PHASE 33 - A FATHERLY DATE THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN

Nothing can describe a woman who bathed on her lover’s blood.

Naomi was on her knees, unable to react. All she had is this astounded face as she stares upon her butchered husband’s guts right in front of her face. Tears crawled to her cheeks non-stop.

“K-Kristoff…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I make your hair dirty?” Helena made a smirk. “Here, I’ll clean it for you.”

Helena was about to kill another person, but...

“!!!”

Rikkun switched places with Naomi, and as soon as he closed his distance, he made a swift side slash towards the psychopath swordswoman’s neck. But the invisible barrier is still effective, which means Helena is invulnerable from attacks.

“What the heck did you just do!?” Rikkun cried. “Why did you kill Kristoff! He didn’t do anything bad to you!!!”

“Don’t worry, once the is sung, he will return back from the dead. Well, and fine. The same goes for your Amy…”

“Why you!!!” Rikkun’s wrath controlled him over. “!!!”

There was a blink of darkness, and fifty-three silver slashes were made. But when the light returned, Helena was unfazed and unscratched.

Helena’s reply was a single greatsword swing. Rikkun is lucky that he predicted the focal point of the attack and blocked it, but the excessive force of the slash drove him away!

“Gah!”

Helena tilted her head with a wide smile, making her the perfect serial killer that could stop anyone’s heart the moment you see her bloodthirsty eyes.

Her mechanical arm extended, reaching out Kristoff’s remains, or more specifically, his torn chest. One silver God Core was caught by her dark fingers and absorbed it like a popping bubble.

“Aaaaah~” Helena made a satisfied moan as a sudden surge of power enters her veins.

Then…

Her killing glance shifted to the acolyte who is possessing the God Core of Mars. The poor acolyte trembled in fear as he fell down on his buttocks.

“!!!”

Bluish hologram wings grew from the sword princess’s back as she gained the same power as Kristoff’s phasing and speed. She dashed forward like a raging bull. Rikkun tried to intercept her by casting again, but his attacks just passed through.

“What the-!!!!” Rikkun cried.

When Helena is close enough to the acolyte, she immediately used her alien arm to pierce through the poor man’s chest. She immediately withdrew it, and now she’s holding the orange ball of light: The God Core of Mars.

The safekeeping acolyte had his heart butchered, resulting in his immediate death.

This fear we’re all feeling… It’s the same as the Christmas Raid. Helena is now like Aeternos… or even worse...

“Now all that’s left… is to kill the last fragment of the Frozen Soul in this world.”

Helena locked eyes with me, and the coldest chill entered to my spine. Scared as I am, I hid my staff and materialized my gauntlets, ready to fight back. I might not be able to fight five gods inside a person, but I won’t go down without a battle.

Helena slowly made a step.

Clank, clank, clank. Three steps, towards me.

Cold sweat ran down on my cheek and my neck. I focused all energy in me and summoned all nine tails of the . If I stay on the defensive, my fear would kill me before she delivers her next attack. So I chose to be on the offensive!

“W-W-W-W-W-With determination, I will never give up!” I shouted as I charged with full force! “!!!”

Thousands of punches, but still, no effect!

“That’s a bold word for someone in beheading range.” Helena could say as she swung her sword straight to my neck!

Swoosh!

“!!!”

Clang! Rikkun’s katana and Helena’s greatsword clashed as soon as I swapped positions with the man I love! But Helena is too powerful to be held back by a mere Gate Guardian!

“Rikkun!”

“Tiara, run! All of you, run!” Rikkun cried.

“Isn’t there anything you can do except to switch places with your friends and serve yourself like a meatshield?” Helena tilted her head and her eyes are filled with disappointment. “Well then, this will be your end. Odin’s God Core Release-”

Suddenly, the sound of a clashing metal can be heard from behind. There was a sword that was thrown to Helena. It didn’t faze her the slightest because of her troublesome invisible shield.

But she was certainly stunned when she saw who recklessly threw the sword.

It was Heushac.

“Helena… Stop this…” Heushac spoke as he catches his own breath. His lungs have yet to be healed fully, and he has lost a lot of blood. He is just standing through his adrenaline and enhanced willpower thanks to his Guardian Ability .

“My baby brother…” Helena looked at her sibling with pitiful eyes. “You’re still well and alive. I’m so glad.”

I’m so confused. She’s the reason why his baby brother is 50:50 a few minutes ago, and now she’s happy that he’s alive?

“I commend your guts, Alaric… Tiara… and baby brother. So I have decided that I’m letting you all go. I shall take my leave. I have fulfilled my reason to capture the God Core of Mars with a bonus of God Core of Mercury.”

Helena’s armor made a metallic sound as she turns and walks away. She noticed that the walls of the Black Cross Mansion are still blocked by an ice dome due to lockdown procedures. She touched her glowing chest and unleashed another powerful attack.

“!!!”

Several thunder clouds engulfed the skies and unleashed deafening lightning bolts that destroyed the ice dome, shattering it into dust particles. Ice shards and snowflakes showered from the atmosphere.

This version of Helena is so powerful that she can use all those God Core Release attacks without devolving back to her base form. Just how can she do that!?

“You’re not… going… away…” Heushac continued to walk like a fractured man but after he took five small steps, he fell. Key is there to catch him.

All the Gate Guardians around us are gritting their teeth and clenching their respective weapons. Helena has killed so many people, and there’s no way she can just carefreely go away.

Rikkun just shook his head with a frown. “Let her go. There is nothing we can do.”

Gate Guardians protested upon the Aether Crusade Leader’s command. “B-But that woman is a murderer!” , “Are you sure we should let him go?” , “She’ll kill more people if we let her escape!”

“There’s nothing we can do!” Rikkun cried. “I saw it! Everybody will die if we attack within the next twelve seconds!”

Gate Guardians are completely silenced. As painful as it is, they have to comply with Rikkun and trust in his ability that can see the future.

Meanwhile...

“...Sis… Helena…” Heushac muttered as he reached out his hands to his great sister. Then he passed out.

Helena made a final glance at his little brother. She hid her eyes with her bangs, and her lips curled, making a frown.

After that, she used to fly up high.

She left us with severe losses and more riddles to confuse our minds.

<>

We got two God Cores stolen from us. There are lots of collateral damages in the Black Cross Mansion. Many people sacrificed their lives. Our morale has been greatly stained for the reason that letting the enemy go is the only way for us to survive. If there is good news, there is still one; Void Wolf was captured. But that won’t offset our losses.

Twenty-four people died, and fifty-six injured. One of those deaths was our very own archer, field commander, and playboy; Kristoff Anderson. He may be a bad flirter to many, but he’s might have been the greatest husband to Naomi and a good father to baby Riza.

We held a funeral for those who died, with full honors and glory of a hero. They fought bravely no matter how hopeless fighting Helena would be.

At the end part of the funeral, after the gun salute, coffins were slowly sunk into their graves. We have shed enough tears already, but one thing… or one conversation that we overheard would make us cry for more days.

“Papa? Aiwpwaine? Aiwpwaine?” Baby Riza spread her arms wide as she tried to get her weeping mother’s attention.

It’s clear that the baby wants to ride on her father’s neck and fly like an airplane again.

“...Riza… Your dad is...” Naomi failed to finish her sentence, trying hard to suppress her sobs.

“Papa? Zoo-zoo? Zoo-zoo?” the baby pulled her mother’s hand as if she’s looking for her father. Kristoff had a promise to take his baby to the Mirose Grande Zoo to watch some elephants and monkeys. She must be asking for that one.

Poor baby Riza. She’s too young and innocent to know what has happened to her father.

Naomi started to cry and she hollered so loud. Even covering her own mouth with handkerchief won’t muffle her own voice.

I immediately lifted Riza up and caressed her with my arms.“Daddy will come back soon, okay?” I said.

“O-Okaaay…” Riza said as she felt the comfort and warmth of my body. After a while, she fell into a peaceful sleep.

It pains my heart that their fatherly date will never be granted. What’s more is that Riza will grow up without realizing her father is forever gone. If there is just one thing I can do to ease their pain…

Wait...

I think there is something I can do.

“Miss Naomi…” I wiped my watery eyes and projected a smile to cheer the widow.

“...Miss Tiara…”

“I promise I will bring Kristoff back to you. Your family will be completed again, and you guys will have a happily ever after. I know a way. So please don’t give up!” I said.

“...Tiara, you are…”

Yes.

That’s right.

There is still something that only I can do.

I will still sing the and wish for everyone’s sake. I will repair the Frozen Soul so that everything will continue existing.

And I will add up Kristoff’s revival to one of my wishes.

Even if everything goes wrong…

Even if we failed to collect the twelve God Cores…

Even if it cost my life, my soul, my existence…

I will save everyone.