Strength 2

“Still, it was a good effort,” Malkuth continued, proving me right. “What’s say I give you an original death, to make it worth your while?”

Matter shifted as he gathered power in his hands and I made my move.

Gritting my teeth as I got my knees under me, I pushed myself forward as hard as I could. I felt Malkuth’s hand tighten on my neck, but he was woefully unprepared for my current strength—all he managed to do was tear my head from my shoulders. An instant later, my forehead hit ground with a crack and—

The earth exploded. A wave of force expanded out from me, pulling up several centimeters of soil as they went, and then the ground shattered violently. A hundred meters, two hundred, four hundred, and then further beyond, everything was crushed by the force of the impact and sent flying into the air. At the same time, my other self left my space and dashed towards Gou, reaching him too quickly for me to register. I had a mental image of Gou being hauled up onto his shoulders, but I wasn’t able to actually see anything until Gou was dropped off on the other side of the crater.

Strength and Chariot, huh…it wasn’t a bad hand, given the situation, but hardly ideal. That was the risk of using the Arcana—I didn’t pick them conscious; they simply rose in accordance with my actions.

But I suppose that was life—doing your best with the hand you’re dealt.