Eydis
"Medina!" Eydis watches as Medina's body is thrown towards the entrance to the throne room, her body limply dropping to the floor. Without hesitation, Eydis arms herself with the Dark Slash Sword, her red eyes trained on Stella while placing herself between her and Medina's distant location. Once she's satisfied, she speaks to the other woman standing. "Ilia."
"On it." Glad the apprentice knight understands the command, Eydis waits until the doors to the throne room open and shut close before doing anything that could lead to harm to Medina or Ilia. Once she hears the soft thud of the doors shutting, she disposes of all other thoughts, single-minded in her solo fight against Stella.
"This time, I'll make sure you're dead."
"Don't you sense what's happened outside? Your beloved emperor's life is fleeting. Yet you choose to stay here to protect the one who betrays your friendship?"
Eydis shakes her head. "I know Medina and Jaymes. You can stop with the indoctrination, it won't work anymore."
Stella sighs and holds up her double-sided spear, giving it a twirl. "Very well then, knight. An emperor has fallen, so shall his empress." Stella grunts as she spins into her attack on Eydis. Eydis finds her opponent has some speed and agility that the knight herself doesn't, but it isn't something she hasn't faced before. The only challenge is that the spear has blades on both ends instead of one, but the result is the same. Eydis could easily disarm Stella if she wanted to, but this fight is no longer about winning and losing.
It's personal.
A month ago, Eydis was sent on a mission to the northern kingdom to investigate a disturbance. It took her to the Windcutter's Ridge, close to the location where the Bruised King and the source of the bluethorn illness would eventually be presented. There, Eydis was ambushed by Stella, struck with her weakening ability laced on an arrow. Noxium and Eva would warp her mind, but Eydis held out for as long as possible. Being told how Jaymes sent Alice away or the various truths about the Underworld that she didn't already know, like the Synthesis Ritual, never turned her allegiance. They tried using her Bercouli and Administrator taking her away from her sister centuries ago against her. As much as she struggled against the torture, she held on, believing that soon someone would worry about her and come for her. Be it Medina, Jaymes, or both of them, she believed they'd come.
That was until Primus took her to the Forbidden Forest.
There, moments after the Reaper was defeated, he showed her Jaymes and Medina together. The man she loves and the woman she loves almost equally were together after six months apart...and that broke her mind. They did not come for her. They did not seem worried for her. She couldn't tell what they were speaking of, but it didn't look like one part of that subject was about her.
That darkness clouded her mind until she found herself on the ground in the forest outside of Rulid, with Medina shouting at her. She was confused and disoriented, but she's seen all that the darkness inside her had done, including her battles with Medina and Jaymes. She felt it creeping back up quickly, so as quickly as she could, she tried to warn Medina of the First Children's scheme to steal Falchion, but it was too late.
She'd fight Ilia, Mia, and Medina in the southern desert, then Medina's ability freed her mind as she's sure it did for Jaymes. Eydis knows she has a lot to amend with the Human Empire, and she fully plans to accept whatever punishment she gets for her betrayal. But first, she has to win this fight.
She doesn't know what Stella speaks of, but being called "empress" sounds nice. She'll have to ask the reigning emperor about that after all this is over, starting with Stella.
The spear wielder keeps Eydis on the defensive, but Eydis can see know Ilia and Medina have winded her out; plus, using a double to escape the Dark Slash Sword earlier must've cost her some energy as well. After two leaping slashes from Stella, Eydis executes a parry that causes her opponent to stumble back, then uses that momentum to kick Stella with a metal boot. The woman who claims Terreria as her mother snarls and holds her nose.
Eydis smirks and dishes out a quip. "Huh, you barely beat an apprentice, had to backstab a woman with equal ability to an Integrity Knight to take her out, and all you've done is make me defend myself when I can easily use my sword's power to end this."
Stella stands tall and snorts. "You say that, but I could have easily beaten them with my power. You and Jaymes fell easily, as you remember. Maybe I have a little streak of 'enjoying the moment' from my brother. So drop your knightly arrogance. Just as I am, you're holding back."
"Then maybe I should get serious." Eydis swings her blade up and down quickly, calling on its power to phase through the middle of the spear. The tip crosses through Stella's cloak and light armor, but since the woman moved back a bit at the last second, it doesn't elicit a wound. Eydis is proud that Stella is making this enjoyable. It would have sucked if that ended the fight.
Stella counters quickly as both ends of her spear are surrounded by a black aura and spun like a wheel. The attack is swift and strong. With each clang against the Dark Slash Sword, Eydis prays her weapon's durability holds out. In the midst of that, she senses movement from the right side of the throne room and chants the spellwords for the dark elemental power of a body double to appear. The shadow clone appears from Eydis' body and defends her right side in time against an earthly double of Stella.
Eydis clicks her tongue with another art on her mind. Black orbs appear and burst into a misty veil. It halts the spin attack by eating the resources used on the blade and gives Eydis time to step back. With a snap of her fingers, Eydis' silver armor comes off, the metal plates dropping with a loud thud. Now only in her black light armor and retaining her white boots, she twirls her trusty weapon and takes a different stance. Rather than standing tall and erect and holding her blade long and forward, she mimics the stance of Medina, with her left side forward, knees bent, and wrists crossing with the sword pointed towards Stella.
"Now I'm feeling light enough to beat you. Gimme your worst."
"Hmph." Stella swings her spear through the air. In response, the throne room's floor breaks up and rises. Eydis' eyes widen as it heads towards her, and she only has one option to escape.
"Please don't be mad, Jaymes." Pivoting on her foot, she conjures a couple of fire elements and launches them at the window in front. It shatters at the force of the explosion, and Eydis leaps out to freefall down the side of the castle. She brings two fingers to her mouth and blows a whistle, then spreads her limbs out as she waits. Not a moment later, she's riding on the back of Kirimai, who flies in tandem with Sheyta's dragon, Yoiyobi.
"Thanks, Kirimai, and what's up, Yoiyobi? Sheyta isn't working you hard nowadays, is she?" She takes the dragon's light grunt as a positive answer, then directs Kirimai to temporarily leave the castle. With a moment of respite, she scans the warring town of Obsidia, her eyes instantly on the fiery center of town. That's where the explosion occurs, and a second powerful presence is lingering there. It must be Noxium, who Jaymes was fighting earlier. She doesn't sense him... No, she can, but it's so weak it might as well go undetected. What happened to him? Is what Stella said true?
"Hmm... No. I have to trust he'll continue to fight. He's never given up before...so I have to focus on Stella." Eyes back on the castle, she finds Stella scaling the castle's side, going to the top of the dome-shaped structure. Once she reaches a solid footing on the dome, Stella morphs her spear into a bow and begins to take shots at the dragons.
"Kirimai, Yoiyobi, be careful! Those arrows are dangerous! Concentrate your fire on that woman!" The dragons adjust their flight, weaving to avoid the arrows, and make their way back towards the castle. They let their jaws hand as they intake air and blast beams of fire towards Stella...
Moments ago...
"Mia..."
All Mia smells is smoke and blood. All she feels is a pounding head, equally pained limbs, and something shouting in her ears. Her vision is dimmed, but she can make out the shapes of dancing orange flames, the shadows of rubble, and a purple foot by her face.
"Mia..."
Her mind slowly stirs and replays the moments leading up to this. Noxium, in her fight against him, was cut in the face by her newly acquired scythe, which led to an unexpected reaction and his retreat towards Obsidia. Despite her inability to take flight like her master, she kept up with the enemy until he attacked her from the air. Jaymes, still weakened by the poison in his system, came to protect her, then they transported to the city as Noxiom unleashed an attack...and that resulted in an explosion.
"Mia!"
That voice isn't Jaymes, but it is male and recognizable all the same. Her body is lifted off the ground, held up on her shoulders. She turns to see threads of blue hair covering a tanned face. "...Arthurio? Wh... What are you doing here?"
"We saw the explosion and hurried here. Hey... Don't strain yourself!" Mia tries pushing herself off Arthurio, but her legs betray her quickly. Thankfully he catches her but then proceeds to lift her bridal-style. "Geez. You're too weak to do anything."
"...My bow?"
"I got it."
"...The emperor? He was with me! Where's Jay-"
"I haven't seen him. Sheyta and the supreme commander are nearby. For now, this area is minion-less, thanks to that explosion."
"That's impossible, Arthurio," a second voice, female, chimes in. Mia turns her head as Brunhild walks over, scanning the destruction. "Us mages have been using our strongest arts with minimal casualties on the enemies' end. No, the minion forces depleted slightly in numbers a moment before the explosion happened. If I recall correctly, Mia and His Highness were fighting outside the city to eradicate the one who created the minions. Take him out, the minions go as well."
Arthurio nods. "True, but they're still here... Mia, did you do something?"
"...Soul Hunter." That was the last wound Noxium suffered before he retreated. Could it be that she wounded his life to the point it affected the minions? If their forces are tied to his very being... Forget attacking his life, she just needs to hit him with one good strike and destroy his soul.
"Oh? So you still live?" Mia, Arthurio, and Brunhild face a wall of flames, and from it comes a laughing figure in dark clothing. "You're one lucky gal, apprentice. If your master hadn't partially projected his power, you and the rest of this city might be nothing more than ashes."
"Noxium..."
He chuckles and stands in place, turning his head to the palace. "The emperor has fallen. The empress will soon follow once Stella has her fill. And as for those to the far east, the queen's light will be extinguished by Big Sister. That leaves only the king, but Primus shall deal with him soon. Then again, I don't expect the empress to die, she's necessary to the cause as much as the other knight here. Ahh... It doesn't matter, your hero is dead. But just to be sure... System Call." Noxium snaps his fingers, and several fire elements appear in the air around him. At his command, they bombard the wreckage behind Mia and her friends.
"His Highness! You... You bastard!"
"Hahaha! All that power, and he fell like a rodent. If that's the man that defeated both Administrator and the false Vecta, then it is a disgrace to my father that they were beaten by such weakness. That poison he took for you has finally claimed him. Don't you understand, dark worlders? It is over!"
Mia shakes her head. "No..."
Noxium walks again, pacing around the trio. "For a moment, you scared me, apprentice. Your resolve to stand by his side, then the power of your weapon. It shook me to my core, quite literally... And these two must be dear as he is, huh? People you care enough to stand against me. The man you love, a best friend...more people for me to kill and make you suffer for." Before Mia can react, Noxium disappears, then her body is dropped to the ground.
Grunting, she quickly looks around, gasping as she sees Brunhild's body fallen prone on the ground, blood pooling under her. "Brunhild... Arthurio?"
"He's right here."
Positioned under Noxium is Arthurio, the poisoned knife to his neck. Mia, climbing to her knees, screams, "Nooo!"
"No?"
"Take my life instead! Let him live!"
"No."
That "no" comes from Arthurio, who holds his hand up. Mia, eyes brimming with tears, looks at him with confusion. "What do you mean 'no'? Stop trying to be a man here, you idiot! You have to live!"
He scoffs. "Doesn't seem like it matters when I die, be it now or later... But at least I get a chance to choose. And you say stop trying to be a man? What's more manly than fighting for and protecting the woman he loves? The commander did it for Lipia, didn't he? And so does the emperor, right?"
"Don't compare your dumb self to someone as great as they are...and it was my sister who died first, okay?"
"And she left you behind to continue her work... I don't believe this fight is over. So, Mia Zancale, you have to live. For Commander Shasta, Lipia, me, Brunhild...you have to live. You have to...seek the peace they sought between our world and the empire. Seek the peace Jaymes works for and usher in a new era for our people. That is your destiny-Gahh!"
Mia only gasps in horror as the poisoned dagger impales Arthurio's right shoulder. He collapses on the ground to the thrill of Noxium, "Okay, that went on a little too long, almost made me feel sorry for the two of you." He kicks Arthurio over to Mia, then squats down. "Tell you what. I'll watch you watch the two of them die, then I'll ease your suffering by killing you. And on the off chance your emperor is still alive, seeing your dead will be enough."
She crawls herself on top of Arthurio, her cries mixing with the sound of burning material and the laughter of Noxium. She wants to pray to the gods for Arthurio's survival, Brunhild's survival, and the Dark Territory's survival, but she can't find those words. All she can murmur in between her sobs is, "Jaymes... Please, Jaymes, save us..."
Centoria
Something is very wrong.
Kirito lowers his hand down from the invisible barrier, his head immediately looking over his shoulder and to the floor. It might be a weird feeling, an instinct learned over time, something about the Underworld he doesn't understand, or a combination of all three, but... He knows Asuna and Jaymes are both in trouble.
Asuna spoke of the same gut feeling right before Eydis attacked Jaymes. Kirito has never felt this before, or never to this degree. Yet he can see their struggles, feel their weakening, pained bodies, and hear their darkest thoughts. Those thoughts are of a kind he never expected to hear from Asuna and Jaymes ever again.
"I can't keep fighting..."
"I'm too weak to save them..."
"Why can I never protect those close to me?"
"Kirito... I'm sorry..."
"Asuna... Jaymes..." Kirito reaches for the swords on his back and takes a single step forward. He has to go to them, at least to Asuna, and protect her. And on the off-chance he can save Jaymes, he must try. He must save his dearest friends-
"You know them, Kirito. Do not diminish their pride." A heavy, transparent hand holds Kirito's right shoulder, stopping them in place. Kirito drops his arms and faces the translucent being behind him. "You feel them. You hear them. To save them may be the right thing, but these are not normal people. They're longtime comrades, the people you consider a brother and the love of your life. They believe themselves able to stand at your side. In the end, saving them would hurt them more than doing good."
"But I can't allow them to die. I have to fight for them!"
"The sword is not the only way to fight. As they trust you, trust them. As they protected you, protect them. As they inspired you, inspire them. Use the bond that unites you, the trials you have overcome, and the heart to tell them what you need to say. Those words will be more powerful than any blade can be. The heart has always made you three strong."
The figure and the hand disappears, leaving Kirito alone to contemplate the words left behind. He looks towards the invisible barrier that blocks access to the eighty-first floor and above. Save them with words rather than the sword. They always say the pen is mightier but is the spoken one stronger?
Yes. It has to be.
No one wrote down the words of the promise Kirito, Asuna, and Jaymes made alongside Koharu to stick together through thick and thin, even when they're far apart. He partially broke that promise when he left Asuna to the Knights of the Blood Oath. But not since their reunion has it been shattered. When one was in trouble, two came to save. When one was down, two came to uplift. When there was a fight to be had, all three were present. Despite the trouble he causes them, Joshua and Asuna stayed by Kazuto's side in the past, with him in this world, and seek to stay with him in the future.
He did not write down that he loved Asuna; he spoke those words. He did not write down that Joshua was his best friend; he spoke those words too. He heard their voices while in his catatonic state, along with Suguha, Shino, and Koharu, reaching out to him with their words.
"We're always connected to you."
"No matter how apart we may be, no matter if we have to part one day."
"Memories and feelings will stay connected forever. Isn't that right?"
"I know best that not all memories and feelings are good, but the ones with us keep us moving forward."
"So no matter what you think, Kirito, all of us are with you, always."
"Asuna... Joshua... I cannot do this alone. Remember all that we've been through since we joined together. When you accepted that it'd better die fighting than wasting your life, Asuna, you swore to never give up. And Jaymes, you swore to Koharu to protect and see everyone she knew out of SAO and extended it to this day. But most of all... I can't do this without you two. So don't give up. Don't give in. Stand up and fight to protect the ones we care for. Stand up and fight to protect this world. Stand up and fight to win, or fight to die."
He hopes those words reach them...but who is he to argue against the advice of Akihiko Kayaba?
"As for you two..." Eva removes her rapier from Asuna's shoulder and turns her attention to the fear-ridden girls behind her. She silently commends them for holding their blades at her while their bodies shake and are glued to the carpeted floor. How high up are they? If Eva had to guess, she's probably between the twentieth and the thirtieth. The Black Swordsman is stuck on the eightieth, away from Primus.
Now to finish with the trash and draw him down here. Slowly she steps towards the younger women, stalking them like a predator finishing off its weak prey. "Your lady has fallen. Your entire realm will be destroyed and rebuilt. Your world is no longer yours."
The one with short, brown hair wobbles on her knees and throws a glare at Eva. "You... You won't beat Kirito!"
"Is that so? I've beaten his lover. I bet Noxium and Stella have beaten his friend. You put so much faith in these false heroes that you're blind to the truth." Eva twirls her sword and points it at the pair, the thin steel flashing yellow and white. "Allow me to illuminate it for you!" She releases the light in their direction and prepares to dash forward and kill them while they're blinded.
Eva never expected to be blinded herself.
"Arghhh! What the hell...just happened?" She keeps one eye closed and covered by her off-hand, using the other to make out the vague shapes in the corridor. In front of her are two grey beings, one topped by the color red, the other brown-the two girls she meant to attack. In front of them is a circular object that looks like glass but is thicker than a window...a mirror? Did they do that so quickly and without the spellwords being chanted? No, the girls are not that strong. Then...
While her vision is impaired, her other senses are heightened, and the first thing she notices is the goosebumps trailing up her spine.
"I won't lose...to the likes of...you."
No. Eva looks behind her, her eyes widening at the half-sight of a radiant being, her white form and feathery wings pure and unblemished. The moonlight that illuminates her gives her a holy sense of presence that even Eva, the daughter of a god and three goddesses, is unworthy to even be in its presence. It's a being from the heavens, a messenger sent in the god's stead to earth to deliver their truth and their judgment.
It is an angel whose face is none other than the fearsome Asuna Yuuki.
"As...Asuna!"
"Lady Asuna!"
"Y-you imposter!" Still half blind, Eva swings her thin blade down on Asuna, but it stops suddenly. Asuna raises her sword to intercept Eva's and, by some strength, holds the daughter of Solus off. "What... What is going on?"
"I won't let Kirito down... I won't let Jaymes down... I won't leave them alone!" Despite her struggles, Asuna manages to push her body off her knees and stand to her full height. Shocked by her opponent's inner strength, Eva is caught off guard when Asuna yells and swings her sword against Eva's, causing the older woman to stumble backward.
Eva couldn't even see what transpired between seeing Asuna drop her stance, those newfound wings spreading apart, then a painful, searing heat from her right shoulder. When her mind catches up to everything, she emits a greater scream. She clutches her dismembered shoulder and glares at the one responsible, but she's gone from sight. The air pricks her skin again, and just as Eva turns her head, a surge of pain sends her off her feet. She tries to comprehend what has happened when she feels another slice on her side and a thrust through her abdomen. Then a slice down her back and up her front.
All Eva knows is great pain, the cold, quick steel of Asuna's sword, and that she's out of the cathedral, ascending towards heaven. At that moment, her vision becomes clear. She sees the moon's fullness in the night star, the little bits of light they call stars, and a larger star, purple in color, shooting down on her. With an impactful thrust, Eva is launched towards the ground.
She finds herself rolling on concrete ground, then coming to a halt as her back slams into a wall-like brick structure. Her armor shattered, her body covered with bleeding wounds, Eva can only watch defenselessly as the warrior angel descends from heaven and yell as her purple glowing blade stabs Eva in the heart. "Urgahhh!"
"You have failed, Eva, to protect the one you love."
"Failed? No... No, no, no... That's... That's impossible! Unfathomable! How could I lose to you..." With her remaining strength, Eva lifts her head towards the east, where her younger brother and Primus's little sister fight. "They will win... They will... They will... Noxium? Stella?"
Obsidia
Noxium's laughter ceases so immediately that it draws Mia's attention. Her wet eyes look up as Noxium slowly turns his head to the western horizon, face completely shocked. What is going on?
"Arthurio! Mia! Brunhild!" Supreme Commander? She hears multiple footsteps run over to her. Sheyta arrives first, taking her place at the prone Brunhild, while a knight comes to aid Arthurio. The supreme commander takes his stand close to her, but he faces Noxium. Mia, fighting her wounds, stands beside him, the knuckle-cracking leader of the Dark Territory. "Is this him?"
"Yes."
Iskahn then glances towards the castle. "So he's here, the other one's at the castle, and those dragons just scorched the top of the castle... Where is he looking?"
"I don't know. It just happened." She looks around, finding her weapon and picking it up. It's back to its normal form. But she knows that, somehow, the memory-releasing phase did something to lower the numbers of the minions, according to Arthurio. If she lands a more certain hit on him, even just once, she can save this city.
But...she cannot sneak up on him. Noxium has proven to be more than Jaymes' equal in combat, so not even the direct approach will work. What options do they have? What move can she pull to potentially pull off a victory? Asking Commander Iskahn and Lady Sheyta to help her will put them at risk, and if the emperor has fallen, it would be foolhardy to have the supreme commander fight.
None of Jaymes' lessons are coming to her. None of the techniques passed to her will work. Not Hyper Awareness, not Perfect Weapon Control, not...no. It's the one he hasn't used yet. It's his last resort. It's his most dangerous technique, which he told her not to use as it will kill her if she's careless.
Yet all she's learned from him is to be careless.
"M-Mia!"
Ignoring the call of the commander, she hobbles over towards Noxium. As she closes the distance, she holds her bow in both hands. Her feet clatter against debris as they struggle to keep her moving. She has no strength left to fight, but she has a ton of will. The will to save her home. The will to prove herself. The will to see her master again, and if not that, the will to avenge him.
"Noxium..."
"What is that power? Is that...Stacia?" he whispers, then slowly turns to the approaching knight. He frowns at the sight of her. "You just don't give up. You truly wish to fight to your demise, huh?" Mia answers by raising her bow over her head and lurching herself forward. With a nonchalant gruff, Noxium bends down and thrusts his normal steel dagger towards Mia.
The pain of the dagger penetrating her abdomen is dull, and she wants to scream and cry, but she doesn't let it bother her too much. This is what she wanted, after all. She lifts her eyes towards Noxium, then to the bow, seeing a dark aura around it. Eyes back on Noxium, a grin sneaks up on her face. Noxium looks at her without emotion on his face, but his voice betrays him. "Why are you smiling?"
"...The Dark Territory has won."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"My master's greatest skill...was passed to me. Trojan Horse!" Power surges from Mia's body to the bow as she steps back and spins on her heel. "Once again, Loveblight Bow! Release Recollection! Soul Hunter!" The bow swiftly transforms back into the light-bladed scythe and slices through the horizontal midline of Noxium. He shouts a great scream as his body fades in and out like a ghost. At the same time, Mia collapses to her knees, the Loveblight Bow losing its power and dropping down the slope.
"WHAt...haVe yOu DONe to mE!" Noxium's body continuously flickers like a dying candle. Mia thought the attack would kill him, but whatever holds him together is barely stronger. If anything, he's speaking similarly to the Ancient Apostles or someone whose soul is breaking down. His eyes are shot, veins prominent in his skin, and he's more irate than before.
"Noxium..."
"YOu... I'M GOinG to mAKe yoU PaY!" Noxium grabs his daggers and charges Mia. Defenseless and too weak to move, Mia closes her eyes and holds her hands up as Noxium's daggers bear down on her...and hit something in the air. She drops her arms just a bit to see a vague, curved shape in the air, Noxium's blades bouncing off them and him retreating in confusion. He tries to attack again, this time with a double vertical slash, but a horizontal shape similar to the one prior deflects him. "wHAt iS ThIS?" He attempts a third attack, but this time he's hit in the stomach by another near-invisible shape.
Indeed, what is going on?"
"Good work, my apprentice. I'll take it from here."
Mia's eyes widen as she looks over her left shoulder, gasping at the sight of the emperor-of Jaymes alive and far from well. He chuckles and releases her, then steps forward towards the shuddering, flickering Noxium. His whole demeanor changes instantly, and Mia has to hold her breath as Jaymes stands in front of the downed Noxium. He then reaches into a pocket and tosses something toward Mia. It's a bottle with a green paste inside. "Give that to Arthurio. It's the cure to Noxium's poison."
The poison...wait, if Jaymes has a cure (somehow), did he take some himself? He still looks weak by the looks of things. She waves to one of the knights and hands it to them with the same instructions. "What about you?"
He waves his hand. "Yeah, I'm fine now. The girls only made two, so I did my best to hold on to them in case I could recover with Vindica. It didn't work, so that was the last one. If I seem weak now, I don't have much fight left in me. The Dark Territory is unforgiving where sacred resources are concerned."
"I-I see."
"Mhm... Now, for you, Noxium." Jaymes kneels and lift's Noxium's chin. "You almost had me there. I'll admit that. I was ready to give up and die. But then a certain show-stealer tells me to get off my butt and fight, then a certain smartass attempts to take one of you out first. I'm fine with letting Kirito get the best of me, but Asuna, no. I'll die three deaths before I admit defeat to her. Besides, as great as Mia did, you're not dead yet. Your minion army, however, is gone."
"sTElLa...sHalL wIn..."
Jaymes smirks and turns Noxium's head to the castle. He points to the pair of dragons flying back towards the castle. "You see? Eydis, the Empress of the Dark Territory, is kicking her ass. You two have lost."
"No..."
"You spoke so much of my past as if you know me, but if you did, you would have known what Mia was doing. I've never done it that way myself. Besides, I'm done beating myself up about my past. I've lived my failures, but I'll make up for them in the future, starting with the future of the Dark Territory. But your past has caught up to you, and there's nothing more you can do."
"NOOOOOOO!" Noxium springs backward to his feet and leaps at Jaymes. The emperor quickly rises to his feet and obliquely holds the Time Splitting Sword towards Noxium. The pale blue sword suddenly burns with a swirling blue fire, then Jaymes leaps forward to meet Noxium like a dragon hunting its meal.
"Koharu's Fire!" Mia watches in awe as the flaming sword is swung downward, slashing through Noxium's right arm, then quickly swung back up to sever the left. Literally disarmed, Noxium is defenseless as the sword scorches his body seven more times, then his face is slammed by Jaymes' shield. Rolling on the ground, Noxium somehow returns to his feet, but Jaymes does not pursue him. Instead, he whispers some words to the sword...then launches it towards the outer walls of Obsidia. "597... 598... 599..."
"GuahhhHHHHHHHH!"
"Bingo." Jaymes turns away from Noxium as the man freezes up, then says, "The Time Splitting Sword Uragiri is 'the sword that slashes the past.' I just slashed your past...as Commander Bercouli slashed your father's." Jaymes stretches out his hand, the Time-Splitting Sword returning to his palm as Noxium's body explodes into dark energy, leaving no trace of the First Child behind.
He looks to Mia, then to Iskahn and Sheyta. "We're done here, but the fight isn't over. Come, let's go to the castle."
"What a showboat." Eydis, now on the top of the castle, smirks to herself as she faces away from the sight of the town. "Using the Time-Splitting Sword and copying Commander Bercouli as well? I'm going to scold him for that. Or maybe I should tell Fanatio and let her handle it? More things to think about." Dropping her hand from her chin, Eydis sighs and looks at the wall of fire. The dragons' attack had to do something to Stella, though she doubts the woman is defeated. If anything, Noxium's death seconds ago should incite her.
"Come on, Stella, I know you're alive. You've proven you're tough to kill, so come on." That earns Eydis a roar and a figure leaping from the flame to her position. Eydis blocks the aerial attack and gets a good look at the smoldering, raging Stella. "Oh, you look angry. Now we're even on that."
"You and that boy will pay for what you've done to Noxium! And that girl who hurt Eva will pay as well!"
"Oh, so Asuna got Eva too? I gotta pick up the pace, then. That means Primus is next and all alone."
"You fool. You cannot comprehend what Primus has in store for this world!"
"Yes, yes, he wants to destroy or rule the world. As of recent years, it's the basic bad guy thinking. As far as I can tell, he's beaten." Stella growls and leaps into the air to spin. Eydis nimbly ducks and slides on her knees, then comes back with several dark elements prepared. She morphs them into sword shapes and launches them at Stella. The First Child deflects them, but she narrowly escapes as nothing more than a distraction.
But this time, Eydis' sword pierces the flesh of Stella's right shoulder. That's all the opening the Knight of the Abyss needs.
Without hesitation, Eydis lets the darkness sleeping within her sword awaken and flood out. "Release Recollection!" The entirety of the dome is encased in a dark, cold void. Only Eydis can see vividly in this void; even if she couldn't, she could hear Stella's pained pants as the darkness sapped the resources from the open wound on her shoulder. While Stella managed to escape the darkness before, this one released in this phase is much more potent than the enhancing phase. Not even the sun's light can illuminate this world, or the hottest flame can heat it.
She keeps her distance from the kneeling daughter of Terreria, waiting for the right moment. "It's over, Stella."
"N-no... You're all going to die...and you'll be responsible for it! All of you knights will! It will be your fault, Eydis Synthesis Ten, for had you not betrayed Jaymes, you could have prevented what's to come! If only you didn't grant Primus the sword Falchion, you could have stopped what's to come!"
Eydis steps up to Stella, placing the tip of her blade against the woman's heart. "You want to explain?"
"You'll see soon enough...as you'll die knowing yourself as the catalyst, Knight of the Abyss."
"Very well. Tell Terreria I say hello." Eydis presses the blade slightly through Stella's skin, then removes it. The darkness recedes, and the woman's body drops down, limp, dead, and decaying into sacred resources.
Exhausted, Eydis sheathes her sword and drops down to sit. Her eyes set on the dark sky, she almost misses the new presence that appears on the roof a couple of feet behind her. She closes her eyes and drops her head, not fighting the smile growing on her face. "So...what's this 'empress' business I hear about? How long have you planned that?"
"Ever since I asked you to come with me. But I didn't expect a refusal then, so I decided you'd figure out you can't handle being away from me too long and come over at the upcoming meeting. I was going to ask again then."
"I see." She stands up and turns around. She almost busts out laughing at how beaten he looks but manages to hold it in as she crosses the distance and, for the first time in six months, stand in front of him as herself. She reaches up for his face, but her hand drops as well as her face. "No, wait... I have to apologize for what happened. I have to pay for my crimes and want to pay for them, so... Huh?" She is held against Jaymes' body like a child holding their favorite pillow. Confused by the suddenness and tightness of the hug, she was left speechless by the sensation of moisture sliding from his face to hers. "J-Jaymes?"
"I'm so happy you're okay, yet so angry at myself for not being able to save you. I've missed you so much, Eydis. So please...say yes that you'll come here with me."
"I... I..." Gosh, he's such a big baby. She sighs and stops her fight against the tears in her eyes, dropping her head against his shoulder. "I'll come too. I'll be your empress..."
"No... No..." Asuna relaxes her grip on her sword as Eva's hand falls to the ground in defeat and sorrow. Her pain must mean Stella and Noxium are defeated, though much later than Eva was. Jaymes will be unhappy with that knowledge, but that comes later. There's still one more problem to take care of.
"Your brother and sister have fallen, Eva, and you'll soon join them."
Eva, the fire in her fading eyes, looks to Asuna. "You don't understand. You may...have killed me...and Noxium and Stella...but you haven't won a single bit. No, Asuna...you've already lost." Her head cranes toward the cathedral's peak, a single tear rolling down her face. "Primus, my love...avenge us...and finish what we've started..."
It happens far too quickly, but he senses it. Like the brightest stars in the sky extinguished without warning, the lives of Noxium, Stella, and Eva fade one by one. He felt Noxium's anguish as his body was ripped apart, felt Stella's suffering in the cold, cruel darkness, and heard Eva's heart give out. He heard their whispered prayers of vengeance.
He allows a tear for each to fall from his eyes, but that's it. They each have a final wish, and that's for him to finish the fight. So he won't weep any more, not until he has conquered the world.
"Primus!"
Starting with the fall of Kirito, Jaymes, and Asuna.