The cold forest air felt heavy, thick with the scent of blood, gunpowder, and scorched flesh.
I stood unsteadily, my once-beloved expensive coat now tattered, ripped in multiple places. Blood seeped from the wounds on my body, some dried, others still trickling down slowly.
In front of me, Agnie was in the same state. Her sacred armor was cracked and scorched in several areas. Blood soaked her side from the wound I had inflicted earlier. Yet, her gaze remained unchanged, burning with unwavering determination.
We were both at our limits.
But neither of us stepped back.
Agnie raised her sword high.
"The wisdom and blessing of the Divine know no bounds—Ae Solis."
A golden magic circle appeared in the sky above her. Holy light rained down, slowly healing her wounds while burning away the lingering crimson mist.
I clenched my teeth.
If this continued, she would return to peak condition while I kept getting weaker.
I had to act fast.
I reached for my flintlock, aiming its barrel directly at the magic circle in the air.
BANG!
The mental bullet shot forward, striking the center of the circle. Cracks formed, slightly disrupting its healing energy.
But Agnie didn't waver.
She was already closing in, lunging like a streak of light.
I leaped back, blocking her strike with my short sword, which had reverted to its original form.
BRAAK!
The impact shattered the ground beneath us.
I tried to fire at close range, but her chains coiled around my arm first, burning my skin once again.
Kuhh.
I held back a scream. The pain had become a part of me now.
I twisted my body to the side, planting my foot on the ground and kicking hard at her shin.
THUD!
She staggered, but not long enough to throw her off balance.
I took that brief opening to pull a small knife from the sheath on my sleeve and drove it into her wrist.
SCHLK!
Blood splattered, yet she didn't loosen her grip in the slightest.
Instead—she became even more ruthless.
Agnie swung her chain, slamming its heavy end straight into my face.
BAM!
The world spun. My vision blurred, a deafening roar echoed in my head.
I tasted the metallic tang of blood on my tongue.
My body was flung backward, crashing hard against a tree. My bones screamed in protest.
But I had no time to complain.
I pried my mouth open and swallowed an energy potion without wasting a second.
Through the haze of pain, I saw Agnie already preparing her next attack.
She raised her hand toward the sky, forming a blazing sigil of the sun.
"Feel the despair of the Celestial God's judgment… Helios Purge."
From above, pillars of sacred fire rained down.
I ran.
One crashed behind me, scorching the ground I had just stepped on.
I dashed to the side, but the next pillar fell faster than I anticipated.
Flames seared my arm.
I bit my lip, suppressing a groan.
Now wasn't the time to let pain cloud my mind.
I leaped onto the nearest tree, using its trunk as a foothold, then swung to the other side of the battlefield.
I had to return to my strategy—hit & run.
I fired my flintlock once more.
BANG!
Agnie spun her sword, deflecting my bullet with perfect precision.
I took a sharp breath.
I slashed at her, but she dodged every single one of my attacks with absolute accuracy.
SWING—
But she wasn't flawless. The tip of my blade managed to tear through her arm.
Drip—
Her blood fell to the ground, merging with the soil already stained red.
Yet her expression remained unchanged.
She showed no sign of pain at all.
I took cover behind the remaining trees, using the roots and bushes as barriers.
Agnie didn't wait.
BOOM!
She slashed her sword against the ground.
A surge of holy energy erupted from the earth, racing toward me at incredible speed.
I jumped back, but I wasn't fast enough.
The energy struck my chest.
My body was thrown into the air, crashing hard against the ground, skidding several meters before finally coming to a stop.
I couldn't breathe.
Everything hurt.
I tried to get up, but Agnie was already in front of me.
SRING—
She swung her sword toward my neck.
I had only one option.
I spat out blood from my mouth, letting it form a thin thread in the air, then with the last of my strength, I guided it toward her eyes.
Even if it was just for a fraction of a second, it was enough.
Agnie blinked, reflexively raising her hand to wipe the blood away.
I seized the moment and hurled my last potion bottle at her face.
PYAAR!
The glass shattered, alchemical liquid mixed with blood splattering across her skin.
I rolled backward, trying to gain some distance.
The world around me spun.
But I couldn't lose.
I couldn't die.
I pressed my back against a tree, my breath ragged.
I stared at Agnie as she wiped away the blood and potion from her face.
Her eyes burned with fury.
But I also knew—she was reaching her limit.
We both knew this wouldn't last much longer.
This battle would soon come to an end.
We were both wounded, both exhausted, but only one of us would remain standing in the end.
Agnie raised her sword once more.
I cocked my flintlock.
The air around us was thick with the scent of death.
It felt suffocating.
The stench of blood, already overwhelming, grew even heavier from the brutal clash between us.
In this brief moment of silence, we locked eyes, each of us calculating our next move.
I was on the verge of losing consciousness, my head nearly dropping. It was then that I noticed the broken branches scattered around, the ground torn apart from the force of our relentless attacks.
Before, I hadn't cared about the destruction we left in our wake. But after glancing down for just a moment, I realized how much of this place we had already reduced to ruin.
I shook my head, trying to push away the growing haze clouding my mind.
Before me, Agnie stood like a wounded god of war. Her sacred armor was cracked, most of it shattered, revealing bruised and bloodied skin beneath.
I could barely stand myself. Blood streamed from the wounds across my body, and my clothes were little more than tattered rags after enduring countless brutal strikes.
There was no turning back.
Only one ending awaited us.
Agnie stepped forward. The divine light surrounding her had dimmed, yet her eyes still burned with determination.
I raised my flintlock—my last bullet.
The Crimson Fog swirling around us settled, condensing into the shot that would be fired.
Bang!
The bullet surged straight toward her.
Klang!
With astounding reflexes, Agnie swung her sword, deflecting the bullet midair. But the force of her strike only worsened the cracks already running along her blade.
Crr—
The fractures spread further, until—
Crack!
Her sword shattered.
Agnie barely glanced at the broken hilt still clutched in her grip before discarding it onto the ground.
Without hesitation, she lunged at me—barehanded.
I tried to dodge, but my body was too slow—
Thud!
A fist imbued with divine energy slammed into my stomach, shattering what little defense I had left. A sharp crack echoed inside me. My ribs fractured, and the air was ripped from my lungs as if forcibly pulled out.
I staggered back, but I used the momentum to drive my short sword straight into Agnie's stomach.
Chwak!
She stumbled, fresh blood spilling from the wound now lodged in her body.
But she didn't stop.
With a swift, almost reckless motion, Agnie seized the hilt of my sword and yanked it free from her flesh.
Blood splattered onto the ground, yet her expression remained unchanged.
Without warning, she gripped her cracked helmet and tossed it aside.
My eyes widened. I had no idea what kind of expression I wore at that moment—
For the first time, I saw the true face of my opponent.
Her long silver hair flowed wildly, tangled and stained with blood and dust. Her sharp, elegant features were now marred with bruises and cuts. Yet, her golden eyes still burned with determination—refusing to accept death as her fate.
A nostalgic feeling burned in my chest.
But I didn't care.
All I saw was an enemy still standing before me.
"HAAAA!"
Agnie roared, throwing herself at me with every last ounce of strength she had left.
Her punches and kicks had lost their structure, replaced by sheer ferocity that ignored all pain.
I blocked the first strike, twisting my body to evade the second.
But the third punch crashed into my shoulder.
CRACK!
I heard my bone fracture.
I clenched my teeth, using the pain as the last fuel I had left.
No more strategy. No more games.
I had to end this now.
Agnie swung again—I ducked just in time, avoiding a blow that could have shattered my jaw.
And that's when I saw it.
The final opening.
With the last burst of speed I could muster, I spun behind Agnie.
My hand gripped the hilt of my short sword.
In one swift, decisive motion, I drove the blade straight into her heart.
STAB—
Agnie's eyes widened.
Fresh blood gushed from her mouth as her body tensed, then slowly lost its strength.
I pushed the sword deeper, making sure this was the end.
Seconds passed.
Her body collapsed to the ground.
At last, she sat there, motionless… her eyes empty.
I released my grip on my sword and gazed at the lifeless body before me.
At least, that's what others might think.
Staggering forward, I took slow steps until I stood directly in front of Agnie's motionless form. She sat there, a short sword piercing through her back.
My legs lost all strength. I collapsed to my knees before her.
She wasn't dead. Maybe her physical body had perished, but a soul never truly fades.
Once more, I looked into those golden eyes, now dim.
My bloodstained hand moved on its own, reaching out to close them—for the last time.
"It's been a long time, Agnie."
Dark memories I never wanted to recall began to resurface, one by one.
I removed the raven mask I had been wearing. It was now stained with the scent of blood and earth.
Agnie's body tensed slightly.
"... Sorry if I was late."
A golden light radiated from her body.
'Magnus… Magnus!'
The fierce Agnie I had just fought was gone. Her presence shifted, as if she had become someone entirely different.
'Magnus! Where have you been all this time?! I've been looking for you for five years—'
The Contractor—no, Magnus—clenched his hand into a fist. He pressed his index finger against Agnie's spectral lips.
"Heh… Aren't you going to ask why I killed you?"
Agnie's soul-form shook her head, gazing at Magnus with unwavering certainty, as if she had known his answer all along.
'Hehe, I'm already happy just to have met you again~ I don't need anything else in this world!'
Magnus looked at Agnie with half-lidded eyes, watching as the glow of her soul-form slowly dimmed before him. He knew—this was his last chance, one that would never come again.
"Agnie... I love you..."
He pulled her into a tight embrace, pressing their foreheads together.
Agnie's eyes widened. She stared into Magnus' gray irises, her fading consciousness barely holding on.
'I love you too, Magnus...'
A gentle breeze swept through, carrying an eerie silence.
The battle had come to an end.