The Conclusion

-3rd PoV-

Boom! Boom!

Destruction was everywhere as the battle started, different kinds of magic spells were fired in a span of a minute, with different effects and magnitude of firepower.

The result was as expected, the road of Beacon was wrecked beyond belief, and alongside the area near it.

Salem continued to furiously cast spells that could blow up small mountains at her ex-husband, while Ozma defended her magic attacks with the best that he could.

Unlike Salem who doesn't care about the consequences of her attacks. Ozma, however, was different as he needed to protect his allies from constant onslaught toward them.

He couldn't find a way to counterattack her yet, as for now he shall wait and see, then find an opening and then he won't hesitate to attack.

"Pathetic, why would you bother protecting them now, Ozma? If I recall there are plenty of others before them, they are nothing but replaceable pawns, no? What makes them special, unlike the others from the past?" Salem mocked as she continued casting different spells at the same time and thought. 'I am truly getting rusty..'

If it was before, she could have cast dozens of spells at the same time, but right now she's only limited to a few.

And one must know how rare it is for someone, even back in their era, who would cast a different spell at the same time.

Salem wasn't called the strongest woman in history for nothing, as her titles were deserved, as they weren't self-proclaimed. They were given rightfully.

It's also the same case for Ozma, although, like Salem, his skills of casting magic also degraded it seems.

But then again, he just got back his original body for a month, it would take a few years at minimum to get familiar with it. After all, it's been millennia since he cast this magnitude of magic.

"They aren't replaceable pawns to me, Salem, unlike you I care about my people." Ozma snapped back at his ex-wife as he continued to defend himself and his people as they fought the enemy.

"Lies, you dared to speak such nonsense in front of my face?" Salem snarled at Ozma and her magic attacks got even stronger!

Ozma grimaced in pain as he got hit by a fragment of her magic, but it wasn't any major that would make him lose this battle, quickly applying healing magic to heal his wounds.

"They are not lies, but I suppose it is pointless to change your mind about what I think about my people," Ozma said with a serious face.

"Hmph, you're right." Salem didn't even deny that, because it's true she wouldn't believe that to be the case, and continues her attack on her ex-husband.

However, in the midst of their fight, without a warning a lone dust bullet hit Salem's side making her groan in pain, immortal may she be, but she wasn't immune to pain.

Her eyes wandered to the culprit and found out that it was Ironwood, Ozma's toy soldier. She couldn't stop herself from snarling at the man, however, in the moment of distraction, she failed to realize her mistake until it was too late.

A massive fireball hit her entire body, and it made her scream in pain as she felt the burnt all over her body, it also knocked her body back a few meters away from her original spot.

If she wasn't an immortal woman, she would have no doubt died instantly at the massive ball of fire before she wasn't this careless, but then again being immortal takes away that basic survival instinct on her because she believes that she doesn't need to defend herself.

And in the moment of indecisiveness, Ozma took it as an opportunity to strike her down, without hesitation he dashed toward her while using wind magic to make himself faster.

It was finally time for him to use the scythe that he bought from the shop, a weapon that cancels any form of immortality as long as it hits the target. Harpe.

Ozma swings the scythe at Salem, however before it was able to impale her, her instinct suddenly felt like it was a bad idea to let this seemly ordinary scythe hit her, so for the first time in centuries she dodged, but it wasn't a complete success as the scythe still manages to hit her right arm.

Making her groan in pain, but wasn't enough to make her scream, as an immortal that tried every known way of suicide, her pain endurance was over the roof, only being burned alive and few could literally make her scream in pain.

Quickly Salem moved away from her ex-husband's spot, making a space between them, she noticed the look of regret and a bit of guilt on Ozma's face.

It made her feel irritated for some reason. "What's with that look?"

However, he didn't answer her question making her more annoyed in the process, if he didn't want to answer her so be it, she will continue her attac-

Salem finally realized the pain in her right arm, she stared at her limb and saw that it was still bleeding.

'Impossible…the wound should have healed by now, like it always did- wait, could it be…' Salem's eyes narrowed at the seemingly ordinary scythe that her ex-husband was holding in suspicion, so she decided to vocalize her thoughts.

"That scythe, could it be a weapon that nullifies immortality?" Even without vocally answering her, his silence was the answer after realizing that she suddenly giggled and soon turned into a full-blown laughter, however, it wasn't one with joy but instead it was filled with madness, the very same madness that made her into the monster that she is right now.

"I see, I see now! No wonder you were so confident in defeating me! Turns out you have a weapon that could kill!" Her mad laughter continued for a full minute until she stopped as her expression turned more sobered.

Her expression was now calm, the calmest she had in centuries. Despite her potential death today, she didn't fear it, instead, she welcomed it, wasn't this her wish? 

To be granted eternal peace, because living is painful to her, it should have been that way, but why?

Why is she feeling so sad right now? She felt so disappointed that she might cry at any moment.

"This is truly our last battle." Her wounds are now affecting her, it's been a long time since she felt something like this, and she has forgotten what it felt like to be lightheaded.

She lost a bit much of her blood since the wound she received from the scythe wasn't small.

"Indeed, it is." It sounded more of a whisper, but she heard his words regardless.

"Mhm, is this why you wore that irritating expression? That face of regret and guilt? Don't be, isn't this your goal to finally slay the villain that is threatening the world? Regardless of our past relationships, I'm a monster Ozma, an abomination, a freak of nature that shouldn't have existed in the first place." Salem's face was bitter, as she laughed. 

"Maybe, you shouldn't have saved me from that tower and let me die ignorant of the world if only to spare myself from becoming the monster I am toda-" However before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by her ex-husband.

"No! Don't say something like that, ever." Ozma's voice and expression were a rare moment of anger. "I didn't regret saving you from that accursed tower and from your cruel father that caged you there like some sort of animal, you were not a monster when I saved you, you are…you are.."

His voice contained pain, sadness, guilt, and deep regret at the same time, of how their story turned out to be. "M-my wife, the love of my life, the only woman that I truly love with all my heart…I-because of me it turned out this way.."

Seeing his shamed face made her cold heart melt as he admitted his flaw, his mistake, as he was the most stubborn person that she met in her life, but that is exactly why she loved her, but at the same time she hated that part of him.

"I know this is probably pointless, because it's too late, even so…I'm sorry…for everything, for my mistakes, for my stubbornness, for not siding with you, for not being your knight at the time of your need…" Ozma admitted with the most defeated expression that he made in his entire life.

"Ozma…" Salem whispered as her ex-husband- no husband, admitted his mistake, for the first time she was looking at the love of her life, then Ozma the self-righteous man.

It was the look of the man she feels deeply in love with, it made her remember the happy times they had together, and his self-righteousness ruined everything.

Now the question is…can she forgive him?

The answer is…no, definitely she can't, not like this, there's so much hatred in her heart for her to forgive him right this instant, a single apology can't make her forget every single pain, sadness, and despair that he made her endure, because of his foolishness.

She can't forgive him, right now but in the future…maybe, no-, like he said it is too late because there would be no future as this battle would be the last.

It's either him or her that shall fall today.

Salem's gentle expression turned into that hatred, a look of a woman that lost everything. "Save your apologies Ozma, because I won't forgive you as we are now."

Ozma closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh, the look in his eyes was the look of acceptance, a cruel truth in their twisted fate. "Yes…I suppose."

Both fighters now had a determined look on their faces, as this final confrontation is the last, they would go all out and use all of their trump cards, this will decide who would win or lose.

Salem started chanting a paragraph-long spell, and this would no doubt drain all of her mana.

Ozma also did the same, all of his previous hesitations were gone, and he fully intended to take her down once in for all.

As it was their chant was about to be completed, unexpectedly someone interrupted them, making them lose all of the concentration they had before as they instinctively knew who they were, especially for Salem as it's been a very long time since she heard their sweet voice.

"Mama!"

"Mommy!"

"Ma!"

"Please don't fight each other!" 

It was her four precious children, the tears in their eyes made her lose all of the motivation of ending the battle with Ozma.

Ozma was the same, with his children here, he can't continue this fight any longer.

And because of this, the conclusion of the battle is a tie.

—

A/N: You THOT as would kill Salem? Nah, ah, no way if there's one thing I hate about a story it's a tragedy. That's why I'm making a happy ending for them, although it's not perfect like those fairy tales. 

I admit there's a time that I cringe at the sentence that I wrote for Ozma, but then again 'cringe' wasn't a known word back in the Middle Ages.

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