Hoddchin grinned as Mr. Gregory's flesh melted off his skin. "How entertaining! This is the most fun I've ever had! I adore you, I'll cherish you, and I love you to the greatest heights!"
Mina smacked her lips in annoyance as she followed up in attacking Hoddchin with Sorrow. Hoddchin, seeing this, leapt back and summoned a clone of Mr. Gregory in order to shield him. Sorrow shot out a projectile of acid that splashed all over Mr. Gregory. Whilst Mr. Gregory took the blow, a little acid went onto Hoddchin's cheek, which he wiped off.
Spinning Sorrow in her hand, she clasped onto it tight. "Tsk, I already have a man in my heart." Hoddchin pushed the clone of Mr. Gregory aside before tossing his scythe in Mina's direction. As Mina weaved to her left in order to dodge the scythe, Mr. Gregory was already there, ready to smash his blade onto Mina. His body was fully regenerated from Sorrow's damage, and he was about ready to strike again. In quick succession, she managed to use her momentum from dodging and struck Mr. Gregory in the neck with her leg before he could swipe down.
She didn't know if the blow was lethal or even affected him because she immediately darted off right after, not looking back. "From what I saw, this man can do something with my nightmares and bring them into existence. That old lady and Mr. Gregory were both familiar with my terrors. The real question is, how much Rysen is this man even consuming? He didn't seem tired at all; moreover, he was just toying around with me." She ran up the stair steps to the second floor to where maintenance was currently being held.
One of the staff members for the play was guiding his team off the light stands in order to evacuate from the fire drill. "Come on, the entire building could be engulfed by now!" he shouted as they carefully climbed off the lights attached to the roof.
"Mina, focus, ya' moron!" She turned only to meet Mr. Gregory's blade, which slammed onto her. The blade was only mere inches from her face before she used Ruin and Sorrow to block it with stiff arms. Putting all her weight on her foot, she pressed it onto Mr. Gregory and kicked him down the stairs. But as she turned ahead, it was Hoddchin who suddenly swiped his scythe at her. Barely able to react on time, she managed to not get split in half, but the scythe still impaled her. An ear-piercing scream came out of her mouth, catching the attention of the auditorium staff.
"W-What's going on?! Who's that?"
Her eyes widened in horror as she grabbed their attention. "Get out of here, you dumbasses!" Her warnings fell short as she was too late. Mr. Gregory swooped up there with his Artifact pointed up into the sky. The black and crimson flames that emanated from his Artifact burst with acceleration to get there. And as soon as he landed, he immediately murdered the staff members who attempted to flee.
Hoddchin heaved his scythe back with Mina still impaled on it. And then, he tossed her against the railings on the second floor, making a huge dent in them. As blood splattered and her lungs collapsed with a vicious force, all she could do was let out a small cry. Her body trembled, grasping the injury she sustained. She then limped up as Hoddchin watched, this time clapping. "As expected and as needed. Your struggle is utmost beautiful! I enjoy the sight! It is so graceful! I could already feel myself getting wet from this!"
Mina's eyes reverted back to normal with a single blink. Blue as ever and losing the crimson glow, Hoddchin's smile quickly dissipated. Mina's face was full of despair, and she was gasping for air. Despite that, she powered through her pain, getting into stance again. Her stance was sloppy, but it'll have to do.
A sly smile came onto Hoddchin, realizing she still had some fight in her. Snapping his fingers, he called Mr. Gregory over. Mr. Gregory used his Artifact to soar into the air before planting himself before Hoddchin. The loud thud echoed in the auditorium, and the fire alarm buzzers of the auditorium echoed loudly.
"M-Mister—Gregory..." Mina remembered.
The rise and the fall of the man who once saved her when she was young.
As Hoddchin snapped his fingers again, Mr. Gregory charged in. His Artifact was menacing as ever, but his swordsmanship was beautiful. Mina replied with her own force but was quickly outmatched. He sliced at a perfect horizontal angle, and Mina sloppily dodged. Her white princess outfit was torn and stained with her own blood, but she recomposed herself. The pain surged through her body and came as a recollection of the pain she felt in her past.
Their weapons clashed in a repeating exchange. His blade moved with elegance. An attack on her neck, which Mina could barely block with her daggers. Then swiftly moved to her body, which Mina horribly dodged. Right after barely stabbing her, his blade followed the momentum of Mina, perfectly landing the final blow that caused Ruin to fizzle out. As per usual, his movements were never wasted. His swordsmanship was perfect, as she remembered, and his might was overwhelming.
Just like in the past.
Her consciousness was fading, but she saw something flicker in her mind. It was a familiar voice. In the trenches of her mind, she saw him.
"Sloppy as ever, eh?"
"M-Mr. Gregory..."
He patted her on the head. "Yeah, it's me. And it seems you've lost yer' touch."
Mina welled up tears in her eyes and began to sob. "I-I'm s-sorry... It's just I-I can't..."
She wanted to do more than ever, but the memory of what happened to Mr. Gregory ate away at her. "Yes, you can ya' dumbass! Why else do you think I taught ya' my techniques?"
"B-Because you said you wanted me to survive when you were gone!"
"No, that's not what I said." Then he said it, the words that were sealed away deep in her heart. The memory flickered in her mind again. "It's because I believe that you're the only one who can do them." Her eyes widened at the forgotten words, at the forgotten trust that was held.
"That's right! And just cause I died like a fool, that don't mean you should forget the words I told ya'! The words of what I mean the most about ya'. Even if this world is dark, there is always a light that paves the way for ya' so don't get held back! That's not what I taught ya'. My world was dark, but I always had a light that pushed me forward!"
Deep in her heart, she knew the man she currently fought wasn't Mr. Gregory. Deep in her heart, she knew that Mr. Gregory cared about her deeply, like a daughter he never had. And deep in her heart, she knew that what held her back was her own denial.
But what she didn't know were the words that Mr. Gregory was going to say next.
With a heartfelt smile, he knelt down to her level. "You, Mina. You were my light."
Snapping back into the present, Mina held her breath. Summoning out Ruin with the last of her Rysen, she crossed her arms at an upward angle.
"First Form: Lunar Descent!"
In a swift motion, she slashed at Mr. Gregory, causing a huge uplift of hellfire to surround the area. With the sudden outburst of power, Mr. Gregory began to backstep an enormous distance away.
Flames surrounded the area, and acid corroded the walls, yet Mina held in her might. Unleashing a loud cry, she charged forward. Hoddchin's jaw dropped in disbelief. The girl who once struggled in despair is now charging forward with all her might. "Where did this immense power come from?! Wasn't she on her last leg moments earlier? And how is she able to put that man on the defensive! According to her nightmares, that man should at least have his Rysen Storage at level 6!"
Mina combined her blades together before intertwining her acid and hellfire. "Second Form: Guided Moonlight!" Changing her stance completely, a sudden outburst of force propelled her forward, followed by an unexplainable moonlight that lingered.
Mr. Gregory tried to counter, but Mina parried his blade away and stabbed into his body. Impaling him with a burst of hellfire, his body was already charring up. "Third Form! Lunar Ascension!" she cried as she shouted with all her might. Even if this was a fake, Mr. Gregory, the pain of his leaving again hurt. It was a pain that she was willing to take in order to survive.
As Mina went into her third form, Mr. Gregory went into his as well. Both clashing their weapons with all their might, the shockwave shook the second floor. "GRAHHHHHHHHH!" She pushed forward, with blood vessels building on her forehead. With one final slash, it cut him clean on his chest. His body was already burning into ash, and his chest was bleeding out fully. In the end, he still stood upright.
His Artifact was fizzling out, and Mr. Gregory finally let loose a smile Mina hadn't seen in ages. Hugging her, he spoke his final words with a raspy tone. "I'm proud of ya'."
With his last words coming through, he turned to ash. Mina soon collapsed right after due to her injuries.