Ezekiel raced through the grand halls, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridors. The urgency in his heart pushed him forward, urging him to find her before it was too late.
Fortunately, along the way, he was able to find some of her traces. He followed the faint remnants of her magical energy, leading him to the basement. As he turned a corner, he caught sight of a figure disappearing into one of the side rooms.
Ezekiel quickened his pace, his eyes focused on the door ahead. Bursting into the room, he found the woman standing in front of a large, ornate door. She had a determined look on her face, her hand reaching out to touch the intricate carvings.
"No!" Ezekiel shouted, his voice filled with desperation. Once the door was open, he could only imagine the devastation. Not only was Karyk going to be killed, but everyone else as well, including all of Gabriel's friends whom he had just reunited with.
He rushed towards her, his own magic swirling around him like a protective shield. "You can't do this!"
The woman frowned, her eyes filled with anger and confusion. "What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?!"
Ezekiel's grip tightened, his voice filled with resolve. "I can't let you do this!"
With a flick of her wrist, the woman summoned a gust of wind, attempting to knock Ezekiel off balance. But he stood firm, using his own magic to create a barrier against the forceful winds. He pressed forward, determined to prevent her from opening the door.
The woman's eyes blazed with fury as she realized that something was wrong with Ezekiel. Without hesitation, she unleashed a torrent of destructive power towards Ezekiel, sending him flying back.
"And what made you think you could stop me? Are you forgetting your place?" The woman exclaimed, her fist clenched in anger. But despite her aggressive stance, she turned her focus on the door. That was her first priority after all.
Ezekiel stood up, his chest hurting. He was already hurt because of his weak remaining life force, but even then, he couldn't let the woman do as she wanted.
Even in such a condition, he attacked.
****
"What have you done?" Aliac roared in frustration at Gabriel after realizing that he had brought an enemy inside.
The only reason Aliac allowed them inside was because he thought they were all related to Gabriel who couldn't try to harm Karyk. However, he realized that because of Karyk's company, he had lowered his guard and made such a rookie mistake.
It was also because he hadn't expected the other side to take action so soon, and that too through Gabriel.
In haste, he opened a portal to the basement of his Palace. Even he himself couldn't directly teleport in the special room.
Gabriel and everyone else stepped out of the portal, entering the distant room.
As Aliac entered the room, he stood frozen. The door... It was in pieces at the moment. Not only was the seal broken but the door itself was broken.
Gabriel was even worse as his pupils trembled, he looked into the distance, watching Ezekiel.
Ezekiel's chest was bleeding, the Princess's claws inside his chest. Before he could even move, he watched the dark flames of the Princess shroud Ezekiel who was unmoving.
"So you have betrayed us..." The Princess looked at Gabriel who was accompanied by the others. "What a pity that you sent this trash to stop me."
As the fire disappeared, not even Ezekiel's ashes were left behind.
Gabriel's heart sank as he witnessed the loss of his dear friend Ezekiel.
"I will slaughter you!" He roared as he madly rushed ahead.
Unfortunately, the woman was faster than him.
"My task here is done. But don't worry... We'll meet again..." She moved back, disappearing inside the portal that was permanently open now that the door was broken.
Gabriel was about to chase her inside the portal. However, before he could enter, he felt a hand hold into him, stopping him.
"Don't follow her. You don't know what's waiting on the other side!" It was Aliac who pulled Gabriel back, his expressions solemn.
He didn't know who to blame for this mistake. He even blamed himself. Unfortunately, it was too late to regret now. Along with the door, the seal on Elzeria was broken.
"Let me go! I'll kill her!" Gabriel struggled, almost freeing himself from Aliac's grip, his aura shrouding the entire hall.
Fortunately, Karyk intervened, restricting him.
"Come back to your senses! Will killing her bring your friend back?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Although he didn't know how Gabriel came to know that girl and what happened before he came here, he could see that Gabriel cared a lot about Ezekiel.
Unfortunately, even he couldn't bring Ezekiel back to life as not just his body but even his soul was destroyed.
"Everything's lost! Just when I had a glimpse of hope that we might end this, it became worse. Now the seal is gone. Nothing can stop them!" Aliac looked at the portal before him, his expressions solemn.
He could already feel some of the strange energy from Elzeria slowly invading this world through the portal. And it wasn't just this one portal. All around the universe, many such portals had opened. And none of them could close the portals now.
The door of Central World had not only kept this portal closed but it had kept a seal on all other portals as well. However, with it being gone, things were about to change.
Gabriel kept struggling fiercely. He had come here to extend Ezekiel's life. But not only did he not extend his life, but even the few days of life he had left was taken. Gabriel blamed himself for all of it.
His heart felt empty, and so did his mind. More than anything, he wanted to make those bastards suffer. He hadn't hated anyone more than Caen, but now he did. .
He brought out the transfer talisman that the Elzerian King had given him in case they broke his trust.
