Elysia swung her Silver Ice sword.
Arcs of Frost-Fire trailed in the air as she lashed out at the dragon.
But the flames flickered and died against Salvaris's ancient scales.
Her attacks were doing nothing.
High above, Elysia and Salvaris engaged in a deadly aerial dance.
The dragon was incinerating the open wasteland outside the walls.
"Lunara! Get me close enough to jump!" Elysia shouted over the wind.
"I have to destroy its core from within!"
Lunara lunged forward, but Salvaris's tail slammed into them like a ram.
They were sent hurtling through the air, but Lunara regained its balance.
Finally, they reached the dragon's back.
Elysia leaped onto its spine, the 25-meter beast thrashing violently.
She hacked at its skin, but the blade barely left a scratch.
Elysia closed her eyes, focusing every ounce of her will.
Her sword pulsed with a sudden, eerie light.
She thrust the blade downward.
Instead of hitting scales, the tip vanished into thin air.
It slipped through the fabric of space itself.
Splat.
A sickening sound of a direct stab echoed.
The dragon let out a pained roar, its flight becoming erratic.
It began to plummet toward the earth.
Elysia hopped back onto Lunara just as the beast crashed below.
"That was my Space Slashing Cut," Elysia panted, clutching her side.
"I had to destroy his core by cutting through space itself."
"Master... your eye! What happened?" Lunara asked.
"It's nothing. The Queen did this," Elysia replied coldly.
"Take me back. I can feel the enemies' presence from here."
At the kingdom's gates, Treyan was relentless.
His ice-disc swords turned into a whirlwind of blades.
A disc hissed toward Commander Elvis, who dodged by a hair.
Treyan lunged with monstrous claws, but a heavy thud rang out.
Kling's staff slammed into Treyan's face, sending him reeling.
Elvis seized the opening.
He pulled five glowing, marble-like orbs from his pocket.
He scattered them around Treyan, pinning him in a formation.
Elvis channeled a blinding Solar Burst into one marble.
The light reflected between the spheres, intensifying.
A massive Star-Shaped Inferno erupted, 100 meters high.
The pillar of flame scorched the sky, launching Treyan upward.
Treyan's body was charred, but he was still breathing.
As he fell, he hurled a final disc with localized fury.
The blade tore through Commander Jems's shoulder.
It pinned him to the ground, and Jems lost consciousness instantly.
"JEMS!" Kling roared.
Treyan attempted a final strike with jagged ice spikes.
But Kling reacted with lethal speed, impaling Treyan's chest with his staff.
With a surge of gravity magic, Treyan's monstrous form finally fell still.
Kling pulled his staff out in a fit of pure rage.
He began shattering Treyan's remains into frozen shards.
"You bastard! You nearly killed my friend! Die! Die!"
Finally, his breath ragged, Kling calmed down.
He rushed to Jems, tearing his own cloak to bind the wound.
"Elvis, listen to me," Kling said, his voice hard.
"You need to retreat. Take Jems back to Helmora now."
"But you three can't do this alone!" Elvis argued.
"DO AS I SAY!" Kling barked. "Get him to a healer!"
Elvis hesitated, then nodded.
He placed Jems on a Solar horse and galloped toward the horizon.
The kingdom was silent as Elysia flew Lunara into the castle.
She surveyed the destruction and marched straight to the cells.
"Liuke, you must stay safe," she said, her voice softening.
"As long as I am breathing, no one is taking you away."
She left Lunara to guard the cell, ensuring no escape.
Outside the main halls, the castle gates groaned and shattered.
Lak and Yui stood amidst the wreckage, facing a sea of royal guards.
"We have to end this quickly," Lak muttered.
Inside the cell, Liuke sat in a corner, his mind spiraling.
He clutched his head as the weight of the war crashed down.
"Is all of this because of me?" he whispered to the shadows.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind... what am I supposed to do, Should I run away? Should I stay here? What can I do with my life?"