Pyon slowly rose to his feet.
The damage to his face was already healing.
His expression twisted with fury.
"How utterly humiliating…" he muttered. "First the captain takes my arm and eye… now a mere child knocks me down."
His voice dropped into something murderous.
"I've shamed my lord."
His eye snapped toward Ace.
"I won't forgive this. You all die here—starting with you, brat."
He ran forward, toward them.
But then a shot rang out.
Pyon staggered, dropping to one knee.
They turned, To see who did it.
Vetra stood there—bloodied, barely upright, coughing violently. One arm hung uselessly at his side.
"Vetra!" Rose cried.
"Q—quickly…" he gasped. "B—before he recovers… move… now…"
They didn't hesitate.
But Pyon moved first.
He appeared beside Vetra, seized his broken arm, and flooded it with poison.
Then—
RIP.
Vetra screamed as Pyon tore it clean from his body.
He kicked him away like discarded trash.
Vetra slammed into approaching guards.
With his last strength, he looked at them.
"Tell… the king…" he rasped. "I failed… forgive me…"
His eyes closed.
Two guards dragged him away as one sprinted off.
The rest stayed, to protect their Princess, but were slaughtered in seconds.
Alice stepped forward.
She kept back her sword and drew a knife.
Then She attacked.
Punches. Kicks. Slashes.
But Pyon dodged everything.
When he struck back—
Alice slammed the knife into the ground.
"Soul Technique—Tree Giant!"
She flipped backward as the knife shattered.
Soul energy exploded upward.
A massive wooden titan emerged, roaring as it charged.
It smashed Pyon through a wall.
The others used that tiny distraction as an opportunity to run.
For a moment—
Hope.
Then—
Pyon stepped in front of them, again.
One arm. One eye.
Smiling.
"Wood?" he said calmly. "Against poison?"
Behind them, the giant collapsed—melted away.
"You'll have to do better."
He lunged.
Ace was lifted by the throat.
Choking.
"I did promise you'd die first," Pyon said softly. "I'm a man of my word."
"No!" Clover screamed. "Take me—I'm Clo—!"
"LET HIM GO!"
Spade screamed.
She raised her hands.
The sky darkened.
Lightning tore down from the heavens—
Striking Pyon directly.
He screamed, dropping Ace.
Clover was hit by shock again…. now both twins had suddenly awakened to soul energy.
Alice struck immediately. Taking out her sword again.
"Soul Technique—Growth Spear!"
Her sword shattered as vines impaled Pyon from all sides.
For a moment, it looked like it was doing something.
Then they began to die instantly—rotting under his venom.
He stood again.
Unstoppable.
"It's over," he said coldly. "I'll take both Warmark women—and kill the rest."
He charged. It was looking like their luck had ran out.
Then—
Flames.
Blinding heat.
Pyon was blasted backward.
"I think," a calm voice said, "you're mistaken."
Alice's eyes filled with tears. Looking at the direction the voice came from.
"COMMANDER!"
Erica stood between them and death, fire coiling around her blade.
"You did wonderfully, Alice," she said softly. "I'm proud of you."
Alice smiled through tears.
"Now rest."
"Who are you?!" Pyon screamed with a tight expression.
Erica turned to Pyon.
"I am the last face you'll be seeing alive."
She vanished in flame.
And the battle truly began.
⸻
Back in the strategy room, a lone guard who had survived from the attack outside the castle walls burst in, his armor scorched and stained with blood. He was shaking, barely able to stand as he delivered his report.
"Y-Your Majesty… Captain Sirius of the Royal Guard… he has fallen."
The room went deathly silent.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
"That's… impossible…" King Leohart muttered, his voice hollow. "Not Sirius…"
The words felt unreal, as though the room itself rejected them. Sirius—the unshakable shield of the crown—was gone.
Prime Minister Konrad clenched his fists, his jaw tight as he forced himself to speak.
"And the threat to our nation?" he asked, struggling to remain composed. "Where is it now?"
Before the guard could answer, the doors flew open once more.
Another guard rushed in, panic written across his face.
"Your Majesty… I bring grave news."
A chill swept through the room.
"Commander Vetra has been critically injured and rushed to the infirmary," the guard continued. Konrad's heart skipped a beat. "And Princess Clover—along with the twins—are about to be taken by one of Jace's Grand Generals. They are still within the castle walls."
The room erupted into stunned disbelief.
"What about the lady knight sent to escort them?" Sir William asked sharply, dread gripping his chest. The image of Alice fighting alone against such a monster twisted his stomach.
"She is alive the last time I saw her," the guard replied. "She is the only one holding that thing back… but I do not know how much longer she can last."
William exhaled slowly—relieved, yet restless. His instincts screamed to move, to help her—but his duty kept him rooted beside the king.
"Oh no…" Princess Diamond whispered, her voice trembling. "Tio… Spade… Lixis…"
She lowered her head, fighting the tears threatening to spill.
After a long, suffocating silence, King Leohart finally stood.
"I have made my decision," he said, his voice firm and unyielding. "And no one will oppose it."
Every eye in the room snapped toward him.
"I will turn myself in… and bring my children back."
Shock rippled through the chamber.
"Your Majesty, you cannot be serious!" Konrad protested at once.
"I must agree," King Gustavious said gravely. "This is not the answer."
"Father, please," Princess Diamond pleaded, stepping forward. "The kingdom needs you."
"I do not care," King Leohart snapped, his composure finally cracking. "My children are in danger. I will not sit here while they are taken from me. If giving myself up ends this, then so be it. I will hear no arguments."
He turned and strode toward the door.
Guards moved instinctively to follow him, joined by officials and soldiers alike. Before leaving, King Leohart paused and turned back.
"Gustavious. Diamond. Stay here. Please."
They immediately protested, but Sir William and Konrad intervened, urging them to remain behind. At last, they relented.
King Leohart turned to Sir William.
"Protect them," he said quietly.
"With my life," William replied without hesitation.
The king nodded, then departed with Prime Minister Konrad, followed by the guards. As they exited the chamber, more soldiers joined their ranks, forming a protective escort as they moved through the castle.
After a few steps, King Leohart slowed and glanced at his brother.
"Konrad… I saw your face back there when you heard about Vetra," he said gently. "You tried to hide it—but you don't have to."
Konrad exhaled heavily, his composure finally breaking.
"I know… it's just—when it's your child… the fear never leaves."
King Leohart placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"I understand. But Vetra is strong. He will survive this."
Konrad nodded, straightening himself as he wiped the emotion from his face.
The two brothers continued forward—toward chaos, sacrifice, and a decision that could cost Warmark its king.
⸻
They moved swiftly toward the location where Princess Clover and the others were last reported.
Then—
BOOM.
A thunderous impact echoed from another direction, shaking the stone beneath their feet. Everyone stopped at once, weapons raised, senses on edge.
Out of the swirling smoke and dust, a man emerged.
He had long, dark hair that flowed calmly despite the chaos, and wore a strange, otherworldly armor unlike anything the soldiers of Warmark had ever seen. At his sides lurked several shadowy creatures—the Lost—moving as though bound to his will.
It was clear.
He was controlling them.
The man stepped forward and gave a slow, exaggerated bow.
"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty," he said smoothly. "I would have arrived sooner, but your soldiers are quite formidable… especially those from Righteous, now that they can wield Soul Energy."
King Leohart narrowed his eyes.
"And who might you be?"
"Oh—my apologies for the rudeness," the man replied, lifting his head. "I am Demiurge… right hand to the prince of this world himself."
A faint, prideful smile formed on his lips.
"My master—Lord Jace von Menssai."
A heavy silence followed.
"What do you want?" Konrad asked, dread creeping into his voice.
"I am here for His Majesty, of course," Demiurge answered casually. "My lord has business with King Leohart. I am merely an envoy—sent to escort him. I would prefer not to cause unnecessary trouble."
His eyes gleamed.
"I hope you are as reasonable as the rumors claim, Your Majesty."
"The nerve of this creature…" one of the guards growled.
"Get behind us, my king!"
"We could do this the difficult way," Demiurge continued, irritation beginning to show, "but I doubt my lord would appreciate that. So please… let us make this easy."
King Leohart stepped forward, his voice lowering.
"If I go with you—right now," he said, the words trembling despite his effort, "do you swear to leave my daughter alone?"
"Oh…" Demiurge tilted his head. "You mean Her Highness, Princess Clover, the second princess?"
His smile widened.
"I'm afraid not. My lord requires her as well."
The king's expression hardened instantly.
He turned away.
"Then I have no business with the likes of you," Leohart said coldly. "I am going to retrieve my daughter. I will not go with you."
He motioned for several guards to head toward Clover's location and began to walk off.
Demiurge sighed.
"I had hoped this could be resolved peacefully…"
He snapped his fingers.
The dead stirred.
Fallen soldiers—those he had slaughtered on his way to the castle—rose from the ground. Some wielded Warmark pistols, others swords crackling with Soul Energy. Hollow eyes locked onto the living.
"I suppose I'll have to drag you to my lord."
The undead surged forward.
The guards formed ranks around King Leohart, fighting desperately. They cut down enemy after enemy—but every soldier that fell was resurrected moments later, joining Demiurge's ranks.
It didn't stop.
When the dust finally settled, only eleven guards remained. Bloodied, exhausted, but unbroken, they formed a tight circle around their king.
"Now…" Demiurge said calmly. "I will ask one last time. Will you come quietly… or must I apply more force?"
"He will never go with you," one guard spat, stepping forward. "We will die here before you lay a hand on our king."
King Leohart felt pride swell in his chest.
"…So be it," Demiurge replied.
"Kill them all. Take the king alive."
The undead charged—
But then a voice rang out from the sky.
"Soul Casting… Silver Barrage."
A storm of tiny, gleaming silver spheres rained down, obliterating the undead army in seconds. Demiurge was forced to leap back as the explosion tore through his forces.
When the smoke cleared, a lone figure stood between Demiurge and the king.
A man wearing a silver mask. It was Jericho.
"W-Who are you?" King Leohart asked.
"An ally," the masked man replied calmly. "I'm here to help. And do not worry—your daughter and the others will be safe. Someone I trust has gone to assist them."
"We can speak more after this is over."
Demiurge's expression twisted with fury.
"How dare you interfere in a private matter," he snarled. "Who are you, peasant?"
"I am the one standing in your way," the masked man said.
"Right-hand man."
Jericho focused his senses.
The soul energy before him was immense—far beyond anything he had ever felt. Even the Grand Four paled in comparison.
{"Good,"} Jericho thought. {"I'm glad I came instead of Erica."}
"You don't feel human," Jericho said aloud. "Your energy feels like… something else."
Demiurge stiffened, unease flashing through his eyes.
"Funny… 'human,'" he replied. "I could say the same about you."
{"This just can't be Lord Jace's brother"}… Demiurge spoke, taken aback by the immense power, coming from the person in front of him— to him, this just can't be Jericho.
{"This being doesn't feel human— he's more divine. This is dangerous."}
"As I said," Jericho continued, "I'm an ally of Warmark. And this is a war, isn't it?"
He took a step forward.
"Which means I have every right to be here."
"…Then you are ready to die," Demiurge hissed, summoning his remaining forces.
"Oh," Jericho replied, cracking his knuckles,
"I think that line belongs to me."
And with that—
He launched forward.