Once the next group of gargoyles enters the throne room, we will follow them and use them as cover as we too, enter. Moving between functioning gargoyles and the remains of the destroyed ones, we will close the gap, and launch a surprise attack to take out Alexander, once and for all.

With those thoughts in mind, the plan they decide to follow, and while walking and crouching, Amelia enters the throne room, that like many aspects of the Grand Castle, it is also really large. The throne sits at the end of what feels like never-ending numbers of steps, against a giant window that depicts a representation of something now long forgotten. The sun rays enter through the window, coloring the entire battlefield, soldiers and gargoyles alike, in different vivid colors.

As Amelia enters looking at the top, a sense of urgency grows within her. The time is dangerously almost up, she can feel her feet as if they were buried underground already. Yet, Lady Aquamarine still isn’t safe. That can’t be. Before the time’s up, Lady Aquamarine must be safe, her death would disarm almost all the Beheaders in their entirety, losing Water Taming until a new Lord takes her place.

But even more severe would be, and certainly Alexander is going for this too, is that with her death, the Aquamarine Lord Tree would be open for complete extermination, and the entirety of the Aquamarine State would lose Water Taming forever.

Time is growing short. It may not even reach the end of the day before Lady Aquamarine’s life is taken. They must move fast, she must move fast, with precision, to leave the Aquamarine State in, at the very least, a position where it can fight back.

To leave one of the few people that she admires and owes much in her life in the best position possible, and with her, to also secure a chance for her own mother to live enough to see another day was peace comes back… another day where she doesn’t have to degrade herself to get food and a roof to live safely under.

For all of this, she prayed to Hazuki, to guarantee for her that she will be on time before hers runs out.

All around the stairs remains of gargoyles are located. Other gargoyles pass right over and through them. At the top, around the throne, the area plateaus, and right there is the army of Alexander, with Alexander itself at the center, throwing the occasional thunder strike, and Lady Aquamarine and Daisy kneeling, opening what looks like some sort of door.

Following the gargoyle she picked, Amelia soon devises a route to go up the stairs and jumps behind some remains to her left. Looking back, the others did the same. Good.

Starting to go up the stairs, Amelia occasionally pops up her head in order to see how the battle is going. Getting to the end of some remains, and seeing a large gap between her side and the remains in front of her, she waits. Looking over the fight, some gargoyles have spread their wings.

Good.

Amelia runs from one point to the other.

Hearing some sounds, she looks back at the throne room’s entrance. New gargoyles have arrived. Their heavy steps start going up the stairs. Amelia hurries along with the remains, trying to stay out of their sights.

No use, a gargoyle catches sight of her from below the stairs and starts going in her direction, running in all fours. A chill runs through Amelia’s forehead and hands.

Turning around, still crouched, she sees that it is impossible for her, just like this, to evade it. She takes the handle of her sword and puts herself in a position to defend against the coming attack.

Suddenly, Amelia hears a loud sound coming from her left, and without much time to react, a gargoyle comes down crashing in front of her, hitting the gargoyle that saw her in the process. Dust raises into the air as Amelia sees how a shadow stands up over the gargoyle’s chest, humanoid in shape. Silver armor, white robes, she knew exactly what she was seeing, and what was seeing her back.

“Take tha-” Amelia starts to hear the enemy soldier say, but before she can complete her words, Amelia draws her sword, and gives three cuts, one to the knees, one to the spine, and one to the neck, beheading her. The dust shakes, raising even more than what was there before.

Amelia puts the sword back into its scabbard.

Too much time lost, need to hurry.

Going up towards the throne, Amelia moves between remains and functioning gargoyles. Along the way, she even encounters three bodies of the enemy soldiers, dismembered and squashed.

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Being overwhelmed uh?

Reaching the final sets of steps, Amelia keeps herself down, and moves to the back of the throne, using more remains as cover. Before her eyes, she can see the enemy soldiers, about twenty, Alexander, some sort of small hand carried carriage, Daisy and Lady Aquamarine. Thunder strikes come from the enemy soldiers, hitting the gargoyles head-on, and many times making them stumble and even sent them flying away. To her left, a gargoyle who just lost its two legs manages to make a sweeping move, sending three enemy soldiers flying away.

Looking up to the ledges alongside the ceiling, Amelia catches sight of Bran and Lorelei.

It isn’t optimal, but if that is the best they could afford, we only need Cotton to be in position, and we unleash everything on him.

A group of gargoyles break the perimeter from the front, and head straight up towards Alexander. Leaning a bit to her right, Amelia manages to catch something: Behind one of the gargoyles, a strand of golden hair pops up. Amelia’s heart suddenly jumps, and looking up, she manages to catch Bran and Lorelei giving signs to continue.

The gargoyles met with Alexander, and he makes light work of them. Only with his hands, he continuously breaks arms, legs, chest, weapons and heads of the gargoyles.

How much strength does that bastard have?

Three gargoyles until the surprise attack comes. A hit in the chest, and one is gone. Alexander raises the destroyed gargoyle into the air, and flails it towards the other one, sending it flying. Two are gone. The third one is coming, but something changes.

The gargoyles makes run towards Alexander, but instead of taking it on in close quarters, he rises two fingers pointing towards it. He waits, and waits, and waits, until the very last second, and from his fingers a strong thunder strike comes out, going right through the gargoyle and hitting Tomoe in the process.

Tomoe flies a bit and falls to the ground, before the never-ending stairs.

“Thought that I wouldn’t notice your approach?! You are naive and useless in the ways of Aura!” Alexander says, as he takes three steps, with a blue Aura coming off from him, and reaches Tomoe, grabbing her by the neck. Tomoe answers by taming water and going for a stab, but she isn’t fast enough.

“Enjoy!” Alexander yells, as he takes out a small, strange object from behind him, makes a sound with it, and with that sound, Tomoe’s Aura flares up, and the water she was taming fall to the ground, unresponsive.

At this moment, Amelia’s mind went blank. Vaulting over the remains of the gargoyles, she engages in a blue Aura, strengthens her body, and plunges forward in an instant, raising her sword in the process, but something makes her regain her senses. Now everything makes sense: Alexander brings forth a smug, and in an instant, Amelia’s eyes are invaded by white light, so much, that she flinches, and is about to go to the ground if not because a hand grabs her too by the neck.

Opening back her eyes, the horror, what would be, settles in her mind and heart: Alexander is grabbing her too by the neck, and around him, a white Aura flowed gently and ruthlessly.

“Yes, that face,” Alexander says “now you have realized the mistake you have made right?”

A cold sweat with the weight of the world rolled through her cheeks.

How… how is it that I didn’t realize?

“Sadly, now I have both my hands occupied, but if I leave you, you will turn into a problem just like that… So…” Alexander says, as he turns towards the giant window in the room “I wonder, you know, does Aura actually helps against great falls? Hope that you actually know the answer.”

Alexander takes position, and in this moment, everything suddenly turns into slow motion for Amelia. The stranglehold is robbing her of breath. She sees Bran stopping Lorelei from jumping into the fray. The gargoyles around her, like an indistinguishable mass of heads. Lady Aquamarine, closer to Alexander, standing up, trying to run towards Alexander, and Daisy stopping her.

And in a fell swoop, Amelia feels the force in her body sending her towards the giant window, breaking it in the process, and outside, the great fall that awaits her. Finally, she sees to her left, Tomoe flying with her, head first towards the ground, just like her.

Everything turns into gray, and her eyes start to close, last seeing Tomoe reaching for her with her right hand.

Amelia then feels as if the momentum of her fall gradually, but fast, suddenly disappeared, and someone grabbing her by her left hand.