Lysette's armor has been shattered. Her body is locked within the chains of my [Tenebrous Tentacles]. Nicholas is attacking her constrained body with relentless fury, beating her back more and more with each movement. And yet, through it all, I see no fear in our opponent's eye. She shows only the confidence of remaining in complete control, despite all the damage we've managed to inflict upon her.

Good. At least, this way, she's signalling that she doesn't mind if we do push this all the way to its logical conclusion. Lysette, you better be ready for this. Everything Chloe and I have, in one final strike.

Lysette smiles and nods at my mental declaration, almost as though she's been listening in to my internal conversation. If this is a ruse, so be it, we die here. If not, well, Lysette, you have Mirae to step in for you.

I form the glyph of [Light] in the forefront of my mind. This time, though, no holding back. I switch my [Strategist's Gambit] from [Vitality] to [Mind], feeling the mental load immediately and significantly lessen in the blink of an eye. I don't normally like to make use of [Gravity] in such a complex glyph arrangement, but it's currently the most powerful non-elemental glyph I have in my arsenal, and so I begin the arduous task of finding the ideal arrangement of those two glyphs together. Once they're locked in a relatively stable configuration, I turn my attention to how I can further amplify the resulting spell's strength without overtaxing my mind.

I start with the [Expansion] glyph, which should ensure that I'm able to hit all of Lysette's body, even if she does try to dodge at the last second. Then I add in a [Persistence] glyph for the same reason. I've never had a reason to use it before, but with the [Ether] cost reduction taking full effect in the final stage of the [Rainbow Chain], now is as good of a time as any. [Piercing] as well, so that I can try to break through whatever other defenses Lysette plans to conjure.

I have the mental space for one last glyph. I consider [Conic], which would spread out the spell's area of effect from a beam to a cone, maximizing the chances that I hit Lysette. However, that would run counter to Chloe's and my plan to hit her with our combined magic. Instead, I go with [Seeking], which should lead to the same general outcome.

With my spell now fully formed in my mind— albeit with an accompanying headache from the mental load— I turn to Chloe. We nod in unison, our wills completely synchronized even without our bond. Nicholas, recognizing the surge of power we're exuding, wisely leaps out of the way right as the last bit of my [Tenebrous Tentacles] evaporates.

In a burst of pure white, two bursts of light emanate outward, running nearly parallel to one another as Chloe and I push forward with all the power at our disposal. Lysette looks at us with eyes wide— for the first time, her quiet confidence has given way to the possibility that we just might be able to defeat her.

Though she's not going to make that easy. Right as our blasts combine, they are stopped by a wall that feels immovable. It's… It's as though Lysette has found a way to grab our energy blasts and is now attempting to push them back. My [Ether] is already slipping trying to maintain the spell, but I won't let it go without a fight. I push forward, the amount of [Ether] surging through my channels now enough to cause my arms to vibrate with agony. Chloe trembles as well; this is easily the most powerful spell she's tried to muster, and our status buffs and heightened level can only do so much to offset that.

But she is resolved. She and I both are. And though Nicholas has no spell on this magnitude, he's still doing what he can to contribute to our battle. He throws [Ether Charges] from his [Inventory] in rapid succession. None of them do much, but they do force Lysette to exert that little bit of additional energy to either deflect or shield herself against the attack. And that gives me the opening I need to push.

Chloe's will joins with mine, the two of us stepping forward as Lysette is slowly pushed back. We're doing it! It's working!

"But it's not over yet," Chloe reminds me.

"It's not. But we have the upper hand now. Time to finally clear this dungeon, once and for all."

Which is easier said than done. Every step feels like I'm being weighed down by a dozen tons. Every breath feels like trying to inhale soot. Lactic acid is surging through my muscles, sending sharp pains throughout my entire body. My knees briefly buckle, my magic is growing more and more distant, thinner, harder to manipulate. Even still, I throw a hundred points back to Chloe, knowing that my [Indomitable Will] is buttressing me against [Ether] strain, while she does not yet have such a Skill to assist her.

"Just a little more," Chloe says.

I nod. Lysette's life force feels like it's weakening. Her grip is slipping, her body itself feels like it's starting to disintegrate from the strain we've placed upon it. She screams, trying to hold back the attack. And yet, even knowing that the fight is nearly over, Mirae continues to float just on the edge of my [Archangel's Gaze], transfixed but otherwise unmoved.

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The whole of the area shakes as a gargantuan explosion echoes through the field, the impact of our blast finally hitting Lysette's body. I catch Chloe in midair as the two of us are thrown backward. Nicholas is running in an orthogonal direction at high speed, narrowly escaping the widening blast radius. Mirae continues to watch with interest, but true to their earlier declaration, still isn't getting involved.

That, more than anything else, troubles me as the smoke begins to clear. I've seen the way those two look at one another. If Chloe were seriously threatened, I would do anything and everything to ensure she was safe, promises and rules be damned. Which means, against all reason, despite the fact that there was no way Lysette could have escaped, she's… She's still alive. Despite the fact that there's no body where she used to be, she's still alive…

Where is she? Ow! It hurts! My whole body hurts like hell. {Archangel's Gaze] has shut itself off to preserve the last few points of [Ether] within me. Chloe has lost consciousness from the exertion— I promise, I'll make it up to you later. And Nicholas can barely stand. I… I think this might be the end.

"Filia. If I fall here, I want to let you know that I'm sorry I didn't live up to my end of the pact."

"We did everything we could. Had we faced an enemy on the expected level of this Tower, we would have surely come out alive. But this time around, the final boss was much stronger than we could have anticipated and prepared for. It was… a good run, and I appreciate the time we had together."

"Hey, I said if I fall here. Don't be rushing to put me in the grave just yet."

"Do you really think you can fight in this state?"

"Nope. Not a chance. But that doesn't mean I'm not going down without giving it the old college try."

"College try?"

"It's an expression in my world. It means we'll put in one last good-faith effort, and if that fails, then we fall and we don't have any regrets."

Sure enough, just as I finish my mental conversation with Filia, the ground beneath me rumbles and splits open. Dozens of vines burst forth, reconstituting into a humanoid form that gradually takes Lysette's shape once more. I shudder at the sight of whatever she is— definitely not human. And considering she survived that attack with the strength onward, I wouldn't for a second try to contradict her prior claims about being a goddess.

But that doesn't mean I'll back down either. I grip Filia tightly, more to support myself mentally than anything else.

"Impressive," Lysette says. "That last attack utterly vaporized my body. Had I not fissioned it and transferred my consciousness to this new vessel at the last second, you two might have actually killed me."

"That's a damn shame," I say. "I thought I had you."

"I suppose this is about the limit of your power, then?" Lysette asks. "You three are strong. You're far and away more worthy opponents than I'd dared fear when I was brought to this place. But that strength, as it stands, will not be enough."

I take a deep breath. "You are a far stronger opponent than we could have imagined would be waiting for us. And you're right, Lysette. On both accounts. I'm at my limit, and this won't be enough."

"I see. So, then, is it time for you to push past those limits?"

I nod. "Exactly."

"Go ahead. Let me see what you have when you put everything you are on the table. I will wait."

It takes only a moment to find that golden sphere of power radiating in my chest, right beside my [Ether] core. Taking hold of it with the last vestiges of my will, I unseal the power of [Seraphina Overlimit] once more.

Immediately, my body trembles. My wounds are completely healed in the blink of an eye, as though I'd never been wounded to begin with. That strange violet energy from before fills my [Ether] channels until they're nearly bursting. My skin, tinged a reddish-violet, begins to glow a warm golden radiance. Radiance which exudes outward, forming a thin aura around me. My grip on Filia firms, my tendons snap and tighten, and my entire self feels so much better than it ever has.

I am firm, confident, unwavering, and ready to make every second count. I don't wait for Lysette's compliments. A hundred and twenty-two seconds isn't much time. It's not enough time. But it will have to do.

I charge forward, switching from [Vitality] to [Speed]. My movements are a blur, and together with the heightened perception of my [Overlimit] form, I'm able to make my way through Lysette's vines as though they're nothing. Each attack hits home, cutting them to ribbons as fast as she sprouts new ones. And for the first time, I'm able to push her back.

Her fighting style has gone defensive. Instead of attacking me with a barrage of thorns and whips, she's now got them arranged into a series of trellises that are designed not to stop me, but merely slow me down. Even before I activated my [Overlimit], she knew its weakness. She's trying to stall me out. Worse, it's working. Each trellis is cut down in a half a second, but there is an endless array of them. I'll never win this way.

So I do the only thing I can do. I force Lysette and myself away from where Chloe is, so she doesn't get caught in the blast I'm about to form. I Manifest together [Fire], [Expansion], and [Intensity], forming a yellow-hot flame in my hand, then thrust it downward, creating a cascading plume of flame that incinerates all of the plant matter over a space of a quarter mile. Even Lysette herself isn't unharmed, though that strange pink carapace appeared at the last second to shield her from the brunt of the attack.

Words enter my mind, a connection forming between me and my enemy. "Good! Now, Seraphina! I want to see it all! Show me the strength of your resolve! Show me that you will make good use of the power I shall bestow upon you!"

"I will, Lysette." And I will uphold my words. Within the span of a hundred seconds, I'll either win this fight or expire. Only the cosmos can tell which future will be realized.

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