Point-of-View: Ciel Campbell

——————————————————————————— 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"<Command: Don’t Move>!" Kai’s voice rang out desperately, Slasher coming to a brief, momentarily halt, as Rex drove his right arm back, his palm thudding against my chest and pushing me away with all his strength.

As I skidded back across the ground, I sprang back onto my feet right as the sickening sound of flesh rending and bones breaking echoed out, my chest tightening painfully as an anguished, choked sob escaped my lips.

Slasher’s right arm was lodged through the middle of Rex’s chest and out his back, her claws soaked with his blood, dripping onto the ground.

Suddenly, he grabbed her forearm, shuddering slightly in pain, before yelling at the top of his lungs...

"N-Now...DO IT NOW!!!"

I fought off the tears before rushing forward as I charged up all the explosive energy I could generate, biting my lower lip as the spinning blades zipped in towards Rex from either side, phasing through him.

He shakily glanced back as Slasher frantically tried to pull her arm back out, whipping the claws on her other hand across at his head, only to phase through.

As he met my gaze, he gave me a slight nod as I began to close in, before I closed my eyes as explosive energy swirled all around me, intensifying sharply, before chanting as I released the charged up energy...

"[Kamikaze EXPLOSION]!!!"

A devastating explosion erupted all around me, spreading out and expanding sharply with immense speed, carving out the ground below as the blast engulfed the entire space within the barrier.

I felt the area rumbling violently, straining myself to maintain the explosion for an long as possible, my vision turning red as blood streamed down my eyes, before letting a sharp, stuttering gasp as the blast began to peter out, collapsing onto my knees with a slight shudder.

I shakily lifted my gaze, thick dust clouds rising up all around me. The grassy dirt had been reduced to a layer of ash over the indestructible floor of the Dungeon, before I slowly looked around as the dust steadily began to clear.

P-Please...please tell me that worked. Rex, he...he could still be alive. Y-Yeah, if he managed to keep himself intangible while turning Slasher tangible again, he’ll be fine.

We have an Ace Healer in our ranks, s-so it’ll be okay...that was a serious injury, but it’s nothing a Healer of that level can’t fix, so-...

A sense of despair then washed over me as the dust cleared, a bright green figure coming into sight, covered in streaks of a sludgy dark green liquid, the same liquid splattered across the ground around the figure.

N-No...

Slasher, she...she’s still alive. Her limbs, and most of the lower half of her torso are gone, but...but her head is still intact, and so is the middle of her torso, where her Core would be.

She rapidly began to regenerate, propping herself up with her wings and hovering in the air, before reaching down to the pile of ash below her as her right arm grew back, pulling something out.

"Th-That...that was far too close. Had I failed to raise my Twin Scythes in front of my vital spots in time, that likely would have killed me. And it certainly helped to have an additional shield as well," She smirked, as she held up the object she’d lifted out of the ashes.

My eyes widened in horror, my heart sinking into despair, as I stared at the decapitated head of my boyfriend, my blood running cold as she tossed him towards me.

His head hit the ground with a thud and rolled over, coming to a stop in front of my knees.

N-No...no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!!!

This...this isn’t real. This can’t be happening!

He can’t...he can’t be gone. Please...please, no...

Th-This isn’t...this isn’t fair, DAMN IT!!! H-He...he sacrificed himself, he wagered his own life, just to give me a chance to win and survive.

And I...I failed.

Because of me, his...his sacrifice was in vain. Why...Why? Why? Why? WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!

I’ll kill her...I’ll fucking kill her.

I’LL FUCKING KILL HER, EVEN IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO...!!!

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Point-of-View: Kaivel Intrix

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"No!" Exclaimed Aria in dismay, as Slasher flung Rex’s head over towards Ciel.

D-Damn it...damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!!!

What do I do? What can I do? Command is on cooldown, and I don’t have anything else that can take effect through this damned barrier!

"Ahh, this feels fantastic. This sense of despair, anguish...how utterly wonderful! I got lucky, had I killed both of you at the same time, I wouldn’t have gotten to experience this! Ohh, this feeling...yes, more! Show me more of your despair!

Hm, but how should I kill you? It would be easy to just tear you apart with my Twin Scythes, but such an abrupt end would be quite dissatisfying. In which case, I’ll kill you slowly and painfully. I need to repay you for that last attack, after all. That was quite painful. Ah, perhaps a limb first-...hm?" Slasher trailed off with a frown as she began to approach Ciel, backing away instinctively as a sharp burst of power erupted around her.

Energy was violently swirling and flowing around her, and into her, or rather, into her Personalis Arma, absorbing the surrounding Mana at a rapid rate.

Her Aura was starting to grow in both scale and intensity, powerful bursts of force erupting around her and keeping Slasher at bay, before Ciel’s voice echoed out, in a low, ominous mutter, steadily growing louder....

"-...ll you, kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you, KILL YOU, KILL YOU...I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!" Roared Ciel, a seething look of rage on her face as she stood up, Rex’s head in her left hand, clutched against her chest, her power continuing to surge...