(If the wind loses its way, where shall it go? Without direction, without a beacon to guide it, does its purpose lose all meaning? Will the wind choose the path of the violent hurricane? Or will it travel as a calm breeze, drifting through the world?)

  (Alas, the girl was just like that—a wind with nothing to claim as her own. Yet, she tries her best to travel. I wonder...)

  (...will she finally regain what she truly desires? Knowing only two choices remain?)

  Back in reality, Carol struggled as she clashed against Irene, who countered her effortlessly with swift, instantaneous strikes. Frustrated by the lopsided duel, Carol found that defense was the only thing she could manage, while Irene elegantly wielded her violet sword with lethal grace. In one devastating blow, Irene knocked Carol back against the doors; the impact was so severe that Carol coughed up blood. Without pausing, Irene manifested corrupted magic circles beneath her boots.

  "Wind Agnis," Irene cast in a cold, menacing voice. She instantly vanished as she stomped the ground with force. Reappearing directly in front of Carol, Irene prepared to swing her empowered blade. At that moment, their gazes met. The spell, the surge of energy, everything, caused Carol’s eyes to widen in shock. A scene of blood, the corpses of soldiers, and total destruction across Nariens Field flashed within her mind, now less foggy and glitching than before. But as a side effect, the screams of the deceased grew louder within Carol’s consciousness. As the vision ended, just as Irene swung her sword, Irene was taken by surprise. Carol held back the violet sword with her own wind-empowered blade, defending herself even as quiet tears fell to the floor.

  "I... did that..?" Carol whispered, sobbing at the carnage she had just witnessed in her mind.

  Irene fell into a heavy silence, unable to believe what she was seeing in her counterpart. The pause did not last long. "You’ve really gotten soft, Carol," she provoked with a flat, cold expression.

  In response, Carol’s fury ignited. She gripped her sword tightly and swung with her remaining strength, successfully knocking Irene back. Without hesitation, Carol raised her sword high. "Shattering... Windiria!!" she cast, bringing her blade down heavily toward the floor. A massive, gale-force explosion erupted, slamming Irene back toward her throne and reducing the room to rubble. A thick shroud of smoke and debris filled the chamber, blinding Carol as she panted heavily.

  However, it was not enough to stop Irene. Her red eyes radiated brightly through the smoke, filling Carol with a sudden sense of dread. In that moment, a spinning weapon traveled rapidly toward Carol. She moved to dodge it, only to fall straight into Irene's trap. Carol turned her head mid-evasion, realizing the weapon was a dark, violet scythe, and Irene was already there to grip it. With the opening she needed, Irene swung the scythe against Carol, hurling her out of the castle for the first time.

  Meanwhile, a massive pool of shadow manifested inside the castle, revealing that Rein, Saria, Aria, Noire, Revir, Erick, Dulcinia, and Mira had arrived. From behind them, a voice called out in greeting.

  "Hm? Where's that stupid green-hat guy and Hana?" It was Mary, asking them in confusion.

  "They said they wanted to give us a 'moment to shine,' or something like that," Erick answered.

  "Oh, that philosophy of his," Mary replied, annoyed, already sensing what Yuno was up to. "Well, it can't be helped. Follow me, we have something to d—"

  "To do what, Apostle Mary?"

  At that moment, the group and Mary froze in place, their eyes widening in horror as they realized their plan had already been discovered. As Mary slowly turned, she found Dein and Chris waiting for them.

  "Answer me, Mary. What the hell are you doing?" Dein asked, his voice cold and filled with menace.

  "I-I'm just—"

  "No need to panic. I’ve already known what you’ve been up to," Dein replied, casually cutting Mary off. "In fact, it was already suspicious when your behavior and expression suddenly changed after our Priestess awakened."

  "So, you thought I betrayed you?" Mary asked back, her voice hesitating and filled with deep worry.

  "Betray, huh?" Dein snorted in pure amusement, his smile widening with pure malice. "Why, yes! That is exactly the word I would use to describe you, Mary! Did you think you could just ruin my decades-long plan?!"

  "Of course I have to!" Mary countered. "Killing that one child you requested me back then was one thing. But using our Priestess’s life as a weapon for your amusement is wrong!"

  "Wait... killing a child?" Mira mumbled to herself, confused in the middle of Mary and Dein's debate.

  "And what is that supposed to do with me?" Dein replied, showing no guilt for his actions. "As long as that girl is a Leviathan I can serve, then she is more than enough for me, even if she is an incomplete one," he stated, casually shrugging.

  "Then you think it was fun to manipulate her and everyone else?!" Mary shouted, unable to hold back her fury.

  "That is one part of it. But it is more than that," Dein walked menacingly toward Mary, manifesting a longsword from his Dark Ender as he moved. "We, the Zarikh and the Apostles, will never run from our fate. Even an absurd existence like a Half-Margias, Half-Leviathan cannot outrun destiny. That is why I have been crafting this plan for decades," he charged forward, swinging his sword in a sudden blur. Mary managed to hold her ground, her staff catching the strike just in time. "The moment I saw her ignorant smile at that village... was the moment I decided I would make her aware of her fate!"

  As Dein finished speaking, he swung his blade with all his remaining strength, shoving Mary away from the group as he charged after her.

  "Miss Mary!" Mira exclaimed, attempting to rush to her master’s side.

  The moment Mira turned, Chris attacked with his chains. Revir and Rein barged in instantly, where Rein manifest his ice spikes, while Revir manifest his Sealers chains to counter Chris's. The forces collided and vanished into thin air simultaneously.

  "No need to help your master, Mira," Rein stated, not even bothering to look back as he focused his intensity on the chains. "We still have business to do with this Apostle."

  Hearing their attention shift toward him, Chris widened his smile with menacing glee. "I am Chris, one of the Apostles. I hope you will entertain me, Margias!" he taunted, offering a mocking hint of respect toward his opponents.

  Carol panted heavily as she hit the tree, the sword nearly slipping from her grasp. Despite her exhaustion, she forced her fingers to tighten around the hilt once more. She knew this fight would not end here.

  Irene leaped from the castle through the jagged hole she had created, landing firmly on the ground before walking toward Carol. As she approached, she shifted her scythe back into a violet sword, her red eyes radiating through the thick smoke that followed her out of the ruins.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Upon seeing her other self, Carol’s eyes widened in horror. Her expression darkened with fear as the foggy, glitching perspective of the burning village flashed before her once again.

  "Mother... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for everything..!" the voice of her younger self echoed within her mind, crying out while running through the flames.

  "I suppose you're starting to remember," Irene said, stopping directly in front of her. She looked down at Carol with a menacing, cold gaze. "Now that the truth is returning, how does it feel to have left everyone behind? To have let them burn in agony because of our very existence?"

  "I..." Carol looked down at the earth, the guilt returning to haunt her heart. However, her expression quickly hardened, a sign that she knew exactly what she had to do. She looked up and faced Irene, who was visibly shocked by the sheer determination in Carol's eyes.

  "You... despite what we have done, why do you still intend to pretend that everything is okay?" Irene asked, her fury slowly igniting. "Do you still want to hold onto that pain? Do you truly believe that we, the murderers of that village, can ever receive salvation? Answer me, Carol!"

  "Do you think I'm going to pretend that everything is okay?" Carol replied, her voice calm and steady. "After what I saw... after we slaughtered every soldier in that field... do you think I'm going to run away? Our hands are already tainted with blood, and there is nothing we can do to wash it away. Even salvation will never fix our sins."

  "Then why do you still want to fight back?" Irene’s expression shifted, revealing a glimpse of genuine sadness. "This world has already declared war against us, against our very existence as an anomaly. They will always remember what we are. They will never stop making us suffer."

  "I know. That's why I want to believe in this last shred of my humanity. That's why I have to fight you," Carol said, extending her free hand toward Irene, opened its palm. "Because I believe... it's the right thing to do." Tears finally spilled from her eyes, tracing paths down her cheeks before falling to the dirt. "I want to live as a human, to be someone worthy of being loved. Don't you feel the same way?"

  "I do... and that's why I have no choice but to burn this world to ashes," Irene spoke, her face shifting back to a mask of emotionless resolve. She swung her sword in a sudden, violent blur, slicing the tree behind Carol clean in half. Carol’s eyes widened in horror at the sudden display of power. "If we are already a curse to everyone else, then I will use that curse against them, and against myself."

  Hearing Irene’s declaration, Carol instinctively backed away into the forest, where Irene donned her mask like a hunter ready to claim her prey. In a flash, Irene vanished. Carol, sensing her disappearance, landed on the forest floor, her eyes darting warily as she scanned her surroundings.

  She searched the shadows, anxiety haunting her nerves as she failed to feel any nearby threat. However, she was already playing into Irene's hands. Irene reappeared instantly behind her, enhancing her blade mid-swing. Though caught off guard, Carol managed to defend herself, her sword taking the brunt of the blow. The force of Irene’s heavy strike sent Carol hurtling back toward the village, where she managed to catch her footing and land safely.

  (Why can't I detect her Ender?! Is it because of that mask?!) Carol thought, her confusion turning into frustration.

  Irene didn't stop there. She manifested another blade of Dark Ender from her free palm, gripping it tightly alongside her violet sword. She charged at full speed, halting with a single, heavy step as she reached Carol. Irene unleashed a rapid flurry with both swords, striking before Carol could react and sending her crashing back into the throne room. Carol slammed against the cracked wall, the impact making her cough up blood. Despite the pain, she refused to give in, forcing herself back onto her feet. With a deep sigh, Carol closed her eyes and gripped her hilt with both hands. In response, Irene leaped into the room, blades poised to strike.

  As their faces drew close, where Irene’s Dark Ender leaking out as she enchanted her steel, Carol snapped her eyes open. Seizing the opportunity, she parried the twin blades just in time. The impact forced Irene to jump back, but Carol gave her no room to breathe. Recharging her blade with wind energy, she swung swiftly. Though the blade missed Irene's flesh, the tip shattered a piece of the mask, revealing Irene’s left eye—a piercing, glowing red.

  In that hollow, dread-filled moment, Irene’s silent fury consumed her. "You... really want to fight, even against yourself, huh?" she mumbled, landing on a rare patch of intact floor. She charged again, her twin swords ready. Carol stood her ground, entering a battle stance with her blade leveled at the rushing shadow.

  Irene unleashed a destructive, repeated assault, but Carol kept her calm intact, focusing entirely on parrying every strike.

  (Why, why, why?! Why won't she give up? Why won't she just surrender to this path?! This is the only path we have left... there's nothing... there's nothi—) Irene’s thoughts cut off sharply as her perspective shifted to a fragment of her happiest memory with Lydia.

  "Oh, dear. You look so messy with that cream on your face!" Lydia’s voice echoed. A foggy scene followed, showing her mother gently wiping cream from a young Carol’s face with a towel.

  As one last sword-clash rang through the throne room, both figures recoiled from the impact. Irene’s expression darkened with frustration. "Why... do these disgusting memories still haunt me... why... does it still hurt..?" she mumbled, tears tracing paths down her cheeks. Despite the joy of the memory, Irene would not stop. She dispelled her Ender blade and shifted her violet sword into a heavy Broadsword, gripping it with both hands. Carol, realizing this was her final stand, fell back into her stance and prepared her last spell.

  Their gazes locked. They stomped the ground with such pressure the stone cracked, and charged. Their weapons clashed, locking for a heartbeat before they broke away.

  (Why does it feel warm..?) Irene thought. A scene of young Carol helping her mother dry clothes appeared in her mind as she swung the broadsword, which Carol narrowly dodged. Sensing an opening, Irene thrust her weapon into the floor, manifesting corrupted magic circles beneath Carol’s boots like landmines.

  (Why does it feel painful..?) Carol thought. A vision of her younger self watching the village burn from afar flashed as she leaped high to evade the spell. In response, Irene transformed her broadsword into a dark bow, immediately loosed an arrow. Carol vanished instantly as the arrow struck the ceiling, triggering a massive explosion.

  (Why...) both their thoughts spoke in unison. They saw their mother turn toward them with a genuinely caring smile. Irene shifted back to her violet sword while Carol reappeared by the shattered doors. In this moment, both sides funneled every ounce of Ender they possessed into one final, devastating attack.

  (...I want to live..?) As the thought finished, they collided. Blood began leaking from Carol’s arm, a sign she was pushing her body past its absolute limit. For Irene, the mask began to peel and crack, unable to contain the sheer pressure of her Ender. As their gazes met, they swung. A small, intimidating sound of slicing steel echoed as they passed each other.

  Carol’s body was deeply slashed, and her sword snapped in half. While Irene’s mask finally shattered into pieces. Carol, panted heavily as her nerves struck with immense pain. She turned toward Irene, who was sinking to the ground in despair.

  "Is this... really what you want... Carol..?" Irene asked, her gaze fixed on the floor. "You want to expel me from your life... despite everything I have done for you..?"

  "From holding the pain and hatred I have for myself..?"

  Irene didn't answer, remaining silent.

  "Don't you have a desire, my other sides..?" Carol asked, clumsily limping toward her despite the pain.

  "A desire..?" Irene snorted in disbelief, sadness lingered across her face. "A monster has no need for desire, moron. We're just abominations of destruction... leaving only death and chaos in our wake."

  "Monster or not... all of us have a choice... a desire that leads to who we actually are..." Carol collapsed to the ground, her body refusing to move as the pain was too great for her. "That's... what makes humans and creatures alike beautiful... they have their own desire to follow, a desire that leads to their own happiness..." she sobbed once more, now draw a sympathy smile across her face. "Our desires were aligned... am I right..? A desire..."

  "...To live," Irene finished. Her eyes widened in realization as tears fell to the floor. She brushed them away with her arm and stood up, turning toward the dying Carol, who lay bathed in her own gruesome blood.

  because of that, Irene walked toward her. "Everything we experienced..." A scene of young Carol reading a magic book. "Every pain we endured..." A scene of Carol fighting beside her friends in the exam dungeon. "I thought it was just a nuisance... a distraction from our revenge..." A scene of Carol in her room, holding a bloody emblem. "...I was wrong. It was your humanity that gave me hope... the one thing I shouldn't have thrown away."

  Now standing over Carol, Irene slowly knelt and took her hand, which was growing colder by the second. "Thank you... for resonating with me. Thank you..." Irene’s tears fell onto Carol’s hand as the ceiling began to groan. "...for having a strong will."

  As Irene spoke, the throne room finally gave way. The ceiling collapsed, burying them both beneath the falling stone.

  I'm so sorry for posting too late and not following the schedule!

  I was so focused on real life's activity that I didn't have a time to create more. Don't worry, the schedule is the same on Thursday and Saturday, following the holiday schedule.

  But the schedule will went normal from only Tuesday and Thursday in the next week!