The Nether Beasts charged in their swarm, all screeching with their disgusting tones.
They had found their prey, a lone redhead woman who seemed completely lost as she moved towards them, and none of them desired to let it go.
As such, their wings flapped and their mouths watered as they launched themselves at her… unaware of what would happen next.
~VWUUUUUUUUSHHHH!~
The instant they got close enough, all the Nether Beasts felt it.
The PRESSURE!
~VWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
They could hardly move as their bodies rattled, trembling in the presence of an invisible force that was outside their ability to comprehend.
As wild beasts with some level of intelligence, they could understand certain things—like sadness, happiness, hunger, anger… and FEAR.
Their instincts constantly screamed at them that what they were feeling was the latter.
Unfortunately for them, it was too late.
The angel of death had appeared, and she was now coated in crimson flames—from top to bottom.
Her body seemed like it was made from the very depths of hellfire, and her burning eyes glowed with destruction.
And then there was the heat… enough heat to seep into one's bone marrow and boil blood.
The unmoving creatures felt all of these at once.
As their opponent's fiery hair danced behind her, the Nether Beasts felt their bodies disintegrate. Even though they prided their bodies for being tough and resilient, it was no match for the mere radiation that she emitted.
With each step she took in the hollow space, the Nether Beasts felt more than enough heat embrace them.
Until finally… they crumbled to dust, cremated by Serah Crimson before she even touched them.
******
'It's too much…' Serah's thoughts echoed as she kept moving forward.
She finally wanted to release all her emotions, but how?
Something told her it would yield nothing but destruction, but if she kept hoarding it, it could end up destroying her.
Finally lifting her gaze to the black mass before her, Serah became instinctively drawn to it.
"If it's you… you should be able to take it…" She whispered, her bright body glowing even more intensely.
"... All of it."
~WHOOOOOSSSHHH!~
She began to fly in the direction of the Hive, having no regard for her life or safety. The strong pull of the massive sphere aided in her swift transportation, drawing her closer than ever in just a moment.
A swarm of Nether Beasts were still charging at her, and Serah felt it would be the perfect chance to end everything.
She had unconsciously started using her Original Magic: Invincible, but now… she wanted to do something different.
Something that would pour every emotion she wanted out of her.
And so Serah pursed her lips and uttered the words.
"[Invincible Magic: Vermillion Nebula]."
Instantly, a massive cloud of crimson dust and gas surged from all over her body. It covered her up and filled everything around her for thousands of miles.
And then it became a hundred thousand… swiftly graduating into millions of miles.
The cloud rapidly gushed out of her, like red steam fighting to get loose after being locked away for so long.
Finally, after only a couple of seconds, the Vermillion Nebula had completely shrouded the Hive.
Serah Crimson, who was already face to face with the Hive, stretched out her hand to touch its black surface.
The surface felt strangely gooey, as if she was dipping her hands into a muddy lake. However, the sensation was inconsequential at this point.
Only one thing mattered now.
"Ignite…"
In that moment, the cloud of dust and gas that had shrouded everything around her, in merely the fraction of a moment, all lit up in destructive flames.
The result?
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~
The rest was history.
Serah Crimson was unaffected by the blast, despite being in such close proximity, because of her Invincible Form.
And so she was able to witness the entire Hive's destruction from the nearest position.
She viewed the destruction of something that neared a galaxy in size… taking in all the destruction it experienced.
As her eyes reflected the Hive's destruction, she could finally feel what she had sought after for so long.
Tears fell from her eyes, and for the first time in so long… she screamed at the top of her lungs, crying and clenching her fists until her entire body shook in pure emotion.
"NEEEEERRRRROOOOOOOOONNNNN!!!"
The explosion devastated everything, scattering the final vestiges of Nether all around, though in a few more seconds they too would be consumed by her flames.
Amid the debris, there she was… crying and screaming Neron's name.
Despite the tumultous state of her heart, she finally felt at ease. As if she had just gotten rid of her burdens. She had said all that was needed to be said, and now it was time for peace.
A calm after the storm.
"Haaa…" Before Serah realized it, she was smiling.
And then she started laughing. It started as a small chuckle, but it soon graduated into full blown cackles.
"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Anyone who saw her would think she was insane as she sunk deeper into her revelry. Nothing seemed to matter at that point.
Her mind was just so clear—clearer than it had been for years.
It felt surreal; the definition of pure bliss.
"Thank you…" Serah finally ceased laughing and settled for a soft smile, not knowing who exactly she was talking to.
"... I really needed that."
She turned around and noticed that the final vestiges of Nether had completely vanished, and found all her allies drawing closer to her.
It suddenly felt like she was the center of attention.
All the spectators and participants gathered around her with smiles on their faces.
No one said anything.
They only smiled, drew closer… and everyone embraced.
Serah couldn't explain the moment well. She didn't understand the words she was meant to utter at that moment.
No, perhaps there were no needs for words.
She closed her eyes and accepted the embrace, feeling the last embers of heaviness leave her heart. The only thing that coursed through her entire being… was peace.
It was at this point she realized the ones she was speaking to back then.
'Thank you, everyone.'
*
*
*
[A/N]
Thanks for reading, everyone!
I'm happy to see that Serah dealt with her burdens, and the team is closer than ever.
I feel like they're more than ready to depart.
