"I should get back. Maya should be waiting for me." Kuzon muttered, letting go of the golden blade he had used to pierce the dead First Prince.
The sword vanished the moment he let go, plunging the First Prince into the abyss that was the boiling ground beneath Kuzon.
"All that's left now is the Emperor." He smiled at himself.
"I wonder who the idiot is."
*
*
*
Just as Kuzon was busy, Maya also had her hands full. No, one could even say she had even more to deal with.
Since the First Princess did not require any backup, and the First Prince eventually intervened when she did, no one among the backup Inquisition, or the Royals who led them, bothered with him.
That meant that diverted all of their attention toward her.
That didn't make it a problem for her, though. Even when the First Princess's Inquisition Officers appeared, with their black and gold armor, she didn't encounter much of a challenge.
A little bit of [Heart Stop] and [Brain Freeze] was enough to stop them.
And what about the most powerful Inquisition force in the Midas Empire—the First Division.
Unlike the Second Division, they had white and gold armors, brilliant as well as powerful.
The power gap between the two forces was too wide to be measured.
Surely, this group would pose enough of a challenge—perhaps even harm—to the lone Mage who was still dressed in her embarrassing Wizard attire.
Well...
"[Death Wish]" was all it took to kill all of them.
Of course, these Spells weren't particularly easy to cast.
They also took a great amount of energy to use, and were exclusive to Aether. However, after training for fifteen years with her Master, such Spells seemed like nothing to Maya.
No, perhaps it was more like they felt so natural that uttering them like that was inconsequential.
Besides, with her nearly bottomless and restorable power source, was there really any need to worry about depleting her energy?
The end result of Maya's bout with all the Inquisition Officers and Royals that attacked her was the sight of carnage that would make even the most hardened of warriors crumble in tears.
Standing in the midst of all this chaos and death was the young lady.
"Looks like Kuzon is finished as well." As soon as she said this, he appeared right beside her in a golden flash.
"Yep. Shall we go see the Emperor now?" He smiled, but then looked around him to see the staggering amount of kills she made.
Compared to hers, his seemed like a carnival.
"You're one scary woman, Maya. Did you even spare anyone?"
"W-well..." She scratched her head awkwardly.
"But what about the plan?"
"I forgot..."
"This girl..." Kuzon sighed to himself, itching his hair as he stared at hair. "Just cus you have some power now, you've become so cheeky. Come here!"
Before she could react to his speed, he lunged his two hands toward her cheeks and pinched them while also stretching them out like rubber.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Pwease stawp! I've learned my lesson! Owwwww! Pweasseeee! I can revive a couple! Uwaaaaa!!!"
"Hmph!" Kuzon finally let go after having his fill. "As long as you know."
"You're so mean."
"Me? You're brutal. Honestly, I mean... look at this!" Kuzon nearly cried out.
"D-doesn't that mean you should be afraid of me? I mean... I could do the same to you, you know? And yet, you—"
"Pfft. Why should I be afraid of you, Maya?" Kuzon knocked her head, albeit playfully. "After all, I'm stronger."
Hearing him say that, while also looking at his confident smile, Maya's eyes glittered and her cheeks slightly displayed pinkish hue.
"S-shut up! Who said you're stronger?"
"Well, I am."
"Want to find out? I could instantly kill you, you know?"
"Damage doesn't even work on me."
"This isn't damage. It's instant death."
"Same difference..."
"I could seal you away."
"Effects like that aren't effective on me."
"I could cancel those effects that make my effect ineffective.'
"That's impossible. My effect will make your effective magic ineffective, so you can't affect my effect of making your effect ineffective and... ah, let's just stop." Kuzon groaned, already tired despite his supposed inability to feel such a thing.
"So... you're immortal?"
"So far, yes. Though it's only when it comes to damage. Its more like I can't be harmed. If I indeed get harmed, I think there's a high chance I'll die."
"But how can you die without being harmed?"
"There are many ways people can die without being necessarily harmed."
"Oh? Like what?"
"There's 'killing people with kindness.' I also heard that some people die of 'cringe', and some people have overdosed on pleasure and also died. It goes on and on. I'm not invincible quite yet."
"I see..."
Both of them, discussing so seriously about the prospects of their limitations, once again ignored the numerous corpses and the chaos they had wrought upon the Midas Empire.
One could wonder what kind of angels of destruction had landed upon the world.
No, perhaps they could only be referred to as devils.
*
*
*
Deep within the Midas Empire's Royal Palace was the Throneroom.
The Emperor who sat there watched a screen. His wrinkled face twisted uncomfortably as his hands rubbed his cleanly cut beard.
His aged eyes were fixated on the two people that were displayed on the screen, and a wry smile formed on his face.
"It appears that it has finally come to this..." His tone, gruff and deep echoed in the lonely expanse that shrouded him.
Despite the luxury that occupied his line of sight, his gaze was only focused on the two who would soon reach his doorstep.
"It appears I have no choice."
I raised his hand, now holding a golden goblet filled with nectar that smelled so sweet, yet forbidden.
The golden hue within glowed with mystery and depth, and one whiff of the liquid told him of the inevitable outcome.of his choice.
However, after seeing all that had happened, the Midas Emperor knew this was the only way he could win.
The only path he could take.
"Let me just die."
... And so he gulped it all down.
