After Tiberius revealed himself and transformed into the necromancer, the entire court that was there went into a state of shock and horror. While Emperor Mordret got up and moved away, putting distance from the one who had been inside the castle the whole time, half of the palace guards also revealed their true face. They were ghouls, a kind of undead that moved faster and were stronger than normal zombies.
The ghouls began to surround the panicking nobles, who tried in vain to flee. Mordret shouted for the doors of the hall to be opened, in order to allow an evacuation, although he knew that by doing so they would be allowing more enemies to enter the palace. At this point, chaos had already taken over the corridors and halls. Meanwhile, outside the darkness intensified under the necromancer's dominion. Sinister shadows began moving through the city streets as the dead were awakened from their graves. The Necromancer's plan to conquer Alnnum had finally begun. It remained to be seen whether Suzannah, Clara and the others could find answers in time to stop the threat or if the capital would end up falling into the hands of the evil one. The future of the entire empire seemed to hang by a thread that fateful night. The battle for the survival of Alnnum had begun.
The emperor drew his sword and shouted loudly:
"Who do you think I am? Do you think I'm just an old decrepit man like my father? I am the conqueror!".
With his sword, he fiercely fought against those ghouls, while the nobles tried to flee from that accursed place. However, they little knew that the whole city had been taken over by ghouls and zombies, who were now fighting against the few remaining guards. The empire's most experienced and strongest troops were under the command of General Marcus, very far away, defending the distant frontier against the eternal conflict with the kingdom of Volkaron.
Mordret fought bravely, but there were too many enemies. He realized he needed to ensure the safety of those still with him.
"Flee and seek shelter! I will delay them as long as I can!" - he shouted to the nobles.
And so he began alone the gigantic battle within the palace halls himself, in a fight for his life and to allow others to escape from that accursed place. But for every enemy brought down, dozens emerged in their place. Would it be possible to resist until help arrived or would the night seal his fate?
In her room at the Imperial Academy, Suzannah and Clara were still desperately seeking a way to break the black dome that enveloped the entire city. Clara, looking out the window, spotted ghouls attacking people in the distance, and immediately called Suzannah over to show her what was happening. Suzannah became even more desperate and thought:
"In my 150 years of life, I've never seen anything like this. Could Salacia be involved in this?".
Then she continued:
"With so much power, this necromancer must be almost at the level of Avatars!".
She told Clara they would have to interrupt their research, as they needed to go out and fight the ghouls prowling the entire capital. The girl, frightened, asked:
"Do you really think Master Tiberius would do something like this?".
Suzannah just bowed her head and replied:
"We shouldn't think about that now, we have to help the people".
In the palace, Mordret faced alone an absurd number of ghouls. He fought bravely, as the great hero he once was, and managed to remove all the nobles from that accursed place. However, he was no longer young and was becoming slower in his movements. He was strongly attacked and thrown against the wall by the ghouls. Very injured and bleeding, he just held his sword towards the enemies, saying: "You will not take me easily", already awaiting the end.
But before the ghouls could attack him, his twin sons, Lilla and Relon, arrived knocking down many of them. Relon grabbed his father's arm and said:
"Get up, father! We must save the capital!"
That phrase made Mordret remember the times when he was young and fought to further enlarge the name Aquarion. The Emperor got up, placed his hand on Relon's shoulder and answered, through clenched teeth:
"And we Aquarions have the duty to protect this city to the end!".
The three of them then prepared to fight side by side, in a last battle for the survival of Alnnum and the empire against the necromancer's threat.
Outside the Academy, Suzannah and Clara were also facing ghouls, but as most people were locked in their homes, the undead were concentrating around the two. A hundred of them threatened them. Suzannah saw no other alternative than to conjure a powerful magic. She looked at Clara and said:
"Clara, I need time to conjure this spell. Can you give me time?"
Still frightened, Clara replied:
"I'll try."
Meanwhile, Suzannah began channeling her mana and reciting the incantation. Clara began heroically defending her. Though skilled, as a young mage she did not know many complex and powerful spells and did not have enough mana for many conjurations. She did what she could, but was beginning to feel she would lose consciousness. "If I use all my mana, I'll faint here," she thought. However, she knew she had to continue fighting with all her strength, to give Suzannah time to conjure her magic. The ghouls seemed endless, and Clara realized that soon she would no longer be able to protect Suzannah. "Why do I have to be weak? Why can't I protect anyone!", she lamented in thought.
Clara began to lose consciousness, and between tears she realized her eyes were slowly closing. But before she could fully faint, she heard a familiar voice:
"You all will go west, you all will go north, and you all will go to the capital. I will stay here with those who remain"
As she turned her face, Clara saw it was Professor Eleonora with the students of the Imperial Academy. Before they dispersed, Eleonora said firmly to them:
"You dreamed of being imperial students, so fulfill your duty and save Alnnum!"
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Renewed with the arrival of reinforcements, Clara continued fighting. She saw the students divide to fight the ghouls terrorizing the city in different directions. While Eleonora and the other students who stayed behind went to help Suzannah and Clara in that difficult battle. Seeing the courage and dedication of her fellow students gave Clara strength to resist a little longer. The salvation of Alnnum depended on it.
In the palace, Mordret, Relon and Lilla fought with great mastery and took down many ghouls, but they realized that the Necromancer had disappeared from the throne room. Remembering that the one who had defeated the Necromancer last time was his firstborn Morfrey, the Emperor deduced that the evil one could only have gone to Morfrey's chambers, to take revenge. Mordret then summoned his sons and all opened a path among the ghouls, who continued to enter the palace without ceasing. Their intent was to quickly reach where they presumed Morfrey and the Necromancer to be. While they fought bravely, Mordret said to his sons:
"Go see where your mother and sister are and protect them!"
"Yes, my lord!" - the two said as they left.
Relon and Lilla ran in search of their mother, Empress Asteria, and their older sister, Aster. They found the latter curled up in a fetal position under a table, paralyzed by panic. Aster had never possessed magical powers or been trained in weapons handling, she had always been educated for the role of wife in an arranged marriage. Lilla asked where the mother was and Aster informed that she had gone to see Morfrey before the chaos began.
The twins gently pulled their sister and said: "Come with us, we will protect you!". They led her by the arms toward the Prince's chambers, in search of the Empress and news about Morfrey and the Emperor. They cut a path among the ghouls, advancing as fast as possible. They needed to reach their relatives before it was too late, and find answers to the mystery of that cowardly attack on the royal family. Their fate still remained uncertain that mortal dawn.
On the other side, Suzannah was concentrating all her mana to conjure her most powerful spell. Meanwhile, Clara, Luna, Gwen and Arphaxad helped Professor Eleonora repel the ghouls. However, the number of enemies seemed endless. Suddenly, Eleonora looked to the side, letting out a cry of apprehension: "No!".
Clara asked what had happened. The professor explained that, before leaving, she had conjured a location spell on the students, being able to know where each one was battling. However, when the magical location was lost, it meant the student had died. And Eleonora had just felt two locations disappear. They continued fighting with all skill and strength. Luna excelled at wind magic, while Gwen was adept at creating arcane barriers. However, they were still very young and inexperienced, not knowing many complex and powerful spells.
Only Professor Eleonora, with all her experience, could employ high-level magic. The worsening of the situation seemed imminent, although no one lowered their guard.
It had already been about four hours since the beginning of that terrible attack. Everyone fighting to defend Alnnum was exhausted, almost at the limit of their strength. Every moment, Eleonora lost new magical locations of students, exactly knowing how each one succumbed to the ghouls. That consumed her inside. In a lapse of attention, the valiant professor was hit by a bite to the jugular, having her neck lacerated. Her blood gushed abundantly on the spot.
The girls were shocked and desperate. Gwen undid her barrier in panic, while Clara desperately screamed, pleading not to give in to despair:
"Keep resisting! We continue fighting in honor of those who fell. Professor Eleonora gave her life so that we could continue! Don't give up now!"
Her voice showed the courage that remained, but the situation seemed irreversible. It would only be a matter of time until they succumbed, if nothing could stop that army of undead...
In the prince's chambers, the twins found only Morfrey, who had told his brothers that his father had gone looking for their mother in the throne room. Lilla asked Relon to stay and protect Aster and the still weakened Morfrey. But he got up from the bed, picking up his spear Wavebringer with a serene and encouraging smile.
"We are sons of kings, descendants of heroes. We cannot let our home fall like this," he stated.
The firstborn's words renewed the twins' strength, tired from battle. Aster lost all fear, now willing to go find her parents. Led by Morfrey, the brothers left again toward the throne room, determined to defend the palace and empire to the end. United by blood and duty, they would continue fighting bravely against the darkness, in search of their parents and to try once and for all to stop the threat assaulting Alnnum.
Outside, the battle continued fiercely. Many had lost their lives defending the city, but others resisted bravely. In addition to students and imperial guards, common men had taken up arms for their home. Clara had already gone beyond her limits, almost without mana. Luna had her shoulder wounded and was bleeding a lot on the ground, while Gwen lay unconscious, believing she would die soon. Then, hearing Clara say "Thank you for waiting!", she saw that Suzannah overflowed with mana, having finished her conjuration.
Raising her arms, a flash came out of her body upwards.
"I am the most powerful witch in the empire, the one who knows mysteries, who lived three lives. I am the Red Queen!", she declared.
Luna and Gwen regained consciousness, seeing Suzannah open her arms, they heard:
"Supreme 7th Circle fire magic: Solar Eruption!".
The flash divided into beams of sunlight, which fell on the ghouls, quickly incinerating them. One by one, they were defeated. Shouts of victory echoed through the capital. Despair had been transformed into triumph. The people celebrated the victory against the ghouls that had devastated the city. The threat was finally subdued, thanks to the Red Queen and the heroes who defended Alnnum.
In the throne room, the Necromancer saw that his ghouls had finally been defeated. He held Empress Shiera by the hair and, facing the Emperor, declared:
"Do you really think you've won? My dome of darkness still hangs over this place!"
The Emperor ordered him to release his wife, seeing that the evil one only aimed to face them. Then he asked what his intention was.
"I want my empire!" - declared the Necromancer, in a threatening tone.
"Yours nothing! Release the Empress or I will end you!" - Mordret became irritated, brandishing his sword.
It became clear that the enemy had only pretended to be defeated, wanting Shiera as a hostage to blackmail the Emperor. But what was his real intent? And where had such ambition come from? Mordret and the Necromancer glared at each other, while the Empress' liberation depended on the arrival of reinforcements. The outcome of that confrontation was uncertain. All the Emperor's sons arrived at the throne room and saw Mordret trying to converse with the Necromancer.
Upon seeing Morfrey, he displayed a macabre and piercing grin, making everyone cover their ears. He looked to Morfrey:
"Well, well, if it isn't the boy who thinks he's a hero!"
"Release my mother, abomination!" - Morfrey retorted.
Once again the Necromancer smiled, while the sons prepared to fight. He who held Shiera put his hand to her neck, creating a deadly silence. A black stain appeared where he touched her. Mordret shouted his wife's name in despair.
"Forgive me for not being who you wanted. I always loved you," Shiera said calmly.
A black sludge penetrated her body, making her eyes erupt. Her mouth filled with the substance, taking her over in a malign aura. Her body was corroded, transforming her into a horrific creature that began devouring bodies in the hall. The Necromancer had transformed the Empress into a monster! Would the royal family now finally be destroyed by their enemy?
The Necromancer let out his terrible laugh and disappeared into the shadows, under the black dome hovering over Alnnum:
"As long as he is here, my sons and I will be the masters of this place!"
Mordret was shocked, seeing the sludge that had been Shiera come towards him. His sons were equally stunned, unable to look away from the monster she had become, except for Morfrey, who wanted to spare her more suffering. But it was the Emperor himself, utterly devastated, who spoke out:
"I will take care of this, son."
With a single blow, his sword cut the creature that had been his beloved wife in two, freeing her from the torment she had been cast into. The grand throne room was plunged into the deepest silence. The family tragedy had been consummated by the greatest evil. It now fell to the noble family to gather their strength to once and for all defeat the cause of so much pain and avenge the Empress. The Emperor embraced all his sons together as they wept copiously.