Chapter 28:
Unbearable Loss
ONCE AGAIN, Roxy left me awed. She was an envoy of a holy beast, and it had made her even more beautiful. She was the polar opposite of the darkness we had fought in the Desert of Extinction. At first, Roxy was astonished by her transformation, but she tried out her new wings immediately after the shock wore off.
“Fate, I think I can fly,” she said.
“What?! That’s awesome!”
Roxy rose into the air. It was utterly amazing.
“What am I now?” she asked, her brows knit together in puzzlement. “Does this form have a name?”
“She’s a Valkyrie,” said Greed. “When a holy knight fuses with a holy beast through a covenant, they become Valkyries, and their fighting style changes along with their appearance. I never imagined I’d see the day that enemies of the past would return as allies, though.”
According to Greed, the holy beastfolk and the bearers of Skills of Mortal Sin were enemies. But with the passing of countless eons, this enmity had eroded. Now the power that had once given Kairos so much trouble was a boon to us, thanks to Snow. I relayed Greed’s explanation to Roxy as she got her bearings in her new body.
She gestured to me and said, “Come, Fate.”
“You mean…?”
“I do. There’s no other way.”
She wrapped her hands around my chest, leaving my arms free, and flapped her wings with tremendous force. We shot into the air as though we were as light as a feather.
“Don’t think of it as winged flight,” said Greed. “It’s powered by magic. The wings are only the medium through which flight is made possible.”
“So the Divine Dragon was able to carry its huge body through the air with a similar power?”
“Indeed.”
That made a lot of sense. We ascended faster into the air.
“Roxy!”
“I’m getting used to it,” she said. “You know, when I was young, I longed for the freedom of flight. I thought it would be so wonderful to soar through the blue skies like a bird. Now that dream has come true.”
“You’re so strong, Roxy…” Ever since Galia, I’d feared that I would be consumed by Gluttony and turn into a monster. “Knowing the risks, it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but you didn’t hesitate. You couldn’t stand by and watch the people of Hausen suffer. I…I don’t think I have that in me…”
“That’s not true, Fay. I learned it from you.”
We soared ever higher into the sky. Roxy loved the experience.
“You’re always so reckless,” she said. “Always pushing yourself too far. I shudder to think of what might happen when I’m not with you. But I won’t be left behind anymore!”
“Roxy…”
“I can’t stand feeling useless! I don’t want to just get in your way, I want to be there for you when you need me!”
We accelerated as we flew. I didn’t know if there was a practical limit to Roxy’s wings. Could we just keep going all the way to the place Greed called “outer space”? Whatever the answer, we continued to climb.
“I can see it,” said Roxy.
“It’s…gigantic.”
We were still far away, but even from this distance, I could tell that it was at least as large as Hausen itself. It would have been no exaggeration to call it a sky fortress.
With the whole thing in clear view, Greed groaned. “I wouldn’t believe it if I weren’t seeing it myself. It still exists in this place? I can’t believe Zodiac Aquarius hasn’t fallen!”
“That thing…is alive?”
“Of course it is. Like Snow, it’s one of the holy beastfolk. It’s transformed at present, but…given how far gone it is, I don’t think it can return to its original form. I’d be surprised if it has a shred of sanity left. That Libra… What a wild thing to unveil at a time like this…”
According to Greed, Zodiac Aquarius absorbed the sun’s light from its position in space and channeled it into attacks. In a past age, people had called these pillars of light the Arrows of Indra. Curious, I tried to use my Identify skill, but Greed stopped me.
“You idiot! You think you can get away with using Identify so brazenly?! If Aquarius reflects it, you’ll be utterly blinded! Anyway, we’ve got bigger things to worry about. It’s fully charged.”
We were still so far away. Could I use my black shield? Could I protect Hausen with Reflect Fortress? Roxy must have known what I was thinking, because she shook her head.
“It won’t work,” she said. “You’ve already spent far too many of your stats. If you use a secret technique to stop the attack, you’ll lose the power to finish it off afterward.”
“So how do we stop it?”
“Leave it to me!”
She was serious. She seemed more confident now that Snow resided within her. She knew she could do it.
“Snow is just as ready as me,” Roxy said. “So leave that attack to us, and you concentrate on what to do next.”
“Got it.”
The Zodiac Aquarius suddenly began to glow. It was about to unleash another huge column of light. Anything that touched it was sure to disintegrate in a world of searing light from which there was no return. But Roxy showed no fear, and she flew directly at it. If we avoided the beam, it would only spell destruction for both Hausen and the underground city.
“Hold on tight!” Roxy said.
As the beam of light enveloped us, a circular barrier formed around Roxy. It caused the light to refract and dissipate into sparkling motes that vanished in the distance.
“What you just did…was that your divine protection?”
“Yes, that’s what Snow calls it.”
It was the like the Zodiac Scorpion’s ability, but even more powerful. Roxy had withstood the beam of light, and it seemed that Aquarius would need some time to charge another attack of that strength.
“Well, it’s not called the Shield of God for nothing,” said Greed.
“We still need to get closer,” said Roxy. “However, the air will continue to grow thinner. My divine protection can only help us so far. I don’t think we can leave the atmosphere to reach Aquarius.”
“You did good, Roxy. Greed, we can hit it from here, right?”
“A foolish question. Did you forget that you are addressing the legendary Greed? Prepare another Bloody Ptarmigan.”
A Bloody Ptarmigan attack by itself wouldn’t be enough, not for a holy beast. I would need the Crossing to amplify my powers.
“Greed, time for the Crossing!”
“Let’s do it!”
“Take eighty percent!”