MA: 81. The End of The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns

Suddenly, Snow shouted at the top of her lungs as she wiped her tears away:

“You already proved your worth to us! Since the day we met! Three Paw… Do you remember the children?”

< “Yes. I was given love. >

“How despicable. Little Red. From where did you learn how to touch the hearts of the Corrupted!?”

“Touch. Heh. All I did was give Three Paw a reason to antagonize me! You’re my nemesis now Three Paw! I’m the one you need to hunt. Isn’t it exciting? The high of combat? The scent of blood surrounding us!? This is what you’ve been missing as a wolf!”

There were only four possible targets now. Three Paws’ body was riddled with holes and massive gashes. It was only a matter of minutes before the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns would finally perish.

She took on two more Fruits and clashed one last time with Three Paw before moving in to take down the Fruits once and for all.

< “I feel as though this hatred may be misplaced…” >

“Don’t feel bad about it! It’s better than being bitter and misplacing wrath with envy!” Red cried, slashing one of the Fruits.

Then, she stabbed her blade into its chest and used [Punch] to drive it in to destroy the final Fruit.

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Your Emotional State Has Risen to the Second State >

< Replenishing ammunition for the Fairytale’s Bane >

The Hunt Must Go On

ATT : 900

“Now – COME BACK TO US, THREE PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!”

A metallic explosion erupted as her fist hammered down on the blade.

However, it did not puncture through the final Fruit of Everlasting Miracles.

“Tch–!”

“Did you believe that I’d let my true heart remain weary and susceptible to your attacks?”

“Behold, my condensed Fruit of Everlasting Miracles!”

The Fruit of Everlasting Miracles
The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns

HP: 1,000

ATT DEF : 50,000     MAG DEF : 50,000

“How high can these stats go!?” Red exclaimed, patting herself down to see if anything had changed now that she had reached a new Emotional State. “No voice either…”

“A Hailstorm Corrupted can’t possibly have such high DEF stats…” Even Snow was left in utter disbelief.

However, that did not stop Red from grinning.

“ROCKIE! BYPOD! LET’S DO THIS!”

Indeed. Red had one last shot at this.

“BRRRRR!”

Red threw herself away from Three Paw as Rockie rolled towards her. It hopped into the air and skidded to Red before anchoring its six legs into the earth. The Fairytale’s Bane, which flew in the air, landed on its back with heavy clank.

Fairytale’s Bane

< Call forth causality to tear off the pages of their tales. Build yours anew >

AFFINITY: Amalgamation     ORIGIN : Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin

ATT : 20,000     MAG ATT : 20,000     TYPE : Weapon

< EFFECT: Inflict a guaranteed Critical Strike when a weak point is struck (5x damage). If the target is from the Folklore Origin, then deal 10x damage. Bullets ignore all Def stats if the bullet is targeting a weak point >

There was only one last target.

One bullet was all Red needed to finish this off.

< “Call forth a bullet to mark the passage of your tale.” >

The same voice that had spoken to her in her dreams whispered this as red particles formed a bullet in her palms.

“Goodbye, you delusional thorny maggot!”

However, as she loaded the bullet of infinite hatred into the chamber, brambles burst from beneath her, throwing her, Rockie and the Fairytale’s Bane. She tried to zero in her shot at the weak spot, but Three Paw began using its spinning attack, making it near impossible to safely eliminate the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns.

“DAMMIT THREE PAW!”

Red was forced to engage with Three Paw, leaving her weapon and a trembling Rockie behind.

“WHAT MORE DO YOU HAVE TO PROVE RIGHT NOW!?”

< “… I do not know myself.” >

“Huh!?”

< “I don’t know why I still chose to fight.” >

< “Within me is an urge to make the most out of what I now have.” >

< “I’ve already proven my worth. The evidence is Snow’s survival.” >

“THEN WHY!?”

< “Because…” >

< “I still have something else left to prove.” >

Three Paw charged up his spinning attack again. Red no longer hand any Rock Bug shield to defend herself. Not only that, but her HP hovered in the low 4,000s. This attack was bound to kill her. And if it didn’t, then the blood loss she’d experience soon after would certainly claim her life.

“This is how it always ends.”

“There are no heroes like those in tales.”

“No miracles outside of those formed by those who are willing to reach for the unreachable light.”

“Little Red.”

“This is where you lose everything.”

“Three Paw. Take down your nemesis. Allow me to embrace Snow’s body. Then, you will live as a part of me ever after.”

Red had nothing to stop it. She could only wait for the inevitable.

But that attack never came.

Instead, the brambles that should have attacked Red wrapped Three Paw like a giant net as he came crashing towards her.

“What…? Three Paw!?”

They were locked into an eternal clash. Neither of them were able to give space as their legs sank into the earth, trapping them in place.

< Three Paw’s Emotional State is rapidly Heightening >

Three Paw | HP: 10

< “It’s to you, the only human that despised me.” >

< “I thought about the reasons why you hated me.” >

< “Why you wore such a disgusted look whenever you turned my way.” >

“… You noticed…”

Red uttered beneath her breath.

For some reason, hearing this from the pup caused her heart to ache.

< “But I am glad.” >

“Glad? What the hell are you saying?”

< “Because I thought that you despised me for what I lacked.” >

< “You hated me because you already saw me for what I was. A wolf. A proud wolf.” >

“… Just because of that…?”

Red’s hated of wolves extended to Three Paw. It was because of this that she had inadvertently seen Three Paw for who and what they really were despite being outcasted by his own kind.

The realization caused Red’s eyes to shimmer like stars.

< “… Would it be better to aspire to become something new? To fill this emptiness with something else? I do not know. The path ahead is weary and dark.” >

“But I can guide you!”

< “Those stars in your eyes, Red…” >

< [The Fourth Paw] >

< What I lost wasn’t a piece of myself. The void I possess must be filled. Will I be able to find it? >

< EFFECT: Restrict the movement of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns indefinitely >

“Restriction!? This is my body! My fathoms! How can a wolf overpower its owner!?”

< “Will you let them illuminate the path ahead?” >

Red was rendered speechless.

What she had always thought was a lowly wolf.

A wolf that ate, slept, and used humans like a parasite…

… carried thoughts that could only belong to a human.

What was humanity?

What did it mean in the end?

If humanity was the flesh to the Queen, and were constructs to Red, then what was this?

She realized, in that moment as she heard a loud clank behind her, that there was more to humanity than these concepts.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Snow shouted at the top of her lungs.

Her eyes were a blistering color of red.

And held in her arms, with the barrel leaning against Rockie’s back, was the Fairytale’s Bane.

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Snow’s Emotional State has Risen to the Second State >

“FOR THERON! FOR THREE PAW! FOR ALL THE VILLAGERS YOU’VE MURDERED!”

“Snow – You – I thought you couldn’t!”

“I SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO! BUT I CAN’T STOP MYSELF NOW!”

“A Healer wielding a firearm? A weapon born from another’s Ego?”

“How humorous.”

“Look at you tremble.”

Snow couldn’t keep a straight shot. Her fingers quivered as they rested on the trigger. She fought the very urge that suppressed the violence of the Healers, to the point where blood began to pour out from her nose and ears.

“I… Also have to move on… No matter how dark it is. Red… I can’t tell if that light is coming from the tree or from you. I vowed to never follow a Star. But if it’s you…”

Snow took a deep breath.

Her emotions stabilized as did her tremors.

She took aim at the core of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns.

“Impossible –! All for the sake of one man!?”

“That man–!”

She pulled the trigger. Her strength alone was not enough to activate the firing mechanism.

Suddenly, a bramble burst from the ground and threaded along the barrel.

This lone bramble belonged to Three Paw.

“NO!”

“–WAS MY FATHER!”

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

A bullet forged in hatred was spurred forward by Snow’s unending thirst for vengeance. Strands of white hair turned black, creating a patch of darkness in that very instant, right as her entire right arm was blown off.

“GHAAAAAAAH!”

But Snow, despite her lackluster HP, did not die. Nor did she allow herself to wallow in agony.

She watched with spiteful eyes as the bullet met its mark, obliterating the Fruit of Everlasting Miracles, and subsequently, the light within the tree in a single fell swoop.

“This cannot be! My Corrupted Zone! My world! My forest… My proposed garden!”

The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns | HP: 0

< The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns Has Been Suppressed >