Klaus smiled and took out the portal ball, he crouched down to scrape some dust off the floor when a thin and sharp needle pierced the artifact, splitting it into two pieces. Here was another flaw of the concealment stone. It concealed the person, but not what the person picked up.
Klaus stood up abruptly and drew his katana.
"What the feck…"
Before he could finish speaking, more needles flew at him, the Prince cursed, and released the electric shield. It was not as useful as Klaus was used to, and he immediately understood the reason. The attacker also used lightning magic.
"Shit!" pulling the projectile out of his forearm and leg. He was already parrying the next flurry of attacks with his katana, but he still did not remove the shield. Where there is one enemy, there will be a second.
"I will take him on myself," Merid spoke up. "We need to go down, otherwise they will take us into the vice."
"Agreed."
Now the prince saw what August admired so much. This man controlled liquid. He could even use the liquid that was in a living being. In a matter of seconds, the man who had just mercilessly showered Klaus with needles shriveled up.
"This is amazing," Klaus exhaled. "I would definitely not want to quarrel with you!"
"It's not that simple. I can't work with liquids in living beings so easily. I need preparation. Now it helped that I was hiding under the cloak. It won't work a second time."
"And if you are invisible to the enemy? How many can you dry out at once?"
"I need preparation for each one, so don't count on it. I have other talents, although I would prefer not to show them off. All this is so tiring. Maybe we should get out of here already?"
The young men hurried down. The disguise would not last long, but they would not have time to get out of the castle. They needed to find an exit that would not be filled with soldiers, and Klaus knew one.
"Why didn't you take two portals?" Merid asked as they made their way along the empty corridor.
"I didn't expect such an outcome."
"I thought you were always prepared for any trouble."
"Did August say so? Well, he overestimates me."
"Yes, I noticed that he is obsessed with you. Someone is coming."
Naturally, a whole squad was sent to the tower. Despite the disguise, the young men had nowhere to hide. A narrow corridor. A clash was inevitable and there was no time to turn around in the destructive magic of lightning.
"I think now is the time to show your talents," Klaus said, removing the now useless disguise.
With his katana at the ready, the prince rushed to attack. He sent lightning through the weapon for greater force. He did not plan to spare anyone now. The situation was not in their favor.
Merid used any available moisture for attacks. He did not have the same ardor that boiled in the prince, but all the man's attacks hit their target. They did not collude. It was as if they intuitively felt how they should act.
Klaus acted as a defense for Merid, giving him an opportunity to attack. The sword that hung on the man's belt remained idle.
Their task was not destruction. They only needed to break through. The men reached their goal, but another surprise awaited them ahead. A squad of mages.
"Watch out," Klaus shouted, pushing Merid behind the rest of the destroyed wall. He sat on the floor, enveloping the shelter with an electric barrier.
"So what should we do next?" he asked, more to himself.
Klaus and Merid were breathing heavily. Their temporary shelter was shaking from the powerful magical blows and was only holding up thanks to the prince's electric armor.
"Look, I never thanked you for saving me from the monster back then."
"August said that you don't really care about things like gratitude. Besides, I wasn't alone."
"Still, I want to thank you."
"Sounds like a farewell," Merid chuckled.
"Maybe it will be," the prince chuckled. "He will come soon himself. The gates are broken through, the capital has turned into a battlefield. Our soldiers should break into the castle any minute, but I'm not sure we can hold out that long if he comes here."
"Yes, you are right. I never liked to fight and dreamed of dying in some meadow, dotted with beautiful flowers. In my dreams I was an old man, not a thirty-two-year-old man," Merid grinned.
"Let's make a deal? Everyone needs an incentive to survive and we won't get far on mine alone."
"What could be my incentive in such a situation? Will you take my cold body and bury me in a neighboring country, where the soil is not yet worked and the grass is still green?"
"No. What if I offer you to create this paradise on our land? I will bring you so many seeds of flowers and plants that you have never seen before that you will be able to sow the entire country."
"Sounds wonderful, but it will take me more than one lifetime."
"You won't be alone. Do you think there aren't a few dreamers and connoisseurs of beauty in our rotten country? Look, I'll show you what I've seen and what you can get."
Klaus touched the spot between Merid's eyebrows and showed him the greenhouses, the forest near Sasha's country house, the lawn, the mown grass of the stadium, the beautiful bushes, flower beds and trees growing among the city's high-rises. He also showed the unusual plants and flowers that he saw on the Internet when he was looking for a way to get his magical power back.
"That's what I saw, but there's so much more there that even I don't know about."
"Let's make a deal. If we survive today, you'll take me with you to that world so that I can study and collect specimens."
"I will even help you reduce the time for studying," Klaus grinned.
"Yes, Your Majesty, your power of knowledge transfer is much more valuable than deadly lightning."
They shook hands and simultaneously came out of hiding, fighting back the king's elite squad until they heard loud footsteps. The king was furious and each step, reinforced by his gravitational abilities, echoed throughout the palace.
"I will take the rest upon myself. Klaus, get the throne and give me the paradise you showed me."
With these words, he pushed the prince away, covering him from enemy attacks. He was left alone against six elite mages, allowing Klaus to go to meet the one he had been striving for so long.
Klaus crossed the distance between him and the king almost unhindered. He found himself in a spacious hall on the first floor. Ichiro was waiting for Klaus, surrounded by guards. The odds were clearly not on the prince's side.
"You," the king roared, seeing his son. "How dare you do such a thing! What kind of childish pranks are you! And you call yourself Deffender!"
"The result is what matters to me. How do you like it? An unexpected turn of events? Soon my army will reach the castle. Surrender."
The king burst into laughter. He unleashed even more power, not caring about his surroundings. The king's guards, the people who were supposed to protect him, fell one after another, unable to withstand the pressure.
Bang! The first head exploded. The crunch of breaking bones. Screams of excruciating pain. Blood flying in all directions, and only two people were still standing. Two representatives of the royal family. The father who did not spare his own soldiers and the son who could barely hold back the pressure with his barrier.
"You are digging your own hole. A minute ago you had the advantage. Now you are left alone."
"Do you think that a puppy like you can handle me? How high do you think of yourself? The fact that you are still standing on your feet is commendable, but will you be able to skillfully wield a sword in this state?"
The king pulled out an impressive sword from its sheath and pointed it at his son.
"Your war is over. I will hang your mutilated body for your soldiers to see, and then I will destroy everyone who was dear to you. I will especially have fun with the boy. I will cut off a piece of him."
Klaus's eyes turned bloodshot. His hands tightened on his katana. An enraged scream escaped his mouth.