"Akumo!!"
"Riveria, take Gareth and go help Alise's side."
"....But!"
"I'm asking you."
"....."
'I... from that moment until now!'
Grip-!!!!!!!!!
Riveria no longer wished to let Akumo fight alone.
Steeling her resolve, Riveria stood firmly beside Akumo, her fingers tightening around her staff.
"No. I am staying."
"Riveria!?"
"I, too, shall remain and aid you!"
'It is not like that time. You, who survived that nightmare... You, who are facing the strongest...! I will leave you to handle it alone no longer!'
"Ho? You finally cease to be a disappointment."
Noting the vivid determination flickering in Riveria's eyes, Alfia activated her magic as a gesture of acknowledgment. The tolling of a bell resonated through the air as a massive shockwave prepared to descend upon them.
"[O omen of the end, O white snow, raise a wind before the twilight. Shut light, frozen earth. Bluster, the three winters—— My name is Alf.]"
While evading the surrounding Evils' assaults, Riveria prepared her own counter-magic through concurrent chanting.
"[Winn Fimbulvetr]!"
"[Gospel]!"
BOOM-!!!!!!!!!!
The collision of two Grand Magics was enough to shake the very foundations of the Under Resort. The only victor in that clash was a storm of raw sound.
"Alfia!! Is this your choice!?"
"....Yes. This is my choice."
"Then...."
'At the very least, by my own hand.'
'At the very least, by your hand.'
CRACK-!!!!!!!!
"Kh-!!"
"Riveria!"
"I am fine!! Focus on Silence!"
Despite taking the brunt of Alfia's magic, Riveria forced her staggering body upright. Her eyes remained ablaze with a resolve that surpassed her physical limits as she raised her staff once more.
Trusting in her strength, Akumo refocused his entire presence on the 'Silence' before him.
"[Gospel]"
"Haaah!!!!"
THOOM-!!!!!!!
"Hmph!"
Squelch-!!
The duel between the Incarnation of Talent and the Pioneer proceeded at a speed that could only be described as a series of blinding flashes.
"That weapon... I felt it before, but it is actually piercing through my magic."
"It's quite a masterpiece, isn't it?"
CLANG-!!!!!
Shred-!!!!
Alfia's tyrannical magic attempted to consume Akumo, pulverizing the environment, while Akumo's Green Fang sought her throat, continuously tearing through her magical defenses and revealing its hidden, predatory nature.
"That is..."
"The battle of the strongest...!"
Gareth, the members of the Loki Familia, and the Astraea Familia including Alise and Ryu—even the Evils they were fighting—stood transfixed. They scrambled to etch every lethal movement of the duel into their memories.
CLINK-!!!!!
"[O omen of the end, O white snow, raise a wind before the twilight]"
'I won't let you.'
"[Gospel]"
As Riveria began her chant to support Akumo, Alfia unleashed a high-speed spell, sending a massive shockwave toward the High Elf.
CLANG-!!!!!!
RUMBLE-!!!!!!!
"Kh-ugh.....!!!!"
"You bastard...."
'Her chant wasn't interrupted?'
"[Shut light, frozen earth. Bluster, the three winters—— My name is Alf.]"
Akumo had intervened with a surgical sword strike that mitigated the impact of the magic. Miraculously, Riveria maintained her extreme concentration, continuing her chant even while reeling from the force, finally manifesting the spell.
"[Winn Fimbulvetr]!!!!"
FROST-!!!!!
A massive blizzard of ice targeted Alfia, who reacted instantly with defensive magic.
"[Ataraxia]"
"Not so fast!!"
"What!"
CLASH-!! TING-!! SHATTER-!!
Akumo charged directly into the fray, his Green Fang carving through the barrier with absolute kinetic transfer. He breached the defense, allowing himself and Alfia to be caught in the direct path of the ice storm.
FREEZE-!!
"I will not be defeated by something of this caliber."
CRACK-!!!!
"I figured as much!"
The two powerhouses shattered the ice with ease and immediately collided once more.
The impact of their exchange resonated throughout the area, distorting the very air. It was, in every sense, a duel of titans.
"Cough...!"
However, Alfia's momentum faltered as a trail of blood escaped her lips. Her body, ravaged by the curse of an incurable disease, momentarily failed to respond to Akumo's relentless assault.
BOOM-!!!!
"Alfia... do you expect me to show sympathy for your circumstances? If not, stand up immediately!"
"Don't be absurd. I was merely distracted by a sensation I haven't felt in a long time."
Watching the scene, Riveria, Gareth, and the Astraea Familia pinned their hopes on the man before them.
"Akumo!"
"Blow her away!"
The Elf and Dwarf sent their voices of absolute trust toward the Pioneer.
"Akumo!!"
"Mr. Akumo!!"
The followers of Justice, whose lives he had saved, also cried out with fervent hope.
BANG-!!!
CRACKLE-!!!!!
Slash-!!!
Words were unnecessary. No matter what circumstances they harbored or what convictions they held, there was no need to voice them.
Yet, they could feel it—the weight of the heart within their opponent, the emotions poured into every strike.
'Alfia...'
Step-
"....Let us end this now."
"What are you saying?"
As if reaching a final conclusion, Akumo ceased his movement and leveled his favored weapon, Green Fang, at Alfia.
"[Dance, O spirits of the atmosphere, O Lord of light. Forge a covenant with the guardian of the forest, enshroud us as a song of the earth, encircle us.]"
"Lady Riveria!? What are you suddenly doing...!"
"No, Ryu! This... this magic is for us!"
While Ryu Lion was startled by Riveria's sudden incantation, Ardee Varma read the resolve and faith on the High Elf's face and stopped Ryu, allowing the chant to proceed.
"[Become a barrier of light from the great forest and protect us—— My name is Alf.]"
WHOOSH-!!!!!!!
A powerful protective barrier erupted from Riveria, enveloping herself and the entirety of the Astraea Familia.
"[Via Shilheim]!!!!!!"
"....You won't be able to pierce it."
"That was the story a few days ago, wasn't it?"
"Then prove it!!! Akumo!"
Silence prepared the ultimate magic that would once again shatter the battlefield, while the Pioneer reached deep into his soul, drawing upon the memories of his endless odyssey.
I had a dream.
In that dream, I endured countless trials.
As a lone survivor, I lived day by day in blood-stained red streets.
Rage was the only thing left within me. No, rage was my everything.
I met many people.
They too endured trials like mine, some filled with rage, others with kindness, and some with passion.
At first, I could not understand them.
But as I pioneered the world, overcame countless adversities, and competed against them, I realized it.
That every single one of them carried rage and sorrow just like I did.
Each of them was a world unto themselves.
As I carved a path toward the future alongside them, my rage finally subsided.
I needed strength. This time, it wasn't for the sake of anger.
It was so that courage could fill me, and I could live in the present.
I pioneered the stories yet to come.
And there was my weapon, the one that stood by me as my strength for so long.
'Finally.... I can give you a proper name...'
Having witnessed many tragedies and swallowed oceans of rage, I made a wish.
To bring peace, at the very least, to the souls of those giving their all.
To sever the shackles of the curse that gnaws at them.
Now, I hold within my hands the beginning that is called the end.
Bloom, my blade.
Reveal your true form.
""Lævateinn""
"[O bane of blessing, curse of birth. My original sin that claimed half my body. There is no washing of sins, no purification, no salvation. The melody of the heavens resonating is my sin itself.]"
"[O my experiences, O my adventures, bloom according to my will.]"
Everyone on the battlefield felt it. This clash was fundamentally different from anything that came before. As if to prove that intuition, a green demonic blade manifested in Akumo's hand.
"What in the world is that...!"
"Everyone, brace for impact!!!!!"
Riveria shouted to her comrades, guarding against the shockwave of the impending collision. At the same time, as she gazed at Akumo, she clearly saw the silhouette of a hero overlapping his form.
How many trials had he faced?
How had he broken through them all?
His figure was that of a hero, to a degree that evoked pure awe.
"[Trumpet of the gods, harp of the spirits, melody of light—in other words, the brand of guilt. My destiny, loved by the miniature garden, be shattered. I hate you. The price is paid here. As proof of sin, I perish all things. Lament, O holy bell tower.]"
'It's just like that time, Akumo... You truly are...'
"[O blade that has severed countless curses, answer my call and reveal your fangs. Both my tragedy and yours shall perish with these fangs; sever the cycles of causality and be free.]"
'A Hero!'
"[Genos Angelus]!!!!!!!!!"
"[Broken Curse]!!!!!!!!!"