章 104: Chapter 53: Resolve (Part 3)
Dyne: "You can't defeat me."
The Spectre says after having finally gained the higher-ground in the battle.
Sneha: "Tsk!"
The Aural clicks her tongue in irritation, but,
Sneha: "So this is how far he had planned."
Her irritation is not at being unable to overpower her opponent, it is at the fact that her partner knew this would happen and had given her a safeguard for it.
Dyne: "What the-"
The Spectre couldn't even finish before the Aural takes out and throws a packet full of sand from the beach. While it is in the air and comes in the direct line from her fist to Dyne's head, she punches it making the packet tear off. The sand particles, with the force given to them by an Aural's punch, become able to hurt Dyne, and as the coarse little things keep hitting him, Sneha is able to get behind him and, with all the power she could muster, give a high-kick at Dyne's head.
Dyne: "GAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The Spectre falls on the ground.
Sneha: "So this is why he was taking so much time thinking about things on the beach. He was thinking of ways to defeat these monsters."
She understands that by the fact that not just her, but Kais and Sona were also winning by following the plan Ethan laid out for them.
Sneha: "Hah!!!"
She sighs exasperatedly.
One of the things Barry had told Ethan on the night they talked at the beach was that his preference for fighting anyone really strong like Spectre Dyne is attacking with fire, so to say, pyrokinesis. Ethan had understood from the fact that those two weren't near the tomb when he came there that they were engaged somewhere else, which probably means that they were fighting Barry, Ro and the Dragon.
From there on out, it's not hard to guess that Barry would have tried to take down Dyne to threaten Walter and so he would have attacked him with fire. Even if the ghost himself won't have any wounds, his clothes and specially his helm, which seems to be made of a special metal, will have burns on them. All they need to do is sprinkle some sand with a lot of force on those marks to cause those burns to react and henceforth, the current results had all been planned by the man with Eyes of Truth when he gave Sneha that pouch of sand and told her the plan.
Sneha: "I hate to admit it, but I'm glad he's on our side."
*******************************
We need to be cautious. Even now, this can still turn around. Thinking that, both I and Sona keep ourselves ready to attack at any time.
However, at least right now, it doesn't seem like we have any need to attack. After all, the strongest man, in the world is lying on the ground unable to move after having his back charred and a hole made through his stomach by a certain ridiculously powerful vampire-like spirit.
Sona: "Sagzear, be ready to attack again at a moment's notice, no, not even that much time is guaranteed to be given."
She says to her vampire-spirit, who obeys and stays near Walter to attack him as soon as he tries to move.
Walter: "Ugh!"
If Ethan's plan works, we might not need to fight him again. But, I really doubt this is all it would take for the world's strongest to go down.
Walter: "Why!?"
He asks in a voice which was rising in anger with every millisecond.
Kais: "Huh!?"
Sona: "Huh!?"
We both react at the same time.
Walter: "Why can't I move?"
According to what Ethan said, the particular place that I blasted off with pyrokinesis has been painted in poison by him. So, that poison should be acting now. But,
Walter: "This happened before too."
I had started wondering something after having peeked into Ro's mind to see how the fight back there went. I was wondering why Walter let Ro and the Dragon keep hitting him with the same strategy so many times? I think I have gotten my answer now. It was because he was busy wondering about why such small amounts of poison are making him unable to move.
And now again,
Walter: "This poison I shouldn't even be able to feel. Why is it working so potently on me now?"
He grits his teeth in anger and while I don't share the sentiment, I do share the question. And seeing this, the dragon who is standing with Ro's help observing this fight smirks.
Dragon: "Allow me to enlighten you, Walter Schmidt."
He says as he points at Walter's arms, no, the cloth on Walter's arms.
Dragon: "That cloth has been sprinkled with a particular herb that spreads so fast as if it's a virus and it increases the potency of any poison."
Wait! There are herbs like that here? I guess it isn't exactly out-of-expectations but,
Dragon: "Now when I think of who may have planted those herbs on you, there's just one person aside from me and the girl who would know of it as he could have detected them with his eyes."
The Dragon seems quite satisfied as he sees Walter down, as if he is feeling the taste of revenge by this scene.
Walter: "Tsk!"
Walter, as he understands everything that is said, clicks his tongue.
Walter: "Damn that brat!"
Ethan: "I'm already damned. There's no point in cursing me anymore."
The voice of the possessor of Eyes of Truth comes as he walks out of the tomb and turns to look at Walter.
Ethan: "What the dragon said is more or less right. You had fallen in my trap the moment you so casually walked past me while underestimating me."
He says with a grin, a grin that perfectly displays the image of him I had built-in initially, the image of an evil bastard, what I now know Ethan is far from being.
Ethan: "And well?"
As he looks at Sneha to see how things are on her end, we do too. And well, it seems like she has Spectre Dyne on his knees. Seeing that, we conclude that this battle ends with our victory.
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Dragon: "You are gonna go through with it, right?"
Kais: "Of course I will."
I say to the dragon who is lying next to a tree as his time is about to end.
Kais: "I'm gonna … We're gonna destroy Ozyllus."
I say in a firm voice.
Kais: "So you can rest assured, this world will move on to a better future."
That voice isn't there to sooth the dragon, but it is there to show him that I mean it when I say it,
Kais: "So rest in peace!"
Dragon: "Hah!"
He cackles and looks at the three of us, and Ethan in the distance.
Dragon: "I believe in you, Kais.
I believe in you, Sneha.
I somehow believe in you, Ethan.
And …"
He pauses as he looks at the only member left.
Dragon: "I believe in you too, Sona."
Sona: "Tsk!"
Sona clicks her tongue.
Sona: "I … I am …"
Dragon: "You don't need to say it. Your hatred towards me was because of Ozyllus. I don't blame you for anything you did or tried to do to me … or the girl."
The dragon smiles as he says that. I believe, for the first time in a long, long time, the Dragon is showing all of his emotions, not suppressing any of them. And seeing that, Sona doesn't have the will she would need to refute him either.
Sneha: "Dragon,"
Sneha suddenly speaks,
Sneha: "That girl had a name."
Dragon: "She … did?"
The dragon finds himself surprised, as do I and Sona.
Sneha: "Yes. I gave her name before she died."
She said in a sad and solemn but also firm voice.
Sneha: "She was Lilly."
For a moment, none of us say anything. And then,
Dragon: "I see. The flower Lily, I believe you humans consider it to be the symbol of innocence, right? Well, it fits her I guess."
He says as a clear smile comes on his face along with slight tears in his eyes. He looks up at Sneha and says,
Dragon: "Thank you!"
He says those two words, maybe for the first time in his entire life, and that life … then ends.
*******************************
The 'god' and the 'devil' felt it. They felt a sudden tinge of sadness in them. At different places and at a different time, they had one thing to say.
Ozyllus: "So you have died, Sagax."
Abyss: "So you have died, Dragon."
They are people from 1000 years ago. And they can now feel it more than anyone else.
The ones who were with them 1000 years ago are long gone now. Whether they died with a smile or tears, they are gone. No matter what either of them does, they can never see the faces of their friends, comrades and families again.
Even if Ozyllus succeeds in everything he wants to do, or Abyss succeeds in completely stopping him, it doesn't really benefit either of them in any way. They have lost everything now. They can never gain any of it back. They have nothing to gain and hence, nothing to lose. And so, completely disconnected from the world, they have truly become god and devil, just fulfilling their roles as the light and the dark.
Their stories ended a long time ago, and both were tragedies. No matter what happens now, those two stories will remain tragedies.
*******************************
Valdis and Reid, followed by the four generals walk, no, barge into the room of their strategist; and seeing that, a woman looks at them in disgust.
Woman: "What's the meaning of this?"
Valdis: "We apologize for intruding, Darcy, but … but there's something that I want to ask him."
Valdis says as she looks at the figure sitting on a chair on the other corner of the small room, the man called the strategist of the Vampire Kingdom.
Strategist: "Well, what is it, queen Valdis? Ask away."
Reid: "Show more respect …"
Reid is stopped by Valdis.
Valdis: "Barry, he … he … might have died."
Strategist: "I see. I'm sad to hear that about your brother."
Valdis: "Yeah, and … and that means that … we have grown considerably weaker now."
Valdis shakes with sadness as she barely stops herself from tearing up. To help her, Reid continues,
Reid: "What our highness wants to ask you is if we can really win this war?"
The strategist slowly steps up from his chair.
Reid: "We are up against three factions who are all stronger than us individually, and now we lose Barry. So,"
Even Reid, however, has trouble asking the question.
Reid: "We don't stand a chance, do we? Tell us the truth, won't this war bring about the end of the Vampire Kingdom?"
The six who had come in the room, look at the strategist with despaired faces which showed that they had already accepted that they would lose and that there's nothing that can be done about it.
Strategist: "No!"
But the man whose word matters the most disagrees.
Strategist: "This war won't bring about our end."
His voice doesn't show uncertainty.
Strategist: "We ARE going to win this war."
Valdis: "But the odds …"
Strategist: "Will be turned around."
The strategist says looking directly in the queen's eyes and then bowing down to her,
Strategist: "That, I pledge on my name, the name that means 'hope'."
The man whose name means 'hope' says with a firm resolve.
Strategist: "I, Bronzer, pledge that I will turn this war around."
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クリエイターの想い 
Zyanide100
Zyanide100 Dear readers, I humbly thank you all for having read this far! We have finally reached the end of "Arc 1: The Beginning Of The End."
Planning this arc was the roughest experience for me so I personally think that every arc past this will be better than this one overall. That said, it's not up to me to decide, that will be up to you.
As for when you'll be able to do so, well, "Arc 2: The World Falling" begins from June 2.
Sorry for the long wait but I hope to see you all again there!
Stay healthy!
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