The alliance spent the following year dealing with the rebuilt golden shields. Second Prince didn't appear again, but First Princess and Third Prince changed their battle tactic often to slow down the invaders' advance.
Noah, Chasing Demon, and Great Elder Diana had to deal with a series of quasi-rank 6 disposable items that had the sole purpose of slowing them down.
They had to face a flock of hawk-like puppets capable of eating the energy inside spells before they detonated. They had to pave their way out of illusions that left them wandering inside Noah's cloud for days.
Once, they even had to deal with copies of themselves created after the defensive formations had gathered enough data about their individualities.
Still, the efforts of the Royals could only delay the inevitable. Every defense fell, and the enemy powerhouses relied on giant runes on top of the obelisks to teleport their assets away.
