??? POV
Within the , a tempest that contained all species’ history, present, and future swirled. The line between vagueness and clarity was erased entirely, for anything and everything can be understood within this chaos.
And surviving in this chaos is a lone Witch, standing formlessly upon the void of nothingness. Her eyes closed in absolute focus, putting all efforts in resisting the relentless cascade of ’information’, threatening to be ’speared’ into her by the storm.
How long are you going to resist, Witch of Wrath?
A voice called out to her. Not from the rift’s disorder, but from outside.
You.
The Witch stated. The voice carried no emotion, as if all her purpose had been drained dry since her birth.
The storm will consu you one day. Resist as long as you like, but you will not last.
The closed eyes wavered for the first ti in 110 years since they closed.
Don’t worry. As much as you deserve it, I’m rely here to offer you a deal.
The soothing whisper into her mind brought solace to her unease. A devil’s temptation, one that she was all too familiar with, countless years ago.
I recognise you.
...
Even now, you are still so stubborn.
That is not your concern.
The Witch’s lips shivered as she mumbled out the words.
"Here to help ? For one last ti?"
...of course. One last ti.
The Witch’s eyes, relieved by such a declaration, opened with resolve.
"I promise. I will redeem for all that I’ve done."
She gripped the katana’s hilt at her waist, her other hand on the scabbard that held it.
You are welco to try. For now, follow my voice.
The Witch’s knees bucked, feet spread apart as she took a practiced stance and glared in a direction.
And do what you do best.
Swish!
----------------------
10 mins ago...
l POV
"."
l stood above Lila on the Hillside, glancing down at the calm erald eyes with a Witch’s confident gaze.
A three-feet-tall, humanoid eagle, with skin of literal steel, materialised from the magic circle. She wore a black leather jacket over a mismatched white polo shirt and tallic silver pants.
In one hand, she gripped a longbow twice her size. And in the other, an arrow just as large.
l smiled at the embarrassing glimrs from the shiny pants before glancing back at Lila, who was shuddering. Perhaps awed by her Adept-ranked summon’s strength, perhaps in the pants. She sincerely hoped it was the forr.
"Now then." She clapped her hands, reeling Lila’s focus. "With all due respect, I’ll give you two options."
Her hand held out two fingers. "Either an attack that would match your strength, or-"
"Your strongest attack."
l’s eyes flickered with hesitation, contrasting with Lila’s resolute voice echoing in her ears.
"...it’ll really hurt, you know?"
Lila’s lips tugged into a small smile, her fingertips trickling with frost dust. "It’s alright. You’ll hold back either way for , right?"
l sighed helplessly at Lila’s perceptiveness, eying the burnt forest behind her girlfriend(?).
For the Witch of Lust, is one of l’s many strongest summons, but with her boundless mana, she can summon at least 30 more if she wishes.
All of them could also simultaneously be buffed by her , not to ntion the debuffs, crowd controls, and attacks her can provide.
All of that, however, would only make for an anti-climactic ending.
And so, she uttered. "One attack."
Just one attack. l will hold nothing back.
She raised her wooden staff on the Steel-eagle. "."
The wooden tip carrying the Adept Ranked buff was cast upon the Eagle. The eagle’s steel muscle tensed beneath her jacket instantly, vibrating with a renewed vigor.
The Witch of Lust watched as Lila visibly gulped, her erald eyes shivering under the Steel Eagle’s sharp stare.
l rely raised her hand. "You should be readied with all that you have."
With her master’s permission, the Summon slamd the bow into the soil, her steel claw clasping a great arrow as she snapped back the long bow’s string with a slow but practiced motion.
Lila’s erald eyes caught a glimpse of the purple mana cloaking around the great arrow, her cold sweat dripping on the forehead, a tickling nervousness she could hardly bear to face.
Her mory was set adrift, before searching her robe’s pocket and taking out the l gave her.
A selfish thought ca to her, as she sneakily (under l’s flustered glance) put it over her ring finger, before summoning the stave from within.
Her fingers gripped the one-handed scepter tightly. The purple rod was shimring with a hue reminiscent of l’s Witchly mana, and the blue crystal at the tip was encircled by tallic shine.
Unlike a certain, stubborn Dragoness, who has been training and isolating herself from birth, she deeply cherished what had been given unto her.
And so, Lila took a deep breath, recalling Saria’s training.
She stretched out the scepter, a power that answered to her calmness glimring from the crystal.
Her erald eyes closed in deep focus. Cold wind spiraled around Lila before a blue magic circle spread from underneath her feet.
And from the scepter’s tip, snow and ice crystals converged, swirling into a blazing orb of a frosty storm. Gusts howled, robes fluttered, and Lila’s eyes steeled.
Deep in her heart, she knew the arrow would pierce through her Adept-ranked spell like a spear through paper.
Yet, facing l’s softened gaze, she realised sothing.
That she was no longer afraid of failures.
"."
The orb shot out, traces of frostbite coating its path like trails of forgotten snows.
And in that split mont, l’s staff pointed forward.
"."
For one second, Adept’s ranked buff spell veiled the Steel Eagle’s arrow, before it released with a ’fervent cry of a banshee’, cutting through the air with lightning speed.
The steel penetrated the orb, slicing through all of Lila’s efforts and talents.
The erald eyes closed, bracing for the impact to co. Yet, all she felt was a breeze soaring over her shoulder, her hair fluttering against the deafening silence.
And the silence broke, as Lila shuddered at the thunderous roars of crashing tides behind her. She glanced behind her, almost gasping as the arrow tore through bark after bark, burnt trees with holes falling one by one, as the dry soil cracked underneath the mana’s pressure.
Before she knew it, the arrow had burrowed a literal path straight through the burnt forest, a violent display of precision and a ’banshee’s rage’.
Her knees buckled, and she plopped on the grass, hanging her head to process everything that had happened. Rember when she claid she was not afraid?
Well, she lied. But who could bla her?! She was almost decimated like those poor trees behind her!
"Don’t feel down."
Footsteps approached, reeling her out of her daze. Before long, her hair felt a familiar patting, this ti with a doting pity that she almost couldn’t recognise.
The soothing whisper flowed into her ear, like a balm to her shaken spirit. "One day, you will grow as strong as ."
Her eyes welled up with tears before she blinked them off. Now is not the ti to cry, as much as she wanted to.
She recognises now the distance, the real distance between her and l.
To protect her against the Church, the World, and the Saintess, she has to grow faster than all of them, l herself included.
"...mm."
Her erald eyes grew firr as she glanced at l’s loving gaze. She could not afford petty insecurities now.
She will protect l. And she will stay by her side, forever and ever.
"Still..." Lila pouted. "Deliberately aiming away from is a bad sport. I almost wish I would be pixelated instead."
"Hehe." l held her chuckles, desummoning her steel eagle at the side. "I have my own principles. I only hurt when I need to."
The Witch of Envy’s eyes narrowed. "Does that include all those you hypnotised, burned, and dragged into Lady Rosana’s slaughters?"
The Witch of Lust nodded smoothly. "That was one of the examples."
"..."
Lila sighed deeply. "Why do I feel like you can’t help but get yourself more enemies?"
"That’s good, no?" l’s lips curled up to a familiar foxy smile. "Weren’t you afraid of being close to other won? More enemies, fewer rivals, right?"
A blush crept up to Lila’s cheeks. "I...ac-actually, weren’t we already couples?! Why do I feel like you’re suddenly acting like other won will co running at you at any minute now?!"
"Oh, Lila..." l kneeled to the grass, creeping down to Lila as their chests collided. "Are you jealous now? We could kiss now if you would like to. I did promise after all, didn’t I?"
"Sto-stop teasing and avoiding the question, you Witch!"
"So cute... hehe..."
Drunk by the sight of Lila’s blushes, l’s eyes glimred with an uncontrollable urge. Though Lila pushed against her, the weakening struggles betrayed her annoyance.
Just as she leaned down to reciprocate her love, a panel disrupted her view, blocking her view of Lila’s subdued eyes that seed to surrender with every passing second.
[ Host! ]
Oh. A disappointed hum lingered within l’s heart. Soone here had really, really bad timing.
What is it?
[ Long story short, take out your necklace! Sothing disastrous is about to happen! ]
l’s eyes blinked as she pulled away from Lila. Explain more?
[ Aye, no ti! Just wear your necklace, now! ]
The Witch of Lust frowned as she stood up, pulling the confused Lila along. She recalled the last ti when the System’s urgent tone ca as Saria rushed at her, so ’it’ was never one to joke when a danger truly ca.
Then, a flash of light streaked across her vision.
It happened in a blink. But l could ’see’ it. ’Comprehend’ it. A slash, or sothing sliced down from the sky to the ground, as if to cleanly chop the World in half like a cabbage.
And the ground shook with equal ferventness, dramatically trembling both figures as they tried stabilizing their footings.
"Wha-what is this?!"
Lila’s panicky voice stread through the vibrations, as l slithered her arm up her waist.
"."
An Adept-ranked spell ’rang’ through the air, and before Lila could comprehend it, the balance underneath their feet steadied as if anchored by a vocal harmony.
Smiling softly to assure Lila, l mumbled in her heart.
System. Promise we will not be in danger after this?
[ None whatsoever. As long as I’m here! ]
Wow. How reassuring. We’ll have a long talk later, System.
"Lila." l cupped her lover’s cheek, shifting her head slightly closer. "Do you trust ?"
"Uh-um... yes, l?"
The Witch of Lust’s eyes curved the trembling Erald Eyes, before glancing down at Lila’s lips.
Without warning, she edged closer before crashing her lips onto Lila’s, eliciting a suppressed moan. The Witch of Lust tilted her head for every angle, savouring the smooth curve.
Lila huffed beneath the sudden kiss, so cruelly tender that she lted into it. And yet, l pulled back, leaving only a trace of warmth on her lips.
"Want more?"
Lila hiccuped. Her head was a ss from the howling gusts that seed to signal the World’s end, but more so from the kiss that left her breathless and dizzy.
"Ye-yes..."
"Hehe." l’s eyes never left Lila’s as her unoccupied hand peeked into the inventory while locking her lover in a gentle embrace. "Next ti, I will also ensure the tongue gets a proper welco."
"...hic." Lila whimpered with her head down. "Aw... I’m really in love with a bad woman..."
[ The Witch of Envy was so overwheld with happiness now! ]
[ Envy’s favourability: 81-> 86 ]
"My bad." l smiled, holding back the urge to kiss Lila again. "Good for you, however. I can never get enough of you either, Lila."
"... too..."
The Witch of Lust giggled at the maiden’s honest confession, as the sky above them creaked for the first ominous crack.
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