As she followed the trail of destruction that Johann left in his wake, Cassandra couldn't help but be amazed by it.
The friendly dragon god, Johann, had shown his true colors...
And when Cassandra saw the scene where Johann stood, her opinion of him went much higher.
All around him were the ashes, burnt corpses, and mangled bodies of the many unfortunate soldiers who crossed his path.
Many of them were burned badly, missing limbs, missing heads, had their throats torn out, their spines shattered, their bodies melted, and so on.
It was truly a sickening sight.
Most people would likely have lost their lunch at seeing it.
As for Cassandra...she had seen similar things before. Even preformed such acts on others.
It was nothing to be bothered about for her.
And Johann stood facing down Rose who was protecting a badly-wounded and burned Abbadon.
Johann was covered in the blood and ashes of his slain enemies.
He had a cold and unfeeling expression on his face...
It reminded her of...
Suddenly Cassandra's heart started beating faster as she remembered Mizik with a similar expression in the past.
"JOHANN!!! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE!?" Rose shouted angrily.
"What does it look like to you?" He said coldly.
"IT LOOKS LIKE YOU WENT COMPLETELY INSANE!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WHERE IS CASSANDRA!? Have you hurt her!? ANSWER ME!!!" Rose shouted.
Johann remained with a cold and unfeeling expression on his face.
"Who knows? Maybe you'll see her soon. I only did that I had to do. And now...I'll avenge Ignitus!" Johann said.
He rushed forward and before Rose could react, Johann sunk his teeth into her throat.
Before he could fully bite down, however, Johann jumped back and spit out the small amount of blood he drew.
"Your skin is like steel...and your blood tastes so full of magic it makes me want to puke..." He said.
Rose clutched her neck as it regenerated.
"That settles it... You're a monster. No different than a wild animal!" Rose said.
She readied her sword and raised her shield.
"Lady Rose...be careful... He's tougher than he looks!" Abbadon said angrily.
"If I want your advice, I'll ask for it, Abbadon. I can handle this, myself," Rose said.
"Stupid bitch..." Abbadon mumbled.
"What was that!?" Rose asked angrily.
"Nothing...Lady Rose..." Abbadon said.
She glared at him and turned back to Johann.
Then Rose stepped forward and prepared to attack.
Cassandra cast an illusion to speak to Johann
"Create a diversion, then I'll strike. Keep her attention!" Cassandra said.
Johann nodded and summoned his staff.
His gaze was as cold as ice as he stared at Rose.
At once, Rose lunged forward and attacked Johann.
He dodged and parried her attacks.
The two of them began to strike back and forth at one another as Cassandra prepared herself to attack.
"Intelligence, I must ask a favor of you."
[Of course, my dear wielder. How may I be of assistance?]
In the days before she inhabited Isabella's body, Cassandra had been honed into a blade specifically to be used to defeat Bravery.
When she showed Mizik her status, he was unaware of something crucial.
Cassandra had a hidden skill infused within her soul by Difar.
One that only she could see.
She hadn't bothered to mention it, because the skill became irrelevant after she was cleansed and became Mizik's slave.
But now...
It would become useful again.
"I need you to release that Corrupted ability of mine. Are you able to?"
[Hmm...you mean Bravery's Bane?]
"I do. If I am to defeat my sister, I will need you to allow its use. It became attached to me, but it is still unusable."
[I am well aware...and Bravery will prove substantially more difficult to defeat even in our current state. Although, you could always use my fourth form. It is available to you now.]
"I would prefer not to as long as she isn't using hers. I will answer her trump card with my own if necessary."
[Very well. The will of my wielder is obviously so entangled with the wielder of Vengeance that I cannot refuse. If you are his hidden blade, I will strive to be the hidden blade of Vengeance. Glory to the Overseer.]
"And glory to my darling Mizik!"
Cassandra smiled as she felt the dark power of that skill activate.
[Keep in mind that I cannot hold this skill in its active state for long. It is unnatural and cursed. Your Blessing of the Creator also impedes it to fully reattach itself to you!]
"Understood!"
Cassandra prepared to strike and lunged with everything she had.
Her goal was to shatter Rose's heartstone with one strike.
And just before it landed, Abbadon parried it away with his lance.
Cassandra was stunned as her invisibility faded and she glared daggers at Abbadon.
"DAMN YOU!!! I WAS SO CLOSE!!! MIZIK WOULD HAVE PRAISED ME SO MUCH!!! YOU BASTARD!!!" Cassandra screamed at Abbadon.
"Wh-what!? SISTER!? WHAT'S GOING ON, HERE!?" Rose shouted.
"Obviously, a failed assassination attempt... Damn it all...and now my special ability is inactive again... Curse you, Abbadon!" Cassandra growled.
"You owe me one, Lady Rose. That attack might have actually done you in if not for-"
"SILENCE, ABBADON!!! STAY BACK!!!" Rose yelled.
He gritted his teeth and stepped back.
Abbadon was still wounded and unable to even stand up straight.
"Sister...you're free from Mizik! You don't have to serve him, anymore!" Rose said.
"How dense are you? You've always been stubborn, but this reaches new heights. I know that I don't have to serve him. But I love Mizik and want to belong to him forever! Is that hard to understand!?" Cassandra said.
"But...you said that-"
"Look at you...so naive! Did you not think it was possible that I would lie to you?" Cassandra said.
"Cassandra! Please! That man is evil! You must not follow him!!!" Rose said suddenly.
Cassandra smiled.
"I think there might have been a miscommunication... You see, it doesn't matter to me whether Mizik is good OR evil. In fact..." Cassandra put her hands adoringly on her cheeks as she recalled Mizik's face. "I love him no matter what! Good and evil? Irrelevant! Utterly meaningless! My love for Mizik transcends all of those things! I love him more than life itself! Mizik is everything!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
"That bastard... He drove you insane! Don't worry, I'll-"
"SHUT UP, ROSE!!! WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!? I ACTUALLY LOVE HIM!!! HE ISN'T CONTROLLING ME! I'M IMMUNE TO MIND CONTROL!!!" Cassandra shouted.
"I-immune...?"
"Yes, you naive fool. My Illusionist Aspect makes me immune to mental tampering of every form. Including mind control. I serve Mizik of my own free will. And so does everyone else! He doesn't possess any power like that at all!" Cassandra said.
Cassandra knew this to be the truth. The Archmage was more than capable of using such magic, but Mizik had yet to make full use of it. In fact...with The Archmage, Mizik would be able to replicate every other Aspect or magic if he wanted to. Including both Isabella's and Cassandra's.
The Archmage was the equivalent of being a god of magic. It had no limits other than the one using it.
"Impossible! I...Cassandra, please... I beg of you! Turn back to your sister! I'll make sure that you're forgiven!"
"Oh? Why? Because we're sisters? How stupid are you? We just happened to be born from the same parents and suddenly, I have to drop everything in my life for you? You just expect me to go back to living in your shadow? That isn't how this works. Blood may be thicker than water, but my love for Mizik is stronger than any love I ever had for you."
"But...we're family! Right...? You're the only family I have left..." Rose said tearfully.
"And who's fault is that!? You're a murderer. You killed them. All of them! Every last person in Avernia, Ignitus, and Delvandal is dead because of your naivete. Because you blindly believed that Mizik could control people's minds. And stop calling me your sister. It's sickening... My sister is dead. You are a mockery of the person she was!" Cassandra said.
Rose dropped to her knees.
"STOP IT!!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL THEM!!! I'M...I'M SO SORRY!!! THEY'LL COME BACK!!! I-I just...I have to kill Mizik... That will fix everything..." Rose said as tears streamed from her eyes.
"Really? You are deluded. Killing Mizik is exactly why we're in this mess. Your abominable puppet master, The Oracle, killed him before. Everything was reset," Cassandra said.
Suddenly, a portal opened behind Rose and Abbadon.
The Oracle stepped out of it.
"Hush now, Cassandra. You are not thinking clearly. Why don't you come with me for a talk?" The Oracle said.
Cassandra felt something hazy attempt to enter her mind and it dispersed immediately.
She smiled at The Oracle.
"You filthy old hag. You're the reason my darling Mizik went through so much hell. You took everything away from him... Although, I really must thank you in some ways. Without you...I never would have achieved my life's goal of becoming his bride. So, thank you. I will do my best to make your death quick...but no promises. Mizik would likely prefer you to suffer, anyway," Cassandra said.
"What are you doing? What is the point of attacking our beloved realm!? We can help each other, Cassandra!" The Oracle asked.
The haze attempted to enter Cassandra's mind again and was once again repelled.
"I think not. This is a declaration of war!" Cassandra said.
"Please, see reason! We can fix everything by simply dealing with Mizik! I can restore your life. Everything will be as it was before, Cassandra!" The Oracle said.
Once again, the haze attempted to invade Cassandra's mind. It was dispersed instantly.
"Ugh...I grow tired of your pathetic attempts to control me... I am immune to mind control, you vile old woman! Your magic has no effect on me!" Cassandra said.
The Oracle was stunned by her words.
"Please...for the good of all creation, I beg of you! You must help us defeat Mizik!" The Oracle pleaded.
Suddenly, Rose seemed to recover from her mental breakdown.
"Sister! Can't you see that Grandma Oracle is telling the truth? How can you say no to her!?" She said.
"SHUT UP!!! I WILL NEVER BETRAY MIZIK!!! I WON'T GO BACK TO THAT HORRIBLE LIFE I HAD BEFORE!!! I WOULD RATHER DIE!!!" Cassandra screamed.
Then Cassandra readied herself for battle, but Johann grabbed her arm.
"H-hey!" She said.
Without a word, Johann unleashed a storm of fire on the location of the three of them and pulled Cassandra into the divine transit.
"VALTHEIM!!! TAKE US BACK!!!" Johann shouted.
As they flew through the transit, a shadowy eye appeared in front of them.
"I...obey..."
They were enveloped in darkness and dragged down.
* * *
The two arrived at Zaxvalrah and Johann turned to Valtheim.
"Take us to my room," Johann said.
Valtheim moved the two of them to Johann's room and Cassandra looked angrily at him.
"What was that for!? I could have killed Rose!" Cassandra said.
"No. The Oracle would have prevented us from leaving and we're not ready to fight her yet. Besides, that wasn't part of the plan. We did everything we had to, right?" Johann said.
"I...suppose so... I just wanted to make Mizik happy..." Cassandra said.
"And I'm sure he will be. Also, do me a favor and don't mention what I did in Excelsis to Iris. I don't want her to know," Johann said.
"Why? So you can fight like a wild animal. That isn't bad. I would say it's impressive, actually."
"Just don't mention it..." Johann said.
"Very well...but if Mizik asks..."
"It's okay if he knows. Just make sure he keeps quiet around Iris," Johann said.
Cassandra nodded and turned to Valtheim.
"...?"
Valtheim tilted her head.
"Take me to Mizik!" Cassandra said with a smile.
"I...obey..."