CHAPTER 136: CLARITY

Grace’s rapier trembled an inch from the Tempest’s throat.

She had to do it, she felt. But...

[This feels wrong.]

Behind her, Diana grunted as she blocked another strike from the Primal Demon. Metal clashed against claw with a sound like thunder. The impact echoed across the mountaintop, mixing with the howling wind and Diana’s increasingly creative profanity.

Grace looked back at the Tempest.

[I have to.] She swallowed. [I-]

A System notification popped up in Grace’s vision.

「Make Your Choice」

Option 1: Enter the Tempest’s mindscape and eliminate the source of her indecision

Option 2: Execute the Tempest Warning: Permanent elimination of a Pillar

Grace’s hand tightened on her rapier.

The easy choice was right there. One thrust and the Tempest would dissolve into nothing, just like every demon Grace had ever killed. Problem solved. Diana saved. Mission complete.

But...

[Fuck it.]

Grace made her choice.

She pressed her free hand against the Tempest’s forehead, right between those panicked eyes. Divine energy surged through her palm like liquid fire. Her medallion burned against her chest.

The world went white.

Grace crashed into the mindscape like she’d been thrown through a window. It was a white void, the kind where she’d usually talk to Eternia in her dreams. She looked around, searching for whatever opponents she’d have to take down.

Three figures materialized in front of her. All of them looked like the Tempest, but... different.

All of them were very, very strong.

[Level 80, level 79, level 81... Great.]

The first wore heavy armor that gleamed silver in the shifting light. Her sword was already raised, point aimed at Grace’s throat.

"We must fight! Action is the only path! Strike first, ask questions later!"

The second sat cross-legged in flowing white robes, hands folded peacefully in her lap.

"Violence solves nothing. We should meditate on this problem. Consider all angles. Think before—"

The third paced frantically between them, wringing her hands hard enough to leave marks.

"But what if we’re wrong? What if fighting makes it worse? What if meditating wastes time? What if Grace is lying? What if she’s telling the truth? What if—"

They all turned to Grace at the same time.

"You shouldn’t be here," they said in perfect unison, their voices creating an eerie harmony.

[It’s like that, then?]

Grace summoned her Blade of Eternia. The golden light felt more solid here, somehow. Like the mindscape understood divine energy better than regular reality.

"Yeah, well. I’m here anyway." Grace shifted into a fighting stance, muscle memory from all those brutal training sessions with Diana kicking in. "And I’m not leaving until I fix this mess."

The armored Tempest charged first, of course. Her sword came down in a perfect arc that would’ve split Grace’s skull in half. Grace sidestepped at the last second, feeling the blade whistle past her ear.

[Holy shit, I actually dodged that.]

She spun, bringing her rapier up to catch the next strike. The impact sent shockwaves through her arms, but she held on. So much time spent getting her ass kicked by Diana and Seraph had finally paid off.

The meditative Tempest started chanting in some language Grace didn’t recognize. Reality warped around her, trying to convince her this fight was pointless. That she should sit down. Give up. Rest. Why struggle when she could just... stop?

"Ugh, stop that!" Grace pushed back against the mental pressure, drawing on every ounce of stubborn determination she’d built up over the past few months.

The anxious Tempest just stood there, frozen by indecision. Her mouth moved constantly, arguing with herself in whispered fragments Grace couldn’t quite catch.

Then suddenly, she burst into motion like a spring had snapped, attacking from behind with desperate, uncoordinated strikes.

Grace ducked low, rolled sideways, came up swinging. Her rapier caught the anxious one across the ribs, slicing through robes and drawing a line of golden light that poured from the wound like blood.

The armored one roared with fury, abandoning all technique for raw, desperate aggression. Grace met her head-on this time. Their blades locked with a shower of sparks that lit up the unstable mindscape.

The meditative one tried to trap Grace in an illusion. Visions of her old farm flooded her mind—turnips growing in neat rows, quiet mornings with nothing but birdsong and the whisper of wind through grain. No demons. No responsibility. No weight of being the only person who could permanently kill anything.

Grace headbutted the armored Tempest right in the nose.

It hurt like hell and left her seeing stars, but not only did it take Grace out of the illusion, but the surprise gave her an opening. She drove her knee into the warrior’s stomach, doubling her over, then spun to face the meditator.

The meditative Tempest’s eyes widened.

"What—"

Grace’s rapier pierced through her chest.

Golden light spread from the point of impact like cracks in glass and the meditative Tempest shattered.

The anxious Tempest screamed, a sound that made reality fracture around them. The armored one charged again, desperate now, swinging wild strikes that Grace could see coming from miles away.

Grace met the charge. This time, she didn’t try to block or parry. She flowed around the strike like Diana had taught her, grabbed the warrior’s wrist, and used her own momentum to pull her off balance.

Grace’s blade found its mark, sliding between armor plates to touch skin. Another burst of golden light.

Two down. Only the anxious one remained.

She backed away from Grace, hands shaking so hard she could barely stand.

"I can’t," she whispered, voice breaking. "What if attacking is wrong? What if this makes everything worse? What if we’re supposed to die? What if we’re not? What if—"

Grace sighed.

[... I can’t even imagine living like this.]

As quickly as she could, Grace closed the gap. Her rapier slid through the anxious Tempest’s chest.

Light exploded from both of them.

---

Grace slammed back into her body just in time to see the Primal Demon’s claws heading straight for Diana’s face. Diana’s sword was out of position, her guard broken. She wouldn’t be able to block in time.

The expression on Diana’s face wasn’t fear. It was resignation. Like she’d accepted that this was how it ended.

[Shit shit shit. Not happening! Not on my watch—]

Wind roared past Grace, moving faster than thought.

"Huh?" Grace gasped aloud.

The Tempest materialized next to the Primal Demon.

Diana, Grace, and even the Primal Demon looked shocked.

With a flick of her wrist, the Tempest scooped it up like it weighed nothing, lifting the massive creature into the air with ease.

The demon screeched in confusion, all six arms flailing as it tried to understand what the hell had just happened. What was happening.

"Grace," The Tempest’s voice was different now. Clear. Decisive. No hesitation at all. "Go ahead."

Grace didn’t think. Didn’t plan. Didn’t second-guess herself.

She just moved.

Grace launched herself upward, wings spread wide, Blade of Eternia burning brighter than it ever had before. The Primal Demon saw her coming and its red eyes went wide with something that might have been fear.

Too late.

Grace’s rapier punched through its chest like the creature was made of paper. Divine energy erupted from the point of impact, spreading through the demon’s body in a web of golden cracks.

The demon’s scream cut off as its body dissolved into nothing.

Grace fell like a stone. Her wings felt like wet paper, completely useless.

Mainly, because she was tired. Her entire body screamed for rest, for sleep, for anything other than more of what she’d been doing.

The Tempest caught her before she hit the rocky ground, a gust of wind gently letting her down.

"Thank you," the Pillar whispered. "I feel... Calm."

Grace tried to respond with something witty as she stood up. Something cool and heroic. Instead, her legs gave out completely and she nearly face-planted into the rocks.

"Whoa there, hero." Diana appeared at her side, catching Grace’s other arm before she could fall. "Don’t pass out on us now. We’ve still gotta get down this stupid mountain."

"’M not passing out," Grace mumbled, even though her vision was definitely getting fuzzy around the edges. "Just... resting my eyes for a sec."

The Tempest laughed. Actual laughter, not the manic giggling from before. It sounded like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.

"The storm will clear now," she said, looking up at the roiling clouds above them. "Feel free to fly down."

Diana went and picked Grace up like a backpack. Grace let her head loll onto her shoulder.

[My legs... I can barely feel them.]

This was worse than any drill Seraph had put her through. And yet, Grace felt good. She’d done it. Another Pillar, purified.

As Diana began flying away from the mountain peak, she said:

"Well... Four down?"

"Four down," Grace confirmed. The Tempest, the Tide, the Flame, the Root. Three to go."

"Wonderful."

Grace would think about that tomorrow.

Whenever she could feel her lower half.