- Glimmer Of Hope -

The trio reunited, talked to each other about Taro’s problem.

“I did read something about this in the atrium once.” Shion starts, “Counterintuitively the cure for serpent’s venom is serpent’s blood.”

“Taro! That's great!” Akari glomps him, “Shion shares her mother's blood right?!”

“Ahaha…” Taro laughs nervously, “Is it really going to work that easily? *cough *cough”

“That’s true. I also have my doubts,” Shion slashes her own wrist,

“Ahh?!” Taro yelps “It's scary how nonchalantly you just did that?!”

“Hm?” She tilts her head confused,

“Ah… nevermind,” he concedes,

“In any case, drink up. I'm not asking,” she offers her wrist to him,

“Ugh… how macabre,” he says, as he does as she says,

“That said, I'm only half a serpent.” she adds, “If we want to be sure we'll need her blood as well."

“Ah…” Taro takes a break from his slurping to respond, "I don't see that happening.”

“Ah, that’s another matter altogether,” Shion says solemnly,
“I know it's a big ask…

And both of you have done so much for me already…

But I feel I need to do this.

I want to stop my mother, and I don’t think I can do it alone.”

Taro and Akari look at each other.

“What’re you talking about?” Akari laughs,

“H-Huh?” Shion says surprised,

“I figured it was a given already to be honest,” Taro put his hands behind his head as he says it,

“G-Guys…” Shion started,

“Don’t you know by now…?” Akari grins,

“We’ll follow you to the ends of the earth- Ack! *cough cough!" Taro tries to sound cool,

“Ahaha…” Shion covers her mouth as she laughs, “At least wipe your mouth if you’re going to spout off oneliners,”

…………

The dwarves look over the maps of the Spire that Taro stole from the overseer’s room.

“The main parts of the structure works like a giant tube being wound like a cork screw,” Dusty explains to the lay people, “They would then manufacture pikes to go through intervals of the tube for both locomotion and added strength to the overall structure.”

“Yeap, It’s why no amount of shelling can topple this beast,‘ Lapis adds, “On top of that it’s made of mithril, an expensive piece of work!”

“So it’s unbreakable?” Aoi asks dejectedly,

“Now I didn’t say that,” Dusty interjects, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link after all.”

“For example, wood can be split easier down the grain as opposed to adjacent, it’s like that!” Knapp explains,”Force will always flow to the points of least resistance, when you strike the spire from the side it spreads out the damage as opposed to being concentrated in one place! ”

He points to an unfinished portion of the blue prints. “Here. This is our weak link.”

“The top of the tube is always constructed last. Which leaves us a gap. If done right we can crack the whole thing in half! On top of that! The halfwit made the structure top heavy too so it’ll crash and burn as soon as the base fails! Gahahaha!”

“So… We have a chance?” Elaine asks seriously,

“We’ve got something better than a chance, Lass!” Dusty laughs, “We’ve got our good ending! Hahaha!”

---------------

“Gah!” The angel Justina cries as she’s slammed against the wall.

The serpent picks her up by her collar.

“You’re not going to beg?” Lucifer sneers,

The angel remains silent.

“Kch!” the disgruntled snake throws her against the wall again and again,

The poor angel on her knees tries to get up only to receive a kick from above.

“Agh!” she writhes as the snake stomps and twists her leg to inflict more pain.

“Give up already!” the impatient lord cries, “Just open the gates and I’ll kill you quickly!”

—----- A few moments ago —-----

“Lucifer. You cannot go past these walls, I have put a solemn oath that they will open to no one until my say so… even past death.”

“So I only need to make you unlock them then?” Lucifer jeers,

“I am not indifferent to your pain. In part, much of it is owed to me. You may do as you like with me…”

“Open the gates you wretch! I will have my revenge!”

—----- —-----

“(Goddammit!)” the snake angrily thinks, “(This isn’t how it’s supposed to go at all!)”

“You think this is enough to satiate me?!

“Where did you get off trying to protect people?! HUH?!” Lucifer cries,
“Why didn’t you protect Orochi if it was so damn important?!”

Lucifer lifts her leg to stomp on the angel again until she suddenly feels a tug on her dress.

Looking over, she discovered that it was Asmodeus that was trying to stop her. He weakly lifts his head.

“...fer… it’s… not worh… it…”

“GET AWAY!” she casts him aside,

Looking back she notices the slime again, it stood between the serpent and the angel.

Again white hot fury flashes on her face again,

“YOU, THEM, EVERYONE KEEPS GETTING IN MY WAY!”

She kicks away the slime. The little guy hits the wall and makes a feeble squeak.

*Gyu!

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Lucifer shouts, and gets on her knees next to the angel,

She angrily grabs the angel by the hair and slams her head against the floor.

“OPEN IT!”

Each time she ordered, she would slam the angel again and again.

“OPEN IT!”

“OPEN IT!”

“OPEN IT!”

“OPEN IT!”

“OOPEN IT! RAAAAGHH!!!”

…

“Hahh…haahh…” The serpent lord was out of breath.

… A pool of blood starts to form under the angel.

“(To think this is as far as I go…)” Lucifer laments and gets up off the floor.

She kicks her limp body.

“Get up…” the lord orders, “I’ll let you die on your feet,”

After a moment the angel ungracefully stumbles as she gets up.

Her face was covered in blood and her breathing was ragged.

“I hope there is a hell for you.” Lucifer curses,

The angel closes her eyes to brace for the final blow.

"(So... The secret dies with me...)" Justina thinks to herself.

*BWOOM!

Suddenly the doors burst open and a giant snake crashes the party.

Lucifer dodges the fast moving object that suddenly rushed in..

The small boy and red oni make their appearance riding atop Shion’s horns.

“Taro?!” Justina exclaims,