Celestine exploded forward, a streak of pure, dazzling gold tearing through the air, a blur so fast the ink-cats barely had time to turn their heads before she was upon them. Her movements flowed with impossible grace, a dance as beautiful as it was deadly. Her sword flicked out in elegant, surgical strikes, each precise jab reducing its target to a hissing fountain of ink.

Left to right, right to left, she moved in patterns that blurred reality itself, so swift that Aria, despite the urgency and terror of the moment, could not help but stare in momentary awe. Celestine seemed to drift through the horde like a feather caught on the wind, weightless, effortless, and yet devastatingly powerful. Each step was deliberate, each spin calculated; she twirled gracefully, evading snapping jaws and whipping tendrils by mere inches, leaving nothing but splatters of dark ink in her wake.

Three ink-beasts rushed her simultaneously, each bristling with eyes, teeth, and fur. Celestine's response was immediate. She spun on the ball of one foot, body low and perfectly balanced, sweeping her sword in an arc of radiant brilliance. The first cat's limbs exploded into ink, droplets suspended in the air like black pearls. The second lunged forward, mouths open wide and tongues writhing, only to find Celestine had vanished into a streak of light, reappearing behind it. A swift thrust severed its head cleanly from its shoulders, ink bursting out like a geyser.

The third cat, sensing danger, tried to retreat, but Celestine was relentless. She leaped high, flipping effortlessly through the air, her blade slicing downward as she descended, cleaving the creature from head to tail. She landed gracefully amidst the rain of ink, golden eyes shining with determination.

Aria, meanwhile, stood firm in front of the building's doorway, bowstring taut. Her breaths came in rapid, shaky bursts, heart hammering so loudly she could feel its beat echoing through every nerve. But fear had no place here—not when Elsie's painting lay protected just behind her, not when a child's life depended on her resolve. Gritting her teeth, she let arrows fly one after another, each missile glowing faintly with infused Sol energy.

But while Aria's arrows struck true, embedding themselves into inky flesh and briefly disrupting their forms, the creatures barely slowed. They hissed and writhed, the arrows proving more of a nuisance than a lethal strike. "Damn it!" Aria growled, frustration tightening her chest. "Why won't you just die?"

Still, she refused to let fear or despair claim her. She drew back another arrow, pouring every ounce of Sol she could muster into it, making the projectile blaze with a brighter, fiercer glow. It exploded through the chest of one beast, leaving it staggering and hissing angrily, but still it did not fall.

"Princess! They're too tough!" she called desperately, voice strained with effort. "My arrows aren't killing them fast enough!"

Celestine spun gracefully, deflecting three ink-tendrils that lashed toward her. Her golden gaze met Aria's for a heartbeat, a calming nod all she could spare before returning to the deadly ballet of combat. "Hold them as best you can, Aria! Aim for their weak spots! Blind them, cripple them, whatever it takes—just keep them back!"

Aria adjusted her strategy instantly, firing rapid volleys, now focused entirely on the clusters of glowing eyes that dotted the creatures' twisted bodies. Arrows sank deep into their grotesque faces, rupturing eyes and leaving them screeching in pain and confusion. Their advance slowed, hesitation creeping into their previously relentless charge.

Meanwhile, Celestine continued her furious onslaught, becoming a whirlwind of golden death. The horde surged forward in renewed aggression, a wave now almost enveloping her, blocking out everything but their nightmarish forms. Yet Celestine seemed unfazed; each swing of her sword was a masterclass in precision, reducing enemies to puddles of ink before they could even close their jaws.

Three of the thick-furred beasts charged together, using their bulk to try and overwhelm her. Without hesitation, Celestine vaulted into the air, higher than seemed possible, sailing over them like a comet. She flipped, landing behind the trio in a flawless roll, her blade flashing through their backs with blinding speed. They fell instantly, forms unraveling into black pools.

Yet the creatures kept coming, scores upon scores, endless and tireless. Celestine's breaths were steady, rhythmic, even as she dashed between foes, radiant blade cutting and slicing, her Sol burning hotter with every step. Her aura of golden light illuminated the entire street, casting shadows over buildings and paintings alike.

Aria shifted position, feeling the weight of the unconscious child strapped to her back, the makeshift harness fashioned hastily from her cape. Each movement was harder, her shoulders and arms aching, but she refused to falter. Elsie's sacrifice and Celestine's strength, they all demanded that she stand firm. She drew another arrow, her muscles screaming in protest, loosing it directly into a charging beast's eye. The monster collapsed, writhing and thrashing, finally silenced as it dissolved into ink.

Yet despite their combined efforts, the creatures slowly but surely pressed forward. Celestine's speed remained unmatched, but the sheer number of monsters began to close the distance, narrowing the gap between Celestine and the doorway where Aria guarded Elsie's painting and the child.

Then, abruptly, three cats broke free of Celestine's whirlwind of death, sprinting toward Aria, fangs bared, claws outstretched. Aria gasped, panic surging through her veins as she released arrow after arrow, each striking true yet insufficient to halt their advance. "Celestine!" she shouted, desperation cracking her voice.

Mid-battle, Celestine's head snapped around, her golden eyes blazing fiercely. Locked in combat with two massive ink-beasts, one wrapped in eyes and another bristling with gnashing mouths, Celestine barely hesitated. Her left hand shot out, fingers splayed, radiating an intense burst of concentrated Sol energy.

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Three brilliant beams of golden light lanced outward, slicing through the air with pinpoint accuracy. Each beam struck an advancing cat, piercing through their bodies and pinning them violently into the street. Aria's eyes widened in relief, and without missing a beat, she quickly fired arrows into each trapped creature, finally dissolving them into harmless pools of ink.

But the momentary distraction cost Celestine dearly. In her brief lapse of concentration, the monster brimming with grotesque mouths lunged suddenly from below, one massive set of jaws clamping viciously onto Celestine's leg.

She gasped, agony exploding through her body as dozens of teeth sank deep into her flesh. Blood, gleaming faintly rainbow in the twilight splattered onto the street, mingling with the black ink pooling around them.

"Princess!" Aria cried, horror twisting her features.

Gritting her teeth through blinding pain, Celestine forced her blade downward, impaling the creature through its bloated midsection. The beast shrieked, its mouth releasing her as it collapsed into a puddle of ink.

As more and more ink-beasts leaped hungrily toward Celestine, sensing vulnerability from the deep wound on her leg, the air shattered violently. A sword, glinting coldly beneath the artificial sun, spun through the sky like a spinning star, cleaving effortlessly through four creatures at once. The cats burst apart midair, splattering ink over the walls and ground, staining the street.

Celestine, breathing heavily, turned sharply toward the direction the sword had come from. Her eyes widened in relief as a dozen figures loomed upon the rooftop, silhouetted dramatically against the burning orange sky. Ivan stood tall among them—nine copies of himself, each clutching an unconscious villager tightly, standing protectively at the roof's edge. In front of them all, swordless but unafraid, stood Kaiser.

His crimson eyes burned like two smoldering coals, anger and satisfaction mingling within them.

"Ivan," Kaiser commanded coldly, voice slicing through the tense silence, "Stay where you are and protect the survivors. Do not move an inch until I say otherwise."

Ivan nodded rapidly, tense but focused. "Yes, Kaiser!"

Without hesitation, Kaiser stepped forward and leaped from the rooftop. The sheer force of his jump shattered the tiles beneath him, sending a shower of debris cascading to the street below. He landed with devastating force, the ground cracking beneath his armored boots, the street trembling in response.

Kaiser rose slowly, picking up his sword from the ground, gaze meeting Celestine's pale golden eyes. A thin smile tugged at his lips, edged with dark amusement.

"Did I keep you waiting too long, Princess?"

Celestine's expression did not change, and it remained grim, almost hollow, a look Kaiser immediately recognized as one of deep loss.

"What happened?" he asked sharply, noticing instantly the gravity in her gaze. Celestine hesitated only a second, voice heavy with sorrow and self-blame.

"It's Elsie," she murmured softly, almost inaudible beneath the howling wind. "She...might be in real trouble, Kaiser. I'm afraid she could be—"

Kaiser held her gaze, eyes unreadable, neither pained nor pleased at the revelation. His voice was steady, calm in the chaos. "I understand. Get inside a building, barricade yourselves with Aria and Ivan. Protect the child, and try to figure out what happened to Elsie. Leave these pathetic excuses of beasts to me."

Celestine opened her mouth to protest, to tell him these monsters had ways of breaching even barricaded doors, but her words died abruptly. The entire street had fallen eerily silent.

A sensation, overwhelming and crushing, flooded the area, suffocating in its intensity. Kaiser's muscles seized, body trembling involuntarily. A paralyzing, primal fear rooted him to the spot—a feeling he had only experienced once before, a lifetime ago, when he first stood in the shadow of his master. A cold, merciless terror twisted in his chest.

Celestine too stood frozen, golden eyes wide with shock, her breathing halted, as the creatures around them all fell deathly still, their monstrous forms shivering in terror.

Ivan, standing atop the roof, looked on in confused bewilderment. Aria was equally perplexed, eyes flicking desperately from Kaiser to Celestine.

"What… What's happening to those two?" Aria whispered shakily, her voice barely a breath.

But Kaiser couldn't respond. His crimson gaze was fixed far down the street, staring at a figure emerging from the shadows. A man, impossibly massive, clad in a suit of gleaming, polished silver armor, strode forward with a calmness that defied explanation. The knight's armor reflected the fading light of Celestine's artificial sun brilliantly, and the pristine white cape cascading down his broad back fluttered gently, nearly brushing the street below.

Two gigantic swords, each taller than Kaiser himself, hung from the knight's hips, their blades dragging along the ground, leaving thin lines etched into the earth. With one smooth motion, the knight drew a single blade effortlessly with one hand, hoisting it aloft as if it weighed nothing.

Celestine's eyes widened, her face white as snow, lips trembling as a single word escaped her mouth, breathless in awe:

"Uncle…"

Kaiser's mind raced, astonished. The King's brother? He was here in this cursed village as well?

But before Kaiser's mind could even attempt to understand, the armored titan swung his blade lightly and hurled the massive sword toward them. The action seemed lazy, almost careless, yet the sword sliced through space itself.

Reality slowed around Kaiser, everything blurred and twisted as the world lost coherence. One heartbeat later, he was suddenly airborne, hurtling upward alongside everything else on the street: Celestine, Aria, Ivan and all of his duplicates, the unconscious villagers, barrels, crates, and even the ink-monsters. Gravity held no meaning.

In that surreal, suspended moment, Kaiser's eyes locked with Celestine's, hers slightly less bewildered than his own. Celestine seemed almost resigned, knowing exactly whose power she faced, while Kaiser grappled with the impossible speed, strength, and precision of the armored knight.

In the blink of an eye, they crashed back to the ground. Kaiser landed solidly, stance instinctively stable, finding Celestine beside him, breathing heavily, clutching her wounded leg, eyes still wide with awe and fear.

The knight strode slowly forward, retrieving his sword casually from where it lay embedded deep in the earth, effortlessly slinging it over his shoulder. Every step echoed power, dominance, yet there was no hostility, no aggression. Just overwhelming, absolute authority.

Aria, shaken and gasping for air, clutched the rescued child tightly, whispering a prayer of gratitude and fear. Ivan, atop the roof, could barely stand; his legs trembling violently beneath him, he was only held upright by the presence of his duplicates. Even Celestine, regal and composed as ever, had visibly paled, awestruck by the presence before her.

Finally, Kaiser found his voice, barely managing a whisper through gritted teeth:

"Who… exactly… is this?"

Celestine swallowed hard, never tearing her gaze from the approaching knight. Her voice was strained, respectful, laced with awe.

"My father's younger brother, Lord Zilean."

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