Raoul didn’t see Cer as a threat.
But he would be a fool to at least not knowledge her strength. He thought he knew everything there was to know about her, but today, he was met with an ability that was eerily close to a Healer’s.
I don’t sense any Scarlet Healers. She’s not wearing the written markings to redirect her damage, so the Blood Angels are not involved. I’m mistaken. A Blood Angel would not last here even with multiple nebulizers. Then, how does she have the same power as me? Ber and Res can’t resist electric-based magic. What tricks are you using, Cer?
His perception of Cer was stuck in the past, and Raoul couldn’t seem to comprehend the existence of the Cer before him. Since when did Cer fight defiantly against him? For how long had she been thinking that way?
It was meaningless to think about it now, because in the end, it would not change the outcome. The shadows that consumed him emboldened his blade like a torch set ablaze. His resignation came in the purest form. Emotions such as ire were lost on him as he stared at Cer with a solemn gaze.
This resignation fueled his shadows, his despair serving as the catalyst for the emptiness in his heart, and his sorrows paddling him through the spirals of darkness that he breathed at every waking hour.
“Ambitions to chase the Light damned our loved ones to ruin. Optimistic world views, promises of a better life, and love let misery take root in our hearts. I learned before mother that there is no such thing as a miracle without parting with the thing you are least prepared to lose!”
Raoul’s past was marred with mystery; most hidden away to even himself. It was through his utter resignation that he no longer needed to remember it. He only required the parts that held the highest emotional value, that way, he wouldn’t be trifled by the small, insignificant things.
“You’ll understand soon Cer. The necessity of this. All of it will make sense… and all you had to do was sit and wait in the Nexus! Galia was supposed to watch over you! It was mother’s wish!”
Raoul lifted his blade – a weapon that he seldom used, but knew how to handle like an old, vengeful friend. There was a time when bladed weapons were his closest aide.
Long, long ago when he was stuffed into a room with people who held the same, broken eyes as Deiman. Fragments of the past cropped up, but they were immediately suppressed by his indifference. But he could not hide the way the dark swirls reacted in response to his negative emotions.
He stared into his sister’s eyes. He saw the hatred in them, but that hatred was infinitely better than what could have been. Cer raced around the field like a cornered dog. The falling lightning struck every other Cer around her.
“My dear sister… if bringing you back like mother is the only way forward, then I have no choice but to cut you down!”
And with a downwards swing, black lightning befell the world, striking in droves at everything that moved. Cer took minor damage to the lightning strikes as he expected. His wolf howled again before charging straight for Cer. He held his blade out, seeking to cleave Cer apart.
His swing tore the ground in half as a dark crescent was fired forward. This crescent lacked electrical properties, meaning that a direct hit would injure Cer. But Cer was fast.
Unbelievably fast. Her sudden burst of speed took him by surprise as she weaved through his attacks, landing [Electric Fangs] and the electric lances at his mount. Each strike was empowered beyond what he remembered. Cer was never this strong, even when they first fought.
Could it be due to the blue glow on her body? Since when did she grow to this extent? How useless…
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“You’d rather kill me and torture me like mom than to resolve this normally!? Answer me, Raoul – what part of me will still be ‘me’ if I’m resurrected!?”
“We possess a soul that carries everything that makes us ‘us’. From the way our heart beats, to the memories we hold – our soul is the blueprint of our identity! So long as that is not destroyed then you will live on!”
“Like mom!? Living with her regrets and her trauma is ok with you!?”
“It is.” Raoul comfortably claimed.
No matter what face Cer made, and no matter what stood in his way… and whether he was right or wrong could not change this. He stood still for a short moment, exchanging a gaze of indifference to Cer as she wore an expression of horror.
“Mother is alive. That’s all that matters. After her, it’ll be the twins. No one will have to leave our side again. Everything will be alright. Haven’t you been longing for our reunion? I can only imagine how you must feel about mother.”
“You’re the only one who thinks like that! You haven’t moved on… you’re the one still stuck back in time with your damned attachment! Raoul… you’re no longer the brother I remember.”
“Then you’ve been remembering me wrong.”
“Yeah… Maybe I have. Hah… Hahaha… haha…”
The middle head of his wolf – the Cerberus – was on a quarter HP left. It wouldn’t be long until Cer destroyed his mount, and they’d be forced to fight one on one again. But he knew that it was futile for Cer.
This dark shield of mine will protect me from all attacks. Nothing she can do can puncture through. Nothing. But she must have noticed that it doesn’t cover my body entirely. It has to be focused on one point to block her attacks. I thought spreading it thin would work against her, but she’s grown too strong.
I should end this now.
“Cer. I still ask myself why mother loved you the most.”
“Loved me? The most? Haha… What the hell are you talking about? Are you blind? LOOK AROUND YOU!”
Cer’s electrical output shifted to a light blue color now. Even her crimson eyes had a tinge of light blue, just like their mother’s eyes. An immense, emotional turmoil consumed Cer suddenly.
Raoul attempted to get close, but before he was able to even conceive of the thought – the head of his middle wolf was chomped off in an instant.
“… A new attack…?”
Cer’s body morphed hideously. The cackles of electricity arched inwards, skewering her body. A sudden, sweet scent blew in his direction. It came from her blue blood, and it smelt like blue currant. It had the same consistency as jam, and the Cer he remembered no longer resembled anything like that of a Demi-human, aside from her ears and tail.
A Corruption!? No… that’s not it. Cer’s powers have been strange. It was like she was borrowing it from something else. Could that be it?
He had no definite proof, but he felt like something had taken over her.
“Mother… If she loved me… then why is she killing off every single one of me!? You’re not making any sense! Nothing ever has! No one but Frost has ever told the ‘whys’! I never had to ask, because I thought maybe you’d come to tell me!”
What Cer became was a giant slime-like ball with a tail and a pair of ears. The bottom half was colored a sky-blue, and the top white just like the tip of her tail. Various dishes could be seen floating within the blob, each rotting yet emitting a delectable scent.
Eyes, organs, and even limbs could be seen within. Her electric arcs gored her, skewering various dishes.
Finally, Cer spoke with a heavily distorted voice.
“But maybe I wasn’t tasty enough for you to salivate those thoughts.”
“Could it have been different if I was born like the rest?”
“I dressed myself up only to be cut one and left to bleed out my delicious sauce.”
“Mother must have loved me so much to discard me like untouched leftovers.”
The Corrupted Cer lunged straight for him as Raoul was left in a heavy state of shock. He had heard how his sisters had Corrupted, and he would be lying if he said that he didn’t regret it. However, seeing this occur right in front of him caused his heart to wrench.
He knew what it took for a person to Corrupt.
“… Mother never discarded you, contrary to your experiences. I alone know more than anyone how much she loved you. Cer… Tch…”
Raoul’s Cerberus was swallowed into the body of the Corrupted Cer. He was barely able to escape unscathed. The speed that her giant body moved was unnaturally fast, and it devoured the wolf.
“Eat me… Eat me. Eat me! EAT ME!”