Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Dion took a step forward, sweeping his gaze across the chamber to assess the enemy forces. Standing directly in front to guard Helga were ten elite barbarian royal guards turned undead, their massive frames stripped of skin to reveal twitching red muscle fibers, half their faces already reduced to bare skulls.

Flanking the left and right were three Shadow Hand operatives turned skeletal horrors draped in purplish-black aura, while a pack of zombie direwolves, bound in heavy iron chains held by the undead guards, snarled at the front lines.

From behind the massive grand throne stepped an S-rank Dullahan, positioning itself at Helga’s back. Dion realized instantly that this Dullahan and the one he had destroyed earlier were the two barbarian generals who had been in the throne room when the invasion began. His jaw tightened, a cold calculation washing over his face as he weighed the sheer volume of undead before them. As he stood silent, Helga suddenly turned her half-skull face toward him, her lips curling into a twisted grin.

”You... the son of Lord Derian von Oswald... Your face bears a striking resemblance to your father’s,” Helga rasped, her dreadful voice echoing as though multiple entities were speaking in unison.

”Hoo... So you’re the one, General Dhorga’s former wife who married King Bord, then seized the kingdom after murdering him,” Dion replied, his voice deep and raspy in his Berserk Monk persona.

”Ah... It seems my ex-husband spilled everything to you before he died. I suppose I was a bit too slow in eliminating him,” Helga smirked.

”Helga! Return my father’s kingdom to me!” Sheila roared, pointing her battleaxe straight at her stepmother.

”Ah... Princess Sheila... What a delight it is to be reunited with my beloved stepdaughter,” Helga sneered mockingly. ℯⅇ𝙡.

”Shut up! Since when was I ever your daughter?! I had only one mother, whom you murdered and one father, whom you deceived! Today, we settle everything once and for all!” Sheila shouted, shaking her axe in fury.

”Hahahaha! The helpless little princess who ran away from her own kingdom... suddenly derived some courage to bark at me, has she? Step forward then, Princess!” Helga taunted.

A dark reddish aura immediately enveloped Sheila’s body. Her wolf ears, mane, and tail ignited into a brilliant bright red, her frame swelling with dense muscle as sharp fangs bared past her tightly clenched jaw. Seeing her state, Dion reached out to hold her back, but bum! Sheila kicked off the floorboards and rocketed forward.

Sraaaak!

With a full, sweeping spin of her fire-infused battleaxes, half of the zombie elite guards and direwolves were vaporized into flying ash in a single strike. However, the remaining guards and beasts instantly surged forward to block her path. Seeing her vanguard reduced to cinders, Helga’s expression darkened. She raised her hand, summoning hundreds of undead elite guards into the throne room to swarm the group, while multiple dark magic circles erupted across the floor to spawn fresh packs of zombie direwolves.

Dion, Luna, Mei, Cleo, Aria, Harumi, and Nala backed into a tight circle, weapons raised to meet the oncoming horde.

”Sheila!” Mei yelled.

”Aaaaaaah!”

Consumed by rage, Sheila ignored Mei’s calls. Pain-filled roars echoed from her throat as she mercilessly slaughtered the emerging direwolves and guards blocking her path to Helga. Beside her, Luna swung her massive warhammer in wide arcs, pulverizing ranks of undead with every strike, yet the horde seemed endless. Cleo bombarded the front lines with high-tier elemental spells, while Aria fired her dual long-barreled pistols, unleashing specialized rounds enveloped in black-and-white aura.

Mei moved with blinding speed, carving through enemies while shielding both Harumi and Nala. She swiftly executed a skeletal Shadow Hand operative, a sight that left Harumi thoroughly traumatized, her terrified face radiating sheer regret for sneaking onto the airship. Nala summoned several blue-aura-clad goblins from magical crests, using them as living shields and frontline combatants. The throne room turned into a chaotic battleground, but Sheila relentlessly cut her way forward, desperate to close the distance to Helga.

Watching the battle unfold around him, Dion noticed the second S-rank Dullahan advancing to intercept Sheila near the throne platform. Gathering the hovering Gina, who was busy spewing fireballs in every direction, he tucked the baby dragon securely against his chest.

”Gina, stay on my shoulder and don’t move,” Dion commanded softly. He then turned toward Cleo, Aria, Mei, Luna, Nala, and Harumi. ”Everyone, gather close to me and duck! Now!”

Hearing his roar, the girls nodded without hesitation, sprinting inward to huddle tightly around Dion. He then locked eyes on Sheila’s raging figure ahead.

”Sheila, hit the dirt!” Dion yelled at the top of his lungs.

Sheila glanced back, gave a quick nod, and instantly threw herself flat against the stone floor. Dion crossed his arms over his chest as raw, surging energy saturated his muscles. A fraction of a second later,

”Yaaaaaaah!”

A devastating shockwave erupted outward from his Energy Explosion skill, sweeping across the entire chamber like a crescent moon forged from reddish-black light. Not a single zombie guard, direwolf, or skeletal Shadow Hand operative survived the blast. The force cut clean through the throne room walls, causing the heavy stone ceiling to collapse entirely. Cleo deployed a protective barrier overhead to shield the group from the falling debris, leaving the throne room completely open to the night sky and bathed in moonlight.

Sheila, who was positioned outside Cleo’s barrier, stood up from amidst the rubble and cracked her neck. Standing before her was Helga, looking bewildered and terrified, beside the Dullahan, which had been forced off its mount after the beast was sliced clean in two. Luna, Aria, Mei, Nala, and Harumi stood up, gazing around in sheer shock as they realized Dion’s blast hadn’t just cleared the room, it had vaporized half of the royal palace. They all turned to stare at Dion in disbelief.

”Did you seriously just obliterate the throne room AND half the palace?!” Luna gasped.

”There was no other way to clear the floor quickly,” Dion replied, returning to his original form as his Berserk Monk persona energy ran out, rubbing the back of his neck.

”Ugh... We were handling them just fine! Please have a little more faith in us next time!” Aria huffed, shaking her head in exasperation.

”Seriously... At this rate, you might as well have blown up the palace from the outside without us coming inside at all,” Mei grumbled.

”I have no words... I’m too tired to even argue,” Cleo sighed, folding her arms.

Harumi and Nala said nothing, though their eyes sparkled with unhidden awe. Atop Dion’s shoulder, Gina puffed her chest proudly with her chin held high. Dion gave the back of his head another awkward scratch before pulling up his Recall interface, selecting his Black Knight persona. He turned to face the group, pointing forward toward the throne dais.

”Anyway... our business here isn’t finished yet,” Dion said, now clad in his Black Knight form.

Clang!

Clang!

Luna, Cleo, Mei, and Aria turned to see Sheila engaging the Dullahan in a brutal exchange, with Helga standing directly behind the beast. The ringing collisions between Sheila’s twin axes and the Dullahan’s broadsword echoed through the open-air ruins, shattering the silence of the night.

”Come on... we have to help Sheila!” Luna shouted, raising her hammer.

”Wait... nobody move. Let Sheila settle her own score,” Dion commanded softly, holding out an arm.

Luna, Cleo, and Aria turned toward him in surprise, but Mei stepped forward beside Dion.

”He’s right. I’m certain Sheila can handle a Dullahan and an SS-rank Noble Lich on her own... Let’s put our trust in her,” Mei said, looking at Luna, Cleo, and Aria.

Reluctantly, the three girls stood down. They watched as Sheila executed a powerful overhead strike, cleaving straight through the Dullahan until its armor clattered to the floor and its body dissolved into black light. With the guardian eliminated, Sheila stepped up the dais toward Helga, who had fully assumed her SS-rank Noble Lich form, waiting before the grand throne. Reaching the top step, Sheila towered over her stepmother, her face set in a dead serious, unsmiling expression.

”Let’s settle everything right here, my beloved stepmother,” Sheila growled in a low tone.

Helga smiled, her half-skull face bathed in purple flames as she tilted her head up to meet Sheila’s glare.

”Very well. Sooner or later, our debts had to be settled. But promise me one thing: Gred has no part in any of this. He was merely following my orders. So whatever happens after this... let him go,” Helga requested in her raspy, eerie voice.

Sheila remained silent, staring down at her stepmother’s grotesque form as she thought of her foolish, spoiled half-brother. Finally, Sheila gave a slow, deliberate nod. A visible sense of relief washed over Helga’s face, her lips curling into a faint smile. Unsheathing a long black blade from her waist, Helga levitated slightly above the stone floor.

”Step forward, Princess Sheila,” Helga invited smoothly.

Hearing those words, Sheila clenched her teeth, her jaw setting hard. Raising both battleaxes, clang! she lunged forward, bringing her weapons down in a heavy strike that Helga parried with her black blade.

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