With the power of Sandalphon's twelve wings, it didn't take long for her and Aliza to arrive at Valtz Duchy.
But what greeted them wasn't the bustling, peaceful town Aliza remembered.
Instead, smoke filled the air. People were screaming, running for their lives through the streets as monsters roamed freely, destroying everything in their path.
"W-What's happening here...?" Aliza muttered, eyes wide as she looked down at the chaos below while still being carried through the sky by Sandalphon.
"We need to find Djeeta and the others. Maybe they know what's going on," Sandalphon said firmly. With her sharp eyesight, it didn't take long to spot the group—Djeeta, Katalina, and Lyria were in the middle of town, fending off the monsters while protecting the fleeing townsfolk.
Djeeta and Katalina could be seen slashing through waves of monsters. Lyria stood just behind them, hands glowing as she maintained a large barrier to keep the townspeople safe.
"Curses! What on earth is going on!?" one of the townspeople cried out in fear, glancing around as destruction rained down around him.
That morning had started like any other. He'd opened his tool shop and gone about his usual business. But out of nowhere, monsters burst in from outside the town, attacking everything in sight and throwing the city into chaos.
"Djeeta! On your right!" Katalina called out.
"I got it!" Djeeta replied. She shifted her weight instantly, narrowly dodging a monster's claw before spinning around and cutting it down with one clean strike.
"Katalina! Behind you!" Vyrn shouted from above.
Katalina jumped just in time to avoid the snapping jaws of a wolf-like monster. As she came down, she thrust her sword into its back, killing it instantly.
"There's too many! Why are there so many monsters all of a sudden? When we were here a month ago, there weren't nearly this many!" Katalina shouted, breathing heavily.
"I don't know either. Lyria, can you sense anything?" Djeeta asked as she slashed through another monster closing in.
Lyria, still holding the barrier firm, closed her eyes and focused her senses.
"I feel a strange power… Wait… these monsters—they're being controlled!" she suddenly shouted.
"Of course they are!" Djeeta replied with frustration, gripping her weapon tighter. "It's the only explanation!"
Meanwhile, in another part of the town, Jessica, Stan, and Therese were guiding people to safety, working together to escort them through safer streets while fending off stray monsters.
Earlier, when the group first arrived and saw the state of the town, they had all agreed to split up in order to cover more ground and help as many people as possible.
Djeeta and Katalina continued cutting down wave after wave of monsters, purple blood splashing across the streets and staining the walls of nearby buildings.
The monsters themselves weren't particularly strong. But the problem wasn't their power—it was their numbers. No matter how many they defeated, more kept coming. The sheer volume was beginning to wear them down.
To make things worse, Lyria couldn't summon a Primal Beast to help. The streets were too crowded with civilians, and one wrong move could bring down a building or hurt innocent people. She was forced to hold back, focusing all her energy on maintaining the barrier to keep the townsfolk safe.
The monsters surrounded them from every side. Djeeta and Katalina tightened their stance, sweat forming on their brows as they tried to hold the line.
"This is bad..." Djeeta muttered, glancing around. "Where the hell is Rei when you need him!?"
Katalina gave a breathless chuckle. "It's just like him to vanish the moment things get serious."
Suddenly—
"HYAAAAAHHH!"
A scream echoed from above, and both of them looked up just in time to see Aliza plummeting from the sky.
BAM!
She landed hard, kicking one of the monsters with full force and sending it crashing into a cluster of others, knocking them down like bowling pins.
"Aliza! You're finally here!" Vyrn called out in relief.
"Sorry! I'm kinda late," Aliza said, catching her breath.
"Nice one, Aliza!" Katalina gave her a thumbs up.
"Djeeta, Lyria, Katalina—sorry for being so late!" Sandalphon's voice followed right after. She landed gracefully beside them, her twelve wings still glowing with power. Without wasting a second, she raised her hand—and dozens of glowing swords formed in the air behind her before launching forward, raining down on the monsters ahead.
Each blade pierced its target with precision, turning the tide of battle in an instant.
"That's fine. With you here, we don't need to worry about their overwhelming numbers anymore…" Djeeta said with a relieved breath—until she quickly looked around. "Wait… where's Rei?"
She scanned the area, but not even a strand of his hair was in sight.
"Well…" was all Sandalphon said, still calmly firing her swords.
That one word was enough. Everyone instantly understood what she meant.
"You've got to be kidding me! Again? He just disappears and doesn't come back? That's it—when he returns, I'm putting a collar on his neck!" Djeeta yelled, her voice filled with frustration.
"Haha… really reminds me of your father," Vyrn commented. "He was always out on adventures too, barely came home."
"Whatever—he's getting it when he gets back," Djeeta muttered, before turning serious again. "Alright, Sandalphon, you cover more ground from the air. We'll handle things down here."
She quickly pointed to her teammates. "Lyria! We're going to need Primal Beast buffs. Use Tiamat and Colossus to strengthen us!"
"Got it!"
"Katalina, Aliza—we're wiping out as many monsters as we can. If possible, we regroup with Jessica and the others."
"Vyrn, Lyria—you two focus on rescuing civilians. Leave the fighting to us."
With Djeeta's orders clear, everyone nodded without hesitation. Sandalphon flew higher into the sky, her twelve wings spreading wide as she prepared her next volley of swords.
"The flames sing out their cries… The winds send forth their whispers…" Lyria chanted, her voice calm and focused as she activated her power.
The purple gem on her chest began to glow and shift colors—first green, then red—signaling the activation of Tiamat and Colossus.
A soft aura wrapped around Djeeta, Katalina, and Aliza. Their bodies shimmered in a mix of green and red light, and they could feel the power flowing through them.
"Whoa… my body feels so light!" Aliza said, clenching her fists a few times, testing her newfound strength.
"It's done, Djeeta," Lyria confirmed.
"Perfect. Alright, let's do this! We'll rescue as many people as we can!"
"Yeah!" Katalina and Aliza replied together.
And with that, the three of them dashed forward, heading straight into the swarm of monsters without a hint of hesitation.
With the help of Sandalphon and Lyria, Djeeta and the others managed to eliminate the monsters within an hour.
During the battle, they had also reunited with Therese, Jessica, and Stan. With everyone working together, the situation was finally brought under control.
However, the aftermath wasn't light. The streets were soaked in the purple blood of slain monsters, shops were wrecked, and many townsfolk suffered injuries. Despite all that, there were no fatalities, thanks to Lyria's healing powers—blessed by Gabriel—which allowed her to save anyone who hadn't succumbed to their wounds.
"Whew! That took care of 'em, all right!" Katalina exhaled, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Yeah… I don't sense anything else," Lyria said, focusing her senses. "Actually… I do feel something. But it's really faint…"
"Faint? How faint? Is it a Primal Beast?" Djeeta asked, her tone shifting to caution.
"No… it doesn't feel like a Primal Beast. It feels… familiar. But I can't remember from where," Lyria replied, her brows furrowing.
"Maybe we should check it out before it turns into something worse," Therese suggested, sheathing her sword behind her waist.
While the others discussed their next move, Aliza and Stan were speaking with the local townsfolk—many of whom knew them well, since this was their home.
"Lady Aliza, you've finally returned. Thank you so much for saving us," one of the townspeople said, bowing respectfully to her.
"It wasn't just me," Aliza replied. "Everyone worked together to save the town. Please thank them too."
The woman nodded and promised to thank the others later, seeing they were still deep in discussion.
Meanwhile, Stan tried to get some answers. "What caused this? Why did so many monsters suddenly appear in Valtz Duchy?"
"Ah, well… I'm not sure how to explain it, but…"
The townspeople went on to describe how it all began. The monsters had first appeared in the middle of town—at a spot where there weren't many people. Guards rushed over from the gates to help and fought the monsters off. But in the chaos, the unguarded gate had mysteriously opened and the bridge was lowered, allowing even more monsters from outside to flood in.
"The gate opened on its own? And the bridge lowered too? That's never happened before…"
Aliza frowned deeply. The gates and bridges were crucial parts of the city's defense and were always checked daily. There was no way they'd malfunction like this on their own.
"Don't tell me…" Aliza whispered, her eyes going wide.
"In the middle of the town—where exactly did the monsters appear?!" she suddenly asked.
"I-I don't know for sure! But I heard from others they came from near the Grand Arsenal building!"
Aliza's expression darkened. She immediately understood who might be behind all this. "Thank you for the information!"
Without waiting, she turned and ran straight to Djeeta and the others.
"Lady Aliza! Wait for me!" Stan called out, quickly chasing after her.
Once she reached the group, she didn't hesitate. "Everyone! I'm sorry—but I need your help again!"
"Huh? What's wrong?" Vyrn asked, confused by her panicked tone.
"My uncle… Uncle Aviza has long been unhappy with the way things are run here in the Valtz Duchy," she began, taking a deep breath to explain. "He believes that since Valtz carried the burden of arms development during the war, we should be the rulers of the skies. Probably because of that, my grandfather never passed down the family inheritance to him."
"I see… Sounds like your uncle is a real pain to deal with," Djeeta muttered.
"Yeah, well… my family doesn't like him either, but a lot of people support him for some reason. It makes it difficult for us to exile him."
"That's why I need everyone's help—to stop him. I'm sure he's behind the monster attack!"
"What? But… why would he want to destroy the whole town if he wants Valtz to rule the skies?" Lyria asked, confused.
Aliza's eyes darted around, making sure no one else was listening. Then she motioned for everyone to come closer.
Once they huddled in, she whispered quietly, "His plan is to assassinate Tzaka the Great and take over the duchy himself."
"WHAT?!" everyone gasped in unison.