Chapter Thirty
The battle continued on for a time, even upon the walls and diving across the air and ceiling. Few hits were landed from how concentrated and alert each side was in their highest potency, allowing the battle to continue for a while longer then each one anticipated. However, Chara unexpectedly faked an attack on Frisk and when Curtain jumped over to attack, they turned and landed a slice on her arm. Frisk instinctively dashed to attack, as Chara kicked her away while throwing a knife that slashed her side when she hit the wall. Curtain growled and fought more with Chara as they smiled at her, while Frisk took a moment to breathe and then waited for Chara to get in a certain position not looking in her direction as they blocked a long range attack. Frisk knew the time was right and gave the signal to Curtain as they tag teamed and landed a crossed attack from each side of Chara that rendered their left arm useless from the strike on the shoulder that dug into the rotary cup. Though purposely intended to make Chara attack with their right hand from being angered by the strike, the two were also able to sever the wrist on the right hand almost completely besides the bone. Chara dropped their weapon, unable to wield any from their hands being disengaged, as Curtain held a blade to their neck from the back while Frisk held it in front. Both girls were very determined and prepared for any other attack Chara may secretly inflict, but they did not activate any.
"… I must say, quite a splendid show you two accomplished on your own. Frisk, your tenacity for battle was indeed a surprise. And Curtain, you're just full of surprises... I almost wish that we could always fight… forever," Chara said, looking between both of them.
"I don't. I don't want to fight. I'm only fighting now so that we won't have to fight anymore. I hate it… but I know I need it in order to stop someone as cold and as corrupted as you, who would abuse it so terribly," Frisk said.
"It's the only way to get you to give in, as unfortunate as it must be. Though… your wish is something I'd only consider for a friend, someone who isn't corrupted," Curtain said.
"Then in another world… How truly unfortunate. As much as I enjoy your companies, I hate it as well. You make me wish... Hurry up and claim your victory then," Chara said, as they raised their head up with their eyes closed and a small smile.
'…' -Frisk.
'It's your call,' -Curtain.
'What would you do?' -Frisk.
'… Claim victory, I suppose,' -Curtain.
'…' -Frisk.
'Do what you feel you should. I got your back,' -Curtain.
'But, they hurt other you… and you're letting me decide?' -Frisk.
'Of course I am. I despise them and I'd cut them down on the spot, but… I'm not sure if that's the best thing to do,' Curtain.
'… Okay. Then draw back your blade,' Frisk.
Curtain slowly pulled back her blade as did Frisk, which made Chara's smirk widen. Though the smirk only lasted a moment when Frisk turned the blade and slashed at them right on the chest, carving a red mark across it as they had done to a former comedian. Chara's eyes shot open wide as they fell back on their bottom while the wound bled slowly in burgundy. Curtain ran around besides Frisk and her eyes widened to see what had occurred in it's entirety, while Frisk had no change in her plain expression.
"Frisk…! What… why?" Curtain asked her in a soft whisper, while Chara looked up in wonder as well.
"… It's like I said before, I hate fighting, but they love fighting. And worse then that, they kill… I don't want them to hurt anyone anymore… and I know deep in my soul, that this would be our only chance to stop them and... as your friend... I'd rather it be me then you," Frisk replied, as she looked up at her and weakly smiled.
"Frisk… Don't think you have to carry everything yourself. I told you I got your back, and no matter what, I'm with you. So don't carry this on your own, even for me," Curtain said as she knelt next to her, and Frisk quickly dived into her embrace.
'… How I wish.' Chara thought as their red orbs intently watched them.
'But I can't let it end like this,' Chara took a blade from inside their jacket between their teeth and made a mad dash towards Frisk.
Frisk pushed away from Curtain to protect her, and although she had no time to dodge she tried to step back instinctively from the sharp object. Chara pursued but soon noticed that Frisk was growing further away, as they at first thought that Frisk increased her agility. However, noticing that Frisk stopped moving and stared at her in shock, Chara then realized what had occurred as they felt sharp pain in an open wound, deep in their heart.
Curtain had instinctively took a strong hold of her dagger and thrust forth with highest precision into the gaping wound on Chara's chest straight into their heart. Though a little surprised that Chara had a heart, Curtain stood her ground as her expression was completely fixed on the demon child to determine if she had stopped their attack.
Chara looked straight into her purple eyes, a chill piercing deep into their core, making them believe that Curtain stabbed them with an icicle instead of a dagger. The intensity of Curtain's eyes and knowing their soul was pierced as they were suspended by Curtain's dagger and arm made Chara slowly loosen their jaw until their blade fell to the ground. Frisk's eyes followed the blade's descent as it made two clanks and then grew still. Curtain didn't even steal a glance towards the knife, keeping her target in her sights in order to protect her friend. Chara chuckled weakly,
"Such determination... and loyalty... I wish... you were my p... friend."
"... Too late," Curtain said simply and pulled out the dagger, as Chara seemed to slowly drop to the floor.
Frisk approached them cautiously to stand by Curtain's side, though her blade never left her hand.
"Funny, isn't it…? You two look better with those daggers... you should wield them more often," Chara said between coughs as they laid on their side while looking up at them.
"No. This will probably be the last time we'll have to, Chara... I... wish things could have been different. Like with the other me. But... you're not really me huh," Frisk said, looking away.
"…" Chara would have spoke but they stopped when a smokey substance rose around them.
Frisk and Curtain jumped back, as the smoke formed into jaws and clamped over Chara, swallowing them whole. Corruption appeared nearby, though her body was covered in pulsing veins as the walls.
"Dearest Chara... gone from the world now. May their evil, vile nature rest in peace. Though you two I don't wish that upon yet," She said, as the jaws faded back into the ground.
Frisk felt a little saddened, as she glanced towards Curtain, who was bothered by dealing the finishing blow but not regretful since she saved her friend.
"It'd be better to play our little game a bit longer. Though certainly it has caused quite a stir so we'll be on killing mode now… Sayonara," Corruption said with a wave and darkened eyes as she disappeared.
"… What should we do?" Frisk inquired.
"… If they want to kill us now… then the others were okay up until this point," Curtain said.
"Then now they'll really be in danger… Curtain… I… I'm sorry that you ended up having to deal the final hit on Chara… I just… I said I could carry it but… I can't do it on my own," Frisk admitted as she lowered her blade and her shoulders slumped.
"… And I don't think I'd have made it this far here without you, Frisk. You jumped in here to help me, and that led up to the final blow, so don't think for a moment that you failed. On the contrary, you helped me get to that point, just as I did by landing it for you. You could say we're even," Curtain said with a small smile.
Frisk looked up at her and smiled as she said, "Yeah, you're right. You're right! Together, we can do anything! Like defeat corruption and save our friends!"
"That's right," Curtain said as she extended a hand towards her.
Frisk nodded and smacked her hand on Curtain's open palm for a high five, and in that instance the two felt a surge of strength pulse through them. They looked at their hands, and then at each other a few times in shock. Curtain once again offered her hand to Frisk though with her palm facing upward as if giving her something, and Frisk laid her hand on hers as they once again felt the pulse shoot through both of them, along with a small voice,
"'A shining glow appeared for a moment and then disappeared within the depths of Corruption's eyes, as Curtain noticed it...,'
'... I must fight your true form!'"
The two heard the first line as if a voice was narrating, but the second one was definitely Corruption. They weren't sure why they were suddenly hearing this on contact, though it may be because their souls are connected, as Chara mentioned of gaining certain abilities here. Frisk held her hand to Curtain again and she took it, as they saw a vision of the corrupted three headed dragon along with Chara's corrupted face as the body, but then saw Chara standing against them too.
"They fused together... but Chara retained their form inside," Curtain placed her hand on her chin.
"And if Chara retained their regular form in here and Corruption sort of did too, then they can fuse but not be absorbed…?" Frisk looked towards where Chara was consumed.
"… Wait, a monster and human can absorb each other's soul, but not a human to a human or a monster to a monster… but if it's a hybrid the-" Curtain was cut short when they heard a rumbling and noticed the walls cracking and shaking.
"What the heck is happening?!"
"It's all crumbling down!"
"Well yeah but why… Wait, this is the center of the body since Chara was here so… without Chara, is it going to fall apart?"
"Or crush us?!"
"Oh come on! This isn't fair at all! This place is a labyrinth as it is!"
"There has to be a way to find an exit! They created this place, right? They have to have a way out!"
"For themselves, yeah! But I don't think they had one for us!"
"This place was fueled by Chara so… Chara…" Frisk looked towards the ground at the knife that Chara had left behind on the ground.
She quickly ran and picked it up as she examined the blade, noticing that the pulsating veins on it had shriveled away to dust. Peering closely at the blade, Frisk noticed that the reflection was not of where she was, but of outside where the battlefield was.
"I-I can see out there," Frisk said, as Curtain rushed to her side to look.
"… I see it too. Wait. First off, what made you grab this, and secondly, put it on the floor for a sec," Curtain said.
"Well, I figured Chara would be the one to know a way out, and since they like knives maybe their knife might be able to cut us out… but this…" Frisk answered as she placed the knife on the ground.
Upon looking at the blade, it reflected normally, and when Curtain picked it up this time, it once again showed the battlefield.
"H-Hold on, if it shows the outside then… could we use it to go there?" Frisk wondered.
"… I think you had a good idea, Frisk. Though I suspect this knife might not cut through this place exactly… but cut a path out of it," Curtain inquired.
"Like cutting a portal? Oh! They are combined so they are combined in power too! Corruption made a portal to go back in time, and the other made a portal to come here with everyone else too!" Frisk said, as Curtain nodded in agreement.
"That makes sense. Maybe unlike them Chara decided to use a knife or needed a knife to cut open paths... Let's try before we become paper!" Curtain said, as she offered her hand with the blade.
Frisk grasped the handle along with Curtain, as they began to glow and then slashed the blade together with one swipe. A tear formed and opened to show them the battlefield from an aerial view above the main dragon head. Seizing the opportunity, the two ran ahead together and jumped through, leaving behind the crackling world.
The battlefield:
The Sanses and Papyruses stood together with blasters and bones as they attacked back at the two side dragon heads that were shooting blasts at them. Blaze was attacking against the main head with her own blaster as she shot back a beam of fire, while Asriel was using a stronger more colorful form of his vines to hold the dragon heads in place, for the beast rampaged and was moving in a frenzy upon Chara being stabbed earlier. Other Frisk was being carried on Marisol's back and was guiding her onward up the Genocide head, while Veil clung onto Sol's back as she lead her up to the Crowned head. The two heads weren't able to move to dodge, as the Marisols used the distractions and binding to run up, and with an enhancement by the ones on their backs, they jumped higher then normal and dived downward to stab the beast's in their heads directly. In a frantic frenzy their eyes rolled and twirled, as they couldn't free themselves or stop attacking with fire breaths in that moment. The Main head worried not since they were still intact and could fix them, until she heard a tear from above as her eyes widened on the two descending towards her. Blaze saw them first and a smirk played gracefully on her lips, as Curtain and Frisk together pointed the blade they held at Corruption's head.
Simultaneously, the three blades landed their hits, and out spewed black liquid and smoke as the dragons were silent for a moment while their attacks ceased.
"So this… is what happens…" Corruption whispered, though everyone heard her.
The three dragon heads shrieked incredibly loud, as the girls tore out the blades and ran away, while the attacker squads ran to fetch the ones fleeing to move them away. As the dragons bled and screeched in multiple tones and pitches while breaking apart, the world around them began to melt into the ground as the previous world began to reappear along with the chapel in the distance.
Once together and safe, everyone was relieved to see Frisk and Curtain safe and sound and they gave them hugs and pats. Then Papyrus looked around and said,
"… If they die and this world they made let's say dies with them… does this mean we'll be left here in an empty space or will we all end up home?"
"Or what if we die? Or end up in a different place…?" Marisol added with worry.
"This world wouldn't just die like that. Sure, it may weaken a bit, but not die unless killed," Blaze said.
"But then we're stuck here too," Asriel said, and Blaze nodded.
Sans was focused on the dragons melting away as their shrieks grew quieter while smoke fogged around in a smaller radius where they were. He felt like something wasn't quite right, as did Troth who also looked with him. The Curtains could tell that their Sanses were uneasy.
"Sans… do you feel something is off?" Curtain asked.
"Are they… still alive?" Veil asked.
"… sort of," Troth replied, as the girls grew unnerved.
"it's like… only one remains. but we're not sure which one," Sans replied as the girls looked towards one another with furrowed brows.
"We're not done yet! Get ready everyone!" Veil called out, as the others took their places together.
"Come on, Asriel. Take a minute to rest. I'll watch over you. That was a real good job you did back there," Other Frisk said as she noticed Asriel seemed out of breath.
"Y-Yeah. It was hard holding all three of them at the same time. Each one kept wanting to go separate ways and I had to keep them still, so it was really hard," Asriel admitted.
"Take five, Asriel! You deserve it!" Sur said with a thumbs up.
"Yes, you did remarkably well. And everyone, I commend you all for your hard work and courage. Also you two for jumping in at the perfect time!" Sol complimented while looking towards Curtain and Frisk, as everyone smiled and nodded with her in agreement.
Frisk couldn't help but stare ahead between the Sanses as she also watched the dust and smoke slowly clear, and her eyes widened in surprise along with the Sanses who were more upset at this turn of events...
Two chapters! Yay. Now for the final challenge...