Author: I will work on the next chapter as soon as I get my free time, but schedules and other priorities are making it hard for me than it already is. Still...I intend to finish what I started. Hamel Arc will be starting by next chapter. Chapter 13 will have less fighting as it would be more about conversations.
Some things are not meant to be...
While the other El search party members prepares for the assault on the Southern Gate, Aisha has her mind about what's going to happen to her.
"There's no way out of this..."
She has yet to recover the memory of why she became a demon to begin with and who sealed her demonic nature in the first place. Seeing the situation, Aisha came to a conclusion...she can't avoid her nature.
"Sooner or later I'll hurt my friends...and Add..."
She feared she would succumb to her own nature and end up attacking everyone she knew. Aisha doesn't want that to happen, but without her other memories...she won't be able to solve this mystery.
"I don't want to hurt anybody..."
The mere thought of it made her feel terrified. They're all important to her so she doesn't want to cause them harm.
"Aisha" Add tapped her shoulder
Seeing the fear in her eyes, he sat beside her knowing she needed someone to comfort her.
"You're scared. What's the matter?"
"It's because of what's happening to me"
Aisha lowered her head, remembering how she injured Ara and suffocated Add the other day. If she hadn't snapped out of it, she could have killed them.
"I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm scared that if I lose control again...I'll... I'll...hurt everyone..."
"I won't let that happen. I won't let it get to that"
"Add..."
Add pulled her head closer to his chest and whispered to her. He couldn't imagine her fear of becoming what Nero is hoping for.
"I love with all my heart. No matter how impossible it seems...I won't give up"
"You..."
"If there's a problem, there's a solution. That's the law of this world...and I'll definitely find the answer"
"You're so optimistic"
"I'll grab that small glimpse of light even if it's far so you should stray away from that light"
His comfort lightened up the weight in her chest, making her smile.
"Ha ha ha..." She laughed
"Hmm?"
"Sorry. It's just that you don't give up and you're always there for me. Which is the reason I fell in love with you in the first place"
"I won't give up...because you're the reason why I continue"
She embraced him and he embraced her in return. As the two reassured each other, Rena observed with a sweet smile as she saw how the two love each other.
Velder...
Somewhat upset, Nero sat quietly as his subordinates looked at each other. He has been quiet and barely says anything.
"Lord Nero, is your silence about the magician Landar?" One of his soldiers asked
"That human had become a great pain. If it wasn't for him...Aisha Landar could have fully transformed by now!"
He temporarily broke his calm demeanor and released intense magic energy that resulted in the increase in gravity, almost crushing the lesser demons.
"I will not waste anymore time. I'll kill those pests..."
"W-what are you planning, my lord?" One of his commanders asked
"Right now, Chloe is preparing to summon Nephilim. Just in time...those people had entered Velder again"
Nero felt the presence of the El search party inside Velder and paving their way on the Southern gate.
"It's time I remind Landar how her demonic nature came to btrivial
Standing up, Nero decides to head to the area where the battle will take place while one of his lieutenants followed behind him.
"What about the demon Luciela and her butler?"
"Lu has no intention in trivial human affairs. She has her attentions somewhere else"
His attention is towards the El search and knowing Lu won't get in the way, he didn't view her as an obstacle.
Southern Gate...
Even as the Glitter commander shouts as dozens of Arc Glitter soldiers charged, the El search party wiped them out with little difficulty.
"You're in the way!"
The Lunatic Psyker bent the heavily armored Glitter panzer Vardon and sent it flying to several Glitter soldiers. By overloading his Nasod armor's circuits, his direct attacks are stronger than regular ones.
(It's still on the testing phase, but my research is showing promise)
Add released plasma that sent the demons surroundings him flying everywhere. Everyone is too busy fighting the demons, except for Aisha who stopped for a moment.
"He's here...!"
She felt Nero's presence heading to the Southern Gate and a powerful source of dark energy.
"...?!"
A demon jumped and prepares to strike her down, but she retaliated with a blast of magical energy.
(Kkh!)
By releasing a large amount of power, it risks her of losing control and unleashing her demonic nature.
(How can I fight properly if I can't used too much power?!)
She's forced to limit her own attacks or she would go on a rampage and attack everyone in sight.
"We need to reach the castle!"
Seeing an opening, Elsword told the other El search party members and as they draw closer to their destination, more demons ambushed them.
"Aisha" Add went to her side
He noticed her increasing discomfort as they get near the Velder castle.
"I can sense a large amount of dark power here. It's affecting me"
"It must be dark El. Demons tend to react when in the reach of the dark el"
Ara concluded since she felt dark power lingering in the air and the increase in the demons' strength contributed to it.
"Aisha..."
"I'll be fine. I can still fight..."
Aisha knows Add is worried for her, but they have to end it here and close the portal to prevent more demons from coming in the kingdom.
"I can sense him here. That demon lord" She told Add
"The piece of trash?! Tsk! He won't stop until he gets what he wants"
Fury seethed in his eyes and Aisha's gentle touch, calmed him down for a bit. She doesn't want to see that much emotion in his eyes.
"I won't let him get to you. Over my dead body..."
"Don't say things like that. You make me worry"
"I won't go down...because I don't want to leave you alone"
To relieve her worry, Add promised, in a way, that he won't go down that easily. While the El search party proceeds, Ain observed what has been happening.
"This kind of power. I feel as if the outcome will test each other's feelings. I hate this part of the story"
His concern is towards the El search party, but he briefly shifted his attention at an unknown entity that had entered the area as well.
"There's...two of him? Though that one has a different wavelength...and a bit terrifying"
The figure isn't a demon, but a human so he didn't view the person as a threat and let it be sensing emotions of concern and desire to protect.
"Well, well...Mr. Parallel version, what role are you going to play?"
Ain return to his passive role as an observer and watched the El search reach the castle.
"There's too many bosses here!" Rena panted
"This must be what one can call a last stand" Eve commented
"At least we reached the castle" Raven is thankful
The portal is inside the castle and as they enter the large gate, Chloe greeted them with a hostile glare.
"You made it this far, humans...but this is as far as you go!"
Technically there's a Nasod, an elf, and a demon, but that doesn't really matter now. Chloe brought out a relic powered by dark el from the demon realm.
"Kkh!" Aisha felt like being suffocated
"Aisha!"
The energy of the dark el is empowering her demonic self and holding it back pains her much.
"You betrayed your own kind for a worthless human. Go die with them!"
Chanting a dark elven spell, the relic glowed brighter until it released a portal where an enormous creature emerge out of it.
"W-what is that?!" Rena stepped back
"Behold, Dark Nephilim! The patron god of the dark elves!"
The monster with its eye on the mouth made the El search party run as it chased them around the castle.
"That thing swats ours attacks like flies! Any escape plan?!" Chung asked Elsword for suggestions
"We can render it temporary immobile with the trap around the castle. That will give us enough time to escape and call for reinforcements"
Eve's drones confirmed it with her drones. They can't really attack it properly while it's chasing them and shooting lasers.
"The lever!" Raven pointed
They lead Dark Nephilim to where the castle trap is and with a powerful kick, Ara triggered the trap just in time. It only became difficult with the demons Chloe brought with her.
"Tch! That thing won't go down!" Add clenched his fists
Dark Nephilim keeps coming back as if it has endless lives, much to everyone's chagrin.
"It won't stop coming back. I enchanted the relic keeping it's physical form in Elrios"
The demon lord Nero joined in the scene and watched the El search party battle against the empowered Dark Nephilim.
"You...!"
Add wants to fight Nero, but he has Dark Nephilim to deal with. Since the El search party is busy with the demons and the creature, Nero went to a weakened Aisha.
"It hurts, doesn't it? Resisting your own nature and watching your friends suffer"
Not letting Aisha fight back, Nero impaled the Elemental Master with a spear. She survived what could have been fatal to an ordinary human because of her demon power. She couldn't move with the spear pierced through her and planted on the ground.
"Leave her alone!"
Before Add could rush to her side, a Glitter slammed him away with a large hammer. Heavily armed Glitters stood in his path so he has no choice but to fight them.
"Have you ever wondered why you're a demon? Who do you think is at fault?"
"...?!" Aisha couldn't say a thing
"If you remember it...it's your family's fault and the humans"
"What...are you talking about?"
"I guess you didn't remember how a child like born with immense powers was used a catalyst for human selfishness and greed for power"
"..."
"Look deep inside you. The memory is there"
He tapped his finger on her forehead and Aisha is forced to remember a part of her lost memory.
Amazing! To possess this level of magic at a young age!
Your magic is going to be useful...for us...
A part of Sult. If this one succeeds too...the Demon god will grant us more power
This child...will be a catalyst...for us...
Another catalyst. Just like the other ones...
Our child will become another catalyst for us to take another step!
Remembering that memory, Aisha screamed in pain as she unleashed a wave of demonic power.
"Stop it! Make it stop!"
She can't stop remembering how the people around her saw her as a tool for their own gains...even her own parents. She was a child back then, she didn't know anything...until it was too late.
"It hurts, doesn't it! Guess what, Landar?! It's human nature!"
Aisha stopped resisting as the horrible memories paralyzed her senses. Nero forced her to watch the El search party struggle against Dark Nephilim and the demons.
"Deep inside you hated everyone. The moment you were born...you were just a catalyst in their eyes. Someone they can dispose if proven useless"
"..."
"Your father craved forbidden knowledge upon being exposed to a sample of Sult's power. Of course in exchange...you, the child. Too bad he didn't listen to your mother"
Violently smashing the demons, Add charged in only to be blocker by Nero's barrier and blown away.
"I...I was...just..." Aisha's hand slowly let go of the spear
"You meant nothing to them, but a tool. When you realized that...you let a fragment of Sult's inside you"
"I...killed them..."
Her hands shook remembering her younger self stand in the midst of bloody corpses.
"Even your own parents. I thought you would remember by now, but you're subconsciousness kept repressing it"
Aisha no longer moved after learning of what she had done. She can't accept she stained her hands with the blood of corrupted humans and her own parents.
"What did you to her?!" Furious, Add recklessly charged
"I reminded her why she is really a demon"
Nero caught Add's fist with little effort. He noticed the increased in the Lunatic Pysker's strength compared to last time"
"Oh. At least you can hit better this time" He mocked him
This time, Nero took the fight seriously and unleashed a powerful punch.
"You treat her as a human even if she's a demon...just like me"
"She's nothing like you! Aisha is...not some monster like you"
"That's because she is a murderer"
Nero released a wave of magic the slammed Add to the ground.
"That's just to show she is a demon and not a human...yet you love her"
He stepped on Add to prevent the Psyker from getting up.
"Landar, you can't protect your friends. You'll just keep losing everyone...to remind you what you are"
Aisha raised her head and reacted seeing the same scenario back at the Feita temple. She couldn't stand seeing her friends all bloody and beaten.
"Aisha, no matter what you became...my feelings will never change. Human or not...I would always love you"
The El search party couldn't come to Add's aid as they can't escape from Nephilim's grasp. They're at their limit, but they continued to fight.
"No...I don't want...to lose you...and everyone..."
No matter how she tries, Aisha couldn't remove the spear impale on her chest and the other one too.
"I'd rather lose myself than the people I care about!"
At that instant, violent force interrupted everything and continued to howl, almost making everyone lose balance.
(Love. The strongest feeling a human possess...is the primary tool leading to hatred and malice)
As the dark force died down, Nero dodge an incoming blast of pure magic and struck Nephilim instead...annihilating half of the creature's body.
"Finally. What I've been waiting for..."
What came out of a smoke is not a human, but someone who had become...a true demon.
"Kkh!"
Aisha could barely retain control on her demonic self. It's hard to hold back her demonic urges, but her desire to protect her friends is stronger.
"What are you going to do now, Landar?"
"I'm going to kill you" Aisha is dead serious about it
Two demons fought each other. One is demon lord and the other is a victim of human greed and selfishness. Add just watched the Elemental Master doesn't hold back and is really serious about eliminating her opponent.
"It was your doing...why I'm like this...!"
She lashed out her anger on the demon who is involved since the very beginning.
"Because of you...my family is dead!"
Tears filled with deep treated streamed down her cheeks as both of their weapons clashed with one another. They're on the same level with each other, none refusing to fall.
"Hmph. You're too attached with these humans. You forgot they're the main reason of your suffering"
As if he had seen what he wanted, Nero grabbed the blade Aisha is wielding and drove it to his own chest, much to Aisha and Add's surprise.
"Let's see how long...you will continue to resist what you are"
His physical body disintegrated, but he disappeared with a smile of content on his lips. With Nero supposedly gone after taking his ow life, Aisha focused on the other enemy...Chloe.
"You can stop now" He doesn't want her to continue forcing herself
Before she could lose control, Aisha set her eyes on killing Chloe before the monster could regenerate.
"I have to end this...before I lose myself..."
"Aisha...!"
"Add, I have to do this...while I'm still in control"
Ignoring him, Aisha stood up to face the only enemy opened her palms and activated a magic circle, readying to reduce the dark elf to dust.
"Uuh...ah - Ggh!"
Before she could do so, Aisha has reached her limit and is bound to lose control. She ended up unleashing massive energy that threw everyone away. She fired a shot at Chloe that missed, but destroyed the relic. Aisha couldn't hold it back anymore so her power went out of control.
"No...I can't...I don't want to..." Her demonic nature is beginning to consume her
Add wanted to go to her side, but his hand got burned just trying to get near to her.
"Aisha! Can your hear my voice?!"
Recognizing his voice, she looked at Add who is trying to enter the violent maelstrom of dark energy.
"Aisha! I don't want to lose you...so...so don't let that thing eat you away!"
"Add...I can't go back anymore..."
"No, no no! Don't say that! You can't give up on yourself"
"There's no point to it anymore. What's done cannot be undone
"No! There has to be a way"
"Don't you get it?! There's no other way!"
Unintentionally, she released energy that burned Add's chest and wounding hjd shoulder.
"...?!" She gasped in horror
Not just Add, but he ended up hurting the other El search party members. She felt horror seeing she wounded her own friends.
"I can't be with you. I'll only hurt you..."
"No...Aisha..."
"That's why I have to do this for everyone's sake..."
"Ai...sha...?" Elsword took a single step
Even if his body hurts like hell, Add stood up and attempt to go to Aisha, but he stopped seeing the fear in her eyes.
"In the end, we can't be together. Even though I love you...I'll just hurt you"
"Don't do this...to me" He pleaded to her
"I'm sorry. Goodbye...Add..."
She bid farewell to the man she loved as she leaned her face to his and parted ways with a gentle and brief kiss. Right before he knew it, Aisha had already disappeared. He couldn't say anything after what just happened.
"Add..." Elsword wanted to comfort him
"Let's leave him be for now" Rena stopped Elsword
"Nothing can be compared to the pain of losing the woman you love" Raven understood that
"Love. Such an unpredictable emotion" Eve sighed
Chung and Ara just silently look at each other as everyone felt Add's sorrow right now. The Lunatic Psyker's knees slumped on the floor and after a long time...tears streamed down from his cheeks.
Even in this world...I couldn't stop 'myself' from preventing the same mistake I did...