The Treacherous Princess

Fischl's aura surged, her hair bleached becoming pure white while her left eye became deep crimson, shining brightly as she gazed at her surroundings. She drew her bow that was unable to hold her new strength, breaking in pieces but not before shooting some bolts that perfectly hit the Herald's attack, completely destroying it.

"Y-you are...?!" The Herald was completely taken aback, his eyes fixated on Fischl as his body trembled. "G-Gung-."

"So you remember me?" Fischl's voice remained calm, but there was a drastic shift in the atmosphere around her. Cold and intense pressure emanated from her, making her appear like an entirely different person. "I suppose it's difficult to forget," she remarked, gently patting her left eye.

"It can't be! It's impossible!" The Herald's anger mixed with fear as he swung his hands, summoning more portals around him from which hordes of hilichurls emerged, filling the room with over 50 of them.

"Kill her!" The Herald urgently commanded, his voice tainted with both eagerness and dread.

"Useless," Fischl dismissed the broken bow in her hands, a weapon that couldn't withstand even a single of her attacks attack.

"Come, Gungir" The air around her cracked, condensing into a scarlet and black bow of simple yet awe-inspiring design.

"You are all in my sight," Fischl's left eye, resembling a scarlet moon, shone brightly, reflecting every enemy in the room. She deftly drew her bow, charging a scarlet arrow in it.

"Perish!" Fischl fired the arrow, and it dispersed into more than fifty bolts that resembled falling stars, each aimed at an enemy.

The Abyss Order quickly reacted, hilichurls raising their shields, and mages conjuring elemental barriers.

"Idiots! Don't bother defending!" The Herald hastily ordered, slicing two bolts that were heading for him and a Hydro Abyss Mage at his back.

However, the other troops were left bewildered by the unexpected order, unable to react in time. The price of their hesitation was their lives. Each bolt effortlessly found its mark, penetrating their defenses as if they were nonexistent and perfectly hitting their heads, leaving them dead in an instant.

"Escape! Inform His Highness that she has returned!" The Herald commanded the lone surviving mage, who promptly made his escape through the portal.

Fischl shot her bow once again, her movements a blur as she rapidly fired countless arrows, each dividing into two to target both the Herald and the fleeing mage.

"I'll stop her!" The Herald stepped forward, swinging his blades and channeling Cryo with each slash to intercept the bolts. Yet, Fischl's relentless barrage proved too overwhelming, and some of the arrows pierced him, though not fatally. He managed to halt them from reaching the mage, giving him enough time to vanish through the portal.

"Stop me? Try it," Fischl's eye radiated a brilliant light as she advanced, her left foot firmly planted on the floor.

*CR* Fischl gripped her bow with her left arm and lifted her right leg, drawing her bow to its maximum as she used her right foot to apply tension to the string. The air cracked and fissured as she formed an immense crimson arrow.

"Pierce through, Gungnir!" With a powerful kick, Fischl released the arrow, sending it hurtling like a colossal red laser straight toward the Herald.

"I'll stop it!" The Herald infused his blades with Cryo, giving his all in a desperate attempt to halt Fischl's attack.

"You are not at the level to even try," Fischl declared.

*Fush* The Herald's desperate attempt to block the attack proved futile, as Fischl's arrow passed through him as if he were made of smoke. The red laser pierced through his body, disintegrating him instantly, leaving only his legs to fall to the ground, devoid of the support of his former self. Even after piercing him, the attack continued unstoppable, piercing through the room, creating a perfect round hole.

...

"I've escaped" The Hydro Abyss Mage hurriedly surged from a portal, sighing in relief as he looked at the darkness of his new surroundings. "I need to inform his Highness. The Treacherous Princess has return-"

Just as he was about to move, the space at his back cracked and from it, a scarlet bolt surged, perfectly piercing his head.

*Pa* The lifeless body of the Mage fell to the ground, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

...

"You never left my sight" Fischl's left eye reflected the Mage's corpse falling to the ground as she lowered her bow after that final shot. Then, she turned over Allen as she withdrew her bow.

Allen couldn't help to be fascinated by her and how easily she defeated all the enemies. She was still Fischl, the same body with only a whiter hair and a shiny left eye that resembled a scarlet moon that attracted all the attention, making it almost impossible to not look at it.

"Who are you?" However, Allen was clear that the one in front of him wasn't Fischl, at least not the same as before. The intense yet calm air, the sad and tired expression, plus her pressure was nowhere near Fischl. Where Fischl's gave a kind of childish play of a princess, this new one gave the true pressure of a monarch, someone who forced respect and who had experienced a lot of difficulties.

"That is of no importance" Fischl stated "You can go now. You can forget about everything."

"But-!" *Pa* Just as Allen was about to talk, some steps were heard. Allen quickly turned over them while Fischl lowered her face and sighed tiredly, perfectly knowing who was approaching.

A tall man with light blond hair and sea blue eyes with distinct, star-shaped irises with a mask covering the right side of his face.

The man scanned the scene, looking at the dead bodies of the Abyss monsters before fixing his gaze on Fischl, especially over her left eye.

"Your Highness!" The man kneeled on the ground, lowering his head in full respect.

"Stand up, Dain. There's no need for this" Fischl stated.

"Have you finally made your choice, princess?" The man lifted his face, his eyes shining with determination, respect and eagerness, seemed to be pleased by Fischl's choice.

"No" Fischl shook her head calmly "Nothing had changed" She looked around at the corpses "This was simply..." She turned over Allen "...a little girl's last wish. Nothing more."

"Are you sure, princess?" The man pleaded with his eyes. "These monsters must be stopped! We can't let them roam freely."

"My cowardly decision has not changed, I will not meddle with them" Fischl stated calmly, unmoved by the man's plead. "Do what you must do. As many times before."

"Understood, your Highness" The man's eyes turned cold as he stood up. He walked over Fischl "I'll do it again."

"Surge, Dainsleif" Over the man's right hand, an azure greatsword with a black hilt with a starry design appeared from nothing. "I hope one day you change your mind, your Highness."

"Your side or them, I will choose neither. My decision won't change." Fischl stated as she unwarily looked at the man "Proceed."

"As you wish, Ma'am" The man gripped the greatsword with both hands, lifting it. With immense strength and precision, the man swung his greatsword at Fischl who calmly accepted his fate.

"Until next time"