n

n

nHaving no time to contemplate my earlier choices, I acted instantly.

n

"Virgo, don't let go!

" I said, quickly grabbing the Constellation beside me by her waist and drew her closer to myself.

n

"W-what are you-?!

"

nShe turned her body, trying to break free from my hold, but I instantly tightened my grip on her to ensure she couldn't break free.

n

"A-ah!

" She let out, flustered and furious by the indignation I was making her pass through.

nHowever, there was no time to explain the situation.

n

"We're going to be leaving for a bit.

"

n>BOOOOOOOOOMMMMM<

nThe crimson burst of devastation erupted, consuming everything in its path as it neared us.

nWatching its advancement, I smiled, barely activating my ability in time.

nI teleported myself and Virgo away from the location, nearly caught in the explosion.

nSuch a simple idea, really... how could I have missed it.

nAnd so, in the blink of an eye, I appeared in Artia, since it was the most vivid of my memories.

n

"W-what did you... this place is...

" Virgo muttered, taking in the sight of the merchant city.

nWe had appeared atop a hill, a small distance from the city. I remembered this was where my original passed through along with Talia in order to reach Artia, the first settlement he stayed in upon his revival.

nMy body suddenly felt better, and in a single moment, all the vanishing strength I had been losing became restored. I stiffened, receiving my powers back, but doing so caused me to make a terrible mistake.

n

"A-Ah! What are you doing, you mongrel!

" Virgo snapped, feeling my hold on her tighten.

n

"Get off of me!

" She yelled, pushing me away.

nFlustered by the sudden situation, I pulled away from her, realizing what had just transpired.

n

"You... do you have any idea what you've done?! To touch me, the holy one of-

"

n

"That's enough. We don't have time for this...

" I cut her words short, more concerned by the dire situation we had left behind.

n

"Why you...

" She gritted her teeth, still giving me a deathly glare I didn't deserve.

n

"You're welcome, by the way. I suppose this is my thanks for saving your life...

" I mumbled, glancing away from her.

nUpon hearing my words, she became mute, contemplating what I said. Appearing embarrassed, yet still frustrated by my earlier actions, she could only glare at me, while occasionally glancing to the ground as though something existed there.

n

"Now swallow your pride and comport yourself. The battle isn't over yet!

"

nShe seemed to understand my point but felt annoyed that I had to mention it to her.

nThis is what I get for trying to reason with an Apostle. Should I have let her die then? No... She's still useful!

nStill, the way I instinctively reached out to save her without prior thought, almost like instinct, made me worry about the state of my emotions.

n

"What am I-

" I mumbled absentmindedly.

n

"F-fine. I'll have to agree with you, for now. But this isn't over yet. You'll have to answer for your actions after we're done!

" She blurted out.

nI shrugged. There wasn't anything to discuss, in the first instance.

n

"Let's go!

"

nOnce again, I made physical contact with Virgo by touching her lightly, causing the both of us to teleport back to our prior location.

nI decided to drop Virgo off on my way to the monster since I didn't need any extra baggage while facing the monster. I left her on a pile of rubble, some distance from where the monster floated, and left for the monster's location.

n

"Erect a barrier and protect yourself well. I'll be finishing this!

" I told her.

nGritting her teeth in annoyance, she obeyed.

nGood. With this, I shouldn't be held back by anything! I'll be able to go all out!

nAnd so, I dived into the sky, finding the enemy drunk in its supposed victory.

nWell then, let the counterattack begin!

n*****************************

n

"Now then, I hope you're ready to die!

" I grinned, floating atop the wounded beast with a confident grin.

nThe monster clicked its tongue, glaring at me with rage. I could feel the overwhelming surge of anger swirling within it as it tasted defeat for the first time.

n

"You... Kill me? Don't make such odd jokes!

"

nIts voice grew more malevolent and an ominous aura enveloped it.

nBefore I could respond, the energy welling within the monster erupted, sending a crimson blast to destroy everything around him.

n>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!<

nI evaded its attack easily, appearing outside its range.

nThe monster arose from its estate, reaching my height as its body was surrounded with blood-like orbs of destruction.

n

"My purpose... I will fulfill it. Don't mess with me, Hero, I will kill you, and everyone you love!

"

nHis last statement made me cringe a little, and I somehow felt the need to correct him.

n

"I love no one, monster. Did you perhaps get a wrong idea somewhere down the line?

"

nSadly, my words fell on deaf ears as the monster didn't appear to be capable of listening to me anymore.

nDrowned its bloodthirsty state, the only thing left within it was the driving force of entirely defeating me.

nIt's too bad. That's impossible!

n>FWOOOOOSH<

nThe demon-like creature sped from its location and advanced toward me with full speed. Its flight appeared to tear apart the fabric of space, drawing closer to me without a single second passing.

nI immediately summoned a shield to parry its assault, causing the monster's blow to clash with my highly sturdy blue shield.

n>KKKKRRRRRRR<

nSounds made from our clash echoed across the barren plains caused by the earlier destruction. Sparks were sent flying as I watched it struggle to destroy my Treasure.

nAs I thought... this monster isn't that big a deal...

n

"Dieeeee!!!

" It screamed.

nSeveral of the orbs surrounding it launched in an instant, like projectiles that had me as their target.

nBypassing the shield protecting me, they circled about my defense and came charging toward me.

n

"Pathetic!

"

nI activated my aura and instantly vaporized the orbs.

nThis shocked the monster as it widened in eyes, causing the blow it gave the shield to weaken.

nUsing this opportunity, I added more energy to the shield, allowing it to repel the monster.

n>ZZZTTTTZZZ<

nThe glowing shield buzzed, sending a shockwave to the flustered creature.

n

"Arrghhhhhh

" It yelled in pain, pushed away by the impact caused by the shield's effects.

nJust like that, I redirected the full brunt of its attack in one hit.

n>VWOOOOOM<

nIt got pushed away, crashing into the ground in an instant.

nI didn't stop there as I also dived to the falling monster, reaching it within a second.

n>WHOOSH<

nThe winds made way for me as I appeared behind its falling form while it remained disoriented.

nUnsheathing my blade from its scabbard, I ignited a golden aura within it, sending the entire area into shock and vibration in the presence of the magnitude of power I wielded.

n

"I wasn't able to draw out enough power to do this back then... but now...

" I mumbled.

nThe monster couldn't react since it was still struggling with the recoil of my attacks.

nI gave a vertical slash, sending a sharp surge of golden light to clash with the wounded monster.

n>KKKKKAAABOOOOOOMMMM<

nThe force of the explosion sent shockwaves across the area, past the city, and even beyond.

nBright golden light shone, overpowering even the sun as everyone from far would definitely be able to notice the life radiance emitted by the single attack I made.

n

"Huuu, that feels much better...

" I whispered.

nThe monster, already extremely battered by my attack, but not quite dead, fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

nI followed its repulsive body and remained in the air as I watched the smoke clear around the area of impact.

n

"How... I was... stronger... How could I lose... how...

"

nHearing its groans made me feel pity for the ignorant creature, while also having slight repulsion evident in the glare I gave it.

n

"You were never stronger than me... you were just privileged...

" I said.

nMy attack seemed to have knocked some sense to it, and due to its weakened state, the monster was capable of understanding me once again.

n

"What are you...?!

"

nIt glared at me, still having the determination to end me, but its body wasn't going to listen to it anytime soon.

n

"The Dungeon, it had an effect of siphoning power and transferring them to you. For some reason, I wasn't able to draw out my full power, and it appeared you were overwhelmingly strong.

" My low voice captured its attention.

nI admit, it took me some time to realize this, and before then I panicked as a result of meeting a stronger adversary.

nTo think it was all just a hoax

n

"You're weak. You've always been. If not for the Dungeon supplying you with a huge chunk of my strength, you wouldn't have been able to push me so far.

"

nThe monster croaked as I continued speaking, not willing to accept the harsh reality of its existence.

nWhether it wants to accept it or not, this is the end of the line.

n