Battle cries in two languages slowly transformed to the universal shouts and screams of war. With most of the Otters either with Kumo or Samba, it was humans, goblins, and the Faithful who fought and died all around.

Galvina waited just a brief second for Nori to charge at her brother Graves then followed closely behind. At the same moment, the human king and the elder engaged with the other two heirs present - Dragara and Zephyr.

Zephyr's shadow had already spread out along the ground joining that of the others still fighting. Soon, lances of shadow would start to stab at his foes. Dragara, on the other hand, had sheathed herself in stone using her [Living Golem] Skill.

They weren't her opponents though so she steadied her attention back on Graves.

Her brother waited casually for them to approach despite the war going on around him. That damn smile still perched on his lips.

Nori flew forward, fist first, but a casual backhand of her brother's rapier against her arm killed her momentum. Galvina and Graves shared the same [Fighting Style], (Perfect Form), so she'd expected the response.

Her follow up was to use the opening as Nori turned aside to stab forward, trying to get an early strike in.

It didn't work.

He twisted his hips and took a step to the left, bumping a charging demon out of the way even as he dodged her rapier. She tried a few more attacks, but each of them were dodged or parried.

"Is this the best you have, dear sister?"

His words mocked her, but she bit her anger back down. He was right. She'd never beat him with pure swordplay.

Though they may share the same [Fighting Style], his accompanying Skills and Domain were perfectly suited to support it. [Perfect Parry], [Perfect Step], and his Domain [Perfect Strike].

Individually, the Skills themselves barely even seemed like unique Skills, but in truth, they were multipliers. Each of them provided that extra edge to completely unlock their shared [Fighting Style] to its utmost.

The only weakness to perfection was overwhelming power - something she didn't have.

Nori charged in again, barely seeming different than her first attack, but it was different. When Graves backhanded her arm away, she spun with it, turning her initial tackle into a corkscrew punch.

Not expecting her expertise, surprise lit his features and he was forced to active [Perfect Parry] to block. The side of his rapier instantly killed her momentum and a flick of his blade forced her to dance backwards to avoid its point.

Galvina had to stop her mouth from dropping open. [Perfect Strike] couldn't miss. That was the whole purpose of it, and yet, Nori had just retreated from it unscathed.

She could still feel her Skill [Demon in the Details] active and knew that it was still churning against fate as it pushed for the one scenario where Nori could defeat her brother.

Yet, it wasn't fate that had allowed her to dodge [Perfect Strike]. It was Nori's talent only.

Galvina continued to press her attack, but her brother still didn't feel the need to counter her. The same wasn't true for Nori. Like a snake, she'd lash in for an attack and then retreat just as quickly.

After watching her for a few exchanges, it became more and more apparent that whatever [Fighting Style] Nori had was incredibly advanced. It wasn't even that she was dodging [Perfect Strike] so much as getting out of its range - something that should also be impossible when it was paired with [Perfect Step].

Best of all was that Graves stupid smile finally fell.

Even if they lost, she'd take that as victory.

***

Sweat beaded down Nori's face, but she couldn't afford the time to wipe it off. Even as each moment of her fight ballooned in her mind, it was only by the barest of margins that she stayed in front of the demon's blade.

Nori had spent a long time in the Child Stage as she looked for some way free of that impossible scenario. As a Fighting Goblin, her [Fighting Style] had been deeply ingrained in her race.

After breaking free from her demon captors and fighting a constant running war between her goblins and the demons that hunted them, her prowess only sharpened. Her [Fighting Style] became [Aether Arts] which eventualy grew to [Aether Ascendance] when it became her Domain.

All of her other Skills centered around and supported that singular part of her being.

Her charge forward might look like a mad dash to the outside, but it was fully within the realm of her Domain. [Awareness] kept a constant eye on the battle around her and the state of the environment.

Like a call and response, it spoke volumes to her Domain which in turn fed it through [War Mastery], a combined Skill from both [Strategy] and [Tactics].

Graves's stance and posture revealed a grand sea of threat to her eyes and only small dotted areas of safety.

[Measured Step] brought her further than could be expected. [Aether Ascendance] let her kick out, forcing him to dodge or block, but she knew he'd block from the angle.

Turning her side kick into a backflip, she sailed over a demon's head and his return strike was halted by some errant ally. A gentle [Forceful Palm] sent that demon stumbling into his space.

Graves danced around his ally without taking his eyes off of Nori.

She'd never been out skilled before. Despite having not taken an attack, she hadn't landed one either. Her [Aether Mastery] might give her the edge in a war of Endurance, but her Wisdom was her lowest Stat, meaning her Aether pool was abysmal. If he had even a D Wisdom, she'd lose.

From her [Awareness], she thought that both the King and the Elder had the advantage against their opponents, but without knowing the full breadth of their Skills, she couldn't trust on help before her own Aether ran out.

But losing was not an option.

Nori had promised Tama long ago that they'd rid the world of the demons and their ilk. To have any hope of winning, she'd have to take advantage of all her resources.

***

Galvina leapt over a stabbing shadow before ducking a gout of flame. One of them, Nori or Graves, had led the battle closer to where the King and Elder fought Zephyr and Dragara.

Despite the increased chaos, she still stabbed and slashed at her brother as often as possible, but she might as well have been one of the rank-and-file demons for all he paid attention to her. She was set dressing and nothing more.

Nori was the real threat for him.

The two of them maneuvered all across the battlefield as both of them tried to find an opening to attack from. Several minutes had passed, but other than the dead mounting on both sides, nothing had changed in their stalemate.

Seeing Nori's true skill, Galvina had some resources that she thought could turn the tide, but it would take a large opening to actually use it. Something that looked impossible considering the level of Skill involved.

Galvina started to dart forward to perform another ineffectual attack when something changed.

Nori, like usual with her in and out style, dove towards Graves like a madwoman. She punched a block out of the way, but instead of retreating, she launched forward with the space of a single step that seemed to go just further than was possible.

A wide hook, practically blazing with Aether to Galvina's senses, slammed into Graves stomach and it was only a testament of his C Vitality that he only stumbled a couple steps.

Galvina's spirits lifted and she charged forward unthinking, but her brother snarled as he lashed out with his rapier. Nori's fists and height made her awkward to hit, but she was within the range of [Perfect Strike] and it never missed.

His rapier stabbed down into her shoulder and she cried out even as she slid under his legs to avoid more than a light wound. Blood still dripping from her shoulder, she still didn't leave range.

A heavy cross crashed into her brother's right thigh as he was turning around to counter. Nori's follow up that was headed straight for the crown jewels was blocked by a [Perfect Parry] before he performed a horizontal slash to create distance.

In response, Nori leaned back, accepting a cut on her chest as she planted one hand on the ground and kicked upward at the elbow on his sword arm. He tried to activate [Perfect Step], but Nori shone with Aether like a bonfire on the beach of the Ebony Coast. That burning Aether fueled her as her foot stabbed upward into his elbow.

Graves cried out, music to her ears, and stumbled backward. The damage to his leg had slowed him and even the movements of his sword arm seemed imperfect. A well-timed shadow sliced upward at Nori and she took a cut across her thigh as she was forced back away.

"You festering scrotum," Graves spat, all of his decorum lost, as he revealed that the two of them really were twins. "Goblins are cockroaches that should be fucking blissful to have the privilege of being squashed under my foot, you shit-loving asshole."

"My perfect brother can't beat a simple goblin?" Galvina taunted. "Oh my, how the Empire has fallen."

"Cover me," he growled to the demons around him and reached for his belt. That was the moment that she'd been waiting for.

Her hand flew to her own belt and practically ripped a flask from it before she tossed it. "Nori!"

Her shout made the goblin pause before catching the potion out of the air and downing it just as Graves was downing a potion of his own.

The difference was in what kind of potions they drank. In his arrogance, Graves still couldn't imagine that he could lose. Him bringing a health potion was more a statement of avarice than preparation.

Nori however...

The taste hit first and she gagged, only a force of will keeping it down. Maybe that was the entire twist of fate that [Demon in the Details] had provided. Before it even had a chance to get all the way down, Nori started to buck and shake and a scream tore through her throat as her Aether ignited.

"No..." Graves whispered and Galvina had to fight back a grin.

After the Monster Surge, the Demon Larvae Secretion Tonic had saved her life in Igna. Both in keeping herself standing and giving Gi the juice he needed to take down the Queen even though it killed him.

It's effects were well documented and it still surprised her that none of the other heirs deigned to use it. Arrogance.

With Nori's current injuries, the tonic wouldn't kill her, but based off their fight, it should kill him.

Graves scrambled towards her as fast as he could to kill her while the potion still took effect, but Galvina was there to stop him. Her (Perfect Form) met his and she was found wanting. Four stab wounds later and she stumbled backwards just as Nori rocketed forwards.

"Fate's my favorite fickle bitch..."

***

It felt like Nori had swallowed a sun.

You are under the effects of Demon Larvae Secretion Tonic. Aether increased, Aether capacity increased, Strength increased, stamina increased. Effects last 1 day. Variability of up to 1 day depending on use and injuries sustained.

One kick against the ground sent her sailing across the battlefield. Galvina had delayed long enough for the Tonic to start working and it felt like a mere instant before she was back within Graves's range.

As before, the demon heir's offense was too good and she still had to eat a slash across her bicep to get inside his guard, but it didn't even hurt. Only the feeling of pressure and her near perfect knowledge of the battlefield told her she'd been cut.

The improved Strength and stamina from the tonic was also a huge boon, but where it really shone was the effects on her Aether. Even as she'd progressed her Wisdom had languished. It wasn't as if she couldn't have spared the Soul Orbs, but her talents were misaligned and attempting to raise it had been dangerous.

With her talents though, it hadn't mattered. She'd been able to achieve insane things with just a trickle. It was Nori that freed the goblins from the Demons.; it was Nori that led them to assault the temple to grow their Skills and Stats; and it was Nori who'd ultimately punished the demons again as they fought the humans post-Surge.

Now, that trickle of Aether that she'd used all her life was a waterfall. Power, speed, strength, and even her skill surged as her entire being was flooded with Aether. An amount that would have turned her into a worn husk before poured out every second.

It was impossible that this boon would last forever, but she didn't need it to.

Two jabs hit Graves's thigh and his rapier stabbed downward just as they hit. It clipped her shoulder, but she snagged the blade with her fist covered in Demonsteel Cloth. Whatever enchantments he had on his blade meant it still cut her hand, but she ignored that too.

A tug on his weapon sent him off balance and she placed one foot on his knee before leaping over his extended blade and kicking him straight in the jaw. Nori heard a crack on impact, but Graves grit his teeth and turned his stumble into a roll. At the same time, his blade turned upward and slashed Nori from hip to shoulder blade.

Still, it was shallow. She knew it would be. Yellow pus appeared in the wound as the tonic was unwilling to let her blood leave her body.

As Graves popped up from his roll and spun to face her, Nori's knee rocketed into his nose. A loud snap echoed over the battlefield as it broke, blood poured freely down his face, but he flexed his entire body refusing to be pushed back and for the first time she miscalculated.

Expecting him to be knocked back, she was preparing a hook into his thigh when he brought his rapier to bear in a big overhand. All of Nori's weight was shifted forward towards the attack and with his insane Skill, she wouldn't be able to avoid it.

In an instant, [War Mastery] and [Awareness] took in the entire battlefield. Shadows were being doused by flame, a human used conjured blades to systemically dismantle a demon heir so wrapped in stone that she appeared to be a golem. Both forces were down to mostly dregs, but neither side was willing to back down. Nori's own goblins would have fought to the death to simply spit in a demon's eye.

How could she do any less?

[Measured Step] expanded the moment as his blade descended, aiming perfectly for her heart. She moved herself an inch. It would still impact her lungs, but hey, she had two.

As the tip of the blade tickled her chest, she jumped into it, carrying herself along the length of the blade even as it pierced her until she could reach her arm over and dig her claws into his shoulder. Surprise lit the demon heir's features, but it was far too late.

Using [Aether Mastery], every ounce of Aether she could muster gathered into her hand until it was pouring out of her pores because her body wasn't able to contain it all.

She opened her hand like a blade and stabbed it through his neck. His eyes were opened wide in shock, but with his Vitality, he was somehow still alive so she closed her fist around one half of his neck and tore it off, making his head dangle onto his chest.

The light left his eyes and the two of them fell back limp. With that attack, both her Aether and the tonic were used up. Weak laughter bubbled out of her throat at her victory, but the sounds of war around her didn't stop and staring blank faced next to her... was Glom.

Her hand grasped at Glom's lifeless one and squeezed. The annoying goblin had tried so hard to fill the hole that had been Tama in her life, but all he'd managed was to tear it bigger.

After everything that they'd survived, killing an heir was the best that Nori could manage. Maybe they were all failures.

Nori's pained laughter transformed to sobs.

***

The King and the Elder had defeated their heirs and were now destroying the rest of the demons that had come to attack, but their defense had cost them.

Galvina hobbled through the dead and dying until she made it to where Nori lay sobbing in the dirt unable to move other than one hand in a death grip on the goblin next to her.

Covered in blood and tears and snot, a goblin had never looked more disgusting to her. They were gross and pathetic-

Nori choked out words not meant to be heard by Galvina, but she fell witness anyways. "I'm... sorry, Tama... This- This was... as far as I can go..."

Galvina's sensibilities screamed at her, but she found herself ignoring them and laying a gentle hand on Nori's shoulder. "You went far enough."

She doubted that Nori even heard her, but she said it again. "You went plenty far enough. It's in other hands now."