The Corrupted Syndicate

The two attacks collided with devastating force, shattering the ethereal blade and leaving their marks upon Lunaris's form. In a brilliant explosion of colors, the combined magic obliterated the Commander of the Night, casting her into oblivion.

Both the rabbit and the dragoness landed gracefully behind the crumbling Lunaris, pausing for a moment before the echo of an enemy's knee smashing into the floor shattered the silence.

As they turned, Mattheos was taken aback by the sight of a woman draped in a flowing white robe, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders, and her ruby-red eyes wide with desperation.

She reached out to the group, her dagger now reverted to its usual size, lying forgotten beside her. Before she could gather herself fully, the fallen Lunaris sprang into action, snatching up her weapon and charging toward Matt.

Without a moment's hesitation, Mavislin fired a shot from the gun bestowed upon her by Beast, the blast tearing through the air and obliterating the enemy's arm, sending the weapon skittering away.

The shining sword spun across the floor until the Viceroy halted its dance with a gentle tap of his boot, a quiet authority in the midst of chaos.

"Perhaps it was a good idea to bring along the gun. It did not require too much of my mana," said a very pleased dragoness as she twirled her gun around.

"Damn you... Curse you... I will never forgive you," panted Iblianne as she fully faded away.

"Curse us all you want; you lost the chance to be forgiven or be shown mercy the moment you consumed the flesh of your own kind," spat out Mavislin, irked that her enemy wasn't finished with her demise.

"It was not my choice! How many times do I have to-"

"It doesn't matter. You fell from grace when you delved into the sin of gluttony. You took those lives. Not the Legion, not even Lunaris herself. It was all you and you haven't the right to blame anyone else but yourself."

"So shut up and die," finished the angered dragoness as she shot a death glare toward Iblianne.

Unwilling to surrender, the dying girl slammed her hand into the ground, causing it to shatter like brittle clay. Despite the pain coursing through her, Iblianne refused to accept her fate, clinging fiercely to her belief that she was not in the wrong.

Her poor body may be crumbling, but her defiance remained unyielding.

"If you had a choice, what could you have done?!"

"I would've flung myself off a cliff than to watch myself turn into a monster like you."

Iblianne's eyes widened in shock, struggling to accept that her dilemma would be dismissed as if it were nothing. Her pain and sorrow felt utterly inconsequential to her intruders. Was this why Mavislin was known as the Shadow of the Corrupted Syndicate?

Were the rumors true—that she possessed no heart, no care for anyone but herself, reveling even in the killing of those children in the orphanage? How could such a person possibly exist?! And if that was the case, then...!

'You are no better either. The taste of flesh and blood had enticed you so much that you've forgotten your initial goal. The promise you made to me when they bound me to your essence still echoes in my being.'

'I did not grant you those thoughts; they are but a manifestation of your own hatred toward the Legion. You bear the blame alone, and in your descent, you have tarnished my name.'

'I am not complicit in this turmoil, yet you have wielded my powers to unleash chaos upon the denizens of this realm. I want nothing to do with you anymore, feral beast,' echoed the true Lunaris, scowling at the crying girl.

Iblianne couldn't stop sobbing as she faded into nothingness, her tears the last remnants of her presence. Meanwhile, the rabbit averted his gaze, tending to the small wounds marring his fur, while Zenos inspected the gleaming silver blade with a focused intensity.

Mavislin let out a heavy sigh and made her way over to the two males. As she approached, five small purple snakes slithered out of her hair, pausing to coil gracefully in front of her, their vibrant scales glinting in the dim light.

The dragoness cleared her throat before she looked at her two companions with a fierce look but a proud smile.

"Well done, the two of you. Both Solaris and Lunaris have been eliminated, as well as their minions. With this dual victory, we are sure to stall the Legion's plan of forcing Guardians into unwitting bodies."

"These few days have been a testament to show that an alliance with the Northern Cartel has not been for naught. However! It is not to say we should lower our guards for the enemy would be bound to fight back."