End the Cycle III

Raizo, Adena, Hikari, Inari, Vesta, Esdeath, and Reina finally entered the realm after what felt like years of travel through dimensions. They were to reinforce the vanguard offensive brought about by the bulk of their forces, yet as they made their foray into battle, they soon found a wake of despair.

"What the hell is going on here?" Adena was the first to ask as the battlefield entered her sight.

"It's quiet...not the sound I expected to hear when entering the final battle," Vesta analyzed.

"The armies are gone...but they should be here right?" Inari inquired in confusion.

"I can feel the presence of death in the air...a battle was fought albeit a short one," Esdeath continued.

"Look over there," Hikari pointed out, the silhouettes of the survivors were laid out in the distance.

"I can barely sense anyone's energy right now...we need to check their status," Raizo insisted as he rushed over immediately.

"…." Reina did not say a single word as she felt like this was a probable outcome. It pained her deeply to give into that ideology, yet it was the unfortunate truth that she and her comrades would have to face. She clenched her fist in agitation knowing just who the cause of this atrocity was.

"It was wishful thinking, but it seems we were too late to prevent her arrival. Once again I am forced to face the enemies of my past."

"Sen...sei...gu-huh..." Chris coughed weakly as she saw the red-eyed male approach.

"Rai...zo...sensei..." Maria followed in a similar manner.

"De...su..." Kirika expressed meekly.

"Y-You're...here…." Tsubasa reached out whilst struggling to stand to her feet.

"About...time..." Shirabe added.

"Sor...ry...Sensei..." Hibiki apologized.

"Girls...don't try to force it...we're here," Raizo attempted to alleviate with Adena coming up behind him.

"Can you try to use those healing flames of yours?" he asked.

"Yeah of course," she nodded before casting out a blanket of immaculate, white embers of fire over each of the gear users to aid them.

"Is that better at least?" the male asked to which the girls began to nod.

"Listen...Raizo, this foe took away our songs," Maria attempted to explain, the soreness in her throat still getting to her.

"She stopped us during the Climax Song and..." Chris followed before it became too much for her to speak.

"The Phonic Gain...is gone...and our relics are non-responsive," Tsubasa finished.

"Without that...we're useless...even when everyone else bought us so much time..." Hibiki clenched her fist in anguish; Shirabe and Kirika merely looked down in sadness.

"I see...just hang in there, don't try to talk anymore," Raizo advised before turning to the redhead.

"Seems like my flames can't completely cure whatever happened to 'em...shit."

"Just do what you can Addy, I have faith in you."

"Yeah, without a doubt."

"You multicolor scalp-kun...you might want to come over here," Inari called out as the sassy princess stood nearby the locations of the Mercer family.

Raizo left the Symphogears to Adena's care before heading over towards the swordswoman's location. Upon doing so, he found the docile body of Jibril standing totally still numb to everything around her alongside a prison compiled of swords.

"What is..."

"She's still alive, but that rotten bitch used her powers to put in that strange state of mind!" a voice called out from the prison.

The youth walked around to see the familiar blacksmith in quite the ordeal.

"Alexis? Hang on...I'll get you out of here."

"You can't Raizo! These blades were all crafted by me, there's no way you can break them. Tch...to think I'd be caught up at the edge of my greatest creations and unable to nullify them… Anyways, one wrong move will cause me to be chopped up into tiny pieces."

"How'd this happen?"

"All of our techniques were reversed on us. We got dropped without much of a fight. You should check on your parents too," the girl noted.

"Over here," Inari directed as she pointed to a strange energy prison and a large face card marked 'King'.

"No...not again...and...Dad too?" Raizo asked in disbelief feeling his heart sink in his chest.

Both of his parents were frozen in their respective environments. Lucy was posted like a perfect sculpture that was neatly oriented and painted as if ready to be displayed on a shelf. His father appeared like a marble statue etched into a massive 2D canvas fit for an art museum. He felt his sorrow turning to anger but was then called to once more.

"Raizo-san, you should hurry over here," Vesta echoed in the short distance.

"Dammit...this is just going to get worse, isn't it?" he gritted his teeth.

To his misfortune, that was proving itself to be true.

"Raizo-kun...you made it. Akaro-san and the others are coming too right?" Jeanne asked with an exhausted expression whilst fighting off the call of the Throne.

"Jeanne...you're...emitting a strange golden light..." the youth responded in confusion.

"We've reached the limit it seems, Senpai," Altera commented as she limped over with Vesta's help.

"What do you mean? I...I thought you all had enough mana to stay and fight...so...what's going on here?"

"Senpai...we were outmatched."

"Yes...unfortunately, we were not strong enough. It would seem that we won't be able to stay for much longer. Regrettably, this is the fate of all of us Heroic Spirits. It was bound to happen eventually," the Holy Maiden said with a disheartened smile.

"No, that can't be. Wait...where's Drake, and...the little horned chick, and your evil twin, plus Scathach, and the rest of them? They should be here too, right?"

"They...they..."

"They're all gone, Senpai. They fell in battle. Their deaths were gruesome, but they were quick at least," Altera finished for Jeanne.

"The only ones still around are...myself, Altera-chan, Semiramis-san, and...I think Raikou-san...but Altera and I are reaching our limit of manifestation. It's regrettable, but...can you tell Akaro goodbye for me?"

"Don't say that...don't tell me to do that. Because...it's almost like you're giving up, and that's not something any of us in this family does. So...please...please don't give up on living right now, Jeanne."

"Raizo-kun..." the woman in armor murmured as tears began to stream down her face.

"Senpai...that heart of yours is truly kind, a saving grace for all. I want to say goodbye to Akaro-senpai too...but only one of us needs to represent everyone else lost. And it should be you, Jeanne. Vesta-san, right? You have powers similar to Senpai, can you help me transfer my energy to her?" Altera asked.

"It's...certainly possible. I mean I could set up something akin to a defibrillator that will link you both; though I'm not sure if..."

"Don't worry, we Heroic Spirits were summoned as the truest incarnations of ourselves thanks to that Arcana Grail. The laws of convention with servants were changed. I'm entrusting you with this."

"Altera-chan, what are you doing?" Jeanne asked in confusion.

"Letting you become the representative for those whom are left. Whether you believe it or not, you were always the strongest of us...not because of some legend recorded in the Throne of Heroes, but because of the lasting bonds you forged with each of us. And because out of everyone...you were his first choice always. So please...live on...even if it's for one final battle. Live on and let the wills of those whom shared affection for that man as well as those whom felt affection for his brother resonate as true, unyielding strength within you," Altera expressed.

Vesta created two frost blue chains of lightning and wrapped one around each of the respective women.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes...I am. It would seem that this is my goodbye, Raizo-senpai. Thank you for giving me hope in the short time that I've known you. I pray that we may meet again. It's up to you and your family now..." the girl smiled.

"Altera? Wait...don't say that...you're a member of the family too!"

The Hun only smiled meekly as tears streamed down her face. She tugged on the chain to give Vesta the go ahead. Painstakingly, the female Stormbringer began the process as she drained the energy from one hero and gave it to the other. As soon as it was complete, Altera dissipated into golden dust while Jeanne's vitality was restored. As opposed to cheers of celebration, only silent tears of pain were shed.

"I should have done the same for her...after all, look at how useless I've proven myself to be," remarked the heartbroken voice of Semiramis from her bondage.

"Semi-chan?" Raizo asked in surprise.

"Raizo...please don't look at me...I'm a failure who couldn't even die with honor for the sake of her comrades. I can't believe how pathetic I am."

"This isn't the time to be playing the victim, Semiramis! You did what you could given the current circumstances. As long as you're still breathing, you have more than enough power to fight back even against impossible odds. There's more than enough honor in that action alone!"

The determined God Hunter-in-training walked over towards the contraption that held the female and reached out towards the chains.

"If you feel like you have no reason to live, then I'll reach out to you and give you one. No matter how hopeless the situation is, or how dark your circumstances may be, I refuse to let you give in. As long as I am with you, I'll lead you out of whatever Hell you find yourself in."

"Raizo-san...don't touch the chains, they're poisonous!"

Even with her protest, the male still reached out and grabbed onto the metal bonds. Though the effects ceased upon her body, the same could not be said to any outside force that tried to free her. Unbeknownst to them, Legion quietly watched from afar with an amused expression on her face.

"Of course the child would give a speech like that, after all, he is a living testament of change. Even I must admire such a thing," she thought to herself having drawn upon the memories of the fragment of Indra that spent so much time with him.

Audibly, the chains of the imprisonment were crushed within the male's hands as the woman was set free. Visible scars were etched into her skin from the poison that corroded her body as well as burns in her clothing.

"You have every right to live your life now, Semi-chan. Even if you're a Heroic Spirit with a temporary existence on this world, you have the power to live freely. Everyone has moments of doubt, I'm speaking from experience in that regard; however, you can never give up."

The long-haired woman's eyes filled with tears in that instant. She clutched onto the collar of the man's shirt as she hid her face.

"I'm sorry Raizo-san...I cannot believe how shameless I've been acting."

"It's okay...this is a battle that's beyond anything we've ever faced before. You have every right to feel afraid, but now you just have to fight back. The first step is standing on your own two feet."

Nodding with affirmation, the woman elected to do just that. Together, she and youth stood up together. She was still a little wobbly in the knees given the damage the poison did to her, but nevertheless she showcased her strength.

"That's all it takes. Now then, you and Jeanne take a step back. Keep an eye on my family and the Symphogears. Also, be sure to let Addy patch you up. We're gonna take it from here."

"Right, I still have more than enough mana. If necessary, I'll use my magic to put up a protective barrier around the wounded," Semiramis replied.

"And I can try to ward off any would-be attackers. Our foes haven't deployed any familiars or anything, but with a castle that size...we can't entirely count out the idea," Jeanne analyzed.

"Duly noted, we're counting on you both."

The two servant women yielded affirming nods before retreating back towards the location where Addy was attending to the gear users. Seeing all of this struggle right off the bat was definitely a foreboding sign, yet they had to keep pressing forward.

"Raizo-san...you okay?" Vesta asked as she patted him on his shoulder.

"Yeah...I'm just already feeling more on edge than I previously anticipated. I know I spoke some serious words of encouragement, but...this is a little terrifying."

"Fear can be a powerful motivator. Take your own advice and face it. We all do. Otherwise, we'll lose in the end."

Just ahead of the two children of thunder were the two maidens of warfare.

"I should have just killed Indra when I had the chance considering the current circumstances," Hikari sucked her teeth in annoyance as she saw the devastation in her eyes.

"This was nothing short of a one-sided slaughter. I tried to join in for a cause on behalf of the greater good, and I squander a perfect chance to stop a nightmare from beginning. This falls on me."

"Such is the gruesome fate of war, the costs are never truly accounted for," Esdeath commented.

Interrupting the entire scene of astonishment, a dense aura filled the area and shook the ground that everyone was standing on. The aura of the Queen of Cocytus began to spill out like storm clouds rolling over mountains as crimson, black, and amethyst energy spiraled around the ground.

Reina walked along silently as she came towards the limp bodies of four individuals – Ashura Gozen, Yaten-douji, Zion, and Cthulhu. She could tell that they attempted to use their full power from the get-go, but their current forms obviously painted their defeat. In addition, she could see the faint traces of her armies—tribes loyal to her for eons—removed from the battlefield as if they were nothing more than children's toys tossed about a play room. It was insulting to see her faithful comrades left in such a way; given a humiliating defeat without bestowing at least an honorable death. It was an offense that soiled the pride of warriors that they carried.

To add further disdain to injury, she discovered the body of the one whom knew her the best—the one she proudly called her little sister.

"I cannot imagine how much of a heartbreaking experience this must have been for you, Rudy...I am sorry that you had to be treated in such a way," Reina expressed painfully whilst crouching down to check the woman's pulse.

She was alive, just sleeping currently.

"To have to face your mother encapsulated within a greater monster than she was must have been a lot. I failed you, the rest of the Cardinal Four, and all of the people of Cocytus. But...know this, your fight is not over. Everything you sought to protect, your dedication towards this cause, all that you have done for me will not be in vain. I shall take everything you carry and wield your burdens on my blade."

The legendary figure adjusted her gaze and noticed the unconscious Heroic Spirit to the side.

"I see...so I imagine you two must have been told about your relation to one another. Apologies that it had to be this way Raikou-san...we never really got a chance to catch up either, have we?"

The woman sighed to herself as a few distant memories flashed through her mind about the past involving a contest of heroes to which she was summoned as Grand Saber—even a time before that when it was her, another samurai maiden, and the Oni Slayer.

"Do not dismay, for I shall accept your burdens as well. Rest, and leave everything to us...to me."

Reina stood upon her two feet as her dense aura spiraled violently around her body. She reached out using her aura's mist to move her comrades out of the way towards the back of the area where the rest of the wounded were gathered. In the meantime, Adena, Raizo, Vesta, Inari, Hikari, and Esdeath all approached from behind.

"Legion, you can stop watching from on high and show yourself!" the Sovereign called out.

In response, the woman responsible for all of the carnage nonchalantly descended from the skies.

"She was that damn close the whole time? I couldn't even sense her!" Adena gritted her teeth in frustration feeling the odds stacking up.

"So this is what Indra was just a small fraction of? I knew this foe would be intimidating but not on this scale," Vesta analyzed.

"Damn...this chick is gonna be hell to try and cut through," Inari expressed in irritation.

"Arayashiki really managed to pull it off, this was her true Endgame," Esdeath sighed heavily.

"No matter, we'll just have to get creative in taking her down," Hikari bucked up with confidence.

"....." Raizo merely stared in silence. He looked directly into her eyes and knew exactly who she was and what she was capable of. The sight of that nightmare came back to the forefront of his mind. So far, the events were leading directly towards that dreadful ending.

"How the hell are we gonna be able to face this? She's beyond my expectations. The Architect and Rias? They're child's play compared to her, and we barely managed to beat them. Dammit...I can feel the fear gripping my heart. I have to just accept it and fight back, but every nerve in my body is trembling."

"At long last, the main act begins with the gathering of the stars of the show. Behold children, I am here. This has been a long time coming. Apologies, but I was rather bored whilst waiting for the main cast so I took the liberty of making the prelude a little more interesting. It was a little bloody though, but I made sure that no one of note passed away too quickly. After all, I still desire you to accept your defeat and submit to my will," Sakinah explained.

"No way in hell that's gonna be happenin', bitch," Adena clenched her fists as an aura of flame danced around her body.

"Sorry, but whatever you have planned comes to an end starting now," Inari drew her katana preparing herself for a fight.

"You already stole enough from us, we're going to be taking it back now," Vesta said with determination.

Esdeath and Hikari also stood ready to fight whilst Raizo was caught up in his thoughts. He felt a tug in his chest that was linked to the woman whose aura began to expand more and more with each passing second.

"Master...and the rest of you, I trained each of you brutally for this day, knowing that only true teamwork would get us through. However, permit me one selfish request—let me have her first," Reina spoke.

"This anger of mine is one that I do not feel often...it is a raging abyss that cannot be contained. I do not wish for any of you to be swallowed up in it. Therefore, as your teacher, I am hoping you all will listen and stand down."

Just as Adena sought to be the voice of protest to this, Raizo raised a hand for her to hold off.

"This battle is meant for all of us to fight, but...she was your foe long before any of us. The least we can do is place our faith in you and hope that you can defeat her without anyone else getting involved," Raizo said in acceptance.

"Though I disagree with being on the sidelines, I find myself sympathetic to what you are feeling. I think you have every right to go all out, especially considering the losses we've already suffered," Hikari added in.

"Not gonna lie, I'd love to see what my ancestor can do firsthand...give 'em hell, Reina-sama," Inari yielded with the thumbs-up sign.

"Screw it, guess ain't no arguin' this one," Adena shrugged.

"Do what you must," Vesta stated plainly while Esdeath gave a small nod.

"Thank you all. This shall be my greatest battle. I am honored to have you all as my witnesses."

Reina began to walk forward as her aura flowed around her like the rolling smog from a volcanic eruption.

"Yes, I suppose we do have an old score to settle. Come, let us see if you can entertain me enough, Sword of Akasha—Morana!" Sakinah challenged whilst raising the intensity of her own aura.

As the gap between the two women closed, their auras collided through the air; the friction from the resulting impact sparked violent flashes of light that threatened to tear the fabrics of space around them. The entirety of the realm shook intensely in reaction to this phenomenon. Reina extended her right arm out to the side, in response, the katana blessed and forged by the Goddess-Above-All—Kanemitsu—appeared. Sakinah mimicked the action on her end before pulling out the Golden Ark once more. Their eyes locked directly onto one another. Within the spawn it takes one to snap their fingers, both women disappeared.

Claps of thunder seemingly echoed in the skies above the battlefield as shadows of their respective figures bounced off one another. Their actions were beyond the mere sense of the word 'fast'. To describe the action above with that term was an understatement. It transcended the comprehension of speed.

"I can't even keep up..." the woman referred to as the Godspeed murmured.

"What the hell is even going on right now?" Adena asked in bewilderment finding it difficult to trace their movements as well.

"Can we even call this a fight anymore? This is like going to a nightclub in Mercury or something..." Inari casually remarked.

Esdeath folded her arms and tipped the bill of the hat, "Trying to watch is pointless, we're better off just waiting patiently for whatever comes next."

"I can occasionally see the collisions here and there...but I can barely make out who has the upper hand; therefore, it's safer to say they are currently even whilst attempting to see who will make the first mistake," analyzed the Devil Queen.

Raizo placed his left hand over his chest, "I can feel it right now...what Hikari is saying is spot-on."

The battle continued with its opening phase. The violent crashing accelerated in frequency to a point where it almost as if someone was desperately beating the sense out of an entire set of drums. A fraction of an instant later, the beat stopped as the two backed off from one another whilst floating in two giant orbs of light comprised by their respective auras. Reina firmly grasped the hilt of her sword while Sakinah held onto the spine of her book. Unbelievably, neither one made the move to draw their weapons.

"How long has it been since our last bout, Morana? If only you never interfered with my destiny, all of creation would have been able to avoid the current situation it is currently in," Sakinah lectured.

"Eons for me, a few millennia or so for you. I did what was my sworn duty in service to the one whom liberated me. You were a threat to everyone then as you are right now. History must repeat itself for the sake of survival," Reina responded in kind.

"My mother always told me of your legend...how a slave grew to become a goddess. It is truly astounding that such a noble figure—one whom I greatly admired—could have fallen from grace. Having you destroy me the first time broke my heart, but tell me...did you ever stop to think of why I elected to take this path? You of all people should know my pain. Having people step all over the things you love, the people you cherished… Forsaken by the gods and left to the evils of man, do you not see why things must change? You lived through the tyrannies of both!"

"Yes, I did. The gods failed, they let their petty ambitions cloud their judgment and ultimately lost their way. Their faults found their way inside the hearts of man thus plunging them into an era of darkness. Yes, I know that very well. Even through the experiences I saw whilst fighting alongside Master, I saw how little things progressed. The gods were still up to no good pursuing the same aims they had during the Age of Gods and mankind was still wrapped up in nigh endless wars for survival. However, not all hope was lost."

Reina switched Kanemitsu to her left hand before grasping the hilt with her right. Gradually, she unsheathed the blade as bolts of dark crimson energy emanated from it. The pressure from her weapon's release caused the ramparts of the mighty castle constructed by Arayashiki to crack.

"Mankind has the capability to know peace, love and prosperity if given the chance to grow and evolve. They showcased it daily just by working together to build a greater society, nurture their young, tend to their land, and provide for others. Why? Because of their mortality, because of their knowledge knowing that life is finite and therefore precious. As for the gods? I cannot attest to whether they will ever truly change, but all I need is one to believe...the one who stands above all else. She who is truly the definition of infinite and absolute, she whose love for creation transcends all those who dare to fathom it. Whether a silent observer or an avid adjudicator...nothing will ever stop me from believing in Akasha, nor anyone else who has experienced her grace for that matter. Which is why I reject you, Sakinah Vashti. I reject your aims, your morals, and all that you attempt to stand for. You are a threat to the concept of life itself, and it is my duty to purge you from existence. Not only as the Sovereign of Purgatory, or the Specter of Death called Morana, but as a human being given power to protect those whom cannot do so themselves from threats such as you—the way that I, Reina Arashi, shall do!"

"So be it...you have chosen your fate, allow me to honor your resolve by showing you that I am different than I was before. My darker impulses desires your demise, but I genuinely wanted to win you over; sadly, I must use you as an example of how futile this battle is."

Sakinah opened the cover of her legendary lexicon, its pages flipping through the breeze whilst emulating a subtle golden light. Reina hunkered down in a stance, tucking the scabbard to her sword at her side whilst gripping the fabled blade with two hands before rushing in to attack. In the blink of an eye, the kid gloves were pulled off as the conflict between the two deities reached a new level.

The great divination known as Legion smirked slyly as she watched her foe make her opening foray into combat. To the higher being, the woman was coming at her as if she was caught in a slow moving jog. As Reina closed the gap between them, a mysterious energy began to emanate from Sakinah's book.

"Combination Arts: Hands of Chaos + Pyroclasm + Gaia's Twister."

In response, thousands of umbral limbs spawned from nothingness behind the female as they generated massive orbs of densely compact flames. Coming together in the shape of a massive circle, the limbs began to rotate around like a violent ride at an amusement park thus creating a vortex relinquishing gale force winds. Particles of sand and iron were kicked up within the tunnel as the resulting energies melded together to create projectiles of dark matter glass fragments. From there, they were launched before the eye could blink like bullets being sprayed from a Gatling gun.

"So she is using the techniques derived from the individual pieces that were once the Deva Gods...how appropriate. Yet dark matter glass is not something that can be easily trifled with," Reina though to herself whilst angling her body to counter.

"Water Stance: Okami no Shutsugen!"

The Sovereign gripped her blade tightly before dividing it into two wakizashi blades. Performing a singular flip in the air to adjust her posture, she prepared herself for the oncoming onslaught of needle-like objects. As they assaulted her location, she swung her blades repeatedly in alternating swings whilst relinquishing elements of lightning, poison miasma, ice, and purgatorial flames. She batted aside every single object that was tossed her way in a flash without missing a single beat in her momentum to continue pressing her initial attack. When the bullet hell ceased, she merged the blades back into one and swung her sword again. A singular crescent shaped wave of energy cascaded towards the tornado of hands. In that moment, she annihilated the presence of the phantasmal limbs through space and cut through their physical manifestation.

"Nexus," Sakinah uttered next with the snap of her fingers.

Reina was captured within an alternate dimension. Inside it, the Queen of Cocytus found herself at the center of the Omniverse surrounded by infinite multiverses independent of one another. Celestial entities serving as gateways to other worlds were linked here even though passing through any threshold would only serve to drive one deeper inside the labyrinth of space.

"Stellar Demise," the disembodied voice of Legion echoed aloud.

Suddenly, rifts in the vast space tore apart before expanding into several black holes of extreme super mass density. The powerful forces emanated by the black voids threatened to rip apart the noble queen limb from limb. Yet even as she floated listlessly in the void of space, Reina stabbed her blade into the void anchoring herself with the reinforcement from the astral plane.

Reaching to her side, the woman grasped the scabbard that held the weight of the Omniverse at her side. She grasped her sword tightly knowing that what she was going to do required the utmost precision. In an instant, she tugged the blade's tip out from the unseen plane and sheathed it.

"Wind Stance: Mugen, sen-mai no Arashi!"

Using the same maneuver she showcased against her trainees, she drew her sword faster than any one could perceive before almost instantly sheathing her blade again. In less than an attosecond, nigh infinite slashes blitzed throughout the space thus tearing through the masses of dark spiraling energy. In addition, the confines of the infinite multiverses were erased as well causing the reality marble to destabilize and break apart.

Freed from the alternate space, Reina hunkered her body down low as she flicked her sword in the reverse blade grip and charged it with her energy.

"Fire Stance: Yume no Haretsu!"

With a swift, and impeccable swing, the concentrated power was discharged from the blade as a mass of multi-elemental energies coalesced together thus hurdling towards Legion's position.

"Hmph."

Sakinah's book floated in front of her for a brief second while she spread out her arms.

"All shall be lost to you...Rain of Unyielding Eternity!"

Wings of light and dark spread afar behind the Goddess of Harmony. Bolts of immaculate white and rose colored electricity began to form before taking aim at the intended recipient of the attack. With a wave of her hands, the arcs of energy fired rapidly in a beam-like fashion thus meeting the great chasm of energy discharged by the Sovereign. The two techniques of destruction caused the foundation of the realm to crack as they collided in the air. Blanking out the vision of all those present, the two attacks canceled each other out. But the action did not stop there.

Within that fraction of a second of blinding light, Reina relied on her superior instincts to close the gap as fast as possible thus summoning her strength to produce her next technique. She channeled as much power as she possibly could into Kanemitsu's length.

"Heaven Stance – Eien ni Ochiru!"

The sixth form of her Resolute Blade Arts—known as Banish Into Eternity—was a technique that emulated her Master's Kamui in an instant draw technique. As her storied blade brimmed with the power to potentially cleave Legion in two, her foe pulled a surprising move.

"Come forth, O mighty sword of storms."

Sakinah pulled out the holy sword that was once wielded by her fragment, Indra. Now radiating primordial energy, the gold and amethyst colored edge of Vajra emanated a mutually intense aura as the woman grasped the hilt and brought it to bear.

"Let my kingdom come, and all behold my vision. Heavenly Stance: Kieru-sen Ascalon!"

Sakinah drew upon the memories of two instances: the first when Raizo used this technique as his signature attack in almost every major conflict and the second being when the youth had a near death experience and his other self spawned and used his mighty technique to defeat Tiamat.

The blades of the two women clashed in a heated deadlock as they locked eyes with one another up close. The intensity of their collision sent shockwaves throughout the realm. The ground split apart, the air whisked with violent winds, the sky darkened with heavy nimbus clouds as claps of thunder and flashes of lightning ensued, it was if the world was coming to an end just from the impact of that strike.

"I must say, this was not how I envisioned our fight to turn out...yet I am not opposed to it," Sakinah smiled with wicked delight.

"I find myself relatively surprised...I did not think you knew of the Resolute Blade Arts," Reina commented.

"I know a great many things, but your blade arts are just a derivative of the Six Paths. It is a clever concept nevertheless, but those techniques of yours so far are not enough to defeat me."

The pair were repulsed from the buildup of energy causing them to separate. Sakinah floated in the air holding the Golden Ark in one hand and Vajra in the other; whereas Reina maintained her grip of Kanemitsu. The latter of the two was breathing heavily.

"You are reaching your limit. I can feel it. You may be stronger than you were in the Age of Gods, but you have weakened physically. All of that time spent in Purgatory has worn on your physical body."

"Perhaps, perhaps not...nevertheless, I do believe it is time that I stop holding back. You say that the Resolute Blade Arts mimic the Six Paths, correct? Then allow me to prove you wrong by showing you the seventh stance. Only one person I faced in my life in duel did I ever use this technique on. Consider yourself honored to behold this move."

"Oh? Then show me...even though it is futile; once you fall, there will be no one else capable of stopping me."

"We shall see..."

Reina took in a deep breath. She relaxed every muscle within her body and cleared her mind to draw on the power buried deep in her spirit. Holding the Kanemitsu with two hands, she held the blade upright to focus.

"For I am one with the blade as it shows the reflection of me…Ultima Stance: Zentai no Michi!"

Upon the utterance of that invocation, the density of Sovereign's aura spiked. The spiraling blossom of dark vermilion flames and electrical energy spiraled around her body before the deep mixture of indigo miasma leaked out to mold something behind her. The shadowy silhouette of a demonic-looking creature reflective of the Tengu of Cocytus with dark skin and a crimson and white haori over top appeared. Six arms sprouted from its body wielding six differently shaped swords; each possessed a runic symbol representative of the six stances in the arts that the woman mastered. The astral being emanated with power that was almost independent of the caster as it held onto the blades whilst readying itself for battle.

"This technique is the testament of my understanding of the sword; the culmination of the Resolute Blade Arts – The Path of Totality."

"Magnificent Morana, truly a work of art. I can feel the essence of all that you have disciplined yourself to be within that monstrosity that hovers over you. It is truly wondrous...but alas..."

Reina took the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot and rushed forward with her phantom to attack. The beast swung the blade representative of Earth first as it struck with the force of an unstoppable asteroid hurled from one side of space to the other to destroy a single planet only amplified with enough force to break countless multiverses simultaneously. Then it swung the blade imbued with Wind. Even though it was only one swing of the sword, millions of slashes rushed in like a hurricane piercing through the veils of space and time to assault the target. After that was the blade of Fire. Upon impact, a massive ball of concentrated energy was discharged with enough force to blanket the target under the might of a star going supernova. Next was the Water blade which doused Legion under the pressure of a tsunami-like assault of pure, untainted elemental energy. Then came the blade of the Void which spewed with the concepts of fear that assaulted the victim with regret and insecurity in order to drop their guard and break their spirits. Finally, the blade of Heaven mustered all of the light in the cosmos and channeled it into its edge to banish away the concept of malice and evil thus purifying ill-intention. It was the testament of good in creation as it baptized the target in its divine judgment.

As all six blades made their impact, Reina finished it by pouring all of her emotions, the burdens that she said she would bear for this battle into one powerful swing and struck Sakinah with all of her might. As brilliant as the display of power was, the resonating impact just silenced the concept of sound. Sakinah flinched, she actually descended a few feet from the attack. However, in spite of all that power...her only visible scar was a few strands of hair being struck from her head.

"I tried to tell you...but you did not listen. I grow tired of your insolence. You have entertained me enough. Enter Cosmic Foundry – Obsidian."

Before Reina could react, she became engulfed within the confines of her Master's famous reality marble technique. Except in this version...the entirety of space was covered with lightning bolts crafted from black energy in the void of white space. It was a complete inversion from the regular cast. In a split second, one bolt penetrated her skin causing her mind to go numb.

"W-What?"

"Oh...I forgot to mention. In this variant, the black lightning is disintegration based. It completely ignores Primordial protection and attacks the target as if they were any ordinary mortal."

From there, Reina was assaulted by hundreds of thousands of lightning blades. The phantom of her final stance was erased without trouble as she began to bleed profusely from her wounds. With a snap of her fingers, Sakinah destroyed the dimension. Reina then descended through the air and fell to the ground still holding onto her blade. She managed to hoist herself back up, but she was breathing raggedly and her legs were shaking.

"I...refuse to fall here...there are too many people depending on me to win."

"Yes...and I do not wish to kill you, however…I am afraid I must dismiss you from the stage."

Sakinah kicked Vajra in the air and aimed a singular finger at it to imbue it with her energy directly from her book.

"O Arkadia, seed the stars – Memento Mori."

"Tch...I said I will not go down easily! Siphoning Fate!" Reina declared whilst using her last ounce of strength in a quick effort to attempt to absorb some of the power coming from Sakinah.

"Absolution – True Karma."

The Goddess of Harmony reversed the effect of Morana's signature move. Instead of absorbing her foe's power, the Sovereign drained her own strength thus leaving herself completely unprotected. In that moment, she was penetrated by the divine might of the holy blade that Sakinah baptized. It went strength through her thus sending her stumbling back. Reina's breath ceased for a moment and her consciousness hazed. She turned around to see the horrified faces of her trainees. Her gaze focused mostly on one man.

"I am...sorry Master, I failed you..." she whimpered before falling to the ground, the light fading from her eyes as her consciousness was stolen from her.

Reina's body going limp on the ground caused the group of warriors to be taken aback by the result. After the unbelievable display of power nearly imperceptible by a majority of the eyes present, this result was unexpected. The battle that could have been predicted to last for what may have felt like an eternity was settled in the span of just under three minutes. Disbelief carried most of the mixture of feelings within the rebels, but grief overshadowed everything for one.

"Tch...damn you...Sakinah...dammit all..." Raizo gritted his teeth and clinched his fists in anger.

"We're gonna take her down babe...together; there's no other choice," Adena reassured.

The last fighters standing in the resistance took their respective stances and focused their minds on the task at hand. Raizo, Adena, Vesta, Inari, Hikari, and Esdeath...these six warriors would have to face their toughest battle even after witnessing the mighty Sovereign of Purgatory fall.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I believe I have reached the end of my patience in this matter. Therefore, I am going to end this now," Sakinah stated boldly.

"We'll see about that. I'll use all my power as the former Horseman of Death to end-..."

"Traitors have no place in my presence."

Sakinah pointed at Esdeath's location with her hand making the gesture of a hand gun before following the motion of pulling the trigger. In that instant, the woman who was convinced to join the enemy was encapsulated in a giant stalagmite of black ice. Her body was frozen solid as her awareness was robbed from her.

"I shall let your former master decide how to deal with you," the fearsome goddess decided whilst snapping her fingers once more to teleport the sculpture inside the castle to give to Arayashiki.

"Who shall be next?"

"All right bitch, I'm sick of your overbearing, self-entitled, cocky ass. I'll gladly put you in your place," Inari remarked as she withdrew her sword and prepared to attack.

"Hey Benihime, Godspeed, let's show off our little combo arts."

"Sounds good to me, I'll get a few punches in for Reina-sensei's sake," Adena agreed.

"Indeed," Vesta nodded.

The trio of fearsome women marched towards the imposing woman of arcane arts without any fear in their hearts. With a snap of the fingers, they each rushed in. Vesta was cloaked in rose-colored bolts of lightning; Inari's eyes changed color suggesting her killing intent; and Adena instantly transformed into her Dragonheart mode to attack.

"How noble...but ultimately foolish in the end. Let us start with you. The Revelation is the means by which truth is unveiled...Though precious it is to witness the driving force of one's determination, the greatest downfall one can experience is pride – Absolution!"

Mimicking the action in which she imprisoned the armies of Cocytus, Inari found herself bound by Sakinah's will. With a wave of her hand, the Primordial being restrung the Princess of Mercury's senses and distorted her perception of the world. She rewrote the workings of the girl's nervous system causing her brain to send mixed messages towards every muscle in her body. Upon being allowed to move again, Inari was blinded and rendered useless as the girl dropped her blade and fell onto the ground unable to control her body from muscle spasms.

"As for you...I invoke this command: Thou shalt not envy."

Adena's vessel was caught up in metaphysical chains that bound the core of her being. She felt an unnatural sense of pain that stripped away her ability to maintain her transformation causing her to kneel down on her hands and knees.

"What the hell...did you do to me?!" she mustered in agony.

"I bound the confines of your soul by punishing you for any insecurities you bear within that you have buried deep down. You hold a great amount of envy in your heart...because you feel inadequate. You feel inferior when it comes to matters of love with the one you desire most because you believe that you shall never measure up to another," Sakinah explained before passing her by.

As Adena was left to wallow in her pain, her mind processed what the woman said to her.

"Who the fuck am I jealous of? I mean I got my man so that's just ridiculous. Heh...heh..."

The mental image of a certain woman filled her mind as her heart ached even more.

"I see...I guess I do feel a little inferior to you, Aneki."

"I have no need of trash such as you at the moment. You are nothing but a doll, a mannequin set to be used as a means for the purpose of the Chaos to come. Your very presence irritates me..."

"What?" Vesta asked in a faint gasp.

Sakinah's right hand vibrated on the molecular level to mimic the technique of intangibility. In the blink of an eye, she penetrated the Godspeed's chest and squeezed the girl's heart for a second to cause her to lose consciousness.

"I shall not kill you until I have decided whether to rewrite you or erase you. For now, you have been deactivated."

Vesta's eyesight hazed over as the breathing in her lungs ceased. Everything within the girl's body was shutdown before she fell over onto the ground in a death-like state.

"You're powerful, I will give you that...however, you're not anything I can't handle. I'll step in and show you what the Devil Queen is capable of. Besides, I am better off fighting alone."

"Hikari Hanate, the fake...a pretender to the one I seek. Would you have become the vessel if she did not exist I wonder? Regardless, I know all too well of you. The memories of my fragments carry the visions of what you are capable of. You could potentially push me to greater heights, but you see...you are also a hindrance I do not need. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. Rewrite – Fate of Origin."

Just when Hikari felt her body powering up getting ready to unleash her fullest potential, every ounce of strength she had in body was drained away from her.

"What did you..."

"I sealed away the events that led to you becoming the Devil Queen. All of the powers you unlocked, were bestowed with, or ever received...every event in your life involving those moments were ripped away. You just an ordinary girl with an extraordinary tale of survival."

Before Hikari could protest, she felt something slap her on the back of the neck. Sakinah was standing right beside her and chopped her in the critical spot. This left the girl powerless as she fell face first into the group, her vision fading away.

"You are all that is left, Raizo."

The male was speechless. He felt his heart quiver with intimidation, his legs tremble with his fear, and his ability to think clearly become glossed over by doubt. He was unable to process anything right now. All of his allies just fell one after the other. He did not know what to do. All of the training he did, all of the preparation he was given, so much time spent...yet he just felt helpless.

"This isn't like me...this isn't me at all. Why can't I move? Why can I hardly breathe? I have to do something...I have to do...just anything. So many of my friends and family have been lost already...I have to make a stand and save them...save everyone!"

He went to take a deep breath and clear his mind so that he could enter that ascended state of instinct.

"Sundering Strike Alternative."

Sakinah suddenly pulled out Vajra and tossed it at Raizo. At that point, the blade rushed towards the youth and slashed at his body with enough force that mimicked the Kamui move. The weapon sped around the concept of the Omniverse outside of Raizo's perception and hacked away at his flesh. The assailant was careful enough to wound, but not kill. After 13 hits, the attack finished as Raizo fell down on the ground. He tried to crawl away as he felt the mental image of that nightmare play out. With all of the bodies laying around, it appeared just like his dream.

"You...say you want to save everyone, yet here you are...about to wipe us all out. How can you ever hope to be a Savior when your actions are nothing short of a Tyrant?" Raizo coughed.

"In order to truly save you all, I have to wipe away your sins. Those that I have spared will be given life again. But first, you all must be baptized and be cleansed of all iniquities. Then...as I take the Root for myself, I will be sure to restart creation without the influence of ambition or chaos imposed by the sinners of man and the wretchedness of the gods. Akasha cannot save you, but I can."

"What? That...doesn't make any sense! How can you aspire to save anyone when you're advocating the exact same ambitious nature that you so abhor of the gods that wronged you? What makes you any different from them? You claim that you desire to save us...but you don't even hold the idea of redemption!"

"Because no one can be redeemed from their nature..."

"Then why not kill us? Why spare the select ones that you have chosen so far?"

"If given the opportunity to show you the world I wish to create first hand, then surely you will all join me to preserve the peace I seek. You will stand with me when the time comes. Akasha abandoned everyone many eons ago, she may be awake now...but history is bound to repeat itself. Her nonintervention approach will only get all of creation killed by Azoth because she is numb to the threat."

"I refuse to believe that..."

"I know...which is why I shall show you by force of what I wish to bring to fruition. All I need is the chance to do so."

Sakinah brought her book to bear as she opened its pages. As she summoned a great source of energy to the palm of her hand, a dark crimson portal opened once more as the energies of three familiar beings wafted out of it. The visages of Akaro Hajime and his wife Akame alongside Kimiko Hanate came into view. The glow of their crimson eyes radiating in the distance alongside their auras could be seen.

"So the real challenge has finally arrived then? I'm sure Arayashiki would rather deal with you, but I shall entertain you myself."

The dense waves of energy surrounding Sakinah spiked once again stronger than it was before. As she began to walk towards her next battle, Raizo glanced over and saw all of his allies laid out. That nightmare was coming true minute by minute.

"This...cannot be the end..."