Chapter 288 Sorry.


    "Surrender?" Looking at the enemies surrounding her, Atropos immediately gave her an answer. "Why would I do that?"


    She stood confidently, her head held high. She seemed perturbed by Thor''s appearance, however she quickly regained her calm and faced them with a nonchnt gaze, as if the danger they posed was nothing to someone like her.


    [Well, I''m taking the thing home.] Nine announced and her mechanical titan began moving. [I don''t want to get in the way.]


    "Who said you could go?"


    Without a warning, Atropos teleported away. She appeared right in front of the purple titan andunched her white discs, but before they could surround Nine''s creation Five and Thor appeared destroying each of them with ease.


    [It is useless, you know.] Came Nine''s voice. [You have seen it yourself. My Chaos Bringer isn''t something your power can stop.]


    "Let''s see about that!!!"


    Feeling her anger boiling, the Olympian produced twenty white discs at the same time and didn''t stop at that. The crimson queen shot them with her lightning then formed sharp icicles andunched them at the target like spears. Zero Five put away her odachi and took out her bow, shooting multiple arrows at the same time.


    Even with both of them joining forces, they were still just barely keeping up with the raven haired Olympian.


    Nine ignored the three and continued toward the pir of light. Atropos didn''t stop trying, evading attacks thrown at her while producing more white discs. She was aware that she wouldn''t be able to keep it up, but her choices were limited.


    Just as it seemed like the attacks decreased, the Olympian felt a presence behind her and quickly turned around just in time to block the attack.


    "A backstab." She said, grinning. "Should''ve seen iting!"


    She deflected the Yari''s long de and swung at Nino who teleported away just before the sword could reach her.


    "I still don''t understand, but…" she said after appearing a distance away. "Whether it''s me or Lachesis, I still have to fulfill my mission. The past can wait for another time."


    "... I see…" Atropos replied then grasped the Scissors in both hands. "I, as well, wish to end this first. It''s unfortunate that we had uninvited guests intruding on our reunion."


    Nino paused for a moment then rxed her stance, turning her gaze to Five Then Thor.


    "Stay out of this, you two." She said, her voice calm and steady. "I don''t need your help."


    "... What?" Thor''s eyes narrowed. "Since when did I answer to you?"


    "Your majesty, I think we-"


    "You aren''t the only ones who have something personal against her." The crimson queen cut off Five saying. "If anyone needs to step out then it''s you."


    [I see the situation turned out as I feared.]


    Suddenly, Sam''s voice came in and interrupted their serious standoff.


    "Doctor?" Nino''s eyes widened.


    [You''ve taken your sweet time, Nino.] He said. [I know you''re going through a lot, but… I need you to finish things off. Say your goodbyes and… let''s go home.]


    For words of encouragement his seemed a bit too dry, however Nino still felt the warmth in her chest spread slowly erasing the uncertainties that held her back.


    [Your majesty, I know how you must feel but… I must ask that you don''t interfere. This is a matter of great significance between those two. It would leave a bad taste if they don''t get to resolve it.]


    Thor didn''t respond at first, her sharp gaze resting on the raven haired Olympian. Eventually, though, she let out a sigh and turned away.


    "I will go support our troops."  She said before teleporting.


    Five looked back and forth between the sisters then made her retreat as well. She stayed at a safe distance, though. Just in care the worst came true.


    "Doctor." Nino spoke, a warm smile on her face as she held her weapon in both hands taking a battle stance. "Thank you."


    [Don''t thank me just yet.] He replied. [I will see you when everything is over.]


    Nine''s titan disintegrated into specs of light, painting a strangely mystical scene. The red barrier was gone and the sky regained its natural blue color and the fires in the distance slowly died out as if to signal that the end of the battle was drawing near.


    "Seems like I would need to retrieve the Key from your beloved fiance." Said Atropos, ncing in the pce''s direction. "No matter. A little dy is worth finishing things between us."


    The two engaged in an intense staring contest, disappearing without a warning before shing with their weapons. Without the blue box blocking her, Nino began forming more spears,unching them like projectiles.


    "Aren''t you going to put your barrier?" She asked.


    "What''s the point?" Atropos replied. "Even at your full strength, you still can''t keep up with me. You spoke bravely in front of your friends, but the truth is that you know it''s impossible."


    More and more white discs appeared only to be shattered by Nino''s spears, but some managed to escape, splitting up and forming links between them, trapping Nino at the center of a blue web.


    "Or, what? Do you n on letting yourself get killed?" As soon as thest word left her lips, Atropos activated her World Cleaver, striking with her artifact at the same time.


    Nino''s only choice was to teleport, but with the two weapons connected she ended up taking Atropos with her.


    "Atropos." Looking into her sister''s eyes, the Valkyrie spoke, her voice showing nothing but sincerity. "Sis, let''s stop this… Please…"


    The two bounced off each other and immediately shed once more the next second. This time, however, the smile was gone from Atropos'' face, a slight frown taking its ce.


    "Stop? Now? After everything?" She redirected a downward swing, letting the long ded spear slide along her weapon before following with an upward swing. "I thought you wanted to kill me?"


    A red spear appeared just in time to stop the crimson sword.


    "I still can''t forgive you for standing with Zeus, or for cutting my friends'' threads." Another spear shot from behind the Valkyrie, but her opponent dodged it with ease. "I don''t regret leaving as well, but…" taking hold of another spear, she swung both in a horizontal sh. "I don''t want things to end like this!"


    Gliding backward, Atropos evaded three more spears before lunging forward, following with a much heavier attack that pushed the younger sister back.


    "That''s quite the selfish thing to say!" She followed with another swing.


    "I know!" Nino met it with the same amount of force.


    Sparks scattered with every strike, casting a pale orange glow on the two sisters. Neither of them was giving it their all yet their fight seemed like a merciless fight to the death. Nino was aware of her sister''s lies. She didn''t have proof, but something told her that she didn''t n on leaving this dimension alive, and just thinking about it caused the younger sister to falter.


    "You were always stubborn, never changing your mind even once." Said Nino. "I should''ve dragged you along back then, even if it meant cutting off your limbs."


    "How scary." Atropos replied.


    "The three of us should''ve stuck together, no matter what. Leaving without you was a mistake, we can''t let things go on like this!"


    "Again, that''s quite the selfish thing to say!!!" Ignoring the spears shot at her, Atropos increased the output of her force field for the first time and struck with everything she got. "You think I''m stubborn? You were the one who chose death over giving up her ideals!!!"


    "Zeus must be defeated!" Nino replied, felling the force of the blow ripple through her body. "We can''t let him him achieve his goal! If a monster like him reaches Akasha, what kind of nightmare would his sick mind create!!!"


    "It will be a nightmare no matter who arrives there!!!"


    Separating for a brief instant, the two vanished, appearing only to sh before disappearing once again.


    On the ground, Sam watched the fight with a grim expression on his face. The captured Nephilim were freed and the Key was in their hands. One could say the battle was already over. All that''s left was for Nino to finish her unresolved matters. Getting closure was something she had a right to and he didn''t want to interfere with that, but every time the sky shes with the light of their sh anxiety swelled in his chest, making him with to stop the two sisters.


    ''Nino…''


    As the battle went on, the raven haired Olympian and her reincarnated sister forewent the limitations and continued the battle at a speed that was difficult to perceive with the human eye. Neither of them bothered with creating new weapons so they only relied on the artifacts in their hands, enhancing thrm with the light of their Forces Fields and leaving their bodies wide open.


    "You think that Doctor of yours will be any different?" Atropos asked. "They all fall in the end. That is the fate of those who seek the power over creation!"


    "Wrong! Doctor will never allow for it to happen!" Nino replied, channeling her anger to her spear.


    "You don''t even believe that yourself, do you?"


    "Doctor is a human, so maybe there is some truth to what you say." The Valkyrie replied. "But I won''t let that happen! I will stay by his side and make sure he never strays from the correct path!"


    "That''s quite the im." Said Atropos. "Are you sure you''ll be able to live up to it?"


    With a final strike, the two sisters separated, putting some distance between them. Each one mirrored the exhaustion the other felt. Extending the battle wasn''t working in the Olympian''s favor, and though her body didn''t know tiredness, the same didn''t go for the Valkyrie''s mind.


    "I… I don''t know…" Nino replied, panting despite having no need for air. "Even with the needle, I still can''t guarantee that the future I choose will be one toe true." Looking down at her Artifact, she pursed her lips and then turned her gaze to her sister. "That''s why I need you by my side. Both you and Clotho."


    There was a moment of silence with neither making a move. Though neither of them knew much about the other''s circumstances, they both seemed to reach an understanding. Even if both of them wished for the same thing, reality judged that neither would get to have it. Even so, Nino refused to give up. Not without trying. She might not have all of her memories as Lachesis, but she still knew for sure how much her elder sister meant to her.


    "Sis…" letting her weapon fall to her side, Nino –Lachesis– reached out with her right hand. "Pleasee with me. Let us find Clotho. Let us return things to how they were…"


    Seeing her younger sister drop her guard, Atropos couldn''t bring herself to keep her stance. She lowered her sword and straightened her back, but she was only doing so to make sure the other party understood that her answer wouldn''t change.


    "Lachesis…" she spoke with a smile, a faint glint in her eyes. Before the next word left her mouth, she suddenly disappeared, arriving right in front of her sister.


    Nino didn''t move, wanting to put her trust in someone she had once betrayed. No matter the oue, she promised herself that she would ept it. Whether she epts her offer or takes her life, the Valkyrie resolved herself to never resent her sister, not for the second time.


    When she felt a hand on her chest, a hint of pain began to spread from the ce it touched. Nino prepared herself, waiting for the sensation to spread further, but by the time she realized the pain wasn''t physical, her body was already drifting away.


    Her eyes met those of Atropos, and for the first time since they met on this world, she saw her smile. Not the fake one she had worn so far. It was a genuine smile, the one she had seen countless times before, back when she was still a child.


    Time slowed down. The memories from her time as Lachesis shed before her eyes. For a moment, she remembered everything, but in the next, it was all gone.


    Atropos'' lips parted and a single word left her mouth. Nino was sure she heard it, but her mind refused to process it, all of her thoughts halting as she witnessed the green arrow dig a hole through her sister''s chest.