?With Lily safe, Axel made his way to the great hall—into the heart of carnage.
?
?The remnants of his father’s guard fought fiercely, holding back a foreign delegation that had already slaughtered half the guests meant to witness Lily’s coronation. Axel’s jaw clenched.
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?My fault… all my fault. If only I’d kept a firmer grip on the kingdom…
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?Guilt and rage twisted inside him. Then—a sound. Shallow, wet gasps.
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?He turned. A woman lay sprawled in blood, her chest split wide, barely holding in her own intestines. She raised her face toward him, hollow eye sockets trembling.
?
?“P-please... please... m-my son... s-save... save... m-my son...” Her voice cracked in short, panicked gasps.
?
?Axel’s eyes dropped to the small body beside her—limp, neck bent at a sickening angle.
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?The child was already dead.
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?He nearly doubled over from the sight, nausea rising like a wave. The mother didn’t know. Couldn’t know.
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?He dropped to his knees beside her, swallowing the bile in his throat.
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?“Your son... he’s safe. Don’t worry.”
?
?A flicker of peace passed over her ruined face. She exhaled one last time.
?
?Axel stood, heart aching, barely registering the chaos around him. All around, mutilated civilians reached toward him—bloody fingers clutching at their prince, seeking comfort, salvation, hope.
?
?These were the same people who had voted for his exile. Yet in that moment, he felt no bitterness. No hate.
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?Only sorrow.
?
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?He stepped past their fragile grips and made his way into the fray.
?
?One enemy soldier spotted him, raising both hands. Rocks and debris swirled into the air and launched toward Axel.
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?He didn’t move.
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?His skin hardened, his special technique coming into affect. The rocks shattered harmlessly on impact.
?
?The soldier’s eyes widened—but too late.
?
?Axel surged forward like a blur, seizing the man’s face in one hand. He squeezed, bones cracking beneath his grip, blood slicking his fingers.
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?A roar echoed from the royal guards.
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?Their prince had returned.
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?Hope flared like fire.
?
?
?But the joy was short-lived.
?
?Axel’s eyes swept over the blood-soaked hall. Tables overturned. Chairs shattered. Corpses twisted among the ruins. The sparkling white tiles—once pristine—were now drowned in red, a macabre canvas of violence.
?
?The foreign delegation was overwhelming in number, their soldiers relentless. Worse, Axel suspected some of their own—purist bastards—had defected. The guards were dwindling fast. Reinforcements wouldn’t make it in time.
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?He clenched his fists.
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?Covered head to toe in gore, hair wild, eyes burning, Axel let out a snarl—and surged forward.
?
?He crashed into the enemy line like a storm.
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?Fists broke through ribs. Skulls shattered under his strikes. He tore out hearts, crushed windpipes, ripped entire spines free as if they were twigs. Blood sprayed across his face as he sliced through men like butter. It was a massacre.
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?But even with all his strength… he was still just one man.
?
?Pain seared through his shoulder.
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?A massive shard of ice burst through his flesh, forcing a strangled grunt from his throat. He staggered back, clutching the wound. Someone had pierced his defense.
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?His gaze snapped up—locking onto the foreign king.
?
?Their eyes met, tension crackling in the air.
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?Then, with a flick of the king’s wrist, more shards rose behind him—an array of glittering ice, jagged and deadly, poised to strike.
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?A low snarl erupted from deep within Axel’s chest. He snapped the ice sticking out of his shoulder and lunged forward in a blur of motion. The ice shards buried themselves into the ground in his wake, his gaze locked onto the foreign king.
?
?But the king vanished, reappearing a short distance away with a sickening smirk on his face. He raised his hand and unleashed a fresh wave of ice shards upon the battlefield. Axel heard the screams of his men—their pain cutting through the chaos—and his rage flared white-hot.
?
?Before he could lunge again, the king’s guards spotted him. Fire, rock, and vines bursting with thorns shot toward him in a deadly barrage. He hardened his skin where he could, but many of the attacks struck home, sending him skidding back with a grunt.
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?His narrowed eyes burned with fury. He retaliated like a beast unleashed—hands grappling, ripping apart faces. Bones crunched. Eyes popped. Ribs shattered under his grip. Still, they kept coming.
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?Until—
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?"We're home~”
?
?The familiar, flirty voice rang loud and clear—never had it sounded so welcome. The guards hesitated for a heartbeat. Axel turned just in time to see Mitsuki’s signature smirk and flashing blue eyes. Her uniform made her stand out even in the chaos as she rushed across the rooftop, ice shards flying through the torn roof.
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?Dark blue spears of frozen death tore into enemy soldiers with surgical precision. Axel gave her a grateful nod, and she answered with a cocky wink, still cutting down soldiers with playful ease.
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?The enemy faltered, falling into defensive positions against her surprise attack.
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?But Axel felt it—that familiar warmth in the air. Oppressive, suffocating. Knox was close. And as clouds above began to crackle, he knew Aki was arriving too.
?
?He smiled.
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?Across the battlefield, the foreign king’s expression shifted—mild annoyance flickering across his features as he registered Mitsuki’s arrival. His queen remained beside him, untouched by the chaos, watching with unreadable eyes. She hadn’t moved once. She didn’t need to.
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?As the atmosphere grew heavier, charged with incoming power, Axel’s smile widened.
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?Reinforcements were here.
?And it was going to be overkill.
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