The first few seconds upon waking, Sayuki was clueless. And once she felt Magnus' arms around her, and remembered the last night... she wondered how she had survived.

Such absurd fierceness. A few nights ago, her mother had forced her to bashfully receive some words of advice. But none of the awkward details Yoruichi shared about nighttime with her husband could have prepared Sayuki for last night.

She remembered feeling complacent the first time she felt him release a gust of flame within her. A calm, loving smile had formed on her face, and she had held him tight, ready to become drowsy in his embrace.

And that monster of a man lifted her up like a plume, and he asked very softly if she was ready for a second round. Sayuki was not informed that "second rounds" were a concept. Nor thirds, nor fourths, nor most of the absolute jeopardy that followed past midnight.

When she was done pouting and resenting him for his beastly harshness, she felt forced to commend him as the near-death experience was exhilarating nevertheless. After all, he did ask for permission before pulling her by the base of her tail...

With colored cheeks and a shy demeanor, she tugged on his shoulder and called his name. "Magnus, darling. It's morning already."

Hearing those words in her own, mellowed voice made Sayuki blush so much more, like an inflating pufferfish. She was already sounding like a newlywed wife!

And her immortal husband did hear her. He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair, slowly opening his eyes...

To the silhouette of the silently encroaching, titanic metal knight.

CRASH! A gigantic, clawed hand of steel cleaved through the ceiling and the floor, mowing a huge hole where once was the castle window. Sayuki cried out in surprise and fear, and Magnus' heart surged into a beastly fright. He immediately jumped off the bed, dragging the Heiress with him.

"What is-...?!" she started to say, and then she saw the enormous machine outside. It was so huge it stood on the courtyard, and its head was higher than the thirtieth floor they were in. It stared them down with a a glistening azure eye, and soon, it rose its hand in the air a second time.

"We need to get out of here!" Magnus immediately made his way for the door with Sayuki in tow. She agreed, but made a quick reach for her sword, which had been set by the bed along with their folded clothes.

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The two sped down the hallway, as it became full with the sounds of destruction and fighting, and half-handedly stuffed themselves into their garments. Soon, they heard rushing steps, and Magnus turned his head.

Came a silent warrior, fully clad in silver, azure-glistening armor. He shot a roped hook into a column and whipped himself forward, quickly catching up with Magnus and Sayuki.

"The stairs...!" she cried out, and Magnus looked forward again.

The giant's hand cracked through the wall, and ripped the downward stairs apart. Magnus and Sayuki stopped near the edge of what had become a dead end.

SWOOP! The armored soldier pounced on Magnus, putting him in a choke hold.

"Bastard!" the Envoy of Heaven took a desperate leap backwards, crashing his attacker against a wall.

"Magnus!" Sayuki cried out for him, taking her eyes off the giant machine, which had come to a stop, as if waiting for its accomplice.

Said warrior stretched out his arm, and a two-pronged device folded out, white lightning buzzing within its blades. Magnus heard it, and he went into a rage, putting all his weight towards throwing him off.

It worked, and the attacker fell to the ground, but he was quickly up. He stretched his other arm, and a device like a firearm came out. He pointed it at Magnus, who was startled, and...

SWING! Sayuki drove the Blossoming Midnight through the warrior's neck, where his armor was but a thin mail. The azure light in the suit faded, and he fell limp to the ground.

Magnus was about to praise his animal-eared girlfriend, who gave him a look of accomplishment.

Then, the advisor whispered some words into his ear. Magnus turned to the fallen armored soldier, and clasped his left arm. There were buttons on the inside of the elbow, which he pressed at the same time with this thumbs. The gauntled unlatched, and as soon as Magnus put it on, that celestial flame from before resurged and brought it back to life.

"Magnus, the giant!"

The giant had been observing, and decided to take action. It made its hand into a fist, and rose it for a great slam...

Magnus's instincts rang with terror. He grit his teeth and ran, clutching Sayuki by the hip, and right as the metal titan's arm was swooping down, he shot a grappling hook into the great tree, and they came out flying right over the strike!

She screamed out, but Magnus was laser-focused from the adrenaline. "Hold tight!" He cried out, as he unlatched the hook and kicked the tree to spin around... Then grappled again, to one of the castle's beams! It was a drastic fall, but angled enough so he could take it for Sayuki without breaking his legs. He stumbled for a moment and put her down.

"Magnus, what is going on?!"

"I don't know either. But we need to get out of here."

They had fallen into the side courtyard, and the machine was already walking over to chase them. There was no time to waste, so they made their way the only direction they had: opposite the titan, toward the castle's entrance.