Layla lifted her chin to the side, seemingly in thought.

"That dragon and Kagalkan... They've failed."

Elliott frowned at those words. The ability to sense corruption was once inside him, meaning that the moment any of his minions perished, Miasma was able to tell.

Her beautiful face crumpled after a brief instant.

"The attack on the beastman failed, the invasion from the sea failed, and that new creation I felt so proud of... it failed too."

Anger and disappointment were visible on her face, until a genuinely impressed expression replaced the previous one.

"You were well-prepared. I can at least acknowledge that."

"I started this whole war underestimating yours and Orion's strength. Finding good company is hard these days."

With a sigh, her head dropped, glaring at Elliott.

"I'll spare you the sentimental speech, since I doubt you would join me after fleeing like a coward at the very first opportunity."

Elliott frowned at his father's words, holding himself back from immediately striking him down.

"At least I consider this freedom a fine reward after all you made me do."

With clear disdain in his voice, Elliott glared intently into the glistening, light blue eyes of Layla. Seeing past her gorgeous figure, he stared at the deformed form of his father deep inside her.

'I cannot hear her voice anymore...'

A glint of sadness flashed in his eyes at the thought.

'Again, I was too late.'

This added to the pile of regrets Elliott shouldered. Another reason to loathe the monster that his father turned into.

Bitterness filled his heart as a simple question escaped his lips.

"Was it worth it?"

Miasma's face froze before a dark veil covered his face. A grim smile broke the aggravated expression on his face as his voice replaced that of Layla's.

"Everything I did was worth it. To avenge Frey, I'll snuff out the lives of every living being on this planet."

It had been so long since he had heard his mother's name. Somehow, the two felt the same way.

They still hadn't accepted Frey's death.

"I see..."

Elliott released the grip on his sword, only to firmly hold it in front of him in anger.

"Then, I stand here to break your ambition."

"No more chaos will befall this world, father."

Vanitas shone brightly in its scabbard, while Layla crossed her arms with a scowl in her eye.

"Frey's sword. It shines even brighter than when I used it..."

"Of course it does. Mother never wanted this whole ordeal to happen. You know as much as I do that her sword has a will."

Slowly drawing the sword out, the light subsided.

"I know. That's why I'm confused. Have you grown out of your shell and finally obtained its approval?"

"It seems like it."

Miasma took a single step to the side, avoiding a blade of light from slicing him vertically.

This signaled the start of their fights.

Following the first attack, Miasma spun around, taking out a weapon in the shape of a fan attached to a strapped piece of cloth around her right thigh.

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Before taking a step back, he waved the fan in front of him, releasing five water spheres that stayed in place as he moved away.

Elliott took a step forward with Vanitas in hand, closed the distance between him and the orbs, and slashed them in half with a single horizontal movement.

As they were cut in half, Elliott noticed a bubbling noise coming from them. He jumped backward, before protecting himself with Ira.

The shield made of translucent energy blocked the explosion of the orbs, but couldn't block the shock itself. Pushed by the large explosion, his feet slid on the ground while Miasma appeared behind him.

Keeping a close eye on Miasma's movements, Elliott turned around, and slashed at him with his sword.

With the fan, Miasma blocked the sword.

With a stupefied expression, he looked closely at the weapon, which should have easily been cut by a sword like Vanitas.

On it, a thin layer of corrupt energy protected it from the pure energy of Vanitas, making it a perfect counter.

Ira vanished into the air, as the two broke away. Not a second later, they met again head-on, exchanging blows at an absurd speed.

Sparks were released each time their weapons met, and after only a minute, one of them was forced to move away.

Miasma jumped back and looked at the back of his left hand.

"Heh."

Looking at a small cut that dripped blood down his wrist, Miasma smirked.

"Either this body is too weak, or you have become stronger."

The wound closed up while releasing a dark purple smoke.

"..."

Seeing the expression on his son's face, Miasma's smile slowly disappeared.

"Why are you looking at me like this?"

Confusion could only be seen on his face, as he tried to understand Elliott.

"You don't have to know."

A terrifying amount of energy gathered around Vanitas, until he drew the sword at his side.

In a split second, Elliott vanished from his spot, only to reappear a few meters behind him.

"..."

Miasma looked at his body, watching a horizontal line form from the middle of his waist to his chest. This wound extended to his face, until blood spewed in large quantity as his body split in half.

Elliott swiped the blood off the sword and turned around, his shoes covered by a bright light.

"I had a hunch, but I wasn't certain."

Placing his hands on both sides of his head, Miasma turned around with a sour expression.

The deep wound healed as if it hadn't happened, with Elliott sighing regrettably.

"Those techniques, they are Frey's. I thought you weren't able to use them?"

Miasma recalled not being able to use any of these abilities while controlling Elliott.

"You! You hid them from me?!"

Genuine anger and consternation appeared on his face, breaking Layla's naturally gorgeous face.

"Of course I did. You weren't able to use a fraction of what mother's sword was able to muster, weren't you? The reason is rather simple, but probably too for one who strayed away from righteousness."

Taking a slight crouching stance, Elliott continued.

"You are not worthy of her wisdom anymore."

In the blink of an eye, the two met again, as one of Layla's arms went flying into the air.

But, on the other side, it was a price Miasma was ready to pay to get the upper hand in this fight.

"Kh!"

The fingers of his other hand were tightly squeezing Elliott's neck, digging into his flesh.

With a maniacal laugh, Miasma approached his son's face close to his.

"You know, Elliott? Using you was never important. Sure, this was the perfect way to hide my actions, turning them into YOUR responsibility."

"In reality, I wanted to kill you after Frey died. A useless son who couldn't lift a finger to defend her, as she was slayed protecting it."

Layla's blue eyes changed into a purplish color, with her pupil turning red.

"I... know..."

"Huh?"

To hear his words, Miasma released a little pressure from his fingers. Noticing that Miasma had eased his grip, Elliott took a deep breath, and continued.

"I had thousands of years to think about what had happened."

Miasma pushed downward, forcing Elliott to kneel on the ground.

"I know better than anyone that I had no reason to stay alive after what happened, but never did you."

"You had no right to lose your mind, to become this monstrosity."

With disdain, Miasma only glared at him. But Elliott couldn't care, as this was probably the only and last time he would be able to talk to him.

"Couldn't you wait for someone to help you with that revenge? Creating this whole idea that taking the lives of countless creatures would turn you into the most heinous and tortured being existing."

"That it would open a path to the creature who killed mother?"

Elliott bit his lower lips.

"Were you that stupid? Don't you know that this creature wasn't alone? What about the countless other places with Valkyries that were ravaged?"

"Do you intend to take all of them at once?!"

The anger in Elliott's eyes met the indifference of his father's.

"My only goal is to kill the one who usurped Frey's identity. Nothing less, nothing more."

Pressure returned around Elliott's neck, as he began to suffocate.

"Now, be a good son, and disappear from my sight forever."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Elliott's mouth.

"Why are you smiling? Are you that happy to be killed by me?"

"Not... really..."

Something was strange, which made Miasma anxious. He glanced carefully around, but couldn't find anything missing.

Until a radiant sword pierced the back of his chest, spraying blood on Elliott's face.

"Agh!"

This time, the pain was real. His innate ability did not subdue it.

Bypassing the whole ability, Vanitas pierced the very soul of Miasma, injuring it instead of injuring Layla's body.

It was a technique used against Orion too, capable of knocking his enraged forms.

Miasma released Elliott while fumbling backward. He placed his only hand on the blade, and tried to push it out of his body.

His hand slid along the sharp edge of Vanitas, cutting it each time he tried to remove it.

"You thought I came here to die? If so, you are gravely mistaken."

Clenching his hands into fists, Elliott walked toward Miasma.

"I came here for one reason."

-

"If your father loses the brightness in his heart, please."

"Bring peace to him."

-

Together with the words his mother partook upon him, Elliott slammed his right fist in his guts.