all their power.

◇

This is really exhausting.

My head hurts, I feel like I'm being drilled by something.

"Master, this is really exhausting.

My head hurts, I feel like I'm being drilled by something.

"Master, the sacred tree is stronger than expected."

"I know! Just don't stop until it burns half of it and then collapses because of it."

I was firing all the missiles and using my machine guns.

We were razing the sacred tree.

How do I put this?

This thing is fucking tough.

I've already finished two magazines and even then we're barely seeing any damage.

Some branches and leaves have caught fire or fallen off.

"Damn it, incinerate already."

Even with explosive spells we couldn't get the tree to catch fire.

This will take time.

◇◇◇

"Umm... where am I?"

Lugh woke up.

He heard a buzzing sound in his head.

He looked around and saw only airships burning like blood on the ground.

Despite the fact that his clothes were full of dust, nothing happened to him.

That was because he was protected by his emblem.

Just as the attack began, one of Rudel's missiles came close to Lugh's ship.

He does not remember anything else.

Unfortunately, he was the only one who survived.

Lugh did not notice that in the rubble next to him, his father was buried, only his arm was sticking out and the Lunor Household ring that only the head of the house could wear, was there.

Lugh clutched his stomach and walked.

He had been hearing explosions for a while now.

The reason for walking was because he was looking for her.

"Diana. I want to see you."

"Even if something should happen to me, I want to see you one last time."

For Lugh, dying didn't affect him, if he died without seeing the woman he loved, that wouldn't be allowed.

After circling around, he saw an object crash nearby.

After arriving at the location of the falling object, he saw everyone in the Kingdom among them Diana.

"Diana, you are fine. I'm glad─"

"Zack!"

Lugh stopped as his smile as he saw Diana hug Zack who turned into a mutant.

His smile turned to one of sadness as he watched his fiancée hug while crying to another name.

"I'm sorry Zack. I'm truly sorry."

He heard her from afar, he clutched his head at what he heard.

"Why are you Diana hugging Zack?"

"Shouldn't you be worried about me?"

"Diana. Why are you crying for him without knowing how I am?"

Lugh's chest began to shrink, making him ache.

He moved closer, he wanted to know why she was hugging another man like that.

That concern for Zack. It only made Lugh feel his heart stop.

"Diana."

"Diana..."

"Diana!"

After shouting her name and then seeing Battler take to the sky, being close enough, he watched as she dropped to her knees.

"I'm sorry Zack. I really didn't mean for it to end things like this."

Erselica asked her looking up at the sky.

"Why do you care so much about him? Lugh is your fiancé. He should be your ultimate concern."

Diana turned away, with tears in her eyes, she said words that made Lugh's heart shatter.

"I... I love Lugh. But I realized this."

"Zack is my friend, we're both the same, and we're also foreigners. But besides that..."

"I fell in love with him and just like Lugh, I don't want him to stay away from me!"

Lugh heard words he never meant to be true. To make it worse, he was in second place.

◇◇◇

Airi covered her ears.

"Will you stop it please!"

Alisa asked her.

"What's wrong Airi?"

"I hear screams."

"Screams? ... Well, they must be from the people who see the sacred tree on fire."

"No. The voices are coming from below."

Then her chest began to ache.

She held her chest, and what she heard were the people's voices of pain and-the scream of the sacred tree.

The sacred tree seemed to be moving.

But it was because of the missile impacts hitting it.

"There is screaming and crying coming from below."

Suddenly, the earth was shaking.

"An earthquake?"

The earth connected by the sacred tree was shaking.

Alisa found this strange, but considering the attack on that giant tree it didn't seem strange.

The airship began to sway.

Everyone panicked. When Alisa looked around, it seemed that not only the airship but also the surrounding buildings were shaking.

"What's going on?"

She wondered if the attack was so strong that the damage shockwaves caused that.

Not only that happened, suddenly, both Randolf and the other Aster citizens present, clutched their chests.

"It hurts so much, like my heart is being squeezed."

Sara felt a strange pain.

Alisa wondered.

(Is this the voice of the sacred tree? I understand that they can hear it because of the emblem. But why did Airi seem to react to it?)

(No, wait. Isn't only Lucy supposed to be able to hear the voice of the sacred tree?)

At that moment, the sapling that was on Aurora and that they retrieved, began to glow.

At the same time in the sky, black clouds covered Aster's sky.

Liam looked at the sky wondering that the flames were big enough to have generated that.

At that moment, Lucy who was clutching her chest, jumped straight towards Diana.

"Diana!"

"What's wrong─?"

She said before noticing an unexpected noise.

◇◇◇

"Diana, Lucy. Today is your birthday, what do you wish to do today?"

Their mother was asking them about their fifth birthday present.

Diana still not regaining her memories, she asked.

"I want a huge cake."

"Very good, how about you Lucy?"

Lucy answered her with a smile.

"Nothing."

Her mother and Diana were stunned.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"I am. Since I have the best gift of all for a long time, my family."

Lucy hugged Diana and her mother.

Her mother said to them.

"Fufu, in that case. Lucy, as the big sister, it's your duty to take care of Diana, you hear?"

"Yes!"

Lucy cheerfully replied as she looked at her little sister.

"I will protect Diana forever."

Diana smiled as she heard how she was loved.

That was what she remembered as she...

"... Onee-chan─?"

She heard sounds of gunshots.

*Bang*

It wasn't one, it was all the ammunition in a gun's magazine emptying.

*Bang*

*Bang*

Everyone froze as they watched Lucy being shot.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

Her arms, legs, thighs, belly, breast, shoulder, and most of all her forehead, Lucy was shot by someone who was...

"Lugh!!!"

Was what Sara screamed at the sight of Lugh, with bloodshot eyes, murderous look as smoke came out of her gun.

Lucy collapsed with blood pouring from her wounds.

At that moment, Diana screamed.

"No.... no... Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

It wasn't just her, so did Lugh, explaining what he did.

"Diana, how dare you betray me!"

"Despite the fact that I love you so much... despite the fact that I fought several times with my family over you... so many times that I hoped you would understand my feelings and tell me I love you like I do you..."

"What do I see it!!!?"

"You love Zack too! Zack of all people you said!"

"I hate that guy because he always gave me a bad feeling, but now it's different."

"I will not tolerate you seeing my face like an idiot again!"

Lugh pulled another loader from his pocket, Chlust reacted at last.

"You bastard. I won't let you!"

He got into a throwing position with the spear in his hand.

He flung it at Lugh, piercing him completely.

"Puah!"

A large amount of blood spat out before falling to the ground.

Diana was so terrified she didn't know what to do.

"No... no... no... no..."

Airi immediately went over to Lucy and began to treat her. When she placed her hands on the wound, she emitted a faint light.

Lucy vomit blood from her mouth at the same time she began to convulse.

Somehow, the sapling of the sacred tree covered Lucy, for that reason most of the bullets especially the one in her forehead, just touched the skin and stayed embedded there.

Lucy was asking Airi while the blood was pouring out.

Lucy has dark circles under her eyes, her eyes were shaking.

"... Iris... dina-san?"

Seeing her pained face, Airi all serious answered her.

"Don't you dare leave, didn't you want to be with Rudel-san forever? Since you are now our partner, you must live for his sake, I won't tolerate you dying."

Lucy nodded slightly, this only made the wounds open up even more.

Because the bullets were embedded in her body, healing magic was useless because as the wounds closed, the lead would infect with some virus inside her.

Everyone was horrified, Diana was motionless.

She did not understand what to do in this situation, she just clutched her head and started to cry.

Erselica seeing that, shouted something she shouldn't have.

"Stupid onii-chan! Help uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!"

Erselica was calling Rudel, everyone was looking at Lucy who didn't pay attention to that strange call.

Alisa also shouted.

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell, show up at once!"

At that moment, Aurora started to move. Bell was flying at full speed.

"Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirls!"

Bell shouted as she quickly headed in their direction.

As she arrived, she was surprised to see Lucy.

Robots came out of Aurora with a stretcher. Bell cursed Ixion.

"Stupid Ixion! Right now you shouldn't worry about destroying the tree. Lucy-chan is more important."

The robots lifted Lucy onto the stretcher and together with everyone went inside.

Diana was still lying there, Alisa took her hand.

"Come on in. Aren't you worried about your sister?"

Diana nodded, after standing up and walking a few steps she looked to see Zack, but remembered something else.

"Lugh!"

She let go of Alisa's hand and went straight to see Lugh who was on the floor bleeding.

But that was the weird thing.

Lugh wasn't there.

Chlust and Frey went to her, but at no time did they find the body.

It looked like Lugh was swallowed up by the earth.

◇◇◇

After entering Aurora, Lucy was taken to the ship's medical room, the robots did not allow anyone to enter with the exception of Airi and Sara, which was using her magic to help the wounds from getting infected.

The robots cut off her clothes.

Lucy's slender body was glowing with a mysterious green glow.

Sara knew what that glow was, it was the sapling's protection.

The sapling was helping Lucy, so Sara would help the sapling too.

Holding Lucy's right hand, Sara used the power of her emblem to strengthen Lucy's emblem.

Even if the emblem of the daughter of a great noble was inferior to the priestess, that did not matter to her.

Sara spoke to Lucy so that she would not close her eyes.

"Lucy, I asked for your forgiveness a while ago, now we will both be Rudel's women."

"Don't you dare leave or else you'll make him sad. Don't you dare leave me alone you big idiot."

At that moment Sara's emblem glowed so brightly that she fainted.

Bell arrived with a magnet to pull out the bullets.

Airi shouted Sara's name as she saw her fainted.

◇◇◇

At the moment Lucy was wounded, something strange was happening to the sacred tree.

Suddenly, the flames that were generated by the explosions went out at the same time.

Rudel and Ixion had no idea what was happening.

But it was not the only thing, Ixion notified.

"Master, I feel a huge disturbance of the magic element of air."

"What do you mean by disturbance?"

"It seems that... all the magical element of the environment is gathering in the sacred tree."

"What did you say?"

Rudel heard some shouting.

They were coming from the people below.

Using Battler's camera, he saw the horrified people.

But not for burning the sacred tree.

This time it was different.

"My emblem! My emblem is gone!"

"Mine too."

"Why all of a sudden my emblem of a great noble was gone?"

Different red lights appeared all over Aster, the emblems of all the citizens disappearing one by one.

They were not the only ones.

Randolf and Jude who were looking for Lugh, also saw their backs glowing from their hands.

The emblem disappeared.

"Why did it disappear?"

Jude asked uneasily, Randolf sweating answered.

"It can't be... is this the wrath of the sacred tree?"

"Is it angry at us for the destruction that happens?"

They were not the only ones, Lutart who was unconscious, Romeo and Diana too, their emblems disappeared.

No one knew what was going on.

But Lucy and Sara's emblem were the only ones that didn't disappear.

Zack's emblem had long since disappeared.

Rudel asked Ixion.

"Hey, what the heck is happening now?"

The black clouds formed by the alteration of the magic element began to expel thunder.

A great storm was covering all of Aster.

Ixion replied.

"I don't know. Something seems to be happening, but I can't detect what it is."

"Master, there's an urgent message from Bell from a few minutes ago."

"What does she say?"

"It says Bell... ─!"

"Master look up!"

Ixion alerted Rudel.

Looking up at the sky, Rudel was startled at what he saw.

"You must be joking..."

The sacred tree was rapidly drying up. As if the years were passing over it in the blink of an eye.

The large overhanging branches were breaking off and just like the dry leaves, they were falling to the ground.

Their speed was slow, they disintegrated little by little, but that was not enough to prevent them from causing a lot of destruction upon impact.

All the places were attacked by the dead branches and leaves.

Rudel and Ixion were attacking the falling objects so that they would not fall to the ground.

"Damn. I wanted to destroy it, but not like this."

"Master, I don't think we destroyed it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because─"

At that moment, the sacred tree moved.

◇◇◇

Cliff was fleeing in his airship.

He was clutching his head while cursing his situation.

He is a strong and proud man who never gives up, but after seeing his subordinates die, including his knight leader, he immediately fled like a chicken.

"Damn, fucking shit. That's not how things would be, that's not how things should have ended."

"Fucking Zack. Fucking priestess, it's all your fault!"

Cliff was running away because he must live, he is the Acting Chairman. For that very reason, he couldn't die.

The worst thing wasn't that, it was that once everything calmed down, Rudel would come demanding his prize as the winner.

Cliff bragged so much and acknowledged that they lost.

(I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do now that we lost.)

(I can't be rude to that fucking brat. I have no choice but to beg for forgiveness.)

(Should I offer him any or all of my daughters for forgiveness?)

"Acting Chairman!"

"What do you want now?"

Being in a bad mood, Cliff raised his head to look at the captain.

Looking in the same direction, his cigar fell out of his mouth.

"Damn it─"

That was the last thing he said before watching as one of the roots of the sacred tree that came out of the underground rose up, striking and shattering his ship.

◇◇◇

Zero who was suffering as the virus devoured him and his airship burned, noticed that the roots of the sacred tree engulfed him.

Not only him, also in his hiding place, the roots touching the big computer that was his brain, somehow made the virus stop spreading.

Zero spoke to the sacred tree.

"... What... are you? ... You're not a living being... are you?"

Was the last thing he said as his airship was engulfed and swallowed by the earth.

◇◇◇

Emerging from underground, near the sacred tree, was wounded Lugh, his wound was treated by the roots that went into his body.

His skin was turning green like his eyes.

Lugh, with his consciousness on the verge of extinguishing muttered.

"Is that you talking to me?"

He heard a reply.

(You have been chosen, congratulations.)

"I see."

"You saved me for the sake of it. I have nothing left to live for."

Again he heard the voice again.

In his right hand, the emblem of the guardian was manifesting.

It was not. It was a new emblem.

The emblem of the king of the sacred tree.

A crown surrounded by roots.

A fissure opened in the trunk, formed a mouth of sorts.

"Diana... I'm sorry."

Was the last thing Lugh said before being thrown into that fissure.

After being swallowed, Zero's body appeared and just like Lugh, he was swallowed.

A mysterious sound was heard by everyone.

It was as if a hungry tiger was roaring.

Black liquid began to pour out from everywhere, causing little by little, what was once the sacred tree, to mutate, bending its branches and stem to generate the silhouette of a humanoid.

Rudel was watching that, sweat trickling down his forehead as he muttered.

"It can't be... Lugh... he was absorbed by the sacred tree."

That only meant one thing. Ixion was the one who said it angrily.

"He has become the final boss."

◇◇◇

When Sara opened her eyes, she was in an unfamiliar place.

Everything was dark, as she looked down, besides a transparent golden glow, she had no clothes on.

"Kyah! Why am I naked?"

She tried to cover herself, but her hands were also transparent, only her head was not.

"Sara!"

Turning, she saw Lucy heading toward her.

Sara went straight over to hug her.

"Lucy! I'm glad you're okay."

Lucy was surprised by the hug, which reflexively hugged her as well.

This caused her transparent, but large, shapely breasts to squash together.

Lucy said to Sara.

"Sara, listen to me carefully. I don't know what happened, but we are in the spirit world. The inside of the tree."

The spirit world.

Mentioned in the diary of the first priestess, this place is an astral plane that only the priestess can access.

Because Sara's emblem was helping Lucy's, they were both brought to this place for some reason.

After explaining that, Sara said.

"I understand. But before that... I don't want to be naked."

"Uh, right."

Lucy having been here before, she no longer felt uncomfortable about being naked.

She explained to Sara how to materialize clothes. They both materialized their uniform.

But before they both materialized her uniform, they both saw the silhouettes of her breasts, curves and hips.

(Now I understand why Rudel wants her by his side. She has a beautiful, slender good body.)

Having the same thought.

After getting dressed, Lucy said.

"When I got here, I found two lights, you were the closest, the other is far away, we must go to that light. Possibly it is the way out."

"Let's go."

The two girls went directly to that light.

As they traveled, Sara noticed the same thing Lucy did.

"Hey, you said this place was pure white containing thoughts of all the people around. Why is everything so gloomy?"

"I don't know. Maybe Rudel already destroyed the sacred tree and that's why we're here. To see if we can save it."

Sara became depressed.

"It's terrible that it's all ended like this."

Lucy reached over and took her hand.

"Even if Rudel said he was going to destroy it, he knows better than anyone that would be the end of this country. He sure just wanted to intimidate them a little, you know how over the top he is."

The friendship of the heroine and villainess was slowly beginning to blossom.

Sara smiled at her.

"You're right. Despite what happens, I don't think he wants to destroy the home of his future wives."

"Hahaha, I still can't believe we both agreed to be one. That boy must be the luckiest guy in the world."

"I'd say he is. Because besides us, he has three other women, two are here and one is in the Kingdom."

"Yeah... Huh? Three?"

Lucy was puzzled to hear that besides Airi and Alisa, there was another girl.

At that moment they reached the light.

As they entered, the hole they came through closed.

They were in a strange yellowish space with mysterious black bubbles floating from an invisible floor.

In the middle of the whole place, there was a light.

Sara pointed.

"Lucy, look. In that place is an egg-shaped light."

"I see it, that must be the heart of the sacred tree. Come on, Sara."

The girls went for the light, it would all end at that moment.

Or so they thought.

"... You finally arrived, you brought company, but I don't care."

A mysterious voice spoke to them.

The girls became alert.

"What was that?"

"I don't know. It came from everywhere."

Sara playing hard to get asked.

"Are you the consciousness of the sacred tree?"

The voice replied.

"That's right, I am the conscience, the soul and its heart. Welcome to you."

The girls smiled as they heard the voice of the sacred tree.

But then their smile was wiped away by the next sentence.

"Welcome to my resurrection."

"Resurrection? Can you heal yourself?"

Lucy asked, at which point the voice...

"Of course not, you big idiot! Did those huge tits of yours steal all the food for your brain?"

It changed its kind tone to a more sinister and vulgar one.

"Gyahaha! I've been waiting for this dammit!"

Suddenly, a black hole opened up under the ground where that light was, it was engulfed and a strange jelly emerged.

The jelly began to take humanoid form.

Its limbs were long, its arms longer than its legs.

Both its feet and hands were similar to those of a frog in length.

Its body was slender and its back was curved.

On its lower back came out a tail similar to that of a monkey, but the tip was identical to a dandelion.

Near its shoulders, large, misshapen bat-like wings grew, they were almost two meters both.

As it formed its head, the black color changed to a somber white.

Its neck was long, with black blood vessels running the length of its neck.

Its ears were pointed like chiropteran ears.

Its hair was pitch black and seemed to move like a flame.

It had no eyebrows, its eyes were black, but its iris was cat-like with a blood-red color.

In addition to its black horns that grew over its forehead curving backwards. Its teeth were the most terrifying thing.

They were black and sharp like a shark.

The girls were frightened.

Both of their voices were cut off by what they saw.

As its body was formed, that mysterious and terrifying being appeared.

"Good evening, wretched humans. My name is Zorn and I am what you vulgarly call..."

That creature smiled in a sincere manner, but because of the corners of its mouth it was terrifying.

"A demon."