Hinata let out a slow breath, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade. Then, to Apollyon's surprise, he smirked. "No, I just decided to take a page out of her book. The strong protect what's theirs, isn't that right, Lelyah?"
Apollyon's smile faltered for just a fraction of a second before twisting into something crueler. "Ah... So you finally understand? How poetic." Her gaze drifted lazily to Reilan. "And yet, you still don't know the whole story. How tragic. You always prided yourself on knowing everything, and yet the one truth you missed was the one right under your nose."
She took another step forward, her mask gleaming in the firelight. "You remember that day, don't you? The day I decided strength was the only thing that mattered? The day I made that choice, Hinata? You never questioned why. Never stopped to wonder who I was protecting. But now—now you stand before me, playing the hero. Tell me... would you have felt the same if you knew who suffered for it?"
Hinata's expression remained steady, but a flicker of something passed through his eyes—doubt, hesitation. Apollyon noticed. She laughed, tilting her head, the flames curling around her like a living entity.
"Still don't see it? Allow me to help." Her gaze snapped to Reilan, her voice dripping with cruel amusement. "You, girl. You've been so quiet. Haven't you realized? Haven't you figured out why you irk me so much?"
Reilan's breath hitched. Her grip on Chiori tightened, her knuckles white. "What are you talking about?"
Apollyon sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "Oh, dear little sister, still in the dark. How disappointing. Tell me, does it hurt more knowing you were never supposed to survive that night? That I spent everything to keep you from ending up like me? And yet, here we are."
Hinata exhaled sharply, forcing himself back to focus. "Enough of this." His voice was firm, unwavering, though the weight of realization pressed heavily upon him. "Asmodeus! Take Reilan and Chiori and get out of here. Now."
Asmodeus stiffened. "What? I'm not leaving you—"
"That is an order," Hinata snapped, his gaze never leaving Apollyon. "There is nothing left for us here. Fontaine and Albrecht will fall. We have no allies left. If you stay, you will die. Take them and flee to another region—before it's too late."
Reilan's grip on Chiori tightened. "Lord Hinata, you can't—"
"I am not your Lord anymore, Asmodeus is. Now Go!" His voice thundered over the roar of the flames, and for a brief moment, even Apollyon seemed to revel in the irony of it all. A man who once sought power now chooses to send his people away. Choosing duty over pride.
Asmodeus clenched his jaw but nodded, scooping me up despite my weak protest. Reilan hesitated, eyes burning with unspoken emotion, but she, too, turned away.
Apollyon watched them with amusement. "Ah, running away? Just like before. How fitting. But tell me, Hinata... Do you truly believe they'll get far before I find them?"
Before she could take another step, Hinata moved. Fast. Faster than even the flames could follow. His hand shot forward, seizing Apollyon by the wrist, twisting her momentum against her. She resisted.
Flames surged outward, a blazing corona of destruction that threatened to incinerate him on contact. Yet, Hinata did not waver. His other hand slammed into the ground, and in an instant, jagged crystalline spikes erupted from the earth—diamond, pure and unbreakable. The structures jutted upward, forming an unyielding barrier between him and the inferno.
Apollyon's lips curled into something cruel. "You think stone will stop me? How pathetic."
Hinata answered with a fist. A diamond-clad gauntlet materialized around his knuckles as he drove it into her midsection. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, forcing Apollyon back a step, her flames flickering erratically for the briefest of moments.
She snarled, retaliating with a sweeping arc of golden fire, her blade forming mid-motion. But Hinata met it with his own weapon—a massive glaive forged entirely of diamond, its edge gleaming with unrelenting sharpness. The two weapons clashed, sparks flying as raw power met unyielding force.
Their battle ignited in full, a dance of fire and stone, of searing heat and unbreakable resolve. Apollyon struck with relentless fury, each attack faster, more ruthless than the last. Hinata answered with brutal efficiency, each of his counters precise, each of his movements refined by decades of battle. He was no mere defender—he was a warrior, honed to perfection.
"This isn't strength, Lelyah," he growled, parrying another strike before delivering a crushing kick that sent her skidding backward. "This is ruin. And I refuse to let you take anyone else with you."
Apollyon dug her heels into the cracked earth, flames licking hungrily around her as she steadied herself. The force of the blow had rattled her, but not enough to break her momentum. She let out a slow exhale, the golden fire surrounding her burning brighter, feeding off her breath like an insatiable hunger.
"Ruin?" she echoed, amusement dripping from her voice. "No, Hinata. This is cleansing. I am not the broken one here—you are. Shackled to your futile ideals, fighting a war that has already ended."
Hinata didn't respond. He surged forward, diamond gauntlets forming along both his forearms, his entire body reinforced with unshakable resolve. He struck with terrifying precision, his glaive a whirlwind of crystalline destruction, but Apollyon met each attack with equal force, her blade a burning comet against his unyielding stone.
Sparks and embers rained across the battlefield as the two forces clashed, neither yielding, neither breaking. But Apollyon was adapting. Her flames grew hotter, her strikes faster, her movements refining with each passing second. She was learning him—dissecting his movements, pulling apart his strategies piece by piece.
Hinata felt it. The shift.
She was winning.
From the ruined remnants of the noble houses that had once sought to overthrow him, cries of panic rang through the air. Lords and warriors who had chosen to stay—who believed Apollyon's wrath could be tempered, or that she would spare them—were now realizing their mistake. They scrambled to flee, their arrogance turning to horror.
"We have to run!" Lord Rellmont bellowed, his once-pristine robes smeared with soot and blood. "She's unstoppable!"
"Hinata is losing! We're doomed!"
Apollyon only laughed, the sound sending chills through those still standing. "Oh, you fools. Did you think yourselves above my fire? That I would let you walk away unscathed?" She flicked her wrist, and an arc of flame tore through the air, catching the fleeing Lord Rellmont mid-step. His scream was cut short as his body was consumed, turned to embers in an instant.
Hinata gritted his teeth, reinforcing his armor, his body beginning to feel the strain. He had to end this—quickly.
"Lelyah!" he roared, slamming his fist into the ground. The earth beneath them trembled before a massive diamond spire erupted upward, catching Apollyon off guard and sending her hurtling into the air.
She twisted mid-air, redirecting herself with a powerful burst of flame, landing gracefully on the opposite side of the battlefield. But her smile was gone now. She flexed her fingers, rolling her neck, the inferno around her pulsing like a heartbeat.
"You're growing desperate," she mused, tilting her head. "Good. I want to see you struggle."
A chorus of terrified screams echoed from behind them as the remaining nobles, those foolish enough to think they could reason with or control Apollyon, now turned tail and ran. Lords and warriors alike, their arrogance shattered, their carefully spun plans reduced to cinders, scrambled for escape.
Apollyon's eyes flickered toward them, irritation flashing across her face. With a casual flick of her wrist, another wave of golden fire spiraled outward. The flames crashed into the fleeing nobles, swallowing them whole, their shrieks of agony lost in the deafening roar of the inferno. Their bodies crumbled, reduced to nothing more than scorched shadows on the ruined ground.
And yet, as she watched them burn, realization dawned on her. Her fingers twitched slightly, frustration creeping into her expression. "Tch... I should have done that to the children before they ran," she muttered, her voice laced with disdain. "No matter. I will find them soon enough."
Hinata seized the moment, his breath ragged, his body aching from the relentless battle. "You don't have to do this, Lelyah," he said, his voice firm but imploring. "You still have a choice. This isn't you."
Apollyon scoffed, golden embers crackling around her as she stepped forward. "You speak as though you ever understood me. But you don't, Hinata. You never did. None of you did."
Hinata held his ground, his diamond gauntlets flexing, prepared for the next strike. "Then help me understand." He took a step forward, voice steady despite the battle raging around them. "You swore to protect Reilan. You bled to keep her safe, to ensure she had a future. What about your husband? Satoshi—would he have wanted this? Would he have wanted to see you burn everything he stood for?"
Apollyon's expression did not change, but the flames around her wavered for the briefest moment.
Hinata pressed on. "And Chiori... Your daughter. The one Satoshi died protecting. You would hunt her down like an enemy? Finish what your enemies started?"
Something flickered in her golden eyes—rage, hesitation, something unspoken. But just as quickly, she crushed it beneath her heel, tightening her grip on her burning blade.
"You think their names will chain me to the past? That invoking them will shatter what I have become?" She let out a bitter laugh, but her voice carried an undercurrent of something raw. "I have transcended that weak, fragile woman. Lelyah Tomaszewski is dead, Hinata. And soon, so will you."
She lunged, her blade igniting in a burst of gold, forcing Hinata back into the fight. He barely managed to deflect her strike with his diamond gauntlet, but the force of it sent cracks spider webbing through the crystalline structure. His body ached, his mana reserves running dangerously low, but his mind was already made up.
This had to end. Now.
Apollyon pressed forward, relentless, her blade moving like liquid fire, her speed outpacing his defenses. Every block sent tremors through his arms, every evasion cost him another fraction of his stamina. He was running out of options—running out of time.
Then, in that fleeting moment of clarity between life and death, Hinata made his decision.
Mutual destruction.
He waited for her next strike, let her overcommit just slightly, and then surged forward, absorbing the blow as his diamond armor shattered upon impact. The pain was unbearable, fire eating through flesh and muscle, but it didn't matter.
He locked his arms around her in a crushing body lock.
Apollyon's eyes widened in surprise, then fury. "You—!"
Hinata gritted his teeth, his voice raw. "I should have done this sooner. Before Satoshi died. Before everything fell apart."
Apollyon's mask tilted slightly, as if registering something new—something dangerous. Then, suddenly, her body jerked, twisting violently in his grasp. "No," she hissed, realization dawning. "You would not dare."
He felt her struggle, her flames rising in intensity, but he didn't let go. His mana surged, his entire body trembling as he funneled every last ounce of his strength into a final act of defiance. He had enough power to level the entire estate—enough to take Apollyon with him.
Anymore, and he would risk taking the children too.
Her summons reacted instantly to her panic. Ignis roared, lunging forward, flames bursting from its maw. Solis coiled, its molten body snapping toward Hinata, aiming to tear him from their master.
Hinata didn't flinch. He only closed his eyes, exhaling one last breath, his grip unyielding.
"I spent years trying to save you, Lelyah." His voice softened, a trace of sorrow beneath the resolve. "But if I can't... then I'll make sure no one else suffers for it. You never believed in gods but let me offer you a prayer anyway and hope they will take us three up to THEIR gates."
His mana ignited.
The town was eerily silent.
Asmodeus, Reilan, and I had made it halfway through the streets, past the ruined outskirts, before the ground beneath us trembled violently. I could feel Asmodeus' grip tighten around me, his arms tense with barely restrained urgency. Every jolt of movement sent agony coursing through my ribs, my body barely holding together, but I couldn't afford to pass out now.
Reilan was panting beside us, her eyes darting back toward the estate. "Keep moving!" she urged, though I could hear the strain in her voice, the part of her that wanted to turn back.
Then it happened.
A massive explosion erupted from the direction of the Dagan estate. A column of golden fire, bright as the sun, shot into the sky, illuminating the entire town in a hellish glow. The blast wave struck moments later, shaking the buildings, shattering windows, and sending townsfolk stumbling from their homes in alarm.
Gasps and screams filled the air as people rushed into the streets, pointing toward the inferno that consumed the distant noble district.
Reilan had stopped in her tracks. She turned, staring at the explosion with wide, horrified eyes. "No..."
Asmodeus shifted me in his arms, his body tense, unreadable. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He knew. We all knew.
Hinata was gone.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, my voice barely more than a whisper. "He did it. He really..."
Zaphkiel's voice hummed in my mind, but it was different now. No longer the cold, detached system it once was—this time, it hesitated. As if it felt the weight of what it was about to say.
[Master... you have inherited their strength. But I wish, more than anything, that you hadn't.]
It was...sad. As if it, too, understood the weight of what was happening.
[Processing... but this is more than data. More than just skills. This is their legacy. Their final gift to you, even when you never asked for it.]
Acquired Skills:
Extra Skill: Adamant Bastion (from Hinata Saegusa) – A defensive augmentation reinforcing the body to withstand overwhelming force.
Extra Skill: Titan's Resolve (from Hinata Saegusa) – Grants unwavering fortitude, allowing the body to resist external forces even when at its limit.
Extra Skill: Phoenix's Embrace (from Lelyah Tomaszewski) – The ability to rise again, fueled by an undying will, at the cost of something irreplaceable. Each revival strips away a piece of the soul, memories fading, emotions dulling, until nothing remains but the fire itself.
Extra Skill: Infernal Requiem (from Lelyah Tomaszewski) – Converts pain and suffering into raw power, but the price is steep. Each use accelerates physical deterioration and frays the user's sanity, pushing them closer to a state where only destruction remains.
Unique Skill: Wrath of Aeshma – A cursed inheritance born from loss and fury. Grants a surge of overwhelming power in the face of certain death, but at a dire cost. Each use erodes the barriers between life and death, pulling the user further into Limbo.
Unique Skill: Belphegor's Burden – The weight of the fallen anchors you in place, granting momentary clarity and power at great cost. Each use saps the user's will to move forward, eroding their drive and pulling them ever closer to stagnation, where action becomes impossible.
Unique Skill: Sandalphon's Diligence – The unwavering resolve to continue forward, no matter the weight of loss. Grants immense endurance and focus, allowing the user to push beyond natural limits.
My breath hitched. My body felt colder than the night air around me. The meaning behind those skills, the weight of their origins—I didn't want them. I couldn't want them. These were not gifts. They were remnants. Echoes of those I had lost, carved into me without my consent.
A broken sob tore from my throat before I even realized I had made a sound. My vision blurred, my fingers clutching weakly at Asmodeus' coat.
"No... no, no, no..." I shook my head violently, the pain in my ribs nothing compared to the hollowness growing inside me.
They were gone. My parents. My uncle. My home.
Everything.
I shattered.
Then, before I could spiral further, Zaphkiel's voice returned, quieter this time. Its voice quieter now, raw with something that almost sounded like sorrow.
[There is... one last thing. A message. From them. I will play it now.]
My heart stopped.
The world faded around me as three distinct voices—my father, my mother, and Hinata—whispered into my mind, their words stretching across the boundary between life and death.
Lelyah Tomaszewski: "My little star... I wanted more time. So much more time. But you will outshine us all. Never let them dim you. Never let them break you. Also, tell your aunt Rei I don't ever regret saving her."
Satoshi Tomaszewski: "My beautiful girl. I was never a good father. I was never enough. But you were always my greatest love. Live. Survive. No matter what, do not let them take you."
Hinata Saegusa: "This is my atonement, Chiori. I was never the hero you thought me to be. But you—you have a choice. Do not let vengeance chain you the way it chained us. Be better. For all of us."
Asmodeus stood rigid, his grip tightening around me, his breaths slow and controlled—too controlled. But his silence spoke louder than any scream. He had just lost his father, the one man whose shadow he had lived under, whose presence had anchored him. Now, that anchor was gone, leaving nothing but an abyss beneath him.
His jaw clenched, his golden eyes flickering between the raging inferno in the distance and the ground beneath his feet. "Damn him..." he muttered under his breath, but his voice cracked. "Damn him for doing this alone."
Reilan was shaking, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if trying to hold the pieces of her together. Her breath hitched, her entire body tense as she whispered, "Lelyah was the only one who—" She stopped herself, biting her lip so hard that blood welled at the surface. "She was my sister. And now she's—"
Her words dissolved into a choked sob before she could finish.
The weight of the loss pressed down on all of us, suffocating, undeniable. I had lost my parents. Reilan had lost her sister. Asmodeus had lost his father. And now, we were left behind, shattered remnants of a family torn apart by war and sacrifice.
Alone.