Sensing the two once‑agile skeleton knights sprawled on the ground, breathless and immobile, unable to plan an attack or flank him, Diego advanced steadily toward his goal. With no barriers, obstacles, enemies, or constructs blocking his path, he was finally proceeding to Maru's throne. Although he lacked the best physique or attire—his battered frame and war‑torn clothes a stark contrast to the defiant figure who had forced his way through the castle gates—much had transpired since then. Now, however, he was pressing deeper into the castle's heart. With a light touch and a little force, Diego weakly pushed open the doors leading to the throne room, a physical sensation unfamiliar to him: weakness, exhaustion, and dishevelment.
Despite this, he had begun restoring the lost energy within his body, clearing wounds as his form absorbed the latent energy of the universe, a process akin to breathing. Gradually, he refilled his reserves by drawing power from the atmosphere itself. Though fatigue weighed heavily on him, Diego was returning to a primal state, battle‑ready and wary of attacks or obstacles lurking within the throne chamber. Yet as the doors creaked open, no traps or ambushes awaited him.
Still, the absence of immediate danger did not mean the absence of surprise, for something unexpected lay in wait as he stepped into the vast throne room.
***
News of Diego's relentless one-man assault against all who dwelled in Maru's castle finally reached Sebastian, when the sand-woman—who had once fought against Diego and miraculously escaped with her life—appeared before him. Immediately after her harrowing battle, she teleported away to a safe location, trembling from exhaustion. She told Sebastian how Diego had utterly defeated her, showing him her broken hands, mangled beyond recognition, with severe fractures that could never be healed and many digits missing. Her only hope was to have them amputated, a grim reminder of Diego's merciless strength. The sand-woman also warned Sebastian to be extremely cautious on his return to Maru's castle, explaining that although she had tried desperately to slow down and drain the monstrous energy of Diego, her efforts had been futile. She feared the two skeleton knights guarding Maru's throne would not withstand his fury for long, certain they would be easily crushed, though she prayed they might at least delay his advance until Maru himself confronted Diego and demanded to know his purpose. With a trembling voice, she confessed her only fragile hope was that her master's arrival would bring clarity and perhaps mercy, prompting her to ask:
[Where is Maru?]
Sebastian, shaken by the revelation she had just delivered, answered distractedly:
[I don't know.]
But even as he spoke, he discovered that he realized too late that the first person Diego would seek upon entering the castle was Maru, driven by an unquenchable desire to annihilate him and everyone in his household. Sebastian's mind raced—what had provoked this sudden war? Why would someone as calm, calculating, and disciplined as Diego unleash such destruction? The Qanan family had always been docile, unlike the other volatile clans of New Darkovia. Yet Sebastian suspected a deeper motive: though the Qanans were well-behaved, they had long coveted their rightful throne as leaders of the people. Every one of the five families remained wary, fearing the day the Qanans might launch an in-house coup to seize power. Perhaps this long-dreaded uprising had finally begun, now that Diego had struck at the Prince of Darkovia's home.
Sebastian's thoughts were shattered when the sand-woman whispered:
[What do you mean, you don't know where Maru is?]
[That means… no one can stop him.]
Before Sebastian could respond, she vanished as swiftly as she had appeared, leaving him alone with gnawing uncertainty. He did not know whether the throne guardians still lived, whether Diego had already defeated them, or whether the invader was now storming into the throne room to seize some hidden resource or unleash a darker plan. Abandoning hesitation, Sebastian hardened his resolve. He would act, not think. With a growing determination burning inside him, he vowed to take down Diego once and for all, and to protect Maru's castle at any cost.
As Sebastian raced back to Maru's castle, desperate to stop the enemy—Diego—he followed the fastest route, sprinting through open paths, vaulting over tall buildings and crumbling towers, refusing to waste precious seconds on winding turns. His determination burned like fire, and when his speed felt insufficient, he pushed harder, enhancing his pace until the wind itself seemed to bend around him. Yet even as his body surged forward, his mind was heavy with questions: what connection did Frank's disappearance have with the strange unrest in the Ritvegda household, and how did Diego's sudden attack intertwine with it? He recalled the sand‑woman's warnings, unsettled by how a chaos lich of such brilliance and cunning could fall so easily to an apprentice soul vampire. The thought chilled him, for if Diego could shatter her hands with a single "krdinary" punch, what chance did he truly have? Fear gnawed at him, though he tried to bury it beneath resolve. He longed for Maru's presence—lazy though his master might be, nothing like this had ever happened under his watch. Perhaps Diego's assault was a ploy to force Maru's return, and if the castle fell, Sebastian feared his master would come back only to find ruin. He had grown accustomed to Maru's shadow, its quiet protection from tangled matters, and now he wondered if he could reach the castle in time to prevent disaster. If he failed, Maru's disappointment would be merciless. With clenched teeth and a heart pounding like war drums, Sebastian vowed to stop Diego by any means, increasing his speed until his legs blurred, desperate to arrive before fate sealed the castle's doom.
Yet one primal thought haunted him most: what if he could not defeat Diego? He had seen the sand‑woman's limbs destroyed, her hands mangled by a single strike, and though she escaped, Sebastian could not. He was the acting master, bound by duty, unable to flee or cower. He would fight and win—or fight and lose, a loss that meant annihilation. Either way, he would guard the castle at all costs. Still, beneath his hardened resolve, fear lingered like a shadow, whispering of failure, whispering of Diego's strength.
***
Meanwhile, Diego's surprise upon entering Maru's throne room was palpable. Expecting his rival, he found only emptiness. After rifling through chests and searching the bedchamber, his voice broke the silence, muttering with shock:
"He is not here!"