"H-how are you here...?"
Martha closed and opened her eyes, thinking it was a dream. But Rimmer didn't disappear - instead, his smile grew deeper.
"I couldn't miss seeing the Leader of the White Blood Religion getting thoroughly beaten! It's a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle! And..."
Rimmer shook his fist before looking at her with calm eyes.
"This is your fight. I had to crawl up from hell to see it."
He gently gripped her shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"The Division Leader hasn't changed at all..."
Martha's eyes reddened as she looked at Rimmer. Her master hadn't changed at all - still playful like a child, yet serious when it mattered.
"Division Leader?"
Rimmer tilted his head.
"I do like being called Division Leader, but wasn't I just the Vice Division Leader before I died? Raon beat me and I got demoted."
He laughed heartily as he mentioned losing his position to Raon. His boyish smile remained unchanged.
"Well, enough about my dead self."
Rimmer squeezed her shoulder.
"You finally succeeded."
He slowly surveyed her Sword Domain, made of a sea of blood.
"I always knew you'd be the first to complete your Sword Domain."
Rimmer nodded as if he had always genuinely believed in her.
"Ugh..."
Martha lowered her trembling head to hide her expression. Hearing Rimmer's sincere praise, her held-back tears fell into the sea of blood. The crimson waters seemed to dilute ever so slightly.
"Though I didn't expect you to create such a cruel Sword Domain! It certainly suits your name as Miss Rakshasa!"
Rimmer grinned, saying this level of brutality was fitting for Miss Rakshasa. Seeing his refreshing smile, the fatigue and pain in her soul seemed to melt away, replaced by vigor.
"Um, well..."
"I'd like to chat more too, but we have something to take care of first."
Rimmer interrupted her and pointed at the Leader of the White Blood Religion, who was surrounded by vengeful spirits.
"Those spirits can use their original power here thanks to Raon's support. However..."
He slightly furrowed his brows as he continued.
"Those spirits can torment and weaken the Leader of the White Blood Religion, but they can't kill her completely."
Rimmer picked up the sword that had fallen into the sea of blood and handed it to her.
"You need to end this."
He summoned the Wooden Ring Sword from thin air, saying he would help with the final battle. Whoosh! While the Leaf Sword suited Raon well, it truly shone brightest in Rimmer's hands.
"I understand."
Martha nodded, using honorifics with Rimmer for the first time.
"Master."
She raised her sword as she finally spoke the title she had always wanted to use but couldn't until now.
"Oh, the cringe! My fingers are curling up!"
Rimmer screamed while curling all ten fingers like octopus tentacles.
"Hey, you bastard!"
Martha couldn't hold back and kicked Rimmer's behind.
"Do you know how much courage that took!"
Just having Rimmer beside her made the tension disappear and her fighting spirit rise. It truly felt like the Light Wind division's spiritual pillar had returned.
"Master, huh... Not bad at all."
Rimmer waved his hand solemnly, as if his teasing had been just a joke.
"The secretive father over there will join us too, right?"
He jerked his chin at Denier, as if asking if he could fight.
"Of course..."
Denier drew a thin breath and forced strength into his trembling arms and legs. Seeing the green wind rising behind him, it seemed Rimmer had lent his aid.
"Let's go."
The moment Rimmer spoke in a low voice, Martha and Denier simultaneously kicked off from the sea of blood.
"You bastards!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion exploded with her remaining soul realm and bloody energy, trying to strike down both the spirits and Rimmer at once. But the vengeful spirits' obsession and thirst for revenge against the White Blood Religion exceeded her imagination. With thunderous force, the spirits charged at her even more frantically, tearing at her flesh as if they didn't care about being destroyed by the bloody energy.
"Aaaargh!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion abandoned her counterattack, using her hands and bloody energy just to push away the spirits.
"Now!"
With Rimmer's shout, three blades imbued with pale green wind descended upon the Leader of the White Blood Religion. With a thunderous slash, Rimmer's swift strike cleaved horizontally through her waist, while Denier's sharp blade tore out her heart. The attack roared through the air!
Martha's Crushing Ocean Sword struck last, piercing through the violently spreading bloody energy to sever the Leader of the White Blood Religion's neck.
"Ah...!"
The moment the Leader of the White Blood Religion's body fell into the sea of blood in three pieces, the vengeful spirits descended again and began tearing her soul apart strand by strand.
"Kyaaaaaagh!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion seemed to have no strength left to resist, only able to scream as if her tongue would burst. With a thunderous roar, the vengeful spirits devoured her soul completely, as if satisfying their endless vengeance and hunger, while she screamed. They were like piranhas, leaving not even a single bone of their prey behind.
"..."
"Hah..."
Martha, holding her mother's soul in her arms, watched the Leader of the White Blood Religion's screams and suffering without blinking, while Denier lowered his eyes as if unable to bear the sight.
"What a view!"
Rimmer laughed heartily as he lay on the sea of blood.
"This is how a revenge story should end!"
He nodded with satisfaction while drinking from a liquor bottle that had appeared from nowhere.
"How about you? Satisfied?"
Rimmer jerked his chin at her, as if asking how she felt.
"Someone once said revenge would feel empty afterward..."
Martha clenched her fist as she watched the Leader of the White Blood Religion's soul melting in endless agony.
"It feels frighteningly good. Like all the pent-up emotions and resentment are finally being released."
She nodded, expressing her genuine satisfaction.
"Kya! That's Miss Rakshasa for you!"
Rimmer clapped his hands, pleased with her answer. The sound of his clapping, which she hadn't heard in so long, brought an unconscious smile to her face.
"But what did you mean earlier when you said you thought I'd be the first to use a Sword Domain?"
Martha narrowed her eyes as she looked at Rimmer.
"Exactly what I said - I knew you'd use a Sword Domain before Runaan and Burren."
Rimmer blinked, indicating he meant it literally.
"How?"
Martha squinted at Rimmer.
"Because you were more desperate than anyone else."
Rimmer gave a subtle smile as if recalling old memories.
"Burren worked hard too, but he had the complacency of being from the Direct Lineage, and while Runaan was desperate like you, she still had lingering pity for her older brother."
His long eyelashes trembled as he remembered his beloved disciples.
"Among the three, you were not only the most desperate but also carried the most intense desire for revenge. Your willpower and desperation to sacrifice even your life created this Sword Domain."
Rimmer slowly closed his eyes, saying he could feel her soul and emotions in the Devil's Prison Sword Domain.
"Y-you could feel all of that? You?"
Martha let out a surprised breath at the unexpected answer.
"You called me Master, didn't you! A master must read not only their disciple's talent but also their emotions."
Rimmer wagged his finger, telling her to remember this well.
"Hmm..."
Martha bit her lip hard as she looked at Rimmer. He had always shown different sides of himself each time she saw him, but she hadn't expected to see new aspects even after his death.
"Now that the vengeful spirits have somewhat satisfied their revenge, shall we end this?"
Rimmer dusted off his bloodied hands and gripped the Wooden Ring Sword again.
"You're the master of this Sword Domain, and I received the power of the Soul Sword from Raon. Together, we can end this decisively."
He took her hand and advanced into the storm of vengeful spirits. With a rushing sound, the spirits closed their mouths that had been tearing at the Leader of the White Blood Religion's soul and opened a path for them.
"Heuuh..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion's body must have been completely devoured by the spirits, as only her head floated on the sea.
"I-I'll kill you all..."
"Don't speak."
Rimmer raised his sword with a sneer.
"Right. Because that will never happen."
Martha nodded and brought down her sword toward the Leader of the White Blood Religion's head along with Rimmer. With a thunderous impact, the two blades pierced between her brows, turning her eyes pure white.
"Kyaaaaaagh!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion seemed to realize this was the end and tried to resist somehow, but the two blades imbued with the power of the Soul Sword and Sword Domain didn't let her go, melting away what remained of her soul. The power resonated through the air!
As if it had been waiting for this moment, the gates of hell shot out iron chains that wrapped around the soulless head of the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
With a thunderous boom! The Leader of the White Blood Religion's head, now devoid of soul, was mounted on the right side of hell's gate, dripping pure white blood.
"Haah..."
Denier exhaled a heavy breath as he watched. The air seemed thick with sadness, affection, and bitterness. A thunderous rumble echoed!
Having claimed both the bodies of the 10th Apostle and the soul of the Leader of the White Blood Religion, the Devil's Prison opened its gates again as if its role was complete.
"So it's over now."
Rimmer clicked his tongue briefly as he looked at his fading hands.
"C-can we meet again?"
Martha bit her lip as she watched Rimmer toss away his empty liquor bottle.
"I don't know what comes after this. Perhaps even the gods don't know?"
Rimmer shrugged as he patted the vengeful spirits descending behind him.
"Ah..."
Martha looked at Rimmer with eyes full of regret.
"Even so..."
Rimmer approached her and reached out with his mature hand.
"I'm glad I got to see you."
Rimmer gently patted her head, saying he was grateful he could fight this final battle with his grown disciple.
"W-wait a moment!"
As Martha reached out toward Rimmer, the gates of hell opened completely with an intense burst of light.
***
The gates creaked! Raon swallowed hard as he looked at the reopened gates of hell.
'It's changed.'
On the right door of hell's gate was mounted a woman with red hair and red eyes who hadn't been there before. Though her breath had stopped, a terrifying bloody energy could still be felt within.
'Is that the Leader of the White Blood Religion's true form?'
Then did Martha win?'
As if confirming his prediction, hell's gate disappeared into the lava-flowing ground with a surge of red energy, its task seemingly complete.
-That's right!
Wrath nodded while looking at the ground where hell's gate had vanished.
-I can no longer sense that mosquito queen's soul!
He jumped up and down, saying Martha had done it.
"Haah..."
Upon hearing that the Leader of the White Blood Religion was dead, his legs gave out and he collapsed where he stood. He truly didn't have the strength to move even a finger now. With a hiss, the Godly Blood Summoning Ritual that had threatened him and the Light Wind Palace also began to solidify, as if its connection to its master had been severed.
However, instead of vanishing, the Godly Blood Summoning Ritual began to fall apart, its body crumbling into tiny pieces.
"Uaaah..."
"I-it's over!"
"The blood monster has collapsed!"
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen, realizing through the Godly Blood Summoning Ritual's collapse that the Leader of the White Blood Religion was dead, let out cheers that shook the ground. With a thunderous crash, as the Ritual melted into sand, Martha, Denier, and Martha's mother, who had been entangled together, collapsed simultaneously. The impact echoed through the air!
Having lost the Leader of the White Blood Religion's power, Martha's mother spurted bright red blood from her chest where Denier's sword was embedded.
"M-Mother!"
The moment Martha opened her eyes, she rushed to her mother, sprinkled Holy Water, and tried to stop the bleeding.
"Please!"
Martha used all the medicine she had brought as if determined not to let her mother die, but the sword wound was too sharp and wouldn't heal.
"Umm..."
Though he wanted to help somehow, his physical and mental strength were at their limit, and he had used all his Divinity Born from Darkness on Lecross, leaving him unable to do anything.
"M-move aside."
Denier crawled on his knees toward Martha's mother. As he extended his trembling hand, the blood flowing from her chest began to flow back inside, and the wound started to heal.
"H-how...?"
"Your mother was exposed to bloody energy for a long time. Seeing that Holy Water wasn't working, I tried using bloody energy, and fortunately, it worked."
After confirming Martha's mother's breathing had returned, Denier coughed up white blood. His face was so pale it wouldn't have been strange if he died right then.
"A-are you alright?"
Martha supported Denier, worried about his labored breathing.
"I'm fine. I'm fine..."
Denier waved his hand telling her not to worry, but it seemed he didn't have much time left.
"Stay with me!"
Martha frowned as she gave Denier an Elixir. Though she wanted to ask what had happened in the Sword Domain, Martha didn't seem to be in any state to answer.
"Hah..."
Raon sighed and opened his tightly clenched right hand.
'I suppose I should say goodbye too.'
The Blade of Requiem remained in his hand with only its hilt, having lost its red blade.
'Thank you for everything.'
As Raon expressed his gratitude, the hilt of the Blade of Requiem crumbled into fine sawdust-like particles that scattered in the wind. With a whoosh, the particles that had formed the sword's hilt rose into the air as if alive, surrounding him in a purple aura.
They were the vengeful spirits. As the souls that had formed the Blade of Requiem surrounded him, his body felt weightless as if in another dimension, and he began to sense the spirits' presence in detail.
A resonating hum filled the air as the spirits' voices reached through to his soul. Thank you. We were happy together. We enjoyed living in the same time. Thank you for fulfilling our revenge. We'll miss you. We hope your future is happy. We want to meet again. These words echoed endlessly.
"No."
Raon shook his head as he listened to the spirits' voices.
"I'm the one who's grateful, I'm the one who enjoyed it, I'm the one who was happy."
He wanted to express his own gratitude, believing that the help he received from the Blade of Requiem far outweighed any help he had given it.
"This really is the end."
Raon bit his lip as he watched the spirits fading away as if departing.
"Until we meet again."
As he offered a prayer for the spirits' ascension, a fresh breeze stirred above his head.
"Huh...?"
When he swallowed hard and turned his head, Rimmer was there looking at him, wreathed in pale green wind.
"M-Master?"
Raon stepped back, his jaw trembling.
-Pointy Ears? Is it really Pointy Ears?
Wrath also gaped in surprise.
'Is it real? Or is it the Leader of the White Blood Religion's magic?'
His heart nearly jumped out of his mouth as he hadn't expected Rimmer to appear at all.
-I-I'm not sure either!
Wrath panted, saying he couldn't sense anything either.
"It's a bit awkward to say 'long time no see,' isn't it? Since I've been watching over you the whole time."
Rimmer smiled brightly as he raised his hand.
"You've grown into a face that suits the crown well, Raon."
He nodded solemnly, as if happy to see his face.
"Master..."
His heart swelled so much that he wouldn't have cared even if this Rimmer before him was just the Leader of the White Blood Religion's magic.
"Is it really you, Master?"
Raon met Rimmer's eyes with trembling pupils. The green eyes reflecting him were as clear and transparent as they had been at the fifth training ground.
"I have something to tell you."
Rimmer didn't answer his question, instead giving a softly shining smile.
"Please speak."
Raon nodded, determined to listen to whatever he had to say.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any money?"
"...Pardon?"
His mind went blank at the completely unexpected question.
"I-I got cleaned out by these spirits, right down to my underwear. With interest, I owe quite a bit..."
Rimmer scratched his head, saying he hadn't known there would be so many spirits good at gambling.
"Such shamelessness."
-Such indecency!
Raon and Wrath turned their eyes to each other as if on cue.
'It's definitely the real thing.'
-That's Pointy Ears alright!