Return to Melindor

"You… how is that possible?" Alissanda was so stunned he couldn't keep his jaw from dropping. Even though they didn't meet often since their falling out, Alissanda had someone watching her. He was well aware of her strength. She shouldn't have broken through the barrier to the saint realm!

"Surprised?" She swung her swords and shot him a glare. "I've already broken through ten years ago."

"What?!" His irises dilated from the shock. He immediately felt impending danger from all directions around him.

The source of that feeling was Lisana's ultimate swordsmanship style, which she had derived from Marolyt's Dance of Wind. While she couldn't use wind-aspect gifts to increase her speed like Marolyt could, her natural agility as a female swordswoman gave her an edge. Even though her version of the Dance of Wind was weaker than his, it was only a marginal difference. Not to mention, she wasn't facing the Pyro-blessed Sacred Lance Kevin, but rather, his disciple.

"Aagh!" Alissanda let all his impetus blast out. As a lightbreaker, he had practically limitless amounts of stamina and impetus. Faced with such a dangerous predicament, he gave it his all to fight and even activated Host of Radiance.

Squelch!

His speed was too slow compared to hers. The slightest missed beat allowed her to find an opening. She pierced her sword into his chest, causing blood to splatter out from it.

"You…" She looked at the sword in his chest in disbelief. Widening his eyes to look at her, he muttered, "You actually went through with it…"

"I said that I would stop you," she said emotionlessly. "I'll kill you if that's what's necessary."

"You'll kill me? Me… Me?!" He raised his voice until it became a thunderous roar. Accompanying the rise in volume was a surge in his power.

Wham!

Great impetus rushed down and the commoners within a hundred meters of Alissanda were sent flying by the shockwaves. Lisana, being the nearest to him, couldn't withstand the terrifying force at all. The instant he let his impetus blast out, she shielded herself with her own impetus. But even so, his holy impetus wasn't something she could resist at all, despite both of them being saints. Her barrier only held up for fractions of a second before it shattered. She spat out blood from the strong shock.

"Aaaaargh!" Alissanda yelled as he kicked her in the abdomen, breaking four of her ribs in that instant.

"Ugh…" Lisana crawled to her feet haggardly and vomited even more blood. Much of her body-fitting suit was stained red. While Alissanda should've been the one to have taken more damage from the clash, he had the protection of Host of Radiance. Lisana was now fighting defensively. Even if she could defeat him, what would come later? She wasn't Nidhogg. She didn't nearly have enough power to escape with Innilis from Melindor, the heart of the empire.

It was only then when she came to realize how much determination and guts it took for Annelotte to stand in the same location back then without wavering despite the constant rebukes and curses.

Even a woman like me envies you… She is a godsend from the heavens…

she thought.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you kill me. I can't afford to die," he said as he approached once more, fusing Lunaminous back into one. "The continent still needs me to rule it, and the populace needs my guidance. I am the only one who can bring bliss to the masses. I have to stay alive for their sake!"

She shot her a complicated gaze without saying a word as she silently got back up, readying herself for battle.

While the two of them were saints for an equal amount of time, Alissanda was far too busy and Lisana couldn't train under constant supervision. So, they abilities and skills didn't change much from back then. The aftermath of their battle wasn't nearly as shocking as the one between Marolyt and Kevin. But, thanks to that, Melindor wasn't reduced to nothing but rubble as a result.

Wham!

A rock she didn't expect struck her. A boy had tossed it at her. He seemed to worship Alissanda and approached the battle mortals couldn't hope to touch without regard for the risks. He actually managed to throw a rock at the fast-moving Lisana.

"Ugh!" She stumbled thanks to the rock's interference, and Alissanda didn't waste that chance. He used all his power and kicked her in the temples. She was sent flying, her head almost exploding, and her right eye and flown out of its socket from the shock. Her mind blanked out completely.

"Huff… huff…" He held Lunaminous against her neck with an unwilling expression at the sight of her pathetic state.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Soulslay said as he appeared beside him out of nowhere.

"What?" he coldly asked. He was in the foulest of moods.

"Kill her!" he whispered.

"What did you say?!" He glared at Soulslay, almost slashing at him from the rage.

However, Soulslay didn't seem to mind. He looked at Alissanda calmly and said, "The late emperor informed me that if she doesn't fit the bill, I have the right to eliminate her."

"Fa… father…" Alissanda's expression worsened. He knew Soulslay's true identity even before becoming emperor.

He was the real person Larwin trusted the most. Not even Alfreid could compare to him! Back when Soulslay joined Leguna on his quest to slay Nidhogg, he was given a mission more important than killing the magus. It was to make sure the secrets of the founding war weren't exposed. If it was, Soulslay was to kill Leguna and the rest to silence them.

Larwin even told Soulslay the entire story, which was a testament to how high a position of trust he occupied. Soulslay was the final contingency Larwin left for the empire. He was to supervise the officials and commanders of the empire as well as Alissanda. His mission was to guide him to rule the empire as Larwin would want him to.

And now, he voiced Larwin's will once more. If Lisana didn't appear to be a fitting empress, she was to be eliminated. Alissanda's expression wavered. He looked at her, still in shock and confusion on the ground, and felt a little mellowed for her. But when he turned to see Innilis on her final breath at the execution platform, his mood was replaced with one of cold despair. The woman underneath his blade had wanted to kill him for Leguna's sake.

He hesitated for a full ten minutes before he put Lunaminous away and prepared to leave.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Soulslay said, but not in a suggestive tone, but one asking for confirmation.

"Bury her," he said.

"Understood." Soulslay nodded and drew his longsword, waving his weapon towards her with a smile.

Clang! Another sound of metal clashing rang out. Soulslay felt the weight in his arm lighten. The sword he was holding had snapped into two.

"What in the world have you seen in the past ten years?! She's Lisana!" Alissanda gasped deeply when he heard the voice. Innilis's eyes were once more filled with shining hope.

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