The land of desolation, where even dying was a privilege, welcod a new entity.
Flying through the sky, a gigantic white whale with six pairs of winged fins finished off the group’s last hopes.
The giant crossed the sky, like a ghost.
All the remaining emissaries stopped struggling, looking at this promise of a dire destiny.
The giant opened a large mouth filled with teeth and uttered a shrill song, making the burning city vibrate.
In response to the song, everyone’s view blurred.
They groaned in pain, holding their head.
A white foam then ford on the ground, gradually spreading everywhere.
On her knee, Agharita watched the white death coming closer, she was resigned to die, her head lowered.
"I told you to run!" Candace grabbed her by the collar and jumped.
On their side, Elizabeth and Peters were side by side.
Elizabeth, her sword lowered, looked at Fafnir spreading his gigantic wings and then at the whale.
She remained expressionless for the first ti and sighed.
"Peters?"
"Yes?"
"You said we could understand each other, we are both cowards incapable of speaking properly to our siblings. We have disappointed them and it seems we won’t even take responsibility for our actions."
Peters looked at the Rift, a dull expression on his face.
"What’s the point if we fail? These things will cross the world and kill them."
"No, Peters, look."
They raised their heads and Peters’s eyes shone.
In the sky, a giant spear pierced the titan.
Dora, standing on a sword, filled the newcor with his repertoire of attacks.
Elizabeth grabbed Peters’s hand and walked forward.
"Look at this, do you understand what it ans? It’s hope, Peters, Dora is showing us that we made the correct decision."
"How? This monster is injured but we both know that it will rise again. Fafnir is also there, where do you see hope for us?"
Elizabeth smiled
"There is no hope for us, Peters, we won’t survive. But it’s not the sa for everyone else. Look at Dora, he can deal injuries to Fafnir, he can wound that thing, you know what that ans? It ans that even a not awakened Avatar can reach a Player, so a true Avatar will definitively kill a Player!"
"... You want him... to synchronize and kill Midgard?"
"No, dummy, I will never allow sacrifices... unless I’m in. Not Dora, but an Avatar like the Queen, like Silva, even Envy! Sooner or later, they will cross their path, and they are way stronger than Dora... They will definitely kill them... We were right sending them away..."
Fafnir opened again his mouth, red light gathering inside.
Peters looked at Elizabeth who seed more dazzling than ever.
He greets his teeth, trembling.
"Geez, a corpse doesn’t cry, grow up."
"Elizabeth... Pride..." He lowered his head, tears of rage flowing. "Pride called us... to propose to help... she was ready to team up with the Queen... but the Queen... she rejected her... she killed our last chance, and then she ran away... If it wasn’t for this damn bitch, none of us would have to die!"
He trembled behind Elizabeth, winds and shockwave sweeping away their armor from ti to ti.
Elizabeth lowered her head, without looking behind.
"Is that so? Guess we really are cursed then."
She inspected her sword and raised it in the air.
"So the Queen ran away? Damn, it happened only twice in a thousand years, how did I miss that? I’m really good at missing things."
She trotted on the Dragon’s corpse swinging her sword happily.
"Hey, Peet."
"... Uh?"
"You know, I realized sothing, there’s no point in being afraid for Hope now. If he was around, he would be dead now, so I can only be happy."
"... You are... Happy?"
Midgard fired a laser beam piercing Fafnir’s throat, Dora in the sky absorbed the foam with his blessing and struck giant chains summoned to restrain the whale.
Elizabeth held out her arms, a satisfied smile on her lips.
"I’m very good at wasting my life, I was too focused on my training when I was a student, and before I knew it the other students were avoiding , I was a monster after all, everyone wants a princess in distress, not a bull. Then, before graduating, I beca so strong that they nad a Royal Knight, but even there I was the only one able to do S-rank Rifts, so the others avoided ... Maybe this is why I have a hard ti socializing?"
Peters looked at her, his eyes shining in amazent.
Elizabeth turned to the battle of giants, taking an offensive stance.
"You know, I’m only 22, and now that I’m going to die, let tell you that I have a lot of regrets! Even a list! Wanna hear?"
Without waiting for an answer, she leaned forward and jumped high into the sky.
Peters flinched and followed her.
"I had fun training with Miss Candace, but I didn’t know that school life was so fast, I wanted to study like everyone else instead of fighting every ti! I’m not clever, so I want my bad marks too!"
She slashed the air, illuminating the sky.
A massive cut resulted on the whale’s stomach, making the titan push another shrill song.
"People graduate at 18, but they said I was ready at 14, that’s bullshit! Give back my youth! I want to go shopping with so friends too, I was still young, why can’t I just do both? There are S-ranks in guilds dammit!"
She swirled and a white circle ford with a large diater, turning many Dragons into minced at.
"I also wanted to go to the Sisters Parade, I was an intern, so I missed out on a lot of years, but when I ca back I was so popular! If I was smart enough, I would have just disguised myself, as Dora did, but did I tell you that I never had the average mark in class?"
She was falling again, Peters threw dragon energy to grab her, but instead, another black hole sent her higher.
She smiled and turned to Dora.
"Naughty brat!"
With a single blow, she cut off one of the whale’s winged fins.
"I wanted to do at least one Rift with Dora and everyone, not an easy one, but sothing where we’ll bleed and suffer! Togheter! Then I won’t be the best for once, we’ll all be equal, and we’ll rest in an inn, and we will celebrate our victory! I heard that emissaries go to guild bars after a raid, I want that too, I want to be drunk!"
Midgard bit Fafnir and tried to wrap herself around him, Elizabeth raised her sword and, before everyone’s eyes, shone like a star.
"I wanted to talk to my brother, I know I acted stupid, but I’m co on, I’m an idiot! This is why I thought it was a good idea to let you grow by yourself! And if I was so obsessed with Dora... Did you see him? He’s cool! He’s the only boy I can talk to... who isn’t my brother or a teacher, and he was a fan of my favorite show too... I just wanted a buddy! HERO TI"
The city under destruction was illuminated by a star of hope.
Dora, blinded by her light, narrowed his eyes and looked back at her.
On the ground, Candace raised her head.
Her eyes were shining, as she watched her student.
In this single mont, many formidable beings were gathered together.
Giant Dragons, three Players, two Sin Avatar, but all looked in the sa direction.
This young woman was nothing special, not from any of these species, but at this mont, she was dazzling enough to attract their attention.
Peters looked at her in amazent.
(You’re wrong, Elizabeth... No one avoided you because they were afraid... It was exactly the opposite.)
Elizabeth gave one slash to the whale, cutting its tail halfway, then fell toward Fafnir, readying an attack.
(I know it... because I was one of those students. I was there, I was in your class, and I wanted to approach you... but you were always like this, like now, you were always so dazzling that I couldn’t gather the courage to speak to you... I was feeling unworthy and intimidated, you are brighter than the stars, you are stronger than everyone, you weren’t a bull, but a Goddess... and you still are)
Elizabeth reached Fafnir, Midgard instinctively moved aside, and a phenonal explosion followed.
Peters watched the white blast grow in size with a smile.
(I had no idea you were feeling this way... I trained that much because I wanted to reach you... But you were always so far away... If I knew... no...no... Why do I need an excuse? Now I know, so if we have to die today...)
He greeted his teeth and rushed to the impact zone.
"If we have to die today, then I’ll tell you how I feel! ELIZABETH!!!"
As he reached the cloud of white smoke, a red do expanded, bigger than before, stronger than ever, swallowing him, Midgard, Elizabeth, and Dora and reaching so high that even the whale was taken inside, alongside the army of Disasters and rushed towards Candace and the last emissaries.
On the horizon, the purple cyclone now glowed with the red color of inevitability.
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