This time, it hovered over Yerin, and Mercy instinctively knew what it meant. Power radiated from Yerin, but it was a flat, colorless power. The absence of sound rather than a symphony. The Death Icon was raising Yerin to Monarch.
One simple swing of Yerin’s sword condemned Mercy’s mother to die.
There were no outward projections of madra, but to the spiritual sense, there came a massive wave of lethal power incomparable to anything Mercy had sensed from Yerin before. The invisible wave reached Malice instantly.
Darkness crept over the sky opposite the scythe, and Malice faded to shadow.
The executioner’s blade passed through her. To outward appearances, Malice dodged the attack perfectly.
But Mercy knew it had cost her. Yerin’s attacks would work.
[That’s it!] Dross said.
I know, Mercy replied sadly. The same idea had occurred to her at the same time. She knew how to beat her mother.
But there was no time for that. Little Blue’s spirit was fading.
Mercy dodged an arrow from her shadow-self and fired an arrow of her own at the swarm of obsidian butterflies harassing Ziel. The Strings of Shadow she’d packed into the arrow exploded, tying up the construct.
Without hesitation, Ziel blasted down toward Little Blue.
He could stabilize her, or so Dross claimed. Maybe he couldn’t heal her, but he could help her hang on.
Mercy just had to keep the constructs from interfering.
The pressure on her redoubled as she had to take slashes from the butterflies on her armor while trading arrows with her own shadow, but she would win eventually. Her opponents were just constructs, while she was a living sacred artist. She could adapt and change, while they couldn’t.
But this was taking her too long.
Yerin took the fight to Malice, and for the first time, Malice was on the back foot. Yerin alone might not be able to defeat her, as a newly advanced Monarch, but Charity had already defeated a construct. Ghostly soldiers harassed Malice and owls dove into her.
With the blinding speed of the Burning Cloak, Orthos appeared over Malice’s head. Black-and-red eyes blazed with fury. His right hand was covered in Blackflame claws, and aura trailed from him in a dark ribbon.
Charity had shut off Malice’s room to escape, so Malice was forced to choose between taking Yerin’s attack or Orthos’.
She raised one hand to catch The Dragon Descends on her armored forearm.
There came a blinding explosion as Orthos hammered the Monarch into the trees. Mercy doubted anything in this jungle was going to survive their battle.
[Duck!] Dross called.
Mercy dipped in the air as butterflies flew overhead. She flipped in midair to drive a fist at her opposite.
The shadow-clone mirrored her, but it was burning its own substance to keep up with her attacks. It was already beginning to fade to essence. Likewise, the swarm of obsidian butterflies was looking thin after losing so many of its kind on Ziel’s shield and Mercy’s armor. Even tearing their way out of the Strings of Shadow had cost them some members.
Mercy finished off the two constructs and, without any time to waste, opened her void key.
A powerful aura billowed out, reminding her of Yerin’s Icon. The snarling of a tiger was somewhat weaker.
Lindon hadn’t kept the Silent King Bow with him. He’d left it with her, believing that she could learn to wield it.
And he’d left her the last Penance arrow.
[You still can’t use the Bow,] Dross told her nervously. [You remember that, right? You remember what happened last time?]
Mercy thought that proved she could use the Bow, but that wasn’t the weapon she needed now.
She withdrew the Penance arrow—its very touch once again scraped at her lifeline—and fitted it to Eclipse, Ancient Bow of the Soulseeker.
The dragon head in the center hissed, its violet eyes shining. It was eager to be used.
Despite everything, Mercy hesitated to pull back the string.
Not only was she about to shoot her own mother, but loosing this arrow would be the last thing Suu ever did. Eclipse wasn’t built to withstand ammunition like this.
Yerin and Malice had flown far into the distance, their blows tearing apart clouds and creating thunder, but Mercy could still see them clearly. Her heart was in turmoil.
Eagerness thrilled up through her fingers. Not her own. The bow’s.
Suu wanted this. To test itself against its maker. If this was to be its last action, the weapon exulted in its purpose.
Before Mercy’s resolve could slip again, she pulled the string back to her cheek.
And, despite the distance between them, she felt her mother’s attention on her. From far away, she saw Malice’s lips move.
“Remember,” her mother commanded.
Mercy pushed against the working, but Malice knew her well. She remembered every moment she’d ever spent with her mother. The formal audience where she’d first been introduced to the Monarch. Receiving the Book of Eternal Night. Declaring she was going to run away.
When Malice had given her the encouragement to reach Underlord.
Embracing her when the world ended.
All those scenes rushed back into Mercy’s mind, and the feelings returned to her heart. Her hand trembled on the strings.
Help me, Dross, she whispered.
[Oh, I am,] he said. He didn’t sound concerned. [I’ve found that it’s better not to oppose a Monarch’s working directly if you don’t have to. It’s more effective to make it work for you.]
Mercy remembered Malice punishing her in front of the entire clan. The horror she’d felt when she realized that Malice had knowingly allowed the Dreadgods to exist, just to preserve her own power. The lies, the manipulation, the betrayal.
And she remembered the echo of Malice that remained in the labyrinth.
That woman was a hero. She’d set out to carve her family a place in a world hostile to them. She had created a safe haven for the weak.
Then she’d let safety make her complacent. She had grown arrogant, and afraid of losing what she had. She lost sight of those she’d been working for.
Malice had become a poison, harming the very people she set out to save.
Strength returned to Mercy. She pulled the string back, and she loosed Penance.
No matter what, she did not want to do this. The attack gouged a hole in her heart. But when all other options had been exhausted, when all that was left in life was suffering, sometimes death was the only solution left.
There was no joy in this attack. But it was…mercy.
With no fanfare, Penance landed.
Mercy felt it strike. In her spiritual sense, Malice’s presence trembled. Unlike when Yerin had used the true Penance, the target didn’t vanish immediately. But every one of her attacks was weaker, more desperate. Her lifeline was fading.
Akura Malice was dead, but she hadn’t stopped moving yet.
Mercy used Shadestep to close the distance, folding space around her with shadow. She couldn’t cover the full distance, but when she was about halfway there, Malice fell from the sky.
Without quite understanding why, Mercy flew faster to catch up. For some reason, she felt like she ought to catch her mother before she hit the ground.
It was a ridiculous thought. Mere stone couldn’t hurt a Monarch.
Mercy sped up anyway.
Dross was yelling to her, but Mercy couldn’t hear him. She couldn’t see well, either. Her vision had grown blurry.
A red-and-black lump appeared in her way.
Mercy tried to fly around, but Yerin caught her.
“Take a rest, Mercy.”
Mercy blubbered something. She wasn’t even sure what.
“You can put that weight down,” Yerin replied. “Wasn’t you that did it. Hey.” Yerin snapped her fingers in front of Mercy’s nose.
Blinking, Mercy looked into red eyes.
Yerin gave a half-smile. “Pin this one to my account, all right? I can carry it, true and certain.”