Willem charged toward Therence, his sword flashing through the shadows. He thrust forward, but Therence evaded easily, the faint smirk on his face untouched by the tension in the air. With a casual gesture, he summoned a spell of conjuration — and in an instant, dozens of monsters erupted from the ground around him, each howling as they rushed at Willem.
Without hesitation, Willem dashed forward. The monsters lunged from all sides, but his blade moved faster than their claws could reach. In the blink of an eye, he cut through them all, slicing the summoned beasts apart as he advanced toward Therence with fury burning in his eyes.
Willem raised his sword again, swinging at Therence's neck — the strike came within a hair's breadth, but Therence twisted away at the last possible moment.
Therence: "Your level seems to be improving, I must say."
Willem (steadying for another strike): "Then stop talking so much."
With that, Willem launched himself forward again, the floor cracking beneath his boots.
Meanwhile, inside the castle…
Sherlock Holmes, Nila, and Henry fought side by side, their weapons flashing under the dim blue lights as they cut down waves of monsters flooding the grand hall.
Sherlock Holmes: "We must finish them quickly if we are to assist Willem!"
Nila: "What do you think we're doing?"
Their voices echoed through the chaos as they fought, the walls trembling with the thunder of distant spells.
Elsewhere in the castle…
Liner: "But I saw you die."
Alice: "You say it as if you enjoyed watching it. What a pity to have a brother like you."
Alice raised her dagger and lunged at him. But in one motion, Liner caught her weapon midair — the sheer pressure of his grip crushed the metal slightly. His eyes burned with anger.
Liner (furious): "If you were truly my sister, you would've told me to do better… to make up for what I've lost. But you're too foolish to even imitate something that simple."
He crushed the dagger completely in his bare hand, letting the shards fall. Then he reached for his own dagger on the floor, moved like lightning, and plunged it into the fake Alice's chest.
The impostor gasped, crawling backward across the floor.
Fake Alice (screaming): "Lieth Eve Toy!"
Liner (coldly): "I've heard that phrase before… Let your death be mercy for this world."
Fake Alice (nervously): "Tsk—"
Suddenly, a swarm of green butterflies surrounded her, enveloping her body. The light shimmered — and when it faded, she was gone.
Liner: "May the day come when I finally take your head for what you've done."
At the Night Flame Café…
Lorth charged at the puppet of Lieth Eve Toy, thrusting his weapon forward. But the puppet's body split apart into hundreds of floating pieces, dodging the strike, before reassembling itself in a blur. As it completed its form, Artina appeared beside it, her hands blazing with golden fire.
She ignited the puppet — flames burst across its frame — but the creature spun violently, extinguishing the blaze almost instantly.
Lorth: "Thanks for coming with me."
Artina: "Let's get rid of it first."
Both of them dashed forward. They surrounded the puppet, striking from both sides with furious precision. Then, suddenly, Caspar leaped in, grabbed the puppet by its head, and slammed it into the floor with crushing force.
The puppet twisted around his arm, releasing a burst of magical energy that aimed to blast through his chest—
Lorth: "Get your head down!"
Caspar ducked, and Lorth shifted his weapon into magnum form. He fired. The blast tore through the puppet, sending it rolling across the floor. But before they could relax, the puppet's fragments pulsed and reassembled, faster than before. It dashed toward Lorth with deadly intent.
Artina's eyes flashed; she spread her hands, summoning a circle of glowing paper sigils. Golden fire erupted again, wrapping the puppet in light. Still, the creature pushed forward through the flames.
Lorth changed his weapon once more — the magnum became a massive hammer. He slammed it down with all his strength. The puppet flew upward from the impact.
At that moment, Maria appeared in the air behind it. She unleashed a gust of magic wind that crushed the puppet into the ground, and Lorth descended from above, smashing it again and again with his hammer until the floor cracked beneath them.
But even then, the puppet began to regenerate. Its body writhed unnaturally as new limbs formed.
Then—
A gunshot.
The bullet struck straight through its head.
Lorth froze, eyes wide. He turned toward the entrance — and saw a man wearing a black skull mask step inside, holding a dark magnum. One glowing red eye shone beneath the mask.
Without a word, the stranger fired again and again, bullets ripping through the puppet until its head exploded into fragments. When the smoke cleared, the masked man whistled softly. A metallic horse approached from the shadows. He mounted it, still silent, and rode away into the mist.
Back in the royal courtyard…
Willem charged forward once more, sword blazing with energy. He tried to find a weakness in Therence's defense, but every attempt was countered by another wave of monsters. The air filled with shrieks and claws, but Willem's blade cut through them like a storm.
Then, in a shimmer of magic, Therence conjured a copy of Willem himself — a perfect mirror of his movements and strength.
The clone lunged.
Willem changed his stance — a sudden, unfamiliar style no one had ever seen. His blade danced in impossible angles. Within seconds, the copy was torn apart by a dozen lethal slashes, each one precise and brutal.
Therence Louskar: "Such power… truly fascinating."
Willem (wiping blood from his face): "Playtime's over."
He launched forward, his sword blazing white. Before Therence could react, Willem was already in front of him, swinging for his torso. A cloud of black ravens burst into existence, intercepting the strike. The swarm clashed against the blade, scattering into shadows.
Therence leaped backward, his expression tightening. Flames and frost erupted from his hands — twin elements swirling together into a devastating storm. He hurled it at Willem, who dashed through the barrage, slashing through bursts of fire and ice alike.
Therence summoned a massive ogre to block him.
But before the beast could strike—
Sherlock Holmes appeared behind it, slicing its head clean off.
Sherlock Holmes: "He's yours, Willem!"
Willem surged ahead, his every step breaking the ground. He cut through everything Therence conjured — beasts, shadows, spells — all fell before him.
Therence's confidence began to waver, his smirk fading.
Then, suddenly, he laughed.
Therence: "You've walked right into my trap!"
The air trembled. Dozens of small dragons appeared around Willem, their roars shaking the courtyard. They lunged all at once — but before they could reach him, Hunter and Phantom descended from above, cutting through the dragons in a single instant.
Phantom: "Game's over, Lieth Eve Toy."
Lieth EveToy: "Tsk."
The villain tried to summon ravens around him, gathering shadows to escape. Phantom was faster. He pierced Lieth's chest with his blade.
Phantom: "You're not escaping this time. Not after what you did to Iona."
Lieth (grinning weakly): "You mean that moon witch? How pathetic… that you'd care about someone after all these years — and her, of all people."
Phantom: "As if you're in any position to speak."
He drove the blade deeper.
Lieth (screaming): "Couldn't you make this a little easier!?"
Phantom: "Fine then— take this."
Crimson energy surged around Phantom. Dozens of arrows formed from pure red aura, glowing with the pulse of blood.
Willem (staring, shocked): "What the hell… is that the Dragon of Blood?"
Hunter (coldly): "You've got a good eye, I suppose."
Suddenly, a jester materialized out of nowhere, firing a magical arrow that forced Phantom to retreat. His sword remained lodged in Lieth's chest, but the villain ripped it free and tossed it aside, his wound already closing.
The Jester: "A splendid performance… but I can't afford to lose someone like him just yet."
Lieth (opening a portal): "Until we meet again, revolutionary warrior."
Phantom: "And may your grave be waiting there."
Willem: "Why didn't you chase him?"
Hunter: "Because Lieth rigged himself with explosive magic. If the boss attacked, he'd be blown to pieces."
Willem: "I see… and who exactly are you two?"
Hunter: "The last remaining hunters of that bastard."
The wind howled, carrying the smell of smoke and blood across the ruined courtyard as the stars flickered faintly above.