"Damn it!"
My fist struck the stone railing.
"He escaped before we could issue the command."
The spirit bound to Seraphine had been our failsafe. Contracted through Elara. The moment lethal intent was confirmed, it would act.
But Shadow Slave never gave us that moment.
He didn't hesitate.
He didn't test.
He executed.
Before Elara could even direct the spirit, he vanished with her.
He knew we would take time to explore. To assign positions. To secure advantages.
It wasn't improvisation.
It was preparation.
…But we weren't finished yet.
Seraphine's crown had been a decoy.
The real one was with Luna.
We had planned for theft. Planned for assassination.
Yet—
The eliminations chimed through our armor.
[Goblin Team – One Player Eliminated]
[Oni Team – One Player Eliminated]
[Troll Team – One Player Eliminated]
Aeldir turned toward me. "That's not coincidence."
"No," I said quietly.
"He split them."
Three squads.
Three castles.
Not targeting kings.
Targeting healers.
Strike fast. Retreat. Lure pursuit toward the plains.
Fireballs cast backward mid-escape — visible enough to provoke retaliation.
Then summoning magic.
Disappearance.
The spells collide into pursuing armies.
Confusion. Friendly casualties. Rage.
Three forces crashing into each other.
And Shadow Slave?
He buys time.
Not through dominance.
Through manipulation.
A low resonance vibrated across our armor.
The Empress Squad set linked us.
Seraphine's voice entered our minds.
It was shaking.
Not loud.
Not hysterical.
But trembling.
"G-General…"
A metallic clang echoed behind her.
"They… they already had it."
My eyes narrowed. "Had what?"
"The relic."
A breath hitched in her throat.
"The Eyes of a Devil."
The name chilled the air around us.
"He didn't choose it here," she whispered. "He brought it with him. It was already inside the castle."
Already inside.
So this was never opportunistic.
It was planned before the finale began.
"The two elves," she continued, voice unsteady, "they were guarding it. A black iron box. I thought it was reinforcement storage…"
Another heavy door slammed.
Iron scraping against stone.
"They opened it."
Her breathing grew uneven.
I heard chains.
"He's not rushing. He's waiting."
"For what?" I demanded.
A long pause.
When she spoke again, her voice fractured.
"…For it to wake."
The faint sound of something wet.
Organic.
Unsettling.
"They're feeding it mana."
Lysandria stepped forward, steady despite the tension.
"Seraphine. Stay focused. We're moving."
"They locked me in the jail chamber," she whispered. "General… I think… I think I know what he intends to do."
Her breath stuttered.
"He knew."
"Knew what?" Aeldir asked sharply.
"That I would be the one closest to the relic."
Silence fell across us.
The pieces aligned too cleanly.
He attacked her team first.
Kidnapped her directly.
Ignored the others.
Not random.
Targeted.
Because he needed her near it.
"General…" Her voice dropped to almost nothing. "If it awakens fully… it won't matter who holds the throne."
A shiver ran through the connection itself.
She was afraid.
Not of pain.
Of inevitability.
I steadied my voice.
"We move."
No panic.
No shouting.
"We split into three."
"Aeldir. Lysandria. Eastern mountain route. His castle lies north. If he mirrored his strategy, it will appear thin."
"Mira and I take the western forest."
"Elara. Two knights with you. If the three kings are colliding in the plains, do not engage. Fall back."
The A-rank spirit shimmered faintly beside her — translucent, cloaked in deep violet fabric. Its face obscured by shadow even through transparency.
Our recall anchor.
Last safeguard.
"If any of us reaches the castle first," I continued, "wait. Do not breach alone."
I looked north.
Shadow Slave didn't rush.
He positioned.
He divided.
He removed healers.
He kidnapped the closest compatible target.
And he had the relic long before the rest of us knew it existed.
This was never about seizing a crown quickly.
This was about rewriting the structure of the game.
And for the first time—
I felt it clearly.
We weren't ahead.
We were responding.
And that meant—
He was already inside the next move.