A lightning goddess against the imperial of the dead. Judgment versus a call from the depths of Hell itself. Two blades against the giant flaming skeleton towering over them.

Betty found herself unconsciously trying to move away from them. Scared that their fight might get them a ticket to the afterlife. It didn't look like that Bella girl was looking at them.

"Hey, girls~ We better going out quick." The ponytailed beauty, Tia Vulcan, quickly tapped her back and helped take Rin along. Beary Knight was floating behind them stubbornly.

No man left behind, right?

"Is that friend of yours going to be alright?" It didn't seem like a fair matchup. Betty had noticed blood near Bella's mouth before the fight started. Even this kind girl was hurt too.

"Don't worry. She knows when to run. They'd probably be even if we were less injured. I'd also help if I could transform right now. Sorry to say that I can't fight right now. That punch took a lot out of me." Tia started to have a nice and long conversation on her end. Trying to make this stranger feel at ease even a little.

The situation wasn't looking good.

"I have a plan, but you might not like it." Even though this would only stall that woman, the plan Betty spoke next was better than nothing at all. She explained: "Give me your Spectre Medallion. I'll fight her off and come back." 

"That's…" Tia hesitated to decide on such a thing. After all, this person's identity was unknown and technology from the Harmonic Theory was strictly prohibited for outsiders.

Both her and Bella had authorisation to use a Spectre Medallion, but they didn't have the authority to give it to others. As she was trying to decide, Betty came up with a solution that would compromise both sides.

"You don't have to give me a new one. How about transforming me with yours then. I will just benefit from your Spectre." Betty's words caused Tia's entire face to change rapidly.

She stopped in one spot and lost her smile.

"This technology isn't even released to the public. How did you know that?" Although she looked happy-go-lucky all the time, Tia wasn't someone without a brain in her head.

Even though there were a hundred different ways this situation could take a turn for the worse, there was one person who completely didn't care at this point. Betty's only source of information and friend(?) was at death's door.

"Just keep it a secret between us. Unless you think that friend of yours can last forever." The look in Betty's eyes was no less serious than Tia's at this point. She had to make a choice.

Betray the religious group she was affiliated to and risk punishment, or take her chances.

The ultimatum was set.

…..

….

…

..

.

Bella vividly remembered each second of the worst moments of her life. The lack of clarity and control of the situation. How she ended up causing a slaughter to an entire city.

Her hands couldn't be bloodier than now.

And all because of that one moment of being unguarded. That one moment she was at her weakest point. How could she forget how everything turned to ruin at her fingertips?

Growing up, Bella had never felt like she had to work for anything. She was a spoiled rich kid who had it all. Money, friends, influence over her peers, and a future bright with prospects. She believed herself superior.

"Hey, are you really going to attend the new Academy in Faustus City after graduating from here? That place that takes a lot of money just for living expenses?" One of the girls that had follows her for a while asked.

She was a lot different than she was now. A girl bolder and more confident. Unrefined yet boating a look of superiority over her peers. A gemstone even if she was unworthy of love.

She had awakened her Combat Gift and Innate Gift as per high society standards. A model student despite her lacking attitude in lessons. Her demeanour was the worst. 

It was then that she met Tia. The only girl who had approached her without knowing or caring about her background. Simply taking care of her like she did everyone else.

Bella had though Tia to be a rival after losing first place to her in combat ability. She could forgo her intelligence, but combat ability was what truly mattered to prospective Heroes.

They fought everyday for that top spot.

"You alright?" Tia, the creature of ultimate talent, was unaware of her struggles. This girl was a prodigy that made all her wealth seem meaningless. Better than she could ever be.

She slapped away her hand that fateful day at the training grounds. It was to hold on to that bit of pride she had left. The very next day, the whole school witnessed her change in mannerisms. The way she walked changing.

No longer did she lay back and expect great things for herself. She had worked hard as a mere 'normal person' against talent. To shove her results in the face of this stupid prodigy.

Her grades went higher, but she felt like she was chasing clouds. An unreachable goal that would never be fulfilled. She would never achieve victory over someone like this.

Born with both 'Mana Circuits' and 'Magic Pathways' of Sages. Having an Innate Gift they was leagues stronger than her own. It was childish to believe she could even win.

Normal people like her should know her place in the world. Just like she said to those that challenged her top spot: 'You can try all you like, but you will NEVER get past that wall.'

That wall called lineage.

As the heir to Smith Industries and their technology, she was fitted with the latest enhancements of human warfare. Her body was infused with the heart of their technology.

This allowing her to access ANOTHER Gift separate from her Stigmata, Innate, and Combat Gifts. Her mother called it an 'Imperial Privilege' only she could access.

But even with that power, she felt the enormous gulf between her and Tia Vulcan only getting larger over time. The secrets of her family's technology nothing to her talent.

That girl learned the vast array of combat techniques stored in the school's library without putting any effort. She exceeded her in ways beyond what technology could give.

However, she never gave up.

Even when her followers found her efforts to be useless, she continued her efforts. Trying to balance her social life as an aristocratic noble and training as a new generation Hero.

She wanted to make her mother proud. To show that she wasn't an underdog, but the kind of person she expected herself to be. A great figure who would stand from the crowd.

She had so many dreams.

Until…

"Do you know where your mother could have gone?" One day, she was cornered by the members of the Deanfold City's branch of the SMIU: 'Superior Magus Investigation Unit'.

Her mother was wanted for betraying the Harmonic Theory and joining hands with the terrorist cell, 'Magia Tribe'. She was took in and investigated. Her wealth, heirlooms, and technology were confiscated under the law.

It left her with nothing…

All her dreams had turned muddy under the rain. Those who had once befriended her all took an opposing stance. Distancing and cursing her as being part of a 'Villain Family'.

They scorned her once proud bloodline and fallen company. The foundation of all her beliefs shattered into smithereens. Making her feel isolated. Alone in this cruel world.

"I will prove them wrong…" Tears in her eyes as she swung her sword. Doing the daily training she had carved into her body fall her life before the incident. It calms her down.

But trouble didn't care if she sought after it.

Because of the technology that couldn't be removed from her hot, she had gone through multiple attempted kidnapping. Those who had once saw her with envy now with longing.

'If only I can take it from her…' These became the words etched into their minds. All they had to do… was take those benefits away. All they had to do was snag it from a lonely girl.

Honey traps and conmen would find their way to her side. Tia became the only one who remained. The only one who stuck by her side through thick and thin. Regardless of her past. Rescuing her like the real Hero she was.

Much better than a faker like her...

"I wish everyone died." One day, those strong feelings she held inside couldn't be held in anymore. The sheer loathing built up over time had exploded out of her one day.

And someone took advantage of her state.

The next thing she knew, she was being held by Tia on the rooftop of the school building. A quick look around, and she became aware of what happened while she was unconscious.

Until that very moment, she hadn't been aware she had been housing a true 'devil'. A laugh left her lips, as her hard work was once again impeded by reality. There was nothing she could tell herself to ignore her reality.

She killed too many…

"Haha… HAHAHAHA!" She was a villain. A psychopath who killed so many… There were screams she could hear from a distance. The pain inflicted on them felt so vivid. So real.

It tore her heart out. She had done something she couldn't take back. Broken what was irreplaceable to those in the city. No, not even those still in this school could forgive her.

She had ruined everything…

"Bella… Bella! You have to snap out of it fast. I can hide this. Just don't say anything." There was only one person still on her side. How the comedic fate joked. The irony of who this person was made her laugh even louder.

"Tia… Just leave me be. I'm turning myself in for doing all this. I deserve my death." Bella coldly took the girl's hand off her shoulder. It may have been a dream to be the great Hero she wanted to be, but she could still have pride. Have the honour of someone who had been born and raised to become a Hero.

"Don't…! You know that wasn't you. That was the Calamity Core. 'It' did all this!" Tia's words gave Bella some room to breath. She didn't know why this girl knew so much, but there was no need to question it. Without doubt.

Tia was part of an higher echelon than Bella could ever imagine. Someone with 'Sage Blood' and likely a high status. She didn't know why this girl had come to the sticks, but there was no doubt she was truly a Sage.

If she said it was the 'Calamity Core' that did all this, then she would believe her.

However…

"I won't ever be forgiven." Bella was realistic about her situation. There was no salvation for her even if she was 'possessed'. Those who had lost their families wouldn't care.

"Well… I forgive you." Tia tried to cheer her up a little, but it only had the opposite effect. The redness in her eyes intensified as Bella grabbed her shoulders in a fit of hysteria.

Almost frothing from the mouth and wanting to tear her apart. Her eyes like that of an animal that was looking at its nemesis. The kind of animosity only given to enemies.

"You forgive me for what? I didn't KILL your family. You lost nothing in this. Who are you to forgive? What are you saying?!" Bella knew there was no thought behind those words, but that only made her feel worse about this.

She turned again to see the ashes of the city that had been bathed in lightning. Fires had been started and power lines were cut. There was little hope for the survival of the citizens.

Moreover, most had started to rise from the dead after being struck. It was a big mess.

Shallow words would hardly make her feel like she had no hand in this. Bella wanted to go out there and save as many as she could, but she was stopped by a hand gripping her arm.

"I don't know what you think of me, but… you are the first friend I ever made. Don't go. I'll take care of this. Just stay right here." Tia's pleading eyes caught the sword girl off-guard.

She barely managed to hold herself back and stopped herself. Bella wanted to treasure this friendship they had. Not wanting anything to make her feel like she didn't care about her.

"Alright…" Bella raised her arms in defeat. 

She let things flow exactly as Tia wanted. The girl looked clean, but she seemed stubborn in defending her to the very end. Making an alibi for her when no one knew where she was.

All those events lead to this day, when she finally met the perpetrator of this disaster. The wicked woman who had caused her to lose control and stain herself with many deaths.

She accessed her Imperial Privilege while raising both swords. Light energy bursted through her skin and became a reinforced magic overlay. Improving all her abilities.

This was her Imperial Privilege: 'Celestial Flare'. Igniting her Mana and forcibly increasing the density of it rather than the quantity. The electrical surges around her swords almost became material objects.

Similar to the lightning bolt of Zeus.

Then came her Step Method: 'Lightning Step'. The ability to bounce of the ground, wall, ceiling, or any other place of leverage in order to soar. Falling like a stormy judgement.

She absolutely obliterated the giant flaming skeleton. Turning it into a mess of fragments.

Knowing that this would only be the start.