The crimson moon was cracking.
Not slowly anymore.
But like glass under unbearable pressure.
Fragments of red light fell across the battlefield as the station continued its final collapse, breaking apart into burning pieces that drifted through space.
And in the middle of it all—
Marley stood before Vivian.
Again.
But this time—
there was no hesitation in Vivian's eyes.
Only emptiness.
Only control.
The Demon King's corruption had fully taken root.
Vivian moved first.
A strike so fast it shattered the air itself.
Marley barely blocked it, but the impact tore through her defenses and sent her crashing through a wall of twisted metal.
Blood spilled from her lips instantly.
She staggered.
Her body was already full of wounds.
But she stood again.
Because she could not fall.
Not here.
Not to her.
"Vivian…" Marley whispered.
Vivian tilted her head slightly.
Her voice was no longer hers.
"You should have ended this sooner."
She vanished.
Another strike.
Marley blocked again, but her barrier cracked violently.
Her knees hit the ground for a brief moment.
Everything blurred.
The battlefield.
The screams.
The fire.
And memories—
Liana smiling.
A child laughing.
A small hand holding hers.
"No…" Marley whispered.
She forced herself up.
Blood dripping from her arm.
"I won't lose you…"
Vivian's expression did not change.
"You already did."
She attacked again.
This time—
Marley did not block.
She moved forward.
Straight into the attack.
The blade pierced her side.
Vivian's eyes widened slightly.
For the first time—
there was hesitation.
Marley grabbed her wrist tightly.
Trembling.
Crying.
"I love you…"
Her voice broke.
"I love you more than anything…"
Vivian's corrupted energy flickered violently.
But the Demon King's influence tightened instantly.
Her expression twisted again.
"You don't get to say that."
She twisted the blade.
Marley gasped.
But she didn't let go.
Instead—
she pulled Vivian closer.
"Come back…" she whispered.
"Please…"
Vivian's breathing stuttered.
For a fraction of a second—
her eyes softened.
"…Grandmother…"
Then—
darkness surged again.
She pulled the blade free.
And struck again.
This time—
directly into Marley's chest.
Silence.
The battlefield itself seemed to stop.
Marley froze.
Blood spilled from her lips.
Her body trembled.
She looked at Vivian—
and smiled faintly.
"…You're still there…"
Vivian's eyes widened.
Marley coughed.
Blood filled her mouth.
And then—
she whispered:
"You are my last family…"
Her knees weakened.
But she remained standing for a moment longer.
Then she fell.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Vivian stared at her.
Motionless.
"…Marley?"
A flicker.
A crack in control.
But the Demon King's voice roared inside her mind again.
"FINISH HER."
Vivian's expression hardened.
She raised her hand—
and stepped back.
But Marley was still alive.
Barely.
Her fingers tightened against the ground.
And then—
she smiled again.
"…I'm sorry…"
Her body trembled.
And she whispered something no one heard.
A final prayer.
Then—
her energy exploded outward.
A burst of light so intense it forced Vivian backward.
Marley rose again.
Blood-covered.
Broken.
But standing.
"I won't let you take her…"
Her voice became steady.
Cold.
Final.
"I am Marley."
"And I will end this war."
Across the battlefield—
Violet turned sharply.
Her chains ignited.
Zack's eyes darkened.
Shadow vanished into darkness.
Alfred raised his weapon.
Lenore's light expanded.
Sid activated every remaining fleet system.
And Maximilian—
stepped forward beside her.
The entire battlefield changed.
Because Marley was no longer grieving.
She was deciding.
And she moved.
Straight toward the Demon King.
Violet followed instantly.
Then Shadow.
Then Maximilian.
Then the entire remaining force of humanity and the dimensional union.
The war reached its final stage.
Steel clashed with hellfire.
Chains tore through demons.
Light and darkness exploded across collapsing corridors.
The Demon King stood at the center—
smiling.
"Good…"
"Show me your despair."
Marley appeared before him.
Her voice was calm now.
"I don't care anymore."
"I will kill you."
And the final battle began. 🔥