Ethel released the hostages, pushing them into the arms of their loved ones. The mortals scrambled away. The luminary drew his sword out. As much as she wanted to put her faith in the miracle, the young luminary might find his luck running out before her. Ethel can’t leave him to Fallon and put the town in danger. She was the one who brought Fallon here, so she should deal with him instead.

I should have never opened the connection.

“Get ready,” Ethel said to the Silk Butterfly creeping on her shoulder. It melted into her skin. Crimson veins spread across her body. “Luminary, he’s here only for me. Prioritize the safety of your people first.” Ethel approached the enemy she once knew as her friend.

Fallon swung the sword at his side. A heavy gust of wind swept the trees in its path. He howled a roar to assert his hostile presence, thrashing the colossal great sword. Brown tattered leather wrapped on its handle. The rune of its name inscribed on its fractured blade glowed red — Heartshatterer.

Fallon lunged forward and appeared in front of her instantly. He swung the massive sword towards her neck. The moment the blade touched her skin, it melted. The heat continued to spread to the hilt, forcing Fallon to throw the sword away.

The Silk Butterfly — Cloak of Wrath. From the strand of her hair to the tips of her fingers, everything melted that comes into contact. Protecting Ethel from any harm comes to her.

As Ethel reached out to his helmet, Fallon shoved his hand to his shadow. Heartshatterer emerged to its former form. He kept swinging the Heartshatterer with confidence while Ethel melted the blade before it can touch her.

Persistent!

Ethel caught his hand. The black armor smoldered, melting to the flesh. Fallon screamed to her face. Her ears going numb. While her hands held him, Fallon swung the Heartshatterer. The blade barely sliced her neck. The wind rippled between them, throwing Ethel across. Fallon cut off his hand to stop the burning. With his own shadow, a new limb and armor replaced the old ones.

She held the slight scratch that could have been fatal if she was one second later.

“Someone’s desperate.”

“He’s peeling off the barrier layer after layer,” the Silk Butterfly said.

“So he wasn’t just swinging the sword like a lunatic.”

“It’s not just the cloak. He’s removing your will just so you would let your guard down. You need to be careful. Underestimate him and he’ll kill you.”

“My will…” Hands trembled slightly, but she clenched it tight to stop it.

The Heartshatterer lived up to its name. A former shadow of his second fate. Wandered the land alone, searching for an answer. Loneliness and confusion stripped his will. A shadow with no sight of the future. It shattered its enemy from inside and outside. A powerful foe like luminary and Ethel will have their wills peeled off piece by piece until they dropped to their knees. Then, accepting death just as he did in his second fate.

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Abyssal shadow representing the sinners’ memories and regrets. Manifested only after their deaths. Memories accumulated through times formed a new power for their next awakening. Ethel possessed her scarlet butterflies, while Fallon has his swords.

“Consider yourselves fortunate he can’t use more than one abyssal sword in one day. Things could go from bad to a disaster if it’s not for his nature as gluttony. What if it was the Nightreaver?” the butterfly warned.

She released her hand from her neck. The graze faded into smokes. “He is one of the seven Pride and I don’t wish to go against each other. If it wasn’t for his laziness.”

The luminary guided his people, instructing them to leave everything. Strangers grabbed the children and elderly nearby as they hastened together far away from the area. The young man kept glancing back and forth at the intruders and his people. Ethel waved her hand in horizontal. Walls of crimson flame raised, cutting off the bridge and the town.

“Now it’s just the two of us.”

“Ethel!”

“You want my head. You ought to work harder for it!”

Two sinners charged out. Ethel’s shadow twisted into stakes around Fallon, striking his limbs from moving. But Fallon swiftly broke free from his cage with just a slight motion of his body. No matter how many times she melted the blade of the Heartshatterer. Fallon kept calling it out from the abyss. He insisted on getting her head as a souvenir.

The seventh butterfly glowed inside her abyss, urging her to use it.

No, not yet. I can’t risk revealing you.

She fought side by side with the sinners. This was the first time they ever tried pointing their blades at each other throats. She wished to avoid showing Fallon her last card. If it comes to that point, then she’ll reveal the seventh butterfly and Fallon must die.

Every second she tried to hold her ground against him, the seventh sword left more scratches all over her body, ripping away the Cloak of Wrath. It kept getting closer and closer to her neck.

The seventh butterfly burned the brightest as she poured in all of her rage. Fallon’s seventh sword reached out to her. Both raced against time for the last strike, either her butterfly or his sword.

Suddenly, Fallon let out a thundering roar, shaking the earth and heaven. Patterns of red streaks illuminated on his black armor. Shocked by the new appearance, Ethel gathered her shadow to block the coming blade instead.

I won’t make it!

A blue cloak fluttered beside her. The sound of blades clashed rang in her ears. A thin sword blocked the Heartshatterer. The mortal held a bold gaze towards the garnet red eyes. Sandwiched by two sinners., his back proudly carried the cloak bearing the emblem of the lilies. The mortal wouldn’t give up.

He grunted as he kept his ground against the colossal blade. While the luminary kept Fallon busy, Ethel took the chance to pierce her stakes through his black armor. Fallon howled. The patterns on his armor faded.

Both of them stepped away. Fallon shrugged the stakes away. Ethel shared a quick glance at the luminary. Gazes flickered from Fallon and each other. Without a word, they turned to Fallon. Hence, they’ve made a temporary truce.

Can he hold on without his miracle prayer? Despite the doubts, a smile crept up to her lips. It was called a miracle prayer for a reason. A lone star shone even in the darkest hour. Despite being born with a fragile vessel, they armed themselves and charged into the battle with death already walking beside them. Their stubbornness knew no bound.