"Eudia?" Aetus called, his voice low and urgent.
Eudia raised her hands, beginning to chant. "Aqua sumae, volu—"
A sudden blur. Aetus lunged, grabbing her mid-spell and yanking her away.
Ragor's foot slammed down where she had stood a moments ago, burying his foot in the ground with a deafening crash.
Eudia gasped, barely comprehending what had happened.
"You're not supposed to—" Aetus started.
Before he could finish, he shoved Eudia behind him and raised his sword just in time.
Ragor's punch connected. Aetus braced himself, but the sheer force sent him hurtling backward.
"Aquam glacem in hostem—Frozen Slice!" Eudia chanted, wasting no time.
Shards of ice streaked through the air, slicing toward Ragor in a flurry of frost. The attack was meant as a distraction, buying them precious seconds.
She dashed toward Aetus, who was panting as he pushed himself up. They were now closer to the King, Queen Ann, and Lucas—who had already turned, eyes locking onto them in alarm.
Eudia wasted no time. "Aqua sumae, voluntati tua—" she began, her voice steady as she channeled her healing magic.
But Ragor, having just shaken off the ice from her previous attack, was already charging toward them again.
"Lumina, donum potestas—Luminous Cage!" Lucas incanted, summoning a pillar of radiant light to trap Ragor mid-charge.
For a moment, it seemed to hold—but Ragor simply grabbed the glowing construct and shattered it with brute force.
"Recovery!" Eudia completed her spell just in time, a soothing energy enveloping Aetus, mending his wounds and gradually restoring his strength.
Ragor slowed his attacks, wary of a healed Aetus. He knew recklessness could cost him.
"Exi flamma, consumere in mea voluntas—Fireball!" the King chanted, hurling flames at a Gromble that had stunned Lucas. The creature fell, buying Lucas time to recover.
He staggered but remained standing. More Grombles swarmed, he regained his composure but he was already being overwhelmed.
"Eudia, help them!" Aetus commanded. "I'll handle this one myself."
Eudia hesitated, glancing at Aetus, but then leaped toward Lucas, casting spells to fend off the relentless Grombles.
"Are you sure about that?" Ragor sneered, his tone dripping with deceit.
Meanwhile, Lucas's defenses around the King crumbled. The aging ruler, past his prime, showed clear exhaustion after casting several fireballs.
Ann, who had no magic of her own, panicked. "I am not supposed to die here!" she cried, then turned and bolted away from the King's side.
"Ann!" the King called after her.
Aetus' eyes widened. "Lucas! Her Highness!"
But before he could act, Ragor lunged at him, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"Don't lose your focus!"
Aetus clashed with Ragor in a fierce exchange of strikes and counters.
Meanwhile, the King, trying to catch up with Ann, found himself targeted by Grombles closing in from behind.
"Aquamenta, aliorum tutela—Ice Wall!" Eudia chanted, raising a thick barrier of ice just in time to separate the King from the advancing creatures.
Lucas, momentarily off balance thinking of protecting the King, regained his footing as Eudia's spell held firm.
With the King momentarily safe, Eudia turned to assist Lucas, fending off and eliminating the remaining Grombles.
King Theodorus took a deep breath, then continued his pursuit of Ann.
Suddenly, a Gromble soared past him, crashing into the royal castle's stone walls and falling down on the ground.
The King pivoted, shifting his focus.
As he rushed toward the dazed creature, it recovered and charged blindly—straight into him.
Reacting instantly, Theodorus raised his hand and unleashed a fireball, striking the Gromble down before it could regain control.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, a devastating sight unfolded before Theodorus.
Ann, who had been desperately trying to flee back inside the castle, lay crushed behind the fallen Gromble—lifeless.
Theodorus dropped to his knees, his body trembling at the horrifying scene.
Meanwhile, Eudia and Lucas stood firm, holding the line against the remaining Grombles. Fighting side by side, they cut down any monster that dared approach.
At the same time, Aetus and Ragor, both battered and exhausted, reached a brutal stalemate.
Ragor's once-rapid self-recovery had slowed, while Aetus, barely standing, leaned heavily on his sword, which was driven into the ground for support.
Ragor sneered, but his eyes flickered with unease. "My main body…!" he muttered, before abruptly turning and retreating—fleeing the kingdom in a frantic rush.
Eudia and Lucas, now gaining the upper hand, overwhelmed the remaining Grombles in their area.
Though battles still raged across the kingdom, Lucas could already see victory within reach—especially with Ragor's retreat signaling their enemy's crumbling morale.
Aetus, still standing despite his wounds, barely processed the sight of Ragor escaping. Then, as if a name had been pulled from his very soul, he whispered, "Mortus…"
And with that, he collapsed.
Lucas, startled at first, brightened with hope. "We have won! Mortus must have—"
Before he could finish, a body came hurtling over the kingdom's wall. It slammed into the stone with a sickening crack before crumpling lifelessly to the ground.
A heavy silence fell over those who witnessed it. Their faces turned grim, their breath caught in their throats.
Lucas took a step forward, his voice barely above a whisper. "Was that… Mortus?"
Eudia's eyes widened in horror. Without hesitation, she sprinted toward the fallen knight, while chanting her healing spell.
But as she knelt beside him, her breath hitched. Mortus' body was broken—his limbs twisted at unnatural angles, his face mutilated.
Her magic flickered… then failed.
Lucas fell to his knees, his voice trembling. "What happened?" he repeated, his mind struggling to grasp the situation.
Then, without warning, the remaining Grombles collapsed—one by one, as if the very life had been drained from them.
Eudia, still reeling from Mortus' death, forced herself to move. With the battle seemingly over, she turned and rushed back toward the castle, desperate to assess the situation within.
Lucas remained where he was, his grief anchoring him to the ground, whispering 'what happened?' over and over again.
"Shortly after… you arrived."
King Theodorus' voice was hollow as he finished recounting the battle. His eyes, heavy with grief, remained fixed on his fallen queen.
Lyra stood frozen, struggling to process everything she had just heard. Beside her, Reiji stepped toward Aetus, kneeling to check for signs of life.
The silence between the king and his daughter stretched on, heavy and unbroken.
Reiji placed two fingers on Aetus' neck. "A faint pulse. He was alive—but barely."
"It's not his injuries keeping him unconscious…" Reiji thought, assessing the knight's condition after he used his ability. "He's completely drained."
Rising to his feet, he approached the grieving king.
"I can at least make her whole," Reiji offered, his voice low but steady.