156 Myriad of lost souls

Detra became pale and started to shake uncontrollably, "You... You are a descendent of Hana??"

Mia noticed that the woman was having a hard time keeping her cool. She probably wasn't expecting to find out about this information when she woke up today.

"Indeed... From your face, I'm going to guess you didn't know about that..." she said while holding her chin with an emotionless expression and tilting her head.

"N- No... I did not... North tried very hard to keep any information regarding you a mystery from the other gods..." Detra responded while sweating.

"Makes sense I guess... A god having a champion be a descendent from the first user of cursed energy would probably raise an eyebrow..."

Detra tried to recompose herself and regain focus on her objective, despite still trying to process the fact that Hana was still around and could even be reached. Not only that, but the fact that North knew all that and never told her.

"But... You said you are going to face her next?? What exactly do you mean??"

"I meant just that... Grandma is probably the only one who can stop me by this point... And since North won't let me just throw my fights, I'll need as much power as I can get before going up against her... Thus... The demons..."

Detra covered her face to hide her despair. She assumed that she was aware of what the worst would be, but apparently things could become even more serious. But she then realized that there might still be one last glimmer of hope.

"But do you even know where Hana is?? How could you-"

"North told me."

"Oh, goddamn it!!" Detra complained as she shook her fist wanting to strangle the god inside of Mia.

"You seem upset..." Mia noticed.

"Gee... What gave it away??" Detra admitted, "I just found out that my worst nightmare was merely a child's play compared to what would actually be a true disaster!! How do you think I feel??" Detra explained while glaring at Mia, completely disregarding that the woman could vaporize her with a flick.

"I see... must be nice..." Mia mumbled while observing Detra panicking.

Detra in return stared at her as well and realized that she was speaking in a rather odd tone compared to what her usual speech would sound like.

"You're not going to make some silly joke or try to belittle the situation?"

"I don't feel like laughing anymore... I was really placing all of my bets on Evlin... If I somehow end up defeating Hana as well... Then I'll have nothing left..."

Detra observed as the spirits and the possessed mages started to gather around Mia. The winged woman had a whole army prepared, all for the sake of having a batter fighting chance against Hana.

Detra didn't know if Mia could honestly defeat Hana, but she was certain that a battle between the two would definitely result in a lot of damage to the world. She needed to think of a way to make Mia change her mind.

But just as she was trying to think of a solution, a group of individuals showed up out of nowhere among the crowd of possessed people and started to scream to the heavens.

"MIIIIIIAAAA!!!!"

Both she and Detra turned around to see who it was and they noticed two mages dressed in white, each carrying a kind on their shoulders, a woman with black long hair with a silver sword in hand, and a young lad with silver hair whose hands were taking the shape of blades.

"What is it now...?" Mia sighed as she stared at Lilith, Marcus, and the fire mages, all of them glaring at her for sending her spirits to take over their friends and allies.

Lilith stepped forward and aimed her sword at the red-robed woman, "Remove your spirits from Daren and the rest you demon!"

"No can do..." Mia replied with a monotone voice while shrugging, "I need as many friends as I can get if I want to go play with grandma..."

"... Wha...?" Lilith whispered, admitting that this was not the kind of answer she was expecting.

Marcus then stepped forward as well and gave a proper look at Mia, noticing that the woman in red robes had Evlin's face.

"Hey, darling..." Mia said while waving at him. She wanted to know if teasing him would still be fun, but was sadly disappointed.

"What did you do...?? WHAT DID YOU DO???" the lad said as he filled his body with anger and charged at Mia in a desperate move.

Mia simply raised her arms while pointing at him and whispered her answer, "The same thing I always do..."

A huge arm made of red diamonds appeared from the ground and blocked the young man's attack. Marcus tried to break the arm with his blades but the diamonds were being energized by terminal energy which was making them indestructible.

Mia then charged at Marcus herself with absurd speed and grabbed his blades with her hands covered in red diamonds.

"I won..." she said while completely shattering his metal into pieces.

"Aaaaahhhhh!!!" Marcus screamed as he felt what were basically his hands being crushed.

Mia then created a giant red golem in the shape of her old ponytailed form and squashed Marcus completely with her palm.

"Guaahhh!!"

Mia looked at Marcus as the lad twitched inside of a small crater beneath her created from the impact.

"Even the power of the living weapon is basically a joke for me now... As I thought... Gram gram is my best bet currently..." she mumbled as she dissolved her golem.

Lilith watched in shock at just how much more powerful Mia had become. She then quickly shifted her horrified look towards Marcus to glare daggers at the red woman "So you really took over Evlin's body..."

"Trust me... I'm just as disappointed as you..." Mia admitted.

The swordswoman's face entered a state of horror. Lilith realized she completely failed to protect both Daren and Evlin. She cursed her own weakness and cursed Mia and the dryad for continuing to bring so much torment to their lives. She wanted to drop on her knees and cry in anger towards the heavens, but her job wasn't over yet.

Lilith went after Mia as well with her raised sword while trying to keep her rage contained. She knew if she couldn't save Evlin, she needed to at least stop her power from being used by a crazy psychotic girl.

Mia simply observed the swordswoman coming at her and opened her mouth, and in an attempt to imitate Evlin's ability from her golden form, released a huge magic howl that deafened Lilith and blasted her all the way against one of the giant teacups.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

Detra just looked at Mia with bewilderment, "How can you use magic if you broke your crossbow??"

Mia looked at her with her usual expressionless tired eyes. Her expression then became brighter and she started to speak with Drya's voice, "I AM the crossbow... Dryads are made from the roots of the channeling tree remember? I don't need a magic staff... I AM the magic staff!"

Detra stared at Mia for a moment after hearing that statement and then a memory flashed before her eyes. A memory of herself talking with Ellie inside the hotel room.

[["The crossbow was burned...? There were no pieces of it left?"

"None... They all turned into ashes and smoke thanks to the fire... I think some of it even entered my mouth... It tasted terrible..."]]

"Oh my heavens!!" Detra said as she had a moment of epiphany and found out that she had indeed one last glimmer of hope.

The ones trying to go after Mia next were the fire mages. Leona dropped the two kids that they were carrying and began to charge their attacks while aiming at Mia.

"You are not Evlin... Are you...?" Leona asked.

Mia just looked at her own hands and shrugged, "I honestly have no idea of who I am anymore..."

"Evlin made a deal with us that she would aid us in making our goddess, the new ruler of the east, into the next supreme deity! I demand you to release the crossbow mage this instant so she can fulfill her duty with us!"

"... You talk too much..." Mia said as she pointed her index at Leona and tried to blast her with a beam of terminal energy.

Leona and her partner ducked out of the trajectory and charged a fireball to launch at Mia using their combined power to attack at the same time.

The fireball flew at its target with great speed but Mia just revealed her palm that had a mouth in it. The flames collied with her hand and were completely absorbed in a matter of seconds.

"What!!?? How is this possible???" Leona gasped.

Mia just looked at her and raised her massive fire wings to cover her front. Suddenly, Mia started to make her own fireball by gathering the flames from her wings into one spot.

"Here... Let me try..." Mia described as she sent a massive attack made of terminal energy towards Leona.

The fire mage observed as a ball of flames that kept changing between three colors approached her and leaped out of its path in the last second. The ball touched the walls behind Leona and a huge explosion took place creating a small crater and pushing Leona away with just the wind pressure from the impact.

"This is madness... How can one being hold so much power...??" Leona asked in denial.

Mia came closer and stood right in front of her, "I am not... Just one being..."

Mia then extended her arms towards the sky and particles of earth began to gather on top of her. She then used her power of alchemy and turned the earth into three swords of diamonds, each now floating above the three opponents she just defeated.

"Mia stop!!! What are you doing??" Detra yelled.

"I'm going to kill them and absorb their spirits... They will help me prepare for the fight against grandma..."

Mia then began to lower her floating red swords and was about to stab Marcus, Lilith, and Leona, when suddenly Detra screamed again.

"WAIT!!! YOU DONT NEED TO FIGHT HANA!!!"

Leona watched as the red sword stopped inches away from stabbing her and almost threw up terrified. She then looked at Detra who was walking towards Mia.

"What did you say...?" Mia asked.

"You don't have to fight Hana... I can find you an opponent that can beat you and end your suffering..."

"..." Mia undid her diamond swords and looked directly at Detra after having her curiosity captured, "who??"

Detra then aimed her finger at a small child that was lying unconscious on the ground against a broken pole with two pieces of a wooden mirror-shield by her side. Evlin's niece, Ellie.

"Her!!" Detra declared, "She can beat you!"

"..." Mia looked at Ellie who was completely beaten up after not even being able to win against her parents, and then looked at Detra again, "Beg your pardon...?"