Chapter Thirty 2

Meanwhile, the Sanses were watching Paradox and Corruption fight as they realized they couldn't jump in to help since they'd risk Paradox being hurt or themselves if Corruption decided to go after them. When the two Corruptions regenerated their forms, the Crowned one summoned a large army of shadowy figures, as Troth made his way over to help Veil and Sol. Sans stood behind and watched Paradox fight in order to make sure they were doing okay. He knew by the ferocity of Blaze and the determination of Marisol could handle the Genocide Corruption as they were already doing, so there was no need to interfere.

"heh… it's almost funny, huh? My girl, who I didn't think I'd have, and my good human friend that I hoped for are fighting all out together... it almost makes me want to fight alongside them... to actually want to do something... but who would i be if i didn't occasionally," Sans said to you with a wink, as he continued to watch the fight and not interfere yet.

"though... it does look fun," Sans said with his eyes closed as he listened in on the battle.

Corruption and Paradox would exchange blows with their fists, then their weapons, and then with magic projectiles at first. Each one was testing their own abilities and being wary of their opponent at the same time. Certain exchanges of attacks would create sparks or pressure that would expand outwards from them, causing a thunder clap sound and a short rumbling of the ground. They formulated plans and carried them out within split seconds during the fight as if both had been in combat for many years, even counteracting each other in accordance.

After a while of fighting, they both began to sense more intent behind the attacks. When Corruption would land a strike, even though she did indeed enjoy the rampage of battle, Paradox could sense feelings of pain and sorrowfilled rage within the corrupted being before her. She would see glimpses of chains, each one cooresponding to a feeling, especially of guilt, despair, and sadness that wrapped on a sad sleeping form of the one Frisk had met at the chapel. Also, as Paradox would land an attack, Corruption began to sense feelings of deep sympathy, fiery determination, and sadness within the pure being before her. She felt more anger each time, hearing the chains set on the person within her shifting and slowly losing it's vice grip. Her irritation grew more, knowing that the child indeed had made contact with the person she was before, who she had locked up deep inside away.

She worked so hard to keep everyone away. Everyone she ever knew who dared betray her was gone, and whoever knew her was silenced. She made sure… Corruption made sure. For all these years that passed, it was never known. Corruption was careful enough. But this child… and this hybrid… what determination they held inside of their souls to take everything she built up and make it all crash down.

Corruption.

Corruption was what she named herself, accepting what she was when she realized how much she enjoyed hurting others, knowing full well the person she was before would never have enjoyed such a thing. They were the same, and yet the differences made her realize how corrupted she was from the person she was, therefore becoming what she is, which is Corruption. She had noticed that something was amiss with herself, especially when she felt a small spark deep within the darkness of her own corruption, and realized it was from her. Her irritation grew worse as she could feel the influence of her feelings resurfacing and growing stronger while also resonating with Paradox's soul.

Her irritation made her more aggressive, which made Paradox have to step further away from her after an exchange, leaving Corruption open to get hit in the face with a blue attack that actually surprised her. Paradox took the advantage by kicking her in the gut, and looking towards Sans as they exchanged a quick thumbs up and a wink. Corruption gazed towards them through the dust of her hitting onto a large rock nearby. She looked between them, and deep in her being a forgotten longing resurfaced of an old face… his smile… his kindness… his support… and his death...

Her rage resurfaced as her mind lost it's self into the darkest abyss of her wrath. She lunged forth with various parts of her body on fire along with her sword as her rage couldn't be hidden from her expression as pools of darkness seeped out from her eyes and mouth. Though Sans grew considerably concerned, Paradox was ready as she created a large shield to guard herself from the continuous strikes from Corruption's fury-enhanced blade strikes and punches.

"Stop MOCKING my life already!" Corruption striked as the shield cracked while Paradox held her ground more firm.

"Why was his life taken?! In order for you to have one and flaunt it in my FACE?!" Corruption punched as Paradox skidded back about a foot, though she kept her guard up knowing full well that she needed to take these attacks head on just as they had.

"Why must you remind me of my loss?! Of my crushed hopes?! Of my utter despair and foolishness?!" Corruption kicked extremely hard as the shield cracked worse, worrying Sans, while Paradox still stood her ground, determination still flooding her eyes, though enraging her opponent even more.

"Just stop and DIE already! DIE! DIE like HE did! DIE like THEY ALL did! Eventually everything DIES anyway!" Corruption finally broke the shield with a sword strike that shattered it, as Paradox jumped back a few times and then brought forth her sword to defend herself.

At this point, Veil, Troth, and Sol armed themselves together and made a three cross attack with each dealing damage to the Crowned Corruption, while revealing her core in her chest that beated red and grey. Although the three were all grabbed by Crowned by her arm tendrils that broke through her forearms, she felt her world enter slow motion as she looked down to see Other Frisk rushing towards her with a dagger made of bone as she stabbed the wretched creature directly in the heart. Her core burst as she shrieked in agony of her defeat.

"There WAS no way! No way to SAVE! No way to save ANYONE! NOT EVEN MYSELF! Everything went and burned! There was NO ONE for her… for me to turn to! Everything fell into corruption! To ME! EVERTHING on ME! And everyone fought and died and suffered! So what the hell do you hope to accomplish by fighting me now? Just to live in a world for a while? Just for goodness?! Just to try to SAVE everyone?! To set things right that have been wrong for so long?! How do you hope to truly save her?! JUST. FREAKING. LEAVE!" Corruption hollered as she sent multiple attacks upon attacks as her eyes reflected multiple emotions even those she didn't know with each swing, as Paradox blocked, dodged, and parried as many attacks as possible to defend herself, while Sans was probably the only person who could keep track of their movements.

At this point, Blaze and Marisol banded together to sent a barrage of attacks in a team assault at Genocide Corruption when they found multiple small cores on her body. They broke each core to expose the main one on her upper back and attacked it. Marisol would sometimes take the lead in attacking the core as Blaze defended her from Genocide Corruption's various defensive attacks from clawed hands and heads that tore itself up from her body, and then the two would switch in mid-attack with Marisol defending and Blaze attacking. With a final strike from both of them stabbing down into the core, causing it to burst and disperse on impact, Genocide Corruption howled in pain at her defeat.

"Leave ME alone, darn it! I've WOUNDED you and so many others! JUST leave… JUST go… there's no hope here, so it makes no difference..." Corruption's attacks slowed down as Paradox kept up her defense, though more focused on her words at the moment, seeing as her enemy sounded less consumed by rage.

"There's always hope. It's never truly gone. Like her. Like her feelings… your feelings," Paradox said.

"I can't feel those feelings… not true joy, or happiness, or peace, or hope. My whole world burned down around me, and from the ashes in the cracks formed darkness and more darkness… until the darkness was all that I had. All that I knew anymore… Whomever you spoke to, whomever you reached before is no longer the same. Just give up..." Corruption said, her tone slowly shifting softer as she finally stopped attacking.

Within her eyes that blazed of darkness and red became dulled to a greyish form, as Paradox recognized seeing this before when Clair had shown her a vision of how she transformed unintentionally. She then understood Clair and Corruption, and so with determination pulsing from her being, Paradox said,

"… That's the difference between me and you. I will never give up."

Corruption gave her a glare, but she continued speaking as her eyes reflected purple, "But… I know there were times I wanted to. When everything I knew and loved was taken away… I know how you feel. Just as I had once felt towards you, how you felt towards the world… I know pain, and loss, and sadness, and despair..."

"…"

"Corruption… Clair… I can see you too. And I know you've done terrible things, and I know you are in pain. The corrupted half hurt everyone in revenge, while the other hurt itself in regret… but enough is enough! I'm not here to kill or judge you. I know that you can come back, Clair. That you can come back and face the world, your pain, yourself, and even Corruption… and that you won't be alone in doing so."

Paradox started walking towards her, as deep within the dark soul a small stir rose.

"…"

"You can make things right still. You can change it, by starting with yourself. To accept the loss and the pain isn't to give up. It's to face it. To face it head on and go through it so that you can live again. You can live again, Clair. Please… live again. Don't despair anymore. Don't be in pain anymore. Take that rage and turn it on itself and get rid of Corruption once and for all! Be brave! Get up and fight!" Paradox said with determination seeping from her eyes.

"…"

"Living isn't easy, but dying isn't either! And it's worst to die for nothing then for trying! You might as well fight to live! Let fighting to live be something to fight for! Something that made you feel all this turmoil and rage when someone you loved lost it!" Paradox shouted.

Corruption's eyes glowered in a light red as she grabbed at her throat, but not hard enough to stop her from speaking.

"… Wasn't his life worth fighting for? Worth screaming for… worth crying for? Then why can't you fight… for your own life… to live again… to love again… to build up what you had destroyed… don't be afraid. You've seen the worst, so what's there to fear anymore really?" Paradox said, as she felt the grip slightly tighten on her throat.

"… I can't…" Corruption whispered as she looked downward.

"You can, Clair! Stay freaking determined! I did and look at me now! I'm able to face you and I didn't have to become YOU!" Paradox stated, as she let go of her throat.

"…"

"…"

"… You seem to be speaking to someone else… because…" Corruption siezed her shoulder with one hand and lifted her sword in her other,

"I'm not Clair!"

The blade was about to strike as Paradox could see it in slow motion while she stared into her eyes. A flicker of light passed in Corruption's eyes that Paradox saw as she reached forth and grasped the glimmer of light by manifesting an arrow of determination and stabbing Corruption in the chest with it. Corruption gasped as her attack landed but instead of stabbing Paradox in the chest she just sliced her shoulder.

A moment of silence passed, and when Corruption felt a faint heartbeat deep within her being, she jumped away from Paradox. Her eyes widened while Paradox stared at her with eyes filled with a powerful resolution, even as her shoulder began to bleed. She was about to take a step when she felt the pulse growing louder and felt a crack in her chest. Looking down, Corruption's eyes widened to see that the arrow remained in place and indeed her chest had cracked with deep crevases that glowed in red except near the arrow that glowed golden.

"You… at my most vulnerable moment… you little monsters… Hehehe… so you really did form a connection to her… even to give her a lifeline to break out… heh… wow. You actually tried to help your enemy… someone you should hate… you decided to not… huh… I'm… almost glad for it.. glad… hehehehe hahahahahahaha!" Corruption cackled in a laughter that was still tainted with darkness and evil that made Paradox wary and watchful of her.

"Hahahaha! It's so wild, isn't it?! I actually feel… in death I actually feel… calm… relieved… so for me, death is life… So she must live in order to live… as I must die in order to live… hehehehe… hehehehehehe… Of course… after all… I'm just a corrupted form of her…" Corruption's cracks grew more and more as it even reached her face, while Paradox looked at her with a mix of sympathy for a long term enemy who has finally been bested, though not intended to rise here ever again.

"… Very well. Then live… and I hope you can find the peace… I finally… have… even though I don't deserve… at least the pain… finally stopped… I can at least… thank you for that… so live… live on and on and on… and let my end… bring rest…" Corruption said with a smile on her face as she slowly closed her eyes and dropped her head as she fell on her knees.

The beating then grew loud enough to be heard outside, and the golden light grew brighter and brighter as Corruption's form finally shattered and the light came bursting forth that it overflowed over everything and everyone there.

Phew! Sorry about the delay. I was busy with a little project of mine, and I went back to reedit the last chapter a bit.