Nickan within Sengoku watched in amazement as Sengoku rescued Elora without any bloodshed or trouble. Upon reaching the Hanzo castle in one piece, everyone was overjoyed at their stealthy victory. The mission had been executed flawlessly—infiltrating an enemy fortress and extracting a prisoner without raising alarm was no small feat.
Sengoku released the Cyclops out of his control, and upon being freed, the creature was dumbfounded as it stood alone, not knowing what was going on. It blinked its massive eye, looking around in confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Leave now and I shall spare your insignificant life," Sengoku commanded, his hand resting on the hilt of Estro.
But instead of fleeing, the Cyclops's eye filled with tears. Massive water droplets began to fall, each splash creating small puddles at its feet.
Surprised by this reaction, Sengoku asked, "What's wrong?"
"Our princess, she's captive and we were told to conquer this but judging by the atmosphere it seems we've lost and now our princess will be killed," the Cyclops explained, its voice rumbling with despair.
"What!? That old bastard!" Sengoku exclaimed, his fist clenching in anger.
The Cyclops nodded solemnly. "That's right, she's a hostage and we were to conquer this castle at any cost to safeguard her life but I don't know what happened yet here I am alone which means we were defeated."
Sengoku felt pity for the big creature. Through their shared consciousness, Nickan sensed the Dragon Lord's empathy—a quality that set him apart from many rulers who viewed such beings as merely monsters to be slain.
Carefully, Sengoku explained everything that had transpired: how he had used his Ruler Monarch ability to control the Cyclops army, how they had infiltrated Yangzho castle, and how they had rescued Princess Elora.
"It's unbelievable that you have such unimaginable abilities despite being a human," the Cyclops said with awe, wiping away its tears.
"Where is your princess held captive?" Sengoku asked, his mind already turning to this new challenge.
Ron nudged him hard in the ribs. "You can't be serious we can't save everyone," he warned, his voice low but insistent.
"I know but at least we can try besides a lady in distress is my utmost priority no matter the species," Sengoku replied, a hint of his characteristic determination in his voice.
"She's kept at Notoka castle," the Cyclops informed them.
Sengoku's expression darkened. "Ah damn it! That's behind Yangzho castle, we can't play one card twice."
"Isn't there any other way?" the Cyclops pleaded, hope dimming in its massive eye.
"There's no other way in except the Yangzho castle passageway," Sengoku admitted, his tactical mind quickly assessing the challenge.
The Cyclops cried further, its massive form shaking with grief. In response to which Nickan could feel Sengoku's resolve solidifying—the need to rescue the captive princess growing stronger by the moment.
"Their priority was saving Elora," Ron reminded him, "more than this is dumb dreams."
Sengoku thought for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration. Then his expression cleared. "I've got an idea."
"What?" the Cyclops asked, hope returning to its voice.
"If you want to save your princess then you guys will need to join hands with us and launch a surprise attack," Sengoku proposed.
The Cyclops's eye widened. "Fine by me, I'll talk to the rest right away and let you know."
With a deep breath, the Cyclops let out a piercing scream that echoed across the landscape. In response, more than two hundred Cyclopes—the same ones who had scattered following Sengoku's lightning attack—cautiously returned. They gathered around their comrade, listening intently as it explained Sengoku's offer.
After a brief discussion, punctuated by grunts and nods, they ultimately agreed to the alliance.
Nickan observed through Sengoku's eyes as the Dragon Lord began to formulate a strategy.
According to his plan, the Cyclops army would launch a direct assault on Yangzho castle, creating a diversion. Meanwhile, Sengoku and his team would bypass the castle gates and head straight for Notoka castle to rescue the Cyclops princess.
Ron was clearly unwilling to undertake this risky mission, but he knew his friend too well.
Sengoku had many strengths, but he also had one consistent weakness—he could never resist helping a woman in distress, regardless of species or circumstances. Sighing in resignation, Ron agreed to the plan.
"What is the name of the princess?" Sengoku asked the Cyclopes.
"Oh my bad forgot to introduce to ya, the name of our princess is Argia and by the way my name is Aragos," the Cyclops previously under control replied, standing taller now with renewed purpose.
"Superb! Let's give Yamato's troops hell Aragos," Sengoku declared, a fierce grin spreading across his face.
Aragos and the rest of the Cyclopes responded with a thunderous battle cry that shook the very foundations of Hanzo castle. Not to be outdone, Sengoku's soldiers joined in with their own war cries, the combined sound rolling across the land like a physical force.
Despite her protests and insistence on joining the fight, Princess Elora was escorted back to Sengoku kingdom for her protection, where she would be reunited with her father. Her safety was paramount—they couldn't risk Yamato recapturing such a valuable hostage.
Before the Cyclopes departed for battle, Sengoku provided them with an upgrade to their arsenal. Using his magic, he created perfectly circular stone balls—spherical boulders that would cause far more damage to castle walls than the uneven rocks they typically hurled. The Cyclopes eagerly took as many of these projectiles as they could carry and began their march toward Yangzho castle.
Meanwhile, news of the betrayal and Princess Elora's disappearance had reached Yangzho castle. The soldiers, aware of their blunder in allowing the enemy to infiltrate their fortress, took defensive positions. Their lives depended on not failing their master twice.
Sengoku cast his invisibility spell over his companions—his friend Ron, his six wives, and Hayato—as they prepared for the rescue operation. While the Cyclopes launched their diversionary attack, Sengoku and his team slipped past Yangzho castle's defenses and made their way toward Notoka castle and the prison cell where Argia was reportedly held.
As they approached, Nickan was astonished by the sheer scale of Notoka castle. It was easily twenty times larger than Yangzho castle, with towers that seemed to scrape the very clouds.
Finding one prisoner in such a vast fortress would be like locating a specific grain of sand on a beach.
Time was short. They couldn't afford a methodical search of the entire castle. Moving swiftly through the shadows, Sengoku incapacitated several guards, leaving some half-conscious to interrogate about Princess Argia's location.
The information extracted, they hurried to the indicated prison cell, only to find it empty.
Confusion turned to alarm as a loud female scream echoed through the castle, originating from somewhere atop the walls. Sengoku and his allies rushed outside, following the sound to its source.
What they saw made Sengoku's blood boil.
Princess Argia was tied up on the castle battlements, while Yamato hovered nearby, his ancient face twisted in a rancorous laugh.
Through Sengoku's eyes, Nickan beheld the Cyclops princess for the first time.
She was a towering figure knelt in the dirt, her massive limbs bound with thick, iron-chained ropes that strained against her muscled frame. Her crimson, tattered furs—once wild and proud—now hung loosely, smeared with grime and torn from battle. A single jagged horn jutted from her forehead, glinting dimly beneath the flickering torchlight. Her face, twisted in both pain and fury, revealed cracked tusks and a lip curled in a snarl of defiance.
Despite her captivity, the one-shouldered pauldron of sharpened bone and iron remained—a relic of her defiance the captors dared not remove. Her one visible eye burned with fire, daring anyone to come closer. Even tied, this half-giantess radiated danger, a storm forced into stillness, waiting for her moment to break free and unleash havoc.
"Welcome Sengoku," Yamato called out, his voice piercing the air.
Sengoku froze. They were still invisible—how could Yamato possibly know they were there? Recognizing that their cover was blown, Sengoku dispelled the invisibility magic.
"How ya doing geezer?" Sengoku called back, his casual tone belying the tension of the moment.
"Tough as ever and in case your wondering Ron is right I can read thoughts of people so the moment you guys thought of something I detected you guys pretty easily," Yamato explained, his wrinkled face splitting into a cold smile.
There was a brief, pregnant pause—then without warning, a large pillar shot up from the ground and pierced Princess Argia's belly. The brutal attack happened so quickly that no one had time to react.
"No!!!" Sengoku yelled, his voice raw with horror.
Blood poured from Argia's wound, staining the crimson furs an even darker shade. Yet remarkably, she did not cry out. Instead, she glared at Yamato with such hatred that it seemed she might break her bonds through sheer force of will.
Nickan felt Sengoku's rage building—a pressure that threatened to explode outward at any moment. The Dragon Lord had seen many atrocities in his time, but wanton cruelty always stirred something primal within him. That Yamato would so casually harm a captive, particularly a female one, simply to make a point—it was beyond forgiveness.
Through their shared consciousness, Nickan sensed Sengoku making rapid calculations. The situation had changed drastically. What had begun as a rescue mission was now potentially a recovery operation—if Argia survived, she would need immediate medical attention. If she didn't... then Yamato would pay for his actions with his life.
The Cyclopes attacking Yangzho castle had no idea of their princess's fate. They fought with the hope of creating a distraction that would allow Sengoku to bring her home safely. Now, that hope hung by the thinnest of threads.
As Yamato's laughter echoed across the battlements, Sengoku's hand moved to Estro's hilt. The legendary sword seemed to respond to its master's emotions, a faint glow emanating from the scabbard. The confrontation that had been brewing for so long was about to reach its boiling point. There would be no more infiltrations, no more stealth—just raw power against power, will against will.
The fate of Princess Argia and the Cyclops army now rested on what would happen in the next few moments. And Nickan, experiencing it all through Sengoku's consciousness, could only wait and watch as events unfolded since he couldn't read beforehand what would happen next.