"That's Essa… Medusa!"

Fallen Pride stood, slow and deliberate, boots scraping over the broken, burning road. Her armour bled crimson sparks, each ember writhing and twisting into sinuous tendrils that danced on the night air.

"You finally revealed yourself," Fallen Pride said, her tone calm, almost reverent, as she cracked her neck.

Essa didn't wait, didn't answer. Her legs flexed, muscles rippling with strength, and the ground under her feet erupted in a ring of shattered stone... a streak of green and gold cleaving the dust in her wake.

She vanished!

Leo's eyes widened in shock—he couldn't even track what happened.

Even Pride barely saw her coming.

In the blink of an eye, Essa reappeared before Pride.

The first sword flashed—a blur of pure green light, slicing at an angle too fast to see.

The second blade followed, a golden crescent trailing afterimage, singing as it cut the air.

Clang! Clang!

Pride blocked the first strike with her armoured forearm, sparks bursting like fireflies, the second with a twisting parry of her gauntlet, but the force drove her back.

Cracks spiderwebbed along her armour!

Pride groaned as she lashed out with a furious kick—Essa twisted, spinning above Pride's shoulder in a whirl of light, using her enemy as a springboard. In a breath, she landed behind Pride, her blade arcing downward and biting deep into Pride's back!

"Arh!" Pride cried out, as she staggered forward, before rolling to the side.

"Now this is interesting!" Pride spat.

Essa swung her sword again.

Pride ducked under one swing, boots screeching as she kicked off the ruined pavement, moving like a thunderbolt.

She retaliated with a barehanded strike. Her palm sliced the air, its shockwave splitting the ground like an earthquake, a line of shattered stone ripping toward Essa.

Medusa flipped backward midair, her limbs folding tight as her hair fanned out like a streak of emerald flame behind her. She landed with impossible grace, the soles of her boots barely making a whisper against the broken ground.

She smiled, "You've lost your sword," she said softly, "You've already lost your pride."

Pride snarled, crimson lightning bursting around her,

"You talk too much, cursed witch,"

She lunged.

Essa's eyes, hidden beneath the white cloth, shimmered faintly. Her twin curved swords crossed before her, forming a burning 'X' of gold and green light.

Fallen Pride's punches came fast. Her arms glowed with furious crimson, each strike heavier than the last, each impact cracking the very air.

But Essa didn't meet strength with strength... she flowed~

She moved like water, each step a dance. She stepped aside just enough, her swords flicking to deflect each blow with minimal effort, her wrists twisting with finesse.

Each parry left behind a trail of light that lingered in the air—ghostly ribbons!

When Pride overextended a punch, Essa slid under it, her body bending like water. Her left blade carved upward in a spiral arc, slashing across Pride's chestplate.

The armour cracked with a shriek, crimson sparks spilling from the wound like bleeding fire.

Pride reeled back with a guttural growl, raw anger twisting her lips—but Essa was already gone.

She appeared behind her, both blades spinning in her hands like twin tornadoes of steel and magic. In a single motion, she formed an 'X'—her blades shining furiously as magical force gathered at their edges, the pressure rising like a hurricane before the cut.

Then—

BOOOMMMM!!

Cutting force erupted, a wave of green mixed with golden energy.

Pride barely escaped as her platinum hair almost brushed against the force.

She threw herself to the side at the last possible instant.

The glowing 'X' carved through the air, flying into the crumbling buildings—slicing them in a massive 'X'-shaped scar that shattered glass, stone, and steel, reducing everything in its path to ruins.

Pride roared, her eyes twin suns of rage and blood as she yanked her hand through the air.

"Come!" she thundered, pointing toward her... sword!

Across the battlefield, Leo felt the weapon tug at his grasp.

A heavy force pulled at his arms, nearly yanking him off his feet.

Leo clenched his teeth. This was their chance—Essa on the verge of defeating Pride. He couldn't let this opportunity slip away!!

"I am not letting you go!" he shouted. His teeth clenched, hissing as he inhaled mana through his lips, channelling it down his lungs.

He pumped the energy into his shoulders and arms—muscles bulging instantly, veins swelling and glowing beneath his skin, strength spreading like wildfire. The sword fought him, dragging him step by step, but Leo roared, holding tighter.

THUD!

He held it to the ground, stabbing it down with all his strength as the sword trembled furiously, desperate to escape from his grasp. Leo didn't let it go, not even for a heartbeat.

"ESSA, I WILL HOLD IT, FINISH HER!!" he shouted, his hands burning as the blade fought against him.

Essa nodded, a feral smirk on her lips, twin blades raised high. The air around her shimmered, ripples of spectral light dancing like scales over her body.

Pride clicked her tongue furiously as she tried to move toward Leo to reclaim her sword. With each step she took, the ground cracked beneath her boots, energy radiating outward. But—

Essa moved again, faster than before, her body a streak of green and gold. Her twin blades flashed—slashes raining down upon Pride's armour in a blur of movement.

Pride punched Essa a few times, but Essa didn't care. Blood dripped down her side, painting her waist and legs crimson, but still she pressed on. Again and again, Medusa's attacks struck, each cut slicing deeper,

And—

Thud!

Pride's armour finally crashed to the ground in shattered plates, smoke rising from its broken edges.

For an instant, silence.

Essa leapt back, eyes burning with wild victory, swirling her twin blades in her hands. The etched snakes along each weapon slithered, green and golden hues trailing behind the blades, spinning like twin streaks of lightning through the air.

Green and golden sparks wreathed around her as her long, emerald hair fluttered in the breeze, flowing dangerously like a living flame.

Her lips parted, her voice a razor. She muttered with a cold, ancient tone—

^Kato…

"No, you won't!" Fallen Pride shrieked, raising her hand, energy flaring wildly. Leo, still holding the sword, felt it shudder violently, a force trying to wrench it away with even greater strength. His whole body trembled, arms shaking, but he refused to yield.

"I WON'T!" he screamed, veins bulging across his skin, every nerve on fire, pain radiating up to his shoulders.

Pride clenched her fist, "Fine! I will do it myself then!" she spat.

She slammed her fist into the ground, cracking the earth wide open. The air around her shimmered and flared, sparks of reddish-black magic spiralling upward in a blinding vortex.

Before Leo or Essa could react, Pride roared,

^Golau… Avalon^

CRACK—

A web of glowing, crimson-black lines fractured out from under Pride's fist, racing over the ground like the veins of the world.

Then—

WHOOM!

A colossal burst of blinding red light erupted from the earth, blooming like a red sun in the dark sky. Hundreds of swords exploded from below, their blades radiating a soft, divine light.

The earth heaved and split, as a massive structure began to rise, opening a jagged wound in the ground. Stone and steel tore apart, the battlefield itself reshaping as the building... a towering cathedral of blades pushed upward, threatening to swallow everything in its path.

"ARRHHHH!!!" Fallen Pride screamed, her energy pouring into the rising structure. The sword in Leo's hands vibrated violently, crimson sparks spilling from the hilt, searing his flesh. He screamed as the weapon nearly ripped free from where it was stabbed into the earth.

Leo used every ounce of strength to hold on. Blood poured from his palms. Something long and thick slithered in his mouth...

And finally, as the world shook and the storm of magic crested, Essa uttered the final word,

…Ptris^

The wind froze, and instantly, the air bent inward toward Essa.

Her twin blades rose together, the serpentine engravings on them glowing bright emerald and molten gold.

The snakes etched into the hilts came alive, scales shimmering as they slithered along the curves of the blades, their eyes burning white-hot with ancient hunger. The hilts pulsed, veins of power running down into Essa's arms.

The veins along her arms lit up like constellations as mana surged through her. Her hair floated upward, each strand alive, writhing in a storm of green fire that roared around her head like a crown.

The ground beneath her feet cracked, forming a vast circular sigil that pulsed with each heartbeat, lines of green and gold crawling outward in living patterns.

Her twin swords split apart, fracturing into hundreds of spectral copies.

They coiled around her, spiralling like a humongous serpent rising into the sky. Each blade trailed a blazing stream of gold and green, weaving a giant circle above her head—a crown of swords spinning faster and faster, the light merging into a raging storm.

Essa spread her arms wide, commanding the storm. The circle of the humongous snake collapsed downward with a howl, the blades slicing through the air in a single, unstoppable wave.

The two divine forces collided.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The entire street detonated under the force of their clash. The shockwave ripped outward, shredding everything—the street, the ruins, the broken mirrors, even the very air were torn to ribbons.

A blinding surge of green and gold swallowed the battlefield.

Pride's towering blade structure could barely even come out from the ground... Then the spectral serpent crashed through it, blades spinning and screaming, slicing divine metal as though it were nothing.

The gigantic crown of swords tore the structure apart from within, collapsing it in an avalanche of shrapnel and light. The vortex twisted, and the blades slithered downward, hissing and writhing, seeking their prey.

Leo's arms trembled violently as he held onto Pride's sword. The weapon strained skyward, desperate to reach its master and shield her. Leo's grip slipped, fingers sliding one by one, his whole body shaking.

But he didn't let go.

Leo clenched his fist, every muscle screaming. "COME ON!!!" he roared.

Fallen Pride's eyes widened with terror as she saw the storm serpent slither towards her after destroying her summoned swords... a beast made of blades, its two glowing, curved eyes boring into her soul. The mouth opened,

BOOOMMMMM!!!!!

"ARRHH!!!" Fallen Pride screamed as the serpent smashed down upon her, crushing her body with the weight of a thousand blades. The ground cratered beneath the impact, shockwaves radiating out!!

She slid backwards, her armour shattering, her body breaking beneath the onslaught.

And—

For a heartbeat, everything went silent. The world held its breath in the aftermath.

Then the storm dispersed.

Golden and green particles drifted down, floating like feathers of light through the ruins.

Essa's legs gave out. She collapsed to her knees, panting heavily, her chest burning. Her vision blurred as she lifted her head, desperate to see—

Fallen Pride was still there?

Essa's face turned pale, dread clawing up her throat.

Fallen Pride was covered in deep cuts. Her hands were missing, one leg gone, black blood dripping in thick streams from her broken body. Torn flesh and shattered armour barely clung to her frame, each breath rattling in her chest, but somehow, impossibly, she was still there.

Her eyes were wild, hazy, half-blind, as if her mind had slipped away in the agony.

Essa tried to stand up, desperate for one last attack. She knew... one more strike and this woman would end, for real, forever.

But Essa's body refused to move, not even an inch. Worse, she saw her skin flicker, becoming thin and translucent... her outline blurring at the edges as if she were fading out of existence.

'I-I need to—' she tried to will herself up.

Before she could move, a streak of light tore through the air above her... a blazing arc!

"You wanted this, right?!" Leo shouted, voice shaking as he leapt forward. He was holding Pride's sword, its blade covered in his own blood.

He appeared before Fallen Pride, blade raised for a killing blow.

He aimed straight for her heart, about to drive the sword through—

"L-Leo?"

Pride's broken voice halted him for a heartbeat—a familiar tone, not the monster's but the echo of a girl he once knew. Her crimson eyes, dulled by pain and blood, flickered for an instant… and turned green. That old colour, from a memory long buried.

Leo's eyes widened, shock freezing him—but only for a breath.

Chucckkk!

The sword plunged into her heart.

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