A haunting silence echoed through the surroundings, leaving only the sound of a wild breeze moving through the atmosphere. Countless dark, giant hands still hung suspended within the overcast clouds, casting a sense of dread like an impending catastrophe over Carol, Arvain, and every citizen within the Royal Church territory. It was a literal sign that the havoc was not yet over.

  "What a fascinating outcome you decided on, Saria," Sarah stated, showing a tired smile of hers. "I must say, you've really made me proud there. To think that you finally finding such a strong resolution for yourself is already a good progress, you know? Though, there is one last thing I want you to prove..."

  As soon as Sarah spoke, she crossed her arms over her chest, manifesting a linked chain-sickle in each of her palms. She gripped them tightly and instantly disappeared, leaving Saria to look around warily.

  To her surprise, Sarah reappeared behind her, attempting to ambush Saria while her guard was down. She swung both sickles, but thankfully, Saria managed to spin around and block the attack in time, using her bastard sword to clash against the blades.

  "Show me how strong your will to fight is," Sarah stated, her gaze were a cold one against Saria’s frustrated expression. "A will strong enough that even in a hopeless situation, you still want to continue!"

  With her declaration finished, Sarah swiftly raised both sickles and swung them down with devastating force against Saria’s sword, pushing her down toward the ground.

  Hearing Sarah's challenge, Saria hardened her expression with determination. Gripping the hilt of her sword tightly with her left hand, she quickly regained her footing in mid-air. Not stopping there, Saria flared her white wings wide and charged toward Sarah. She took a trailing stance with her sword, channelling her holy magic through the blade.

  Once she was close enough alongside her holy magic fully charged, Saria swung her sword at Sarah, who maintained a calm expression. From her swing, a massive blade of light manifested, traveling at unbelievable speed as it targeted Sarah.

  Despite Saria’s display of power, Sarah only snorted in disappointment. She released her right hand from one of the sickles, letting it automatically bind itself to the other held in her left hand. As the chains pulled the two weapons together, Saria’s light blade made contact with Sarah’s sickle, resulting in a loud metallic clang that echoed through the skies.

  "I guess this is your way of 'heating up' the battle, huh?" Sarah mumbled to herself.

  Her sickles finally combined, forming a double-bladed scythe. With a casual swing of her new weapon, she shattered Saria’s light blade completely.

  Without any sign of stopping, the wings behind Sarah's back flared wide, and countless eyes manifested across their surface. From those eyes, a barrage of beams erupted, one after another traveling with lethal speed toward Saria.

  Noticing the attack, Saria extended her right hand toward the beams, manifesting a light barrier in the hope that it would be enough to hold them off.

  When the beams struck Saria’s barrier, the significant impact pushed her back. She felt every pulse of Sarah’s power as the barrier began to shatter. Her right arm trembled, yet she forced herself to maintain the defense despite the lurking danger. Thankfully, the beams were neutralized just as Saria’s barrier completely shattered, leaving glass-like shards of light drifting through the air.

  However, Sarah wasn't finished. She swung her double-bladed scythe downward, then brought it behind her into a combat stance. She charged forward with a sudden burst of speed. Saria reacted just in time, her sword clashing against Sarah's scythe with a loud clang that echoed through the atmosphere.

  With no words exchanged despite their locked gazes, Sarah easily began to overwhelm Saria. She looked at Saria with gazes of pure contempt before tightening her grip, ending the clash by forcefully shoving Saria away.

  At that moment, Sarah leaped high into the air, asserting dominance over Saria, whose hands were already trembling too much to wield her sword properly. Sarah flicked her right hand—a command that made the giant, dark hands in the sky twitch as they began to move.

  "T-the hands are alive?!" Saria shouted in pure disbelief, her eyes widening.

  Hearing her words, Sarah let out a heavy sigh. "They were never decorations, you fool."

  With that, Sarah tightly clenched her right hand, and every giant, dark hand in the sky surged toward Saria.

  Frustrated and panicked, Saria flew upward, narrowly dodging several of the grasping hands. But as soon as she cleared them, another rushed her from behind, leaving her no time to rest. Saria accelerated, desperately trying to close the gap by flying around the sky, but the hands followed her relentlessly.

  Now surrounded as the hands closed in from every direction, Saria stopped. She gripped her sword tightly and brought it over her shoulder. Channelling her holy magic through the blade, she swung it in a wide arc, releasing a burst of brilliant light that vaporized every hand into thin air.

  Suddenly, a double-bladed scythe came hurling toward her, leaving no choice for Saria but to block it with her sword.

  But the throw was a trap. Sarah immediately appeared in Saria’s blind spot, delivering a kick to her stomach so powerful that Saria was sent reeling. She caught her scythe mid-air and rushed forward.

  Sarah swung her scythe as she closed the distance, aiming for a killing blow. Saria managed to parry it, but Sarah regained her footing instantly. She spun her scythe in a deadly, rhythmic blur. Her attacks becoming faster and more lethal with every second. Saria, filled with frustration, could do nothing but desperately parry the onslaught.

  With a final, devastating thrust of her scythe, Sarah knocked Saria back, forcing her to defend with the flat of her blade.

  As Saria stabilized her position and raised her head, she realized Sarah had vanished. Her eyes widened in horror as she felt a deadly glare from above. Sarah was positioned perfectly for a downward strike.

  Saria spun around and threw up a barrier. Sarah’s scythe slammed against it, a collision of absolute offense and desperate defense. Saria’s hands shook under the unimaginable force of a being far stronger and faster than herself. The barrier slowly cracked under the stress Saria's felt, and with one final swing, Sarah shattered it.

  In that split second where Saria’s fear took over and she couldn't react, Sarah seized the opportunity. She slashed Saria’s body with the reverse blade of her scythe.

  Blood sprayed from the wound, a small portion tainting Sarah’s cheek. Saria’s white wings dissolved into thin air, and she plummeted to the ground.

  The impact was harsh, and blood began to soak the earth around her. Saria felt utterly hopeless; her body refused to move. Her hands twitched in a desperate attempt to hold back the pain, but she refused to let her eyes close.

  Sarah watched from above, her expression hardened with annoyance at the sight of Saria clinging to life. "How does it feel to have your life on the line, Saria? It hurts, doesn't it?"

  Saria couldn't answer, only clutching her wound as she tried to suppress the agony.

  Because of that, Sarah exhaled deeply. "I suppose... I should try a little harder to see how well you face your darkest moment. Even if that moment is death itself."

  She threw her scythe into the sky, where it began to glow with a grey light. With a snap of her fingers, the scythe acted as a vacuum, absorbing everything, including the dark hands Sarah had created within the cloud.

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  Below, the citizens, Carol, and Arvain watched in horror as a massive, radiating ball of holy energy formed above them. At the abandoned church, Rurin and the other children hugged Narlia, praying for the havoc to end.

  "This is your last chance, Saria!" Sarah’s voice boomed across the territory. "If you don't prove yourself right now, death... will claim you first."

  As Sarah finished her speech with cold tone of her, the massive orb of energy began its slow, heavy descent, ready to evaporate everything in its path.

  Saria watched the energy descend, her mind clouded by the terrifying shadow of death. Yet, through the dread, she forced her hand to clench. She stood up slowly, clutching her slashed wounds while panting heavily from exhaustion. With trembling hands, she raised her sword, gripping the hilt with two hands of her before pointing the edge directly at the falling sun of energy.

  Noticing Saria’s resolve, following with her fierce's expression despite the impossible threat, Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, she snorted in amusement. She snapped her fingers once more, and the massive energy orb dissolved into thin air, leaving only a stunned silence among the citizens, Arvain, Carol, and the children.

  With the havoc finally over, the first rays of true sunlight began to pierce through the breaking dark clouds.

  "Huh..? What..?" Saria mumbled to herself, confused as the massive energy suddenly vanished from her sight.

  As more rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, Sarah descended to the ground, her dark wings slowly dissolving along the way. When her boots finally touched the earth and her wings were completely gone, she looked at her left palm, allowing her wand to manifest back into her hand. She gripped it tightly, slid the wand into her pocket, and shifted her attention toward Saria.

  "You've convinced me enough, Saria," Sarah stated, closing her eyes as she fell into deep thought. She then opened them again, showing a look of sympathy that caught Saria off guard. "Do you want me to say more?"

  "N-no. I thought... you were going to finish me off," Saria replied nervously. Her bastard sword morphed back into a wand on its own while she still gripped it. Her free hand moved to her wound, clutching it to suppress the pain. "I mean... I didn't show how well I can fight or prove anything you wanted me to."

  Hearing this, Sarah snorted in slight disappointment. "It's because of your actions just now. Despite being at a complete disadvantage, you still wanted to keep trying. You knew your situation was hopeless, but you didn't care. And that is why I say you've already convinced me."

  Listening to Sarah's explanation, Saria fell into deep thought. A heavy silence hung over their surroundings, though not for long, as Sarah broke it first.

  "Hey, Saria," Sarah began, catching her younger self's attention. "Did you want to know something? About my timeline?"

  "About your timeline?" Saria asked, curious.

  Sarah nodded. "Well..."

  As she began to speak, a bright light consumed the scene, signaling the replay of a memory.

  In an apocalyptic world where death and chaos had taken over, Sarah walked alone through the ruins of the Royal Church territory. Countless dead bodies of citizens were piled upon the ground, creating a sense of dread that would make an ordinary person vomit. The structures of the houses had completely collapsed—a sign that the territory had long since fallen. At that time, heavy rain washed over the earth.

  However, Sarah felt numb to it, treating the hideous scene around her as if it were simply everyday life.

  As she finally arrived at the ruins of the Royal Church, Sarah stepped inside. Her footsteps echoed through a messy hall filled with rubble.

  Reaching the main hall, she saw the figure of Yuno standing before the Yggdrasil tree. For that, she walked toward him.

  Noticing her presence, Yuno, with his hair now grey and his expression weary like an old man's, turned toward her. "You've arrived."

  "Yeah. Just got back from the usual routine," Sarah said, her expression remaining flat. "Is anyone out there still alive?"

  Hearing her question, Yuno looked away, an expression of profound grief drawn upon his face. "Not... many. Almost the entire world's population has been dominated by Erlikh. I don't think our front lines can hold off his Wild Hunt any longer."

  "...I see," Sarah replied coldly. "Not that surprising, anyway. It was already my fault for killing her only daughter."

  "Sarah. You know it wasn't your faul—"

  "It's still my fault, Sir Yuno," Sarah stated, cutting him off with a harsh tone. "I chose to kill her in the Flame Eclipse War. To save the world just because I had to embrace my role. If only I knew what she had endured so far... If only I wasn't too scared to rebel against the so-called 'prophecy'... everyone, Rein, Revir, Aria, Noire, they wouldn't have had to face their inevitable fates."

  Yuno watched her clench both hands in pure regret as tears slowly fell from her eyes. He wanted to comfort her, yet he decided not to, feeling unworthy to understand the depth of her pain.

  Instead, Yuno changed the subject, hoping to provide her with a glimpse of hope. "But what if I told you... that you could change their fates in another timeline?"

  "Huh?" Sarah, upon hearing the words 'changing fate,' snapped her attention to Yuno. "Are you saying I have a choice to change their fate? Does that mean... I can prevent such disaster?"

  "It's not... certain yet about 'preventing a disaster.' But changing their fate? Yeah, you can do it," Yuno stated, turning slightly to face Yggdrasil. Sarah followed his gaze, watching the massive tree with anticipation.

  Desperation gripping her heart, she asked Yuno further, "...Then, I suppose there is something this thing wants from me if I want to change their fate, am I right?"

  Yuno paused for a moment, hesitant to confirm her statement as he know it was far too dangerous for her.

  "Sir Yuno." Sarah's cold voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He shifted his eyes back to her. "Every choice leaves a mark on our existence. If that choice requires a sacrifice, I will gladly make it. As long as my friends' fates, even my other self's, can be changed, that's more than enough for me."

  Yuno let out a heavy sigh, giving up on trying to convince her otherwise. "You're really a pain in the ass sometimes, Sarah."

  Sarah snorted in response to his statement.

  With that, the scene once again consumed by the bright light, signaling the end of the memory.

  Listening to the truth, Saria felt a mix of disbelief and deep sympathy for Sarah's situation. "I-I don't know what to say. I... feel so sorry for what you had to endure to come this far."

  Sarah responded with a deep sigh. "No need to. The cost to come here was already heavy enough. Not to mention I had to travel across countless timelines, and honestly? The results in all of them were the same as my own world... except this one."

  "Is that cost related to your existence..?" Saria asked, needing confirmation about what Sarah truly meant.

  Hearing the question, Sarah looked away in guilt, offering no verbal answer, which left Saria in shocked disbelief.

  "No... How could you just..!" Saria couldn't hold back her anger, feeling sickened by the reckless, self-destructive choice Sarah had made.

  Suddenly, Sarah's right hand began to glitch. "It seems my time ends here."

  "Huh..? What are you—" Before she could finish her sentence, Saria's eyes widened in horror. In her perspective, one limb after another on Sarah's body started to glitch. The already fractured parts of her right hand were slowly consumed by light, dissolving into floating particles.

  "Yggdrasil. A tree, or rather a messenger, acting as a system for this world. A literal 'core' to the prophecy itself," Sarah snorted in dark amusement. "What an irony. No matter how much I exploited its ability to maintain and travel to other timelines, I cannot change the very core of that prophecy. It's as if someone otherworldly has soft-locked that identity into Yggdrasil."

  Saria could offer only silence, watching Sarah slowly glitch and be consumed by the light. Finally, her silence broke as she asked a desperate question. "Will I... ever meet you again?"

  "Very unlikely. I'm a Paradox, remember? There is no other timeline out there that would give me a place to live anyway," Sarah explained, her tone a calm one as if she held no regrets.

  "Then... I'll do my best to live up to your expectations, Sarah..." Saria declared, causing Sarah to widen her eyes in surprise. "I will fight no matter how bad it gets! I will defy that easy choice of following fate as much as I can!"

  "Is... that so..?" Sarah, for the first time, drew a genuine smile of relief. Her tears finally spilled over, trailing down her cheeks as if a massive burden had been lifted from her soul. "I'm glad you said that, Saria. I really am..." Sarah's voice wavered as her tears flowed freely. "I suppose... I can finally pass on peacefully... So please... no matter what you do, don't end up like me, okay..?"

  In response, Saria nodded, drawing a gentle smile to assure her future self. "I won't."

  With that, Sarah was fully consumed by the light, turning into golden particles that drifted away on the breeze. In that moment, a profound silence lingered over the territory, leaving Saria, filled with newfound determination, to watch the light disappear into the sky.

  [Arc 6:Ended]