Sound of light footsteps echoing against the cold stone spiral staircase.
Laufey ascended to the top floor of the observatory tower. She stopped, her emerald eyes scanning the surroundings—at the center of the room stood a colossal telescope, its polished glass lens pointed toward the vast sky through the dome's open glass ceiling. The silence of the place contrasted sharply with the high-pitched whirring of drones hunting the bat demons below.
But she had no time for distractions. Her slender fingers parted slightly from her sides, grazing the air as she slowly spun in place. Her movements were steady, deliberate, as magic coursed through her veins, sending out pulses of energy to survey the room.
She halted. For a brief moment, as if sensing something, she instinctively lifted her gaze. Her eyes glowed like emeralds catching the light. And then she saw it—
The sacred stone emerged before her sight—a fragment of pure white brilliance shimmering in the shadows. Its edges bore deep cracks, as if compressed under an unimaginable force, yet the fractures gleamed with a radiant golden glow. The intricate web of cracks looked almost like the threads of fate being rewoven.
It was encased within a transparent crystal sphere, gleaming under the flickering light. Chains of enchanted steel coiled tightly around it, suspending it from the dome's peak like a celestial chandelier.
Laufey reached out her hand, preparing to cast a spell to unbind the chains—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunfire split through the air. A drone shot in through the balcony, its aim locked onto her before unloading a barrage of bullets like a storm of iron rain.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets struck Laufey's body—but instead of piercing through, they ricocheted off in golden flashes. Her magic shield held firm, but the impact sent objects flying. Shards of tile scattered, wooden floorboards cracked under the force.
She spun around, her eyes blazing with fury. But before she could retaliate against the nuisance, the sound of heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs.
"Found you!"
Tae burst onto the scene—just as another round of gunfire rained down on him!
"Oh, hell no—!"
Tae leapt, twisting midair to evade the bullets before landing back on his feet. But at that very moment—
CRACK!
A metallic snap rang out. A stray bullet had struck one of the chains suspending the crystal sphere.
And the chain broke.
The sealed sacred stone plummeted downward, obeying gravity's call—
CRASH!!
A deafening impact reverberated through the room as the sphere smashed into the colossal telescope. The glass lens shattered into countless shards, metal fragments flung in all directions, the screeching sound of grinding metal tearing through the air.
The sacred stone was flung aside, unnoticed by anyone.
Laufey barely lifted a finger, and the drone was crushed midair by an invisible force, its metal remains reduced to dust. Then, she turned sharply toward Tae, her expression livid.
—
Meanwhile, the bat demon under relentless drone attacks began to lose patience. One of them flapped its wings with such force that the wind howled through the space. Then, with a swipe of its claws, it tore a drone apart, sending its wreckage spiraling downward in flames of electric blue.
But it didn't end there—
A piercing screech echoed like a shockwave.
From thin air, a swarm of bats, numbering in the hundreds, burst forth as if emerging from another dimension. They lunged at the remaining drones, their thin wings slamming into the machines, igniting explosions one after another. The sky rained down fragments of metal and fire.
From his vantage point, Max swiftly raised his bow. A flash of blue flickered across his vision before he loosed an arrow, sending it soaring through the air—
CRACK!
Golden lightning branched out from the arrow's path, forming an intricate web. The electric current surged through the summoned swarm, and in perfect unison, the bats fell from the sky.
Aém arrived just in time to witness the scene. Panting slightly, he looked up at the falling creatures.
"That was ridiculously cool—"
But before he could finish his sentence, the bodies descending from the sky changed.
Their forms morphed—gaunt, pale figures with hollow eyes and torn wings. Their skeletal structures peeked through thin, lifeless skin. Every bat that had been struck by Max's attack had transformed into grotesque humanoid creatures, numbering in the hundreds.
They steadied themselves midair, then let out an ear-splitting shriek before diving straight toward Max and Aém.
"Why the hell did you shoot them?!" Aém shouted in panic.
At the same time, the bat demon, freed from the drone swarm, quickly flew back to the observatory tower. Princess Zan urgently warned through her earpiece while she was dodging bullets from the vampire prince.
"Who's at the observatory? It's heading there now!"
"It's me!" Tae shouted back as he swung his nano-blade at the vampire witch—
But before the tip of the blade could make contact, the witch's hand lightly touched the blade's tip, almost weightlessly, and then used her magical hat to push it away.
The massive force from the reflection sent Tae flying, crashing against a stone pillar.
"Ugh!" Tae grunted in pain. "I... need backup!"
"I can't help! It's called a hundred bats!" Aém shouted while running away with Max.
On the airship, Piana looked down at the same bat demon flying past. Her face showed determination, and she raised her hands together.
"I'll deal with this beast!"
A massive magical chain shot from the tip of her finger, wrapping the bat demon's body tightly. She pulled the chain, hoping to restrain it, but its force was too powerful to control.
"Nooo—!!!"
Piana was yanked off the airship in the blink of an eye, her body floating mid-air as her tragic scream echoed.
At the same time, the vampire prince's last set of bullets ran out.
Click!
The sound of an empty chamber echoed through the air. For a brief moment, the vampire prince's eyes went blank.
Princess Zan's eyes gleamed with mockery. "Seems like playtime is over." She tightened her grip on her sword, amber eyes glaring at her opponent.
Princess Zan swiftly flicked her wrist, using the hand holding the sword to strike a small button on the bracelet on her other wrist.
Beep! A flash of blue light blinked for a split second.
Whoosh! Her body warped and vanished before anyone could blink, leaving only the reverberation of emptiness.
The vampire prince stood motionless, as if his brain had stopped processing for a moment, his face showing utter confusion.
…
A gust of wind howled through the observatory tower. Tae could barely stay on his feet after taking the full force of the vampire witch's attack. He was flung backward, nearly reaching the edge of the balcony. His nano armor absorbed some of the impact, but sharp pain still surged through his body.
Laufey stepped forward slowly, her cold green eyes locked onto him. Raising her hand once more, magical energy crackled at her fingertips, ready to end him once and for all.
But in that split second—
Princess Zan shot out from a warp platform at the corner of the observatory. The momentum from her leap sent her plummeting like a falling star, her knee slamming squarely into Laufey's back.
"Ugh!"
Laufey's eyes widened as she was thrown against the observatory wall, causing a deep crack to form. Fragments of stone rained down. She struggled to regain her footing, one hand pressing against the ground, her body momentarily numb from the impact.
"That was close!" Tae panted, pushing himself up, relief flashing in his eyes.
Princess Zan flipped onto her feet, dusting off her sleeve. Her sharp gaze fixed on Laufey, who was still trying to rise.
"Laufey, let this end," the princess said, her voice calm but filled with authority.
Laufey wiped the corner of her mouth, twisting her wrist.
"Who is Laufey?" she sneered before preparing a counterattack.
But just then—
"ROAAAAARRRR!!!"
A deafening roar from the bat demon shook the entire observatory. The sound rumbled through the walls, making even the stone tremble.
BOOOOM!!!
The monstrous creature crashed into the observatory tower!
The sheer force shattered massive chunks of stone, sending shockwaves rippling across the floor like an earthquake. Everyone had to leap away to avoid being crushed by the falling debris.
A sacred stone tumbled into a gaping hole in the ground, the sharp clack-clack of its descent echoing into the abyss.
"The sacred stone!" Princess Zan gasped, but it was too late.
The bat demon pulled itself from the rubble, baring its fangs before slamming a massive fist into the floor in fury.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the observatory floor, the ground splitting apart. Shattered bricks and dust filled the air, and the demon's roar sent vibrations rattling through everyone's bones.
Dodging the tremors, Princess Zan raised her arms to shield her face while Tae jumped back to steady himself as parts of the wall crumbled away.
The bat demon leaped into the pit, its eyes locked onto the glowing sacred stone amidst the swirling dust. It let out another furious roar and raised its fist high—before bringing it down with all its might!
THUD!
…Nothing happened. The sacred stone remained unscathed.
Princess Zan and Tae cautiously approached the edge of the pit, watching as the bat demon continued hammering the stone in frustration. But no matter how many times it struck, the stone remained untouched.
Then—
A strange sound caught Princess Zan's attention. She turned sharply toward it and saw…
Piana standing a short distance away. Surrounding her were four magical portal sigils, glowing dimly in each direction. Ancient runes shimmered within them, and at that moment, she traced the final rune into one of the portals.
Outside the observatory—
Max and Aém were sprinting through the streets, dodging swarms of bat-like humanoids chasing them down. But suddenly—
The creatures froze mid-air before their bodies collapsed to the ground, lifeless, like machines abruptly shut down.
The two slowed their pace, glancing at each other before Max instinctively looked up at the sky.
Above the city, four runic symbols glowed on the dome-like barrier, pulsing brilliantly at each cardinal point.
It was then that he understood—
This was Piana's doing.