The brilliant detonation flashed throughout the sky like a flare, illuminating everything around for miles.
Just as Karlia intended, she was able to contain the blast so well that it barely scraped the top of her building, consuming everything else around it. In a single strike, everything dissipated into nothingness… Karlia included.
Serah's eyes widened in both shock and relief as she saw nothing left of Karlia. She was utterly consumed, after all.
'I won! I… won!' Inasmuch as she had forged a kind of bond with Karlia over the short span of their conversation and their fight, they were still enemies.
Serah knew that what she did was just—hence the relief.
"Haa…" Serah huffed, finally releasing herself from her INVINCIBLE state.
Her Original Magic began to have a strain on her once it reached a particular threshold, but it wasn't simply the power that exhausted her. It was [The Sun].
'The overwhelming power is still a lot. I can't control it for very long.' Serah heaved.
She was still floating in mid-air, staring at the havoc all around her with both a sense of pride and dread.
'That last attack should attract the enemies to me—as well as my allies.'
Now torn between staying to reconnect with her allies, and fleeing in the direction Karlia had shown to her so she could encounter her comrades, Serah stared at Karlia's building.
'First of all, I'll need to inspect it…' That was the main rationale behind fighting Karlia, after all.
The moment Serah moved from her position, she suddenly felt something behind her.
'E-eh…?'
The feeling was chilling, to say the least. Serah found herself paralyzed for a few seconds, simply because of the dread she felt oozing from behind her. And then—
"I told you already…"
—A very chilling touch caressed her shoulder.
An entity was right behind her, whispering into her ears as she oozed the very stench of danger that petrified Serah.
"I can't be killed."
>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!<
Quickly mustering her strength, Serah swiftly propelled herself forward, escaping the reach of the whispering figure. Upon putting a considerable distance between herself and the enemy, she twisted mid-air to spot who it was… though she already had a fair idea.
"Y-you?!"
That's right! The crimson demon stood right in front of Serah—completely unscathed.
"Even after telling you countless times, you won't listen, huh?"
"H-how?" Serah was sure she had completely consumed Karlia in her concept-destroying blast.
By all means, Karlia was meant to be dead by now.
"I told you already. With [The Lovers], I already defeated the concept of death. Even in the very unlikely situation where I am supposedly killed, I have infinite souls."
A human needed either a Soul or a Body to be resurrected—considering either served as a tether for the other. The dynamics between the two concepts made it possible for revival to be possible as long as one was present.
"Even if it's just my soul, I can be revived instantly thanks to my Absolute Immunity. My body also adapts to the changes and causes of death just like the previous time, so it doesn't experience it again. So congratulations, you've given me one more thing I'm not going to die from. So, I can't die because of that blast again."
Serah had to make the blast more potent and dangerous, or alter something about it to ensure that Karlia would even have as much damage as before, let alone death.
"On another note, you really shouldn't invade my research facility. I also told you this before, but you have no business there… not that you'd be able to get very far inside, anyway." Karlia smirked while shrugging.
The Cult Members were all aware of how much Karlia valued her privacy, so none even dared or bothered intruding on her safe space. It wasn't just due to courtesy, though.
"My facility is poisonous to anyone who isn't me. You'll simply die before even realizing it."
Serah was still amazed by how her opponent was alive, so she didn't hear that last part. It wasn't important either, considering she was not going to be intruding anytime soon—or ever.
"Well, I've seen what I wanted. I'll be taking your Arcana now. No hard feelings, okay?"
Serah felt an unknown source of anger surge from within her. Could it be due to her wounded pride, or perhaps the fact that her opponent so casually wielded such power?
Despite attaining her current height with a good amount of effort, how could she meet an opponent who was impossible to beat? It made Serah grit her teeth in anger and frustration. It was quite infuriating.
"If you're this strong… If you have this much power and knowledge… Why are you here?" Serah suddenly mumbled.
"Excuse me?"
"You could make a real difference in the world! Why are you doing all of this? What's making you side with this Cult?" Serah unintentionally raised her voice.
She truly did not know where this anger was coming from. Something about Karlia gave her the presumption of someone incredibly intelligent, and she was also very strong. If she had used all this power and knowledge to help her people—or the world—then wouldn't that have been a more productive venture?
"Ah, that. The thing is… I need the Cult. I have a goal, you see? I lost someone dear to me. I want to bring him back." Karlia suddenly revealed a sad smile.
Her demeanor completely changed, and the floating figure of the succubus suddenly seemed more vulnerable.
"I have neither his Soul nor Body, so I need a miracle. Gathering the Arcanas will give me what I require. That's my reason—plain and simple."
"W-what? Just that?"
"Yes. Perhaps you wouldn't understand, but… do you have someone you care about so immensely that nothing makes sense without them?"
Serah tried to fight the thought that she would do the same for Neron, focusing instead on the damage caused by the actions of the Nether Cult.
Karlia was justifying the deaths and conflict caused by the Cult—events in which she partook because of her selfish interests. There was no way Serah could overlook that.
"Your entire race was doomed to death because of the conflict instigated by your group. Those were your people. They were all massacred!" Serah's voice was surprisingly loud, but at this point, she didn't care.
"The Nether Cult has wreaked so much havoc. Have you grown so insensitive to their actions simply because of your desire?!"
Serah's heart resonated with Karlia's cause, but at the same time, her sense of justice told her it was wrong. What Karlia was doing in the name of her cherished person was wrong—plain and simple!
"I believe you are misunderstanding something here." Karlia suddenly spoke.
Her eyes seemed utterly empty as she made this statement, and her face looked completely blank. With this stoic, unfeeling gaze, she completely alienated herself from the inner turmoil Serah was experiencing.
"I have been spending all of my spare time trying to seek an alternative—even now, I still search for it. However, up until now, there has been nothing."
Karlia's words echoed from a deep abyss that even Serah couldn't fathom. How long… How many years had she been on this quest to revive this loved one of hers?
Serah could not understand.
"Besides, all I want is to bring back the one who gave meaning to my life. That's all…" Karlia's voice trailed as she stared into the sky.
"The world can burn for all I care."
*
*
*
[A/N]
New book release announcement!!!
Please look up Chuunibyou Challenge!! on Webnovel, or simply use the link below. I promise, you'll love it.
https://www.webnovel.com/book/chuunibyou-challenge!!_25760893305800205
