Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 153: Inside His Broken Heart [2] — One Last Battle

Chapter 153: Inside His Broken Heart [2] — One Last Battle

"So they sent her...!" Niflheim said.

"Mirai!" Belladine flew toward her. "Mirai! Mirai! Please save Master!"

"Eh?" Mirai’s eyes widened. "Ah, you must be Louis’s Familiars...! So you’re safe! Ugh... this must be his Domain? His Heart?"

"It has grown twisted and is no longer physical," Niflheim explained, floating in front of her. "This entire place has become a Fantasy Field, slowly evolving into a Fantasy Domain—a separate, physical dimension where Louis, now a Grievance, would rule."

"S-So it’s the same as with The Gardener then," Mirai said, standing slowly with Niflheim’s help. "You’re...! Wait, aren’t you Tisha’s sword?"

"It would be complicated to explain, but yes, I am Niflheim," the frost blade replied. "Just not from this world... or rather, this timeline."

"From the previous?!" Mirai was amazed. "S-So Louis can bring along such things? He can bring consciousness and bonded spirits?"

"I’m not sure what the limitations are," Niflheim sighed.

"Ah..." Mirai nodded. "I guess that’s how I can remember things when we met? Or... well, that isn’t important right now."

Mirai stepped forward and looked into the distance. "Is that him?"

She pointed at the giant made of brittle glass, slowly crumbling piece by piece.

"Yes, it is him," Niflheim said. "Mirai, perhaps you could wake him. You’ve bonded with him more deeply than I have... I feel ashamed. As someone who has accompanied him through life and death, I can’t find any words of encouragement."

"I see..." Mirai nodded. "Well, I can’t blame you... Louis is a very closed person. He... he likes wearing masks, pretending to be what he is not. But I’ve seen it—his heart, his soul. Though it has darkness like all of us, there’s also great warmth inside, a warmth of longing. And... his darkness is mostly loneliness."

"..." Niflheim was surprised by how much Mirai understood Louis. She was left almost speechless. "I see. So that’s our Louis then."

"Yes..." Mirai nodded. "Belladine... you’re his spirit of light?"

"I am!" Belladine flew to Mirai and sat on her head. "I remember you had a spirit like me, a black butterfly... but she’s gone..."

"Yes, I do remember that," Mirai smiled. "I met you and that butterfly on my date with Louis, when we visited that small spirit forest in the plaza... Would you two lend me your strength?"

"We barely have enough... but we’ll help however we can," Niflheim said.

"Yeah!" Belladine nodded cutely.

Mirai smiled. Her aura surged as the leftover Spirit Energy Blessing from Pekorine still remained. She shared it with them, empowering them with the powerful Spirit Master’s magic. "Please take this. It should help you in some way."

"This is Pekorine’s magic—amazing!" Niflheim said.

"I grew up again!" Belladine found herself back in her fairy form. "Yes! Yay!"

As she celebrated, Mirai smiled lightly. She slowly began to feel her body growing weaker and unstable. Cracks spread across her skin as though she were made of stone—a cocoon for her soul.

"Ugh... I don’t have enough time."

Niflheim noticed something odd. The fluctuations of energy within Mirai surged and swirled into a vortex around her.

Her body was simply too weak to contain the immense power inside. Without proper sealing, Mirai would likely...

"Mirai, is this really okay? Your body might..."

"It’s fine."

Mirai smiled back at Niflheim. She was covered in scars, dried blood, and dust, but her eyes still glowed brightly.

"For Louis..."

She began walking, step after step—even as her body broke, even as it begged her to stop and rest.

She didn’t stop.

One step after another, Mirai kept moving without pause.

As the dark red wood everywhere began shaking and reaching for her, she continued forward, ignoring it.

And when it found her...

"Get out of my way."

Her eyes glowed bright red. Her voice dropped low and serious. Chaos and Demonic Flames engulfed everything, completely disintegrating the Grievance’s body.

As she advanced, her flames burned through everything, destroying the Grievance from the inside out.

FLASH!

"...!"

Eventually she noticed a companion following her. A golden spear flew through the skies and, upon seeing her, descended toward her hands.

"Gungnir?"

It was Louis’s Soul Weapon.

The weapon settled into her grasp. Mirai felt something within it.

This weapon was...

"Louis?"

Somehow, a part of him persisted through his Soul Weapon.

Niflheim quickly realized why Mirai felt that way.

"That’s right! How could I forget?! Soul Gear are technically extensions of their master’s souls!" she said. "Gungnir here... it is what remains of Louis! It is... a part of his soul, unaffected by the corruption of the Grievance."

"...!" Tears streamed from Mirai’s eyes. "Are you... Are you there, Louis?"

"..."

The spear couldn’t speak, couldn’t whisper, couldn’t say anything.

But Mirai could feel it. As she caressed the golden surface, as she sensed its spiritual energy and warmth.

She smiled and hugged the Soul Weapon.

"Don’t worry... we will get you back to normal."

She stepped forward. The ground trembled. The closer she drew, the more fiercely the Grievance resisted.

RUMBLE!

Giant dragon heads erupted from the ground, roaring and attacking Mirai.

"You won’t take another step."

"He will soon become one with me."

"There’s no need for you to interfere."

"Leave! Leave this place!"

"He needs no love—nothing other than us!"

The five heads roared and attacked with everything they had. Mirai struggled, growing weaker. She unleashed explosions of flames and chaos, destroying the dragon heads one by one.

However, after she destroyed three of them...

BOOOM!

"Ungh?!"

Her left arm—the one channeling chaos—exploded into pieces. She screamed in agony, realizing her body had reached its absolute limit.

"Aahh... Haaa... Louis...!"

"PERISH!"

The remaining heads roared, opening their jaws and unleashing three beams of chaotic nirvana flames that began to scorch Mirai.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

As she screamed, unable to fight back, a golden and an azure light rushed in front of her, blocking the flames.

Gungnir and Niflheim stood before her, using their power to stop the flames from consuming her.

"Mirai...! We’re close...! Go!" Niflheim said.

"B-But...!" Mirai muttered.

"Bring Belladine with you!" Niflheim said. "Gungnir and I can handle this much. Hurry!"

"Gungnir...!" Mirai looked at the remaining fragment of Louis’s soul. "No, we need you!"

"..."

Gungnir’s presence seemed to look back at Mirai, as if trying to communicate, but she couldn’t fully understand.

Until...

Three spirits emerged from its spirit orb: a tall knight of white salt, a phoenix of nirvana flames, and a snake of golden chains.

They began fighting the dragon heads, allowing Gungnir to fly with her.

Mirai held the divine spear as it soared through the skies, dodging countless branches and roots of the Abyssal Dragon Tree of Ruin.

Until finally.

They pierced through a barrier of invisible Fantasium energy and reached the crumbling glass statue of Louis.

They entered its dark interior through the hole in its chest.

FLASH!

Mirai closed her eyes against the intense bright light enveloping her, then slowly opened them—widening in wonder.

She found herself in a completely different world.

"Eh?"

Blue skies, white clouds, vast green grasslands, distant forests, great snow-capped mountains, rivers, and lakes.

Gardens of white lilies bloomed beautifully across the plains as a comforting cold wind washed over her, easing her worries for a moment.

The scent of nature almost put her at ease.

"What is this place?"

Slowly, Gungnir lost its power and fell to the ground.

"Ugh..."

Mirai rolled across the grassland, coughing blood. She realized she didn’t have much time left.

"Gungnir... Ah! Belladine? Are you there?"

While gripping Gungnir, Mirai searched for Belladine, who had suddenly vanished.

But then she heard something.

In the distance.

"Hehehe!"

She turned toward the innocent, child-like laughter and found little Belladine playing in the gardens of white lilies.

"Belladine! What are you..."

Mirai stopped speaking—and moving—the moment she saw who the fairy was playing with.

"Wow, are you a fairy? You’re so pretty! Let’s play chase!"

"Okay! Heheh!"

It was a beautiful young boy with long white-gold locks, bright yellow eyes, and two small white horns growing from his forehead.

His long hair waved beautifully as he shone beneath the sun’s radiance. He wore black shorts and a white blouse, running around barefoot.

Mirai instantly recognized him...

"Louis?"

As she fell to her knees watching the adorable child play, she finally understood where she was.

Of course.

How could she not have guessed?

This was Louis’s deepest consciousness—the place where his most precious childhood memories were stored.

The happiest years of his life, free of suffering or worry—only joy and whimsy.

Every day brought something new and beautiful to discover. He played in his mother’s divine garden without a single concern.

"I see..."

Mirai smiled lightly, tears streaming down her face. She could no longer move.

She collapsed into the grass.

"Is this... where you’re happy... Louis?"

She slowly began to lose consciousness.

"Then maybe... maybe it’s fine..."

She thought that if this was what made him happy—even if outside he became a monster—if deep down he was reliving his life in peace...

Then perhaps she would only bring him more suffering.

"Louis... you were such a little angel... no... you still are..."

Mirai slowly closed her eyes as life faded from her body.

Surrounded by white lilies beneath the bright sun, Mirai passed away.

"Um, miss, are you okay?"

Yet Mirai did not die.

When she heard his angelic voice, her eyes opened again.

"Huh?"

Slowly she stood and looked at the beautiful boy in front of her.

"Wha...? Am I in heaven?"

"Huh? Heaven?"

"Louis..."

Mirai cried and hugged Louis tightly.

"Uwah?!"

Little Louis blushed, shocked that such a pretty girl was suddenly hugging him.

"Louis! I was so sad...! Why...! Just why did you let that Grievance... Eh?"

As Mirai cried on his little shoulders, she realized she too was small, with tiny hands.

She was the same size and height as Louis.