I activated Silent Sting and prayed for the best. Time to kill the Fafnerheimlen once and for all.
Upon hitting the obelisk with my special attack, I reduced the monster's HP to seventy-six percent and inflicted Armor Melt. Even my strongest attack barely took a quarter of its health. Still, this was no time to break my concentration.
With Thello by my side, the two of us let loose as many attacks as possible. Slowly, we drained the Fafnerheimlen's health bar, but the minions kept swarming us.
I used Cleansing Inferno to keep most of the nuisances away. It brought my health down to sixty-one percent, but the flames should last for a little while. Once my Cleansing Inferno dissipated, Thello cast Ring of Fire again, creating another barrier.
Once we got the Fafnerheimlen's health down to twenty percent, the monster started to get back up.
The obelisk was no longer within my reach.
"Meteor!" Thello yelled, casting his spell.
I took cover as a gigantic flaming rock split the clouds and rammed into the Fafnerheimlen's head, creating a devastating explosion.
The blast shattered the obelisk, and the Fafnerheimlen came crashing down.
Its health bar was at zero!
The Fafnerheimlen sent clouds of debris into the air when it hit the ground, and its pink tendrils wriggled even after death. Soon enough, the dust settled, and the monstrosity stopped moving completely.
If I had fought the Fafnerheimlen in its proper dungeon, I could have gotten a Soul Weave, but the monster didn't drop that item naturally. It was was only a dungeon reward.
Unfortunately, the success of defeating the Fafnerheimlen was cut short when an owl's shriek pierced the skies. The flying bird then descended, landing on a figure's shoulder.
"Damn. You two actually managed to take down the Fafnerheimlen."
"Typhon, the Swift," Thello said, gritting his teeth.
Typhon crossed the distance in a split second, barely giving Thello any chance to deflect the blow. While the two of them clashed, Typhon's owl, Ludwig, swiped with its claws, inflicting Bleed on the archdemon.
Annoyed with the flying pest, Typhon grabbed the owl out of the sky and crushed it with his bare hands. The bird's corpse silently fell on the ground.
"Damn you, Thello!" Typhon cursed. "Ares, Help me out, here!"
I clenched my fist. "It was you, wasn't it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You were the one who released the Fafnerheimlen!"
Typhon wore a solemn frown as he pulled away from the fight with Thello
"You're right, Ares. I was the one who ordered the release of that monster."
"Why? Why would you do such a thing!"
"I've always wanted to set this plan into motion. If I could lead the Fafnerheimlen to Zweizen, it could finally end Thello's reign, but I knew that it would doom all of Polsius. Now that you're here, I was sure that the Hierophant would bring enough firepower. After Thello died, you and I could work together to stop the Fafnerheimlen before it could progress any further."
"You massacred the largest cities in Polsius!"
"If that's what it takes to end the demons, then so be it."
"You bastard!" Thello yelled. "To think that and NPC would conceive of such a game-breaking scheme!"
Typhon and Thello resumed their fight, knocking each other back with tremendous blows.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Typhon said. "But I'm fighting for humanity."
I stood on the sidelines, unsure of whose side to take.
In the end, people were willing to do anything if it meant protecting whatever was most valuable in their lives.
To me, it was my friends. To Thello, it was his sister. To Typhon, it was humanity.
Each of us was willing to commit evil deeds and even atrocities.
"What are you doing, Ares!" Typhon yelled. "Didn't you want to kill the archdemon?"
Yes. I do.
But Typhon wasn't someone I could trust anymore. In the original game, he had a tendency to put his goal above all else, but I never expected him to release the Fafnerheimlen.
"Ares, You better not side with this monster!" Thello said.
In Thello's mind, he must have known that I would never side with him. His pleading was futile; we were natural enemies.
Despite Typhon's methods, he still fought for humanity's side. and without Typhon's help, I wouldn't be able to beat Thello in a one-on-one duel.
The choice was obvious.
I joined the fight, performing a diagonal cut on Thello's back, taking his HP down to ninety-one percent.
"You traitor! What happened to our truce!"
"I'm calling it off."
"Dammit! And you said you didn't trust me!"
"Distrust both ways," I replied, sending another slash.
Thello cast Demonic Terror, but I reacted in time to use Holy Shield, blocking the debuff. Typhon got behind my protection as well.
Then, Typhon ran forward to engage the enemy again. While that happened, I fired Chromius, sending a rapid-fire blast of energy that forced the archdemon backward.
"Starward Edge!" Typhon said, activating his skill.
The swordsman moved so fast that it appeared as if he were attacking from three directions at once. The storm of blades knocked Thello to his knees, giving me the chance to land a thrust. His health was at fifty percent.
"Damn it all!" Thello screamed.
His skin glowed bright red, veins bulged through his entire body, and his hair become ivory white.
The Enrage skill activated during moments of extreme anger, giving the Thello a boost in every stat.
"Mana Infusion!" Thello said.
He rushed forward, attacking with both the Frigid Edge and his spear. I tried to block with my Holy Shield, but he shattered it with both of his weapons. Then, Thello struck me with his spear, cutting my HP to thirty-five percent.
Right as Thello dashed through me, he launched himself into Typhon.
The tremendous blow sent Typhon flying into the nearby building.
Then, Thello jumped and landed straight on his target, slamming his fists into the ground.
The continuous pounding shook the earth, and Typhon's health dropped to twelve percent health.
Before the enraged Thello could land the killing blow, Typhon said, "God-Shattering Slash!"
Thello was too tunnel-visioned to dodge. Still, Enrage gave him a defense boost, so Typhon's special attack only brought his HP down to thirty-two percent.
But now, Thello was distracted. The damage I took allowed me to charge Silent Sting. When Thello noticed me activating my special attack, it was already too late.
Time slowed to a near halt, and I burst forward, slicing my Laevateinn through Thello's abdomen. When time resumed to normal speed, Thello fell forward. His HP was now at fifteen percent, and his Enrage had worn off.
Typhon dashed in for a cut that that did eleven percent damage, and I landed the final hit, plunging my sword into the archdemon's chest.
He coughed up blood, having been skewered through the heart.
"I hate you all! You damn...monsters! I'll make you pay! Because of you all, my sister—"
Thello vomited even more blood, and his eyes rolled up in his head. When I pulled out my sword, the archdemon collapsed and dissipated into glitter.
Before Thello could disappear fully, I put my finger on the puddle of blood underneath him, and I placed the liquid in my inventory.
Since I landed the last hit on the archdemon, I gained an immense amount of Szerath, and my level increased to fifty-four.
Then, a set of text appeared on the screen:
[Quest Complete: Polsius]
Despite having killed the archdemon with my own hands, I didn't feel the satisfaction of winning. I only felt reluctant acceptance.
Everything was empty. It was as if none of this accomplishment was worth the price.
Typhon walked up beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. He was breathing heavily, barely able to articulate his words.
"We...did it...finally!"
I slash my sword across Typhon's body, causing him to stumble backward.
"Ares...what are you doing!"
Typhon was at two percent health, and I held my weapon's edge against his neck.
"I should be killing you right now," I scowled.
Typhon fell to his knees and said, "I'm sorry...I know that you must hate me for what I did, but I had to end Thello once and for all. Still, I regret killing all those people. Gerandum has been annihilated, and I used the civilians as bait to lead the Fafnerheimlen here, to Zweizen. I don't expect you to forgive me, but just know that I did everything for the sake of humanity!"
"Tch."
Despite how much I wanted to slice Typhon's neck, my body wouldn't move.
Killing, killing, and more killing.
When was it going to end?
In this world, the only way to get what you want was to eliminate all your obstacles. If I ended Typhon's life right here and now, it wouldn't do anything.
Why was killing always the answer?
"Give me your sword," I said.
"Why?"
"I need it for the Resurrection Potion."
"But without my sword, I'm nothing! Without it, I won't have the power to fight against the demons!"
"I don't give two shits. Give me your sword right now. Or did you forget that my blade is right up against your throat?"
Typhon couldn't argue against that. He grabbed his weapon, the Wandering Talon, and handed it over.
"Thanks," I said, putting the sword in my inventory.
Then, I sheathed my Laevateinn and turned around, leaving Typhon to wallow in his success and failure.
Now, I had the heart of a human, the blood of an archdemon, and a cursed weapon. The only thing left was the tears of the first spirit.