Chapter 13: Royalty of the Highest Calibre Part 3
A few days later, in the hallways of the castle...
Dracodeus were walking along the hallways, as she was looking for Ruche, who has been training by herself.
"Overlord Ruche? Where are you?" Dracodeus called around. "Overlord Ruche?"
She kept on walking for a while, before she encountered Ruche waiting for Dracodeus.
"I have to speak to you, Dracodeus." Ruche asked her in a stoic tone.
"You have my attention, Overlord Ruche." Dracodeus answered back with a gentle nod. "Where do you want to take me?"
"Take you? I didn't even say that I was going anywhere-" Ruche was about to blab out more, before she then stopped herself, and turned way with a embarassed look on her face. "You knew what I was going to say... Fine, come with me."
Dracodeus let Ruche lead the way for her, as they proceeded out of the castle itself.
In the outskirts of the Underworld city...
The duo made their way onto a short look-out point, where they could see the entire city with the castle, with a magnificent view ahead of them.
"Over here, Dracodeus." Ruche gestured over to where she was standing, which was on top of a large cliff.
"Let me just get up there." Dracodeus responded back, as she leaped up on top of the cliff, where Ruche was. She then sat down, facing Ruche, who did the same. "So... What is it that you want to talk with me, Overlord Ruche?"
"Before I get into the matter..." Ruche spoke, as her voice seemed to be warm. "...Dracodeus... About yourself... Did you ever have your guardian neglect you during your time?"
"Why ask me such a thing, Overlord Ruche?" Dracodeus asked back, confused as to what Ruche meant. "Of course not. I will mostly supervised by others, although there were times where I was alone, and I had to do some things on myself."
"...When I used to walk with the Great Overlord, each walk would be quite fun, and I never got scolded for the things I did in there." Ruche responded back. "I thought that he was just making me feel special, but when I saw him the first time with my father, Astaroth, in the castle, he had a completely different expression when talking with the others, and that's when I realise I wasn't being treated special, but that he was just merely not paying attention to me."
"Everyone has their duties." Dracodeus answered back. "But even if he is being bogged down by such things and more... Wouldn't he try to connect with you often?"
"But that's where I wanted to be, being able to act like a dutiful person like him..." Ruche replied back, as she clenched her hands into fists. "I was... envious of my father being able to join in with him and everyone amid all the tension. I was vexed over how I couldn't join them... That's why I became a Overlord. I wanted to be better than my father. I was the one who wanted to be there!"
"So that is why you became an Overlord." Dracodeus nodded. "But considering recent matters... Do you ever regret being one?"
"Of course not! I would have cursed myself of how I couldn't do my best, if I wasn't chosen as a candidate against Trillion!" Ruche cried with some frustration. "Not getting the chance to avenge the deaths of my family is just misery in itself. To add... I..."
Ruche then turned away, as Dracodeus realised that she was reopening a old wound.
"I... I'm sorry if it reminded you of something you didn't want to remember." Dracodeus sincerely apologised. "But still, I'm glad that you are still strong and iron-willed for all of this, and I'm glad to be your partner... Ruche."
Ruche then turned around, as she glared at Dracodeus for the causal manner that the latter mentioned her name. "That's the only time you'll get to call me like that without permission, Dracodeus." Ruche sternly answered back.
"Did I say that casually? I must have been a little too chatty for my own good." Dracodeus joked. "Anyway, please continue on."
"When Zeabolos lost and died, I was vexed by the concept that he has betrayed me, my image of him specifically." Ruche stated. "There was something else I should have said before being angry with him, and being so cold to your friends. But I couldn't say the words. Words that would show how happy I was for him to see him come back alive."
"Then tell me that right now, and I'll pass them on on your behalf, Overlord Ruche." Dracodeus politely suggested.
"You're making this sound easy... But this is a big thing for me." Ruche said.
"It is, but that doesn't mean it has to be difficult." Dracodeus responded back with a chuckle.
"...You know what, I'm a bit tired now..." Ruche answered, as she got up onto her feet, and pointed at a certain landmark in view. "I was planning on taking you to the flower field in the distant field there."
Dracodeus looked at where Ruche was pointing. "A flower field...? Perhaps those flowers are a symbol of your own family."
"Of my father. I was thinking of burning them all right in front of Zeabolo's eyes, just so that he would wake up and realise what he was doing now." Ruche answered back.
"Now, now, that seems a little too extreme, Overlord Ruche." Dracodeus tried to dissuade Ruche. "If they're symbols of your father, they would be best left alone for your personal feelings, right?"
"Well, I don't want him to consider me just his 'brother's daughter'!" Ruche snapped back. "I wanted him to face me as Zeabolos, not as a uncle!"
"Then I can help you do that." Dracodeus responded back, as she got up and held both of Ruche's hands into her own. "If you beat Trillion, I'm sure that he would see you as the Great Overlord that you have always desired to be."
"W-Why you! Stop saying something like that out of the blue! That's just stupid flattery!" Ruche stuttered, before her expression turned into one of timidness, as she blushed a little involuntarily. "But if that's the case... I want you... to stay by my side, Dracodeus. You have done so much for me, and I won't forget it all just like that."
"Thank you for your praise, Overlord Ruche." Dracodeus spoke in a grateful tone. "I can do that at least for you."
"Now let's go back. Before I really carry with my promise to burn the flower field down." Ruche grumbled.
"Well, let's do our best to avoid that." Dracodeus replied back. "Come on, I'll take you back to the castle."
"...Fine." Ruche said after some silence, as they both returned to the castle without another word.
The next day, in the castle's coliseum...
Ruche was training her magic, as she was using her own arsenal of spells to destroy the stacks of dummy targets in front of her in various ways, before she then felt a strange presence on the Ring of the Tyrant she was wearing.
"Wh-What!?" Ruche cried, as she stopped immediately, and looked at the pulsating ring. "My power... It's flowing out!"
"Could this be!?" Ragon cried in sheer astonishment.
"The missy is gaining the ability to use the magic power leading to her ultimate move!" Ergo exclaimed.
"Wh-What am I supposed to do here!?" Ruche asked in a uneasy tone. "I... I don't know what to do!"
"Overlord Ruche...! You need to calm down!" Dracodeus advised her partner. "That power is something that you have to accept! It's the result of your training to unlock your inner potential. Just let it flow into you, and course it through your own body! The magic power that is flowing around should be able to break through your previous limits! Command the power with all your will, and it will answer! Embrace it with open arms, Overlord Ruche!"
"My desire..." Ruche repeated back softly, before she then grit her teeth. "My desire! It's to bring down Trillion for the sake of avenging the deaths of my sister and my father, and so that I will be fit to rule the Underworld as its Prideful Great Overlord!"
The area around Ruche began to glow, as a blinding white light surrounded her, as the ring on her finger displayed her own personal crest in purple, before it slowly faded away with the light.
"What the...!? Did... Did it work!?" Ergo frantically questioned.
Ruche was left standing still, as she was staring off into the air, as if she witnessed something astounding.
"This is the world of greater power...!?" Ruche blurted out. "I... I don't believe it... The sight I saw... The vibrant flow of magic inside me... It's like that I've woken up from a endless dream, where everything was just a well-veiled illusion."
"...Truth is of many layers, my partner." Dracodeus answered back. "What you did was merely open your own mentality towards a higher and deeper level of meaning inside it. But by doing this... You have completely matured in terms of potential and power, just like I once did before..."
"All this time, I fulfilled my desire before, with my own power, without relying on anyone or expecting help from others. All I believed was my own power." Ruche continued, before she clenched her fists. "But... I'll borrow the power of everyone inside of it... Zeabolo's, Perpell's, Levia's, Mammon's and Ashmedia's... Everyone's desires are beyond my own, but their power... is not. Which is why, no matter what, I'm not alone in this fight. I have you, Dracodeus, and I have everyone in some way or the other!"
"I'm glad that you consider it this way." Dracodeus answered back. "It's what you always striven for, didn't you?"
"I... I believe that is so..." Ruche responded backs softly, as she snapped out of her trance, as she then looked at the Ring with a determined look in her eyes. "The thoughts and magic power sealed within the Ring of the Tyrant... It's time for you to assist me!"
Dracodeus merely clapped in congratulations as a response to Ruche's words. "Come now, I think you deserve a break for now. Perhaps a visit to the hot springs would be in order?" She suggested in a polite manner.
"...If you insist. Consider it a just reward for all your services until now, as you will come with me." Ruche answered back, as she picked up her parasol, Devourer, from the ground. "Come, Dracodeus, let us wash off the blood and sweat we have accumulated."
Dracodeus chuckled at how strange the phrase seems, since they have shed not a single drop of blood or drew it either, and they rarely showed any sweat, even when pushed to their limits, but she understood what Ruche meant.
In the Hot Springs...
Ruche was the first to step into the hot springs, as she lowered herself gently into the warm waters, resting her back onto the edge of the rocky ledge. She sighed deeply, as she tried to relax. However, the increasingly growing urge for Dracodeus to come now was building inside her, preventing her from doing so, until it got to a point, where Ruche couldn't take it anymore, as she turned towards where the changing rooms for the hot springs.
"Oi, Dracodeus! Hurry up, will you!?" Ruche yelled loudly. "I didn't invite you here with me just to loiter around the changing room! You better not be wasting my good-will, because it might be the only time I'll ever give you such a thing!"
"I'm coming soon, Overlord Ruche! Just give me a moment to get my suit on!" Dracodeus called back.
Ruche only huffed with some frustration in her voice, as she went back to laying down in the hot spring. "I swear... It would have been better if I just went alone, now that I think of it." She mumbled to herself. "Like having a servant like Dracodeus doing things like this would be nothing more than a bother."
"I'm finished!" Dracodeus shouted.
"About time-!" Ruche shrieked, as she turned around, before she was struck silent by the figure of Dracodeus unmasked. Without her mask, and dressed in just the simple bikini, and garments, she seemed to be quite beautiful to the prideful Overlord, especially when she got a look of Dracodeus's own red eyes which seemed to shine like a ruby, compared to her own, which radiated the shine of a dark red diamond. "Wha...!?"
Dracodeus lowered herself into the hot-springs, as she sighed in relief, laying her hands on the edge, as she was opposite of Ruche.
"I'm sure that you're enjoying the hot-springs with me, are you?" Dracodeus asked amicably.
"I... Well..." Ruche tried to answer back, although she was fumbling at how she was unable to properly keep herself together due to how she was still caught off-guard by the beauty of her own 'servant'. "I've always been here, so of course I can enjoy it, even if it is with someone as lowly as a servant like you!"
"I see." Dracodeus nodded with a warm smile on her face, before she looked at the crest tattoo on top of Ruche's chest. "I take it that tattoo is your own crest, right?"
"...Yes?" Ruche asked back with some hesitation.
"Well, I once had the idea that I wanted to get something like that, but..." Dracodeus answered back. "But I guess that I never found someone good enough to draw what I wanted. Either they're too scared of ruining the skin of a noble with their own works, or that they're no confident enough to do a job as complicated as mine. So, I ditched the idea not too long after."
"What did you want?" Ruche asked back.
"Something that would be fitting for my childhood back in Nohr." Dracodeus answered back. "A night sky with a crescent moon, with a castle that is guarded by a grey divine dragon. Both of these symbols would serve well to represent my origins. Well, at least before the war came to a strong climax..."
Dracodeus looked away with some regret in her eyes, as Ruche remained silent in respect of what Dracodeus might be feeling right now.
"...You know, you remind of one of my sisters, if only in appearance." Dracodeus remarked, looking at Ruche. "You remind of Elise, before she even had the idea to tie her hair into twintails for a more 'cute' look for herself."
"Really?" Ruche asked with some surprise. "Who is she like? I bet she must be like me, if you see her in me, no?"
"Not quite. She's more like Perpell in that case." Dracodeus denied. "She's quite energetic and peppy, and she actually treats everyone quite kindly, and she also has the flaw of being just as childish as she would seem for her appearance. But I love her regardless as a big sister to her. And if there is something that you and her have in common, it's the will to never back down in the face of danger, for the sake of those beloved. Don't you feel the same way, despite what you have said, Overlord Ruche?"
Ruche remained silent, before she then noticed a moth that landed on Dracodeus's shoulder, as she was frightened by the sudden appearance of the insect, and almost jumped out of the hot spring in fright.
"AHHHH! There's a bug on your shoulder!" Ruche squealed, as she backed away as far as she could from the large moth on Dracodeus's shoulder.
"Oh?" Dracodeus muttered back, as she turned to look down on the moth on her shoulder, as she lightly waved at it. The moth moved off her shoulder and left the hot-springs, as she turned back to the frightened Ruche with a smile. "Don't worry... It was just passing by. There's no need to be that frightened."
"D-Don't be like that! You should have been afraid! Aren't you just like me, a noble in a kingdom?" Ruche asked back.
"Sort of. But I left that title to become something greater... A heroic saviour of all." Dracodeus answered. "I guess after what I have been through, I must have grown to be more and more courageous, and lost my initial fears. Still... It's surprising that you would be frightened by this of all things."
Ruche blushed deeply, as she growled and flung water Dracodeus, who immediately turned her head away to avoid getting splashed on the face.
"S-Shut up!" Ruche exclaimed in embarrassment. "I have my own fears, you know! Trying to act all tough is very hard with these bugs around here!"
"Well then, glad that no-one is watching you, but me. And I won't judge you, Overlord Ruche." Dracodeus answered back with a sweet tone.
"...You know what, just call me Ruche." Ruche sighed deeply, as she seemed to be getting sick of being called by 'Overlord Ruche'. "Since you've been so close to me, I prefer that you call me by my name only. If you're going to try and earn my favour, at least try to put in a effort to bring me closer to you."
"...I'm glad that you accept this, Ruche." Dracodeus nodded with a smile. "It's only a few days until Trillion reawakens. Will you be prepared by then?"
"As if I'm not! I'll just make sure that demonic monster is vaporised into mere dust for what she did!" Ruche cried back.
"Then let's enjoy the time together while we can." Dracodeus replied back. "I'm sure that even though we haven't been through much, you still would appreciate what we have done together...?"
Ruche remained silent, before she smiled. "Yeah... I guess you would be right about that." Ruche spoke in a accepting tone.
In the throne room, at the day of Trillion's awakening...
Everyone from the Unmei Force except Dracodeus, Fegor, Zeabolos, Elma, Baphomet, Cerberus, Faust arrived in the throne room, as Faust and Pangu took their place on the sides of Zeabolos.
"It's finally time." Faust stated. "Trillion has awoken again."
"It's exactly how you said it would be, Faust." Zeabolos responded back. "When I first met you, you told me being alive isn't necessarily the best."
"Are you regretting being revived?" Faust questioned back.
"Of course not. If I regretted my being, then what would I say to those who died? What would I say to Ruche who went into battle, to become another of the fallen, after what the other Overlords did?" Zeabolos spoke in a sorrowful tone. "No matter the cost, Trillion is to be defeated. That was my decision, and I will bear the consequences for it. It was the only means possible to stop Trillion, wasn't it, Faust? I can only appreciate for giving us all this chance."
Faust was silent, as she turned away, as her expression showed some feeling in it, before it was erased quickly into her mask of indifference.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting!" Elma cried, as the Devil Projector came in after her. "I brought the Devil Projector!"
"Projecty! I'm here to project! The connection has been restored since last time!" The Devil Projector chirped.
"Elma!? Why did you come here!?" Zeabolos cried out, surprised that his sister is not resting.
"M-My lady! I told you a hundred times to please rest in your room today!" Baphomet tried to persuade Elma.
"Thank you, Baphomet, dear Brother." Elma smiled back. "But I can't simply sleep on a day like this. And I have been a lot better thanks to what Pangu, Dracodeus and Ruche have done for me. I'm fine to be here for just today."
"Even so, you should be careful." Pangu responded back. "You do not want to threaten your own health too much, Lady Elma. Just make sure to take a rest if you must."
"I understand, Pangu." Elma replied. "But I will regret it if I don't watch today. After all, today will show the efforts Lady Ruche and dear Brother has put until now."
"Alright, Elma. Just take a seat, and watch." Zeabolos said. "I can only hope that this will be the end of Trillion at last..."
Everyone directed their attention to the Devil Projector, as it began to display on the screen the footage on the other side.
In the remains of Hell's Gate...
Ruche and Dracodeus marched forth to face Trillion, but they were soon interrupted by the appearance of the Agent.
"SO, YOU'VE COME AGAIN, HAVE YOU, LITTLE LADY?" The Agent hissed. "SUCH AUDACITY TO STILL DARE TO STAND IN FRONT OF ME AND MY MASTER."
"Same to you too. How dare you appear in front of me, acting like that you matter to me anymore." Ruche coldly sneered back.
"I AM THE AGENT. THE ONE WHO CARRIES THE WILL OF THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION." The Agent smirked, showing his fangs.
"Don't be like that-!" Dracodeus shouted. "You have to remember who are!"
"Be quiet, Dracodeus. I know who the Agent is." Ruche sternly stopped Dracodeus from speaking more, then turning to face the Agent. "He's not my father. Because he let Perpell get killed and siding with Trillion. In the first place... I wouldn't care who you are! I'm not going to listen to anyone under the orders of Trillion! I'll get rid of any being that brings ill to the Underworld! That's my job as an Overlord! Now, let's get this started!"
She then pointed Devourer at the Agent who suddenly stopped smiling, as he was still and silent.
"Hey! Are you even listening!? I said, let's get this started! I, the Overlord of Pride, Ruche, command you!" Ruche cried in frustration at the Agent. "I order you to fight me, if you're not going to back down! You better not tell me you can't fight a small fry like me! Not that I'm one at all!"
"PRIDE... OVERLORD... RU... CHE..." The Agent spoke, before his eyes suddenly dimmed a little, as his voice was becoming more and more like Astaroth's own. "...Ru...che..."
"Stop calling me that, and fight me, you coward!" Ruche shouted back.
"R-Ruche... Ruche...!" The Agent spoke, as Astaroth's voice was overlapping his own, as his expression became more and more calm.
"Wh-What!? If you have something to say, hurry and-!"
"Ruche... I..." The Agent spoke in Astaroth's voice, before he suddenly began to keel over, as he was clutching his head in indescribable pain, as his eyes began to flicker between purple and green. "Aah... AAAAAAAHHHH!"
"What? What's happening!? Wait... Don't tell me...!" Ruche exclaimed.
"The Agent... no... Overlord Astaroth... He's coming to his senses!" Dracodeus exclaimed. "He's trying to break free of Trillion's control!"
"Aaaaaaahh! Ruche! RUCHE!" Astaroth cried, as he was temporarily in control of his own corrupted body.
"Stop it... Stop! Don't call me by that name!" Ruche shouted with sorrow in her voice, as tears began to leak down from her eyes, as she saw her own father writhe in agony. "I don't want to hear it! You're making me hold hope again...! Hope that you can hear me, Father! That you're trying to call out for me! Stop giving me hope!"
"Ruche... Kill me! Please! Free me from this walking nightmare!" Astaroth pleaded, as he was still in agony. "I beg of you, it's all I wish from you! I refuse to be Trillion's pawn further!"
"Shut up! You're Trillion's agent! You're my enemy standing in my way! You betrayed us Overlords! You betrayed the Great Overlord! Your own brother!" Ruche screamed. "No matter who you are, you can't go free... I won't let you! I'll kill you myself!"
"Ruche... That's right... I am nothing but your enemy now..." Astaroth smiled with kindness, instead of the malice of the Agent. "Both of you... Don't hesitate... Strike me down, and end my suffering!"
"Repay your sins against the Underworld with your death! That's the least you can do now!" Ruche exclaimed with determination.
"I am... NO.. I AM... I aM... I Am... I AM... I am... I am... I... aaaAaAaAAaAaAAaAaAa!" Astaroth screamed in agony, as his voice shifted between his own and the Agent's own, before Astaroth's own voice was gone, replaced completely by the Agent's. "I AM... DEFEAT.. LADY... DEFEAT...!"
Dracodeus could only click her tongue, as she is unwilling to kill Astaroth as the Agent, for all he had went through, and could only ready her blade.
The Agent then got up, as he brandished his claws, before he then swiped his arm up, as it fired off a series of flaming wheels at them. "TAKE THIS." He intoned.
The two combatants immediately separated to avoid the attack, as the flame magic brushed against their body.
"You think that you'll be able to hit me like this!?" Ruche mocked, before she then raised Devourer towards the Agent, as a magic circle appeared on it. "THUNDER RAY!"
Soon purple thunderbolts rained down on the Agent, as it caused him to flinch and stagger from the damage.
Dracodeus immediately rushed up to the Agent, with her blade drawn. "Forgive us, Overlord Astaroth, but we will free you as you have wished." She said in a solemn tone. "I will bring your soul to rest!"
Dracodeus immediately swung her blade at a fast pace, as it left behind blue trails of energy with each slash, while it cut through the Agent's own guard easily.
"YOU... YOU DARE..!?" The Agent cried, before he then slammed his hand on the ground, as he caused several earth spikes to rise from the ground to impale his attacker. However, Dracodeus jumped into the air, as she used her blade to slice off the sharp tips of the earth spikes to prevent her from being pierced.
"I'll give you a taste of my own power!" Ruche cried, as she immediately charged at the Agent with Devourer in front of her like a lance.
She then immediately thrust her own weapon onto the Agent, as it smashed into his abdomen with such force, that he coughed heavily from the strike, as he was forced back, weakened by the crippling blow.
"Eat this! And this! And this!" Ruche screamed with fury, as she swung her weapon with pure fury, as her weapon was crushing the Agent slowly and carefully, as each blow forced him slowly onto his own knees. "Die...! Die! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
The Agent was barely keeping himself together, as the blows drew blood from each strike, as his own bony mask was coming apart, as the black scar on his face could be seen, while he was moaning in suffering.
"No... Stop! STOP MOVING ALREADY!" Ruche cried. "Why won't you stay down!? You should be dead from my attack!"
"AAAAAHH... RU... RRUUUUU!" The Agent yelled, as he tried to get up, although his body was beginning to come apart from how mutilated his body was becoming.
"Don't say that! You... You're...!" Ruche sobbed, as she was crying profusely.
She then screamed loudly, as she tackled the Agent with immense force, as he was laid on his back, as Ruche swung at his head with her full force using Devourer, not stopping at all.
"Please... Just die! JUST DIE ALREADY!" Ruche shouted.
"R...RU... THANK... THank... you..." The Agent gurgled, as Astaroth in his final moments, as his head was slowly being beaten to a pulp with Ruche's relentless assault.
After a while, the Agent stopped moving, as all that was left of the Agent was a corpse with a completely pulverised head, and covered with many wounds, without even a single twitch. Ruche was sitting on top of the dead body, as Devourer was covered completely by his blue blood, as Ruche was huffing in exhaustion, as her eyes were completely open from her utter paranoia before.
"Dead... He's... finally dead..." Ruche whispered to herself. "Finally... He really died... Father...!"
Ruche then began to laugh in increasing volume, before she then broke apart, as her laughs turned into sobs, as she was unable to see with the sheer amount of emotion flowing through her, and the tear in her eys.
"Aaaah...! Aaaah...! Father... Father...! AAAAAAHHHHH!" Ruche sobbed. "Father, you idiot! I didn't want this to happen! Why!? Why...!? I was fine...! I was fine with a good-for-nothing father...! Always smiling, always trusting! But then you left me and went to battle... Why did you die like that, you fool! Father...!"
Dracodeus then silently walked up to Ruche, before she then knelt down, and hugged Ruche tightly into her own embrace.
"...Huh?" Ruche whimpered, confused about what her partner was doing.
"There, there... It's all over." Dracodeus comforted Ruche with a soft rub on her back with her hand. "You did what you could, and your father would be proud of what you have done. He would be finally free from the control he was forced into, and so he can pass on peacefully."
"Dracodeus... I...!" Ruche tried to say, as her eyes watered up again, before she then bawled into Dracodeus's chest. "WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Dracodeus comforted Ruche gently, as she let the pained Overlord rest and cry into her for a while, before she then saw that from the Agent's corpse, a purple wisp materialised, before it slowly circled them, as it gave off a sense of familiarity, warmth and comfort, that slowly eased Ruche's crying into a quiet sniffle.
"Father... I can feel it... his soul... His warmth..." Ruche whispered. "His kindness... I... feel so... at peace... I'm proud to be his daughter... Goodbye Father... and good night..."
Back at the throne room...
"What was that!?" Zeabolos exclaimed at what he saw. "What just happened, Faust?"
"I don't know... It can't be. No... Only a fragment of Astaroth's soul remained after the conversion into the Agent." Faust answered back, as she seemed to be surprised by this event. "And yet it called out Ruche's name... It even glimmered before he disappeared... How did it...?"
Pangu then noticed that the Soul Grimoire was glowing. "Faust... your Soul Grimoire...!" Pangu notified Faust. "It's reacting to something!"
"What...?" Faust blurted out, before through one of the room's windows, the very same wisp that was Astaroth's soul appeared, dashed into the glowing Soul Grimoire, as the light startled everyone, making them cry out in shock, as it engulfed the entire room.
When it dissipated, Faust was on her bottom on the ground, and everyone was looking her way.
"Impossible... How did it... find the Soul Grimoire...!?" Faust cried out in shock.
"Faust! Are you all right!?" Zeabolos asked in concern of her condition.
"Yes... I'm fine..." She replied, as she looked at the Soul Grimoire.
"It wasn't... a dream, was it?" Elma asked. "Astaroth's soul... was absorbed into Lady Faust's book."
"Sure looked like it." Fegor sleepily answered.
"The final brilliance his soul held returned straight back into the Soul Grimoire. It's as if..." Faust stated.
"...As if his strong will had never left this place." Promotheus finished the sentence. "It wanted to return back to where it belonged."
"It's probably because of his promise... His promise to return to the castle, no matter what..." Elma added with a smile. "I'm sure dear brother Astaroth returned to where everyone was... He came back home to our castle."
"Mm, welcome home, As-chin." Fegor sleepily added.
"It is the triumphant return of Lord Astaroth!" Baphomet cried in joy.
"I guess that you have your brother back in one form at least, Great Overlord Zeabolos." Pangu told Zeabolos. "How do you feel?"
"...I feel relieved that Astaroth is finally allowed to rest eternally in our embrace. No longer will he have to live a tortured life." Zeabolos answered back with a smile of relief on his face.
"Look, Ruche and the others are about to fight Trillion!" Hermes called out, as he pointed to the Devil Projector, which was still broadcasting for the duo out for battle.
"Dear brother Astaroth is here cheering with us... It will be okay!" Elma exclaimed.
Everyone turned back to watch the Devil Projector, although Pangu seemed to be happy about something.
'I'm glad that this had happened... With this... Once the time comes... Everything will be restored...' Pangu thought to himself.
Back with Ruche and Dracodeus...
Ruche and Dracodeus finally faced Trillion, who seemed to be ready for battle once again.
"Well well, if it isn't the greedy Perpell's big-sister, 'Sis Ru'?" Trillion mocked, stating the nickname with dripping sarcasm. "Come to join your sister in death...?"
"The only one who will be dead is you, Trillion! You will pay for the lives that you have taken!" Dracodeus declared.
Ruche was silent, however, as she didn't seem to be reacting to Trillon's words. She then turned to Dracodeus.
"Dracodeus... I want to leave this place." Ruche told Dracodeus gently. "I will face this unforgivable bitch myself."
"Ruche!?" Dracodeus exclaimed, as she turned to Ruche. "I cannot do that! I'm your partner, I cannot leave you to fend for yourself! If we are to fall, then let us fall together!"
"...You'll just hold me back." Ruche coldly told Dracodeus. "I finally know what I must do, but I don't need you hindering me. Go back to the castle, and wait for me. I'll win for sure."
"Ruche... I..." Dracodeus tried to understand what Ruche was trying to do, and was failing in that.
Soon she gave up, as she didn't seem to want to be a bother to Ruche, as she turned away. "...Make sure you come back alive... Ruche." Dracodeus told Ruche solemnly. "As much as I have confidence that your newfound power might bring an end to this... I worry about your life, Ruche. So please, promise me that you'll be alive to be with the others."
"Don't worry. I'm not like the rest." Ruche grinned. "Trillion is going to be facing a whole new level of power from me."
Dracodeus then walked away, before she then notified Pangu. "Pangu... Will you take me back?" Dracodeus asked her leader through the comms.
"Take you back... Of course I can. But the question is... Do you really wish to go? To abandon Ruche at this point of time?" Pangu questioned back. "Once you leave, you won't be able to head back to where Ruche is. The battle may as well be over by the time you change your mind. So think carefully... Are you prepared to abandon her at her time of need?"
Dracodeus soon felt regret building up inside of her, as she truly didn't want to leave Ruche, as it would be against her very nature to do so, especially when she promised to help her regardless. And yet... Ruche's words resonated in her.
"'I finally know what I must do...'" Dracodeus repeated Ruche's statement to herself. "...I remember a time where I once said that before... And we both remember that time. So... Even though I can't bear to leave her, I cannot deny her her chance to prove herself. She is determined to fight alone, and I cannot go against that wish, so... yes, I'll leave this place and the battle to Ruche."
From the other side, Pangu remained eerily silent, as if he was reminiscing something, before he then sighed. "Hold still for a moment... I'll take you somewhere where you can rest. You've done enough." He assured her.
Soon, Dracodeus was whisked from the battle-field, as Ruche and Trillion stared each other down, with neither of them making a move.
"Heh. Now that's Pride." Trillion cackled. "The kind of Pride that leads to one's downfall. You really think that you'll be able to beat me when your own sister and three of your own companions could not and died miserable deaths? Laughable."
"...I know. But I don't plan on winning this fight truly." Ruche answered back with a smile on her lips. "Nor do I plan on returning alive. That is the only time I would have to lie to Dracodeus."
"Hah. At least you're honest." Trillion said. "Too bad honesty won't save you from being carved like a turkey by me! So please die, so that I can enjoy your warm corpse for a appetiser!"
"If you want a real meal... Then let me provide you one!" Ruche declared, as she began to glow brightly. "Let's see you eat me and all the magic power of the Overlords before me contained in the Ring of the Tyrant!"
Trillion's expression turned from one of sadistic glee, into one of slight terror. "What... What are you doing!?" Trillion demanded.
"If I can't beat you, then I'll use my very own life to bring you down! If I'm going to die, it's on my own terms, you voracious hag!" Ruche screamed in defiance, as the glow around her began to intensify, as she raised Beholder, as energy streams began to converge on its tip.
"Stop that...! STOP THAT!" Trillion shouted, as she raised her own weapons to prepare to kill Ruche on the spot.
"Sorry... But I'm the Overlord of Pride, Ruche! NOBODY TELLS ME WHAT TO DO!" Ruche shouted, before she pointed Beholder at Trillion, as a large magic circle appeared under her feet, as she closed her eyes. "Father... Give me your power... To at least finish this task."
The magic circle then shattered, as millions of purple beams began to raise from the broken magic formation, as they rose into the skies, before they immediately turned and honed towards Trillion.
"RAGNAROK STORM!" Ruche declared her ultimate attack, as she fired off a massive purple beam from Beholder, which engulfed Trillion, as the demonic goddess was screaming in agony, as the beam seared her completely, while the beams pierced through her armour like nothing, drilling millions of millions of holes into her body, although she was still very much alive.
As the massive beam disappeared with its smaller copies, Trillion was left squirming on the ground, as she was unable to speak or move, as her body seemed to be far more damaged than before, as cracks began to appear on her own armour, and her body seemed to be becoming more and more fragile.
However, Ruche was in a far more dire condition, as Beholder immediately vaporised into nothing with a purple flash. She fell onto her knees, which were become weak like jelly.
"Ah... My legs... Shivering... I don't feel any more power in me..." Ruche said to herself. "I... I can't move anymore... But... I have something... to say to the Great Overlord... to Dracodeus... An apology... Something that I always wanted to say, but never had the courage to."
She then felt something tugging at her, as she looked down at her hands, as her hands were slowly deteriorating into particles of purple light.
"Ah... I guess my time... It's coming..." Ruche huffed. "It... feels so... peaceful... Perpell... Father.. Mother... I... I'm fading away... just like that... I can't... hold onto myself any longer..."
Ruche's body continued to fade away, as her arms and legs were soon gone, as all that was left was her chest.
"I want... All I want... Is to return back to when... everyone was smiling..." Ruche muttered. "My stupid sister... My idiot father... I miss them both so much... I want... to go home...! Go home...! But... I... no longer can..."
She then looked up, as she smiled.
"Or maybe... I am going home after all.. Where everyone is waiting for me..." Ruche spoke in a very weak voice. "Oh well... Then I guess... This is okay... Because... maybe... I'll get to see.. my... sister... again... Perpell... Wait... for... me..."
Ruche then faded away completely, as her crown fell the ground with a clatter.
In the throne room...
Everyone was silent at Ruche's death, as Zeabolos's expression was calm and restrained, as he did his best not to lose himself to the anger of losing another of his beloved Overlords, one of his own relatives.
"...She died with pride, as her role dictated." Pangu told Zeabolos in a sympathetic tone. "Know that she passed on without any fear or regret, and she didn't die suffering. I would consider that a death that she deserves, rather than one in Trillion's hands."
"Great Overlord..." Faust said.
"I'm fine, both of you, Pangu, Faust. I understand what you're trying to tell me." Zeabolos responded back with a melancholic tone. "Ruche wouldn't want me to give up."
Faust then looked at the Devil Projector, as it showed the last of the Hell's Gate layer being destroyed.
"It seems that Hell's Gate has been completely destroyed. Trillion is now one step closer to us." Faust noted.
"It wouldn't matter... With Ruche gone..." Zeabolos shook his head sadly.
"No... Lady Ruche... Lady Ruche..." Baphomet mourned with a sad look in his eyes.
"Maybe it was too much for her." Faust told Zeabolos. "Maybe we should have had her retreat. But by the look in her eyes, and her words... Perhaps, she wanted this from the start of her training?"
"Perhaps Astaroth must have strengthened her will to fight." Zeabolos responded back. "But... what her will was... I should have known..."
"Don't blame yourself, Great Overlord." Prometheus answered back. "I'm sure that Ruche knew what she was doing, and that she did this because she wanted to be with her sister."
"...I see." Zeabolos stated in a stoic tone.
"I'm sorry to have said something stupid, Great Overlord." Faust apologised.
"Why apologise? You did mourn her death, only without tears." Zeabolos asked back.
"Mourn... Death... I mourned a Fallen One's death..." Faust said to herself, as she seemed to be feeling something from what has happened, as her expression showed sorrow on it.
"As Great Overlord... No.. As Ruche's Uncle and younger brother of Astaroth, let me give you my thanks for what you have done, you and Pangu." Zeabolos told her. "I understand why Dracodeus wanted to leave back then, because she respected Ruche's wish. So... I cannot blame her for Ruche's death."
"Thank you for understanding." Pangu thanked Zeabolos with a curt bow with his hands clasped together. "We're sorry if this war has caused more causalities for you. I'm sure that you're still hurt from every other death that had happened, and we understand that even until now, and that is why we will continue to support you."
"Stop. I cannot accept your thanks." Faust replied to Zeabolos. "I... I need to take a rest. I feel a bit tired today."
"Yes, of course. Rest well, Faust." Zeabolos responded back, as Faust left the throne-room. "Baphomet.. Take Elma back to her room."
"Understood..." Baphomet nodded slowly, as he walked to Elma. "Come, Lady Elma, let us return to your room."
"I understand." Elma responded back with some tears in her eyes.
"Elma... Feel free to cry as much as you need when you get back to your room." Zeabolos told Elma. "I'm guessing that you must have had a promise from Ruche not to cry for her death. But consider your health first. It's alright."
Elma nodded silently, as she left the throne-room.
"I dismiss all of you, Unmei Force." Zeabolos answered back. "I... I need some time to consider what Fegor is to do. I need to talk to her."
"As you wish." Pangu said, as he left with the Unmei Force members.
When they were out of the throne room, Pangu then immediately entered one of his portals, as she found Dracodeus sitting in the rotunda, as she had some Blood Lilies laid on the table, while she was staring at them, with her mask off, showing her depressed expression.
"Dracodeus..." Pangu said, as Dracodeus turned to him with lifeless eyes.
"...Ruche is dead... Isn't she...?" Dracodeus asked in a sorrowful tone.
Pangu could only nod his head in confirmation, as Dracodeus merely turned her head away, as she let out a quiet and strangled sob.
"I should have known... She would die like the rest of the Overlords." Dracodeus continued. "But... But I couldn't break my promise to her. You remember that I'm the kind of person who would never truly interfere in the matters of others until it's truly dire, or it's something that they weren't sure of themselves. But... Ruche... When I heard her say those words... I felt something familiar inside of me... As if I have heard those words before. I felt like I saw Elise there for a moment, and that's what stayed my hand from interfering further to assist her."
Dracodeus then clutched the edge of the table with her hands tightly, as she grit her teeth. "Now... She's gone. What's the point of helping someone if you aren't there at the most dire of times!?" Dracodeus growled, as tears leaked from her eyes. "I ran away from her, Ri- Pangu... Because I'm scared of her hating me. Ever since I have met her, I have been trying my best to make her realise her true self, despite the prideful mask she shows, and show that everyone cares for her no matter who she is. All this time... gone like that... because of her death... It's so.. unfair... This world... is unfair...!"
Pangu took a seat opposite of Dracodeus, before he then took off his own mask, as his eyes were filled with sorrow as well.
"I know... But that's cruel reality... Like the world that you came from." Pangu responded back in a sagely tone."The world we came from is a world that is filled with pain and despair... But there was always a way to bring about a happy ending. This world is not much different, but it requires a greater sacrifice for this happy ending of theirs. The world is never fair, Dracodeus... No... Corrin. You remember how you were forced to fight men to the death, even when you wanted to save them. In some cases... The choice was never ours to make. Fate was never meant to written by the hands of those who are inside of it. Sometimes, the tides guide us to wherever we go, whether it is a world of hope, or one of despair... And we're powerless to fight against it. But that doesn't mean that we can't make the best of what we have. Just because things are rough, doesn't mean that we cannot bring about happiness with our own hands. There is always a way for this to end. But in order to do that, we have to endure this for longer. Only then, will the true end of this nightmare will come."
Dracodeus was silent, before she then moved over, and hugged Pangu tightly, as both of them silently rested into each other's warmth, as they let the silence around them speak for their sorrows.