This is the second time you have died…
No, because I'm not dead…
You can't deny it. You were annihilated.
I was, but I'm not dead.
Why do you resist the truth?
Because I can't die yet.
Accept it… you lost… Lucifer no longer had need of you, and he cut off his loose ends. The only reason you can still speak is because I'm letting you.
I did lose, but I'm not dead.
You are… accept it already, and I will lay your soul to rest…
No, because I am not dead yet, you just do not understand…
I don't?
No, you don't. Because you forgot one essential thing…
What did I forget?
My power isn't just linked to my body… I am my soul. Therefore, I can't die, until you or someone else destroys it.
You are stubborn. That does not make you alive.
And why not? I can do this.
AH! How did you do that?!
"I'm not dead, *****."
Silence came…
Then my light exploded.
I exited the Author's mist without struggle and entered the world between worlds.
My wings expanded as my power echoed.
{Lucifer… I am Rose Hood. And I don't go down that easily.}
My voice echoed to all worlds.
{Lucifer, if you want to battle for real. I will be waiting.}
At that moment, I regained the clarity I had when I made Luma. I saw all of them.
My men were cheering and whooping.
Lucifer had a look of absolute shock and disbelief.
And the Ruler… he was smiling.
After all, I was integral to his plan. Why wouldn't he smile at my survival?
But I was done playing along.
I called my blade to me, and it flew from my annihilated body into my hands.
I imbued my soul into it. It was like a horc*ux. As long as it survived, I did, but it had another thing. As long as I survived, it did.
I raised the blade, and my power echoed through it. Gold light shone in numerous symbols.
I struck down and slashed.
Lucifer felt my blade and flashed into action.
[The Higher World, Battlefield, has been destroyed]
I smiled.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! That was the final place you were to battle!
"I know. That's why I did it. Lucifer now has no home base, and I have truly defied you now."
You little… you… you…
"What's wrong?"
I smiled, then formed cat ears on my head.
"Cat got your tongue?"
I walked into Pandora amidst the Author's furious roars.
I looked, and the sight made me laugh.
The Ruler was no longer smiling.
_
We froze upon the announcement.
"Battlefield was destroyed? How?!"
Gabriel asked the question out loud.
"Rose."
"What?"
We all looked at Luma.
"Rose destroyed it in retaliation for Eden."
"T-t-that's impossible, only a supreme being can just destroy a world."
"I know…"
"Then how did-"
"I don't know."
"Wait."
"Gabriel?"
Gabriel looked at his hands.
"When I was asked, I glowed white. Could it be…"
"Could what be?"
I already knew the answer.
"Is Rose already a supreme being?"
Luma shook her head.
"No… she has the abilities of one, but no, she is not a supreme being yet. She needs to be at least 900 before she can ascend."
"Then how-"
"I don't know."
I shook my head.
"Why does Rose have to be such an anomaly?"
Michael shook his head as well.
"She keeps going above and beyond, but that was tactically sound."
We looked at him confused.
"Really? You don't know how? Battlefield is Lucifer's main base. Destroying it, not only deprives him of a base, but also severely cripples his army, as there is no way everyone got out before the collapse."
I blinked in shock.
"So… she annihilated a majority of his army?"
Michael smirked and nodded.
"In an instant."
"Huh, I just wanted to tick everyone off."
We all turned quickly to see Rose, glowing with golden light.
"Rose!... How did it happen?"
"Turns out that Lucy has a convenient skill that allows him to steal from the inventory."
"…Really?!"
"Yep, grabbed a grace straight from my inventory, and he blessed himself. His transformation alone killed the beast he was talking to."
"… Woah."
"Yeah, but he's probably going to come here in a rage."
Gabriel nodded.
"Maybe, you did destroy his capital world."
"Though, it's funny."
"What?"
"In destroying Battlefield, I also fully countered the Author's story."
We all blinked… What did she just say?
"What do you mean?"
She smiled in a smug way.
"Well, Battlefield was supposed to be my and Lucifers final battle place, but, with me destroying it, that can't take place, so now this war is on our terms entirely."
Milel gaped.
"You… broke his story? That shouldn't be possible."
"He thought the same thing as he annoyingly screamed in my ear."
Then I noticed something.
"Why are you in Purity?"
"Oh, my body was annihilated."
We gaped.
"Oh, don't worry your little heads about it, I'mma head over to the bathhouse and make myself a new body."
She trotted off. Gabriel shook his head.
"She is way too powerful."
I nodded.
"At this point, I just try to be numb."
"Does that help?"
"Not at all."
_
Well, that was fun.
They were all so shocked, and I definitely backed Lucifer into a corner,
I'd say about 30% of his army died in the collapse.
I just fully shifted the balance of this war.
Crippling Lucifer will cause both the Author to regard me with more concern.
I raised my hand and spoke forth, using creation.
Then a body came before me and showed up.
I imbued my soul into it, shaping it to my will.
Then I stepped into it…
I look exactly the same…
Alright…
I'm not even taller. Come on!
_
I came out grumbling. Dallel saw me and smirked.
"Hey, you have cat ears again."
"I noticed."
"You are… kinda the exact same."
"It turns out that the body has to describe the soul, so I have to look like this."
"Not that I mind."
I flushed and looked at his smirk.
"I uh… let me check the perimeter."
"I already have guards there. Hm… no one else is around~"
"Yeah, ain't that convenient."
I smiled.
Then we-
"SIR, LUCIFER IS HERE… oh…"
We both gave a death glare to the interrupter.
Then I sighed.
"Business first, I guess."
Me and Dallel walked out to the wall.
There was Lucifer, floating.
[Rose, I command you to come out and face me!]
{Where's your army?}
[They are away, I told them to hide until I bring them your head.]
{So, a duel?}
[Yes, and don't give me the level difference crap. You and I both know how strong you are.]
{Very well, but if we are to fight~}
I leapt into the air and shifted into a dragon, then I landed in a coil formation around him. I was double my previous size. My head, if I stood, would be in space.
Given how much larger Pandora was, I could only imagine what would happen if I shifted on Earth.
{Then let me take this seriously.}
Lucifer looked around and saw that I was to large to properly fight.
[Clever, this isn't in my advantage.]
Let me shift this.
Both of our eyes widened, after all, the Author should have no say here.
But, nonetheless, we were suddenly in a different realm. Much larger than before.
An arena, filled with cheering specters. And on a throne sat a shadow.
I felt it's aura.
{Author…}
"Just a little toy I sent in my place."
Then it stood.
Welcome to the battle between, Rose Hood and Lucifer! Who will win this incredible fight?
His voice alone shook the entire realm. Me and Lucifer finally realized the full extent of his power.
{Lucifer, let's have a temporary truce, then we can fight in my world. Catkin form v Seraphim.}
[Indeed, I'd rather fight on our terms rather than his.]
{What's the plan?}
[This is clearly a newly made world, it's still unstable, if we destroy the shadow, we will return to Pandora.]
{Let me handle that.}
[Very well.]
Oh, please, my shadow is indestructible, it's a spirjt, meaning you'd need to retransform, which is impossib-
I breathed fire and burnt it alive, destroying it and any remnant.
[That's how you beat Milel.]
{Yep.}
[Convenient skill.]
{That's how I find it.}
Then the realm collapsed, and I shifted back into a catkin, as we returned to Pandora.
[Well, we have returned.]
{You wanna fight now, or wait a day.}
[I will kill you now.]
{Wonderful, then let's get on with it.}