A few hours earlier, just a few minutes after the spaceship in Almeida turned transparent and disappeared into nowhere without leaving a trace, Richard, Chiyoko, Ingrassia, and Aoto finally arrived at the royal palace.
The guard outside gets quite shocked by seeing the second Prince Richard back out of nowhere, getting confused about whether to stop him or ask where he had been.
But Richard and the others gave no attention to him and directly rushed inside. At the same time, Chiyoko and Aoto made sure to keep their attention in all directions for any surprise attack, their senses on high alert.
They ran through the long, decorated hallways, their footsteps echoing loudly on the marble floors.
They ignored any reactions or words coming from the guards present. A few guards even slowly followed them, as if wanting to say something, but the looks on their faces clearly said that they were just as confused by the situation as everyone else.
"Everyone!" Richard directly shouts the moment he bursts into the throne room, his voice filled with urgency and desperation.
Inside, everyone was present, just like before. By the looks of the tense atmosphere, most probably an important meeting was going on.
The throne seat for the king was empty, which did make it seem that they had yet to select a new king, although they already had. But Richard was already too stressed up to pay attention to that small detail.
Everyone's faces turn towards the large main entry door. The moment they saw Prince Richard, their mouths hung agape, and all of them stood up immediately.
"Prince Richard, you are back?" one of them says in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"You finally escaped from that wretched woman," another one says, a mix of relief and concern in his voice.
At that moment, Chiyoko and the others also catch up, standing beside Richard, their expressions serious and ready for a fight.
"Everyone, you are being manipulated! Didn't you all know that before their death, the Vice Captain of the Holy Knights came with one of his subordinates?" Richard shouts, his voice cracking with emotion, trying to make them see the truth.
"M-my prince, what happened to you? What are you talking about? That woman beheaded your father and brother in front of you. Don't you remember?" one of the members says, his face filled with pain and concern. The look on his face was clearly saying he wasn't lying; he truly believed what he was saying.
"Did she do something to you? Are you under her control? Blackmail?" Duchess Sophie says, taking a concerned step forward, her hand reaching out to him.
"Stay there, don't take another step!" Chiyoko interferes, unsheathing her sword immediately, the sharp sound of metal cutting through the tense silence.
Gasps fill the area, turning the atmosphere even more tense. The guards immediately came forward to resolve the situation, but Duchess Sophie and the others immediately gestured for them to step back and not interfere, their eyes fixed on the drawn sword.
"Prince Richard, I think you should relax and take a seat and remember more clearly. I'm sure you'll remember everything with time," the Duchess says, her voice soft and persuasive.
Richard could only bite his own lips in frustration and anger, the way they were speaking with so much confidence was making him doubt himself for a second.
"Tch... you need to remember the truth. What happened to you all?" he sighs, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Relax everyone, I will resolve this situation," another voice came from the right side of the sitting arrangement.
At that moment, another person comes from another entry gate of the throne room. It was a woman wearing knight armor with reddish-brown hair and matching eyes. She walked with an air of confidence, her steps measured and sure.
"It's you," Richard says, immediately taking a step back, his face paling.
Ingrassia's eyes widen as well, her body also tenses up, a look of fear on her face.
"You know her?" both Chiyoko and Aoto ask in unison, their eyes darting between Richard and the knight.
"Yes, she is Terrisa. Also from the Holy Knights. There's no doubt about it. They must have done something," Richard whispers.
Aoto and Chiyoko immediately went to the highest alert, their bodies tensing as they took their battle stances, ready for a fight.
But Terrisa's face was still as calm as ever, a small, almost mocking smile on her lips. She takes a step forward, not in a threatening way, but with a strange confidence, and extends her hand, palm open, as if offering a peaceful solution.
"How about you come with me? I'll dispel the hidden magic from you, and you'll remember everything. Just come with me," she says politely, her voice smooth and persuasive.
Her eyes turn to look at the others behind Richard. "You all are welcome as well. Soon enough, you'll realize the truth as well," she says, her gaze sweeping over them, as if she were certain they would all see things her way eventually.
"Like hell we'll fall for that," Chiyoko's lips twitch, his voice filled with disgust.
But as for Aoto, he had some other things going on in his mind. "She didn't reveal that I killed one of the Holy Knights? Did she forget, or they don't know about it?" he thought to himself, his mind racing. But he didn't dwell much on it, since it only benefited him that she didn't reveal it.
Terrisa sees their determined expressions and sighs.
"Tch, it seems I need to take you all forcefully," she says in a pissed-off voice, her calm demeanor finally cracking. She swings her spear in her hand, the weapon a blur of motion as she gets ready to attack.
"Is she gonna be super strong like Orihime?" Aoto mutters to himself, but he was still more than confident enough to fight with her, especially when he knew that Terrisa was not from the main branch of the Holy Knights. He had faced worse.
But before either of them could clash, a sudden movement caught everyone's eye.
BAM!...
A fist, glowing with a faint, otherworldly light, directly clashes against Terrisa's face out of nowhere. The impact was so fast and powerful that no one had time to react.
"Cosmic Punch!" Chiyoko exclaims, his voice a mix of pain and triumph.
A huge, condensed energy spreads through Terrisa's entire body, her eyes widening in shock for a split second before the force launches her into the air.
She was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing directly through the king's ornate throne, which splintered into a thousand pieces, and then through the heavy stone wall behind it. Yet there was no stopping her; she was sent flying fully outside, who knows how far, her figure disappearing into the distance.
Meanwhile, Chiyoko also falls to his knees, a cry of pain escaping his lips. His right hand was completely turned purple and black with swelling, looking like it would tear apart itself, the skin cracking and oozing blood.
"Urgh... ouch!" he grits his teeth, enduring the searing pain that shot up his arm, his face contorted in agony.
With his unique skill: Imitation, he could use anyone's moves he had seen. And Cosmic Punch was the most powerful offense which the third demon king used, the strongest move he had ever seen in his life. He just decided to use his trump card from the start, knowing that a half-measure wouldn't work against a Holy Knight.
But of course, even after training so many times, every time he used it, his hands got heavily damaged.
Screams and shouts fill the throne room, the nobles and officials panicking at the sudden violence.
"Ahhh... they have gone insane! There's no point in having a conversation!" someone shouts, their voice filled with terror.
At once, many of them try to run away immediately, scrambling over each other to get to the doors. The guards, snapping out of their shock, immediately rush to attack them, but Aoto and Richard both hold them back easily, their movements swift and efficient.
Meanwhile, Ingrassia immediately rushes to Chiyoko's side, her face full of worry. "Why did you do it now? It's gonna take days to heal again," she says, her voice trembling as she looks at his mangled hand.
"Don't worry, it was better this way. Although I don't know if she's dead or alive, we need to go," he says, putting strength in his knees to stand up, his body trembling with the effort.
He looks at Aoto and Richard, who were engaged in a fight with the knights, their swords clashing in a flurry of steel.
"There's no point in being here. They are under their control. Let's run away," he says, his voice urgent.
Richard looks back at him and nods lightly. He too realized that nothing was going to work here; they were fighting against a lie that had already taken root.
"Everyone get close to me!" Aoto shouts, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The others did as he said without doubting him for a second, gathering around him in a tight circle.
At once, the whole ground beneath them turns into a jelly-like substance, bubbling up and down, throwing all the guards in all directions, their cries of surprise filling the air as they lost their footing.
"Let's run now!" Aoto says, running at the very front, leading the way, while Chiyoko, Ingrassia, and Richard follow closely from behind, their hearts pounding in their chests.
The guards weren't much of a problem for them now, their strength was too much for mere guards or knights. The only fear was of another Holy Knight appearing, which is why they were trying to run away as fast as possible, their footsteps echoing in the long hallways.
"It would've been better if we had gone to Darwitz directly," Ingrassia sighs as she runs through the hallway, her breath coming in ragged gasps, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.