- Tower of Babel -

“What’s going to happen to her…?” Shion asks,

The demon lord curls up with her slime in the fetal position. The defeated White Serpent and were ready to abide by any punishment at this point.

The bloodied and disheveled angel, although shorter, puts a hand on the much taller Shion’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, She’ll be fine.” Justina comforts her, “Though she will have to atone for the crimes she has committed… There is…Hm… How should I say this?... A chance for a happy ending isn’t impossible…”

“Angel-… Saint Justina… Thank you…” Shion grovels before her,

“Ah, please get up!” she panics, “ You shouldn’t do that!”

“... She’s a good daughter isn’t she…? ” Lucifer mumbles, “... I couldn't be prouder…”

“So?! What about Taro?” Akari asks, “He’s sick you know?! We need some of Lucifer’s blood!”

“That…” Lucifer says weakly.

Everyone was in anticipation,

“Is an old wives tale…” she drops the bombshell, “There is no cure to my venom…”

“N-No…!” Shion cries,

“It isn’t just the Snake venom, it is the venom I’ve carried my entire life. The one that would’ve killed me if Orochi didn’t grant me divinity,”

“This can’t be?! So there’s no hope?!” Akari screams,

“No!” Shion’s shout pierces through the room, “We can’t give up! There must be something!”

“I can do nothing from the divine realm,” the angel laments, “Even if you revive him, Shion… If the poison remains in his body, it cannot be given life…. but-!”

“But time has moved on significantly since Lucifer’s time. Science and medicine performs miracles magic cannot abide, I would seek out the alchemist/healer Amata. She resides now in Aurelion trying to create Amata Juice 2.0(original)(tm). But hurry, Taro does not have long.”

“Let’s go then!” Shion was already in her snake form.

Amodeus was put on her back. Akari who holds Taro on her back, also climbs on.

“Godspeed.” Saint Justina sees off the heroic party,

And the snake was off!

The lonely angel stood there in the empty room with Lucifer and her slime. Her fist clenched in worry and anguish,

“I’ve done my part Taro… Now it's your turn. Hang in there…

Live.”

……

*CRACK!

Just then the tube split down the middle! The grand structure begins groaning under its weight! Cracks form all along the lengths of the structure.

“W-Wait?!” Aoi panics We’re still under it!

“Oh.” Elaine realizes,

“GO GO GO!!!” Dusty cries “GET THE HELL OUT OF DODGE!!”

Everyone operating the wedge ran, ran as fast as their feet could carry them. Justiciars stumble over each other trying to get away.

The spire bends under the pressure, The tip pulls away from the tear in the sky. Soon the tower leans to the side.

The relentless work of the dwarves and soldiers paid off! Shion and her party just escaped and leapt onto the collapsing structure!

When everyone was clear of the wedge the tower still seemed to hang by a thread. The smug Lyla steps forward.

“Looks like a job for me!” She beams,

She places both of her hands in front of her. With a deep breath she inhales…

“HELL’S…. INFERNO!!!!”

**BBBBBWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM****

A much larger blast produces from her arms. The force of which completely decimates the tower’s structure!

“Uweehh!!” she falls over with spiral eyes, Dusty catches her just in time

“Aye… That’ll do er…” Dusty says,

As the tower fell. Shion climbs along the side of the spire to the tip to get more distance, before it falls over completely she leaps from it.

The collapse of the tower caused shockwaves throughout the surrounding area.

Using the waves Shion takes advantage of it to move ever closer to Aurelion. In her great speed, her under belly tears under the friction.

“(Please! Please make it!)” She thinks to herself.

Taro, who was on Akari’s back, was fading in and out of consciousness.

“Taro! Taro?!” Akari feeling his grip on her loosen on her.

“Hang in there Taro!” she screams.

“(Ah.. )” he thinks, “(Shion… You’re hurting yourself, going that fast…)”

Aurelion was on the horizon…

Taro lost all sense of touch. He feels as though he was floating through space.

“(Akari… It was a good life… It’s ok… Take care of yourself ok…?)”

“Don’t you dare give up on me now!” Akari wails tears blowing past her face,

“(Sorry Akari… This is where I get off…)”

His vision becomes white.

…

……

………

He sees some vague shapes in the pale light. They dance as formless blobs. Slowly the blobs take more definition. The Rorschach becomes less and less abstract. They soon become faces, they become people.

It was all of his friends, they all stood above him looking down.

Shion, Akari, the three cute slimes,
Elaine,

Lyla, David,
Aoi, Asmodeus,

Dusty, Knapp, Lapis,
Amata,
a smoking nun,
a friendly guard,
a mustached cook, a lanky knight, a clumsy mage,
dwarf paladin, a halfling thief, an elf archer,


and Saint Justina herself stood before him

All of the attending audience smile warmly.”

“(Ah.)” Taro thinks…

“(This must be heaven.)”