"Father?" Bandruí's voice wavered as she stared at Christopher.
"Yeah, it's me," he said, his voice low but steady. "No time for a family reunion, though." He nodded toward the towering figure of Emperor Ghirthal IV.
Ghirthal's golden eyes narrowed as he regarded Christopher. "Ah, the reality-bender returns. Stripped of his power, yet still clinging to defiance. How quaint."
Christopher smirked, lighting another cigarette with shaking hands. "You talk too much, mate."
The Emperor's laughter echoed, his elite guard stepping forward. "Kill them," Ghirthal commanded with a flick of his wrist. "Make their end a spectacle worthy of my new world."
The elite guard surged forward, their blades and maces glowing with dark energy. The Vanguard met them head-on, their unity and determination cutting through the chaos.
Arthur led the charge, Excalibur blazing with celestial light as it clashed with the corrupted weapons of Ghirthal's soldiers. "For Camelot!" he roared, driving his blade through one of the guards.
Firebrand's flames engulfed another, his strikes brutal and unrelenting. "You picked the wrong world to mess with!"
Shadowleaf leaped from spire to spire, her arrows striking with pinpoint precision. Each shot carried a trace of her shadow magic, disorienting and disabling her targets.
Fantasia worked feverishly on her equipment, scanning for weaknesses in Ghirthal's armour. "I need more time!" she shouted over the din of battle.
Pepsi unleashed waves of psychic energy, her luminous form glowing brighter with every attack. "We can't hold them off forever!"
Bandruí's fae guardians swirled around her, their combined power shielding the team from the brunt of the guards' attacks. She looked at Christopher. "We need a plan!"
While the Vanguard battled the guards, Christopher stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Ghirthal.
"You think this is your world now," Christopher said, his tone cold. "But you don't know the first thing about fighting for it."
Ghirthal sneered, raising a hand. "And what would you know of power, Shaman? You are nothing here."
"Maybe," Christopher replied, tossing his cigarette aside. "But I've always been good at punching above my weight."
The Emperor lunged, his form moving faster than seemed possible. Christopher barely dodged, rolling to the side as Ghirthal's blade slashed through the air.
Arthur joined the fray, Excalibur colliding with Ghirthal's weapon in a clash of light and shadow. "Your tyranny ends here, Emperor!"
Ghirthal laughed, the force of his parry sending Arthur sprawling. "Tyranny? This is perfection!"
Fantasia's voice crackled through the comms. "I've found the weak point in his armour—it's tied to the Reality Engine's remnants. If we can overload the core, it'll sever his connection to the merged reality!"
Bandruí's eyes widened. "But that would destabilise everything. Both worlds could collapse!"
Fantasia hesitated. "It's a risk. If we don't, he'll become unstoppable."
Christopher stepped forward. "Do it."
Bandruí turned to him, her voice breaking. "Father, you don't have your powers. If this goes wrong—"
He placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression soft. "It's worth it. For you. For all of us."
While the Vanguard fought to hold off the guards, Fantasia activated the core destabilizer. A high-pitched whine filled the chamber as the remnants of the Reality Engine began to overload.
Ghirthal faltered, his movements growing sluggish. "What... what is this?" he snarled.
"Your leash," Christopher replied, lunging forward with a blade he had taken from a fallen guard. The strike connected, slicing through the weakened joints of Ghirthal's armour.
The Emperor screamed, his golden eyes blazing as he unleashed a shockwave of dark energy. The Vanguard was thrown back, their bodies hitting the ground with bone-jarring force.
Arthur struggled to his feet, Excalibur glowing faintly. "We end this. Together."
Bandruí summoned her fae guardians, their combined energy converging into a spear of light. Pepsi added her psychic force, while Firebrand and Shadowleaf coordinated a final assault.
As Ghirthal prepared to strike again, Christopher charged. With a roar, he plunged the glowing spear into the Emperor's chest, piercing the corrupted core that fuelled his power.
The chamber erupted in a blinding explosion of light and shadow, the force tearing through the merged reality.
When the light faded, the Vanguard found themselves back in Camelot. The twisted remnants of Celantheris were gone, replaced by the familiar stone walls and rolling hills of Earth.
Bandruí searched the rubble frantically. "Father!" she called, her voice breaking.
Christopher emerged from the dust, coughing and grinning. "Told you I'd make it."
She threw her arms around him, tears streaming down her face. "Don't ever do that again."
Arthur stood nearby, Excalibur planted in the ground. "The world owes you a debt, Shaman."
Christopher lit another cigarette, his hands trembling. "Let's just make sure it stays worth saving."