Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine-Chapter 67: End of First War: Part-1 [Bonus]

"..."

Pride was like... had a completely deadpan expression as she stared at Leo, who was lying flat on the ground, looking dazed and a little out of it. And then there was Valra—who had somehow, completely out of nowhere, landed right on his face... like, exactly on his face.

Her skirt had parted like a blooming flower mid-fall, and now his face was... well... Pride didn’t even want to begin describing what was happening down there.

Valra blinked in confusion as she looked around hazily.

"W-Where am I? Oh? Pride? What are you doing her—Nnggh~?!"

Suddenly, Valra flinched hard, her body stiffening when she felt something—something cold—make contact with her ass. A chill shot down her spine as she froze in place, eyes wide.

"A-Ahh?! Wh-What is that?! Why is something... cold touching my butt?!"

Her face turned pale with horror as she hesitantly looked down. Her eyes scanned the familiar black pants... polished black shoes... those legs.

The same ones she had spent countless nights admiring, dreaming about. Her heart skipped a beat—no, it exploded—as her eyes followed the outline up. Slowly... terrifyingly slowly... she tilted her head to the side, and then froze.

Her skirt was completely fluttered over a body. And not just any body.

His body.

He was under her. His head—his face—was directly inside the part of her skirt that should have never been shared with anyone.

She was... sitting... on his fa—

"WHAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!"

Valra let out a high-pitched scream as if someone had just stabbed her soul. She sprang up like a rocket, flailing and patting her clothes with desperate panic. Her face was a crimson storm as she looked at Leo, who had just sat up with a baffled and mildly annoyed expression, rubbing his face like he’d just come out of a strange, spicy dream.

He blinked behind his glasses, a faint blush tinging his cheeks, as he slowly adjusted them.

Valra’s lips quivered like jelly, "I-I am sooo sorry!! I swear I didn’t mean to do that!! I-It was an accident!!" she wailed, immediately dropping to her knees in front of him.

Her face was buried in her hands, half-dead with shame and half-screaming on the inside.

Leo gave a long sigh and shook his head, clearly trying not to make it any more awkward than it already was. "It’s... it’s just an acciden—"

"A lot of ’accidents’ have been happening around here lately,"

Pride murmured dryly, eyes averted as if she had seen far too much already.

Leo’s lips twitched at that, but he kept his mouth shut. He knew perfectly well this wasn’t Valra’s fault... and it definitely wasn’t his either.

Honestly, thank the stars she didn’t slap him for saying he was the one who happened to be there in the first place.

"I-I’m really sorry, Leo! That was so inappropriate! I didn’t mean to just land on you like that—on your face of all places! That’s just... that’s just wrong!"

She stammered out, ready to pass out from sheer humiliation.

Before she could crumble any further, her eyes widened in shock.

Because Leo had leaned in and... hugged her.

Valra blinked, stunned, unable to process the sudden warmth wrapping around her.

Honestly... it wasn’t his fault. And it wasn’t hers either. This was just a ridiculous, horribly timed accident that ended with her sitting on the face of the man she loved.

Thank the gods he didn’t slap her for smothering him with her ass.

That would’ve been even worse.

And yet... that was exactly what made it all the more unbearable. She sat. On his face. With her bare thighs and ass. Her beloved boyfriend’s face.

What kind of cursed luck was this?!

"Thank goodness nothing happened to you," Leo murmured softly, holding her close.

He wasn’t sure he felt the same intensity of love she did—not yet—but one thing was certain. She had always been there for him. She’d given him so many things. Smiles. Support. Encouragement. Her full-hearted affection. The least he could return... was genuine concern.

So when he saw a dead body, lifeless-looking, he panicked. He had been truly, sickeningly worried about her. And when he found her safe... he was relieved. Deeply.

Valra stared up at him, stunned by his gentle tone. Her body softened, her breathing slowed, and her arms shyly slid around him as she snuggled into his chest. Her cheeks burned, but her heart felt warm. She whispered inwardly,

’I really love you... I always have...’

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud. Not yet. Not like this.

Instead, she just held onto him tightly, burying her red face in his chest, so grateful he was okay.

She had been terrified that something terrible had happened to him, you know!

Pride stood nearby, watching the scene unfold, her expression unreadable. There was no teasing smirk this time. Just... quiet observation. Something unknown flickered in her eyes.

Eventually, Leo pulled away gently, and Valra let go—though very reluctantly. He rubbed his face and suddenly blinked, sniffing the air slightly, then gave a weird look.

"...By the way, uh... did you... Use some kind of scent on your ass or something?...

Because it actually smelled kind of nice."

He nodded to himself with honest confusion, as if the mystery of the soft, faintly sweet scent was just a puzzle he had to solve.

There was something strangely comforting about it. Kind of floral... kind of warm... but definitely not unpleasant.

Valra froze. Then her entire body turned an alarming shade of beet red as steam practically exploded out of her head. Her brain went blank.

"WH-WHA—?! SMELL?! YOU SNIFFED?! YOU—!!!"

She screamed, hands flying to her head in utter mortification as she spun around in frantic circles like a malfunctioning wind-up doll.

"KILL ME ALREADY!!! JUST KILL ME!! I CAN’T LIVE AFTER THIS!!!"

She flopped to the ground and curled up like a dying shrimp, clutching her hair as if trying to disappear into the floor. Her soul visibly left her body.

Leo blinked in confusion. ’What? I was just trying to compliment her... wasn’t I...?’

Thud!

Suddenly, a deep, heavy sound echoed through the vast maze like something massive shifting in motion.

Everyone flinched and instinctively turned toward the far end of the wall—where, right before their eyes, the stone began to groan and slowly descend, grinding downwards as though pulled by some invisible force.

And behind that descending wall... appeared a staircase.

A long, shadowy stairway spiraling down into unknown darkness.

Leo, Valra, and Pride narrowed their eyes cautiously at the sight.

Leo glanced at the two girls beside him. Pride gave a small nod, her expression calm but watchful. Valra, still sporting a flushed red face from earlier, hesitated... but then slowly nodded too. Together, the three of them stood up and began walking toward the newly revealed passage.

When they reached the edge of the stairway, their expressions stiffened.

There wasn’t just one staircase.

There were many—fragments of stairways floating, shifting, moving around like a jigsaw puzzle in open space. The void beyond them stretched infinitely, black and endless, dotted by the slowly drifting, disconnected stone steps.

"Is this... some kind of suicide point...?" Leo muttered, adjusting his glasses as his eyes scanned the floating platforms.

Valra took a cautious step closer and peered into the depth. "Looks like we have to go down through... that."

She gulped.

"At the bottom... I saw a flicker. A blue light," Leo said, narrowing his eyes as he pointed far below. "Something glowing down there."

Pride’s eyes sharpened. "The Arcanum Eidolon."

At those words, both Valra and Leo straightened. Their expressions turned serious, b

"Looks like we finally found it," Valra whispered.

But Pride frowned.

That wall hadn’t opened because of a switch, or pressure plate, or some hidden trigger.

It had opened on its own.

There was no mechanism.

It wanted them to see the path.... As if the Relic itself had invited them forward.

That didn’t sit right with her.

"Come on, guys. Let’s go,"

Leo said, his voice steady but resolute. He stepped onto the first stair.

"L-Leo?" Valra called out, her voice soft with worry. She looked from him to the flickering blue glow far below, something uneasy dancing in her chest.

"Envy told me... to get out of here," she said, gripping her arm tightly. "He warned me. He didn’t want us getting close to the other Champions."

"Huh?" Leo frowned and turned to her. "Where is he now?"

"I don’t know... He was fighting one of the Champions. He was the one who threw me out of there, actually. He was... completely serious. He wanted me to leave this place. I think... I think he sensed something dangerous."

Pride’s eyes narrowed as she watched Valra carefully, reading her face for any signs of hesitation or lies. But the tightness in Valra’s expression, the nervous flick of her eyes, the way her shoulders trembled slightly—it all spoke of real fear.

Leo stood still for a moment, then sighed deeply, eyes half-lidded in disbelief.

"Are you serious...? The Relic—the actual Relic—is just beneath us. We can’t leave now. Just a few more steps and it’s within our grasp... We finish this damn war..."

"B-But, Leo... Envy told u—"

"Valra," Leo cut her off, his voice a little sharper than before. He turned to face her fully.

"I know you’re scared. I get it. But... we’ve come all this way. We fought through everything. We’ve seen things we can’t unsee. We... I even... did something wrong to reach here..." he clenched his fists, shame flickering in his eyes, "But I can’t leave now. Not when the end is right there."

He turned to take another step down—but then Pride spoke, her voice calm but firm.

"I think we should trust Envy... Let’s leave this place."

Leo paused mid-step, his expression twisting into irritation as he glanced back at her.

"You too? Come on, guys, why are you both getting so paranoid? The Relic is literally dangling right below us. It’s like... You smell the food cooking for hours, and when it’s finally served, you decide to skip the meal?"

He clicked his tongue and sighed. "Fine. Whatever. You two can leave if you want. But I’m going."

He looked at the stairs ahead. The path was broken midway—some stairs were missing entirely. But to the side, another row of stone steps floated just within jumping distance.

He bent his knees and leapt toward them.

Thud!

He landed firmly. The stones wobbled slightly beneath his feet before settling again.

Valra and Pride exchanged glances.

Valra bit her lip. Pride let out a quiet sigh.

Of course... There was no way they could just let Leo go down there all alone.

No matter how dangerous it was...

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