Lust was battered and beaten, the relentless barrage of long range attacks from Forbidden Energy combined with the close quarters combat with Power proved to be far more challenging than she had expected. This battle was testing her limits in ways she hadn't anticipated.
She refused to show any signs of weakness in front of them, keeping a smirk on her face as she continued to fight. There were no signs of slowing down or hesitation; Lust pushed forward relentlessly, despite the odds stacked against her. But it seemed hopeless as they effortlessly pushed her back against the stone wall, now marked with a large dent from each impact.
Forbidden Energy began to form his energy blasts into jagged void spikes, wanting to end the battle now. Meanwhile, Power was intent on ripping out her core and crushing it with his bare hands.
Lust sighed, knowing that even if she attempted to escape using her spatial retreat, she would be stopped before she could get away. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, knowing that the least she could do now was to destroy the portal.
"Ehh, hey guys, why don't we stop? I'll talk with Wrath and take my punishment," Lust said nonchalantly.
Forbidden Energy shot one of the jagged void spikes, aimed directly at Lust's shoulder. The spike tore through her facade's body flesh, causing her to wince in pain. "You should be well aware that the penalty for treason is death."
"Which is why I'm going to rip out your core now!" Power exclaimed, his right eye glowing with an red hue.
Lust reacted quickly, her movements a blur as she sliced off Power's arm and deflected each of the void spikes that Energy shot towards her.
"Forbidden Attribute: Lust, charming domain!" Lust exclaimed, her voice echoing through the labyrinth as she unleashed her power. The ground beneath their feet transformed, blanketed in a pink, cloud like terrain.
Power stretched his phantom arm as he prepared himself to continue the battle. "Energy, do you remember the effects of her domain?" He asked.
Suddenly, three void spikes pierced deeply into Power's back. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Energy!?" Power exclaimed as he turned around to confront Energy. As he faced him, Power noticed pink glow coming from Energy's pupils.
Power then remembered the effect of Lust's domain: anyone standing within its range became susceptible to her mind control for five seconds.
"I need to make this quick before Wrath gets here," Lust thought, she then took control of Power, controlling his movements. She could feel the struggle within him, but her domain was strong.
Then Lust forced Power to punch Energy with all of his void energy focused into his fist, sending him flying across the room. The impact was loud, a shockwave echoing through the labyrinth as Energy crashed into the far wall, leaving a deep crater. Lust knew she had only moments before Power regained control, but this bought her time.
With the short time left, Lust then made Power destroy one of the pillars. The force of his punch shattered the support, causing the portal to collapse as its structure destabilized.
"Great, now I can leav—" Just as Lust was about to escape using her spatial retreat, she felt a sudden, sharp pain. She looked down at her chest and saw three steel spikes sticking out from her body, each one dripping with blood.
"TARGET HAS SUSTAINED CRITICAL DAMAGE," a robotic voice informed loudly.
"Good job, Metod. Now, here are your new orders: eliminate the target," Edward commanded.
"COMMENCING ELIMINATION," Metod announced, it lifted Lust into the air with ease, then slammed her into the ground with a force that shook the room. The steel spikes retracted back into its arm.
"T-This damn robot, my core..." Lust said weakly as she clutched her chest tightly, feeling the damage to her core.
Metod then lunged towards Lust. She could barely muster the strength to fight back, so she focused on defense. As she dodged its attacks, she was struck repeatedly by blasts of void energy.
"Well done, Lust, you've completed your objective admirably. However, your victory will be short lived. You won't be leaving this place alive." With those words, Energy raised his hands, launching torrents of swirling void energy towards her, intent on overwhelming any last defense she has.
"Give me a break..." Lust muttered under her breath. She deflected each swing of Metod's mechanical arms and each blast of void energy from Forbidden Energy. Her katana intercepted the attacks aimed at her, but the endless barrage began to take its toll. Despite her skill and agility, some blows grazed her, leaving cuts and bruises that throbbed with pain. She focusing on the next move, knowing she couldn't afford to mess up now.
"Diiie!" With a forceful grip, Lust was grabbed by the face and smashed violently into the stone wall, the impact sending her crashing to a hidden cave.
"Hmph, would you look at that?" Power said as he looked around the unexpected cave surroundings. He saw Lust on the ground, struggling to stand to her feet.
Lust's smirk remained as she said, "You know, I've already won. Considering the time it will likely take you to reconstruct that portal, the White Crusader will have finished you all off by then."
"Kneel." Forbidden Energy fired two void spikes that pierced through Lust's knees as she dropped to the ground.
"Stand down, Metod," Edward commanded firmly, Metod obediently entered standby mode.
"If you're going to kill me, go ahead and do it," Lust said. "I have no final words."
Without saying a word, Forbidden Energy's gaze locked onto Lust's core as he unleashed a void spike aimed directly at her.
"Just kidding!" Lust smirked, and she deflected the attack aimed at her core. She then swung her katana, slicing through the air and severing large stalactites from the cave's ceiling. Debris rained down around them, distracting Power as Lust took advantage of the chaos to run away. She activated spatial retreat, which took longer due to her injuries.
Forbidden Energy shot a powerful blast that shattered the debris into countless pieces, then Power and Energy followed Lust, tracking her faint energy presence.
Lust found a rock to rest on, "Ah, going back now means I'm going to cause a lot of trouble for the princess and Vaos will surely give me an earful," she sighed.
"Well, it's better than dying here," Lust whispered softly to herself as she watched Power and Energy's closing the distance between them.
"Goodbye, guys. I'm sure we'll see each other soon enough!" Lust giggled as Power suddenly lunged at her, aiming to crush her throat. But her spatial retreat activated just in time, saving her from his grasp.
"Go inform Wrath immediately," Energy commanded. "Edward and I will handle the reconstruction of the portal ourselves.
"Tch, just move quickly before Wrath starts breathing down our necks," Power said as he walked out of the labyrinth.
Lust teleported in Eve's hotel room, taking step forward, she couldn't suppress the pain anymore, forcing her to fall to the ground. "Ah, I've seen better days," she smirked.
"Huh, Forbidden?" Eve's eyes widened as she rushed to Lust's side.
"I have two names you can call me, and 'Forbidden' isn't one of them, princess..." Lust smirked, trying to maintain her bravado. Instead of blood, the void energy of her phantom body started leaking out.
"What do I do? How do you guys heal? Is it like humans?" Eve asked, unsure how to help.
"Hah... Let me get to the point," Lust said, taking a deep breath. "My body is already self-repairing, but I need mana to speed it up. You can help by giving me some of yours, slowly."
Eve nodded and began to slowly transfer her mana to Lust. "Like this?" she asked, watching as her energy flowed into Lust's body.
"Yeah, that's fine. I think I'll be out of battle for a while. My core was directly damaged, and that's not something that heals quickly," Lust explained, wincing slightly as the mana transfer began to take effect.
"By the way, where's that cat sister of yours?" Lust asked. "She's got a knack for healing, doesn't she? Could use a bit of her kitty magic right about now."
"She's training with the White Trial," Eve replied simply.
"The White Trial, huh? I better keep a close eye on her—" The door opened as Lust was speaking.
"Hey, what happened to you, Lust? Did someone come here and attack?" Vaos demanded as he looked at her injuries.
Lust smirked and let out a long sigh.
"Ehh, give me a break now... I've had quite a day..."