NOVPUB"You're so annoying," Emilia wiped the blood dripping from her lips, her brow furrowed. She stared intently at Pride, who had several cuts on his body. Black blood with red streaks ran down his abdomen. Apparently, he didn't care much about his wounds, as he displayed them proudly. He had his lips twisted in a mocking smile as he clicked his tongue.
"Stop saying nonsense and get serious."
Emilia looked around. Cracks had appeared in the sky, from which black flames with red streaks poured out. The entire place was starting to collapse completely. The world itself groaned in pain under the weight of Pride's powers. She looked at the seven horns protruding from his head and forehead, extending in different directions. These horns had red stripes that pulsed like a beating heart, releasing an immense amount of power that caused reality around Pride to slowly fall apart. The reason for this was simple: the human world—or rather, the reality of humanity—was rejecting the existence of the sin of pride, trying to protect itself by expelling him.
The horns represented how much power was being used. Each capital sin possessed a total of nine horns, just like seraphim, who had nine wings. This was the hierarchy of power between these two opposing beings. Pride had already revealed seven horns, and by the looks of it, he didn't plan to stop anytime soon.
Emilia bit her lip and shifted her gaze slightly. She, on the other hand, hadn't revealed any of her wings yet, but even so, she had managed to remain stable—or so it seemed. In truth, it was all a lie. Pride hadn't even used mana or life energy in any of his attacks. He was simply swinging his sword. This battle could be considered a duel. Of course, the force behind each strike was real, and so was the intent to sever limbs. After all, his own pride wouldn't allow him to kill someone weaker than him—especially knowing Emilia had been holding back.
Emilia let out a sigh. What Pride really wanted was for her to reveal her wings like he had his horns. But that was the problem. If she did, Pride would stop holding back, and this part of the Beastly Glades would become a complete hell of ice and black fire with red streaks. Many of the homes of high-blooded beasts would be destroyed, and she was trying to ensure that not a single animal would be harmed.
"This must be Greed's doing," Emilia clenched her teeth tightly. That damned bastard was clever, sending Pride after me. Pride's intense need and strange obsession with battle had quickly drawn him to the human world, and to seal the deal, there was her…
"So, the one looking for the fragment is Greed," Emilia thought to herself.
Shaking her head, she knew for now she could only trust Elizabeth to keep Greed distracted. Meanwhile, Emilia glanced briefly at Envy. She was still staring intently at the dimensional seal around them.
"Damn visions," Emilia muttered coldly, standing up. The moon above her stopped being a simple illusion and transcended reality. It split in half, and an ocean of blue liquid fell over Emilia's body, covering her completely.
Pride smiled in satisfaction. His eyes gleamed as he gripped the hilt of his sword more tightly.
Emilia was reborn. Seven pairs of wings spread out in all directions. Each feather shone in different shades of blue—light blue, dark blue, even sky blue—blending together to create a beautiful sight. Emilia raised her head, her once-white eyes now a brilliant blue. Her body became more perfect, making her even more attractive. Seven small moons orbited around her.
"Clearly, he's planning something," Emilia clicked her tongue in frustration as she tried with all her strength to keep everything in this dimension stable, without affecting the human world further.
"Of course he is, but that's not my concern," Pride nodded, shrugging his shoulders."Right now, I don't care what he does."
Emilia extended her hand. Behind her appeared seven spears glowing with sacred light, and just above them, seven swords also gleaming with divine brilliance.
"You're right. Right now, it's better to expel you from this dimension quickly."
****
Elizabeth clicked her tongue. The sky beneath them was completely collapsing. The primordial cold was tearing the heavens apart. A single moon overshadowed the suns that had once shone. The air grew colder as snowflakes began to fall slowly. She let out a sigh.
"She actually did it," Elizabeth thought to herself, staring at Greed, who wore a gentle smile on his lips.
"Is it fun?" Elizabeth asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Of course it is. I wonder what the reaction of the Mother of Beasts will be when she sees the heart of her home crumble before her eyes. And most of all! I wonder if the friendship you two share will survive after what happens today." Greed rolled his eyes.
"You're truly a cunning bastard," Elizabeth said with a sweet smile. The extreme cold threatening to freeze everything around her ceased. Hundreds of white threads appeared in the sky, covering it entirely. The threads expanded until they reached all corners of the Beastly Glades. Elizabeth extended her hand, and a beam of white light tore through space around her.
"Since Emilia's unleashed a bit..." Elizabeth's body glowed. The threads stirred and detached, forming a beautiful mirror that hovered before the door of light.
"I guess I have no choice but to do the same."
The mirror shattered, and from it emerged a harp the same size as her body. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"I really like music. I think it's the best way to reach someone's heart," Elizabeth said, lovingly caressing the harp. She smiled adorably."I truly think it's the best way."
The threads shone with majestic light and merged with the strings of the harp. Elizabeth gently plucked one string—her body trembled, and a pure white wing sprouted from her back. She played another string, and another wing appeared. She played the harp a total of seven times. The wings expanded and curled around the harp as if trying to protect it.
"I guess I have no other choice now."
