Tears of Nazarick

Inside Nazarick.

Eight Floor.

Deep in the irradiated forests of the 8th Floor, a raging bout between the deposed Overseer and the three Mockeries continued.

"Fly away now, Traitorous Overseer! [Crack in the Ground]!"

"Gah, You really are infuriating me!"

Just as the booming voice of the Celestial Duke threatened, the 9th tier divine spell burst open the lands Albedo had been standing on, the ground rumbling beneath her making fissures to pull her in and ensnare her whole.

With a beat of her wings, Albedo took flight and avoided her imminent burial, leaving her back wide-open as she felt a massive presence close-in from behind.

"Tch! [Wall of Jerich-"

"Too slow."

Fwooosh ----BANG.

Faster than she could finish chanting the spell, the Second of Mockery – Behomot swung his great mace down into Albedo's face in a thunderous blow, barreling the Succubus towards the woodlands and through several trees. Her momentum finally stopped when she forcefully dug her claws on the floor below, skidding to a halt and landing on all fours like a wild cat.

It should be said, it would normally be impossible for the massive Behomot to land a surprise attack on the overseer like that – It was his use of the Skill [Titan's Leap] that let him soar high and deliver the destructive blow despite his naturally low agility.

As for Albedo…

"Damn it… How dare you make me look so undignified- Ah!"

Before she finished speaking, a cracking sound rung out across her armor as first her helmet broke-off, then the rest of her outermost layers fell down to the dirtied ground, indistinguishable in uselessness now from the broken branches and specks of dust below her.

Such was the nature of the Hermes Trismegistus armor set – While Albedo herself was mostly undamaged below her coverings, the Divine Class plating absorbed all physical damage she took in combat, immeasurably boosting her in three layers of defense until they fell off one-by-one.

As her mind struggled to process having her equipment break-off for the first time in her life, the First of Mockery descended over her once again.

"Undignified? Bah! You make that easy counting on your betrayal, Succubus! [Uriel]!"

As the high-damaging divine flare approached her, Albedo could only seethe at the verbal blow to her loyalty. Her eyes widened in anger and her pupils slit as she screamed her demonic heart out, taking all the damage into her armor and blitzing through the spell and towards the flinching Seraphim.

Ka-Clang!

Albedo's bardiche met the Duke's shield in a heated clash of metal versus metal, her strike actually pushing the Seraphim back. As both held on their strikes, Albedo beat down her wings to increase the pressure of her blow.

"Grrr... [Greater Break Item]!" Albedo roared out the Item Destruction spell.

"Gah! How-"

The Bardiche 3F cleaved through the Celestial Duke's defense and slashed right at his chest, taking the air out of him as he tried raising his sword to parry, but Albedo's berzerker state let her land three more direct hits before their blades clashed again, striking with enough force to send the Holy Lord flying away to recuperate.

Albedo had no breathing room however, and she knew it this time. The ground rumbled in thunderous fury as Behomot landed like a meteor next to her, knocking her back a few feet with the pressure of his strike alone.

"You will fall again."

The Second of Mockery readied his great mace once more, Albedo sneering at the force behind his attack.

"[Unstoppable Wrathful King Strike]!"

"[Body of Effulgent Beryl]!"

The Nephilim was actually startled, eyes gleaming behind the slits of his helmet seeing the Guardian remain unflinching on the receiving end of his strongest move. Albedo's furious stare remained unchanging as the great mace bounced effortlessly out off her pristine face, her parry ready.

"[Boosted Magic: Reverse Gravity], [Maximize Magic: Wave of Pain]!"

Using the first spell to throw him off his balance, Albedo swoop in with an uppercut of her Bardiche, aiming for a temporarily crippling hit even if she is unable to break through the equally magnanimous defense of the Second of Mockery.

As the imploding blow paired with [Reverse Gravity] sent the Behomot flying away, Albedo thought she finally had time to catch her breath, letting her weapon hang low on the ground as she used it to support herself.

"...Pant...Pant...Damn it, is this what it's like?"

"...Wait! Where is-"

She was too late in realizing.

"[TRIPLET GREATER MAGIC SEAL: RELEASE]!"

As the voice filled with darkness called out, Albedo screamed in pain as her vision and body were immediately assaulted by three spires of fire, her form barely visible under the roaring flames before the spell finally dissipated.

"My… How inopportune. Do you not know when to lie down and die, demon?"

Albedo's form was burnt – The worst of the attack dropping-off the second layer of Hermes Trismegistus, breaking off the body armor and leaving only the assimilation suit – Covering her skin up to her neck like a molten bodysuit of liquid metal.

"I…" Albedo snarled at the Vampire. "I was made by the Supreme Beings as the last line of defense against invaders…" She picked her Bardiche up, pointing it in her view to Cainubel's neck. "I will not fall that easily!"

"Humph." Cainubel only scoffed at her. "You say that, Succubus, but you never fought to prove that before, have you?"

Albedo gasped at the vampire's insolent claim. She was about to rush-in and try making him pay for it with his head, but the Celestial Duke's sudden return made her stay her ground.

"That's right, mockery of Cainabel!" The Seraphim's voice boomed with divine arrogance. "The Traitorous Overseer had no hand in stopping the Invasion during that faithful day! We were the true last line of defense!"

The deposed Overseer wanted to spit at the Seraphim's face. "...I played my designated role just as well as you have. I stood by the Supreme Beings ready to throw my life away should you have failed!"

"Yet you didn't stand by their Glory to the very end." Albedo grimaced as heavy steps marched behind her, now fully surrounded by the Mockeries as Behomot returned. "You wouldn't be with us otherwise, Albedo."

Somehow, hearing one of them finally call her by her actual name – the one Tabula-sama gave her – Was enough to drive her over the edge.

Albedo's grip on 3F tightened as she could feel her claws digging into her hands, fresh blood mixing with old bruises while the last layer of Hermes Trismegistus barely held on.

Activating an item to boost her speed, Albedo dashed in Cainubel's direction, rationality long forgone as she longed to end either them or herself. The first and third of Mockery stood side-by-side to receive her strikes, blades of light and dark ready to retaliate.

"[Seventh Trumpet]!"

"[Last Omen]."

With the sounds of Heaven's last trumpets blaring out for the Apocalypse, and Cainubel's [Unfading Amaranth] shattering and joining back into his sword, now empowered by the temporary levels stolen, the Seraphim and the Trinity Vampire clashed with the Succubus, meeting the swing of her blade with full retaliation.

The end result…

The attacks went through one another. The sound of sizzling flesh was impossible to ignore in her ears. As she looked down, dazed as her consciousness was, she couldn't help but notice her blade dropped on the ground.

Her hands still holding onto the bardiche's handle.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHH!"

Albedo's world came crashing down as the pain became unbearable, blackened blood flowing out freely, cascading like a river from where the Mockeries' blades met the flesh of her shoulders.

Still, it wasn't enough.

As Albedo let out all her aura, all her anguish in a Banshee's scream, the last of her power violently releasing being immense enough to actually push the angel and the vampire back, the last of armor broke down to the floor below, melting away and leaving only her pure white dress behind, stained by the Succubus' blood.

Knowing Albedo would still fight to the death, even until the last shreds of the dress Tabula made for her were wiped out, the Nephilim took the opportunity to end this pointless conflict, struggling to walk against her aura release until he could finally reach her.

"[Unstoppable Wrathful King Strike]."

As Behomot's fist connected with the back of her head, Albedo's screams finally stopped.

But not Albedo herself.

For a final moment, the Succubus stood there, dazed. She looked around, seemingly unfazed by her surroundings, turning around to stare the Nephilim in the face.

Her gaze wasn't filled with anger anymore, even anguish was fading.

She looked almost innocent.

As her consciousness was about to run out, however, her eyes widened as something in the distance caught her attention.

Or rather, someone.

A spinel pair of eyes, staring Albedo down from behind a nearby hill.

"Rubedo… Why are you…"

The sounds of battle fell deaf on her ears as her eyelids finally fell heavy.

Just sometime later, a small child with a crimson dress carried her older sister in her arms.

She was going to bring her back, she had a spring in her step as she scampered her way home.

And when her older sister wakes up, oh…

The child had a wicked smile on her face.

Together again, they were going to have lots and lots of fun...