Evil Goddess (3)

In the Night...

Uwaa! W-What the hell just happened? Did he confess to me? Or perhaps, he mistook me for Cleo? Y-Yes, that must be it. Cleo was popular after all. Many Godkin and even humans confess to her weekly and got rejected. So, that must be it!

Oh, I forgot! I was in the middle of sparring with Cleo in Noctis Arena. I barely evaded Cleo's slash and landed a kick to her stomach, launching her into mid-air. Then, with a swift follow-up, I leaped and charged my power into my wooden sword. My eyes glowed red as I unleashed my full strength, sending a powerful shockwave that blasted Cleo to the ground.

[CRIT DMG: 300! Fall DMG 360! Cleo HP 80/740]

"Finished?" I asked my sister confidently as I landed.

Cleo slowly got up from the ground. I hold my power a bit, but the attack should leave her half-death, yet her eyes still brimmed with determination. "Not yet, I could still fight, Celli," Cleo replied.

I nodded, admiring Cleo's willpower. She had always been strong-willed, and even in the face of defeat, she remained determined to improve. Especially on this ultra-rare occasion when Mama was here, watching our spar in Noctis Arena, together with terrified Daddy and Maids of Noctis.

Mama, with her piercing gaze, directed her attention toward me. "Celli, you're holding back, aren't you?" she remarked, disappointment lacing her voice. "Only fools hold back against their enemies. Take this more seriously."

"D-Darling, they are our sweet daughters, you know?" Daddy tried to defend us.

Mama sighed, a mixture of annoyance and concern evident in her expression. "Yeah, I know. But if we coddle them, they'll never be prepared for the harsh realities of this world," she replied, crossing her legs elegantly. "Eden wouldn't hold back, she would kill them on the spot without hesitation. That's why, before that happens, they need to be strong if they want to survive."

Really? She wanted me to duck it out seriously? Cleo might be in danger.

Cleo caught her breath, "Celli, you once said that hard work without results is meaningless," she called forth an ice blade, her voice filled with determination, "I'll show you, it wasn't for nothing!"

What? S-She wasn't trying to heal herself, first. So stupid! She knew she was too weak to challenge me in a fight. Living as a sheltered princess, she never had a chance to hone her skills in the real battle, but I had killed countless Anima with Kai. Yet, she tried to make up the differences with her hard work and willpower, even though it was reckless.

However, how could I betray the looks on Cleo's face, right now?

"Awaken," I whispered, a surge of power emanating from within me. My Divinity awakened, and my eyes blazed with an intense crimson light.

Cleo and I locked eyes, the tension thickening between us. "Grit your teeth, Cleo!" I shouted.

In an instant, I propelled myself toward Cleo with incredible speed, causing the ground to shatter beneath me. However, Cleo refused to yield. She cast a powerful wind blast, creating distance between us. As I closed in once again, she unleashed two ice slashes, raising ice spikes from the ground to impede my movement.

[ICE DMG 1. Inflicted with Coldbite. Cellia HP 3674/3675]

"It's that all?" I swung my blade, breaking apart the ice spikes.

"Glacia Varana," Cleo whispered, channeling her power to the ground. She called upon a snowstorm and disappeared among the snow.

"Trying to buy time before my Divinity wore off, huh? Clever," I grumbled, trying to locate my sister. However...

[Electrocuted DMG 1. 1. 1. 1... Whirl DMG 1. Inflicted with Coldbite and Thunderstruck. Cellia HP 3650/3675. Reduced CON and AGI by 30%.]

Amid the snowstorm, I felt a surge of electricity coursing through my body. I grimaced as I endured the continuous electrocution, each shock sapping away my strength.

It was then Cleo plunged from the sky, blasting me with molten lava and a crackled thunderstorm. I was lucky I could manage to evade it at time. But I was astonished by her ingenuity. She combined her elements into new ones, brilliantly utilizing the elemental reactions to create a snowstorm infused with powerful lightning strikes.

"Cleo, you aimed to chip away at my life force slowly, right? Not bad," I smiled at her before blasting her away with a punch. But with ice spikes, she managed to block my attack and distanced herself from me.

"But with your Mana, can you sustain this snowstorm?" I smirked.

"Indeed, if not for your help, Sister," Cleo replied.

... What?!

To my surprise, Cleo revealed holding 3 potion vials in her hand. These were the special gifts I had given her on her 17th birthday, created using ultra-rare materials I had mined from a nearby dungeon. She broke the vials with her teeth and quickly consumed the potions.

One of the potions was Eden's Wrath, which greatly increased magic power. [Increased INT for 30% for the 30s. Boosted with Forbidden knowledge: instantly fills Ultimate Burst. Increase INT by 150%. Ultimate Burst DMG increased by 100% for 5 minutes. Doubles effect when HP lowers than 10%.]

The second potion was Solomon's Wisdom, a unique poison that allowed her to use her life force instead of mana to cast spells. [Afflicted with Solomon's curse for the 30s. For a short duration, use HP instead of MP when casting magic. Boosted with Forbidden knowledge: Lowers the magic cost by 75% for 5 minutes. At Death's Door, magic cost is reduced to 0, but after the duration, reduced HP and MP to 1.]

Finally, the third potion was White Death, a concoction that briefly increased her overall power and acuity at Death's door. [Increase all stats and crit rate by 30% when below 10% HP for 30s. Boosted with Forbidden knowledge: Increase all stats by 150% for 5 minutes. Attacks always crit].

I-I can't believe it. A godkin threw away her pride and used Alchemy to boost her own power. Moreover, each potion's effect was amplified when she was at Death's door. So that was why she didn't heal herself; she had cunningly planned this entire strategy.

Using my potion to defeat me, my big sis had some nerves!

Cleo transformed her magic wand into a fiery spear, pouring all of her power into it. As she chanted a powerful incantation, the spear began to glow and grow in size.

"Blaze of the eternal pyre, heed my call. With your light, pierce the darkness and grant me victory!"

Cleo turned her magic wand into a fiery spear. Charging all of her power to the spear, she began to chant, "Blaze of the eternal pyre, heed my call. With your light, pierce the darkness and vowed me victory!"

The spear crackled with intense flames, ready to be unleashed. Panic surged within me, dammit, I had to stop her! However, as I tried to make a desperate escape, my leg slipped on the frozen floor, a result of the water from the melted ice spikes. That molten lava attack wasn't to wound me but to melt the ice? Cleo, how far were you planning your trap?

[Celli afflicted with Frozen. Divinity wore off.]

With her eyes blazing with magical energy, Cleo shot the flaming spear toward me, shouting,

"Ignis Mithra!!"

Fear consumed me as I beheld the brilliant blaze hurtling toward me. I glanced at Mother, her gaze as cold as ever, not even trying to stop the fight despite knowing that attack could kill me. I let out a sigh and offered a smile, accepting my impending defeat.

"You've done well, Big Sis. It's my loss," I whispered softly.

BOOM! The explosion erupted, engulfing everything in its fiery embrace, momentarily obliterating my vision and overwhelming my senses.

[Frozen status + Flame ATTACK -> MELT CRIT DMG 90. Thunderstruck + Flame -> Explosion DMG 9! Celli HP 2351/2450]

Well, that was rather awkward. I guess my Constitution was too high for Cleo. However, now what should I do? Cleo had poured her heart and soul into this attack, it'd hurt her so much if I left unscathed from it. On the other hand, I didn't want to deceive her, as it would only cause more pain in the long run.

... Alright. I decided. I just beat the crap out of her before she realized it! Genius!

As the echoes of the blast gradually faded, a profound silence settled over the arena.. My mind brought back to the man I saved in the rooftop. Despite his eccentricity, his swordsmanship had mesmerized me with its grace. Even without magic, he seemed to look so powerful with his conviction. I, a goddess who can't use magic, wondered, perhaps if I could move like him, I could get greater power?

Could I possess the potential to bring an end to this war, much like Cleo?

Could Mother finally acknowledge me?

I slowly opened my eyes, readying my wooden sword just like that man. As the dust settled, I leaped with tremendous force, destroying every magic spectacles that Cleo created. And with one full-moon swing to commence the onslaught, I bellowed,, "Raven style: Blossoming lo-"

TRING!!!

Suddenly my wooden sword stopped at its track. Mother had swiftly parried my attack with ice spears, shielding the bewildered Cleo. Gazing at me with disdain, Mother admonished,

"This is a sacred duel between two goddesses! How dare you resort to pitiful human techniques?" Mama dissipated her ice spears.

Not wanting to further incite Mama's anger, I knelt before her, pleading, "Forgive me, Mama. I won't use it again. This battle is my lost, I forfeited," I begged before looking at Cleo. Yet, that girl looked so disappointed that tears fell down from her eyes.

"...No, please, don't do that, Celli," Cleo's voice trembled as she clenched her fists. "If you do that... it would mean that all my efforts were... lies!" she shouted, running away from me and Mama.

"N-No, Cleo, that's not what I mean!" I called out desperately, but the girl had already gone. Letting out a heavy sigh, I held my head in my hands. How had everything come to this? Since when I couldn't understand Cleo? I... I don't know anymore.

Mama sighed, "Even though her power is remarkable, Cleo is eclipsed by Deus. Facing you, Celli, after all is just a simulation for her when she face Ultima Eden," she said, clearly worrying Cleo, "Perhaps, it is a mistake after all, loading the weight of Noctis to her."

...! 

I quickly grasped Mama's hand and begged, "Don't! Don't ever lose your hope to Cleo, Ma."

Cleo might be a powerful goddess, but beneath that, she was just a little girl wanting for love. Beautiful but fragile, she was like an ice crystal. If she ever lose Mother's love like me, I couldn't bear to see how heartbroken she would.

"Then what do you propose, Celli?" Mama pushed my hand away from hers.

"Alchemy," I clutched my chest and answered, "With Alchemy, there must be away to force Cleo's awakening!"

"You practiced Alchemy...? Not only you practiced those human art, you even touched their cursed knowledge?!" Mama replied quickly. Her sharp glared quickly shut my mouth. With a threatening tone, she then took my face and said,

"Don't you touch my daughter with that repulsed knowledge, you Devil!"