*
The world rapidly fell apart, magic was not a rational solution that they looked for, counting on the sheer coincidence that was Ari's magic gene was completely foolish. It was akin to hoping a miracle would drop from the sky should a threat appear...
Even so, they had a far more urgent matter to attend to. Ari had escaped her simulation, materialising herself with her final skill. A single swing was all it took to split the earth on half, any material whether it was intricately sophisticated and advanced or not... It was cleaved apart, for its state of defeat was brought into reality by Ari's magic.
One could very easily disregard any intelligence created in the simulation, whether they were sentient or not, if they were made solely to play out an apocalypse in hopes of a logical solution. To sacrifice the few for the many... Wouldn't really apply. It was closer to saying these artificial lives were worth far less than the real lives living outside the simulation, almost completely worthless if one may say so.
Then, was Ari's lashing out of sheer despair unjustified? The earth collapsed, the sun was dispersed to the next few galaxies and the moon no longer existed. The solar system's gravitational balance collapsed, falling apart further than ever. The earth's resources were systematically shaved down by her blade of light, leaving but a tiny portion of humanity left in a space craft like structure. It was originally meant to be a lab for research, a different lab from the one that held simulations of other worlds, but nonetheless it belonged to the same world that plunged hers in darkness for the sake of it.
She would accept no amount of reasoning. The last resistance used magic that they discovered from her world to create magic that could send things back in time. Arasovi arrived nearly soon after to an empty world. Her blade and armour made of blinding light... Burst apart like fire crackers, vanishing with each minute movement from Arasovi. Destruction was simply faster, more precise, and stronger in every way. The 'defeat' of the enemy that her magic materialised was readily deleted by Arasovi's great sword. But... There was no sense in giving up after coming this far.
She ended humanity. There was no other way about it, she was evil. But she was also a magical girl. She rushed forward, but her limbs vanished before she reached anywhere close to Arasovi. She then regrew her limbs with the light produced by her magic. She can't stop here, her rage, her irritation, her grief... She must justify all of it by preserving her efforts... She can't let all of it be in vain.
"... I have a deal." (Arasovi)
With a single finger, she stopped Ari's death throes. Her all out rush with the last bit of her magic... Everything was extinguished with a single finger. Had Arasovi been going easy on her all this time...?
" You have potential. Join me. There is no need to justify it, you only have the option of accepting and not accepting." (Arasovi)
Putting her on the spot, forcing her to make a decision...
"... Destroy this world... And bring me to others... I can't... Let any world exist. In order to prevent what happened to me happen to others... " (Neah Ari)
It was quite extreme, but seeing everything she went through, Arasovi wasn't that surprised by the cruelty of humanity. The masses remain indifferent as long as it benefitted them, those in power try to burrow their influence deeper and to maintain their superiority. Rebelling from the bottom of the ladder often ends in futility. Perhaps she could accept someone like this. Perhaps it was only to sate her curiosity on someone who seemed similar to her, a case study on herself she supposed. Or... It was a faint desire to see what would happen had she taken a different route, a set of coincidences and probability foreign to her.
Could she have turned out differently from her? What are these differences? Was she taking the best path that she could?
***
She bashes her sword against Huo Li's scythe, the end world magic eroded against her light, but her light didn't stop glowing brilliantly. It grew to replace the eroded light again and again, she would never lose in this clash. Her light grew brighter, eclipsing her surroundings and everything in the vicinity with a blinding brilliance like no other.
Huo Li's scythe melts away, her flesh begins evaporating. At the current rate, she was facing the light that disintegrated all with her bare regeneration. Her hair is blown back with the tatters of her clothes, massive force was brushing past her body, using abrasive force to whittle down at her existence. She can't do anything, she has reached the limits of what her world end environment could achieve. Ari's concept of rebellion and tragedy goes above the idea of worlds, it has proven itself to persevere even after the world ends.
Perhaps that's why most of the destroyers remain roughly unaffected by Huo Li's final skill. It was supposed to instantly eliminate those who pose a threat against the universe, to ensure the cosmos reaches its natural end. Simply put, what if the destroyers were even above that? Their worlds have already been destroyed, they are beyond the purview of a world that no longer exists, they have already survived the end... The two that Huo Li had eliminated coincidentally still had their worlds... They must have made a deal with Arasovi to preserve their worlds, or kept their safety a secret.
It was... An unfortunate end for them who were looking out for their own homes. But as long as Arasovi was subjugated by Ledia's allies, then their worlds would no longer be in danger. All they could do was to have hope. Her body was evaporating rapidly, she had long lost feeling in all parts of her flesh. The first sweep, the light reached her internal organs, leaving a thin layer of biomass behind.
What did it really mean to be a guardian of the world? Her mission was to guide the universe to its natural end... She was coincidentally born into this role by fate, roles have existed long before the birth of each individual magical girl, but being chosen into it is sheer coincidence. The world itself selects the best candidate by sheer affinity and suitability.
Did she have a choice? She was born into this role. What choice did she have? What could she have done to stray from the restrains of fate?
' ... I've been through a few wars... I wasn't strong to fight them off, I wasn't strong enough to save anyone. Using magical girls in the world wars was despicable, but nothing I could do much about...' (Huo Li)
Were her memories flashing back? Are they flooding to the recesses of her conscious? The deeper parts of her heart, what did they want to convey?
' I don't want to die. '
' If I die, the world dies without anyone to protect it.'
'Have I wanted to protect the world all my life? Or have I just done it simply because it was my 'purpose'? '
In the single moment when the light impacted her body, these thoughts flashed past her beyond her speed of perception. Perhaps she was indeed facing symptoms from the end of her life.
'... If I die... If the world allows me to die... Did it really deserve to exist?'
She was thrusted into being this sort of existence all of her life, she was a magical girl. There was no higher authority to tell her what to do. Her opinions were of her own, and they were authentically formed by herself. Yet... Despite all her hardships, she formed a relatively healthy view of the world. Her friends existed, her favourite places, her favourite shops, her favourite foods... Her beloved culture, the dazzling sights and festivals that decorated her life like beautiful snowflakes...
She can't do it. No matter what, she couldn't hate the world she was born into. Despite everything, she loved herself and the place she lived in. She loved Himei and everyone she met. She was truly grateful for all the amazing individuals who treated her like a human, who treated her like a friend.
'In the end, you can't even bring yourself to hate the world, even if it forced you to do so much... As expected of my most valuable subordinate.
You could have challenged me, taken my throne. But your love for your land is unmistakable.' (Himei)
'... I think I've done my job well enough, I hope I've bought enough time for the rest of you guys. Sorry to leave my load for the rest of you. ' (Huo Li)
'... I don't know what sort of idea you have in that noggin of yours. I prefer not to 'look' into the minds of people I know, out of respect.
But I just want to say, Ledia's magic brought us here, because it saw hope. It saw possibility. You don't have to hold back anymore. I'll be here to protect the world, so go all out. Bring everything out, without worry of collapsing reality. Your... Wellbeing is worth way more, please. ' (Himei)
'...?! ' (Huo Li)
Her final skill activates. No matter how much the light erodes, it's unable to breach a region of space. She's fighting back, she's breaking past her self imposed limits. Her final skill is the ability to bring the world end environment into the present, at the end of existence where nothing can perpetuate, she brings that sort of state into reality. Rather than a substance or magic, it was a change of state from existence to non-existence. Usually, she would isolate the opponent in this environment, which is further isolated in a sub dimension of her own passive.
So that the end world environment does not spill into the rest of the world and prematurely destroy the universe. The magic comes in a set, if the opponent bursts the sub dimension or eliminates the world end environment, both of it dissipates back into magic. It's possible, but Huo Li has never tried simply bringing the world end environment without isolating it. It would be counter intuitive, as it would end the world as everyone knew it. It was something that was impossible with just her own character and autonomy, only the input of someone trusted like Himei could have slightly swayed her mind.
Even then, she made the decision of her own volition. What if? What if she did it, what happens then? Himei said to entrust the world to her, what would happen if she did so? Lending her role to someone else for once... She had never done it before, but there was no time to hesitate. The moment the light hit her, she had contemplated all of this in a single moment. Her life's experiences, her conversation with Himei, her decision.
"... I DON'T... WANT TO DIE!!!!!" (Huo Li)
No matter how much someone could proclaim their nobility and willingness for self sacrifice... In the end, Huo Li's self preservation won out. Her wish... To continue witnessing this world that she loved, this home and friends that she had. It was something simple that everyone had, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
She made her decision instantly. If Himei said she could protect the world for her, she'll trust her word and risk her life. The light dims at once, as if someone had switched it off. The world returned to a vague realm of endless grey. The world ending guardian of the world vs the genocidal hero of a magical girl's own heart. Their existence are contradictory, yet they bear the same wish.
In a flash, Huo Li's right leg covered in a growing black aura strikes at Ari's waist. Her body is shrouded in that very same aura with specks of white and grey fluttering in and out of the air like a flickering ember. An explosion occurs at the point of contact, then another... Then another. Continuous explosive force repeatedly rams at Ari's waist, each one gouging out a portion of her flesh. Bringing her arms down, a blade of light appears in Ari's palms. Huo Li splits in half, but the black aura consumes the light separating her flesh and devours the light emitted by Ari.
Huo Li recovers, but takes a punch to the cheek. The blunt force sends her body flying, but mid flight she vanishes. She arrives behind Ari, her scythe spinning slowly in her palm, Ari was chopped repeatedly horizontally, turning into many coin like slices of flesh. Her scythe was now made of world end environment and the timeless construct she usually utilises. The light rises off her body and seeps into her wounds, removing them quickly. She jumps and slams her blade down, clashing against Huo Li's black scythe.
Exchanging a few clashes, Huo Li slides down leftwards while Ari flies towards the right, gathering light for a large shot.