types qw

A Short Moment

Chapter Text

What was a fierce battlefield just seconds ago, was now just ground filled with ruptures.

Pain filled groans still rang through.

On a terrace not too far away was a small group of animals and two humans slumped on the ground.

Many wrung on the floor, but even more laid or sat motionlessly.

They all looked at the dim sky.

Too tired to make a sound and too hurt to even try to move.

Everyone's faces were covered in red, but noone lost their life.

Not yet.

Darmine, who was protected by the collar's decoration looked around.

She scanned the field before her.

She was out of energy.

Her body was wholly destroyed, making her unable to do anything.

Darmine could barely move her golden eyes, her vision was slightly redder.

She was wondering what happened to Juny.

She, too, knew what those shackles represented.

She felt the power and the spirituality.

Drmine was one of the very few who truly understood Juny's backlashes.

Juny didn't bother hiding them from Darmine, so she saw it all.

Darmine saw Juny's body sway, her eyes haze, her nails dig into her palms to suppress the pain.

She saw her coughing blood out many times.

But what happened now was too much.

Noone would see it and not think of the consequences.

At least not someone who knew how Juny's powers worked.

One had a limit.

Juny was able to surpass this limit, but the price was never cheap.

If one couldn't handle it, death was inevitable.

Darmine looked on, anxiously awaiting the result.

...

Ellone stared up, her eyes flickering, but alive.

Her head painfully turned to the side.

She could see a tall lady, who always talked to others with a pleasing smile lying next to her.

Natia was curled up into a painful ball.

Her face was stained with still-flowing blood.

Ellone bit her lip, trying to reach out, but unable to.

Her muscles felt like they were tearing or already torn.

Just the thought of moving send pain into her very fibers.

Tears painfully flowed from her eyes.

She felt useless, she couldn't even speak out loud.

She couldn't help the kind woman who was shaking in pain.

Ellone closed her eyes shut, her heart aching.

She felt worthless, and there was nothing she could do.

...

Airina gently moved her fingers, stroking the cat's fur.

She was on her knees, even the slight movement of her fingertips was painful, but she continued to do so.

She knew just how more painful it was for the animals.

But none of them was unconscious.

It was too painful and mentally straining to be knocked out, and sleeping was even more impossible.

There was a lump in her throat.

But Airina didn't waver.

She stared at the large hole in the ground.

Her eyes unbelievably steady.

Half of the mansion was fully destroyed, it was just that their terrace was on the good side.

It was mostly because the other part was weakened because of the fighting.

Airina looked to her side.

She saw the Detective, Kein, lying on the ground, holding a large brown owl in his arms.

This happened right as the glass broke.

Kein moved to protect the closest animal.

The owl was unharmed by the shards, but there was no escaping the sight of that strange moon.

Airina's gaze moved to the hole.

Her gaze unmoved.

The one who would exit that hole was Juny.

Airina was sure of that.

Deep down, she had no other choice but to blindly believe that a small girl could beat an elder Sanguine who served a God.

She had no other choice.

...

Shake's pupils trembled.

The battlefield was bloody.

It was not his first time seeing bloodshed, but this scene was worlds apart.

His heart was beating loudly in his ears.

He could barely hear his own panting or the agonizing moans of his allies.

But what one might not expect is that Shake's mind was on something completely different.

'What about Juny? What happened to Juny?'

Although he never saw it himself, he heard plenty.

He heard much about the backlash of Juny's abilities.

His heart thumbed faster and faster.

He swallowed back the blood, not taking his eyes off the hole in the ground.

Unlike what it might see like, Shake was very close to Juny.

They fought together when he was still attempting to gain greater control over the black markets.

The two often shared trivia or any fun thoughts, really.

Shake didn't stay by Juny's side because he owed her a debt.

Sure, she saved his life and helped him many times, but that wouldn't make him loyal.

He was close to her, ready to offer a hand or even his life at any time.

Not because he owed her something, but because he truly cared for her.

Shake wasn't always a lonely boss of the underworld.

He had a family, but that didn't last long.

He cherished his daughter, but his love didn't survive for too long.

To him, the fact that a child, not much older than his deceased daughter, was fighting a battle on her own, was unbelievably devastating.

Of course, that didn't mean that he was comparing Juny to his dead daughter.

He knew that would be unacceptable.

Juny was worlds different, and she truly believed him to be her close friend.

And Shake was.

This girl wasn't someone he would see as a young and helpless daughter who needed his assistance.

She was times stronger than him and probably even times smarter.

But that didn't mean he didn't know the feeling of being a dad.

It was a type of empathy one couldn't stop.

His care for Juny was different from blind loyalty or pure respect.

He simply cared for her.

Shake's hands were sore as he stared at the large cavity in the ground.

His heart beating loudly and chaotically.

...

Daimira gazed down.

Her once elegant dress was covered and colored with a disgusting shade of red.

She ignored the stinging pain in her leg, looking around.

She was one of the very few who could comprehend the current situation.

She could see those of her own kind, enemies or not, scattered on the ground like dried and fallen branches.

Her hand painfully curled up, clenched into a fist while grabbing the dress along the way.

Villia laid on the ground nearby.

She was desperately gasping for air with every breath.

Daimira turned her eyes away.

Her gaze scanned the rocks spread out across the ground.

Amongst them were miniature streams of blood, flowing along the cracked paths.

They connected and separated.

They were unbelievably small, but there were many such creeks.

Even with so much destruction, her expression was unbelievably calm.

She took long and slow breaths.

Showing the greatest composure she could muster.

Her mind was the only thing truly able to move without problems.

Her head was filled with many thoughts, but she didn't change her expression.

Her eyes moved from the clogged blood upwards.

She looked at the still-dimmed stars.

Daimira looked on as she calmly exhaled.

Her insides were hot, but she was calm.

The rose decoration with a starry theme on her necklace flickered and glowed.

But Daimira didn't notice it.

She continued to wait for the outcome.

She was determined to face it calmly, whatever it might be.

...

'Cough!'

Degster flinched, his head whipping to the side.

He immediately regretted it as sharp pain spread from his spine and hit the back of his brain.

He hissed, but didn't complain further.

He saw a young man with short black hair.

His clothes were completely damp with red thick liquid.

He remembered seeing him at their last Troop Meeting.

He sat behind Dager then, but he didn't leave much of an impression.

But Degster couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

The young man was coughing violently, but he hasn't fallen down like the rest just yet.

Unlike Degster and the rest, who were protected by Juny's accessories, this guy wasn't even a Sequence 7 Beyonder.

He was holding his body up with his hands.

He seemed to be in a ton of pain as his arms shook more violently with each cough.

Degster clicked his tongue, but didn't intervene with the young man's struggle.

He himself was barely holding on just sitting down.

He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Natia among the lying bodies and shaking people.

But he didn't manage, his sight too blurry and bloodied to see into far distances.

The corner of his lips twitched into a self deprecating smile.

He turned to the large hole where the ground caved in.

His smiling hurt, but he couldn't stop himself.

Even though he went into this battle knowing exactly what he was fighting against, when it came down to it, he was scared like a little girl.

Which was hilarious.

Because he knew that the only one who had the right to feel that way was down there somewhere, fighting an even more terrifying fight.

She was fighting while he was too afraid and hurt to even lift a finger.

To him, that fact was hilarious.

...

She could still hear the loud sounds of crumbling debris.

Jenefer wasn't strong, nor did she have any kind of protection.

Madam Petrison was lying on her back amidst the remains of a destroyed building.

She was too weak to even move her eyes, but she wore a pleased expression.

She was smiling gracefully, it was a smile filled with relief and satisfaction.

She continued blinking as more blood gushed out of her eyes.

It burned more and more, but she didn't feel like closing her eyes just yet.

After all, she received what she so desperately wished for.

Her life was all about vengeance for more than ten years.

And now that she got it, she felt at peace.

Every muscle in her body felt like it has been torn and strange ravings filled her brain, but she was happy.

She smiled at the dim sky towering above her.

The building broke during the first quake, making everything visible.

Not too long ago, a grand crimson moon-like eye floated right where madam Petrison's gaze was at.

Her eyes curled into the shape of a crescent moon.

Her lips twitching at the pain, but she didn't relax her features.

She was waiting for something to happen.

She was waiting for something which would make the best day of her life even better.

She was waiting for a person to appear in the sky.

Her gaze was unwavering.

And she wouldn't have to wait long.

...

Craider lifted his head, looking out the window.

His body was slumped on the windowsill, blood covering every inch of it.

His eyes were still filled with fear and terror.

'They w-wren't lying, they spoke the t-truth..'

Even his thoughts were messy, unable to form reasonable thoughts.

All he could do was stare forward, a terrifying scene playing over and over in his mind.was a fight unfit for human to even be near.

He couldn't even use the sealed artifact he brought, the spirituality was too messy and the consequences could be unimaginable.

His teeth made clicking sound as they chattered.

The nauseating smell and taste of blood filled the place.

They were quite a distance away, but there was nothing which could protect them from the power of a True God.

A fracture of not, God's might is a God's might, even if it's small.

He was in the best condition out of all his companions.

He could hear their groans, but he could barely hold his head up, not to mention lift his body and turn around.

Pain was still spreading throughout every inch of his body.

This made Craider too tense to even think of fainting.

His body, his subconsciousness, wouldn't allow it.

He stared on, looking at the empty night sky.

He felt stupid for not taking the claim seriously.

Maybe, had they taken greater precautions, they could've prevented this.

It made his thoughts panicky.

Just what would've happened if the Abyssal Troop didn't exist, what if they've never showed up?

Would half of the city be blown away?

He couldn't help but regret his obliviousness.

He was prepared to accept the consequences of his actions.

With that mindset, he watched on as the still air and heavy atmosphere began to shift.

Something was coming.

The finale of this battle is coming.

...

Dager looked at his hand.

He was able to move the forearm at most, the rest of his nerves have been disconnected or completely snapped.

He hissed at the burning sensation.

Then, he flinched.

The surroundings moved, it was a shift completely different from before.

He looked up, the air seemed to be gathering around the cleavage where the moon-like eye emerged from.

His breath got stuck in his throat.

He was not the only one who noticed this shift.

Those who were groaning just a second ago were now silent.

Even through pain, everyone turned in the same direction.

Whoever emerged from that hole, it would determine the fate of the victors and losers.

The air was suffocating, strong pressure spread across the entire battlefield.

Then, Dager's eyes flickered and his lips moved into a smile.

He saw a shadowy and indistinguishable figure emerging from the hole.

The figure was holding something by the neck.

It looked like a rag doll with a long black robe and older features.

Whispers and terror spread through everyone present.

Just by the looks of it, it was obvious who the victor was.

...

Juny hovered in the sky, dragging a bloody, lifeless corpse by the neck.

Sharp pain crawled through her insides.

Each movement felt like being impaled on a thorny stick.

Thick and metallic taste pooled inside her mouth.

She gulped it down.

'Damn, this hurts... ha~'

Even through her oppressive aura, Juny's thoughts were anything but serious.

'Heh, if I open my mouth, will it all sound like a cringe monologue? 'Oh, look at me! Dragging your boss's corpse like a prize!' Hehe.'

She forced the corner of her mouth to stay down even through the hilariousness of her current position.

Juny scanned the silent area.

The oblivious members of the Abyssal Troop stared at her in relief and utter astonishment.

While those who knew were looking at her with concern.

'Don't give me those looks- Ow! ...I'm quite fine, really~'

Juny turned to look at the collapsed members of the Rosary Road.

She checked that the Space Distortion was working properly before opening her mouth.

She lifted the rag doll in her hand, her voice echoed and shifted amidst her speech.

"You claimed to have the favor of a God. This man dared to summon a fragment of 'Her' power while believing himself to be invincible. But he failed, utterly. Do you all know what this means?"

Juny paused, waiting for her words to sink in.

The enemy's faces were painted with pure terror, it was satisfying to see.

Juny continued using Space Manipulation, keeping her internal organs working and keeping the blood from bubbling up her throat.

"It means that your God can't save you. It means that we need no God to crush you. It means that it's the end of your delusions."

Juny's bright Violet eyes scanned the silent battlefield.

She couldn't help but inwardly raise an eyebrow, her lips twitching.

'Gods, this sounds so dramatic. Are they really eating this stuff up?'

A sharp pain tore through her chest, more blood gushing out.

'F*ck... keep it together!'

Juny bit the tip of her tongue, but her voice stayed emotionless.

"I could let you live,"

Her voice was even colder, more ruthless.

"But mercy is not something to be wasted on those who sow death and chaos. Your cause ends here."

As if that was a kind of code word, Violet-black flames appeared around her, filled with the depths of galaxies.

They formed into spears, swords, daggers, stars and more.

Honestly, any kind of weapon would've worked when describing the spectacle.

With the flick of her shifting hand, they shot forward.

The cultists could barely scream, barely managing to crawl an inch before being struck with terrifying precision.

Their bodies went up in mysterious flames, burning their life away like candles.

Juny watched this with a detached stance, but her insides twisted.

They tore and recovered.

Each use of her abilities only served to make it harder for her to keep her body together.

Darmine watched closely, her golden eyes scanning every little detail of Juny's shadowy figure.

She saw the light shaking, something that could be associated with the shifting of Juny's features.

Her eyes narrowed, but she couldn't point anything out.

Juny exhaled, snapping her fingers.

All the Violet-black flames immediately went out, keeping churned corpses in their place.

Her eyes shifted across her friends.

They were all broken and on their knees.

Their bodies probably hurt just as much as hers.

Juny gulped down another handful of blood.

She met eyes with the frowning Dager.

Juny did her best not o smile.

'Oh please... If you're gonna give me that look, at least be in a situation where you have the right to.'

She looked at the muscly man with bloodied hands.

Shake was looking at her with cold eyes, scanning her every action.

'Heh, are you trying to find something amiss? How nice~ Hm, you do know that I'm the child here, right? Do I really have to be the one to clean up after you?'

Juny relaxed her grasp, leaving Deaflau's body to fall on the ground beneath her with a light and wet thump.

Juny didn't waste the little energy she had on fastening the creation of his Beyonder characteristic.

Her back was straight and her head held high.

She was one to always keep up appearances when it mattered.

Not to mention, the feeling of her potion digesting in the background was forcing her to keep up the act.

The reward wouldn't be small.

Her eyes lightly moved away from the battlefield.

She looked over to a building not too far away.

Her shadowy eyes locked with the man powerlessly slouched on the windowless sill.

The official Beyonder flinched.

Juny smiled, looking away.

She silently created a miniature star in front of her, cutting open her index finger.

She poured out her spirituality, using all the practice of sitting behind her desk and making Spell Scrolls.

All the times she forced herself to make more, even as purple, hard scales covered her skin, it now allowed her to push past her limit.

Juny ignored the senseless murmurs as her finger moved.

Into the air, she drew a large Rune.

It was a Rune with which most of those present were familiar with.

The symbol shone, beautiful Violet light spread in all directions, carrying Juny's spirituality.

Ellone's eyes wavered as she felt her body recovering at an immense rate.

It was a power incomparable to the paper charms.

Daimira's body shook, but as soon as she could, she stood up.

Seeing this, the surrounding Sanguine and the members of her Battle Patrol followed.

Their bodies ached all over, fear still made their limbs weak.

Dager was still frowning, but he stood up with no words uttered.

Valler, Shake and Degster all followed at once.

Shake took a step forward, trying to move closer to the still-floating Juny, but he froze.

With clenched fists, he stopped, waiting for Juny's words silently.

This was not the time for him to intervene.

Darmine flicked her whiskers, trying to find the strength left in her small body.

Kein flinched, sitting up and helping the owl onto the railing.

He wiped the blood on his face, smearing it while supporting the rest of the animals.

Madam Petrison felt her breathing turning steadier.

She felt a hand grab her by her shoulder.

She looked to the side, seeing the Sequence 5 Wraith, Rich, already in a good condition.

He supported her staggering body as she got to her feet, looking up at the mysterious person.

After less than ten seconds, everyone stood up.

Juny exhaled, her voice still as commanding as before.

"The victory has been acquired. We've done our job and all that's left is to clean up the mess. The rest is in your hands. Report to me when you're done."

Noone dared to raise objections.

Their bodies moved in sync.

Placing their right hand to the left chest and their left hand to their back, the Abyssal Troop's voice echoed.

"Yes, Scoutmaster."

Juny lightly nodded.

'Yes, let them think that I'm untouchable. It's better that way.'

Juny's body turned away, the entire space shook.

The slight dimming of the stars disappeared and the crimson moonlight shone through.

The cracks on the ground disappeared and all traces of chaotic spirituality disappeared.

All that was left was dead bodies, blood, a collapsed building and a large hole in the ground.

And, of course, the split skies.

Juny looked up at the slashed clouds, her Space Isolation can't Isolate that high up.

A shifting portal connecting to a spreading galaxy opened up before her.

Without a second of hesitation, Juny disappeared inside.

...

The Pocket Dimension was quiet, its dark abyss stretched infinitely around her.

The cool but empty air gathered around, and for a moment, Juny let it embrace her.

She exhaled, her body descended from her place in the air.As soon as her feet touched the starry floor, her knees buckled.

Juny collapsed, the weight of her injuries crushing down at her like an anvil.

The Void Pathway allowed one to cross their limits, but price had to be paid for all that's given.

Without even the slightest power left in her, blood erupted from her mouth.

Juny had no strength to stop it from staining the black floor under her.

The searing pain from her overexertion tore forward in a fit of violent coughs.

The power which held her organs together shook and vanished.

Juny's insides shredded and mended in an excruciating cycle.

Each Chain of The Void she summoned seemed to return, enwrapping her heart and squeezing it.

But it didn't burst.

It didn't explode.

It was being crushed, but it expanded and beat quicker with every cough.

Funnily enough, that repeated compression only gave her another reason to throw up blood.

It took less than a few seconds for a pool of blood to be created before her.

She sat with her knees in a w-shape.

Her back was painfully bent, trying to keep herself from falling completely.

Juny's eyes became watery as tears mixed themselves into the blood covering her face.

She couldn't scream, she couldn't talk, not even whisper.

All she could do was sit in isolation, slowly turning into a complete bloody mess.

Juny placed a hand to her chest, her fingers trembling as she tried to steady herself.

Her voice was hoarse.

So hoarse, one couldn't call it a human voice.

And what came out didn't sound like human words.

They were words out of this world.

"It's fin- cough!"

Juny stopped her coughing for one second, only to throw up twice as much the next.

Her inner voice cut through the haze of pain.

'You're good, right? You knew this would happen. That's why you hesitated to use those chains, right? Don't be a baby, Juny. You chose this, so don't act like a hopeless baby now.'

Her monologue was calm, mocking even.

She mocked her own self for falling so far.

She used to be a girl in a college.

A girl with a dream.

But now, what remained?

'Who does this? Who would push their own body for people who can't even save themselves?'

Juny's vision swam, her sight blurry and full of red.

The hand on her chest tensed, grasping the drenched cloth.

Was it blood, sweat?

She didn't know.

Her sense of touch might've been playing tricks on her for all she knew.

Her mocking self didn't stop, it was the last bit she could do to not break down.

'Well? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you choking on your own blood now?'

Juny's strained lips twitched upwards.

But she didn't manage to smile, more blood gushed out.

Her body was empty, devoid of blood cells, but her heart kept beating.

Even as it was pressed from all sides, new blood made its way to her body and more blood made its way out of her mouth.

Juny's body shook and she lost her balance.

She fell down, losing the last bit of stability she had, Juny laid down on the blood-covered ground.

'What are you doing? Get up. You're fine. Juny, you've dealt with worse.'

"Heh-"

As if she found it hilarious, Juny forced a raw chuckle out of her vocal cords.

With a stream of blood flowing from her mouth, Juny twisted her lips into a weak, self-deprecating smile.

'Oh damn, look at me. In the body of an eleven years old and I'm already falling apart.'

"Talk about bad life choices."

Juny squeezed out, her throat torn up and bleeding, like everything else.

All her muscles completely relaxed.

As if it was a sign of her giving up resistance.

The pain numbed the back of her brain.

Her eyes fully closed, accepting the consequences of her actions.

'And so what if it hurts a little. Even if it's going to break me, I don't regret it. What's a life without any obstacles?'

Juny allowed the pain to spread.

'The more it hurts, the quicker it will end. It's like what my Philosophy teacher told me. Life is all about suffering, so we can die without regrets.'

'Heh, look at you, hypocrite.'

'So what? Is it that bad to be sentimental once in a while?'

Juny wanted to shake her head, but the torment didn't let her.

Her monologue stopped.

Juny was not stupid.

If she continued to have split conversations in her head, she might actually go crazy.

Juny didn't want that.

Her senses slowly shut down.

She was not unconscious, she just didn't want to feel the pain.

She wanted a break, even if just for a short momen