Far from the surface, in a damp underground tunnel in Fontaine.
The dim sunlight illuminated the silhouettes of humans beginning to emerge to the surface. A long line of refugees moved slowly, their faces showing fear and hope.
"Is the surface really safe now, Lady Furina?" asked a little girl, tugging at the hem of Furina's dress.
Furina turned, smiling gently even though her eyes were filled with exhaustion. "Trust me!" she said with a confident tone.
Even though she knew the surface was still far from safe, she had to be the pillar of hope for them!
The child's face immediately brightened.
Behind her, a boy stared at the little girl's back for a long time, then turned to Furina. "Why did the ice on the surface suddenly melt, Lady?" he asked innocently, tilting his head.
Furina fell silent. She gazed toward the light at the end of the tunnel. She could guess who was responsible for this miracle.
She stroked the boy's head. "Someone... is trying to save the world."
The child smiled widely, then ran to catch up with his friends toward the sunlight.
"That was the last one, right...," Furina sighed in relief.
As she was about to turn back inside, she felt a strange vibration in the air. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She immediately turned around, her rapier sword appearing in her hand in an instant. Her eyes narrowed, staring at a portal that suddenly swirled in the empty air in front of her.
...
"Hmmm?" Amelia paused her attack for a moment, looking around with narrowed eyes.
At this moment, portals of light began to appear around the place, tearing the fabric of reality. One by one, human figures started stepping out, their faces full of confusion.
From the first portal, a man in a long leather coat and a wide hood stepped out. Belts and leather straps wrapped around his muscular body. He looked left and right, a thin smile etched on his lips as he saw the chaos in front of him.
It was Jason!
His eyes sparkled at the sight of the battle, his tongue licking his lips, ready to dive in.
However, he stopped. Other portals opened.
Laurent, Louis, Ryan, Yueshu—they all appeared one by one. Their faces were initially full of hope, thinking the portals were the way home to Earth. But upon seeing the golden sky and the battle before them, that hope shattered instantly!
They realized one thing: they weren't home yet!
Survival instincts took over. They saw Jason looking threatening and immediately attacked him without asking!
In a portal that appeared a bit later, a man with slicked-back blond hair, wearing a classic three-piece suit and a top hat, stepped out, a golden pocket watch in his hand.
It was Arthur!
He looked around calmly.
"Uninvited guests. No," Amelia smiled amusedly at all this. She looked at the girl again. "You invited them all, didn't you?"
And then, from a portal that was somewhat distant, a figure staggered out.
A girl with fair skin, sharp amethyst eyes, and unique oval pupils. Her robe was charred and torn in many places, revealing wounded skin. Her long purple hair was disheveled and dirty with blood.
It was Keqing!
"Handle your family affairs," Amelia said to Charles, her voice mocking. "I'm busy."
Keqing lifted her head. Her wild eyes swept around, searching for the target of her burning hatred. Her lips thinned, bitten from the inside until they bled. And then, her gaze stopped.
Locked on Charles.
Her eyes widened for a moment, as if in disbelief. Then, her brows furrowed sharply, forming a deadly line of hatred.
She stomped her foot on the mirror floor.
ZRAASH!
In the blink of an eye, she dashed forward. Her steps were so fast that the ground seemed to part from her path. She headed toward Charles with a single purpose:
KILL!!!
Charles saw her coming like a living thunderstorm. Keqing's movements were jerky, fast, and deadly. Every swing of her sword was aimed at vital points without hesitation.
CLANG!
Charles dodged the first attack, pushed back several meters, his feet leaving long scratches on the mirror floor. His breath immediately became ragged, his chest heaving wildly.
"Wait!" he shouted desperately. "Let me explain!"
"I DON'T NEED AN EXPLANATION!" Keqing screamed. Her hand gripping the sword trembled from the strength of her own grip. "DIE!"
She attacked again. Charles blocked with one hand holding his sword, and they both were pushed back. Charles took the opportunity to catch his breath, but Keqing gave him no respite. In an instant, she was in front of his face again.
Charles turned and ran.
He had no choice!
Keqing's eyes widened, then she chased with full speed. Her breath was ragged, her steps pounding the floor. She leaped high into the air, her eyes locked on Charles's neck. With a war cry, she swung her sword downward.
Charles sensed the danger. He turned at the last second, raising his sword to parry.
SLASH!
The flash of Keqing's sword blade grazed his cheek, and continued... hitting his right eye.
"AHHHH!!!"
Charles screamed hysterically, his hand releasing the sword and immediately covering his face. Fresh blood flowed profusely from between his fingers. A burning pain exploded in his head.
With his one remaining eye, he stared at Keqing who landed gracefully. The girl paid no attention to his screams. She continued moving forward, her steps slow and steady, like the angel of death coming to claim him. She knew Charles wouldn't run anymore.
Driven by pain and resentment, Charles pulled the Sinner revolver from his inventory. He aimed it straight at Keqing's chest.
However, as he took aim... Keqing wasn't there!
Charles looked right, left, in panic. A chilling sensation suddenly crept up his neck.
Suddenly, he felt a cold stab in his chest.
Keqing's figure appeared right in front of him, her sword already embedded deep in Charles's chest.
Charles's body jerked hard. His breath stopped in his throat. He looked down, his remaining eye widening as he stared at the sword blade piercing his heart. Warm blood spilled past his fingers trying to touch the wound.
"No... no...," his voice was hoarse and broken.
His body trembled violently. His knees buckled. His remaining hand reached into empty air, trying to hold onto something that wasn't there.
Keqing yanked her sword out with a rough jerk. SCHLUCK! The wet scraping sound that pierced the ears was heard as the blade slid out, followed by a spurt of fresh blood.
Charles staggered backward, one step, two steps... then he fell.
He lay on the cold mirror floor, his blood pooling around him like a red halo. His fading gaze fixed on Keqing standing over him, still staring at him with unquenched rage.
Tears mixed with blood flowed from Charles's eye. In his final moments, the hatred faded, replaced by deep regret.
"Forgive... me," he whispered, before darkness engulfed him completely.
...
The golden sky above them seemed to hold its breath.
The relentless rain of light swords falling from the portal behind the girl continued to pelt the ice floor created by Amelia.
Each collision created blinding sparks of light.
But Amelia parried them with terrifying calmness. The ice sword in her hand moved, deflecting attack after attack as if she were swatting flies.
"Are you that desperate?" Amelia whispered, a thin, condescending smile etched on her pale face.
At this moment, the girl's jaw tightened, her teeth clenching until the muscles in her cheeks tensed like a bowstring pulled to its limit.
That question hit the girl harder than any steel!
The girl drew a short breath, a sharp hiss that sounded like steam escaping from cracks in rocks. Her golden brows lowered sharply, shadowing eyes that now stared without really seeing, a gaze empty yet filled with a storm of restrained emotions.
Amelia didn't wait for an answer. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the tension in the air, then opened them again.
Her right foot immediately stomped the mirror floor with shattering force, sending spiderweb cracks in all directions.
She dashed forward, her ice sword swinging in an arc of death.
CLANG!
The ice sword clashed with the golden sword. The sound of divine metal clashing with magical ice was deafening. The girl's palms, slick with cold sweat, slipped slightly on the hilt of her sword; while Amelia's blade continued to press, heavy and unforgiving, until the girl's arms trembled violently holding the weight.
The girl pushed Amelia back with her remaining strength.
But Amelia, like an unrelenting snowstorm, immediately stomped her footing again and attacked back.
She charged forward, her eyes widening wildly, her sword slashing the air with a sharp swish. Her breath was ragged, white vapor escaping her mouth. The ice sword spun in her hand in a barrage of attacks that seemed more like a pure outburst of madness than measured fighting technique.
She leaped forward, slashing left and right without regard for her own defense, entrusting her fate to courage and chaos.
The girl blocked the attacks with both hands, her knees sinking half an inch as Amelia's push grew heavier, as if the sky itself was collapsing on her. Her breath was gasping, her teeth clenched tight until they grated; her own sword creaked pitifully as Amelia's pressure forced her back step by step.
The muscles in her left arm twitched violently from exhaustion, one finger momentarily slipping from the hilt before she grasped it again with pitiful desperation.
Hundreds of golden swords emerging from the portal behind her immediately turned direction, targeting Amelia's back like an angry swarm of bees.
But Amelia, still with the mad smile adorning her face, dodged all those swords with a graceful and deadly dance. She spun, leaped, and ducked, letting the swords collide with each other or embed in the ice floor.
Then, with a final taunt, she bowed slightly toward the girl, as if giving a respectful salute at the end of an opera performance.
At this moment, Arthur, who had been observing the fight with a calculating gaze, suddenly took action. He leaped. His three-piece suit fluttered behind him. In his hand, he gripped The Warden's Dawnblade—a long sword that looked simple but emanated ancient grandeur. Its dull silver blade, strangely not reflecting the light of this heaven, swung through the air.
He attacked the blond-haired girl from her blind side!
The attack was fast and unexpected. The girl was forced to twist her body to parry, but it opened a gap in her defense.
Amelia gaped for a moment at the intervention, before her smile widened into a grin.
She stomped her foot and charged again, joining the assault. Her ice sword thrust from all directions, deflecting the golden swords emerging from behind the girl at lightning speed, redirecting them back to their owner.
Meanwhile, the girl struggled desperately to hold off Arthur's attacks. The man continued raining heavy and precise slashes on her, each swing aimed to crush her defense. The girl bit her lip until it bled, the salty taste of iron filling her mouth.
Soon after, Amelia attacked from the other exposed side.
The girl was immediately dragged back, her feet leaving long scratches on the floor. Two swords—one of ice, one of dull silver—pelted her defensive gaps relentlessly. Her arms trembled violently, her muscles screaming in pain.
Worse, she didn't even have time to catch her breath!
Amelia kept charging forward, her eyes bulging, continuously swinging her sword like someone who had lost their mind, each slash wild and unpredictable, yet deadly.
The blond-haired girl parried every slash that came too fast. Her golden swords tried to help, but they were too slow compared to the speed of this dual assault. Her own blade only managed to block at the last second, sparks of metal scattering like fireworks as her feet slipped half a step on the ice.
Her two opponents immediately closed the distance, pressing deeper. The girl's sword-holding hand began losing precision; her counter swings now only half strength, weak and desperate.
When Arthur and Amelia's two swords clashed in front of her, creating a momentary gap, Amelia saw it. Briefly, one of the girl's arms was exposed—just for a second.
Amelia immediately smiled madly and lunged forward, her body lowering. Her ice blade slipped into that gap before the girl could draw a breath or summon a sword to block it.
Her ice sword dove straight, embedding precisely in the small space between the ribs with deadly accuracy.
JLEB!
Amelia succeeded in wounding the girl!
The girl's breath choked instantly. Her eyes widened, her golden pupils contracting to tiny points as the cold tip of the ice sword emerged from her back, warm with her own golden blood. She staggered backward like a puppet losing its support. Fresh blood escaped her mouth, dripping to the mirror floor, forever tarnishing the sanctity of the place.
She immediately took a step away, freeing herself from the ice sword. A wet cough burst from her lips, blood splattering from her mouth, staining her white dress.
Seeing that, Amelia burst into laughter. A broken, shrill laugh. But not long after, she immediately charged again, showing no mercy.
The girl's feet wobbled. The ice blade that had pierced earlier still left a cold burning sensation in her flesh, but she raised her sword with both trembling hands as two silhouettes charged toward her again.
At this moment, from beneath the cracked mirror floor behind the girl, a giant ice hand suddenly emerged.
Ice Golem!
The girl had just realized the monster's presence.
"Damn it!" she cursed, her voice hoarse.
The Ice Golem's fist slammed into her back with full force.
BUKK!
The impact sent her hurtling forward hard, straight toward the two swords approaching from the front.
The girl had no time to dodge!
SHLICK! SHLICK!
Both swords—Amelia's and Arthur's—hit her body simultaneously. One pierced her right shoulder, the other tore her left waist.
Amelia seemed to laugh even more madly as her attack hit its target. While Arthur remained silent, his face cold and expressionless.
The girl fell to the floor. Golden blood pooled around her. Her wounds didn't close immediately this time; her regeneration failed. Blood dripped from the gaping wounds all over her body, but she forced her shattered body to rise.
She crawled forward slowly, her breath gasping and heavy.
Her blurring eyes stared at a point in the distance. A portal of light suddenly swirled and opened there.
This was a chance to escape!
The girl tried to crawl toward the portal, leaving a trail of golden blood behind her.
Amelia, watching from afar, stopped laughing. She stared sharply at the portal, then back at the girl trying to flee. She raised her sword, intending to pursue, but then stopped. She sighed, lowering her weapon.
Arthur watched the girl in silence, saying nothing, not trying to chase. He just watched the girl crawl through the portal with her remaining strength.
The portal closed instantly, swallowing the girl and leaving the two of them in silence.
...
In Fontaine, the snow began to melt.
The sun, previously obscured by storm clouds of ice, now started to show itself on the western horizon. However, amid the warming scenery, a portal of light suddenly appeared in the air, tearing reality.
A blond-haired girl staggered out of the portal. Her back arched in pain, her mouth open without sound, trying to inhale air. Her knees wobbled, unable to support her weight, and she fell to her knees on the muddy ground mixed with remnants of snow. Warm blood flowed profusely from her wounds.
After passing through the portal, she looked back, realizing the light portal vanished after she exited, closing the path.
She let out a long sigh, a painful sigh of relief.
She had survived!
She slowly turned forward, trying to recognize where she was.
However, at this moment, she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened.
On top of a large rock protruding from the ground, sat a man.
The man had short black hair, wearing simple clothes that were somewhat dirty. In his hand, he held a sword—a pitch-black sword he drew from the void. He was sharpening it calmly with a small whetstone, the rhythmic sreeet... sreeet... sound being the only noise in the place.
"I'm curious," the man said without turning, his voice calm and flat, as if speaking to the wind. "Why a portal suddenly appeared in front of me a few moments ago."
He stopped sharpening his sword, blew the metal dust from the blade, then turned to the girl. A thin, meaningful smile etched on his lips.
"I didn't accept it, and I didn't reject it. Instead of entering it out of curiosity, I chose to wait."
He stood, leaping down from the large rock lightly, landing on the snowy ground with a soft tap. His footsteps approached the kneeling girl.
"Hoping that patience would bear fruit for a patient person like me." He stopped right in front of the wounded girl. "And look what I got?"
His shadow lengthened, covering the girl's body as the sun began to set in the west.
"Jackpot."
...
A/N: I tried to make this man, Bill, seem scary because Philippe's soul was in his body... By the way, there's only one chapter left!
Btw, I'm still expecting comments!
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