On the other side of Milix, Serena moved swiftly through the wealthier districts, her sharp eyes scanning the ruins for any sign of survivors. The mansions and estates that once symbolized the city's wealth and power were now nothing but smoldering wreckage.
The streets, once filled with nobles and merchants, were eerily silent, save for the distant crackling of fire. Despite the devastation, Serena knew that there were still people trapped beneath the rubble—people who needed her help.
She couldn’t afford to hesitate. Her strength and speed were the only things keeping the survivors from being swallowed by the chaos.
As she sprinted through the debris, Serena’s senses heightened, picking up the faint sounds of movement beneath a collapsed building. Without wasting a second, she rushed toward the sound, her heart pounding in her chest. A group of citizens, their faces pale with fear and exhaustion, were trapped beneath the remains of what had once been a grand estate.
The roof had caved in, and the walls were crumbling, leaving them with no way to escape.
“Hold on!” Serena called out, her voice filled with determination. “I’m coming to get you out!” The citizens looked up at her with wide eyes, their fear momentarily replaced by hope.
Serena wasted no time. She unveiled her new ‘Blitz’ ability, her body becoming a blur of motion as she sped toward the collapsed building. Using her enhanced strength, she began to lift the debris with her bare hands, creating a path for the trapped citizens to escape.
Her muscles strained under the weight, but she gritted her teeth and pushed forward, determined to save them.
“Go! Now!” she shouted, her voice commanding as she held the structure up with all her might. One by one, the citizens began to crawl through the narrow opening she had created, their faces filled with gratitude as they escaped the danger.
Once the last of the survivors had made it to safety, Serena let out a roar, her fist glowing with power as she delivered a powerful punch to the weakened building.
The structure collapsed into a heap of rubble, the danger averted. Serena stood amidst the destruction, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.
She had saved them, but the weight of the battle ahead still pressed heavily on her shoulders. She couldn’t let herself feel relieved—not yet. There was still so much to do, and she knew that the worst was yet to come.
As the citizens gathered around her, their faces filled with awe, Serena felt a pang of guilt. They were thanking her, praising her strength, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t enough.
No matter how many lives she saved, no matter how strong she became, the darkness looming over Milix felt too great to overcome. She glanced down at her trembling hands, the adrenaline of battle wearing off and leaving her with the cold reality of what they were up against.
But there was no time for doubt. The real fight was still ahead, and she needed to be ready.
With a nod to the grateful citizens, Serena continued her journey through the burning streets, her mind focused on the task at hand.
She had to reach Grant and Katsuo. Together, they would face whatever waited for them in the heart of the city. And Serena knew that when the time came, she would use every ounce of strength she had to ensure that Milix didn’t fall.
She couldn’t afford to fail—not when so many lives depended on them.
Grant moved steadily through the shattered remnants of Milix, his eyes fixed on the looming palace in the distance. Despite the devastation that had ravaged the city, the palace remained eerily intact, a dark monolith untouched by the fires that consumed everything around it.
The closer Grant got, the more palpable the dark energy emanating from the structure became. It weighed heavily in the air, making it feel thick and suffocating, as though the very atmosphere had been tainted by the evil within.
His sharp instincts told him that the palace was the source of the corruption—the heart of the darkness that had consumed Milix.
As he neared the palace gates, Grant’s expression hardened. He knew that whatever awaited inside would not be easily defeated.
Dark forces had entrenched themselves within the palace walls, and they would fight to the last to keep their hold over the city. Still, he was undeterred. He had fought against impossible odds before, and he wasn’t about to let fear or hesitation stop him now.
Milix needed saving, and the only way to do that was to strike at the heart of the enemy. With determination in his eyes, Grant raised his hand and summoned a massive crystal above him.
The crystal shot into the sky, glowing with a brilliant, ethereal light as it ascended above the smoke-filled ruins of Milix.
When it reached its peak, it exploded into a burst of radiant light, casting a signal that could be seen across the entire city. It was a call to arms—a beacon to Katsuo and Serena, telling them that the final confrontation was about to begin.
Grant stood still for a moment, watching as the light faded into the ash-choked sky. He knew that time was running out. They had to end this soon, or there would be nothing left to save.
With a deep breath, Grant steeled himself for what was to come. The weight of the dark magic surrounding the palace was nearly overwhelming, but he pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand.
His thoughts briefly flickered to Katsuo and Serena, hoping that they had seen the signal and were making their way to the palace. The three of them had faced battles together, but this one felt different. the cost of failure would be too great to bear.
As Grant stepped through the palace gates, the world around him seemed to shift. The ground beneath his feet warped, and the air shimmered with the resonance of powerful magic. In an instant, he found himself standing in a completely different room—a grand chamber filled with ornate carvings and flickering torches.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
His heart pounded in his chest as he realized what had happened. The dark forces inside the palace had set a trap, and he had walked right into it. But he couldn’t afford to panic. He had been in worse situations before, and he wasn’t about to let himself be outwitted by some magic tricks.
Grant’s mind raced as he surveyed his surroundings, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his weapon. He had no idea where he had been transported or how far he was from the others, but he knew one thing for sure—he needed to get out of this chamber and find his way back to the main palace.
There was no telling what kind of dangers lay ahead, but he couldn’t afford to be cautious. The fate of Milix depended on them reaching the heart of the enemy’s stronghold and stopping whatever dark magic was festering inside.
With his resolve strengthened, Grant began to move, his eyes scanning the chamber for any clue that might lead him out of the trap.
The oppressive atmosphere of the palace weighed down on him as he made his way through the maze of chambers and corridors.
Every step felt like a battle against the invisible force that seemed to drag at his heels, trying to pull him deeper into the darkness. But Grant was nothing if not determined.
He had faced death more times than he could count, and this would be no different. As he pressed on, the dark magic seemed to thicken, the air growing colder with each passing moment. Whatever was waiting for him at the heart of the palace, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to defeat.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the chamber, and Grant’s heart skipped a beat.
His hand tightened on the hilt of his weapon as he turned to face the source of the sound. From the shadows emerged a monstrous figure, its body twisted and deformed by dark magic.
It was one of the palace’s guardians—a creature created from the remnants of those who had fallen in battle, their bodies twisted into a grotesque amalgamation of limbs and flesh. The creature’s eyes glowed with malevolent energy as it stalked toward Grant, its movements slow and deliberate.
Grant took a deep breath, his muscles tensing in preparation for the fight.
Serena cursed under her breath as the energy bands tightened around her wrists and ankles. Just when she thought she’d blast her way out, the air shimmered, and the ground beneath her rippled like a reflection in water. The trap wasn't just physical—it was warping space itself.
Before she could react, a pulse of energy erupted from the bindings, and the world around her flickered. The battlefield dissolved in a swirl of lights and shadow, and Serena felt herself pulled through the air as if ripped from one reality and hurled into another.
She landed hard, rolling to a stop in a dimly lit chamber. She groaned, pushing herself up to one knee, her sharp brown eyes scanning the new surroundings. The room was small, its stone walls slick with moisture and lined with strange arcane symbols that glowed faintly. It reeked of magic.
"Great," Serena muttered, brushing the dirt off her sleeves. "A prison cell with extra sparkles."
She felt a hum of energy in the air, the remnants of whatever spell had transported her. There was no door, no obvious way out—just the faintly pulsing sigils on the walls and an eerie silence. Serena took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.
"Alright, Mage," she whispered to herself, her hands flexing as she reached for her tonfas. "Where are you hiding?"
Her Blitz Ability crackled to life again as she moved in a blur around the room, testing the boundaries, hoping for a weak spot in the magic. But each time she approached the walls, the symbols flared brighter, repelling her like a force field.
She gritted her teeth in frustration, tapping one of the walls with her tonfa. A dull, resonant sound echoed back. Solid.
"Of course, nothing’s ever simple," Serena muttered. She forced herself to slow down, her mind shifting from action to strategy. The magic felt familiar—a snare spell designed to contain and isolate. It wasn’t brute force that would get her out of this. It was finesse.
Her gaze flicked over the glowing symbols again, studying the patterns. Serena’s time in the slums had taught her more than just how to fight—it had taught her to recognize traps and misdirection. And this trap, as powerful as it was, had a flaw. They all did.
There. A small break in the pattern, barely noticeable, hidden near the base of one of the walls. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Gotcha."
She crouched low, carefully tracing the sigils with the tip of her tonfa. Sparks flickered as her weapon brushed the symbols, and with a single quick motion, she jammed her tonfa into the gap in the sigil’s pattern. The entire room seemed to shudder, and for a split second, the force field around her weakened.
Serena wasted no time. She slammed her palm against the wall, channeling the last of her Blitz energy into the spot she’d found. A burst of lightning cracked through the air, and the barrier shattered. The room flickered again, and in an instant, Serena was free.
She stumbled back into the open, breathing hard, her eyes darting around. She was no longer in the chamber, but in a long corridor lined with torches, the air thick
with magic. And at the far end of the hall, she saw him—the mage. Cloaked in black, his hands glowing with dark energy as he murmured a spell under his breath.
Serena’s smirk widened. "Finally."
As Katsuo, Yumi, and Sora approached the palace, the oppressive energy radiating from the structure became almost unbearable.
It was as if the very air around the palace was poisoned, thick with the malevolent magic that had consumed the city. Katsuo could feel it in his bones, a deep, unsettling sensation that told him they were walking into the heart of the enemy’s power.
The palace loomed before them, its tall, imposing silhouette casting long shadows over the ruins of Milix.
Katsuo’s instincts told him that this was where the final battle would take place—the place where they would either win or lose everything.
But as they neared the palace gates, Yumi suddenly grabbed Katsuo’s arm, her eyes wide with fear. “Katsuo, wait,” she whispered urgently, her voice trembling.
“We can’t go in there… No one who goes inside ever comes back out.” Katsuo paused, glancing down at Yumi. He could see the fear in her eyes, the way her small frame trembled.
He understood her hesitation—he felt it too. The palace was shrouded in darkness, and the air around it pulsed with malevolent energy. But they had no choice. If they didn’t go in, there would be nothing left of Milix to save.
“I have to,” Katsuo said quietly, his voice steady but filled with resolve.
“The source of this darkness is inside. If we don’t stop it, Milix is finished.” Yumi bit her lip, her gaze flickering between Katsuo and the looming palace. For a moment, it seemed as though she might argue, but then she nodded slowly, her trust in him evident.
“Just… be careful,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Katsuo offered her a reassuring smile, though he knew that no words could truly ease her fear. He was walking into the unknown, and there was no guarantee any of them would make it out alive.
Before they could take another step, Sora tugged on Katsuo’s sleeve, his eyes wide with determination. “There’s another way in,” the boy said, his voice quiet but firm.
“I used to sneak into the palace before. There’s a secret entrance in the courtyard.” Katsuo raised an eyebrow, surprised by the boy’s revelation.
“You used to sneak into the palace?” he asked, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the gravity of the situation. Sora nodded, his expression serious.
“Yeah. I know a hidden entrance. I can show you.” Katsuo glanced at Yumi, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. It was risky, but it might be their best chance of getting inside without being detected.
“Alright, lead the way,” Katsuo said, his voice steady.