Raegar was sitting on the remains of the Treelord whom he'd killed using Fusion Overdrive, catching his breath when the Aether Core appeared not far from him. He let out a sigh of relief and staggered over to it as the exhaustion hit. 'Damn, I need to find somewhere to rest after this,' he thought.
Moments later, he stored the prize away and hobbled toward the Adventurers Guild nearby. The building was covered in vines, flowers, and other stuff, but he didn't care. He needed to sleep thanks to all the fighting. Raegar let out a sigh when stepping through the doors, only to see an overgrown interior.
A bed of moss covered everything, and he found it pleasant. ''Looks like I can sleep on this stuff,'' he muttered.
Following that, Raegar headed toward one of the backrooms, only to find a closet that was big enough for him to lie down in. He set up a blanket, pillows, and other stuff to make himself comfortable. After five minutes, he was done with his cubby and crawled inside only to feel tired instantly.
His eyes grew heavy, and he slipped into a deep sleep while the outside world erupted into howls that echoed through the overgrown city. Plant monsters searched the place, looking for him, thanks to the Gate bringing in more beasts.
***
While Raegar slept, the girls were fighting off a horde of Goblins that appeared from a sinkhole inside the palace gardens. Selene the Demoness danced through the crowd of monsters, her blade slicing through flesh and bone with ease. She quickly moved toward the entrance, killing three Goblin Shamans.
Their bodies were cut into pieces when attempting to attack Zahara from behind. The blonde Half-Elf was healing some of the Imperial Guards that were injured during the surprise attack, her Aether weaving around their wounds, knitting them together or mending broken bones, preserving her energy for the worst.
Groans and screams echoed throughout the garden as the battle was underway. Just then, Zahara spotted several Orcs rushing in her direction. Her grey eyes widened in panic, but three Death Knights crashed into the beasts. They were killed within seconds thanks to the sharp blade of Dominique's undead.
The dark-haired Vampress appeared, casting her death spells into the horde of monsters, turning them into ash and bone. Her knights protected the others while fighting. Dominique decided to stick by Zahara's side to protect her from attack. As this happened, Yuki and Alice danced across the battlefield.
Following that, several Mountain Trolls appeared from the chasm and started slaughtering the Imperial Guard thanks to their size. Wooden clubs crushing friends and foes alike, blood flew everywhere. The girls turned to them and realized they were Tier Nine monsters, but all of a sudden, a dozen blasts crashed into the enemy from above.
Explosions rippled through the gardens until the air changed, and everyone's attention was drawn as an army of Tier Ten Goblin Knights materialized. Dahlia was quickly overwhelmed by sheer numbers. She was already weak thanks to burning through her Aether healing all her soldiers and staff.
The Empress staggered under a barrage of dark spells unleashed by a Tier Twelve Shadow Mage, their energy crackling through the air. More beasts of the enemy surged forward, their roars shaking the earth, forcing her to crash back from the others. She skidded to a halt, every muscle screaming in agony, her breath ragged.
But as she lifted her gaze, her amber eyes widened in horror. Three Goblin Assassins, their blades closing in with terrifying speed, their shadows swallowing the light. A storm of thoughts roared through her mind: fear, defiance, desperation, but before despair could take hold, the impossible unfolded.
Yuki materialized from nowhere, a blazing beacon of hope. With breathtaking skill, she deflected the assassins' strikes, her twin daggers flashing like comets. In an instant, she became a whirlwind of pink fire, a blur of unstoppable fury, carving through the goblins. Their bodies fell in tattered ruins, saving the empress.
Just then, the Goblin Commander appeared, decked in armor made from the blackest metal that swallowed light. Several Tier Eight soldiers rushed toward him alongside Selene, the Demoness moved so fast that the other monsters couldn't see her. Once getting close enough, she dropped her sword and punched.
Selene's fist crashed against the creature's chest thought nothing happened as the enemy caught her fist. Everyone was shocked, but the soldiers tried to help the white-haired young woman, stabbing into the goblin's torso, only to be instantly killed before it crushed her fist, but she didn't scream.
''You think this hurts!'' she exclaimed, yellow eyes full of rage.
The Demoness stared him down, gritting her teeth as she reared back and hit the Goblin King with a solid headbutt, a booming echo out, but that's when Alice appeared, green eyes full of determination, she sliced into the foe's legs, bringing the commander down to its knees just as the Death Knights jumped on it.
Their blades stabbed into the monster with wild glee. Just then, Yuki, Dahlia, and Selene turned to the others who were surrounded by Orcs, but then the Devil Princess Lilith appeared, casting her magic into the crowd, causing the creatures to disintegrate into nothingness.
Following that, everyone fought with everything they had, spending most of their Aether until they managed to regroup by the entrance of the ruined palace. The group was surrounded by a swarm of monsters that were focused on them. Yuki soon realized it was only they left; all the soldiers had been killed, and any reinforcements that came were butchered.
The cat woman turned her eyes toward the girls, only for them to go pale. She snapped back around only to see the Goblin King appearing from a red portal. It was wearing armor from another world, and it was powerful. The aura it gave off made them buckle; most of the women dropped to their knees, pale with fear.
All the monsters stopped moving and bowed to the newcomer. Dahlia hobbled forward; not even the healing magic could help her. She grabbed Yuki's arm and warned. ''I can't gauge the creature's Tier; you need to get them out while I hold the thing off after opening a portal.''
''No, you can't! You'll burn your Aether Pools if you do!'' Yuki snapped back, readying her blades.
But before anyone could speak, the Goblin King moved, more like vanished, only to appear in front of them. The catwoman yelped but blocked the strike as Dahlia helped deflect the others using the last remnants of her Aether. They were soon overwhelmed when the enemy disarmed Yuki.
His blade moved toward her head, her blue eyes widened in horror as the tip entered her chest, but all of a sudden, the enemy was blown away in an explosion of powerful Aether, sending everything apart from them flying. Yuki looked up, only to see a white-haired young man she knew very well.
Just then, a portal opened up beside him, and the blue Fusion Knight Arthur stepped through with another. This one was bulkier and wearing dark purple armor that screamed of death, skulls hung from it as a ghastly trophy. That wasn't all, as dozens of black knights appeared in formation.
They weren't as strong as the first two but were stronger than the Goblin Knights. The strange force circled the women, shields slamming into the ground, creating a protective circle around them. Yuki was shocked as A ragged Raegar turned to her, radiating pure Aether like a wave of energy.
His blue eyes glowed like stars as he greeted her. ''Hello Yuki, sorry I took so long to reappear. It's been a while. I was trapped in the Gate and only got out. I'll explain once I've dealt with this idiot.''
***
(Sometime Earlier)
Raegar woke up in the closet, feeling refreshed, only for Arthur to appear standing above him. This made him jump out of his skin, prompting him to scold the Fusion Knight. ''Don't just like that! It scared me half to death.''
When the knight heard this, it looked guilty, but Raegar waved it away. ''What's wrong, Arthur?''
''There's another of my kind in this place,'' his guardian revealed. ''He's angry and wrathful, so we'll have a tough fight.''
Raegar's eyes narrowed, but he sighed, readying his daggers, sensing hundreds of monsters waiting to ambush them outside. He looked at Arthur and warned. ''We have visitors outside, you go left and I'll head right. Let's kill everything, it helps me gather Aether.''
Following that, he rushed out and slashed at several plant monsters, cutting them in half before moving on to the next target. The Fusion Knight joined the fray, his sword carving through the bigger ones. They continued fighting until the building was cleared and covered in green blood.
By the time they stopped, Raegar was out of breath, but as he went to speak, something prevented him from doing so. That when his Aether Pools felt a force was calling out from deep inside the Gate, asking for help.