The silence stretched, thick and heavy as a burial shroud. Longinus's gaze remained fixed on the horizon, weighing empires and futures in the balance of his ancient mind. Finally, he turned, and the decision was etched in the new lines of resolve around his eyes.
"For seventy years," Longinus began, his voice no longer that of a detached scholar but of a sovereign, "I have ruled from the shadows of this tower, allowing the Council its squabbles, believing the greater stability of the continent was served by Magitopia's neutrality." His eyes, sharp and clear, locked onto Seiji. "But neutrality in the face of a consuming fire is not wisdom; it is complicity. I have not been blind to the empire's rot, nor to the viper I allowed to nest in my own house."
He took a step forward, his presence seeming to expand, filling the Sunstone Gardens. "Cooperating with you is a gamble. A roll of the dice that, if lost, could see my kingdom drowned in blood and fire. But your proposal… the audacity of it… it stirs something in me that has been dormant for an age. It is a purpose more thrilling than any arcane discovery in the past seven decades." He gave a sharp, decisive nod. "Very well. I accept your proposal for an alliance. Grimgar and Magitopia shall stand together."
A wave of relief and shock washed over Astrea. Alexis stared, her mind struggling to keep pace with the seismic shift in continental politics.
"However," Longinus continued, his tone brooking no argument, "there is a price for my commitment. Lucius and the corruption within the Golden Dawn… I will purge them myself. It is a long-overdue housecleaning. But in return, you will take Alexis and Astrea under your protection. They will return with you to Grimgar."
"Your Majesty!" Alexis exclaimed, stepping forward. "I understand Astrea's peril, but why must I go? I am here under the auspices of my studies, under your protection!"
Longinus's gaze on her was pitying. "You are clever, child, but you are naive. Do you truly believe the servants your 'devoted' maternal family assigned you are all loyal? The Delacroix blood in your veins is both a shield and a target. Arthen tolerates you, he does not trust you. This meeting, no matter how secret, will be discovered. And when it is, your father will not hesitate to brand you a traitor. He allows no opposition, not even from his own blood." He gestured vaguely towards the garden's perimeter. "Can you, with absolute certainty, vouch for every knight who accompanied you here? Or have some already sold their allegiance to the king in exchange for future favors?"
The color drained from Alexis's face. The question was a dagger to her carefully constructed world. She had always felt a subtle distance, a few guarded looks among her retinue, but had chalked it up to protocol. Now, the king's words reframed them as potential betrayal.
As if summoned by his accusation, the air in the garden shimmered. From behind topiaries and within the shadows of the glowing trees, figures emerged. They were clad in the iconic golden-armored robes of the Magic Knight Corps, but their stances were aggressive, their weapons drawn. Among them, Seiji recognized several faces from the Sea Serpent—men he had presumed were mere merchants or guards. They had been Lucius's eyes and ears all along.
And at their head stood Lucius Blackwood himself. He was a man of calculated charisma, with a well-proportioned, athletic build and a classically handsome face that was now twisted into a smirk of triumphant malice.
"A touching scene," Lucius drawled, his voice slick with false pity. "The wise king, the fallen saint, the traitorous princess, and the… trash." His eyes settled on Seiji with open contempt. "I didn't expect my two primary targets to be conveniently gathered in one place. It saves me so much trouble."
He offered a mocking bow to Longinus. "Your Majesty, please do not take this personally. Everything I have done, I have done for the strength and security of the empire."
Seiji's mind, cold and analytical, connected the final dots. "The dragon's appearance," he stated, his voice cutting through Lucius's gloating. "It frightened Arthen so deeply that he grew desperate. He ordered you to acquire Ian's Matrix by any means necessary, to create a weapon to counter it." He looked at Lucius with dawning understanding. "You weren't just an ambitious captain. You were a sleeper agent, planted here years ago. That's how you bypassed all the loyalty screenings. You were always Arthen's man."
Lucius's smirk widened. "The 'useless' one is sharper than he looks. But what does it matter? A piece of trash, cast out by the king. What can you possibly do?" His gaze turned predatory, sweeping over Seiji as if he were already a corpse. "Rest assured. After I deal with you here, I will personally inform His Majesty of your little rebellion. And everything you have built in the shadows—your 'Grimgar'—we will tear it down, stone by stone. The women you protect… the elf, the harpy… they will be brought to the capital to serve as entertainment for the king and his loyal nobles."
A silence, colder than the depths of space, fell over Seiji. The casual threat against Riveria, against Seraphina, against everything he had fought for, was not just an insult; it was a spark on a powder keg.
"Is that so?" Seiji's voice was a low, deadly monotone, devoid of all emotion. "At first, I considered taking you alive. There is much you could have told us. But since you have so clearly articulated your intentions…" He took a single, deliberate step forward. "…then I will simply have to trouble you to die."
Before the astonished eyes of Alexis and Astrea, the air around Seiji erupted. Seiji shouted: "Henshin", and a wave of black and crimson energy exploded outwards, a contained inferno of systemic power. It was not the flashy transformation of a mage, but something far more visceral and mechanical. When the aura dissipated, standing in Seiji's place was Vanguard. The sleek, jet-black and crimson armor, emblazoned with the dragon-and-circle emblem, seemed to drink the light from the Sunstone Gardens. The air hummed with a terrifying, otherworldly pressure.
"Now," Vanguard's filtered voice announced, the word a flat, final declaration. "Target."
Lucius's confidence faltered for a split second, replaced by a flicker of primal fear before his training reasserted itself. "All units!" he roared, his voice cracking with a mix of fury and panic. "Engage! Kill them all!"
The Golden Dawn knights surged forward, their weapons glowing with offensive magic. On one side stood the traitorous captain and his elite corps. On the other stood the Wizard King, a princess, a mage, and a single, black-armored warrior from another world. The battle for the future of Magitopia, and the soul of the continent, was about to begin.