More rumbling jets grew louder, the darkness slowly swallowing the tall buildings of the city. Matsui led Jayla and Reira through the twisting back alleys, searching for Revena.

“I sense her present at the Tokyo Tower,” Dorki informed, running next to Matsui. “Run there immediately.”

Matsui knew exactly where the tower was located. Her hopes of ending the nightmare grew inside her heart.

Around each corner, they came across sandbags of the infected undead. Crackling bolts of lightning thrown by Jayla threw the possessed masses into disarray while blistering pyres engulfed scores of them as wild flames erupted from Reira’s staff.

Matsui deftly slashed her way through the frozen targets left in the wake of Reira’s magical onslaught. The bodies shattered into pieces by the extreme temperature change. The three friends worked in flawless tandem, built over years of fighting side by side, their coordinated attacks blazing a clear path directly toward the Tokyo Tower, their goal silhouetted ominously against the night sky.

At last, the towering structure came into full view before them. But between the structure and the mounting horde lay a writhing sea of enemies, their sheer numbers weighing down even the tireless will of the warriors.

Reira eyed Matsui’s worried frown and spoke up encouragingly, “Don’t be a chickenshit now! We can fight through them!”

Heartened by the vote of confidence, Matsui gritted her teeth and renewed her zealous assault on the enemies before them. Moments later, as the last foe collapsed with a gurgle, triumphant cheers at their hard-won victory rose to the very stars above. Despite facing impossible odds, the enduring bond between the three friends had seen them through once again.

In the elevator headed to the top floor, cloying shadows pressed close on all sides until Dorki’s glowing red eyes dispelled the lurking terrors, sparking their imagination to keep their spirits up. At long last, the steel doors slid open with a creek to reveal the apex of the tower where a lone silhouette awaited, backlit by the soft glow of the night sky.

Revena turned slowly to face them, a secretive yet crazed smile dancing on her lips, the madness and mystery in her eyes brighter than ever. “Wow! You actually made it from my portal! How exciting!” she exclaimed.

An uneasy silence reigned atop the wind-swept tower as the two factions faced off under the pale light of the waning moon. In Revena’s slightly unhinged grin glinted the razor edge of her long-nurtured vengeance, though uncertainty and concern continued to haunt the usually stoic gazes of the three friends.

Matsui was the first to step forward, her body language calm and composed. “Revena, we know of your tragic past and how it transformed you into a monster. And we know your real name is Kugo Kaho,” she said, not unkindly.

At the mention of her former name, Revena’s expression twitched into a snarling sneer. “That name means nothing to me!” she spat out.

Jayla interjected fervently with an entreating tone in her voice, “Please! We know your parents abused you and the bullies mistreated you at your school! Your pain is unbearable, but unleashing your anger upon the innocent will not make you better! It turns you a bully!”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

At her words, a fiery spark of defiance ignited in Revena’s frenzied eyes. “You’re wrong! Those bastards showed me that the living filled life with suffering! If I want to end the suffering, the living must die!” she pronounced viciously.

Reira now gently tried to counter, “No, Jayla is right! When my father tormented me, I thought becoming a bully would solve everything! But it only made me feel worse. I lost my band, and my dignity…” She paused, letting her words sink in before continuing sincerely, “This path will only lead you into deeper into darkness. Please, let us guide you into the light that exists within us all. Together, we can surely find you the inner peace you crave.”

A myriad of intense emotions like anguish, doubt and seething vengeance warred across Revena’s tortured, shattered features as she weakly wavered under their heartfelt entreaties. But then she choked back a rising sob, violently steeling herself once more against their words. “It’s too late… I am beyond from saving now… All that’s left is seeing my beautiful nightmare come to life!” she pronounced with finality.

Reira grimaced bitterly at the proclamation, her gentle mien replaced by icy determination. “Then I guess we have no choice but to send you straight to hell!”

In response, crackling arcs of toxic magical energy swelled to life around Revena’s scythe. For long moments, neither side dared make the first move to start the climatic confrontation. Then, without warning, Revena let out an unearthly, soul-rending wail as she fully unleashed the devouring shadows simmering within the darkest corners of her blighted soul.

Howling gales and scorching fireballs erupted forth to meet the swirling tide of hungry darkness, seeking to pierce through the obscuring miasma and reveal the glimmers of truth and redemption still hidden within. As their epic battle reached its breathless climax atop the tower silhouetted under the cold, indifferent moon, could even the radiant power of enduring friendship finally thaw a heart so long frozen nearly solid in bitterness and hate? The ultimate answer awaited somewhere in the shadowy void where their techniques collided with earth-shaking force.

An eerie silence descended upon the tower's wrecked peak as the last wisps of dissipating shadows slowly coalesced around the tired combatants. Huddled close together against the creeping doubts and nameless primeval terrors that clung to their minds, the three girls carefully peered into the unnatural gloom that had fallen.

Revena's melodic voice abruptly cut through the oppressive mist then, a siren's irresistible call from the very depths of hell itself. "Just to let you know, I already been to hell after Dorki killed me. When I awoke there, a magnificent demon approached me and offered me a sweet deal. He wanted chaos and death to corrupt the entire multiverse to feast on all the souls he can devour. In exchange, he resurrected me in this form so I can make his dream come true." Her chilling words seemed to slither into their minds then like a demon's intimate caress. "It is both our desire to spread this nightmare in our own making. I get revenge, and he gets food. Simple as a slice of pie.”

As Revena’s proclamation faded, Dorki landed on Jayla’s shoulder. "You can’t trust a demon, Revena! He will devour your soul after you finish his bidding!”

But Revena was clearly deaf to reason's clarion call now, wholly enthralled by the dark visions and promises alone she could perceive. As fresh bloodlust kindled wildly in her eyes, a vague shadowy shape slowly circled through the fog behind her, seeking stealthy purchase. Gripping their mystical staffs tightly in anticipation, the girls cautiously scanned through the supernatural gloom sweeping over the skies, their vision now entirely useless.

“This is our last chance!” Matsui shouted. “Let’s finish her before she consumes us!”

Moving as one, the three friends let out a single piercing note of defiance, the power of their sacred bond resonating through marrow and soul. Gritting their teeth, they loosed the very last dregs of their combined magic in a single devastating bolt of elemental fury: sacred fire, screaming lightning and pure ice energy lanced through the roiling darkness toward Revena. Guided by overwhelming regret and righteous rage, the blistering column of light lit up the entirety of Tokyo city as it slammed straight into its sworn nemesis. Revena screamed in agony as the combined blast seared away her darkness.

When their scorched vision finally cleared, Matsui staggered weakly to the tower's cracked edge, where Jayla and Reira anxiously joined her. Together they stared wordlessly over the dizzying heights, searching for any sign of life below. Revena had clearly been hurled bodily over the railing by the sheer kinetic force of their combined strike. Now her broken body lay unmoving upon the debris-strewn pavement far below them. None of the girls dared even breathe for long minutes that seemed to stretch into eternity as they watched for the slightest hint of movement from their foe's presumably dead form.

Jayla finally voiced the haunting question that lingered over them. "Is...is she truly dead now?" she croaked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Matsui sighed heavily, shaking her head in helpless uncertainty as Dorki's muted glow revealed the chilling truth - Revena's chest, impossibly enough, still shallowly rose and fell.

“I cannot say for sure, Jayla,” Matsui whispered bitterly. “But I have a feeling this isn’t over yet…”