Xiaochen POV
Three hundred fifty-eight days was all the time it took for me to come to a euphoric realization. I lived more of a life in these few short months with Dawei than I ever had in my time with the King. It's almost ironic how it was his death that, in turn, gave me the life of a queen. Knowing the trials we would face out there Daewi, and I enjoyed each other's company for as long as humanly possible.
Between missions, we would try to sneak away from Nox to have fun at the local carnival, explore the deepest parts of this once ravaged world, and try new recipes to keep our troops happy, courtesy of my darling Daewi. However, our nights started to get a bit colder once the impossible finally happened.
With Mori Jin, the Monkey King, finally back on our side, we had finally obtained the tipping point needed to get revenge against all our traitorous enemies. We managed to strike back hard from out of the shadows, defeating the World Government at every turn while also reclaiming New Korea. Combined with the ousting of that worthless wormy bastard Mubong Park as the world President, I thought we won.
However, that wasn't the case, as another factor came to play, one that could change everything. It doesn't' even matter who gets the hands on the Supreme God's power, Neo Nox or Mubong Park's Generation X., Because even a fraction of that power could threaten the entire world and, more importantly, the people who I love in it. And as I promised myself seventeen years ago, I would do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.
That's a promise it looks like I have to keep as I currently stare down my "rival," the witch of the west from Neo Nox, Mira Yu. Before this final battle started, Daewi forced me to promise her that we would be nonlethal with her. She practically begged me to try to save her one more time in this pinnacle moment. He explained how he had to make good on a promise he could never keep during the original god of high school Tournament.
And as much as I understood his reasoning, as much as I cherished that stubbornly good heart of his. One good look was enough to tell me that I would have to break a promise to keep another one. When I had faced the mad god Zeus, the difference between us was similar to an ant and human. However, compared to Mira, that feeling was often, worse, even with training that nearly tore my body in half.
Said training almost felt utterly worthless. For If Zeus was simply a mad god that completely underestimated us to the very end, a mistake that she won't repeat. Being near was enough to see that Mira with the King's body was nothing more than a hungry predator now, one that cut down and devoured any resistance in its way without mercy. Even if I was a tiny drop in the spance of her seemingly endless ocean, I know she won't let me leave this place alive.
Yet, even with knowing all of this, I didn't care. All I could do was think about the man I love, fighting so hard to keep his sanity in this world so mad. The Robe of the Sage could only do so much against the Blade of Tagatha, barely holding his bloody broken body together.
Still, Daewi's will was always stronger than any item or power he has access to, as he managed to try and pick himself up. His eyes wavered wildly compared to the witch, trying so hard to pick between his past and future. And on my soul, I decided to make that choice with him. In the split second of peace before the final war, I became a little selfish. Looking at Daewi, I gave him one last passionate kiss while whispering in front of him.
"I'm so sorry, Daewi. Just don't look, and please don't get sad. I am doing this because I love you. Know that?"
Expert concentration instantly becomes distressed confusion, as Daewi simply stated.
"What do you mean by that?"
Before he could react to my borrowed power, Kabbalah activates around Daewi." An oriental light barrier with intricate designs formed around a still befuddled Daewi. Almost instinctively he tried breaking out of it to no avail while energy like vines started to creep into Daewi, using my very lifeforce as a way to heal his deep wounds. Under my breath, I thank the former key Suijin Lee for giving me this one last chance.
With nothing more left to truly ponder or say, I finally faced my opponent head-on. At first, Mira didn't even acknowledge my presence, instead unleashing the full might of Tagatha's blade. Buildings got cut cleaner than any knife as I could feel the slashes leave scars across all of New Korea. However, my love and borrowed power remained strong even amongst my bloodied body. Still I kept my goal in mind as I got forced to unleash a power sealed off years ago.
An outdated and vastly dangerous method for sure, but the risks more than matched the reward as my body started to pulse with divine energy. My body became nothing more than a vessel, painfully morphing and changing itself to something unseen. I could already feel the toll on my body, the pain, and the struggle, but I persisted. Combined with the power of imitation, I became a being unlike any other in this world, fully intent on finishing this fight. But before I did, I looked back at what I cherished so intensely and tried to give him the reassurance "he" couldn't give me.