Hikaru kneeled to the ground, eyes wide with horror as he heard the blood-curdling screams of the students all around him.
With all the courage he had left as the student council president, he forced himself to stand and face Xiandre.
Only to be met with Glenn's body being thrown straight at him. He staggered backward, catching Glenn—who tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Hikaru glanced down. Glenn's arms were gone.
Before he could even react, Xiandre appeared in front of him, charging forward and slamming his helmeted head into Hikaru's face.
Hikaru dropped, blood pouring from his forehead.
Xiandre grabbed him by the hair and dragged him slowly forward, Glenn's body still in tow.
He kicked the nearby wall, causing one of the mounted candles to fall. It landed on the red carpet—and the fire spread instantly.
The remaining students, too injured to move, missing limbs and bleeding out, lay helpless.
They cried, but no sound escaped. All they could do was wait for death as Xiandre walked forward—toward the final floor.
As he ascended, he saw no knights or guards. The path was clear.
At the top of the staircase stood a massive door.
Xiandre hurled Glenn's broken body at it.
The impact shattered the door open, triggering a barrage of blast magic from inside.
"No traps will work on me," Xiandre muttered.
He charged through the smoke, leaping straight in.
Inside, the royal knights stood in formation, weapons and wands pointed at him. At the far end of the throne room, Queen Alina sat on her throne, trying to stay composed through heavy breaths.
Xiandre smirked.
He dropped Hikaru's body to the ground and stepped forward.
"STOP RIGHT THERE OR I'LL ORDER THEM TO KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!" Queen Alina screamed.
Xiandre ignored her.
Without hesitation, Alina snapped her fingers. The knights fired.
But Xiandre was already in front of her. He swung his sword—she blocked with her own, the sheer force sending her flying across the room.
Xiandre raised his hand, closing his palm slowly.
"Control time," he said.
Everything froze for a moment.
He whispered a chant, then shouted, "Domain!"
A blood-red aura engulfed the entire throne room.
With a snap of his fingers, Xiandre commanded, "Kill each other."
The royal knights immediately turned on one another. Screams filled the room as they stabbed and blasted their own comrades.
Queen Alina stood back up, horrified as her guards fell around her.
"Who... are you?!" she shouted.
Xiandre stepped forward calmly. "Me? You can call me the True Smiling Reaper. But just Xiandre is fine. If the holy knights ever told you I was 'Kian'... that was just an alias."
He teleported in front of her again, sword raised—only for a holy barrier to block his strike as immediately backs up.
Two glowing wings unfurled behind Alina. Two angels descended, each holding golden swords, halos shining brightly.
"I'm sorry I had to plead for your help again, angels," she whispered.
Xiandre narrowed his eyes. "So... you've got bodyguards now?"
"And this is where your revenge ends," Alina declared.
"My revenge won't be complete unless I have the goddess and the princess," Xiandre replied.
"You'll never touch my daughter. No matter what she did, I won't let you harm her!" Alina shouted.
"Why protect a Child with demonic Decisions?" Xiandre asked Calmly. "She's responsible for the lives lost today. Let me through that door, and this ends quicker"
Behind the queen stood another door—the one leading to the corridor where the door to Princess Millie's Bedroom stand.
Alina rushed at Xiandre, swinging her sword.
He dodged, but one of the angels appeared behind him, blade aimed at his back. Xiandre rolled mid-air, avoiding both strikes—only to meet the second angel's blade head-on.
He blocked, fell to the ground, then jumped again.
The angels rose above him, opened their mouths, and sang.
The melody shattered the air. Xiandre's ears bled.
Staggering, he was suddenly kicked in the chest by Alina, sending him flying back.
She raised her sword—its tip glowing with holy power—and fired a beam of energy. Xiandre rolled, dodging just in time.
He pulled a potion from his pocket and smashed it on the ground—disappearing in the resulting smoke.
But the angels sang louder. His silhouette became visible again.
Alina's blade grew longer—she struck, sending Xiandre crashing into the wall.
"Invisibility won't work on us, human," one of the angels said coldly.
Xiandre grinned through the blood.
"You two... why are you even helping this woman?" he asked.
"Not that it's your business," one angel replied, "but she sends prayers to the heavens daily. She lives with love, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness. She embodies parts of the nine fruits of holy presence."
"They call her kind?" Xiandre muttered bitterly.
He turned his gaze to Alina.
"Why won't you let me reach the princess? Why won't you let me have my revenge?"
Alina stepped forward, her voice trembling but firm.
"Because you don't return evil with evil. I know what she did. And I can feel what you're feeling. Rage. Emptiness. But this isn't the way. You're broken. And I don't want to fight a broken man... I want to save him."
Xiandre paused.
"Please," she continued, tears in her eyes. "Be patient. Eventually, you'll find peace. But not this way. I want you to turn back. Forgive my daughter. This pain—it's not your fault."
Xiandre stood in silence.
In his heart, he could feel something warm… honest. She was genuine. She believed what she said. A kind, devoted woman. A mother.
"She really does have parts of the fruits of the holy within her..." he thought to himself.
But then he shook his head, eyes turning cold once more.
"Sorry, Alina," he said softly. "But I won't change my path. Not now. Not after everything."
"W—what!?"
"Sorry Alina... I decide how I want to continue my path, and sorry your suggestion maybe looks great but it doesn't really appeal me that much" Xiandre inquired.
Xiandre charged at Queen Alina as the two angels suddenly merged into her body.
Alina growled as radiant wings burst from her back, lifting her into the air. Her eyes turned white, glowing with divine energy, and a luminous halo formed above her head.
She opened her mouth wide—and a blinding solar holy beam erupted forth.
Xiandre dashed to the side, narrowly dodging the blast. In the air around him, countless holy swords materialized, all pointed directly at him.
With a swift motion, Xiandre raised his sword, deflecting the blades as they rained down. Then, gripping it tightly, he swung upward—splitting the solar beam clean in half.
The explosion that followed shook the throne room again.
Xiandre leapt high, aiming to strike Alina from above—but she raised her hand and manipulated gravity itself.
Xiandre was yanked downward and slammed into the floor.
Grimacing, he attempted to control gravity back—or stop time—but his spells were instantly shattered by the overwhelming weight of Alina's divine presence.
Struggling to his feet, he felt the crushing pressure forcing him to his knees, as if the heavens themselves demanded he bow.
But Xiandre growled through clenched teeth, refusing to kneel.
He slammed his fist into the floor.
"Building control—fall before her!" he shouted.
The ceiling above Alina cracked—and a massive chunk of it collapsed, slamming into her with a deafening crash.
Her radiant presence flickered for just a second—just long enough.
Xiandre sprang forward, sword pointed straight for her chest.
But she teleported in a flash of light, reappearing behind him.
Alina grabbed him by the throat mid-air.
Xiandre struggled, but she clenched tighter, choking him. She pummeled him with a punch to the chest—then to the face—before hurling him into the ground.
Dust exploded from the impact.
Without hesitation, Alina descended in a flash, fist glowing with divine fire as she thrust it toward Xiandre's heart.
It moved faster than the speed of light.
And then—
Everything turned white. A high-pitched ringing filled her ears.
When her vision returned... blood was dripping.
Pools of it spilled onto the floor.
More blood followed. But it wasn't Xiandre's.
Alina looked down—eyes wide in horror.
Her chest had been run through. Xiandre's sword pierced deep into her, the blade jutting out from her back.
Xiandre stood beneath her, grinning.
He dipped two fingers into her blood.
Sliding his helmet open slightly, his face hidden in shadow, he licked the blood from his fingers.
Then he lowered the helmet back into place.
With one sharp pull, he yanked the sword from her chest and kicked her backward.
The angels inside her screamed, bleeding from the cosmic corruption of the sword Xiandre wielded—the blade of Lucifer.
Alina crashed to the floor, gasping and coughing violently, her body limp and shaking.
"For someone like you," Xiandre said calmly, stepping past her, "I didn't expect you to be this strong."
Alina reached out, dragging herself across the floor.
"P-please..." she begged, her voice trembling. "Don't kill her... she may be evil... but she's still my daughter... I love her..."
"I'll do anything. Just spare her," she pleaded, tears in her eyes.
Xiandre said nothing. He stepped toward the final door—the one that led to the final corridor towards princess.
But the moment he touched the handle, he flinched.
It burned.
He jumped back instinctively.
A figure emerged from the shadows behind the door.
Princess Millie.
But something was... wrong.
Her eyes gleamed unnaturally. Her smile twisted into something manic. Power pulsed from her body—but it wasn't hers.
From behind, Hikaru—Head bleeding and barely able to stand—stared in disbelief.
"PRINCESS MILLIE?! ARE YOU OKAY?!" he shouted.
Millie turned toward Xiandre with a gleeful expression, giggling.
"Hello, Xiandre~," she said with a wicked grin. "I know your name because I'm actually the Goddess, fufu~. Possessing the princess was the best way to keep her safe from you. Now, if you want your revenge, you'll have to get through me."
Xiandre narrowed his eyes.
"I was planning to kill you both separately," he replied coldly. "But hey—I don't mind doing it all at once."