Chapter 87: Finale

The gap closed instantly. Eve tried to cast a spell, but I was much quicker than expected. Mana surged to my wrist as a blade formed. I'll end this qui-

“Regal Flash!” Golden light swamped my vision. I felt the lenses in my adapt just in time to see him dart towards me. Instinctively, I raised my bladed arm just in time to block his blade.

“It won't be that easy mushy!” he yelled. The golden light disappeared, revealing the pure spirit in front of me. I quickly looked up at his eyes and noticed a pinkish-purple hue. Some sort of reinforcement magic? But what kind?!

“Don’t get too confident!” I squared my feet, grit my teeth, and started pushing upwards against his blade. Surprise was plastered all over his face as I surged upwards, quickly sending his blade away flying away. Swiftly, At the same time, I swept my leg through his, quickly knocking him to the ground.

“die!”

Another blade shot out of my other arm. Fear painted his face as the blade dove towards him. Suddenly, a large purple bubble ruptured around him in the nick of time. I leapt backwards and looked towards the mage with the same bubble wrapped around her.

“That’s annoying, but it won't save you!”

The bubble around the man quickly covered his entire body and rose out of the ground.

“No, you don’t!”

Mana charged toward my fingertips like a stampeding bull. A Torrent of seeds flew out of my fingertips and into the two of them. Thousands of seeds collided with them and into the surrounding buildings. The seeds tore the buildings to pieces, smashing windows, leaving hundreds of holes in the buildings, and blanketing the entire street with dust simultaneously.

I quickly bolted into the dust cloud, hoping to find 2 dead pure spirits but I annoyingly found nothing.

<Dammit! Little one, track them down!>

<Yes, big sis!>

As he flew away, I bolted into the cloud of green spores. They are not gonna run away from me!

……

Eve the pure spirit Pov…..

I bolted into a nearby alleyway, with Aiden in tow.

“Did we lose her!”

I looked behind me. Nothing. Thank god.

I  dropped the energy shield around the two of us.

“Just what THE HELL is wrong with her! 1st, she drops out of the sky like a crazy person, and then she jumps us! That is NOT a normal mushy. I've never seen a-“

“SHUT IT! I KNOW,” I bit back. Dammit, why is he doing this now? I grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. They still had a purple hue. So, that means the emotional reinforcement is still active. Dammit, why is he acting like this? Then he should be able to stay calm in all situations! Fuck is she really that scary? Her magic is formidable I know that much.

“Dammit! To think a mushy would have us running with our tail between our legs.”

This is bad! Really fucking bad I can't let her leave here alive! If people find out we struggled to beat one mushy, we would be the biggest laugh stocks the world has seen!

“Aiden, my love, I'm gonna need you to focus up here. We have to focus on cutting her down?”

“Cutting her down?! Are you crazy! We need to focus on survival!”

“We won't survive if she is still alive!”

“Yes, we can. Remember, the rules say that surviving the top 5 are winners. We just need to go back and eliminate a few of those small fry back-“

“GOING SOMEWHERE!”

“EVE MOVE!”

Aiden shunted into me, sending me off to the side. I snapped back just in time to see Aiden raise his blade just in time to clash with her!”

“Eve! Run NOW!”

He quickly raised his blade up to guard as the moon spirit swung wildly. Aiden started to move backwards as her attacks were unrelenting.

“EVE WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!”

My mind snapped back as I scrambled to my feet and started running.

“No! It's obvious she won't leave us alone. We have to stand our ground here and NOW!”

Mana channelled into my hands and out into 2 spinning discs.

“There is no way I'm dying to be a stupid mushy.”

I sent 2 of the disks flying towards her.

“Try dodging that!”

Apollinaris Pov….

<Well, that’s annoying> I quickly pushed him away as the 2 discs flew past him.

<SHIT>

Instantly, green Mana shimmered around me just in time for the 2 discs to collide with me. A large explosion shook the street and sent me skidding backwards.

I'll need to be-

Suddenly, two more discs and a gold slash of Mana flew towards me. I strengthened my shield again and took the attacks head-on. I need to do something fast; this shield spell uses way too much Mana! Think if I can just.

Another 2 discs came flying out; however, this time, I was ready. I leapt up just in time for them to fly underneath me.

<if they think something that weak will-“

<Big sis! Dodge> I looked around just in time to see one of the blades had turned around.

<Shit> I  twisted my body as best I could, causing the blade to-

“GYAGHHAAA! MY ARM!”

-50 hp

1950/2000

I landed on the ground.“ THAT! HURT!”

Burning Hatred Stage 1 Reached[Smoldering Resentment]

“YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!”

A sudden blast of heat shot out of my body. Blowing away all the dust and revealing the two of them. I burst forward with an insane speed. The swordsman quickly reacted and went to guard. I collided with him, sending him skidding backwards a few feet. The man grunted and strained as he struggled to overpower me. When suddenly, a purple aura shimmered around his body.

I looked to the side just in time to see the girl. Sweating profusely but with a smug smile on her face.

“Not so confident are you!”

Suddenly, Aiden moved. Fuck it was a distraction. His blade glowed a bright gold as it shot towards me. Instinctively, my blade shot Out quickly, blocking. We started a clash of blades as we swung wildly,y trying to score a lethal hit.

“You're getting on my nerves now!” Flame engulfed my arms and ruptured down and into my blade, causing it to glow a bright emerald green.

-200 hp

1750/2000

NO! I need to stay calm here. Think back to basics: what do you always do. Go for the magic user first. She is the biggest thorn in my side here. Suddenly, an idea flashed in my head. I took a deep breath when suddenly, the purple haze that covered his body surged.

“Oh that feeels goooood”

His strength surged. His blade collided with mine and sent it flying away. I formed the nature shield around my body just in time to block the follow-up attack. However, the force of the strike was enough to send me shooting backwards

<Why is it never fucking easy!>

I skidded to a stop and sprinted back towards him. He did the same, causing us to clash with our two blades. The force of the contact sent a shockwave around us that levelled what remained of the buildings. I managed to sneak my blade through and land a strike on his body, but the purple acted like a shield to protect him.

“Nice try, mushy. But your end is here.”

It's now or never! I forced the air out of my cap, and blanketed the area in a dense fog of spores. Thanks to his shield, they won't kill him, but they will blind him for a while.

“No, you don’t!” He started swinging wildly. Now for part 2. I stomped on the ground and cast soft terrain. Immediately, he sunk to his knees. It won't be long before he breaks out; I'll need to be quick. I activated my mana lenses willingly for the first time, and suddenly, everything darkened except 2 big blue blobs. One was sunk partially in the ground while the other stood in the distance.

<There you are!>

I slipped away quietly before bolting towards her. This is it! She dies here; no messing it up! I shot out of the cloud with a burst of speed. Eve’s head quickly landed on me. Suddenly, time slowed. Mana rushed down my arm to form a blade once more. I looked towards Eve. Her eyes slowly widened as she realised it was too late for her. Time sped up again, and I collided with Eve, burying my blade into her stomach. However, I didn’t stop; I pulled it out and stabbed her again and again. Each stab sent red streaks all over my arm and body.

“Not! So! Proud! Are you!” I pulled my blade away from my stomach and plunged it deep into her heart. Her body went limp, and without further word, she fell to the ground like a sack of bricks.

Eve, the energy mage Slain!

12,000 XP cp awarded…..

“That’s 2”

The sound of the ground crumbling hit my ears just in time to see Aidan fly out of the toxic dust cloud with purple Mana trailing off him.

“Eve! Where are you! I felt the spell dispersing! Did you run out of-“

His eyes fell on me, towering above her mutilated body. However, I didn’t waste time. I dashed towards him, closing the space quickly. Aiden's eyes looked right past me towards the corpse of Eve. Good.

My blade shot out as I got close to him. At that moment, he finally managed to snap out of it. I swung at him; Aidens eyes focused for a brief moment as he leapt backwards. The tip of my blade cut deep into his stomach.

“Gyaghhaaaaa! STOP! ” I didn’t. I put everything I had into The next swing. Aiden raised his blade in time to block my attack, but that’s all he managed to do. I swung again and again, keeping him on the defensive. Every swing was filled with every bit of my strength, every ounce of emotion, every drop of pure, uncut anger I had into it.

Green flame erupted around my body and down my blade. He threw his head away from the heat as he tried to raise his blade up to defend. Strength surged down my arm like a wildfire as my blade collided with his. The emerald flame surged again, generating an unbearable amount of heat. In my heart, I could feel that something was gonna give; something had to.

*SNAP*

A loud sound echoed between the two of us as a large fissure shot down the length of his blade. Aidan's eyes bulged, but it was too late. More and more cracks appeared before, and finally, a bright flash of golden light engulfed us both.

“WOAH, FOLKS, KUSAMURE AND AIDEN HAVE HAD A MIGHTY CLASH. I WONDER WHO WILL STAND VICTORIOUS!”

I felt the lens in my eyes shift to try and compensate for the brightness. But there was little it could do except minimise the stinging. Soon, the golden light faded, and the dust settled, revealing Aiden lying on the ground with his sword shattered into several tiny pieces.

“Get up!” I said as I walked over to him.

Groans escaped his body as he tried to get up. Oh no, no, no! You don’t get to lay there and die!

Instantly, I bent down and grabbed the sides of his head. With ease, I lifted him onto his knees. He looked at me with eyes filled with anger and sorrow.

“Just kill me already. That’s what you want, huh! You already have unjustly taken Eve and Torg. What's one more!”

The flame flared as my anger started rising.

“Are you trying to act like a victim?”

“We are the victims! Having to tolerate your existence for the sake of the forest! YOU took eve. MY EVE! None of you mushies should be allowed to live! Especially after today!” He spouted

My anger rose more at each word.

“You think you're the victim. Your pure spirits do this daily, and you have never once shown an ounce of care. Only now, when the boots are on the other foot, do you care. You pure spirits raped and killed my mom. The only family I had!.”

My grip tightened around his face, forcing his mouth shut.

“Do you know how it feels to lose the only person? And I mean, the only person you can call family. Can you imagine the amount of pain, anger and hatred someone would feel after losing something so important “

The flame ruptured down my arm and to my hands, engulfing his face

“AGHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! AGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

“Just imagine how that must feel to have all of that bubbling inside you”

His screams got louder as the heat of the flame ramped up and up

Caution! 200 damage taken

1800/2000 HP

The smell of burnt oak wood filled the air as more of his head began to melt first, starting with his eyes, which melted and started to run. Then, it was his skin. It hardened, going from a pale green to dark charcoal black. The emerald heat swelled again, illuminating the alleyway a bright green. The walls nearby soon started to melt, smouldering and blackening as the intensity. This intensity was too much for his charcoal skin; suddenly, a waxy feeling started to drip onto my hands, and his skin, skull, and brain started to melt. During all of this, the pure spirit never stopped screaming, and I enjoyed every second of it.

*THUD*

His headless corpse fell onto the ground.

Aiden, the Blade master Slain!

12,000 XP cp awarded…..

“That’s the third”

I walked back towards the clock tower. Let's end this stupid tournament.

Moments later…

The sounds of fighting got louder as I  got closer and closer to where the original group was. Seriously, just how weak are those four that they haven't beaten it yet?. I took a brief detour towards the fight. The ground shook every few seconds, and I could see dust being kicked up and above the buildings. By the sounds of it, They must be fighting for their lives.

Soon, I made it to a passageway that connected two streets to another. From there, I was able to get a glimpse of the fight the plant had. One of the members of the party wrapped up in its thorny tendrils as the others tried and failed to cut that tendril off. I watched this clown show for a few more moments before walking away.

< If they are struggling this much against the plant, then what would they have done if they faced me?> I looked towards the crowd, and judging from their lack of reaction, they weren't finding it entertaining either.

< Let's get this over with. I'm sick of this place.> I started walking, and in no time, I was at the large doors of the clock tower.

I pushed them open as wide as they could.

“PURE SPIRIT COME DOWN HERE!”

Suddenly, the wall in front of me rippled as she disabled her invisibility.

“Is it over?”

“Almost… Just one more loose end to tie up.”

Annie the pure spirit pov….

We both walked out of the clock tower and towards where the original group was fighting.

I looked up back towards the moon spirit. She was covered in blood and bits of pink flesh. Her face was caked in dirt, dust and debris with a side of blood. She looked like a monster, and in fact, I was certain she was one. I looked closer at her arms. They looked weird, not like anything I've seen before. I don’t know how to put it, but her skin looked like armour. Weird. I looked away from her towards the fighting ahead. To think this is finally over. I can't wait to get out of this place, get home and see my mom and dad. I can also tell them the good news that Torg is dead. He won't be bothering us anymore! If there is one positive thing I can take away from this, it's that.

Eventually, we arrived at the outskirts of the fight. I could feel the ground shake, but despite that, I wasn’t worried.

“*sigh* seriously, just how weak are they?”

I looked towards the fight. The plant now had  2 of them wrapped up, leaving nothing but an archer and, I'm guessing, their brawler. Without any mages or support, they are done.

“So, do we wait for the plant to finish them?” I asked

She shook her head. “Watch”

Without warning, she lept into the fight. I quickly rushed forward to see. She easily landed in the centre of the fight between the plant and them. The 2 uncaptured fighters instantly went for her, but she was quick, unbelievably quick. In nothing but a moment, she had the two of them on the floor.

Seeing the opportunity, the plant sent out its tendrils and wrapped the two of them up.

“WELL FOLKS, THAT LOOKS LIKE ALL SHE WROTE. BUT THE RULES ONLY SAY THE TOP 5 CONTESTANTS WIN AND I SEE 6”

I quickly approached her. She was looking over the 4 other contestants, and each one of them had fear in their eyes as she scrutinised each one.

“YOU DON’T NEED TO DO THIS!”

“JUST LET US GO. YOU’VE PROVEN YOU'RE THE STRONGEST JUST MMMPHHH-“

Another set of vines suddenly grew and wrapped itself around their mouths, silencing them

“so noisy….. You! Pure spirit, get up here and choose one. I can't decide.”

“What? I can-“

“NOW!” she snapped

She took a step backwards and pushed me to the front? She's had no problem killing all this time, but now she has cold feet. I took a step towards the 4. Each of them looked at me with pleading eyes.

“I just need to pick one. I just need to pick one.” Dammit! Why is this difficult. Just pick one, and you can leave this nightmare! I looked again, and my eyes landed on a man. He had messy ginger hair and a scar on his face. His eyes pleaded with me to choose anyone but him.

“I’m sorry. But I choose hi- URK”

Pain spiked through my spine and stomach. I slowly looked down to see a bright green blade smothered with blood going through my chest.

“I..i…i….is that mine?”

I looked back to see the moon spirit staring coldly with eyes filled with hate.

“w…w…why, I… I… I Though”

“why? Because your kind will always deserve it.”

“But I didn't do- URRRGHHHH AGHHHHHAAAAA”

I screamed as her blade went deeper. Into me.

“Seeing how you healed me. I'll do you a kindness and not make it too painful.”

I screamed again as her blade went deeper again. Tears welled in my eyes as my vision suddenly started to go. Suddenly, she pulled her blade out, and I dropped to the ground facing her. She towered over my body, like a spider that’s just caught its prey.

“And with this, that makes 4”

Suddenly, there was a brief spike of pain around my neck, followed by darkness.