Zémira: "I feel… strange all of a sudden… my head is spinning…"
Erasa tried to get Zémira to safety, but her powers no longer responded.
Erasa: "This chaos is really becoming a problem…"
Galaad: "There's no point in trying anything, chaos doesn't allow anything to exist. Everything turns into a real chaotic fiasco… and every time I attack, I just make it worse!"
Gilead struck a second time, unleashing the same wave again. This one completely annihilated the giant dimension, as well as all the laws and concepts that still held it together. Nothing remained - concepts and laws were pulverized across a gigantic perimeter, spanning several titanic dimensions.
Erasa then found herself in a space where even moving seemed impossible… She should have been annihilated by this process as well. But Zémira's ability was still desperately trying to protect her, more intensely than ever.
Thanks to Zémira's power, Erasa managed to move again, transcendent, defying the unreal and the impossible. Only Gilead's silhouette appeared to her now, and a deep worry was born within her.
Glancing at Zémira, she saw a thin trickle of blood beneath her nose.
Erasa, stressed, cried out:
Erasa: "Zémira!!!… That's enough, stop using your power! You've already done too much. Let me handle it now."
Zémira slowly opened her eyes, exhaustion oozing from her entire being. Her power now had to operate in a place where she herself could no longer survive.
Erasa also started to bleed from her nose. She realized this chaos was causing the bleeding.
Zémira turned a worried look toward her.
Zémira: "Erasa… I don't want… you to die…"
Erasa wiped the blood from her nose and replied:
Erasa: "Me neither… so stop hurting yourself like this."
Suddenly, Gilead's arm appeared out of nowhere and struck Erasa violently.
Zémira, now vulnerable in this space of destruction, was about to be crushed. Gilead rushed at her. As she floated, his arm was about to strike - but a huge demonic hand appeared and intercepted Gilead's, stopping him from crushing her.
Gilead's body, in this form, was fluid, logically untouchable by a physical being. He wasn't even truly present in this space, and physical beings should never have been able to interact with him… and yet…
Gilead smirked.
Galaad: "You really are persistent!"
Erasa frowned.
Erasa: "You're the one I'll eliminate first, Gilead!!"
She then transformed into a true demon-dragon. This new form had nothing to do with the one Boaz had fought.
Even more imposing, it no longer evoked anything feminine: everything about it expressed raw power, a wild masculinity. It wasn't a hybrid dragon-demon form: it was a form unique to the most powerful of hyper-demons. This form had a name: (Djinn).
The Djinn, now the same size as Gilead, unfolded. Smoke escaped from its nostrils, its dark skin covered in black patterns and blazing cracks.
Gilead: "So that's your true demonic face?"
Djinn: "I am the Djinn Arlongue Erasa. You will perish for your actions," he declared in a voice so deep it seemed to create storms, tearing space and time.
The two entities clashed. The shock of their battle spread over vast distances, even destroying entire timelines. The universes they contained caught fire, and the timelines beyond bore witness to total destruction. In these worlds, the inhabitants saw their skies tinged with flame-like hues - even the universes were imbued with it.
Aware of the cataclysm he was causing, the Djinn took care to erect a shield around Zémira. A field of swirling energies protected her and helped her regenerate.
Blows rained down between Gilead and the Djinn.
Gilead grabbed the Djinn's head and struck him violently in the face.
To break free, the Djinn spat infernal flames that twisted reality and space until they were unrecognizable. These red-black flames surged with devastating rage. Galaad dodged and countered with a blow to the belly. The Djinn responded by striking Gilead's ribs, who retaliated with a blow to the throat. The Djinn was thrown toward Zémira.
He then extended his limbs to reinforce Zémira's shield, enveloping her in even denser energy. Through the field, he saw Zémira place her hands on the shield, eyes filled with tears, murmuring:
Zémira: "Erasa… don't die, I beg you…"
The Djinn felt deep sadness seeing his friend in such a state. He no longer feared for himself - Gilead suddenly seemed more powerful, even against his ultimate form…
He murmured:
Galaad: "Stop playing… this is the end!!!"
The spatial chaos twisted even more violently, generating a thousand ripples per second.
Gilead was about to unleash his ultimate technique to eliminate the Djinn…
But the Djinn had an idea. He fixed Zémira with a serious look, then spoke to her telepathically.
The Djinn:
"Zémira, can you use your power for just one minute, now? I'll use it to deliver the final blow."
Zémira nodded.
Zémira:
"If it can help you win, then yes, I'll do whatever you want!"
The Djinn:
"Very well, let's go!!"
Zémira closed her eyes. The Djinn was then enveloped by Zémira's aura, fused with his own. He drew the "kami" sword and declared:
The Djinn:
"This is the end!!!!"
He charged straight at Galaad with the sword raised.
Meanwhile, Galaad focused all his aura into his fist, to the point that reality itself seemed to crack around him. He rushed at the Djinn. Both shouted in unison:
Galaad / The Djinn:
"Disappear!!!!!!!!!"
The attacks were launched. Galaad's fist struck "kami." Zémira intensified her concentration, to the point of bleeding from her nose. This allowed the Djinn's sword to slice through Galaad's arm. But that wasn't all: an Erasa separated from the Djinn, continuing the attack. Galaad's arm kept being cut. Erasa materialized another "kami" and rushed at Galaad, shouting:
Erasa:
"Die!!!!!"
She struck him in the chest, while the Djinn continued to cleave Galaad's body. The two blades, united in their efforts, finally touched at the heart of the flesh, releasing a light of immense intensity. Galaad screamed:
Galaad:
"Filthy demon aaaaaaahhhhhrrrggg!!!!!"
Then he exploded. A wave of energy obliterated reality, space, chaos, nothingness, destruction, and all the active concepts invoked by Galaad. They were annihilated with him.
The Djinn grabbed Zémira in his huge hands to protect her from the blast. As she was partially erased in the explosion, Zémira saw a luminous form of Galaad staring at her. The moment was heavy. Erasa, for her part, watched the silhouette.
Erasa:
"Really… you never die, do you? What do I have to do to eliminate you for good?"
Galaad's Silhouette:
"Where did you find that sword?"
Erasa:
"I don't have to tell you!!"
Galaad's Silhouette:
"Haha, I really hate demons… But this sword is absorbing me. It's strange… It makes me feel weird things. Its authority is so powerful that even I can't disobey it!!"
The silhouette's gaze showed a smile, but betrayed deep sadness. Erasa noticed it.
Erasa:
"I'm sorry I have to do this… But don't blame Boaz. I know you're not fundamentally evil. It's the order of the gods you set and follow that pushed me to eliminate you."
Galaad's Silhouette:
"Don't worry, I completely understand. I wasn't forced to obey that order. I just wanted to make humans pay. They too often make selfish decisions. And for Boaz… You don't have to worry. I saved him from this world of suffering to reincarnate him in another world. Boaz is now a newborn."
Erasa's eyes widened.
Erasa:
"What?!"
Galaad's silhouette smiled.
Galaad's Silhouette:
"To be honest, over time, I grew attached to Boaz. I saw him as my son. I raised him, taught him everything… And when I saw how much he loved you, I… I think I got a little jealous. So I made a decision: neither you nor I would have him. I killed him, erased his memory, recreated him entirely… then I reincarnated him in another world, the real world, that's its name. I watched him, you know, since he was just an embryo in his new mother's womb. And now that I'm disappearing… he's being born elsewhere. Haha. What irony… Was I a victim of karma? Even gods can't escape it, huh?"
He closed his eyes, a beautiful smile on his face, tears of blood running down his cheeks.
Erasa:
"I feel bad all of a sudden… I didn't know you were actually… good…"
Erasa approached and gently placed her hands on the silhouette's cheeks.
Erasa:
"Please, don't go. We can still clear things up, become allies… I'll find a way to save you, I promise!!!"
Galaad: "Don't make me laugh. Even Boaz, you couldn't bring him back… so me? There's nothing left to do. The sword you struck me with leaves no chance of survival. It destroys everything… Its authorities must be equivalent to those of secondary gods. I can't escape what it's doing to me…!"
Erasa's gaze clouded with sadness. She seemed to expect that Gilead, like so many other demons, would eventually give in to his nature and kill without remorse.
Gilead's trembling silhouette continued:
Gilead: "Don't be sad… If I hadn't had you in front of me, I would have killed you. Just promise me you'll watch over Boaz in the real world. His new mother immediately named him 'Boaz.' Protect him, Erasa. I can entrust him to you, he's yours now. I understood that when I saw you stand up to me for him… He'll be safe with you."
He paused, his voice breaking.
Gilead: "Maybe I played a role until my last breath, but so be it… Farewell, Demon Erasa. You're a very good demon. I think I like you…"
Then Gilead disappeared completely.
Immediately, Chaos regained strength. The djinn seized Erasa and created a fallback dimension, moving them away from the battle zone against Gilead. It suddenly went out, as if the last concepts composing it had evaporated.
The djinn and Erasa reappeared on a planet similar to Earth, probably a distant world, very different from the one they knew. Zemira, disoriented by the sudden move, collapsed to the ground. The djinn then fused with Erasa, leaving only her appearance visible.
Sitting in the tall grass, eyes fixed on the ground, Erasa seemed thoughtful. She wondered if she had really spoken to Gilead or if it was just a mirage caused by the chaos. Troubled, she decided to project her vision into the real world to locate Boaz. In a few seconds, she saw him: a newborn, barely two hours old.
At this sight, a few tears welled up on Erasa's face, tears of both sadness and joy.
Erasa: "Damn… I can't believe it… How is this possible?"
Emotion overwhelmed her completely. She lay down in the grass, overcome with joy, eyes turned to the orange sky of a world without sunset.
Zémira painfully sat up.
Zémira: "Oh… My head hurts…"
Seeing Erasa lying down, she first thought she was dead. Panicked, she rushed toward her, shouting:
Zémira: "Erasa!!! Don't tell me… huh?"
She stopped when she saw Erasa's smile, very much alive.
Erasa: "Zémira!… Boaz is alive. Gilead wasn't so bad… He told me he reincarnated Boaz in the real world."
Zémira looked at her, perplexed and worried.
Zémira: "Uh… are you okay, Erasa?"
Erasa: "Just at the moment of that huge explosion… I don't really know in what form he spoke to me, but it doesn't matter. It was wonderful… I'm so happy."
Then, in a burst of tenderness, Erasa hugged Zémira.
Zémira: "Hey… haha, easy please!!"
Erasa: "Ok… ok… I'll heal you right away, my dear."
Without waiting, Erasa healed the wounds Zémira had suffered during the fight against Gilead.
Zémira: "No need to thank me, you're my friend after all."
She accompanied her words with a conspiratorial wink.
Erasa: "I'm the one who should thank you, hoooo!!! I'm so happy!"
Suddenly, Erasa hugged Zémira with overflowing energy, squeezing her with all her strength.
Zémira: "If… if you keep this up, I'll die of suffocation…"
Erasa immediately let go, a bit embarrassed.
Erasa: "Oops… sorry."
Zémira: "So Erasa, are we going home?"
Erasa: "Hmm… to the world of myths or the underworld?"
Zémira: "No, not those. I mean the world where your people live!"
Erasa: "Haaaa yes… of course. We'll go back. But I already love this world. I want the best for my people… and especially for you."
Zémira blushed slightly, lowering her eyes to the ground.
Zémira: "Hmm… nice way to put it…"
Erasa stood up and lightly lifted Zémira onto her shoulders.
Erasa: "Come on, it's time to go home."
In an instant, they disappeared and reappeared in the timeline near her people's planet. When the inhabitants saw Erasa, her clothes in tatters, her body standing and her gaze determined, they understood she had won the battle. A cry of joy swept through the crowd, followed by repeated cheers of her name.
"Erasa! Erasa!"
Joy filled the place, victory hovered like a breath of renewal. Jérôme and Néhémi also rushed over, their eyes fixed on this now legendary figure. Seeing her people dancing with happiness, Jérôme ran to her and hugged her tightly...