I shot straight towards Difar with my swords at the ready.
As soon as I reached him, I felt my sword hit something...
A huge black claymore with glowing purple runes had manifested in his hands to block the attack.
I was then blown back by an immense wave of chaotic dark energy as Difar readied his sword.
"Do you like my sword, Mizik? I found it on Avernia. It used to be called Hope...but now I call it: EXTINCTION!!!"
Difar swung Extinction down as it radiated incredible power.
The Enforcers as well as myself just barely managed to move as a gigantic wave shot across the ground and obliterated several sky scrapers while creating a chasm several miles long.
"HOLY HELL!!!" Jallah shouted
"GAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YOU FOOL! I'M A GOD!!! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY KILL A GOD!?" Difar laughed.
At the same time, Isabella had begin fighting Cassandra.
Cassandra darted around Isabella faster than she could attack and magic daggers appeared all around her.
They shot at Isabella in a barrage and Cassandra swung her dagger around to create streams of magic.
Everything impacted Isabella and violently exploded.
"SISTER!!! PLEASE STOP THIS!!! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE SOMEWHERE!!!" Isabella shouted while defending from Cassandra's attacks.
"You think he's controlling my mind, Isabella? Lord Difar has done no such thing! I serve him out of fear along with the hope that he will give me what I desire most," Cassandra said as she continued her assault.
"Wh-what!? He's evil!!! Can't you see that!?"
"Of course I can, sister! But I'm in no position to defy the King of the Abyss!"
Cassandra multiplied herself and summoned a gigantic number of floating magic daggers to attack Isabella. Then she smiled innocently.
"Please just give up for me, dear sister!"
Meanwhile, Johann was leading Valtheim away from the field and doing his best to dodge her attacks.
The remaining Enforcers simply stood by and watched. Carlos, Jallah, and Leiso gritted their teeth in rage at being unable to fight back...and for the loss of Michael and Gavin. Rune clung to Jallah in fear of what she saw.
I darted back over to Difar and switched back to my shotguns.
"FUSILLADE!!!" I shouted.
I fired my shotguns rapidly at point-blank and instinctively dodged as Difar shrugged off my attacks and swung his sword several times at me almost instantly.
He swung Extinction wide and let go of it with one of his arms. Then punched me faster than I could react.
I was hit in the stomach and felt his explosive power blast through my body.
I was thrown far back into the air and when I opened my eyes, Difar was above me.
Extinction glowed brightly and he swung it down at me in mid air.
I barely managed to block the attack to avoid being cut in half, but the explosive energy threw me into the ground and knocked the wind out of me.
I felt the ground explode as I impacted it.
After a few moments, I slowly stood up and shook my head.
This guy is a damn monster!!!
[Be careful of Hope. The Claymore he wields is dangerous. Its abilities are: Hope form two: Blast Radius, and Hope form three: Overdrive.]
Yeah...thanks... But I don't think his sword is the problem!
[Obviously not! You're fighting an abyssal god!]
I readied myself and looked onward at Difar.
Meanwhile, Isabella was having an increasingly difficult time fighting Cassandra.
Cassandra's attacks just outright pierced her defenses and shattered her barriers.
Whenever Isabella's attacks connected, Cassandra would disappear completely.
Isabella wasn't fast enough to deal with her and was slowly being taken down by the intense and rapid attacks from every direction.
"It's okay, Isabella! I won't kill you! Lord Difar wants to make use of you! And then we can both have Mizik!"
"Tch...Cassandra! What happened to you!? Where is your pride as Second Princess!? I thought you hated Mizik!" Isabella said.
"Ah...no...I could never... I love him too much!!! Lord Difar saw my innermost thoughts...my memories! He showed me the truth! I'VE ALWAYS LOVED HIM!!! EVER SINCE THE MOMENT I FELT HIS WONDERFUL ARMS AROUND ME!!!" Cassandra shouted.
"You can't just...take my husband from me!!!"
"Don't worry, Isabella! Like I said, I don't want to take him. That would make him unhappy! I want to share him! Won't he be so much happier that way!?"
"HE HATES YOU, CASSANDRA! YOU ALMOST TORTURED HIM TO DEATH!" Isabella yelled angrily.
Cassandra stopped in place as her expression turned to one of desperation.
"No...no!!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT HIM!!! I WAS ANGRY!!! I'M SO SORRY!!!" Cassandra screamed.
At that point, her attacks grew in number and magnitude.
From what I could tell, Isabella was hesitating too much because it was her sister.
Cassandra was specifically made to take her down, as well.
"You're so boring, Mizik. Come on...do something surprising! This timeline is different! You have a new trick, right? Let's see those Aspects!!!" Difar said mockingly.
"Fine, you bastard...HERE YOU GO!" I yelled.
I manifested one hundred light javelins and threw them all at Difar at the same time.
Once they impacted him, they violently exploded into light.
I also switched Vengeance into two submachine guns and started shooting.
I activated my skills in succession as I continued manifesting spells and attacking.
"VENGEANCE DEATH CURSE!!! FLAMES OF RAGE!!! WRATH!!! FUSILLADE!!! SNIPER BURST!!! BLAST BARRAGE!!! EXTERMINATUS!!!"
Through a hail of explosive gunfire, light javelins, fireballs, lightning bolts, magic chains, and emerald flames, I saw Difar jump out of the way.
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! TOO BAD YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST BE INSULTING ME, YOU BASTARD CHILD!!!" Difar said.
He held his sword at the ready and was cloaked in a glowing aura.
Difar landed on his feet and smiled.
He raised his sword high and a tornado of Corrupted energy swirled around him.
The pressure was enough to kill a normal person outright, but I felt like I was also being suffocated by his raw power.
The worst part...was that I knew he had yet to make full use of his sword. He was holding back here...
I have made a terrible mistake on this day.
Difar swung his sword down in my direction and created another massive wave that obliterated the ground and several more buildings. I barely dodged it in time to clash with him again.
His strength was too much for me, so I focused more on dodging his attacks and striking him whenever I had a chance.
With each strike, I saw that my attacks did absolutely nothing to him. He didn't even have a single scratch!
"THIS IS ALMOST FUN, YOU KNOW!? THE WARLORD IS ALWAYS SUCH A CHALLENGE TO FIGHT AGAINST!! GAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Difar laughed as he stopped caring about my attacks and swung his sword wide again.
It slammed into me and sent me tumbling backward.
When I got to my feet, I saw him grip Extinction in both hands. The runes on the blade flared up and I could see a sort of...after image in Difar's movements.
Overdrive...?
Difar snapped his fingers and the ground began to quake.
Twenty seven-headed black dragons and about a hundred Corrupted titans rose from the ground and surrounded the area.
My mouth hung open in disbelief.
"No way...you can't possibly be this powerful!" I said despairingly.
"You haven't seen anything yet, Mizzy. I'm just getting started," Difar said with a menacing smile.
This had to be the most hopeless fight I had ever been in...
Difar was so powerful that he could easily kill all of us whenever he wanted.
But for some reason, he was leaving us alive...
Difar launched himself at me and slammed his sword into the ground. I just barely dodged it and the ground violently exploded in a pillar of Corrupted energy that shot into the sky.
I felt like I was out of options here!
I just threw everything I had at this guy and he shrugged it off like it was nothing!!!
Difar's sword glowed brightly and he slammed it into my chest.
I was thrown to the ground as he raised his hand and manifested hundreds of purple energy orbs. They almost began to block out the sky...
Before I could move, they fell on me.
They impacted my body and exploded.
When it stopped, I could barely move...
I slowly stood up and changed Vengeance into a halberd to help me stand straight.
"Wow. You have a lot of fight left, don't you? Last time you just gave up. It was funny!" Difar said with a smile.
"I won't...fall here... I'll kill you...for what you did...to Avernia... To Lorelei..." I managed to say.
"To Lorelei? That shithole of a town you grew up in? You know...hahaha...I had quite a bit of fun destroying that place. I took it nice and slow this time, too. Scared the hell out of everyone and then attacked much later. Oh! I almost forgot...that nice girl...your aunt Aria, right?"
"What...about her!? What did you do!?"
"Oh, you'll love this! See, I hate you, Mizik. Almost as much as that blasted Oracle who keeps resetting everything whenever I kill you. So this time around, I decided that I wanted to see you suffer. I took my time with Aria. I enjoyed every inch of that cute little woman...right in front of her family! Then I killed all of them in front of her! It was hilarious to watch her cry and beg me to stop! AND WHEN I FINALLY GOT BORED, SHE BEGGED ME TO KILL HER TOO!!! GAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
Aria...!? YOU BASTARD!!!! I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!!!!
"RAAAAGHH!!! DIFAR!!!! YOU GODS DAMNED ABOMINATION!!!!"
I changed Vengeance into two shotguns as I glared at Difar and charged at him.
My weapons glowed with a much greater intensity as my energy surged. I swung as hard as I could when I got close, but...
I felt a tremendous amount of power from Difar in that instant. He moved faster than I could blink and kicked my feet out from under me.
Then he simply swatted me to the ground with his sword before I could reach him. I slammed into the ground so hard that it exploded when I landed. At the same time, it knocked Vengeance out of my hands.
I felt like my entire body was broken...
Vengeance reverted back to its original form and landed far away from me.
I couldn't move anymore... I could only lay there limp on my side...
I was so angry... So angry I couldn't see straight... My loving aunt Aria was violated and tortured by this monster... I wanted to cry...
I could already feel the tears in my eyes...
"Aww...over already? Wait...are you crying? That's hilarious!" Difar said as he kicked me in the stomach.
At the same time, I saw Leiso and Jallah take a step forward.
"Really? Just stay back. You'll die if you attack me, you know? You haven't forgotten about Valtheim, have you? And what about these guys?" Difar said.
He waved his hand and two of the dragons stepped forward.
They hesitated to continue and I tried to speak.
"Don't...be fools... You can't take him..." I said through my tears.
Then he kicked me again and I rolled over.
"Pathetic... You didn't even manage to scratch me. Not that it matters. My wounds regenerate very quickly. Ain't this place familiar though, Mizik? Can you remember yet? Or are you about to die again? That would be a shame... I really don't wanna go back to Lorelei...but I guess I don't know my own strength," Difar said.
I glanced around at the ruined cityscape and felt a familiar sense of deja vu overwhelm me again.
I've...been here before...haven't I...?
{Yes...you have. You vowed that day...}
I saw my allies... The other Enforcers, looking fearfully at me as my status menu glitched and turned red.
I began to hear that voice again...
Then Difar grabbed me by the neck and picked me up off of the ground.
{Vowed to kill them all...}
"You're never ready for this fight. You never have been and you never will be. What does she expect? That you'll somehow win for no explainable reason some day? Don't make me laugh. You managed to do a lot of different things this time, but now..."
Difar turned me slightly to look at Isabella
I glanced over and saw her face down on the ground with Cassandra sitting on her back.
She was pushing her head down into the ground.
Cassandra looked at me worriedly and glared at Difar for a moment.
He wasn't looking at Cassandra, but at me, instead.
{You vowed to burn it down...}
Who are you!?
This voice...it was driving me mad...
"See? She's just as useless as you are! Now then...before I continue, it looks like I have a decision to make..." Difar said.
I looked into his eyes as a sadistic smile crossed his face...and then I heard it again.
{With a rage that could swallow worlds...}
My head was hurting from the strange voice I was hearing.
"So, without boring you with the details... I just want to say that I remember everything from past timelines. And not once...NOT EVEN ONCE...did that stupid girl survive against my soldier. She has caused me quite a few problems this time. So I'm going to finish what I started that day and Corrupt her. Kyriel, be a dear and inject her, would you?" Difar said.
"Yes, Lord Difar!" Cassandra said.
Cassandra leaned down close to Isabella's head and placed her hand on the nape of her neck.
Wait...isn't Isabella immune to infection...? Doesn't he know that...?
"Now then...you're going to live, Mizik. I won't kill you. Not yet, anyway. Every time I kill you, I go right back to Lorelei. I don't like that at all, so I'm going to keep trying to find a solution," Difar said.
Right...the reset... If I die, everything goes back to how it was at the start...? Nooo...please don't... I don't want to die!
{We are as ONE. United in our quest...}
My status menu continued glitching and messages that I could actually hear kept showing up.
After he spoke, Cassandra jumped off of Isabella while clutching her hand.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! IT BURNS!!!! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!?!? NOOOOO!!!!!" Cassandra screamed as violently as she could and her body crumbled to dust starting from the tip of her hand.
Her ashes fell on the ground next to Isabella's body.
Difar looked baffled by this.
"That's...even stranger. What's going on here...? Oh well...I'll find a replacement for her eventually... Now then, Mizik. You have quite the power here. It's pissing me off, so I'm going to throw a little curse on you."
"Wha...curse...?" I managed.
Before Difar could respond, I saw an eye appear next to him and Valtheim stepped out.
"Target...has escaped..." Valtheim said.
"Yeah, that's what usually happens with him. He'll be back shortly with the washboard. Just be ready. Also, you should go ahead and connect me to another world. I need to dispose of this trash... No need to keep him here if Kyriel is dead, right? The last time I tried that, he just killed himself in my cell..." Difar said as he looked at me.
Valtheim raised her hand and an eye opened next to me.
It split apart and in it, I could see an endless void. I saw an infinite field of stars spread out before my eyes.
"Now then, Mizik...if I recall, that annoying power of yours functions off of the light element, right? Let's fix that, shall we? I can't have you running around with such a dangerous power now, can I?"
At once, I felt his hand crackle with magic and my entire body was enveloped in pain.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" I screamed in pain as my head felt like it was going to explode.
My whole body violently convulsed and I felt an intense ringing in my brain. All while it a dark haze had fell over my mind.
"That's better. Now that your light is gone, you will be a husk of pure anguish. No more happiness for you, Mizzy. It's all pain and suffering from here on out. Do me a favor and go on a rampage once you get to that world, yeah?" Difar said.
"..."
I couldn't speak anymore...
The pain was too great and I was losing consciousness...
At the same time...
No...Isabella...everyone... I don't want to be alone again...!
{You are never alone. We are together. United with a purpose...}
"You can thank that awful power you have for this little curse. If you weren't immune to infection, I would have just converted you to be my servant like these idiot Generals. But, noooo... This is how it has to be. Anyway, I think it's about time you got going."
He held me up to the portal that Valtheim opened and smiled at me.
{Our quest...our vow...} The voice said again.
It was getting louder in my head...
All these years, I thought I was hallucinating...
But now I could hear it much more clearly while being so close to death.
Something evil had infected my status system. And it was calling for me...
Difar didn't see it, but I saw Isabella stand up slowly as well.
She looked at her hands and her surroundings, then at me.
I exerted my mind to contact her with telepathy.
"Isabella...please help me... I can't move..."
"Don't worry! I'm coming!"
She knelt down as I saw Tyranus and Arvild unsheathe their swords.
"What the hell is going on here!?" Tyranus said.
"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME ENJOY THIS MOMENT, TYRAS!?" Difar shouted angrily at Tyranus.
"B-but...Lord Difar-"
"SHUT IT, AXIOM!" Difar screamed as he interrupted Arvild.
Difar held me up to the portal as a bright flash appeared in the sky.
"Ugh...earlier than usual, are we...?" He said.
"UNHAND HIM RIGHT THIS INSTANT, YOU MURDERER!!!" A familiar voice screamed.
It was Iris.
From what I could see, Johann was with her in his hunan form and Iris was in her divine form.
Something was different about Johann here. Like he was in a much stronger state.
"Umm...okay. I'll let him go then! Sound good? ALL BECAUSE YOU ASKED, YOU ANNOYING WASHBOARD!!!" Difar yelled angrily.
Then he just...let go...
I felt myself floating into the portal slowly...
I could do nothing to protest. I simply drifted back alone...
Then I heard a muffled commotion from the window as it faded from view.
"STOP HER, DAMMIT!!!" (Tyranus)
"GAH!!! WHAT'S WITH THIS STRENGTH!?" (Arvild)
"WAIT!!! NOOO! ISABELLA!!! (Iris)
Suddenly a familiar face leaped into the hole just as it was closing and Isabella threw her arms around me.
"Huh. That was weird... Oh well! Let's see what happens then! CAN'T BE ANY WORSE THAN LAST TIME!" Difar said as the portal closed completely.
Last...time...
{Last time...our vow... To kill them all...}
Isabella adjusted herself and held me tightly against her as we drifted back.
{And burn it down.}