A pair of shackles fell to the floor with a loud crash.

“That’s the last one.”

Madam Altores commented as a squad of soldiers freed the final prisoner. The flames of battle had been reduced to shallow embers, and the last remnants of resistance were being snuffed out. She let out a sigh of relief before scanning the war-torn cavern. Her eyes settled on a shivering boy who sat on a distant rock.

“Anoyma, my son!”

She ran to him with tears in her eyes. Before he could say a word, he was immediately smothered in her embrace.

“Ugh, mom… I’m still healing…”

It was in the thick of all the fighting that they had found him. At the time he was still strapped to one of the many sacrificial posts with numerous holes in his body. Additionally, he was severely addicted to Twilight Fel. However, such was the case with all the prisoners in the cavern.

“It’s thanks to Lady Elsie that we were able to prepare for this…”

Each prisoner was fed a high-grade blood clotting pill along with the Daybreak Remedy. Despite there still being many casualties, more people had been saved than lost.

“Mom… where’s Jensen? And where’s… dad? My real dad.”

Anoyma gazed up at Madam Altores with watery eyes. She could instantly tell that no matter how tough he was pretending to be, he missed his family dearly. Her smile faltered as she thought about the severed head that she uncovered earlier.

“Your father… fell in battle.”

Now that the fighting was over, it was difficult for her to hide behind the adrenaline. Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, which she desperately tried to hide from her son.

“M-Mom, it’s okay… it’s okay.”

He clutched on to her, patting her back, but his words came out just as choked as hers.

“Everything will be fine. It will all work out, in the end.”

Just as he said that, the cavern rumbled almost as if it were rejecting his words without mercy.

----

Princess Ling panted heavily, but her battle honed instincts wouldn’t let her rest. She hastily swung her sword, just in time to deflect another savage strike from the mindless Twilight Fox.

I’m going to die here… I never got to say goodbye.

She held the side of her stomach with her free hand. Blood gushed outward from an open wound, one of the many that colored her body.

“Ugh…”

A brief spell of dizziness struck, and she staggered backward.

I’ve lost too much blood.

She grit her teeth and regained focus.

My only saving grace is that it doesn’t seem like she can use her invisibility…

Just as the thought had come to mind, Eosa vanished entirely. Princess Ling’s hopes dropped to the very pits of her stomach.

Never mind… this is the end.

The princess let out a despairing sigh and struggled to lift her sword. She needed to be ready for any possibility as Eosa could be anywhere, even right in front of her.

I-In front?!

Ling’s eyes widened as she willed herself to slash out one last time. Death was certain, but the least she could do was take a shot in the dark—one lucky strike to potentially end it all.

“Hiyaa!”

She cried out as she channeled raw energy into her greatsword and swung with all her might. Just as her sword sailed through the air, a pair of bloody claws loomed into sight.

She was in front of me after all!

Princess Ling steeled herself, preparing for death. At the same time, her greatsword sailed through the air about to make contact with the fox’s vulnerable neck.

Eosa will strike first… it’s hopeless.

Just as she imagined, Eosa’s claws struck first. However, the moment they were about to puncture through her throat, a mysterious light bloomed at the impact point.

A flash of gold and white absorbed Eosa’s lethal blow. At the same time, Princess Ling’s sword cleaved through her former master’s neck, slicing off her head for good.

I’m… alive?

Princess Ling crashed to the ground, panting in confusion. She glanced down, just in time to see a coin sized talisman crumbling to dust.

“Sans…”

She muttered his name with a light smile hanging on her lips. Finally, she lost consciousness.

----

In front of the palace gates, Elsie’s pointed finger lazily pressed against the barrier.

It was a constant force, one that she could maintain for multiple days if she so chose. She smirked with all the confidence in the world, knowing that this grand barrier, their last stand of defense, would eventually crumble before her.

“Try all you might, but this barrier is stronger than you think! It’s been passed down for generations, all for this exact purpose.”

Karbone’s taunting words rung out from the other side of the blue shield.

“Passed down through generations? I know. I could tell immediately that this was an ancient bloodline formation.”

Elsie unwavering voice replied back. She pressed harder on the shield with a pleased glint in her eye. Sparks shot out more fiercely than before, instilling another shade of fear within Karbone.

“Y-You could? Then… wait, what else do you know?”

Karbone tone of voice shifted as he gazed at Elsie with a rigid expression.

“Karbone Anthor, the illegitimate brother to Olgren Anthor-”

Just as she was to continue speaking, she suddenly stopped without warning.

“So what if you know a secret from a bygone era?! Our Anthor Kingdom is innocent of-“

“Shut it.”

Her icy tone was laced with venom, causing Karbone to suffer no small amount of confusion.

He’s… gone!

Elsie’s eyes widened with shock and her finger stopped pressing against the barrier.

Where? Where?!

An inexplicable aura radiated out from her body. Every nook and cranny within Anthor City was unceremoniously scanned; nowhere and no one was spared. In that singular moment, every being within the city felt a deathly chill run through their very soul.

“F-Finally given up, have you? Hah! I told you that this barrier… barrier…”

Karbone’s voice trailed off as he took a hesitant step back. He stared at Elsie’s location, frozen in place, having lost all ability to think coherently.

An inferno of black fire bloomed and billowed from around her. Within the terrifying blaze, a haunting pair of sharp red eyes took shape as they bore down upon Karbone.

He’s not here… why is this barrier still standing? Why am I still here?

Before, she had applied a constant pressure at a specific point within the barrier, but now the game had changed. Her clenched fist lurched back, and with a wild punch forward—the barrier’s outermost shell was shattered entirely.

Karbone’s lower jaw dropped open as he took another terrified step back. However, it didn’t matter how many steps he took, or how dumbstruck he looked. Elsie soon began punching at the barrier in a chaotic frenzy. Black fire scorched the skies as if it were trying to consume the air around it, all in an effort to supply Elsie with more energy, more power. Still, true to Karbone’s word, the barrier was one constructed of a powerful bloodline formation.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

One hour is all I need.

Although Elsie had shortened the time to destroy the barrier down from a day to a mere hour—it was still not fast enough for her. This only bore testament to the barrier’s might.

She wasn’t the only one to be impressed by the barrier’s incredible defensive properties. Not even Karbone himself had thought himself safe just a moment ago, but seeing as he was currently unharmed—he couldn’t help but give a hesitant laugh.

“Hah! Ah-haha! Did you think our kingdom so weak?! You…?”

Before he could speak further, something caught his eye as he was observing the mountain of shadowy flames. Far away in the distant sky, a glistening dot reflected against the setting sun. As if caught in a strange trance, he simply couldn’t tear away his gaze.

Hmm?

Karbone wasn’t the only one as Elsie soon retracted her tempest of fire. She gazed at the sky, sensing a familiar energy from a time long ago.

Could it be? How lucky.

The two elites, one defending and one attacking, stood in a momentary truce. However, Elsie’s eyes were filled with delight as the object drew closer.

“Is that… a sword?”

Karbone squinted his eyes with a frown plastered across his face.

“How could there possibly be a sword in the sky? Just what is happening?!”

He exclaimed as he cocked his head to the side.

“I would run, if I were you.”

Elsie’s cold comment came as she calmly bided her time. Despite her warning, Karbone merely scoffed and twirled his beard.

“I don’t have to run from anything, not with my ancestors protecting me. What do you know?“

The sword plummeted toward the ground at an impossible speed. It sliced through the air, even ripping the fabric of space around it. It was approaching fast, and not just anywhere, but directly toward barrier itself.

Only a handful of seconds had passed since the moment they first noticed the sword, by then… it was too late. The sword impacted the barrier with a world sundering level of energy.

The barrier shattered instantaneously, but the sword was not done. Straight as an arrow it continued to plummet downward, landing directly on Karbone’s head. The elder’s body never stood a chance. Cleanly bisected from head to toe, he then disintegrated completely, turning to dust in the wind. At the same time, an unexplainable aura filled Elsie’s heart and soul—she was now level two.

Told you to run… not that you would have lived anyway. After all, my trial was to kill Karbone Anthor, the King of Anthor’s royal advisor.

The explosion rocked the city, and at the Anthor palace gates there was now a new landmark. A landmark which took the form of a massive crater that housed a beautifully crafted sword within the bottom of its pit.

----

Chenbo burst into Lyra’s room with urgency. The palace floors trembled underfoot, foretelling the impending doom should they linger.

Chenbo! Is it time? What’s going on?

“Lyra! I have the key; we have to go!”

He called out while sprinting toward the balled-up woman. Without a second thought, he swung his sword and smashed open the container that held her. Medicinal liquids rushed out, creating a pool at his feet.

Lyra slowly aroused from her forced slumber. With no fluids to suspend her, she remained dangling by her chains at the bottom of the container.

“C-Chenbo…”

Her voice was small and weak, having barely used it before. She struggled to her feet, only to slump back down.

“Shh, let me unlock these chains. I brought some clothes as well. We’re finally getting out of here. Just focus on me, and we’ll be free before you know it.”

I think I can walk…

Understanding her lack of strength, Lyra opted to speak telepathically. She tugged on her chains for support as Chenbo swiftly jabbed the mysterious key into the runic lock.

“And then this one. Okay, let’s go!”

With a click, the shackles dimmed and fell to the floor.

Eeep!

Before Lyra could fall to the ground, Chenbo swept her into his arms with a beaming smile. He paid no attention to her bare breasts and otherwise naked body. Instead, he was fully locked onto Lyra’s amethyst eyes.

“They’re beautiful…”

Mm, you are too…

Lyra blushed as she subconsciously covered her chest. Her actions seemed to shock Chenbo awake, and he immediately set her down.

“We don’t have time to waste. Quickly now, put these on.”

He withdrew a robe and undergarments from his pouch, extending them out to her. Lyra nervously received the clothes just as another tremor shook the palace.

H-Help.

Chenbo’s face to grew solemn as he saw dust particles fall from the ceiling.

“Come here.”

With mystical finesse, Chenbo rapidly clothed her with a wry smile.

“I guess all that time spent dressing Prince Marlow has come in handy.”

Lyra held onto Chenbo’s arm for support and inspected herself.

“Can you run?”

Chenbo grasped her hand. His instincts for urgency were firing on all cylinders.

“I can try…”

Her small voice fanned the flames of adrenaline and heroism within Chenbo’s heart.

“Let’s go!”

Half racing, and half dragging Lyra, Chenbo rushed out of the room. His heart pumped with fear and excitement as he scanned the halls like a prairie dog.

“This way, quick!”

The floors rumbled and the walls shook, causing various fixtures and decorations to come loose and fall in a symphony of crashes.

“Careful now! We’re almost at the end of the hall.”

Chenbo grimly called out as a large picture case collapsed onto their path. He gripped onto Lyra’s shaking hand as he helped her over the bits of glass and wood.

“Are you okay?”

“Mm.”

Lyra gave a labored nod. Chenbo could already see signs of exhaustion permeating throughout her body. Regardless, Chenbo glanced her over, inspecting for any injuries but found nothing of concern. With a sigh of relief, he grasped her hand once more.

“Do you see those stairs down that hallway? That’s where we need to go to join the others that are escaping.”

They were standing at a T-intersection of hallways, where the new path went either left or right. Chenbo was pointing toward the leftward path—a mess of stone and rubble that seemed to moan and creak just by existing.

“We need to be quick, it looks like we don’t have much time before this place collapses!”

Chenbo pulled on her hand to resume the journey, but before he could even take a step—Lyra resisted.

Chenbo it doesn’t look safe…

“I know it looks bad, but we have to go down this path. It’s the only way to the others!”

Lyra pulled back again with a nervous whimper. Sensing her unwillingness, Chenbo could only swallow his frustration and attempt to console her.

“Lyra, look. We have to go-“

Another savage shockwave shook the palace!

“Look out!”

Chenbo immediately wrapped his arms around Lyra’s petite body as chunks of ceiling came loose. His back was pounded upon repeatedly, but for the stalwartly man—it was nothing.

Chenbo… the hallway! I’m sorry…

Lyra cried out mentally as she clung onto Chenbo’s arm. The man glanced down the hallway, which was now mostly collapsed, and let out a despairing sigh.

“It’s… it’s not your fault. If anything, you saved us. We would have gotten crushed if we tried to cross.”

But now we are stuck here. If I wasn’t so slow… you should have left me behind.

Chenbo turned to the woman with a gentle smile.

“Don’t say that. There’s nowhere I’d rather be, than by your side.”

His massive hand patted her head and ruffled her ears. Although he was smiling on the outside, a gnawing sensation of fear and entrapment was growing within his chest.

“Wait a second…”

He pulled Lyra toward the other hallway that he previously ignored.

“I remember this area. There’s an ancient formation in one of the rooms down this hall… Lyra! Let’s go, we’re getting out of here!”

Chenbo’s eyes sparkled with renewed vigor. He distinctly remembered his last visit with Shopkeep Tomio, who had described the formation as a one-way gateway. He had no idea where it would lead, but he knew one thing for certain—it was his only path to survival.

Racing down the hall, Chenbo once again found himself dragging Lyra along behind him. The palace walls cried out with every shockwave and tremor. The remnant glass of shattered windows reflected sunrays into the dust ladened hall as they raced onward.

Chenbo, w-wait, it’s hard to run.

Chenbo turned around just in time to catch Lyra as she coughed and staggered forward into his arms. Despite the precious and dainty image before him, his eyes were wide like saucers as he stared at the pathway behind them.

“We…we have to go! Right now! Now, now!”

The palace was collapsing in real time. The ground at the intersection they had stood previously was already giving way. Cracks snaked out toward them like earthen vipers threatening to drag them to hell.

Chenbo wasted no time and immediately swooped Lyra into his arms. He roared as he eyes flashed and sparked with a blue lightning. Mere seconds later, his legs and feet were surrounded by arcs of energy that crackled against the ground.

“Hang tight.”

He shot off down the hall at twice the speed before, easily bounding over any obstacles in his way. He could hear the hallway collapsing behind him, which only fueled his desire to survive even further. He felt as if he stopped for just for a moment, then it would be his last.

“Not this room… not this room…”

Chenbo quickly eyed his options. Some of the doors were still upright, while other were barely hanging by their hinges. Finally, his eyes lit up as he passed by a gaping hole in what was formerly an entrance.

“Wait, this is it!”

He skidded to a halt and immediately shifted his momentum toward the destroyed wall.

“The portal is active!”

In the far back of the room, a series of glyphs dimly glowed, almost as if they were threatening to be snuffed out forever. Above the glyphs, was a mysterious and grey portal that waxed and waned.

“Hiyahhh!!!”

Chenbo charged forward with reckless abandon. He could feel heavy thuds land on the floor behind him, stones from the ceiling that had already given way. The crackling lightning around his legs was also about to die out, and in a surreal moment of life or death, time seemed to come to a crawl.

He channeled all of his remaining energy into his legs, and with a final messy jump he dove straight into the portal—just as the room collapsed completely behind him.

“Ugh…”

The first thing Chenbo noticed was the intense wave of nausea that assaulted him. He palmed his forehead and groggily opened his eyes. That’s when he came to a certain realization. He glanced at his empty arms and his heart began to race once more.

“Lyra! Where are you!”

He immediately sprang to his feet and took in his surroundings. Volcanic ash hung in the air like a miasma of death. The ground was of blacked stone, and the sky was dyed red.

“Chenbo! Run!”

A man’s voice cried out to him. It was a voice he distinctly recognized!

“Sans?!”

Chenbo finally came to his senses as he glanced toward his friend, who was locked hands with King Anthor as they tried to overpower one another. The next second, King Anthor pushed with all of his strength, knocking Sans onto his back.

“S-Sans needs help! I-I can help.”

Chenbo nervously reached for his pouch and withdrew his sword. His hands shook as he locked eyes with the king. The king’s eyes glowed a deep violet as if he were peering into Chenbo’s soul, and with a wild snarl—the king started charging toward him!

“Rraaaahhh!!!”

King Anthor roared toward Chenbo with outstretched hands like savage claws. It seemed as if he were completely blind with rage as he even occasionally tripped on the loose stones in his path!

“Huu-Huu-“

Chenbo sucked in quick breaths of air in a desperate attempt to calm his nerves. King Anthor was approaching with a terrifying visage, which alone was enough to kill an innocent soul.

“CCHHEENNN—BOOO!!!!”

King Anthor roared once again like a demonic beast that only knew one word. He was quickly closing the gap between them. At the same time, Chenbo finally resolved himself.

“Sans can’t save me. Lyra needs me. It’s all up to me.”

Chenbo gripped his sword and began to channel lightning, one last time. He didn’t have time to fill up his normal capacity of energy before unleashing his skill. In order to survive, he would have to attempt an intermediate application of lightning. He would need to directly channel the energy and use it spontaneously—something that he had always failed to do before in practice.

Chenbo briefly closed his eyes, focusing on his technique.

“For my future—no. Our future. For Lyra.”

“CHENBO!!”

Just as King Anthor was an arm’s length away, Chenbo’s eyes flashed open! Lightning arced through them and all throughout his body. With deadly precision—he slashed in front!

“Surge!”

Everything was over with the sound of a thunderclap. King Anthor came to a stop, having gone silent as he stood before Chenbo, who calmly stared back at him. Chenbo was alive, and confident, but for some reason the king’s eyes were full of remorse like two wilting tulips. The next moment, King Anthor’s torso slid away and his body collapsed onto the ground before the young man.

“I… did it? I killed the king?”