"My my, just looking at your face is enough to flare my rage, she certainly didn't like you, Valen," Olga spoke, her tone light, a small smile on her face.

"Olga-" Sophia whispered by the side, her eyes trembling at the sight before her. Cerberus, noticing this, moved to block her line of sight brandishing his blade, his grip firm.

Sword in hand, Holdo stood by his side, his form alert, while the unnamed guard watched behind them with Mr. Valen to his left, he too was armed with a sword.

Mr. Valen, in the face of such direct words, chose to remain quiet; he knew not what the new Olga was capable of, but he could tell that she or it was much stronger than he.

He did not struggle with the fact that a former companion had been turned into such a beast; there were more important things on his mind. 'The situation has exceeded the limit of my control, should I...'

«Retreat? Retreat is the only favorable option, unfortunately, it is not a viable one.»

"Clang!"

Sparks flew as the loud clatter of steel shook Mr. Valen to attention, his breath light as he saw Holdo, Cerberus, and the guard engaging Olga, who had at some point picked up a sword.

«I have got to stop zoning out in the middle of high-stakes situations.»

"My Lady," Mr. Valen said apologetically, as he hoisted Sophia up, his breath heavy as he broke into a sprint, away from the battle.

"Oh—" Sophia let out a short yelp at being carried so suddenly, but she did not fight it, her eyes still locked on Holdo's group who engaged the possessed Olga.

Meanwhile, Cerberus, upon noticing Mr. Valen's action, thought to himself, 'Smart kid.'

"Pay attention, lover boy," Olga yelled as she struck Cerberus with her blade, sparks flying as the man was pushed back, staggering.

"Fragor!" But with a chant, Holdo was already upon her with a blast, his sword ablaze as he cleaved down with a fury.

But Olga just parried, flawlessly redirecting the attack, the flames barely grazing her as she voiced, "I believe I'm finally comfortable enough in my own skin-"

As she spoke she seemed to fail to notice the unknown guard at her rear who cleaved down, his brows narrowed under his helm.

"Now that I'm comfortable-" Olga suddenly cut herself short, as she sidestepped. "Whoosh!" The unknown guard's blade cut through the air by her side, his eyes widened as he realized his attack had not connected.

"It is time you all die," Olga continued from where she left off, and moved her blade like a phantom, the sound of the air tearing as she struck violently at the exposed youth, her blade shredding his armor like wet paper.

The unknown guard felt a stinging, agonizing pain assail him, and so he staggered back and looked down. The sight that he beheld was horrific: his own blood drained from him like a fountain; his organs spewed out as if his body had rejected them, and the pain, oh god, the pain.

The unknown guard slumped soon after, leaving Holdo and Cerberus standing there, watching as they breathed deeply, their faces pale.

"What?" Olga, upon seeing their faces, asked with glee, her lips curling into a smile as she continued. "You're both tired already?"

At those words, Cerberus glanced at Holdo who stared on with determination, one that fueled his own.

And yet it was irrefutable that both fighters were exhausted, their gazes locked on the monster before them as they breathed deeply.

But then Olga moved. "You're stalling," she whispered in Holdo's ears as she appeared before him in what could only be described as a flash.

'Oh no!' Holdo's eyes widened as he looked down at his stomach, now impaled by Olga's blade. He staggered, cold sweat flowing down his rapidly whitening face, washed away by the rain.

A sickening sizzle could be heard as the monster then redrew her blade, the weapon screeching against the edges of Holdo's armor, which had done nothing to protect.

The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye and before Cerberus could react, she was upon him as well, swinging her reaper's blade.

But the man who had seen how the woman attacked immediately positioned himself to block an attack to the torso.

"Clang!" He succeeded, barely, the force shooting him back like a cannon, his blade shattering to pieces.

While he was still flying back, he felt the cold wind touch his form as Olga rushed past him.

"Bang!" A heavy thud then sounded out Olga kicked him from behind, sending him flying forward once again, his form hitting the ground, with a wet thud; a grunt escaping him as he struggled to prop himself up.

But the ground was wet and slippery, so he fell to the hard rock once before forcing himself up. He noted that Olga's sword had also shattered.

In the heavy rain, he spotted a woman, her armor soiled, her hair wet, and her soulless gaze locked on his form.

She strutted towards him, slowly, a menacing grin on her face as she spread her arms wide. "You will all die!"

"Swoosh!"

She moved again, a flash of black light that he could barely see. Cerberus closed his eyes, knowing that he was too exhausted to do anything about his impending demise.

But he waited, a second, two, and no death came, no pain, just the ache in his back and the icy chill of the black rain.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw Olga before him, her arm raised, only an inch away from his throat.

"What-"

"I can't move," she suddenly spoke, her tone grim as she added, her form trembling slightly. "This bitch is stopping me from killing you!"

'She's still in there?' Cerberus thought, his eyes widening, his breath hitching as he stepped back. "How?"

At his words, Olga or the thing straightened her form, a heavy frown on her face as she muttered, "Filthy woman! I can't believe this."

She then turned to Cerberus. "If I can't kill you, then I'll take care of your companions first."

Simultaneously, she moved, and before he knew it, Cerberus felt her fingers on his back, digging into his chest plate.

"Bang!" The ground cracked slightly as Olga stepped forward, rushing into the distance in a flash while dragging Cerberus behind her.

------

Meanwhile, far away from Olga's battle, Mr. Valen could be seen rushing through the complex terrain while carrying Sophia with him.

His speed was inhuman, surpassing the limits of what even Holdo and Cerberus were capable of, his gaze locked ahead.

Sophia, lost in thought, had not noticed this, rather, her brows were furrowed partly from the rain and partly because the woman she admired had been infected by such a beast.

Noticing her worry, Mr. Valen sped up and leaped over a large curve in the terrain, letting out a light breath as he landed with a thud. He then continued sprinting without interruption. "What troubles you, my Lady?"

At his sudden question, Sophia looked up at him before shaking her head signalling that she did not want to speak.

'Why does everyone see me as some feeble princess, first Cerberus and now you,' she thought, her gaze faltering slightly at the memory of, 'Olga...'

«She probably thinks I see her as some kind of feeble princess.»

'She is indeed vulnerable now, a perfect opportunity to once again refine my persona,' Mr. Valen thought, his face expressionless as he spoke while running. "What foods do you like? Would you speak if I offered them to you?"

At his words, Sophia raised a brow, her expression pausing slightly, and then she giggled, "Haha, you-are you stupid!"

"You spoke those very words to me once, do you recall," Mr. Valen said, his gaze never leaving the path before him. He knew not where he was going; all he cared about was the fact that it was a way from that woman.

Sophia remembered when she had first found Mr. Valen and after taking him in, he had refused to speak for some days, no matter what question was asked of him.

The world Mr. Valen had just spoken now was one of the things she had said in an attempt to get him to speak.

"So you 'do' know how to cheer people up," Sophia intoned, her voice light as she added. "I thought you were some kind of unfeeling robot with the way your expression never changed."

"Only for you, my Lady. Only for-" Mr. Valen cut himself short as he felt a chill run down his spine, so he snapped his head to the side.

In that moment, his eyes widened as he saw a woman (or the shadow of a woman) appear before him like a flash of light, dragging a figure behind her.

In that moment, Mr. Valen leaped and twisted his form so that his back would face this shadow, and in that moment.

"Bang!" A loud thud could be heard as a violent hit sent him flying, a grunt escaping him as he positioned himself to protect Sophia.

He hit the ground with a loud thud before rising just as fast, the scratches on his form already, healing as his eyes adjusted.

He caught sight of Olga leaping towards him, arms outstretched and inches away from his throat.

«If that attack connects, I'll die!»

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