"Hoooo!!… It's been a long time since I felt this feeling!!!"
"Damn you, Rex, you cheat! You took 50% of the Emperor Dragon's power for yourself!"
"Heh heh heh heh!!!… Actually, the Emperor himself gave it to me as a reward!"
Krrrrrrr!!!!!!… Sssssssssss!!!!!!…
When Rex grabbed his sword again, the blade turned into a serrated, icy edge.
The hilt grew longer, frozen solid, glowing a dark blue.
The blade was embedded in the ground. As Rex dragged it out, the desert floor turned into a massive glacier.
In the middle of that frozen wasteland, only Mikey could endure it.
"You think by freezing everything you can extinguish my flames?!"
Rex smiled and slammed his sword deep into the ground.
The moment it pierced the earth, towering ice spears burst out from beneath the ground at high speed, shooting straight toward Mikey.
Mikey didn't falter. Calmly, he stomped his foot into the ground.
Flames erupted, taking the form of a phoenix, and swallowed Rex's ice whole.
Mikey yanked his sword out with force and rushed toward Rex.
Tiiing!…
Rex blocked with his sword, but he was being pushed back.
The pressure on Rex kept increasing. Mikey didn't stop for a second, pushing harder and harder—
but suddenly, Mikey lost his balance and slipped.
Rex had frozen the ground beneath Mikey's feet, making it slick to break his balance and free himself from the pressure.
Rex seized the chance, leaped into the air, and gripped his sword with both hands, aiming straight for Mikey's head—but…
"Phoenix Wings!"
Rex's sword slammed into the rock instead.
Mikey soared upward with his flaming wings, hovering in midair.
Rex smiled.
"Emperor Wings!"
Two white, icy wings burst from Rex's back. He ascended and stopped directly in front of Mikey.
"Damn you, Rex!!"
Entrance of the Shamrock Palace:
"Hurry, leave this place!"
"My daughter has been kidnapped! You must help us find her again!!"
Sho had come to the front of the palace to ask for help.
He had gone to the Miyamari-sho (the office for handling public grievances), but they had told him:
"Forget it. You'll never see your daughter again."
He had asked them about Taisa.
"Taisa hasn't come here for several days. I have no news of him!"
And now, standing before the Empire itself, Sho was begging for help—his only hope.
Sho tried to go inside to ask the Holy Knights for aid,
but the imperial guards refused to let him enter.
Kazu—the man who had saved Sho—was also begging them to help, but the guards would not allow it.
Sho threw himself at the guard's feet, crying and pleading.
"Please, my daughter's life is in danger!… Please let us go inside!!"
The guard grew angry, raised his spear, and was about to strike Sho—
but a shadow moved instantly, stopping the spear in midair.
The guard looked up, broke into a cold sweat, trembled, dropped his spear, stumbled backward, and fell to the ground.
"The Crown Prince!"
Itsuki was there. With a furious grip, his muscles tense, he crushed the spear with ease.
Sho and Kazu, seeing Itsuki, immediately dropped to the ground and bowed deeply.
Itsuki lifted Sho up.
"Uncle, show me the way. We're going to save your daughter."
Sho's eyes filled with tears of joy.
"Prince Itsuki, if you had informed us, we would have opened the gate. Why dirty your hands with the gate yourself?"
The guards were sweating and trembling on the ground.
Itsuki turned toward the voice, veins bulging with anger, brows furrowed.
"You didn't open the gate that you were supposed to open!!… Take these two to the dungeon!!"
"Yes, sir!"
The two guards were punished for refusing to open the gate for a citizen in need.
"Please forgive us, Prince…!"
"This way, sir!"
Sho, leaning on a cane, limped forward on one leg when suddenly he was lifted into the air.
He turned around to see Itsuki carrying him in his arms.
"Don't worry, Uncle. You show me the way—I'll carry you."
Sho smiled.
"But this isn't right. You're the Crown Prince of this empire. It's beneath your status to carry a commoner like me."
Itsuki laughed.
"A Crown Prince who can't understand his people's pain is useless."
As Itsuki was about to leave, Sho said,
"One moment, please, sir…"
Sho turned to Kazu, eyes full of tears.
"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead… I truly don't know how to repay you."
Kazu laughed.
"Then when you come back, I'll eat a bowl of curry soup—but I won't pay! Hahaha!"
Sho smiled brightly.
"Alright. Whenever you come, I'll treat you."
"Alright, Uncle, hold on tight!"
Sho gripped Itsuki firmly.
Itsuki bent his knees—and with an explosive leap, shot into the air…
Moments later, they landed directly inside the Forbidden Forest.
Sho stared in shock, frozen, eyes wide open at Itsuki's power.
"Alright, we've arrived, Unc—"
GRAAAAAAOOOOOM!!!… GRRRRRRKH… BOOOOOOM!!!!
Itsuki's words were cut off by a massive white wave surging from deeper within the forest.
He instantly shielded Sho with his body.
When the wave passed and Sho opened his eyes, they widened in disbelief. Sweat covered his forehead.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"This… this is unbelievable!!!!"