"M-Maikell..." Jinny muttered.
Maikell glanced at her, then drew his sword and pointed it at Matias.
"Jinny... why are you with the enemy?" he asked, voice cold.
"You misunderstood… he's—"
But Jinny didn't finish. In the blink of an eye, Maikell moved swiftly and pulled her into his arms, positioning them opposite Matias.
Matias clenched his fists.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The two men locked eyes, the tension sharp as steel.
"I'm here to kill you," Maikell said without hesitation.
Jinny's eyes widened in horror.
"N-No... you can't kill him. He's your—"
"Shut up," Maikell snapped, shooting her a sharp glare.
Jinny swallowed hard. That stare sent a chill down her spine.
"Kill me?" Matias smirked. "You won't be able to."
Suddenly, the Crimson Blades appeared, forming a protective barrier around Matias.
Maikell chuckled.
"Hiding behind your men? Is that all you've got?"
An arrow whistled through the air, piercing one of the Crimson Blades. They immediately fell into formation, alert.
Thane emerged from the shadows, bow in hand, and rushed to Maikell's side.
Matias's eyes narrowed. Thane resembled his sister—Charlotte. Could it be… was he her younger brother?
"Thane!" Jinny called out.
Thane's eyes widened in surprise.
"Jinny? What are you doing here? It's dangerous!"
"Thane, take her somewhere safe," Maikell ordered.
Thane gave a nod, then lifted Jinny into his arms.
"Where do you think you're taking her?" Matias barked, signaling his men.
The assassins moved fast, surrounding Thane and Jinny.
"Get out of our way," Maikell growled before launching into an attack.
With deadly precision, he cut through the assassins one by one. He moved like a trained killer—quick, brutal, relentless. No one would have expected him to wield a blade like this.
Perhaps his time in Montclairs had forged him—trained him not just for victory, but for survival. This wasn't like the missions from their original world. They had to survive if they ever hoped to return home.
Matias seized a sword from a fallen soldier and charged at Maikell.
Steel clashed. Sparks flew. They exchanged blows, each one faster and more lethal than the last.
Meanwhile, Thane struck down the final assassin, creating a clear path. Without wasting a second, he scooped Jinny back into his arms and bolted toward safety.
Now, only Maikell and Matias remained in the church, locked in a deadly duel. Their blades clashed through the hollow silence—neither willing to back down, both fighting a battle that could end in death.
Matias raised his sword and struck at Maikell, but Maikell blocked it effortlessly, shielding himself with his blade. Their swords clashed again and again, the sharp clank of metal echoing through the church.
Matias smirked. "You're good."
Maikell returned a mocking smile. "Is that all you've got? You're too weak to be an emperor."
Matias scoffed. "Mocking me is like mocking your own father."
Maikell's eyes narrowed, his expression turning cold. "Don't mention him—you don't even know him!"
With a roar, he lunged forward and struck again. Matias blocked the blow, but Maikell swiftly drove his boot into Matias's abdomen.
Matias staggered back, catching his breath.
"Why don't you just surrender?" Maikell sneered. "Sooner or later, your empire will fall—and you'll be dead with it."
Matias let out a low chuckle and straightened his stance, pointing his sword at Maikell.
"Don't you know?" he said calmly. "The empire you're trying to destroy was once ruled… by your father."
Maikell's jaw clenched. This man was spouting nonsense again.
"Emperor Mikhail Serolf," Matias continued. "That was my father's name. And also yours."
Maikell laughed bitterly. "My father is Mikhail Fuentebella—and he's not your father!"
With fury in his eyes, Maikell charged again. Their swords clashed as they traded blow after blow in a relentless exchange of strength and skill.
Outside the church...
Beatrice led the mages against the monstrous creatures summoned by Jean. She gritted her teeth as she watched the mages struggle—despite their power, the monsters were overwhelming them.
"WAHAHAHA! YOU CAN'T DEFEAT MY CREATIONS!" Jean cackled like a madman.
Beatrice clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She remembered her father's words when she was young: Be strong—to protect your family and the empire.
Closing her eyes, she summoned her energy. A glowing aura began to rise around her—pulsing with immense magic.
Jean's expression twisted when he sensed the surge.
"Attack her!" he shouted.
The monsters lunged toward Beatrice—but before they could touch her, she unleashed a massive magic circle beneath her. All elemental forces converged into a blinding white light.
She raised her hand—and released a devastating blast.
The wave of energy incinerated the monsters in seconds. Some melted. Others turned to ash. Jean's grin vanished.
Beatrice stared him down, eyes blazing. She raised her hand again.
"No...!" Jean turned to flee.
Too late.
Her second blast struck him squarely.
A thunderous explosion followed, flooding the battlefield in white light. For a moment, everything was silent.
When the light faded, Jean lay broken on the ground—his lower body gone, reduced to ash. Blood dripped from his mouth.
Beatrice walked toward him, her steps slow, deliberate. She gave him a cold smirk.
"Who said I'd lose?" she whispered.
Jean smirked back, defiant even in death.
"You may have killed me... but I bet you can't kill your own brother."
Beatrice froze.
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
Jean let out a weak, twisted laugh.
And then—a monstrous roar shook the battlefield.
From the shadows, a towering creature emerged—larger, more terrifying than anything they'd faced. Soldiers shouted, scattering to engage it, but it tore through them like paper.
Jean coughed up blood, grinning.
"That... that's your brother—Prince Hendrik. We captured him after ambushing his troops. He watched your precious sister die. Now tell me, Beatrice… can you kill your own brother?"
He laughed again, maniacally, until a blade pierced his chest.
Beatrice didn't stop. She stabbed him again. And again. Even after life had left his body.
When she finally stopped, her shoulders trembled. She dropped to her knees and let out a scream—raw and anguished.
Why?
Why did it have to be her brother?
Why had he become a monster?
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clenched her fists. The sword shook in her hand.
Can I kill him?
He's my brother...
I love him.
.
.
On the other side of the empire, Thane ran through the chaos, tightly gripping Jinny's hand. He did everything he could to protect her from the enemies closing in.
Up ahead, he spotted a familiar figure.
"Captain!" he shouted.
Rameses turned toward the voice, his brow furrowing when he saw Jinny with Thane.
As the two reached him, Rameses narrowed his eyes and asked, without even glancing at Thane,
"What are you doing here?" —directing the question to Jinny.
"I..." Jinny began, but Thane cut her off.
"She's my sister. I need to get her somewhere safe. Can you help me? Maikell's still at the church—he's fighting the emperor."
Sister? Rameses blinked, surprised by the revelation.
Without waiting for a response, Thane placed Jinny's hand in Rameses's.
"Please protect her. I have to go back and help Maikell!"
Then he turned and sprinted back toward the church without another word.
Rameses looked down at Jinny, exhaling heavily. How am I supposed to fight properly with her here?
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air—an arrow was flying straight toward her.
Without hesitation, Rameses scooped her up and leapt to the side, dodging the arrow by mere inches.
"Tsk. We have to get out of here," he muttered, then broke into a run, still carrying her in his arms.
Jinny clung tightly to him, her heart pounding.
Please... let this war end soon, she prayed silently.
.
.
.
.....
In the Original World...
Inside the Fuentebella Mansion
Kaye stood in silence, her gaze fixed on the painting hanging on the wall—the one Troy had painted. It stirred a wave of nostalgia in her chest. Every time she looked at it, memories of the Serolf Empire came flooding back.
"Wifey..."
She turned at the sound of her husband's voice and smiled as Mikhail approached.
"You're home early," she said softly, pressing a kiss to his lips.
"Yeah, I'm done with work," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"What are you doing?"
"Just looking at our painting," she murmured.
Mikhail glanced at it.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said.
"Yeah," he nodded.
"Hey, guys," came a voice from the staircase.
Haru appeared, his face laced with concern.
"Did any of your kids mention going anywhere?" he asked.
"No. Why?" Kaye asked, her brow creasing.
"I haven't been able to reach Sheen since yesterday," Haru said, worry creeping into his tone.
"At first, I thought he was just hanging out with his brothers or partying somewhere. But when I asked the others, none of their sons mentioned any plans either. They didn't come home last night."
Mikhail's eyes narrowed. He remembered giving the boys a day off yesterday. He'd noticed that Maikell hadn't come home, but assumed they were off playing airsoft or hanging out at a nightclub or hot spring—something they usually did with their free time.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Maikell's number. No answer.
Unattended.
"What about Raon? Has he heard from his sons?" Mikhail asked.
"Raon already checked with the nightclubs, but none of them saw the boys last night. We also called the golf club, the casinos, their usual hangouts—nothing. No one saw them. Now I'm really starting to worry," Haru admitted.
Kaye's heart dropped. Her sons never left without telling her where they were going.
"What if the enemies made a move?" Haru said grimly. "What if they took them?"
Mikhail glared at him.
"That's impossible. Those kids are elite fighters—they can dodge even the fastest bullet." He kept dialing, now calling Kira.
"Kira, alert the surveillance team. Our sons are missing. Locate them immediately."
"Hubby..." Kaye clutched Mikhail's arm, eyes brimming with fear.
"Please... find them."
"I will," Mikhail said firmly.
Just then, Shin entered the room, followed by Raon, Kurtis, Kyle, and Tristan.
"All teams have been alerted," Raon said. "We're doing everything we can to track them down."
"Tsk. Just where the hell did those kids go?" Kurtis muttered.
"All their phones are off. How did they leave without being seen?" Kyle added, frustrated.
Tristan suddenly pulled out his tablet.
"What are you doing?" Haru asked.
"Checking the mansion's security cameras," Tristan replied as he tapped the screen.
Everyone gathered around him, watching the footage play.
"Look, that's this hallway—the same one we're in now," Haru pointed out.
"What are they doing?" Kurtis asked.
The video showed their sons all standing in front of the painting, staring at it intently.
"Why are they just staring at it?" Kyle asked, glancing at the painting in real life.
"Wait..." Kaye said slowly, eyes narrowing. "Something's off."
Suddenly, in the footage, a brilliant light began to emanate from the painting. It grew brighter and brighter—blinding.
The camera glitched, distorted by the energy.
"Hey, what's going on? Why's it erroring out?" Haru exclaimed.
"Too much energy," Tristan whispered. "It's interfering with the camera."
When the light finally faded... their sons were gone.
"Where the hell did they go?" Shin demanded.
Tristan quickly switched to other camera feeds throughout the mansion. Nothing. Their sons were nowhere to be found.
Kaye stared at the painting, her breath caught in her throat.
Then she spoke, voice trembling.
"That light... I know that light."
"What do you mean?" Mikhail asked, turning to her.
She swallowed hard.
"It's the same light that took me to the Serolf Empire..."
Everyone fell silent.
"Wait—are you saying..." Kurtis looked at the painting. "That light… took them there?"
Kaye nodded slowly.
"If my hunch is right... they're no longer in this world. They've been taken to the Serolf Empire."
The room was filled with stunned silence.
Their sons… were in their old world?
They all stared at the painting again. The portal that took their children.
"Call Troy… and the others," Mikhail ordered.
While their eyes were focused on the painting.
How the hell were they supposed to bring them back?