"I can't die here!"
The words were a raw rasp in Mirabella's throat. She slowly levered herself upright, her body screaming from the poison that coursed through her veins—the poison her own "teammates" had administered. Her legendary sword, was her only crutch. Her gaze, usually sharp and cerulean, was now a pool of cold fury, fixed on the monstrous vanguard.
Twenty meters away, a tide of horrors—zombies with tattered flesh, snickering goblins, and hulking ogres—stood frozen, their combined killing intent a palpable, suffocating weight. Yet, none moved.
She glanced over her shoulder. The sight twisted the dagger already in her heart. Three figures, once bound by blood and quest, were shrinking in the distance, running full tilt. Not one looked back. Cowards.
Beside her stood Bella. The young elemental mage, with her unique, long pink hair, clutched her staff like a lifeline, her hands trembling so violently the polished wood seemed to blur.
"You don't have to do this, Bella," Mirabella's voice was a strained whisper, her eyes fixed on the horde. "Do you want to die with me?"
Bella's lips curved into a bitter, sad smile. "Those bastards… they drugged you, used you as bait, and then ran. If there is a second life, a new beginning, I swear on my soul, I will hunt them down." She paused, her eyes softening slightly as they met Mirabella's.
"And no, I won't leave you. You're the only reason we held this line for so long, the heart this team abandoned."
"I will rather die with you, Mirabella," Bella said, a flicker of resolve replacing the fear in her eyes. "Let those running dogs choke on their cowardice."
Mirabella could only stare, a silent acknowledgment passing between the two betrayed women.
"Hehehe."
A deep, resonating chuckle cut through the tense silence, sending shivers down Mirabella's spine.
"Humans... Your pathetic little pack abandoned its alpha and its mage. A fitting conclusion to your little game."
Mirabella's eyes widened. The hordes parted with unnerving discipline, clearing a path for a figure who strode forward with the confidence of true power. He was an impossibly handsome man with eyes and hair the color of fresh blood, radiating an oppressive amount of demonic energy that tasted like sulfur and burnt iron.
"The Boss?" Bella muttered, the tremble returning to her hands, a hint of confusion in her voice. Bosses were usually grotesque, not… this.
The man scoffed, his gaze sweeping over their bloodied and torn armors. "Boss? I am Angra Mainyu. Call me the King of Monsters. I've been sleeping under this crumbling world for centuries. Now, finally, I am free." He tilted his head toward the fleeing figures.
"Do you want to know why I didn't chase your precious comrades?"
The two remained silent, braced for the answer.
"Because they are running straight to the human stronghold," Angra Mainyu continued, a predatory smile stretching his lips. "And per the orders of my master, Lady Lamashtu... It will be utterly destroyed."
"Lamashtu!" Mirabella's fury boiled over. "That bitch who unleashed the invasion! She brought Galaxy Fall to our world!"
Angra Mainyu let out a slow, dramatic sigh. "Such misplaced aggression. Galaxy Fall was not created by my master. She merely answered a call and unleashed her legions on your world for entertainment. But the architects of your new reality—the ones who initiated the 'Fall'—are elsewhere." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper:
"You were betrayed by your teammates, but that is minor. I shall reveal a greater betrayal before I extinguish your miserable lives."
Mirabella's eyebrows furrowed, confusion warring with her rage.
"My master and her cohort," the Demon King explained, nodding slowly, "they are bored. And they found your world—your little earth—entertaining. But every good movie needs an ending. A happy one, or a very, very sad one. Yours," he sneered, "will be tragically, entertainingly sad."
"...?!"
Disbelief washed over Mirabella's face. She stared at her sword, the legendary weapon she'd fought so hard for. "All this time… we thought Galaxy Fall was a second chance, a heroic trial for a better future. We had no idea… it was just a sick, twisted plot for their amusement!" Her voice was thick with murderous intent.
"He must be lying, Mira," Bella stammered, tears welling up. "We can never trust monsters!"
"The truth is always painful, little mage," Angra Mainyu said, his eyes lingering on the feminine curves beneath their shredded armor. "It is a pity such beauties will die so young. Truly bad casting on the directors' part."
"Hahahahaha!!"
A sudden, sharp laugh erupted from Mirabella. It wasn't hysterical or mad, but a raw, desolate sound that stunned both Bella and the Demon King.
"What is so amusing, Level 60 Knight?" Angra Mainyu frowned.
Mirabella stopped abruptly, her chest heaving. "I fought through countless death traps! I clawed my way up from Level 1 to an Awakened Level 60! All that hardship, all that striving—and for what? To be a sacrificial lamb in a celestial play? To die just before the final act?! I refuse!" She screamed the last word at the top of her lungs.
"Your refusal is irrelevant," Angra Mainyu countered, his voice flat. "Your emotions are irrelevant. All I know is, you will die today, and your stronghold will fall tomorrow."
"You are a Level 80 Demon King, A world Boss at that." Mirabella yelled, channeling blue spirit energy into her sword until it hummed like a vengeful star. "But I won't go down easily! Not after what I know!"
"Same here!" Bella declared, her voice stronger, her hand tightening around her staff. "I'm only a Level 55 Elemental Mage, but I will freeze your legions solid before they touch Mirabella!"
"I would very much like to see that," Angra Mainyu said. He raised his hand and brought it forward in a clean, sharp gesture.
The thousands of zombies, goblins, and monsters broke their formation and lunged.
"AHH!!"
Mirabella met the charge. The blue energy around her sword flared, and with a roar that was pure, unfiltered battle-lust, she charged the line. "I will show you the strength of a Knight of Galaxy Fall!"
Her first swing was a devastating arc, the force of the Awakened Knight sending two-dozen monsters flying back like rags. She was a cyclone of blue light and steel, parrying a claw here, slicing a head there, her movements fuelled by venomous hatred for the three cowards and the demon before her.
Behind her, Bella unleashed her elemental mastery. The air around her dropped instantly. A blizzard of swirling ice materialized, bombarding the advancing hordes. Monsters collided with the frozen spikes, their bodies instantly preserved as grotesque, glistening ice sculptures.
'Impressive.'
Angra Mainyu conceded in his mind, watching the graceful, deadly dance: 'If the Knight hadn't been poisoned, they might actually have posed a minor threat. A Level 60 Awakened, fighting two dozen Level 50s and winning. A true spectacle.' His red eyes narrowed, shifting to the easier target.
"The mage must go first."
He vanished. His movement was a mere ripple in the air, a speed none of the human senses could register.
"BELLA!! WATCH OUT!!!" Mirabella's scream was laced with pure panic, but she was trapped in a whirlwind of claws and blades.
Bella barely had time to turn.
BAM!
A fist, impossibly fast and heavy, plunged through Bella's stomach from behind.
"PIFF!"
Blood erupted from Bella's lips, splattering her pink hair. She looked down slowly at the grotesque, demonic hand protruding from her abdomen.
"Die," Angra Mainyu whispered into her ear. He didn't retract his hand; instead, he violently slashed it sideways, tearing her stomach open with a sickening wet sound.
"NOOO!!!"