Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Tap... tap...

Dion, Cleo, Sheila, Luna, Mei, Aria, Nala, and Harumi, who was clutching Gina, sprinted down the corridor toward the throne room. Suddenly, Cleo pulled to a halt.

”Hold on,” Cleo commanded.

Dion and the others skidded to a stop, turning back to gather around her.

”What is it? Why are we stopping?” Dion asked.

”Before we confront the primary source of the undead inside the throne room, we need to protect the citizens first. Let me handle this, give me a second,” Cleo explained.

Cleo raised both hands toward the ceiling and closed her eyes, tilting her head back. Energy auras of black, white, green, red, blue, and yellow surged up from her feet, swirling around her body in a spiraling vortex. Realizing what Cleo was preparing to cast, Dion signaled Luna, Sheila, Aria, Mei, Nala, Harumi, and Gina to take a few steps back. Cleo opened her eyes, multi-colored electric sparks crackling across her pupils.

”All Elemental Barrier!”

Bwooooosh!

A vibrant dome erupted from Cleo’s frame, solidifying into a luminous, dense milky-white shield edged with shimmering colors. The dome expanded rapidly, swelling until it enveloped the entire palace complex, extending outward to seal off the barricaded thoroughfares and the pitch-black nobility district where the horde was spawning.

Blam!

Graaaaah!

The undead caught along the boundary of the expanding barrier instantly disintegrated into ash. The remaining horde trapped behind the wall was locked inside, unable to break through as they clawed uselessly against the immovable wall of light.

Seeing the luminous barrier manifest before them, the city watch, barbarian warriors, and brave townspeople let out collective gasps of relief. Though bewildered by the magic, they realized the undead were trapped. Seizing the opportunity, commanders began directing the immediate evacuation of civilians out of the capital.

Inside the palace corridor, Cleo lowered her hands and let out a long breath. She raised her eyes to look at Dion and the group.

”The perimeter is secure. The undead can’t break through my barrier, so the townspeople are safe for now and have room to breathe,” Cleo said casually.

”Ah... so that was your plan: trapping the horde inside your barrier,” Dion said in his raspy persona voice.

”Yes... it’s the only way to safeguard every citizen we can still save,” Cleo replied with a faint smile.

”Thank you, Cleo,” Sheila said, a visible weight lifting from her shoulders.

”Right... now we can go all out against whatever is controlling the undead inside the throne room,” Luna declared.

”Precisely. We can fight without having to worry about the situation out in the city,” Mei added.

”Then what are we waiting for? Let’s move before we get surrounded again,” Aria urged.

”Aria’s right. Let me lead the way,” Dion responded, motioning for everyone to follow.

Dion, Luna, Mei, Sheila, Aria, and Cleo resumed their sprint down the hall. Trailing behind them, Nala and Harumi stared wide-eyed at the six figures ahead of them, stunned by their sheer display of power. They had never seen a domain-wide barrier cast so effortlessly, a lost grand spell from ancient history.

”Um... you’re Harumi, right?” Nala asked, glancing at the girl running beside her.

”Yep... Sister Nala,” Harumi answered.

”Who... who are they really? Even though they were my academy classmates, I feel like I don’t know them at all. How do Luna, Sheila, and your sister Mei possess that kind of power?” Nala asked, her voice filled with bewilderment.

”Whoaaa... that’s way too many questions! You’re asking the wrong person, Sister, I don’t know anything either. Right, Gina?” Harumi said, looking down at the baby dragon cradled in her arms.

”Kyuuuuu!” Gina chirped, raising a tiny claw, though neither of them understood what she meant.

”Ugh... fair enough... forget I asked,” Nala sighed, completely stressed out.

The group pressed forward, occasionally pausing to dispatch zombie maids, palace guards, or corrupted staff members blocking their path. Reaching the grand front lobby, they charged up the winding staircase. Swarms of zombie guards lunged at them, but without breaking a sweat, Dion, Luna, Sheila, Cleo, Mei, and Aria cut them down with ease.

Nala and Harumi watched in growing awe, while Gina relaxed atop Dion’s shoulder, casually inspecting the palace’s interior design as if on a tour. Reaching the second-floor balcony, they sprinted down the main hallway toward the throne room. As they approached the end of the hall, they slowed their pace. The ambient temperature plummeted, and a oppressive aura settled over them as thick purple mist rolled out from beneath the massive double doors ahead.

Dion, Luna, Sheila, Cleo, Mei, Aria, Nala, and Harumi stepped cautiously forward, staying on high alert. Gina slid off Harumi’s arms and hovered near Dion’s shoulder, bracing for impact. As they reached the intersection directly before the grand double doors, a massive magic circle glowing with purplish-black light erupted on the floor.

”Fall back! Jump back!”

”Waaaaaah!”

Dion grabbed Mei and Luna, dragging them back; Gina pulled Aria and Cleo backward; while Sheila leapt back on her own, tucking Nala and Harumi under her arms. The magic circle spun rapidly, shooting a pillar of dark-blue energy into the air accompanied by crackling blue-black lightning.

”It’s a summoning spell... but whatever is coming through that circle... it definitely isn’t a normal monster,” Nala warned, staring at the magic circle.

Hearing Nala’s warning, Dion, still in his Berserk Monk persona, along with Luna, Aria, Cleo, Mei, and Sheila, immediately raised their weapons after setting everyone down. Nala grabbed Harumi by the shoulders and pulled her back several paces.

”Watch out... something is coming through,” Mei said, unsheathing her twin katanas.

The blinding light condensing inside the magic circle formed a solid pillar. Slowly, a figure wearing a full set of dark plate armor emerged, headless and mounted atop a skinless black steed whose exposed muscle fibers twitched beneath black armor plates. The rider held a massive broadsword in its grip, gasp!

Dion, Luna, Aria, Cleo, Mei, and Sheila froze. From the neck cavity of the armor, a flaming skull enveloped in eerie blue fire materialized. Blue flames burst from every joint of the knight’s armor and flared from the sockets of its undead mount.

”An S-rank Dullahan... The undead source inside can summon high-rank undead entities,” Aria identified grimly.

”This is... quite dangerous,” Mei noted, assessing the threat.

”Leave it to me,” Sheila offered, stepping forward with her battleaxes.

Dion held out an arm, stopping everyone in their tracks. He stepped forward, cracking his neck from side to side and cracking his knuckles with a heavy pop. He stopped directly before the motionless Dullahan. Slam! Dion pressed his palms together, bowed briefly in formal respect, and straightened up, closing his eyes. Reddish-black energy gathered around his boots and spiraled upward, drawing in ambient energy from the floor and ceiling as he activated his Energy Charge ability.

Hi... hiiieee!

The Dullahan raised its broadsword and yanked the reins, causing its undead steed to rear back on its hind legs with a horrific whinny. The Dullahan locked its sights on Dion, preparing to charge. But just as it snapped the reins forward, Dion snapped his eyes open, the whites of his eyes turned pitch-black, surrounding glowing crimson pupils.

”Brutal Palm Blast!”

Dion slammed a single palm forward. A massive wave of shock-energy shaped like a giant palm burst toward the Dullahan. The blast hit the creature head-on, tearing straight through its form. The dark armor shattered into pieces, the blue flames surrounding the skull were snuffed out instantly, and the undead steed crumbled into ash despite its heavy armor.

Clang! Blaaaaam! Crash!

The dead Dullahan’s armor rained down across the stone floor, while the residual energy beam from Dion’s palm strike blasted through the throne room doors, pulverizing them into splinters as it hurtled inside. Cleo, Aria, Luna, Sheila, and Mei, accustomed to Dion’s absurd power, remained perfectly unfazed.

Nala and Harumi, however, turned deathly pale. It was their first time seeing an S-rank undead monster, normally requiring a full raid party to defeat, get vaporized by a single effortless strike.

”Let’s move inside,” Dion commanded in his raspy Berserk Monk tone.

”Right,” Cleo, Aria, and Luna agreed.

”You wait out here,” Mei said, tapping Harumi on the nose.

”And keep an eye on her, please, Nala,” Sheila added, giving Nala a subtle wink that meant ”keep her safe.”

”Leave it to me,” Nala replied, hugging her staff tightly.

The core group stepped through the ruined doorway. But the moment their boots crossed the threshold, a raspy, multi-layered female voice echoed through the chamber:

”Welcome to the royal palace of Northgard, Princess Sheila... and her little entourage.”

Dion, Sheila, Luna, Cleo, Aria, and Mei immediately raised their guard. Standing before them was a woman clad in a high-collared purple gown complete with a sweeping cape. Half of her face was a bare skull, while the remaining skin was enveloped in crackling purple flames.

Flanking her were roughly ten undead royal guards, three Shadow Hand operatives, and fifteen dire wolves, their bodies scarred and mutilated, with some missing half their heads.

”Helga!” Sheila roared, pointing one of her battleaxes directly at the lich bearing her stepmother’s half-face.