The sky cracked under the immense pressure of Kanami’s speed. In her current shining form, it was as if she were a shooting star, burning away at the air itself as she pierced through the atmosphere. She carried a sort of heavenly and enlightening light that was hard to describe, even for those who studied the stars.
Soaring across the skies, the wind fluttered her clothes and hair, disrupting the carefully crafted hairstyle she had so dearly poured her morning routine into. Right now, there was nothing else on her mind besides finding Quintella.
Early risers, drunkards, and late workers all watched attentively as a golden streak flashed by them. Upon gazing at the light, their hearts beat in a strange rhythm that filled them with an overwhelming sense of hope. It felt like there was nothing they couldn’t do, and all their doubts and despair vanished in an instant.
Of course, this effect wasn’t permanent, but such were the powers that Kanami possessed. The powers of hope.
While ordinary onlookers were filled with joy, the actual entity producing the light felt every emotion but that. Her eyes were fixated on her target, flying straight toward them using as much magical energy as she could possibly muster.
Her body felt incredibly hot, to the point where she wanted to tear her flesh from her bones. But the thirst for vengeance cooled her just enough so that her consciousness wouldn’t fail her. Gritting her teeth, a sonic boom exploded just behind her, shattering all the windows of the village she passed over.
Nature itself had started to twist in her mere presence. The trees bent their branches to grant Kanami clearer sight, while the wind pushed in her direction as if guiding her forward. Animals that had been dormant and hibernating suddenly woke up, letting out roars of reverence. Despite all that, there wasn’t a hint of care in Kanami’s eyes.
Kanami’s clothes still remained intact by some miracle. By the way her light was melting and burning everything within the vicinity in KL’s room, it would only be natural to assume that anything closest to her skin and wings would have been burned off immediately.
But the answer was far more simple. Because the light belonged to Kanami, anything attached to her was considered part of her as well, limiting the light’s radiance to only a certain extent. If she had been at full capacity, she would no doubt have changed into her true form the moment her wings started to protrude from her skin.
However, due to the fact that she had not only lost her True Spear of Hope, Arufaregina, but also had not properly used her magical gears and soul to their absolute potential in what seemed like ages, there was no world where she would be able to unleash her full wrath upon the person who stole her face.
Despite that, however, she was still not someone to be underestimated.
Slowly, she started descending while lowering her speed. She could see the large Tree of Life in the distance, which indicated that she was nearing her destination. From her peripheral vision, she saw the dark barrier that loomed over the now-destroyed city of Yucu Saa.
If she were in no rush, perhaps she would have stopped to save Saya. But if Quintella wasn’t acting, then that was all the information she needed to indicate that she would most likely end up alive.
Beyond the hundred trees, thousands of bushes, and millions of leaves, she finally spotted the slim silhouette of the silver-haired girl. Shifting her weight midair, she shot upward, then immediately dropped back down with crushing speed, forming a crater in the middle of the forest.
Nature in the vicinity of the impact was blown away instantly. Quintella, on the other hand, who was sitting merely fifteen feet away from the point of impact, remained standing still as though nothing had happened, a twisted smile curling across her face.
Behind the brown dust from pulverized soil, a pair of golden eyes leaked its brightness before a sharp gust of wind blew the obstruction away. At last, the two enemies were now standing face to face. While one wore the expression of pure rage, staring daggers and breathing heavy, labored breaths, the other was simply standing with pure satisfaction and unbridled joy.
Quintella’s toes curled, digging deeper into the soil each time she did so, as nerves got the better of her. But it wasn’t from anxiety, but rather from the excitement of finally going against a worthy opponent.
At this point for Kanami, there was no going back.
“Your wings have gotten dimmer,” Quintella stated while bending her upper body to the right, to check out and confirm her words.
There were six wings, each the length of a longsword, protruding from Kanami’s back. Cylindrical in shape and as thick as wooden logs used in home structures, they radiated an unstable, shifting light. Two pointed toward the sky, two dug into the ground like a second pair of legs, and the remaining pair hovered at mid-height, swaying in an irregular rhythm.
Between the rods of light, magical energy continuously bled outward. Each wing functioned as a pseudo-limb, housing its own set of magical gears and a stored reservoir of power. The output was anything but stable, the overflowing energy distorting the air around them as reality itself seemed to warp, as though bending under the weight of something unreal.
Ignoring the obvious fighting words, Kanami replied, her face scrunched up in distain, “You knew I’d find ya if you used Arufaregina. So tell me, why’d you use it? After all these loops we went through, why decide now was the best time to confront me?”
Quintella erupted into laughter, “Isn’t it obvious? It’s better to end a show right after its peak, rather than dragging it on just for it to go stale not too long after.”
“This loop has already topped my charts, even though we’re still in the super early stages of it.”
“Did you know? Just now, Ocky tried to use Third Magic against the Second Prime! Isn’t that just so exciting? Her. The person who would only exclusively use her Soul Symphony and arcane magic just tried to use the Third!”
Quintella’s words were certainly interesting to Kanami. Despite being against her, she couldn’t help but agree at how absurd Saya was being. All throughout her life in the Eighth World, Saya Idlansil was someone who, even before learning about the truth of the world, had stuck strictly to her own abilities and techniques.
The fact that she had tried to use magic that she wasn’t very well acquainted with meant that something had gone awry during her journey. The answer would have been painfully obvious to Kanami, if not for Quintella’s next words.
“She recalled at the academy.”
It was as if she had been reading her mind. Things were not aligning with Kanami the more information she was fed. Not once during all her loops had she recalled at the academy. Before that, her record was always set in Atrila.
Based on the way Quintella had stated the fact, it didn’t seem like she had interfered with Saya’s life at the academy. At this point, they were both aware of the fact that her early years were something not to be trifled with, as it would derail her journey altogether. They both needed her to grow in power, one for the sake of salvation, and the other for the sake of entertainment.
Finally breaking her silence, Kanami stated, “It ain’t like ya to make such drastic changes in your script. Surely ‘entertainment’ wasn’t the only reason you summoned the Second Prime. You’re evil, yeah, but you’re smart enough to know a being like that could end the Eighth completely.”
Quintella replied, “What can I say, I wanted to go all out this time. I’m not sure what caused her to recall so early, but I knew from that point that I had to take a more involved approach this time around. Besides, after so many loops, I’ve grown bored of the Eighth World.”
“C’mon, don’t tell me you aren’t even a little bit curious what the Ninth World might look like. Who knows, maybe that Prime will end up being far more interesting than dear ol’ Ocky.”
“But I don’t blame you for being so attached to this world. Besides, isn’t that why you keep going to such great lengths to avoid your dear friend?”
Upon hearing her last string of words, Kanami’s expression soured even more than it ever had before, “If ya know what’s good for ya, you’d shut the fuck up right now.”
But despite her warning, Quintella had zero intention of backing down now, “Can’t find her sister, and can’t save her best friend. Boo hoo.”
“You decided that in order to save Albo Flore, you needed to distance yourself from him as much as possible. But face the facts, Eudoxia. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much effort you put into saving Albo’s life, you will never succeed.”
Having had enough of her taunting, four rods of light on her back shot forward faster than great bow’s arrows, piercing the air as they hissed violently toward their target. Not having access to her main weapon of choice, this was the best she could do in terms of attacking power. Sure, she had the ability to throw punches, but with how unpredictable Quintella could be, it was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.
Kicking her feet, Quintella leapt upward, effortlessly dodging the incoming strikes. However, the wings that had been hidden in the soil surged into the sky, wrapping their tendrils around Quintella’s legs and slamming her back down into the earth with no mercy.
Specks of dirt and rock fired in all directions, reacting to the force of the impact. Not wanting to give her another second to recover, the remaining wings flew back toward their target, binding her in every possible way. By her command, the tendrils then raised the beaten body of Quintella.
The villain’s skin was being melted in real time, her bones visible even from the distance Kanami stood. But if her opponent were this easily defeated, she wouldn’t have spent a lifetime stopping her.
Glinting in the sky, strands of her silver hair immediately transformed into chains, intending to return the favor to Kanami. They shot back toward the maiden of light at incredible speed, but to protect its master, the wings loosened their grip on Quintella and instead blocked the attack, immediately vaporizing the purple chains into nothingness.
There wasn’t a second to think, as a second barrage came from where Quintella was standing, now aiming for her torso. Again, she effortlessly blocked the attack with her wings. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she watched as Quintella got back up.
“You’re not using Arufaregina,” Kanami mumbled to herself.
While she had no access to the True Spear, Quintella had the ability to create mimics of the weapon she loved so dearly. Had she been against anyone else, Quintella had no issues with summoning the fake spear against her opponents, as she had used them twice now against the gray monster summoned by Uru.
However, if she were to use the spears on Kanami, Eudoxia to be precise, then there was a high chance that even as fakes, they would turn on Quintella and obey their original master. Despite enjoying chaos and uncertainty, it was a risk she wasn’t willing to take, especially since this was a fight she was determined on winning.
“You’ve always been the one to restart the loop if Oktavia died early,” Quintella went on, “but now that I’m planning on closing this scene forever, I don’t need you around anymore.”
“So this time, I’ll make sure you die, so that you never interfere with my plans ever again.”
With a single mental command, Kanami’s magical gears kicked into full speed, letting out a loud hum across the otherwise quiet forest around them. Her wings shone brighter than they had ever done before, the light so intense that it set the nearby trees ablaze with its mere presence.
Inhaling a strong whiff of smoke, Quintella let out a passionate cry, “THIS IS IT! LET’S DO OUR VERY BEST, EUDOXIA!!!”
Gripping the hair on her head with a fist, she forcefully yanked out what she could before tossing it into the air with all her might. Quintella’s magical gears also went into full power, greatly increasing the manifesting speed of her attacks.
“—!”
Instead of being met with a barrage of chains, what was created from the strands of Quintella’s hair were countless variations of cutlery, from knives to forks to even spoons. Naturally, Kanami’s wings deflected them with ease, but she would be naive to expect that this would be enough to counter her opponent.
A second wave followed, but these were different. Mid-flight, the cutlery grew a dozen arms each, every single one of them carrying a Birthmark. Without warning, they all unleashed different kinds of elemental magic toward Kanami.
Her wings shone too dimly to be able to deflect them all at once, especially since they were all coming toward her from different angles. Driving two wings into the ground, she used them as support to leap upward, bending her body gracefully to dodge each firebolt, ice shard, and stone strike.
What followed was an explosion behind her as the missed attacks struck the trees.
Kanami gritted her teeth. At her current state, she was greatly disadvantaged, and with the world in its current peaceful state, there wasn’t enough hope being generated from living beings to restore her to full strength.
Then, she heard a sweet tune reverberating against her eardrums.
Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch
Like me.
In a blink of an eye, the maiden of light felt her body mass grow three times heavier. At this point, she wouldn’t be able to use the flexible maneuvering techniques she had just used. Her body stuttered for a moment, her right leg stumbling backward due to the imbalance. A dull pressure sank into her bones, as if the air itself had thickened around her, dragging her down with every breath.
Grunting, Kanami yelled out, “You’re usin’ Third Magic now?!”
Her opponent replied with a mocking tone, “This is a battle, y’know. Everything goes.”
Quintella’s head levitated into the air, her long hair flowing freely in the winter breeze, shining so brightly under the moonlight. Her crimson red eyes contrasted sharply against everything around them, only matching the surrounding flames in terms of ferocity.
Before she could attack again, Kanami felt a cold, thick object wrap around her right ankle. By the time she looked down, it yanked her leg forward, nearly causing her to tumble onto the ground, saved only by the tendrils that still remained anchored beneath her.
Despite that, she felt a strong magical disruption ripple across her body. Her magical gears twisted in all directions, some spinning the wrong way while others seized completely. Not only that, but her mind also started to haze, her thoughts slipping out of her control.
“C-Chains… of…”
Quintella finished her words for her, “Domination.”
“Come on, try to keep up!”
Normally, the powers of Domination would have no effect on her, but being burdened with a curse and lacking magical energy, it was difficult for her to resist its strong influence mid-battle. Purple streaks began to crawl up her leg, bruising the skin and leaving the limb completely lifeless in a matter of seconds.
Using all her might, Kanami gripped one of her right wings as hard as possible. Even though it didn’t burn her skin off, she still felt the intense heat radiating from the light, searing through her palm like molten iron. With a sharp pull, she tore one of her own wings free.
Channeling the power hidden deep within her existence, she called out the name of her Soul Symphony, using the broken rod of light as a replacement for her spear. It wouldn’t be close to her actual ultimate ability in terms of power, but she was grasping at straws in this battle.
“Soul Symphony!” she exclaimed.
(Rest On My Lap, Celica)
“Garden of Hope!”
A small circle formed beneath Kanami’s feet, showcasing the remnants of a world now gone. White flowers blossomed and surrounded her ankles, slowing the inevitable corruption ever so slightly.
An explosive reaction immediately followed, golden lightning erupting outward in violent arcs. The air cracked with a deafening snap, pressure rippling through the space around her as static energy hissed and scattered across the battlefield.
Without another second to waste, Kanami launched her wing like a spear toward her opponent. But without any guidance, the projectile was simply on a one-way journey. She could easily deflect the attack, but deeming it unnecessary, Quintella instead opted to simply dodge it.
But she had fallen right into Kanami’s plans. Using her distraction as an advantage, the remainder of her wings shot toward Quintella, twisting and bending like snakes through the air until they made physical contact. One pierced through her abdomen, while another drove through her right shoulder, searing through flesh and roasting internal organs from the inside.
Letting out a guttural scream, Quintella convulsed violently, her body jerking as she grabbed the wing lodged in her abdomen. She did not hesitate to pull her body away, even as her hands were burned on contact.
“You’re right, let’s finish this!” Kanami exclaimed, as the last of her tendril wings shot toward her opponent. One was aimed at her head, and the last toward her heart. With this, she could finally end the cursed loops that both she and Saya were subjected to. If they somehow managed to defeat the Second Prime, the apocalypse would surely be fully averted.
Right on cue, the beams of light tore through Quintella’s face and pierced her heart. Her entire body went limp for a second, granting Kanami a moment of peace. The tension finally drained from her body as she stumbled forward, exhausted and hollowed out.
However, despite the violent impact and the certainty of death, the maiden of light had overlooked one crucial detail. Quintella’s corpse held no blood, and instead began to swell larger with each passing second, as if something inside was forcing it outward.
The rods of light tried to withdraw, but Quintella’s hands and legs clamped down on them tightly, refusing to let them escape. Then, like an overfilled vessel, her body ruptured into a thousand fragments. A shockwave of force burst outward as black feathers rained from the sky, drifting down in unnatural silence as what remained of her existence scattered into nothingness.
Like daggers, one by one, the feathers pierced into the rods of light, spreading a dark miasma through them. The corrupted energy crawled along the wings like rot, stripping them of brilliance as their glow dulled into a rusted black. Thick, tar-like sludge began to drip from their structure, falling heavily onto the ground below with wet, unnatural splats.
Corruption spread so fast that Kanami didn’t even have time to react. As it reached her physical body, a violent jolt of pain tore through her. Her blood felt as if it was boiling into steam, and her organs and nerves were shattered violently, only to be instantly restored by her own magical energy, then broken again in an endless, merciless cycle.
Despite never having experienced this kind of pain before, she was all too familiar with what kind of technique Quintella had used. With her wings fully melting and no longer supporting her cursed body, she collapsed to the ground, dropping to her knees.
She gripped the soil in frustration, her fingers digging deep into the earth, as her mind flickered through memories and traumas she had long tried to forget. Among them were not only the death of her sister, but also the death of a short-haired blonde girl in an empty tower surrounded by broken marble and rusted gold.
“Celi…ca.”
“Al…”
She couldn’t even finish saying their names before her knees finally gave out, her face hitting the grass with a dull impact. Her eyelids grew heavier, each blink dragging her further away from awareness, making it harder to retain both consciousness and her grasp on the living world. With her heart already breaking apart under the strain, it was only a matter of time before she fully succumbed to the sweet embrace of death.
“Despite all this business about Primes and Worlds and such, you do understand that I created the Feathers of Celica, right?”
Quintella’s voice cut through the haze and pulled her attention back. Through her blurred peripheral vision, she saw the silver-haired girl with crimson red eyes standing over the once-great Aspect of Hope in a posture of absolute victory. In her right hand, she held a thin piece of black cloth, something that had once been a gift from Kanami to her beloved younger sister.
One of the treasured artifacts in the world, said to be equal in strength to the Spear Arufaregina. The Cloak of Celica. Had she used the fake version, Kanami would have been easily able to identify and counter the object, as it wouldn’t have carried the extreme amount of dark miasma capable of snuffing out the light of hope.
But since she possessed the genuine article, there was no world in which she would have been able to win, especially not without her main weapon. All the energy had been drained from Kanami, leaving her unable to lift even a single finger.
“Hehe.”
Quintella, on the other hand, was not exhausted one bit. With a cheery, yet sadistic tone, she proclaimed, “It’s a shame, if you had taken your time looking for the True Spear, you would have had a good chance of beating me.”
“But after so many loops, the fact that you barely assembled half of the spear tells me how pathetic you truly are.”
“But let me give you a rundown of what’s going to happen from now on, kay~?” She bent down and booped Kanami’s bloodied nose.
“I changed my mind, so I won’t kill you just yet. I want you to watch our dear Ocky with me, and see just how much she grows. Then, I’ll make sure you watch me rip her apart and bring an end to the Eighth World.”
“But most importantly, I want to make you suffer and succumb to despair first.”
“Ahh~”
“It’s so exciting, I wonder what face you’ll make!”
She made an expression that Kanami didn’t even know her face could make. Her lips were curled into a twisted smile, her eyes carrying the pleasure of domination within them, and her breaths were frantic, like a man who had been given a hundred whores to play with.