It was a soothing and lazy voice that seemed to be gently whispering at Jevil's ears, "Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price."

Remembering his master's quote, his clouded eyes and mind immediately cleared up.

His eyes returned to normal, along with his skin and everything else. The temperature also dropped a little.

[That was close...] Jevil broke in cold sweat when he thought about what could have happened if he lost control. [The Agni's Hand's side effect is really powerful. The longer I use it, the stronger it affects my mind and destabilizes it, making me fall into a state of frenzy, which I become a killing machine filled with fury towards everything and everyone. If not for my master's teachings, I would have fallen today.]

Jevil's eyes brightened like two torches in the darkest of nights, [His words were always right. An arm and an eye are low prices to pay for the victory in the end. I might lose the battle, but I will definitely win the war. I must continue. The only path left to me is straight ahead. There's no turning back.]

"!!!" Jevil's train of thought was broke when he felt danger fastly approaching. Sensing the impending death, Jevil decided to get away from where he was.

"What!?"

But something happened when he tried to move. Jevil realized he was immobilized in the ground by ice that had wholly engulfed his feet, gluing him at the ground

He didn't see how and when it happen. Most probably right when he recovered from Agni's Hands side effects.

He didn't have time to think about anything else as he saw a silver flash swiftly coming for him.

*Swish*

As Reiketsuna's blade slashed, blood was sent flying in the air.

"*Cough*..." Jevil coughed blood and tried to recover his balance.

With each breath he took, blood gushed out from the grievous injury on his chest.

It was a deep diagonal slash that went from the base of his neck all the way to his waist.

Without strength remaining in him, Jevil fell down backwards into the snow with a muffled *Thud* sound.

Fortunately for him, Itsuki wasn't trying to kill him; if not, he would have been dead by now, slashed in half.

The injury was so deep that a few of Jevil's ribs could be seen from outside.

As his chest rose and fell, streams of blood leaving his body, slowly seeping his life away.

The white snow beneath him had already been corrupted by the crimson liquid coming to his body, painting it red.

Jevil tried to open his mouth, but only blood came out instead of words or any other sound.

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He deeply stared at the cloudy sky; his eyes slowly became dull.

With one last try to speak, Jevil immediately fell unconscious due to the considerable blood loss.

Itsuki approached Jevil and looked down at him.

She never intended to make his injury that bad, but that transformation of his scared her and made her decide to kill him.

It was only midway that she saw he return to normal and decided to restrain her vicious attack.

But it didn't go all well. The sword still caused a deadly injury onto him. Luckily he had a sturdy body and resilient will to live. These allowed him the stay alive.

"Young Miss Sumeragi... It is done." One of the Letheia's soldiers walked up to Itsuki and reported to while saluting. Itsuki was absent-minded while silently staring at the unconscious Jevil.

The soldier's armor had some dents and even holes caused by bullets. Most the dent had some of its metal melted around it, a clear indication of corrosive projectiles hitting it. While there was some blood on his armor, most of it was from his enemies, the Rebellion's soldiers.

"Young Miss, are you ok?" The soldier asked worriedly while looking at Itsuki's armor that was filled with charred holes and cuts.

There were only a few injuries that were bleeding. Some of Jevil's attack opened holes in her flesh and created some grave charred wounds but nothing too much serious that couldn't be fixed after a visit at the best medicine the biggest Corporation can provide.

After hearing the soldier calling her out again, Itsuki woke up from her trance and glanced around her.

There were scrap metal, body parts, and blood everywhere on the battlefield, which both sides were fighting against each other just a few seconds ago.

She immediately frowned upon the sight.

This much blood, this much violence, she always disliked it. It was her master that taught her how to fight by her father's orders. She never really liked fighting, but for the sake of her future, she earnestly learned it and became good at wielding her sword.

Itsuki could only sight and softly spoke to the soldier, "Use a RIL Syringe on him and take him to the Medical Bay. Don't let him die."

"Yes, Young Miss!" The soldier replied while saluting once again and approached Jevil with another soldier that came to report the result of the battle to Itsuki.

She sheathed her katana and watched as both soldiers retrieved Jevil using a white stretcher.

When they were at a certain distance, Itsuki fell on her knees.

She kept breathing heavily with one of her hands, clutching her chest.

Her face twisted and her three eyes twitched with the intense pain she was feeling from her injuries and from the side effect of using Reiketsuna's Special Ability.

The Special Ability made it possible for her to ignore the pain from Jevil's relentless and ruthless attacks, but now that it wore off, the pain came in full swing.

She had to keep herself in that position while groaning with the pain.

Seeing that the pain wasn't going away but getting stronger, she took an analgesic from her PIPS and immediately used it.

After a few seconds, the pain became bearable enough for her to move.

Once again on her feet, she deeply looked at Jevil that was still being carried toward one of the aircraft.

She couldn't shake off the feeling that this wasn't over yet, despite the fact that she knew there would be no way for him escape from the prison he will be sent to.

Despite this fact, she couldn't understand why this feeling. The feeling that she had fallen into someone else's plan.

...

The soldiers that were carrying Jevil didn't realize that the moment they were about to enter in the aircraft him up, a small smile creeped out in his face.

[Success... for now.] He thought while maintaining his eyes closed and pretending to be passed out. [With this, finally, Operation Ragnarok can be set on motion.]

Out of nowhere, a memory from 2 years ago resurfaced on his mind.

Words that his master spoke to him before they had to part ways resurfaced in his mind. "You're insane, planning to go against the universe..." His master said while chuckling, "Remember, Jevil. Victory is reserved for those willing to pay its price. The price that you will have to pay is... immeasurable. You are going to lose your mind, your conscience in this pursuit for vengeance. At the end of your road... there would be left only mountains of corpses and sea of blood..."

As he slowly disappeared in the cold aircraft, nothing more than his blood was left behind in this frosty and desolate planet.

What happened there would never be known for a long time...