"Cease hesitating, human!" The furious Asgore bellowed towards the child's continuous reluctance, "With every chance you choose not to fight, you only ensure your own destruction."
Yet the King didn't feel so determined - oh the irony - of victory himself. With every dodge of his assaults, every parry towards his swings, every coordinated sidestep against his relentless moves, Asgore felt the heat of battle, whatever was left of it, wear off him with every passing time the human gains an opportunity to counterattack. It was an understatement to say that the aged ruler of all monsters had no desire to extinguish the life of a child, human or no, but it has to be done, no matter the cost.
Yet this human - this child - was making it more and more impossible for him to swing his blade.
His persistent foe shook his head, forcing Asgore's teeth to grind as a wave of fire was unleashed towards the human. "Do you not comprehend what is at stake here?!" The infuriated yet sorrowful monarch yelled, whilst the human dodged the wall of searing white flames. "There is nothing to accomplish by feeble attempts of mercy. In these circumstances, it's kill or be killed!"
Something then flashed in the human's eyes, a glint of recollection, and, which struck Asgore as peculiar, those eyes narrowed, as though those words struck a cord in the young child. Despite this, to the King's ever-growing reluctance and irritation, the child, whose name Asgore wasn't even aware of, shook his head, expression pleading this fight halts, the war between humans and monsters ends once and for all.
But Asgore knew that was impossible, not after everything that's happened. The humans stole his and his kind's freedom, then theyr took his only child.
There was no mercy for them. Not anymore.
"Don't you see how foolish your desire for peace is?" Asgore asked, a crack in his normally baritone voice, as the human passed through the orange swinging scythe effortlessly. "After everything your kind has done to us - to my family - there will never be another chance for redemption, from either side."
Yet the aged monarch knew he was lying to himself. He was well aware of the compassionate side of humanity, the sympathy and mercy this child's kind held, despite their appearances and menacing stance against nature.
Asgore knew, at least, both sides had that much in common.
The child was adamant, eyes still pleading with determination for this fight to stop. Why? What could possibly motivate this mere small human, barely the size of Asgore's knees, to hopelessly attempt for peace? It was all for naught...
...Wasn't it?
Asgore wasn't sure anymore, not since what happened that faithful day, not since his own wife left him.
Not since Asriel...
"No matter how hard you try human, one of us will perish here, and leave that barrier to the welcoming sunlight above." Asgore said gravely as the wincing child received damage from a side hit to the arm by circling flames, the broken monarch refraining from flinching himself. "There is nothing that can be done to-"
Before he knew it, his weapon fell from his hand, the moment Asgore's eyes laid on the pie the child brought out to heal himself. Time halted, the light of the barrier behind him stilled. For a moment, even the child froze, as Asgore's heartbreaking attention was focused on butterscotch pie.
He knew Toriel's pies anywhere, just by looking at it.
And just like that, all urge to fight for his people, to save the race of monsters and give them the hope theyr deserved, instantly disrupted from the forefront of his mind. Asgore stayed staring at the pie, obviously cold from being carried for so long.
How he missed seeing the best thing his beloved could bake...
"Toriel... forgive me..." Words barely came out a whisper, and the monarch looked up to see the child's face. No surprise, the human's eyes only reflecting understanding and... sympathy.
Sympathy he absolutely did NOT deserve...
And suddenly, the child's small feet stepped forward, towards the distraught King. Any open opportunity to strike the human down where he stood was gone, Asgore hesitantly observed the child's movements, bracing himself for any sort of deceit the child attempted to try.
Yet the human merely looked and smile, upon with touching distance of the towering monarch, and the King felt his heart break into a million pieces with a sharp intake of breath, kneeling before the smiling child as the pie was offered towards him.
"Toriel..." The name of his missing beloved was quietly uttered again, Asgore's paw slowly reaching out, desire to taste the delicious treat of the best food created by monster-kind possible numbing his mind. Of course, Toriel would bake her butterscotch pie for any child, monster or human.
How he deeply missed her.
"I'm so sorry..." Right then, Asgore wasn't certain if he was addressing the sympathetic child, his absent wife or his long-departed son. Tears of distraught, self-loathing and sadness leaked from his tired eyes like a fountain.
The human's smile faltered upon the apology, hand still outstretched with the piece of pie towards the broken King. Asgore hadn't seen such kindness from their kind since... since...
A depressed yet hopeful smile graced his own features. Asgore graciously took the warm pie, cradling it like a great treasure. "Human... do you think... she'll ever forgive me...?"
Their eyes met again, and the warmness in the child's own was enough of an answer. And then Asgore finally saw it, the real reason why this human wouldn't fight him, no matter what was at stake.
Through those eyes, Asgore saw her.
His smile widened, a free paw extended towards the curious child, while his other hand held to welcoming treat he hadn't seen in years. "It's time we end this war, don't you think, human?"
The child was eager to accept the offer, and as their hands touched, Asgore felt that everything would be all right again...
Even when far away, Toriel still had an effect on the misguided foolish King...
AN: No one is beyond redemption... except for willing child murderers. However, since I've yet to have confirmation that Asgore took the life of a wandering soul with his bare hands, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, I love that design of his, and his battle theme is amazing. Such a shame about no neutral ending with him raising the protagonist as his own, so I decided to make my own version for the conclusion of that needless battle.
Hope you enjoyed it, my friends!