Rhine stepped forward, blocking the King and Queen, his arms making graceful arcs in the air.
Clear spring water gushed out of nowhere onto the palace floor, and as soon as it touched the flames, it turned into wisps of white mist, stopping the surging inferno.
The magnificent carpet instantly came alive, protecting Rhine, the King, and the Queen from the scorching steam.
The King opened his eyes and slowly recovered when he saw the back of the young man in a magnificent robe.
Thankfully, Lord Rhine, this highly skilled Magician, was here!
"Amazing!"
Seeing Rhine's move, the Black Witch was also a little surprised.
The silver-haired boy in front of her looked too young, only about eleven or twelve years old.
When she attended the banquet, the Black Witch heard that the boy sitting next to the King was a Magician, but given his appearance, she didn't take it seriously at all.
"I never expected it, old man, you still had a trick up your sleeve. Your royal advisor is such a powerful Magician," the Black Witch sneered.
Rhine seized the Black Witch's moment of surprise and clapped his hands softly.
Clap! Clap!
Tables, chairs, plates, knives and forks, stone statues... all the objects in the hall seemed to come alive, either running or flying, all rushing towards the Black Witch.
"Animate!"
This was the magic Rhine mastered after helping the King and Queen fulfill their wish for an heir.
While the Soldiers, 12 Witches, and Maleficent, who had transformed into the Black Witch, were fighting, Rhine had been secretly casting spells, imbuing life into the inanimate objects in the hall, creating a massive number of "animated object" Soldiers, just waiting for this moment to strike!
This consumed most of Rhine's magic power, but it was completely worth it!
A large group of animated objects jumped up and down, besieging the Black Witch in the center.
Giant stone statues drew their greatswords and slashed at the Black Witch, while silver knives and forks tried to pierce the gaps in her dragon scales.
As the animated objects fought, Rhine raised his hand again, and pure white light surged from his palm, enveloping the entire hall and flowing into the bodies of the severely wounded Soldiers and Witches, healing their injuries.
"Healing Spell!"
The Soldiers who had been scattering and fleeing, and the royalty and nobles who had been hiding under tables (but the tables had run away) and were covered in dust, regained their composure.
"That's great! It's the magic of Sage Rhine!"
"Sage Rhine has restrained the wicked Black Witch!"
"My leg was burned off, wasn't it? It's recovered! Thank you, Lord Rhine!"
"Let's seize this opportunity and attack together!"
After a brief respite, the 12 Witches also exerted their full strength, using all their hidden magic to fight against the terrifying Black Witch alongside the Soldiers.
"How annoying."
The Black Witch flapped her wings.
The attacks from the animated objects, the Kingdom's Soldiers, and the Witches, while not causing any substantial damage to her, were still bothersome to deal with.
She had just unleashed a powerful curse capable of affecting the entire Kingdom, and even with a 15-year delay for self-restraint, it had consumed most of her magic power; she now had very little strength left.
In such a state, crushing these ants was indeed not an easy task.
Moreover, who knew if that Little Magician, whom she wasn't familiar with, was using his full power?
If this Sage Rhine still had reserves, then continuing to fight might result in her getting injured or having to use her trump card...
Never mind, the curse has already been cast, why bother fighting...
The Black Witch roared, flapping her wings violently, sending all the surrounding animated objects flying.
Rumble.
The giant dragon crashed through the palace ceiling and flew into the starry sky amidst the flying dust.
The Black Witch's laughter echoed in the vast, boundless night sky:
"The curse has been cast, it is inevitable!
"Tomorrow, I will leave this dying kingdom.
"Goodbye, King, and may you die with your precious princess!"
The King knelt on the ground, looking at the large hole in the palace ceiling, the swirling dust, and the Black Witch disappearing into the depths of the night sky; helplessness and despair welled up in his heart.
Looking around, foreign guests from various countries were fleeing in panic.
Many wanted to return to their own countries and inform their homelands not to approach this cursed land anymore.
The joy of the previous celebration, the crimson lights, the festive songs, the aroma of the feast, and the fragrance of fine wine, all seemed like an illusion, easily shattered.
"Why? Why did this happen?"
The King knelt on the ground, crying out to the sky in pain.
Desperate paleness covered the face of the aging monarch.
In the cradle, the little princess was awakened by the loud noise, her expression bewildered, not yet knowing what had happened.
This newborn Princess did not yet know what kind of curse she bore.
She showed no fear, nor did she cry.
Then, the King, the Queen, and the Magician Rhine all witnessed a scene they would never forget—
The young and innocent Aurora waved her tender little hands towards the brilliant starry sky outside the hole in the palace ceiling.
Sleeping Beauty in her swaddling clothes was giggling at the myriad stars.