At last, Akuma and the others arrived at the Royal Throne Palace.
They were greeted by the sight of the shattered palace gates.
"I never imagined the outside of the palace would look like this," Akuma said, staring at the destruction around them.
"The Mirce Lorde must be inside," Viel said.
"Stay alert. There are most likely Querons guarding the area," Xerxes warned.
They cautiously began walking through the ruined entrance, knowing that before long, they would finally come face-to-face with the Mirce Lorde.
.
.
"Faster!" Xylon commanded.
They were getting closer. Only a little farther, and they would finally reach the Throne Palace.
"It's strange. There aren't any Querons guarding the area," Heberlin remarked.
Suddenly, Xylon stopped.
The others immediately stopped as well.
"Is something wrong?" Xenon asked.
"Shhh…" Xylon raised a hand. "I hear something strange."
Before anyone could react, a mysterious portal suddenly appeared before them.
To their surprise, Aria and the others emerged from it.
They were equally stunned to see the group standing before them.
"A-Aria?" Xenon whispered.
Aria and the others quickly knelt before the king.
"Your Majesty, we are overjoyed to see that you have finally returned," Aria said.
"I'm just as happy to see that all of you are safe," Xylon replied.
Xenon suddenly looked at Titus. His eyes widened in disbelief when he realized that he was still alive.
"Titus… how are you alive?" he asked.
Titus simply smiled.
"You needed my help. That's why I came back to life," he replied.
"Your Majesty, Akuma and the others are heading toward the palace," Aria informed him.
"I know. That is why we must leave now, before it's too late," Xylon said.
Everyone joined hands.
Using Xenon's power, they were instantly teleported toward the palace.
.
.
Meanwhile, Akuma and the others silently made their way through the palace corridors.
The entire palace was shrouded in darkness.
Their footsteps echoed through the empty halls as they cautiously moved forward.
After a while, they finally reached the chamber where the king's throne was located.
Akuma pushed open the enormous doors.
But there was no one inside.
"Where is the Mirce Lorde?" Sagi asked, confused.
"Ira isn't here either," Lycan said.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before them.
It was Xylon.
"FATHER!!!"
Akuma and Viel immediately ran toward him and threw their arms around their father.
Xylon smiled warmly as he embraced his sons.
"I'm sorry it took me so long," he said. "But now… we will never be separated again."
"Father, we searched everywhere for you," Akuma said, his voice filled with emotion. "We're so happy that you're finally here."
"We're going to defeat the Mirce Lorde now," Viel added confidently.
Their reunion was suddenly interrupted by the sound of slow, mocking applause.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Everyone turned toward the doorway.
It's Ira.
He entered the throne room, a sinister smile spread across his face as he continued applauding.
He slowly walked toward the throne before sitting down upon it.
"Well, well… How are you all?" Ira said with a smirk. "Congratulations. You actually managed to make it this far."
"Ira!" Lycan shouted. "Wake up! Fight against the Mice Lorde's control! Don't let him take over your body!"
Ira suddenly burst into laughter.
But it wasn't Ira's laughter.
It was the Mirce Lorde's.
"Father, the body you see belongs to our friend Ira," Akuma explained. "The Mirce Lorde was born inside his body and eventually took control of it. Ira is completely under his influence."
"Mirce Lorde was born from him?" Xylon asked in confusion.
"Yes, Father," Viel replied.
"Ira mentioned something before about the Neutral Druid. I think it may be connected to the Mirce Lorde," Lycan said.
"You know about the Neutral Druid?" Lucas asked.
"You know what it is?" Xylon asked, turning toward him.
Lucas nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. The Neutral Druid represents the balance within oneself. Every being possesses both a good and a bad side. But when hatred begins to consume one's heart, it can awaken the dark side of the Neutral Druid."
He paused, his expression becoming more serious. "Too much hatred, anger, and madness can corrupt that balance completely. When that happens, you become a twisted version of yourself. All the darkness within you takes form, creating a monster born from your own heart."
Lycan's eyes widened.
"And if the Mirce Lorde was truly born from Ira…" Lucas continued, "then that means his heart must have been consumed by hatred a long time ago."
He lowered his gaze. "He may have suffered through something terribly painful in the past—something so devastating that it awakened the darkness within him and gave birth to the evil Mirce Lorde."
Lycan was stunned by Lucas's explanation.
"So… the Mirce Lorde is the manifestation of Ira's hatred?" he asked quietly.
Lucas nodded.
"Hahaha!" The Mirce Lorde laughed through Ira's body. "This body belongs to me now! And every single one of you will die!"
Suddenly, countless Querons emerged from the shadows, surrounding them from every direction.
"Tsk," Xylon stepped forward, his expression turning cold. "Prepare yourselves. The real battle begins now."
In an instant, they launched themselves into combat.
The palace erupted into chaos as the Querons attacked the vampires from all sides.
Xylon and the others fought back without hesitation, unleashing their powers against the overwhelming army.
Yet through it all, the Mirce Lorde remained seated upon the throne.
He simply watched.
He watched as the battle unfolded before him, completely confident that victory was already within his grasp.
Then, from behind him, a figure slowly approached.
It was Arkanus.
He stood silently, gazing at the nobles as they fought.
Suddenly, Arkanus grabbed his head. "Ugh…"
A strange sensation surged through his mind.
Images began flashing before his eyes.
Memories.
But why?
Why was he seeing memories that he could not remember?
His breathing became heavier as fragments of the past continued to surface inside his mind.
Faces.
Voices.
Moments he had never known…
Yet somehow, they felt familiar.
"What… are these memories?" Arkanus whispered, clutching his head.
The Mirce Lorde glanced back at him for only a moment before turning his attention toward the battlefield.
"Kill them all!" he commanded.
The Querons roared and charged forward.
.
.
While the others continued fighting, Xylon slowly made his way toward the Mirce Lorde.
The Mirce Lorde simply sat upon the throne, waiting for him with a mocking grin.
"How are you, Your Majesty?" he taunted. "Did you enjoy living in the human realm?"
Xylon drew his sword.
"You shameless bastard," Xylon growled. "How dare you acted to be king in my kingdom? You even slaughtered and imprisoned my people!"
"Hahaha! Everyone who serves you will be punished! They should serve me and me alone!" Mirce Lorde said.
"So you're a fucking idiot, then!" Xylon snapped. "Don't claim what isn't yours, you bastard!"
"What did you say?!" Mirce Lorde's expression turned serious.
"You will pay for destroying my kingdom!" Xylon suddenly charged at the Mirce Lorde.
But before he could reach him, someone stepped in front of the throne.
Clang!
A sword blocked Xylon's attack.
Xylon narrowed his eyes.
The man standing before him wore a mask, making his identity impossible to recognize.
"Before you can lay a hand on my lord, you will have to fight me first," Arkanus said.
"Tsk. Stay out of this. Who the hell are you?" Xylon demanded.
"I don't need to introduce myself to you," Arkanus replied coldly. "Because I'm going to finish you anyway."
He snapped his fingers.
Suddenly—
CRASH!
The palace windows shattered.
One after another, Undeads stormed into the throne room.
"Undeads!" Zander shouted.
Xylon immediately raised his hand and summoned monsters through his illusion magic.
The creatures materialized around him before charging toward the enemies.
Arkanus also moved.
The two clashed, their swords striking against each other with tremendous force.
Meanwhile, the Mirce Lorde merely sat upon the throne, laughing as he watched the battle unfold.
"Hahaha! Yes! Fight! Destroy each other!" he cheered.
Elsewhere, Xenon and the others had already defeated the remaining Querons.
They quickly joined the battle, helping eliminate the Undeads.
One by one, the Mirce Lorde's forces fell.
The Mirce Lorde's smile slowly disappeared.
His eyes burned with fury when he realized that Arkanus was now the only one still fighting against Xylon and his allies.
"You useless fools!" he roared.
Xylon launched another powerful attack.
Arkanus barely managed to block it, but the impact sent him flying across the room.
BOOM!
Arkanus slammed violently against the wall.
The force of the impact cracked the stone behind him.
His mask shattered.
Several pieces fell to the ground, revealing the right side of his face.
His right eye.
His cheek.
Aria froze.
She stared at Arkanus as if she had just seen a ghost.
Xylon immediately rushed toward him.
Arkanus struggled to move as Xylon stood over him, his sword raised.
Xylon was about to drive his blade straight into Arkanus' chest—
"DON'T, YOUR MAJESTY!"
Aria's scream echoed throughout the throne room.
Xylon froze.
Everyone turned toward her.
Aria was trembling.
"D-Don't kill him…" she pleaded.
Xylon's eyes turned red with anger.
"But why?" he demanded, his voice filled with rage.
Aria swallowed hard.
"B-Because he is…" she couldn't finish.
The Mirce Lorde suddenly burst into insane laughter.
"Hahahahahaha!"
He looked at Xylon with a sinister grin. "Because he is your brother!"
"H-He's my brother?" Xylon asked in disbelief.
The Mirce Lorde laughed even louder. "Have you already forgotten your bastard brother?! Hahahaha!"
Xylon slowly turned his gaze toward the man lying beneath him.
Arkanus.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, everything seemed to fall silent.
Then—
Crack.
A thin fracture appeared across Arkanus' mask.
Crack…
More cracks spread across it.
Until—
CRASH!
The mask completely shattered.
The pieces fell to the floor.
Everyone saw his face.
And the entire throne room fell silent.
No one could believe what they were seeing.
"I-Impossible…" Stephen whispered.
Xylon's body began to tremble.
His eyes widened in horror.
He slowly stepped backward, his sword slipping from his fingers before clattering onto the floor.
Clang.
Memories suddenly flooded his mind.
A face from the past.
A voice he had thought he would never hear again.
A brother he believed had been lost forever.
Xylon's lips trembled.
"P-Phoenix…" his voice was barely a whisper.
He stared at the man before him, unable to move.
The impossible truth stood before him.
Phoenix was alive.
His brother…
Was still alive.