Lust's body slowly melted into a pile of liquid in front of everyone's eyes.
"Is it all over?" someone asked.
But the "King" still gripped his sword tightly. He knew it wasn't that simple.
"Everyone, be careful! She won't be defeated that easily!" he shouted.
The warning snapped everyone to attention.
Without hesitation, they dropped back into fighting stances, eyes scanning their surroundings.
But nothing happened.
"Too quiet..." the King thought, eyes narrowing. "What is she planning this time?"
"Sir," Order approached. "I can't sense any trace of her."
"Impossible… she must—"
Suddenly, a sound echoed in his ears.
A sound of collapse.
"That sound…" The "King's" eyes widened in panic.
He frantically looked around, checking over his entire body.
"There's nothing..."
"Nothing what, sir?" Order asked.
"The book… it's gone," the King muttered, panic setting in. "But how? I always kept it on me, always paid attention. When did she…?"
A flash of memory struck him—when Lust's arms had coiled around his body. At that moment, focused on escaping, he had looked away from the book.
"This is bad..."
Without wasting a second, he opened a teleportation gate.
But before he could step through, thick mists poured from within, instantly engulfing the gate.
"What the—"
The mist swirled around him, enclosing him in seconds.
Reacting quickly, Order slammed the gate shut. The mist was cut off and dropped to the ground, wriggling like a living creature. Blood seeped from the severed ends.
Regaining composure, the King slashed the mist repeatedly. It broke apart and stilled.
"This thing is alive... No time to think. I need—"
The ground suddenly quaked violently. The altar cracked. Pillars trembled and shattered.
Panic spread among the group.
Then the sky darkened. Clouds turned blood red, and lightning thundered through them.
"What is this now?!" the Dwarf King roared.
Suddenly, a claw burst from nowhere and pierced his chest.
"This is the worst…" he gasped before vanishing.
The leaders immediately raised their defenses. Magical barriers flared to life—only to be punctured like paper.
More leaders fell, killed in an instant.
"Lust… what kind of power does she possess?"
The King looked to the sky, dread filling his eyes as one comrade after another was impaled by claws.
Meanwhile, the Guardians fired bullets and swung their swords wildly, hoping to land even a single hit.
They struck only air.
But then the space around them distorted violently, forming a wall lined with fangs. It enclosed them completely.
"It's not good, we have to act now, sir!" Chaos shouted, trying to rouse the King—who stood frozen, unable to hear, as if a barrier blocked Chaos's voice.
Unable to wait any longer, Chaos rushed to aid the Guardians, ignoring Order's objections.
They fired round after round at the shrinking walls, but the bullets passed through as if the wall didn't exist.
One Guardian charged with his sword, swinging at the encroaching fangs.
The moment the blade touched, it cracked. The crack spread—across the sword and into it body.
It trembled violently… then shattered into pieces of iron.
Before Chaos' eyes, the shards slipped through the fangs and fell to the ground.
At the sight, Chaos screamed and hurled countless spears forward, trying to pierce the wall.
But every spear vanished on contact.
Still, she didn't stop.
Everything she did stemmed from her own emotions—not from the "King's", nor anyone else's
She, the representative of the 'Heart', had fought alongside the Guardians for only a short time—but to her, they were not merely mindless machines. They carried the souls of the people of Utopia, who had not hesitated to sacrifice their lives to protect what was precious.
To her, that alone made them worthy of life.
With a cry, she charged, arms spread.
A vast space bloomed around her, filled with spears of varying shapes and magical energies, surrounding the fang wall.
With a powerful swing of her arms, the spears surged forward like a storm, one after another. Some vanished before impact, but more kept coming.
Eventually, they struck. The wall began to crack.
A glimmer of hope crossed Chaos's face. She reached forward.
Then a voice echoed.
"Bugs will always be bugs. Born only to be crushed."
The shrinking wall suddenly accelerated, crushing the struggling Guardians.
Fear twisted Chaos's expression. She lunged, fist raised, and struck the wall.
Her hands tore apart—layer by layer, flesh peeling like paper.
Still, she didn't stop.
She pushed forward, her disintegrating body pressing against the wall.
And just as her fingers brushed the wall, one of the Guardians looked at her—with eyes filled with fear.
"It's okay... everything will be fine," she whispered.
A Guardian reached out for her.
But before they could touch, the wall shrank again—violently—and crushed them all into scrap metal.
Chaos stood frozen, watching pieces fall before her.
Tears rolled down her face—tears of pain.
Floating in the sky, her torn body bleeding, she blamed herself over and over.
"I could have saved them… If I'd just been faster..."
Her will faltered.
"Hey… are you okay?" Order's telepathic voice came. He was still protecting the King.
"I'm fine…" Chaos's voice trembled. "But they… they're all dead. It's all because I'm useless."
"It's not your fault..."
"No… it is. It's my fault… I'm useless…"
…
A thought flickered in her mind.
"Hey… we can still revive them, right? With our power—and the "King's"—maybe we can—"
"Sorry… the King doesn't have the strength left to revive them," Order said sadly.
"Is that… true?" Chaos's voice shook.
…
"Say something… Say something!" she snapped. "You're "Reason"! Why aren't you thinking of a way?!"
…
"Why... why..." she growled. "It's all her fault…"
She summoned her spear and slashed through the empty air.
"Don't hide anymore!" she screamed through tears. "Come out and face me!"
Silence.
"What's wrong? Are you scared? Or do you think I'm not worthy?" Her voice cracked.
Still, no response.
"I…"
Her voice faded. Her hand loosened. Her eyes dimmed.
She didn't want to fight anymore.
She just wanted to die.
"Well, it seems this beautiful play should end," Lust's voice echoed.
Chaos flinched at the sound—but said nothing.
"Chaos, get out of there!" Order shouted.
"Run… but where can we run to? Where else is left?"
"That's right, don't run. Stay," Lust cooed. "Tell me your deepest desire."
"I…"
"Don't listen to her, Chaos! Keep your mind steady!" Order tried, but his voice no longer reached her.
"Tell me. I'll make it come true."
"I… I just want to die. What's the point of living if I can't protect anyone…"
"So that's your wish? Then let me make it real."
Lust's voice faded, and silence fell.
Suddenly, sharp pain exploded through Chaos's body. She screamed.
Blood began pouring from every part of her, coating her from head to toe.
The pain grew—intense and unrelenting.
She clutched herself, writhing.
Then, from her chest, cracks formed.
Tails began to emerge.
"Is this… death…?" Chaos trembled. "It's so painful…"
"No. This is my gift to you," Lust's laughter rang out. "A painful, hopeless death."
Before Chaos could speak, tails burst from her chest, wrapping her tightly, muffling her screams.
They twisted around her, bones cracking under the pressure.
Blood streamed down the tails, dyeing them crimson.
"Impossible… Chaos," Order trembled.
The tails unraveled—revealing a new body. No wounds. No blood.
But no longer Chaos.
Her wings were gone.
Only nine crimson tails remained, swaying in the wind.
That body radiated death—a haunting, seductive aura.
And then she opened her eyes, revealing glowing crimson demon eyes.
She looked down at the "King" and Order.
A smile curled on her lips.
"The final chapter of the play is about to end."