Chapter 14 — The Thousand Stones

The castle was filled with floating stones.

Hundreds.

Then thousands.

Every piece of broken stone, every fragment from the damaged walls, every piece of rubble scattered throughout the throne room had risen into the air.

Mina stared upward.

Her face slowly went pale.

“…That's too many.”

Yumiko tightened her grip on her enormous scissor-claymore.

“Yeah.”

Nyxhen stood in front of them.

His chains rattled.

“Get ready.”

Mina swallowed.

“For what?”

Nyxhen looked upward.

“For that.”

The Headless Crown lowered its hand.

Every stone pointed toward them.

For one terrifying second—

nothing happened.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire barrage launched.

“RUN!”

Nyxhen slammed Noctesgrave into the ground.

“SHADOW WALL!”

Darkness erupted from the floor.

A massive wall of shadows formed in front of the three.

The first wave struck.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The shadow barrier shook violently.

Nyxhen gritted his teeth.

“It's stronger than before!”

Another wave hit.

BOOOOOOM!

A crack appeared across the shadow wall.

Mina stepped backward.

“That's not going to hold!”

“I know!”

Another impact.

CRACK!

Yumiko raised her hands.

“Then I'll help!”

A massive white cloud erupted around them.

The cloud wrapped around the shadow barrier like a second layer.

The next wave of rocks hit.

BOOM!

The cloud absorbed some of the impact.

But stones still broke through.

Mina ducked.

WHOOSH!

A rock flew over her head.

“THAT WAS CLOSE!”

Another came.

Yumiko swung her weapon.

CLANG!

The stone shattered.

Mina stared.

“You blocked that with your sword?!”

Yumiko looked confused.

“It's a scissor-claymore.”

“That's still a sword!”

“Maybe.”

Another stone came.

Yumiko blocked it.

Another.

CLANG!

Another.

CLANG!

Yumiko began getting pushed backward.

“This is getting annoying!”

Mina shouted,

“WELCOME TO MY EXPERIENCE!”

Nyxhen grunted.

“Stop talking and move!”

Mina ran.

The three moved through the throne room while the Headless Crown continued launching stone after stone.

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Mina looked around.

The walls were covered with strange symbols.

They hadn't been there before.

Or maybe they had.

She couldn't remember.

Each symbol glowed faintly whenever the Headless Crown attacked.

Mina stopped.

“Wait.”

Nyxhen turned.

“What?”

Mina pointed toward the wall.

“Those symbols.”

Yumiko looked.

“What about them?”

“They light up whenever it attacks.”

Nyxhen's eyes narrowed.

He looked at the wall.

Then at the Crown.

Then back at the symbols.

“…You're right.”

Mina's expression changed.

“Maybe those things are connected.”

The Crown launched another barrage.

Nyxhen blocked.

Yumiko shielded Mina with her cloud.

Mina stared at the glowing symbols.

“The castle…”

She looked around.

“It isn't just controlling the castle.”

Nyxhen understood.

“The castle is powering it.”

Mina nodded.

“Exactly.”

Yumiko raised her hand.

“So…”

She pointed at the Crown.

“We destroy the castle?”

Mina shook her head quickly.

“No!”

Yumiko lowered her hand.

“Okay.”

Mina pointed at the symbols.

“We destroy those.”

Nyxhen nodded.

“That could weaken it.”

The Crown suddenly turned toward them.

Its floating crown glowed brighter.

Mina froze.

“…I think it heard us.”

Nyxhen smiled.

“Then let's move.”

The First Seal

Nyxhen disappeared into the shadows.

The Crown immediately turned.

Mina looked around.

“Where did he go?”

Yumiko pointed upward.

“There.”

Nyxhen emerged from the ceiling shadow.

“What?!”

Mina stared.

“How did you even get up there?!”

“Shadow.”

“That doesn't explain anything!”

Nyxhen swung Noctesgrave.

The chain wrapped around a pillar.

He pulled himself forward.

The Crown launched stones.

Nyxhen twisted through the air.

CLANG!

One stone.

CLANG!

Two.

CLANG!

Three.

He landed beside the first glowing symbol.

Noctesgrave swung.

BOOM!

The symbol cracked.

The Crown suddenly reacted.

Its entire body turned toward Nyxhen.

Nyxhen's eyes widened.

“Oh.”

A huge stone launched directly at him.

“MOVE!”

Nyxhen jumped.

BOOOOOOM!

The stone smashed the pillar.

Nyxhen landed on the floor.

Mina shouted,

“DID IT WORK?!”

Nyxhen looked toward the symbol.

The glow had weakened.

“It did!”

Mina smiled.

“YES!”

The Headless Crown suddenly slammed its hand down.

The entire floor shook.

Mina nearly fell.

“What was that?!”

The castle began moving.

Walls shifted.

The throne room started changing shape.

Yumiko looked around.

“Uh…”

Mina stared.

“It's rearranging the castle.”

Nyxhen's expression became serious.

“It knows what we're doing.”

Mina clenched her fist.

“Then we'll just have to be faster.”

The Second Seal

The second glowing symbol was high above the throne.

Yumiko looked at it.

“I can reach that.”

Mina looked at her.

“How?”

Yumiko smiled.

“Cloud.”

A cloud appeared beneath her feet.

It lifted her into the air.

Mina stared.

“That is actually really useful.”

Yumiko grinned.

“I know!”

She flew upward.

The Crown noticed.

Several stones immediately turned toward her.

Yumiko's smile disappeared.

“…Oh.”

The stones launched.

“AAAH!”

She flew sideways.

BOOM!

A stone barely missed her.

Another.

She spun.

Another.

She ducked.

“WHY ARE THEY FOLLOWING ME?!”

Mina shouted from below.

“BECAUSE YOU'RE FLYING!”

“That doesn't help!”

Yumiko flew higher.

The stones chased her.

She twisted between them.

Her cloud suddenly split into several smaller clouds.

Mina's eyes widened.

“Did you just do that?”

“I don't know!”

“That's amazing!”

“I'M BUSY!”

Yumiko flew around the stones.

One passed her.

Another.

Another.

She finally reached the glowing symbol.

She raised her weapon.

“Found you!”

She swung.

BOOOOOOM!

The second seal cracked.

The entire castle shook.

The Headless Crown staggered.

Mina's eyes widened.

“It worked again!”

Yumiko smiled.

“I did it!”

Then—

A massive stone appeared behind her.

Mina screamed.

“YUMIKO!”

Yumiko turned.

“WHAT?!”

The stone flew toward her.

Yumiko's eyes widened.

“OH.”

She immediately dropped.

The stone flew over her.

Yumiko landed on her cloud.

“…That was close.”

Mina sighed.

“You're going to give me a heart attack.”

Yumiko smiled.

“Sorry.”

Mina's Turn

Only one major seal remained visible.

It was on the floor.

Right beneath the Headless Crown.

Mina stared at it.

“…That's going to be difficult.”

Nyxhen looked at her.

“You don't have to do it.”

Mina shook her head.

“We need all three.”

She looked at her injured arm.

It was still trembling.

She didn't have much energy left.

But she stepped forward.

“I can do it.”

Nyxhen looked at her.

“Mina.”

“I know.”

She raised her hand.

“I'll be careful.”

Yumiko landed beside her.

“We'll protect you.”

Mina smiled.

“Thanks.”

The Headless Crown raised both hands.

The entire throne room filled with rocks.

Nyxhen stepped forward.

“Go.”

He disappeared.

Yumiko summoned her cloud.

Mina ran.

The first rock launched.

WHOOSH!

Nyxhen intercepted it.

Another.

Yumiko blocked it.

Another.

Nyxhen cut it apart.

Another.

Yumiko's cloud swallowed it.

Mina kept running.

She reached the center of the room.

The glowing seal was directly beneath her.

She placed her hand against the floor.

Her blood began moving.

Slowly.

Painfully.

The blood from her previous attacks crawled across the stone.

Mina gritted her teeth.

“Come on…”

Her arm trembled.

The blood spread.

The Headless Crown noticed.

It turned toward her.

Mina looked up.

“…Oh no.”

The Crown raised its hand.

A massive rock formed.

Mina's eyes widened.

“That's…”

The rock was enormous.

Too large.

Too fast.

Mina couldn't move.

“MINA!”

Nyxhen rushed toward her.

Yumiko flew downward.

The rock launched.

BOOOOOOM!

Nyxhen's shadow barrier appeared.

The impact shattered it instantly.

Yumiko's cloud collided with the stone.

The cloud slowed it—

but couldn't stop it.

Mina stared.

The rock was still coming.

She clenched her teeth.

“I can do this…”

She slammed her hand onto the floor.

“BLOODTHORN FLOOR!”

SHNK!

A crimson spike erupted.

It struck the incoming stone.

The rock split.

The pieces flew past Mina.

She fell to one knee.

She breathed heavily.

“I…”

She looked down.

The blood had reached the seal.

Mina smiled.

“Got you.”

She moved her fingers.

The blood spread across the glowing symbol.

The seal flickered.

The Headless Crown suddenly froze.

Mina whispered,

“Break.”

The blood erupted.

CRACK!

The seal shattered.

Silence.

The entire castle stopped moving.

The floating stones fell.

One by one.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

Mina slowly stood.

She looked toward the Headless Crown.

It was motionless.

Yumiko landed beside her.

“Did we win?”

Nyxhen lowered his scythe.

“I don't think so.”

Mina frowned.

“Why?”

The Headless Crown slowly raised its headless body.

Its crown began glowing.

Not red anymore.

Something darker.

Its armor cracked.

The entire throne room became silent.

Mina took a step backward.

“…That's not supposed to happen.”

Nyxhen tightened his grip.

The Headless Crown spoke.

Its voice echoed through the castle.

“You…”

The Crown's aura expanded.

“…have broken the seal.”

Mina froze.

“Seal?”

The Crown continued.

“I was not the source.”

Yumiko looked confused.

“Then what were you?”

The Headless Crown slowly turned toward the floor.

Something beneath them began rumbling.

RRRRRRRRRUMBLE…

Mina's eyes widened.

Nyxhen looked downward.

“What is that?”

The Crown answered.

“I was the lock.”

Silence.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The floor beneath the throne cracked open.

A deep darkness appeared beneath the castle.

Mina stared into it.

Something was moving down there.

Something enormous.

The Headless Crown's voice became quieter.

“And now…”

The castle began collapsing around them.

“…the door is open.”

Mina's eyes widened.

Yumiko tightened her grip.

Nyxhen stepped in front of both girls.

From beneath Veloria—

something roared.

RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

The sound shook the entire kingdom.

Mina's hat nearly flew off.

She grabbed it.

“…I have a really bad feeling about this.”

Nyxhen stared into the darkness.

“So do I.”

Yumiko raised her scissor-claymore.

“Then we should probably run.”

Mina nodded.

“Absolutely.”

The three turned toward the collapsing hallway.

But before they could move—

two enormous glowing eyes opened beneath the castle.