Everyone remained frozen in shock.
Phoenix was alive?
How was that even possible?
Xylon quickly turned toward the Mirce Lorde.
"Tell me! Why did you create someone who looks exactly like Phoenix?!" he shouted furiously.
The Mirce Lorde continued laughing hysterically before finally stepping out of Ira's body.
"Hahaha! Do you really think he is a fake?" the Mirce Lorde said with a sinister grin. "Your Majesty, he truly is your bastard brother. I stole his ashes and brought him back to life using the blood of a virgin."
Xylon clenched his fists tightly.
"You monster…" he growled. "How could you use him for your evil purposes?!"
Xylon immediately charged at the Mirce Lorde.
But the Mirce Lorde easily dodged his attack and countered.
Xylon was sent backward, but thankfully, Xerxes caught him before he could hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Phoenix remained completely confused.
His brother was the King of Vampires?
How was that possible?
He couldn't understand any of it.
"It's time to end this," the Mirce Lorde declared.
He raised his hand and summoned his familiar.
The creature emerged from the darkness.
Nuccalev.
Xylon immediately glanced at Arden and Xenon.
The two understood what he meant without him saying a word.
They had to avoid Nuccalev's light.
Mist immediately released his shadows, covering the entire throne room in darkness.
The surroundings became pitch-black.
That way, they would be able to see the moment Nuccalev's light began approaching.
They only had one chance.
Arden had to reach Nuccalev before its light reached them.
"NUCCALEV!" the Mirce Lorde roared. "SEND THEM TO THE WORLD OF EMPTINESS!"
"NOW!" Xylon shouted.
Xenon immediately activated his power.
Time slowed down.
Everything in the throne room became trapped in slow motion.
Everything except Arden.
No power could affect him.
Arden instantly transformed.
His body grew larger and larger until he became a gigantic skeletal creature resembling Death itself.
A Reaper.
His enormous scythe materialized in his hands.
Before Nuccalev's light could reach them—
SWOOSH!
Arden swung his scythe and drove it straight into Nuccalev.
The creature began to blur.
Its body flickered as its very existence was slowly being erased.
Then Xenon snapped time back to normal.
"NO!!!" the Mirce Lorde screamed.
Nuccalev completely disappeared.
The Mirce Lorde stared in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the nobles gathered together.
They combined their powers.
Brilliant, multicolored lights erupted throughout the throne room.
Their combined energy formed a massive, blazing sphere of fire.
"NOW!" Xylon shouted.
They unleashed it.
The enormous attack shot toward the Mirce Lorde and struck him directly in the chest.
Right where his heart was.
The blazing energy pierced deep into his body.
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The Mirce Lorde screamed as the flames consumed him.
His body began to burn.
His flesh disintegrated.
Until finally—
He was reduced to ashes.
The Mirce Lorde was gone.
Xylon and the others stood there, breathing heavily.
At last…
It was over.
They had finally defeated the Mirce Lorde.
The darkness that had covered the throne room disappeared, and light once again filled the palace.
Across every district of Aznar, the Querons suddenly vanished as well.
The kingdom was finally free.
Xylon and the others immediately went to the prisoners and released them from captivity.
Meanwhile…
Lycan remained behind in the throne room.
He was desperately searching for Ira.
Tears streamed down his face when he couldn't find him.
"Ira! Where are you?!"
Lycan began lifting the massive chunks of stone that had fallen from the walls during the battle.
"N-No… this can't be…"
He refused to give up.
He prayed that Ira was still alive.
He couldn't bear the thought of his friend turning to ash like the Mirce Lorde.
Lycan looked around frantically.
Then he sniffed the air.
He transformed into his wolf form and continued searching.
Suddenly, he stopped.
There was a scent.
A familiar scent.
"Ira…"
Lycan immediately ran toward the place where the Mirce Lorde had been burned.
Huge chunks of stone covered the area.
He transformed back into his human form and desperately tried to move them.
But the stones were far too heavy.
Then—
The massive chunks of stone suddenly began floating into the air.
Lycan turned toward the doorway.
Hades stood there.
He was controlling the stones with his power.
Without saying a word, Hades helped Lycan clear the rubble.
"Ira!"
Lycan's eyes widened with relief.
There, beneath the rubble, was Ira.
He was unconscious, but alive.
Thankfully, he had not been caught in the flames that consumed the Mirce Lorde.
The reason was simple.
The Mirce Lorde had already left his body before the flames reached him.
Lycan immediately lifted Ira into his arms.
"Come on… let's get you out of here."
He carried Ira out of the throne room.
.
.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty!" the freed vampire prisoners said gratefully. "You saved our kingdom once again!"
Xylon looked at them with a gentle smile.
"It is my duty as your king to protect all of you," he said. "We should also be grateful that we were all able to return here alive."
The vampires raised their voices in celebration.
"LONG LIVE OUR BELOVED KING!"
Their cheers echoed throughout Aznar.
For the first time in a long while, there was no fear in their voices.
No screams.
No cries.
No sound of war.
The battle was finally over.
Aznar was free once again.
And the people of the kingdom celebrated their victory with tears of joy.