Neptune, who had been lost in the forest for days, finally saw the outline of a city in the distance. His body was limp, his breathing labored.
"Haa... haa... finally out of that damn forest..." he muttered hoarsely. "I won't forgive you, damn Exone..."
With unsteady steps, he entered the city and approached one of the residents.
"Hey, what is this place? What is the name of this city?" he asked sharply.
"This is Azura City," replied the resident kindly.
"Azura? Never heard of it."
"Oh, this city was previously called Tazer. After the former ruler was killed by Exone, we discussed it and decided to rename the city Azura, which means freedom. We didn't want to be tied to the old name anymore... now we are truly free."
Neptune furrowed his brow. "Tazer...? As I recall, that was a city ravaged by severe drought, right? And Exone did all this?!"
"That's right, sir. They are the ones who made this land fertile again. They built houses, waterways, farms... all thanks to Exone."
"What are their characteristics?"
"Two children. A boy with black hair, about 160 cm tall, and a girl with blue hair, about 155 cm tall. Both are wearing black robes."
"Their next destination?"
"They said they were going to Puari City."
"I see..." Neptune glanced into the distance. "I want to see the former ruler's mansion."
He walked into the large hallway of the old mansion. As he stepped further inside, the atmosphere around him changed drastically. The temperature dropped suddenly, and frost began to cover the walls.
"What?!" Neptune clenched his fists. "How dare you... insult my king like this!" he muttered, full of anger. "I won't let you die peacefully... Exone!"
He immediately left the city, his eyes filled with rage.
Some residents who witnessed Neptune's departure began whispering to each other.
"That person... seems powerful."
"Yes, he's clearly the one who chased Exone. Let's report this to the ruler."
They immediately headed to the new mansion built for Pirlo, the city's new ruler. The old mansion was left standing as a historical witness, the place where Exone first declared war on the king.
In front of Pirlo, the residents explained what had happened. Hearing the news, Pirlo immediately took the long-distance communication device previously given to him by Arya.
"Hello, this is Pirlo. Can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can hear you," replied Arya's voice from the other end. "What's up, Pirlo?"
"A suspicious man just came to town. He asked who liberated this city and what you guys look like. The residents suspect he's after you."
"Good. That means it's going according to plan. We'll wait for him in Puari City."
"His characteristics," continued Pirlo, "he said the man had white hair and was about 175 cm tall. And... after he entered the old mansion, the hallway suddenly froze."
"Haha... froze, huh? That means our provocation worked," Arya chuckled lightly.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Don't worry. We'll kill him."
"Well then, good luck. See you later."
"See you later."
Arya lowered his communication device.
"Dina, are you sure you still want to fight him alone?"
"Of course," Dina replied casually. "I'm strong."
"All right. But I have a suggestion,don't just rely on brute strength. You can channel your magic into your dagger, right?"
"Yes... so far I've only fought guards. Only once did I channel magic into my dagger."
"Our opponent this time is flexible. He can fight at close range, long range, and has a wide attack area. Don't underestimate him."
"Ready."
They were now in the forest before the city of Puari. Five days had passed, but the white-haired man had not yet appeared.
"We've been waiting here for five days, but why is there no sign of him?" asked Dina, annoyed. "This is the only route from Azura to Puari, right?"
"Yes... maybe he went back? Or got lost?" Arya shrugged.
"How about we go pick him up?" suggested Dina.
"Agreed. Waiting is boring."
They walked back towards Azura City. Halfway there, Dina saw someone.
"Hey, Ar... that's the tall, white-haired man. Is that him? But why is he still here after five days?!"
"He's stupid, isn't he?" Arya frowned.
"Seeing him eating tree roots because he's starving... I don't feel like killing him anymore," said Dina listlessly.
"Yeah, I feel sorry for him too."
Suddenly, the man noticed them.
"Who's there?!" he shouted alertly.
"Oh no, we've been spotted," whispered Dina.
"You guys... Exone, right?! You bastards! Because of you, I'm lost in the forest!" Neptune shouted angrily.
Dina responded casually. "If you have no sense of direction, why did you go alone?"
"Shut up! I won't forgive you! Especially since you insulted my king!" Neptune raised his hand. "Glacier Lance!"
Instantly, an ice spear shot towards them.
"Watch out!" Arya moved quickly, pulling Dina back.
"Whoa! Suddenly attacking like that!" exclaimed Dina.
"Are you sure you can do this alone?"
"Calm down. Let me handle this. You just watch."
"Okay. Good luck."
Neptune growled. "Only girls are stepping forward? Are you underestimating me?!"
Dina smiled slightly. "Arya is much stronger than me. But I'm enough to deal with someone like you."
"Frost Fang!"
Ice fangs burst from the ground, but Dina had already flown into the air.
"Wind Step!" With the wind supporting her, she dodged. "Wind Slash!"
Neptune spread his arms. "Ice Aegis!" An ice shield appeared, blocking the slash. "Blizzard Domain! Frozen Nova!"
An explosion of ice spread along with a snowstorm. Dina was knocked back for a moment, but immediately got back up.
"Looks like I have to use fire, huh?" she said. "Wind Step!"
She slid forward at high speed.
"Blazing Fang!"
Her dagger pierced Neptune's ice defense and melted most of the attack.
Neptune gasped. "What the hell was that?! That was close! You pierced through Ice Aegis?!"
"That's nothing. Crimson Cross!"
A cross-shaped slash of fire destroyed Neptune's protective layer.
"Tsk... you're pretty strong! Cryo!"
Ice rained down heavily.
"No problem. Wind Step!" Dina dodged and counterattacked. "Infernal Waltz!"
Her body danced rapidly, surrounded by flames. The attack tore through all the ice around her.
"Frozen Nova! Argh, still not hitting?! Frozen Nova!"
"Phoenix Lacerate!"
Dina's consecutive attacks formed the silhouette of a firebird, exploding when it hit Neptune's body.
"Arghhh!!" she screamed. "Arctic Judgement!"
The ice golem rose, but in an instant...
"Infernal Waltz!" Dina destroyed the golem.
"And... goodbye." She darted away. "Phoenix Lacerate!"
The attack hit its target, and Neptune's body exploded in a blaze of fire.
"Phew... that was exhausting," Dina muttered.
Arya approached her, clapping her hands. "Good job, Dina."
"Thanks, Ar. Can you heal my wounds?"
"Sure." Arya channeled her magic. "Heal."
"Thank you so much. But this forest is now a mess..."
"Hm... if the ice melts and the fire is extinguished, this forest might recover." Arya raised her hand. "Water! Water!"
Once the fire was extinguished, they continued their journey to Puari City.
Meanwhile, in the Seven Eclipse room...
The atmosphere was tense. All the members gathered in front of the black stone throne where Noctis sat calmly, his hand clutching a piece of blue crystal that was now cracked.
Noctis stared with a blank expression. "The signal from Neptune... is lost."
Venus smiled crookedly as she crossed her legs. "Ara~ ara... that means Neptune-chan is dead, huh?"
Saturn chuckled softly, his laughter heavy and hinting at joy. "Kuhaha! Exone is getting more and more interesting."
Jupiter, who had been sitting quietly, slowly lowered his head. "So... Neptune-kun is really dead."
Mercury remained silent, his eyes staring blankly ahead. Not a single word came out of his mouth.
Among them, Gamma bowed his head deeply. In his heart, he hid a feeling of relief. (That means... Arya and Dina succeeded. Thank goodness...)
Noctis turned to his right. "Who's next? We can't keep letting them do as they please."
Saturn stood up from his seat, his muscular body like a living rock in motion.
"I'll go," he said firmly.
Noctis nodded slowly. "Okay. Don't make any mistakes."
Saturn chuckled softly, then turned and left the room without saying another word.
That night, Gamma immediately activated his communication device from his room.
"Hello, sis."
Arya's voice came from the other end. "Yes, hello. What is it, Gamma?"
"According to the information, Saturn will be sent next. As I reported earlier, he is an earth element user with extraordinary physical strength. His attacks are almost impenetrable."
"Hm... Saturn, huh..."
"But, Sis... There's one thing that's suspicious."
"What is it?"
"How could Seven Eclipse know about Neptune's death when it hasn't even been a day and the distance from the battle location to the capital is very far?"
Arya was silent for a moment. "Interesting. So how did they know?"
"Because every member of Seven Eclipse has a signal tracker implanted,not for location, but to confirm whether they're still alive or not. When the signal dies, it means they've fallen, and it's immediately known by Noctis,the King's aide."
"So you also have that device?"
"Yes… But only for life or death status. Location isn't detected."
Arya nodded slowly, though Gamma couldn't see her. "Alright... Don't forget, you still can't arouse suspicion. Don't use your invisibility skill, act as if you're one of them."
"Okay, sis."
"Dina is sleeping. She's exhausted after fighting Neptune."
"The one who fought Neptune... Sis Dina?"
"Yes. She fought alone and won."
"That's amazing, Sis Dina..."
Arya smiled slightly. "Of course it's amazing. But you're amazing too, Gamma."
"Hehehe... Thanks, Sis. I'll be going now. See you later, and... give my regards to Sis Dina."
"See you later. Take care, don't rush."
"Got it!"
In King Sekius' private room inside Belmera Palace...
Noctis stood with his head bowed, reporting calmly. "Neptune has been defeated."
Sekius showed no sign of surprise. Instead, a smirk appeared on his face.
"Exone... is just a child," he muttered, moving the chess piece in front of him. "A child who challenges the kingdom. Interesting..."
He looked at Noctis. "Proceed to the next stage. Use the plan I devised yesterday."
Noctis accepted a scroll and bowed deeply. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
He then left, carrying the paper. But... the contents of that paper? It remained a mystery.
The next morning, at a rest house near the forest towards Puari City...
Arya was preparing weapons when Dina woke up with a slightly wrinkled face.
"Good morning, Ar. Any news?"
"Bad news and good news. The bad news is, we're being chased again. The good news is... the one chasing us now is Saturn."
"Saturn? If I'm not mistaken, he's the muscle of Seven Eclipse, right?"
"That's right. The earth element user. Strong, sturdy, stubborn."
Dina yawned as she tied her hair. "So... who's going to fight him? The two of us? Or just you?"
"What do you think?"
"Well... you do it," she replied lazily. "Fighting a musclehead like that is no fun. It's just a waste of energy."
Arya chuckled. "Haha, you're right. Fighting someone who only relies on brute force,"
He glanced at Dina with a mischievous smile.
Dina narrowed her eyes. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Are you saying I'm also a musclehead?!"
"No, of course not! My eyes moved on their own!" Arya replied with a laugh.
"Damn you! That hurts more!"
A few hours later...
Dina was munching on dry bread when she heard a beep from their communication device.
Beep beep...
Arya grabbed his device and turned it on. "Who is this? Why so early in the morning..."
"Brother! It's urgent!" Gamma's panicked voice came from the device.
"Gamma?! What's wrong?!"
"The king... put up posters with your pictures on them! About Exone!"
"What?!"
"Yes, sis! I saw it myself! They're all over the capital!"
Arya was silent for a moment. "That's suspicious..."
"What do you mean?" asked Gamma.
Dina also looked confused. "How is it suspicious?"
"Just think about it. We always execute corrupt rulers, free the people, and give them a new life. The people have started to see us as heroes. But... if the King immediately spreads wanted posters, his image will plummet. The people will definitely hate his actions."
"Yeah..." Dina muttered.
"Wouldn't that make his image even worse?" asked Gamma again.
"There must be another reason behind this. Gamma, please find out if there is a hidden plan behind the King's decision. But remember, don't push yourself too hard."
"Okay, sis. I'll do my best. See you later!"
"See you later, Gamma."
At the palace…
Sekius stared at the chessboard in front of him. His fingers pushed one piece forward to the center.
"Well… let's begin."