The castle exploded.
BOOOOM!
Stone shattered. Flames roared upward into the night sky. Smoke swallowed the towers as debris rained down like a storm of broken stars.
Lyra and Daiki turned at the same time, their bodies stiff with tension.
From the smoke, Weston's laughter echoed.
"HA… HA… HA…!" His voice bounced off the burning walls. "Look at you, Lyra. You speak such big words… but you have nothing."
Before Lyra could answer—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of armored boots rushed through the courtyard.
Weston glanced back.
Soldiers stormed through the smoke.
"What is this?!" one of them shouted.
Suddenly—
SWOOSH!
James appeared, crossing in front of Weston, gripping Yotara by the collar. He dragged him forward and stood beside Lyra.
Lyra's eyes widened. "James… is everyone with you?"
James shook his head. "No. I'm only holding this man. I don't even know if he's with us or not."
"He's with us."
A voice emerged from the thick smoke.
Through the burning haze, figures stepped forward.
Hiyori, coughing.
Raithasu, carrying unconscious Usami.
Jack, Zoe, Elysia, Michael — all landing hard on the ground.
Thud!
Lyra exhaled shakily. "Thank God… Hiyori. We did it."
The soldiers gathered.
Lyra turned sharply toward them. "All of you — head toward the village. We'll handle him."
Yotara nodded. "Do as she says."
"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison before disappearing into the jungle.
Silence returned — broken only by the crackling fire.
Lyra faced Weston.
"What were you saying?" she asked coldly. "That I speak big words?"
Her eyes burned. "The words I speak… I mean them."
She turned to her allies. "You got the book, right? Then capture him."
Lyra closed her eyes.
The air shifted.
A soft green glow leaked from her skin… then burst outward.
FWOOOOOOSH!
Wind spiraled around her. The sky darkened. Clouds twisted violently as thunder rolled across the heavens.
Hiyori shielded her face. "What is this?!"
Lyra's voice echoed, layered with power.
Emerald energy wrapped around Weston like chains.
CRACK!
He was lifted into the air.
Michael rushed forward, dropping the ancient book onto the ground. He placed his palm over its surface.
Symbols began to glow.
Weston screamed.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
With a sudden jerk, he hurled a kunai.
SHING!
The blade sliced through the air—
—and cut across Lyra's eye.
Blood splattered.
Her power shattered instantly.
The storm collapsed.
Lyra staggered back, clutching her eye as blood dripped between her fingers.
A violent gust blasted everyone backward.
Michael shouted, "It's coming!"
"Don't leave the book!" Lyra screamed.
Then—
A sound pierced the battlefield.
A sharp, horrifying cry.
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!
It wasn't human.
It was worse.
Lyra fell to one knee. "Don't… don't listen to it!"
Hiyori screamed, covering her ears. "It's a hundred times louder than last time! My ears—!"
"I can't—!" Hiyori dropped to the ground.
Elysia collapsed.
Yuki followed.
Zoe fell unconscious.
Even Daiki crumpled to the stone floor.
Only Raithasu, James, Jack, Hiyori, Lyra, and Michael remained standing — barely.
Weston and Michael both looked up toward the castle tower.
Weston grinned.
In one swift movement, he broke free and grabbed the book.
"NO!" Michael lunged forward.
He kicked Weston in the face.
THUD!
But Weston didn't let go.
Instead—
He tore the book apart.
RRRIIIIIPPPP!
Pages ripped free and flew into the air.
One by one.
They glowed… then vanished into darkness.
The screaming stopped.
Silence fell.
Then—
A shadow appeared atop the castle ruins.
A girl.
Massive. Towering. Her form dark, distorted — stretching unnaturally across the broken walls.
Her long hair floated in the wind.
She was crying.
And each tear that fell echoed like distant thunder.
Hiyori's eyes widened slightly.
"That's the same girl… the one I saw in my vision."
Lyra narrowed her eyes, her voice sharp and alert.
"Don't lower your guard."
Raithasu stepped forward, flipping through the ancient book in his hands. Suddenly the pages began to fade.
Ffffssshhh…
The ink vanished as if it had never existed.
Raithasu frowned. "The pages… they're gone. What do we do now?"
Lyra's expression remained calm. "Simple. We fight… and kill her."
James glanced at Weston in the distance. "But isn't he immortal?"
Lyra nodded slowly. "Yes. But I have a Plan B."
Michael immediately understood and gave a small nod.
The others looked confused.
Jack scratched his head. "Plan B…?"
Lyra hummed softly. "You'll see."
Hiyori stepped forward, gripping the handle of her sword.
"Then I'll start."
SHIIING!
Her blade flashed as she dashed forward and swung at Weston.
Weston casually dodged, sliding to the side.
"Really?" he laughed mockingly. "You think I'm some insect you can kill that easily?"
Hiyori didn't answer.
Instead—
SLASH!
Her sword struck him cleanly.
But…
Nothing happened.
Hiyori's eyes narrowed. She attacked again, aiming for his arm.
CLANG!
A metallic sound echoed through the battlefield.
Hiyori froze. "What…?"
Weston grinned. "My body… is made of iron."
In a flash he grabbed her sword.
GRAB!
Then—
THUD!
He stabbed her and hurled her backward.
Hiyori flipped through the air.
WHOOSH!
She landed in a smooth backflip and instantly began healing herself, glowing light surrounding her wound.
Suddenly a girl's crying voice echoed across the battlefield, growing louder and louder.
"Aaaahhh…!"
Hiyori looked around in confusion. "The girl… what happened to her? Why is she crying?"
Lyra shook her head.
"I'll explain later. Don't lose focus."
Michael stepped beside Lyra. Their hands glowed with power.
Energy spiraled around them.
VMMMM…
Together they began forming a portal.
Lyra suddenly rushed forward.
DASH!
She appeared in front of Weston and drove her fist into his stomach.
BOOOOM!
The portal burst open behind him.
Weston's eyes widened as the dimensional force pulled him inside.
SHHHHH—
In an instant, he vanished into another dimension.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Lyra exhaled slowly. "Finally… he's gone."
Everyone took deep breaths of relief.
Raithasu looked unimpressed. "That's the powerful enemy you warned us about? He was like a worm."
Lyra shook her head.
"It wasn't easy to defeat him."
She turned toward the crying girl in the distance.
"Now we stop this girl."
Then her eyes darkened.
"And Weston… he was only a vessel."
"The real villain…"
She looked toward the dark castle looming behind the battlefield.
"…is someone else hiding inside."
Hiyori frowned. "Wait… he's not the one we came to defeat?"
Lyra nodded slowly.
"No."
Suddenly—
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
A loud, echoing laugh filled the air.
Everyone turned.
Smoke gathered in the shadows… forming the silhouette of a man.
His voice echoed coldly.
"Lyra… defeating him was quite impressive."