Chapter 56 Storming the Castle

Liora pulled out a rolled blueprint, spreading it across the table. The map of the royal castle stretched wide, inked with careful lines, routes, and circled chambers.

“Now—back to reality. Here’s the plan,” she said, tracing her finger along a narrow corridor marked in red.

 “This is our entry point. The route is clean—no detection crystals. I’ve tested it myself. From there, we’ll move here, then here, and straight into the throne room.”

After a long stretch of back-and-forth, questions, and clarifications, the plan was finalized. Liora rolled the map back up, putting it away.

“Good. Then we’re agreed. No mistakes. No second chances. Once we set foot in that castle, we see this through to the end.”

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 Just as Liora promised, the front gates opened without resistance. Guards bowed, stepped aside, not daring to question why the Hero and his companions walked beside Lady Liora with strangers.

Step by step, they climbed through the winding halls, heading for the throne room on the top floor. Every turn, every stair, matched the route Liora had mapped out. Not a single detection crystal activated. No guards looked their way.

They reached the final stretch—a long hallway lined with crimson carpet and gilded pillars, the stairwell to throne floor just ahead. 

Enormous knights stood like statues between the pillars. They wore heavy full plate armor. In their hands were giant, rune-covered swords—forged as Hero Blades.

Liora froze. These knights were unfamiliar. Her hand shot up, an immediate and silent command for the rest to stop.

And then—

A slow, deliberate clap echoed down the corridor.

The sound carried off the marble and pillars, mockery in every beat. From the shadows between two of the armored knights stepped Hans. His back was slightly bent with age, his long gray hair tied into a strict knot, but the aura around him was anything but frail.

“Well, well…" He glanced toward the pillars where the crystals should have been glowing and smiled faintly, "I was wondering why the detection crystals here all conveniently went dark. Imagine my delight to find Lady Liora herself—bringing guests, no less. Now… would you care to explain? Or shall I assume treason is today’s entertainment?”

Liora took a step forward. She was her usual self, calm, wearing her fake smile with closed eyes.

“Hans… you’re overthinking again. These are not intruders. They’re envoys—foreigners. They came seeking audience with His Majesty. I would’ve arranged it formally, of course, but their arrival was… ahead of schedule. And their message, urgent. I couldn’t risk delay, so I chose the swiftest route. Nothing more.”

But Hans only chuckled, the sound dry, humorless. 

“Convincing. Almost. You disappoint me, Lady Liora. After all the King gave you, after all the trust… you repay him like this.”

Then, his cane darted forward, pointing straight at Mira.

“You forget, girl. I was killing long before you were born. My eyes don’t miss what masks try to hide. Illusion magic does not work on me. That one there… is no envoy. That is Aura.”

Hans didn’t stop. His cane shifted, stabbing through the air toward Verron.

“And that one… ah, what a treat. Vex Rion. Even after turning into a demon, I still can tell it's you. The noble Hero before Aura. Everyone thought she killed you. And yet here you stand. Now that is a surprise.”

Hans leaned lightly on his cane, smiling as though he had already won.

“Quite the little reunion, isn’t it? Master and disciple… reunited. Would you look at that… after all these years. Fate, they say? Hah. I never believed in such nonsense. But… here you are, standing right in front of me. Once… I have taught you everything I knew. Every secret, every move, every move meant to kill. And now… Now I will have to finish you. And I will do it… with my own hands.”

“Ah-ha… so much for subtlety,” Verron said, spreading his arms in mock surrender. 

“Seems our little disguises were never going to fool the old master after all. Lady Liora—no point in masks anymore, is there? He’s seen through us clear as day. Looks like they knew about our arrival from the start.”

He tilted his head toward Hans, his voice carrying respect.

“Good day to you, too… Master. It has been some time, hasn’t it?” 

He let his gaze drop deliberately to the cane, then back up with a smile. 

“Though I have to say… time hasn’t been as kind to you as it has to me. Last time we crossed paths, you didn’t need a cane to stand. Now… look at you. Tell me, Hans. Do you hold that cane for balance… or just to remind yourself you’re still standing?”

Liora cut him off, eyes locked on Hans.

“Did you know we were coming from the start? Does the King know?”

Hans let out a short laugh. 

“What does it matter now? Either way, you all end up dead in this hall. But since you won’t be leaving this place alive, I’ll humor you. No—I did not know until this morning. The King hasn’t been told either. But that suits me fine. If I’d told him, he’d have denied me the chance to remove Rein. The King sees what he wants to see—blind to the danger at his feet. I am not. Whether Rein is on our side or not, he is a threat. He must be cut down before he becomes something none of us can control.”

Mari’s jaw dropped so hard it looked like it might hit the floor. She grabbed Verron’s sleeve with both hands and tugged hard, her eyes sparkling with disbelief and excitement all at once.

“Wait, wait, wait—handsome devil… you’re Hero Vex Rion?! All this time you’ve been alive?! The prince-like Hero? The gentle, good-hearted one who saved villages, fed orphans, helped old ladies cross streets? The kindest Hero who ever lived. That was you all this time?! How did you go from being the kingdom’s sweetheart… to being this? You’re just… walking around, shamelessly handsome, smirking like some devil out of a romance play?! Why—why did no one tell me?! Do you have any idea—you were my Hero since I was a little girl! Posters, songs, bedtime stories—I had all of them!”

Hans didn’t pause for their gawking or gossip—his patience had limits. 

“Little girl, the Demon Plains change more than just the appearance. But you don’t need to know that. Because it’s time for all of you to die.”

He tapped his cane once against the marble.

"Kill them all!"

The knights stepped forward as one—massive plate armor groaning—hands sliding to the claymores on their backs. Metal rang on metal as the weapons were drawn. The knights advanced in perfect formation, a wall of steel moving toward the intruders. 

“Ah — to hell with it!” Rein shoved his hair back and launched himself forward like a bullet.

 “Sorry, pal! If you’re in my way, I’ll have to knock you out. Nothing personal — just saving the kingdom from an evil King.”

His blade came around in a wide, showy arc aimed at the nearest knight. The first claymore met him with a metallic clang and then refused to give. The knight didn’t stagger. The claymore didn’t budge. Rein’s sword clanged against iron and slid back as if it had hit a stone wall. He felt the shock up his arms.

“What the—! Who is this guy? He parried my attack?!”

The knight answered with no words — only a devastating return swing. The claymore moved like a falling tower, and Rein slammed his sword up to guard. The impact hit like a bullet train: steel met steel with a thunderous, face-rattling slam. The blast shoved through his arms, through his body — the marble under his boots burst with cracks and broke. Next strike sent him down as the floor crumbled, his feet punching into the ruined stone.