Chapter 88
Silence lingered.
Not because the battle had ended.
But because there was almost nobody left to fight.
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Dust drifted through the ruined sanctuary.
Broken pillars leaned against shattered walls.
The ground itself had become unrecognizable.
Cracked.
Burned.
Destroyed.
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And among the ruins—
bodies lay motionless.
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Vendetta.
Her divine barrier gone.
Unconscious.
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Chris.
Half his face stained with blood.
Buried beneath broken stone.
Not moving.
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Guinevere.
Her sword lying beside her.
One arm twisted unnaturally.
Still.
Silent.
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The Lord stood in the middle of it all.
Sword of War resting at his side.
Watching.
Waiting.
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And before him—
only one person remained standing.
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The Princess.
The Lord looked at her quietly.
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Lord: "...Everyone has fallen."
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A pause.
Lord: "Yet you still stand."
Princess grip tightened on her sowrd...
The Lord tilted his head.
lord: Still standing?
Princess: "They're counting on me."
A cold wind swept through the ruins.
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Princess looked toward her companions.
For a brief moment—
doubt appeared.
Then disappeared.
Princess: "As long as I can move..."
Princess: "...their fight isn't over."
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The Lord stared at her.
Expression unreadable.
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Then—
he laughed.
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A quiet laugh.
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Lord: "...You truly are foolish."
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Princess narrowed her eyes.
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Lord: "The shield has fallen."
His gaze shifted toward Vendetta.
Lord: "The warriors has fallen."
Toward Guinevere and chris..
Then back to her.
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Lord: "...What exactly do you think you can accomplish alone?"
The Princess took a step forward.
Princess: "I don't know."
Another step.
Princess: "But I'm not running away."
The Lord's eyes narrowed slightly.
Princess: "Maybe I don't understand everything for now."
Princess: "But if I give up now..."
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Her grip tightened.
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Princess: "...then everything they fought for becomes meaningless."
The battlefield fell silent.
For the first time—
the Lord did not answer immediately.
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Instead—
he raised the Sword of War.
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Lord: "...Then come."
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BOOM—
The ground exploded beneath the Princess.
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She moved first.
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Her sword flashed.
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SHHHK—
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A strike toward the neck.
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The Lord blocked.
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CLANG—
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Shockwaves burst across the battlefield.
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The Princess twisted her blade.
Spun.
Attacked again.
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CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
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Faster.
Sharper.
Smarter.
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Everything she had learned.
Everything she had endured.
Everything she believed.
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Poured into each strike.
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The Lord gave ground.
One step.
Then another.
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For a moment—
it looked as though she was actually pushing him back.
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Princess: "I'm not giving up!"
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CLANG—
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Princess: "Not now!"
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CLANG—
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Princess: "Not ever!"
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The Lord's eyes darkened.
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Lord: "...You remind me of someone."
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Princess froze for half a second.
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And that was enough.
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The Lord moved.
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BOOM—
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His fist crashed into her stomach.
No sound came out.
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Only pain.
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Pure pain.
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Her body flew backward.
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CRASH—
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She smashed through broken stone.
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The impact sent debris everywhere.
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The Princess coughed violently.
Blood spilling from her mouth.
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But she stood.
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Again.
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Lord: "...Still?"
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Princess wiped the blood away.
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Princess: "...Still."
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The Lord vanished.
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The Princess's instincts screamed.
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Too late.
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BOOM—
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A kick slammed into her side.
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CRACK—
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Something broke.
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The Princess crashed across the battlefield.
Rolling through stone and dust.
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She forced herself up again.
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Her legs trembled.
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Her vision blurred.
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But she stood.
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The Lord appeared before her.
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Sword raised.
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CLANG—
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The Princess blocked.
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For a second.
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Then—
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CRACK—
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Her sword shattered.
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Silence.
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The broken blade fell from her hand.
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Tink.
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Tink.
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Tink.
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The sound echoed across the battlefield.
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Princess stared at the pieces.
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No weapon.
No allies.
No strength left.
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Only herself.
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The Lord stepped closer.
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Lord: "...It is over."
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Princess clenched her fists.
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Princess: "...No."
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Lord: "...Look around you."
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The Princess did.
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Vendetta.
Chris.
Guinevere.
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None of them moved.
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The Lord's voice lowered.
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Lord: "You lost."
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For the first time—
the Princess had no answer.
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Only silence.
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The Lord appeared in front of her.
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Instantly.
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His hand shot forward.
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GRAB—
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He caught her throat.
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The Princess gasped.
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Then—
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BOOOOM—
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He slammed her into the ground.
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The entire battlefield shook.
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A crater formed beneath her body.
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Blood spread across the broken stone.
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The Princess tried to move.
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Nothing happened.
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She tried again.
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Nothing.
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Again.
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Nothing.
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Her body had reached its limit.
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The Lord stood over her.
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Silent.
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Then slowly—
he crouched.
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His hand grabbed her hair.
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The Princess winced.
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He forced her head upward.
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Their eyes met.
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The Sword of War rose into the air.
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Its blade reflected the ruined battlefield.
Reflected blood.
Reflected defeat.
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The Princess could barely breathe.
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Just the end.
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The sword began to descend.
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Then—
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TAP.
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A single footstep echoed through the sanctuary.
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The Lord stopped.
Instantly.
The sword froze.
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Silence.
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Another step.
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TAP.
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TAP.
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Someone was approaching.
The Lord slowly turned his head.
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For the first time since the battle began—
his expression changed.
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Not anger.
Not grief.
Clam
Recognition.
Hatred.
The darkness beyond the ruins shifted.
A figure emerged.
The Lord's grip tightened.
Lord: "...Traitor."
Silence swallowed the battlefield.
And the figure took another step forward.
...CHAPTER 88ENDS...