...

"W-Whoa. Tch, the demons have sure gotten smarter. To think that there would be this many left over... Hmph, well, that's not a problem. We'll exterminate them, easy as pie." Add snickered.

"Um, yes..." I nodded.

"Stardust Shower!" he shouted. A gate of time and space burst open from the skies, as special gravitational spheres descended from the ceiling, falling towards the demons. The number of orbs were countless!

I transformed into my Celestial Fox form, thanks to the power that resides in my hairpin. "Dragon Stance 4: Moonlight Slash!" I swung my spear 360 degrees, forming a large circle as it hit all the enemies in vicinity. As the enemies were pushed back, the remainder of Add's dimensional spheroids homed into them.

A few more attacks later, and they were done for. Luckily, that was all it took to defeat the monsters in this area. In this part of the stronghold, Shadow Port Walkers, Tricksters, Chargers, Defenders, Snipers, Voiders, and Linkers were present, similar to the previous locations we've ventured through before arriving here.

...

Despite the Halls of Water being the 'heart' of this fortress, it was still huge nonetheless. Due to its size, it can't be helped that there would be powerful opponents from all over the Kingdom wakening from their hibernation. Shadow Stinger, Bizarre Conrad, Giant Hammer Bobosse, Fallen Chloe, and Victor. Not to worry, they were no match for Add and I! I felt completely safe with his protection and hope, so I couldn't possibly die here now, right? Maybe it was something cliche like the power of love that ignited this new sensation.

"Haa... haa... this is definitely a workout, I must admit. I've run through this place millions of times, yet, it's still unfamiliar to me in some aspects. Must... record in my database...." Add muttered.

"Should we take a break?" I asked. "Aren... Brother is nowhere to be found."

"No. This is exactly why we must move on forward."

"Oh... okay!" I smiled. Add's determination was overwhelming.

"You called?" a familiar voice could be heard nearby.

Both of us turned to the direction where the sound came from. It was... Brother!

"A-Aren...!" I was bursting out with joy, but at the same time, I remembered what had happened to me in the previous timelines.

"You damned bastard." Add shouted out bluntly in a calm tone.

"You are speaking to the Dark Earl. Watch your language, human." Aren glared at him.

"And you are speaking to the Diabolic Esper. It makes no difference, I'll destroy every particle inside you in the end!" he declared with fury.

"Brother, it's me, Ara! Ara Haan, your younger sister! Are you sure that you don't remember me? At all? But Brother...!!"

"Be quiet. I am no longer your family." Aren spoke in a rather monotonous manner.

"Right, because I am." Add confronted him. "And because I hate your very guts, I'm f***ing killing ya!"

"We'll see about that." he clapped his hands together. "Troops, assemble!"

A horde of monsters gathered around the battle grounds, consisting of the Shadow demons from before, Blood/Mana Linkers, and Fallen Red Knights. There seemed to be an increasing number of the Linkers and Knights, or maybe that was because many, many, MANY Shadow demons were eliminated in the past, making their population seem smaller?

"Sh**! I'm calling bull here. There weren't this many in the first two timelines...!" Add scowled.

"I know all about your timeline shenanigans, Add. Which is why, this one will be the one that scars you for a lifetime, from the pain that'll be inflicted." Aren said coldly.

"Bullcrap! You can't possibly know... How?!"

"A knight never reveals his secrets."

"You, a knight? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You're far from that."

"Oh? Well, we'll see."

"Ara, ignore him. I'll handle your brother, and I'll try helping with the demons. Go on and do your best." he smiled.

"Okay..." I nodded, preparing my spear.

I really wanted this to end happily without conflict, but that can't happen now, can it? I came all the way here in hopes of purify him from the beginning, but there was no chance of that now. It all went down the drain a while ago. Now, all I had to do was care about my own safety, along with Add's. Brother... I must eliminate you, it has been decided. I am sorry. Now, let's hope that I'll be successful in this irrefutable battle.

...

--[CHAPTER 13 - IRREFUTABLE CONFLICT : END]--