Lisa’s scream sends chills down Mira’s spine. Ignoring her own safety, Mira darts toward Light Force. As she nears him, she whips, but Light Force splits his mass in the middle, causing Mira’s attack to miss. The split mass then flies toward her back, wrapping her in place. Despite being restrained, Mira’s gaze remains fixed on her injured sister.

  “Lisa! Can you hear me? Answer me! Please, I’m begging you, talk to me!” Mira pleads as Lisa lies face down, silently on the ground.

  Not hearing back from Lisa only heightens Mira’s worry. In a desperate move, she summons a large fire pillar from beneath her, tanking the damage as Light Force swiftly releases her. The moment she breaks free, she rushes to Lisa, gently cradling her in her arms.

  “Lisa! Say something! Please, don’t leave me again,” Mira sobs.

  Finally, Lisa opens her eyes.

  “I’m half okay, haha,” Lisa jokes, though she quickly groans in pain. “You’ll have to finish this fight, sis. I’ll support you from down here.”

  “No, you need to rest!” Mira insists, her voice tight with concern.

  “None of us can take him down alone,” Lisa replies, a small but determined smile on her face.

  Mira doesn't argue further. Instead, she quickly empties her vials of cat saliva, pouring them gently onto Lisa’s wounds. With her sister supported as best as she can, Mira carefully lays Lisa down, then stands, her eyes narrowing as they glare at the threat that put Lisa in this state. Light Force, now an orb, hovers over the pool, watching them.

  “You didn’t attack us just now. Did you enjoy the show?” Mira calls out, her voice cold but steady.

  "I took a dip in the pool to cool down a bit. You’re both stronger than I expected. And yes, I enjoyed the show – it felt like I was watching a K-drama. Better yet, it was like a reality TV show with no annoying replays of the same scene from every angle."

  “You piece of…”

  Mira is cut off as police and ambulance sirens blare from the other side of the mansion.

  “This is getting messy,” she mutters.

  She hurls fireballs at the hovering Light Force, but he effortlessly dodges each one. Occasionally, he plunges into the pool, only to fire golden beams from beneath the water – taunting her as she struggles to land a hit on the divine entity.

  Then, the police come into view, investigating the wreckage in the kitchen. Seeing her chance, Mira grabs Lisa and rushes her to the ambulance. She lays her sister on the stretcher, her voice trembling as she begs the paramedics to take Lisa to a hospital. But as expected, her desperate pleas fall on deaf ears. Tears well up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as frustration and helplessness take hold.

  “You’re making me cry too, sis,” Lisa says, sobbing.

  “I don’t want to lose you again. Not ever,” Mira whispers, her grip tightening around Lisa’s hand.

  “I’m scared. I don’t want to die again,” Lisa admits, her voice trembling as the sisters cling to each other.

  Their moment is shattered by distant screams from the back of the mansion. Light Force soon emerges, hovering above the roof, his presence an ominous reminder that the fight isn’t over. The sudden commotion sends all the paramedics and police rushing toward the back, leaving the front eerily silent – just the two sisters, alone once more.

  “If you kill me, can you let my sister and the others live?” Mira pleads.

  “Sis! No!” Lisa cries out.

  “I can only afford one of you. I can’t have all five of you turning on me later,” Light Force replies.

  “You’ve lost too much energy from creating Luce! You’ll need all of us to defeat him!” Mira argues.

  “I can always run away and return when I’m at full strength. By then, one of you will become even stronger.”

  “Run away? Shame!” Lisa scoffs.

  “There’s no shame in survival. This is my planet, and I’m not giving it up to anyone.”

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  Light Force glows once more, then this time, unleashes beams downward, obliterating the mansion and everyone inside.

  “See? I am a God – the God. You are nothing but my subjects, and you will obey my every command or face my wrath.”

  Mira and Lisa exchange a silent glance, tears streaming down their faces. Without a word, Mira charges forward, hurling fireballs at Light Force, while Lisa, even with half her body, fires electrifying laser beams from her palms.

  Light Force dives into the wreckage of the mansion, firing randomly. Mira rushes back to Lisa, quickly lifting her onto her back before dashing away. At this point, the sisters know they can’t defeat the divine entity, so Mira focuses on running – putting as much distance between them and the mansion as possible.

  She remembers well that, due to the mansion’s size, there were no other houses nearby. But still, she clings to the hope that maybe, just maybe, a town or neighborhood has sprung up since then. Right now, her only goal is to find others – anyone – to serve as a distraction for Light Force.

  Taking advantage of Light Force’s continued assault from the mansion, Mira briefly halts. “Summon your gun and place it on the ground,” she tells Lisa.

  Lisa does so without question. The moment it materializes, Mira sprints forward, stepping onto it and using the slight elevation to propel herself and Lisa into the air with fiery jets from her palms and feet.

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t think we’re worth the trouble and leaves us alone,” Mira mutters.

  “Where are we even going, sis?” Lisa asks.

  “For now, anywhere – as long as it’s with you. We’ll hide together until our friends find us.”

  Noticing the girls are no longer nearby, Light Force, now in his energy wave form, gives chase, his speed astonishing. Mira pushes herself forward, intensifying the jets, but he continues to close the gap relentlessly.

  With no other choice, she lowers their altitude, weaving through the dense trees in an attempt to slow him down. However, Light Force shifts into his orb form, halts midair, and fires beams ahead of them. Lisa, now gripping Mira with one hand, raises her weapon behind them, prepared to absorb or soften any impact.

  Mira remains focused, skillfully dodging both the incoming beams and the trees. Then, suddenly, they burst out onto a main road where trucks loaded with goods rumble by. Without hesitation, she flies just above them, using the vehicles as cover.

  As anticipated, Light Force emerges behind them through a portal. Lisa, her gun fully charged, fires directly at the entity. The paralysis effect momentarily slows him. Wasting no time, Lisa climbs onto Mira’s back again. Mira leaps off the top of a truck and propels them back into the air, jets blazing. Lisa keeps one hand aimed backward, unleashing more electrifying laser beams to keep their pursuer at bay.

  More beams rain down on them. Without the cover of trees, Mira easily evades the attacks. However, Light Force suddenly shifts tactics, targeting the trucks instead. Golden beams pierce straight through the vehicles, triggering massive explosions. The blasts ahead force Mira into a difficult aerial maneuver, but she can’t avoid everything – burning debris grazes her legs and arm. Though she can withstand the pain, it throws her off balance. Before she can regain control, she spirals downward and crashes onto the road.

  Mira quickly rises, her eyes desperately scanning for her sister. She spots Lisa lying face up among the burning wreck. Without hesitation, she rushes toward her, but just as she lowers herself, a beam tears through her shoulder – her severed arm tumbling onto the road. She collapses onto her rear, pain surging through her, but desperation takes over. Summoning fire pillars around herself and Lisa, she hurls fireballs beyond the flames with her remaining hand, determined to keep Light Force at bay.

  In a swift, agonizing moment, searing pain shoots through Mira’s remaining arm – Light Force, in his energy wave form, coils around it like a noose. She engulfs her hand in flames in a desperate attempt to break free, but with a vicious twist, he snaps it loose. A scream rips from her throat as she crumples to the ground, writhing in pain. Light Force reforms into his orb shape, hovering ominously above the fallen sisters.

  Lisa, barely clinging to consciousness, summons what little strength she has left and rolls herself toward Mira. Their heads touch, their trembling bodies close despite their broken forms.

  “Sis…are you alright?” Lisa’s voice quivers.

  Mira forces a weak smile through her tears. “Look at me. Don’t cry. I’m here with you…and I always will be.”

  “But you’re crying too.”

  “It’s because you are, silly,” Mira says, her voice breaking. “I always hated seeing you cry. It broke my heart, you know.”

  Lisa sniffles, gripping onto what little time they have left. “I’m scared, sister. I’m so scared.”

  “Hush now,” Mira whispers, her voice gentle despite the unbearable pain. “If there’s another life after this…I’ll come find you again.”

  “What if there isn’t?” Lisa asks, her voice barely audible.

  Mira’s eyes soften, her tears falling onto Lisa’s cheek. “Then at least I go out with you. I won’t have to live without you ever again.”

  A faint, trembling smile forms on Lisa’s lips. “Sisters forever?”

  “Sisters forever,” Mira breathes, pressing her forehead against Lisa’s.

  They close their eyes, bracing for the inevitable. In the fading light of her mind, Mira feels an odd sense of relief. At least Wyn, Yu, and David won’t have to witness this. They won’t have to see her and Lisa suffer like this with their own eyes.

  “You know…I’m grateful to our parents for bringing you into this world. And without them, I wouldn’t have met Wyn, Yu, Anish, James, David, and his wonder team…” Her voice wavers. “I hope the rest are safe. Oppa…please don’t blame yourself for this. You kept your promise…you brought us to the end together…This…is beyond your control…”

  Light Force descends, bands of energy coiling around their heads. A shudder runs through them as the grip tightens, their bodies rigid, fresh tears slipping down their faces.

  “I’ll honor both of you,” Light Force murmurs. “Sisters to the end.”

  His grip tightens. Their foreheads, once pressed together in love, are now crushed into one another.