"I don't think I can keep this up much longer..."
My vision blurred as I drew another card from my deck.
The card glowed with golden light.
Fate of Determination.
"Yes!"
I threw the card into the air.
Golden energy spread across the battlefield and wrapped around my companions. Their exhausted bodies straightened as renewed strength surged through them.
The massive figure before us roared.
"I AM THE SIN OF PRIDE!"
His voice shook the castle walls.
"I WILL NEVER FALL TO THE LIKES OF HUMANS! YOU ARE BENEATH ME! NOW AND FOREVER!"
The Demon King leapt into the air and brought his colossal war axe crashing downward.
"Spread out!" Leon shouted.
The Hero dashed forward through the explosion without hesitation.
"Excalibur!"
His sword erupted with radiant light.
"Keep him busy, Tina!"
"I'm on it!"
Tina vanished.
A moment later she appeared behind the Sin of Pride, her dagger slashing across his ankle.
Blood sprayed across the stone floor.
The Sin turned instantly.
His massive arm struck her ribs.
The impact launched her across the room.
She crashed through a wall and coughed up blood.
"Tina!"
The Sin of Pride raised his axe to finish her.
Before the blow could fall, Dante stepped in front of her.
"COME AT ME!"
The axe slammed into his shield.
The impact shook the entire room.
Cracks spread across Dante's armor.
Even from the back line, I could tell he was reaching his limit.
Leon seized the opportunity.
"Give me strength!"
I shuffled my deck.
Two cards slid from the top.
Fate of Future Sight.
Fate of True Strike.
Perfect.
The cards floated toward Leon.
His movements immediately became sharper.
Faster.
More precise.
For the next thirty seconds, every attack of the Sin of Pride looked painfully obvious to him.
His sword flashed.
A spray of blood erupted.
The Sin's wrist split open.
His left hand hung uselessly at his side.
The battle continued.
Back and forth.
Strike after strike.
Card after card.
Every time our fate began to slip away, I forced it back into our favor.
The battle raged on.
For thirty seconds, Future Sight allowed Leon to read every movement of the Sin of Pride as if he were following a rehearsed dance.
"Come on... come on..." I whispered as I shuffled my deck again. "Give me something useful."
A third card slid from the top.
Fate of Arms.
"Perfect!"
"DANTE! HEADS UP!"
I hurled the card toward him.
Golden light wrapped around his battered body.
The exhaustion in his arms vanished instantly.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Dante grinned.
He ripped his shield from the ground and charged back into battle.
With a roar, he slammed the edge of his shield into the Sin of Pride's back.
"YOU INSIGNIFICANT BUG!" the Sin bellowed.
As the Demon King turned toward Dante, Leon slipped past another attack.
At the rear of our formation, Siera raised her staff.
"SERENE HEALING!"
A brilliant light flooded the battlefield.
Warm energy washed over all of us.
My aching muscles eased.
The bruises covering Dante's body began to fade.
"Finally!" Tina shouted.
She pushed herself up from the rubble where she'd crashed through the wall.
"Keep that healing coming!"
With a kick against the broken stone, she launched herself back into the fight.
A dagger flashed through the air.
The blade struck deep into the Sin of Pride's neck.
"YES!" I shouted.
The Demon King roared in agony.
At that exact moment, Leon's blazing sword carved a deep gash across his chest.
"ELVNIA! DO IT!"
Our elven archer finally released the spell she had been charging.
A massive arrow of compressed wind shot across the battlefield.
The Sin of Pride's eyes widened.
He saw it coming.
But it was too late.
The arrow pierced straight through his heart.
Silence followed.
The towering Demon King staggered.
Then fell to his knees.
Everyone stood there breathing heavily, barely able to remain standing.
Leon slowly approached.
He pointed his sword at the Sin of Pride's face.
"Any last words?"
Blood spilled from the Demon King's mouth.
Despite his wounds, he smiled.
"I am the Sin of Pride."
He laughed weakly.
"I have no words for creatures worse than demons."
Leon's expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he raised Excalibur.
The blade came down.
The Sin of Pride's head rolled across the floor.
His massive body collapsed moments later.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Leon stepped forward and placed a gloved hand upon the corpse.
"You're mine, Sin of Pride."
Dark energy surged into his body.
The power of the fallen Sin flowed into him.
Leon smiled.
"One down."
He clenched his fist.
"Six to go."