Chapter 9
Inside the ruined meeting room…
After General Glauca kicked Zaltana away from him, he raised his sword and charge toward both King Regis and Clarus at the same time Clarus charge toward him and they swung, parried and clash their swords fiercely at each other while King Regis casts and launch a fierce Thundaga magic toward General Glauca, which struck his shoulder armor and partially electrocute him and make him fall on one knee to the floor before Clarus raised his sword and charge toward General Glauca.
But before Clarus could do so, General Glauca suddenly grabbed and pushed Clarus away from him before he charge toward King Regis, raised and swung his sword down on him at the same time King Regis raised his hand to summoned forth several different looking swords to block against his attack (before he started straining and grunting to maintain in using his summoned swords to block against General Glauca's attack).
As King Regis is blocking against General Glauca's attack, Clarus quickly stood up from the floor, raised his sword and charge toward General Glauca again but unfortunately for Clarus, General Glauca expected it this time and he lowered his sword, swiftly turn around to grabbed hold of Clarus before he threw him forward at a wall. The next second, General Glauca grabbed hold of one of the swords that King Regis had just summoned forth to block against his attack and he immediately threw the sword toward Clarus, which struck and stabbed through his body from behind (after Clarus crash hard against the wall) and make him let out a loud and final yell of pain before he closed his eyes and died.
"Clarus!" yelled King Regis in a pained and anguish tone of voice as he glance up at the body of his old friend hanging on the wall by the sword that General Glauca just threw and killed him (which make Zaltana turned to look away from Ravus, look at King Regis before she look up at what he's looking at and a sorrow/remorse look appear on her face when she saw Clarus's body hanging on the wall).
"No! Damn you, General!" thought Zaltana sadly for Clarus then angrily at General Glauca in her mind (while Ravus immediately took the chance of her being distracted to charge and grabbed hold of her again before he slammed and pinned her face-down on the floor with his hand on her head and his leg on her back). "Let go of me, Ravus!" Zaltana snarled at Ravus as she struggle to free herself from his pinning grip to no avail.
"Sorry, Zaltana. But I can't let you go to help King Regis anymore." said Ravus as he glance coldly down at Zaltana (who kept on struggling).
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Meanwhile, outside the Citadel…
Both Chancellor Izunia and Emperor Aldercapt (who's injured shoulder and scraped cheek is covered with bandages and band-aid) stand and watched on the ramp of the airship at another airship hovering above the roof of the Citadel as it carefully took the vault containing the Crystal upward and out of the chamber room.
"Well, I dare say that everything proceed smoothly according to plan. No? But with the exception of your dear daughter sudden betrayal to us." said Ardyn as he turned to glance at Emperor Aldercapt with a smug look on his face.
"So it has." said Emperor Aldercapt in an agreeing tone of voice to Ardyn. "We've broken the wall and obtain the Crystal. All that remain is to destroy the city. As for the traitor, she's dead to me, Chancellor."
"Shall we take our leave then? The sun will set soon. We need not be here to witness the coming terrors of the night." Ardyn told Emperor Aldercapt before they turned around and walked back into the airship while the ramp of the airship rise and closed itself up.
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"The crystal!" exclaimed Lunafreya in a shocked tone of voice to Nyx (who continue to drive and flew the airship closer to the Citadel) as she watched the airship carrying the crystal flew toward and into another larger airship before she turned to glance at the Citadel. "You're going too fast. We have to land." Lunafreya told Nyx.
"Yeah. You're gonna have to give me a minute on that, your highness." said Nyx.
"There's no time. I'll jump down and go on my own." said Lunafreya.
"What? You got wings under that dress of yours? You can't use magic." said Nyx as he glance at Lunafreya with a "Are-you-crazy" look on his face.
"Not all miracles are made by magic. I do not fear death." said Lunafreya as she glance at Nyx. "What I fear is doing nothing and losing the people I cared about and everything else." Lunafreya added to Nyx before she got up from her seat and immediately jumped through the hole and out of the airship.
"Oh, come on!" said Nyx in an exasperated tone of voice as he got up from his seat, jumped out through the hole before he threw his blade forward, warped and grabbed hold of Lunafreya before they landed on the balcony of the Citadel. "You can thank magic for that, your highness." said Nyx to Lunafreya before they stood up and went into the Citadel (while several Niflheim airships landed down on different parts of the city of Lucis before the ramps of the airships opened outward to let the magitek troopers out to begin their attacks on the frighten people of Lucis).
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General Glauca raised and swung his sword down on King Regis, who raised his hand to cast a Protect magic in front of him to block against General Glauca's attack. "You've taken the crystal. What more would you take from me?" King Regis asked General Glauca, who didn't answer his question as he destroy the Protect magic, causing it to shatter and disappear before General Glauca grabbed hold of King Regis's left hand, pull him forward then raised and swung his sword to cut off his left hand.
King Regis gasped loudly in pain for the loss of his hand, stagger away from General Glauca (while holding his cut off and bleeding stump close in his right hand) before he stop and fell on one knee on the floor while the ring he wore on his left hand rolled out and away from him and General Glauca toward Zaltana and Ravus, who take and picked it up from floor and look down at it.
"The Ring of the Lucii. I lost my mother, my country, my birthright. Niflheim was the only life left to me. But all that was for this?" said Ravus as he glance up from the ring to glared at King Regis (while General Glauca turned to glance silently at Ravus). "The ring belongs to me now."
"Ravus, no! Don't you dare put on that ring!" Zaltana pleaded loudly to Ravus.
"Silence, you traitor!" snarled Ravus as he pressed his leg harder on Zaltana, making her grunt in pain before he placed the ring on his finger (while at the same time General Glauca charge toward Ravus and both Lunafreya and Nyx run into the room). But soon after Ravus wore the ring, fire immediately appeared and spread rapidly around his left arm, making him scream out in pain before he fell and writhed on the floor next to Zaltana (who quickly get up and approach Ravus to pull the ring out of his burning hand before she turned and run toward King Regis away from Ravus and General Glauca while both Lunafreya and Nyx watched the scene unfold with worry/horror looks on their faces).
"Here, your majesty!" said Zaltana as she handed the ring back to King Regis.
"Thank you." said King Regis gratefully to Zaltana (while they didn't noticed General Glauca stood up and turned around to glance at them both).
"Look out, you two!" yelled Lunafreya to both King Regis and Zaltana as she run toward them both (while at the same time General Glauca charge toward both King Regis and Zaltana while Nyx threw his blade and warped toward General Glauca, who raised and swung his arm to knocked Nyx away from him before Nyx stood up and let out a yell of anger at General Glauca and he began fighting against him).
As Nyx fought fiercely against General Glauca, both Lunafreya and Zaltana helped in bringing King Regis quickly toward the hidden elevator built behind the wall inside the meeting room and King Regis raised his right hand to used his magic to opened up the elevator door before the 3 of them went into the elevator together (while General Glauca grabbed hold and threw Nyx onto the ground). "Quickly!" said King Regis to Nyx before he raised his hand to cast and launch another fierce Thundaga magic at General Glauca, which struck and electrocute him for the second time and causing him to fall on one knee on the floor.
Nyx quickly got to his feet when he heard King Regis told him to hurry before he threw his blade and warped into the elevator before the elevator doors close and the elevator started to bring all 4 of them down to the basement. After Nyx warped and stand inside the elevator with King Regis, Lunafreya and Zaltana, he began catching his breath while both Lunafreya and Zaltana continue to glance worriedly and sadly at the stump wound of King Regis's left arm before Lunafreya tear off a part of her dress and began tying it firmly around King Regis's wound.
"This leads to a hidden passageway. Follow it. Once you're away from Lucis, make for Altissia. Noctis awaits you there, Luna." King Regis told Lunafreya as they glance at each other (while Nyx put his blades away behind him and Zaltana glance at them in silence).
"Your majesty-" Lunafreya began saying to King Regis but her words got cut off by Nyx question.
"You knew this was coming-" asked Nyx as he glared at King Regis.
"Yes. But it was the only way to draw their attention away from Noctis." replied King Regis to Nyx (who glance away from him and fumed by himself).
"Is that the way of our king? Sacrificing Lucian sons to save his own?" asked Nyx for the second time to King Regis.
"It's to save the world." said Lunafreya.
"See Luna safely to Altissia." said King Regis to Nyx. "This is not an order from a king to a glaive. This is a plea from one man to another. Please, Nyx Ulric, keep her safe. For the future of all."
"The future?" Nyx muttered to himself before he glared at Zaltana. "And what about you then, your highness?" Nyx snapped at Zaltana (who glared at him and just as she was about to say something to him, she, King Regis, Lunafreya and Nyx suddenly felt and heard General Glauca arriving and landing quite heavily on the elevator above them, which make them glance up the elevator's ceiling with worried looks on their faces).
"Here, Luna, take this. It is time it passes into another's keeping." said King Regis as he hold out the ring toward Lunafreya, who nodded sadly to King Regis before she take the ring from him.
A few seconds later, the elevator reached and stopped at the bottom of the Citadel before the doors opened and Nyx walked out of the elevator first into a circular-shaped silver and black marble-coloured and candle-lit room before both Lunafreya and Zaltana helped bring King Regis out of the elevator while they followed behind Nyx.
But as they walked across the room, King Regis suddenly stopped in his tracks, pull his arms away from both Lunafreya and Zaltana (who walked a few steps forward without expecting it before they stopped and turned to glance at King Regis in confusion) before he smiled sadly at them and he raised his right hand to casted a Protect magic wall between him and them.
"No! Please don't!" pleaded Lunafreya as she try to run to King Regis but the wall he just casted prevented her from getting to him.
"What are you doing, your majesty!?" protested Zaltana as she glance in sadness and disbelief at King Regis for stopping them from helping him.
"Get back, you two!" said Nyx as he grabbed hold of Lunafreya and Zaltana's arms and pull them both away from the wall.
"Please, don't leave us!" Lunafreya pleaded again to King Regis.
"I know your mother would wish the same as me. That you and Noctis live happily." said King Regis to Lunafreya (who shake her head sorrowfully to him). "All those years captive because I failed you. Well, no more. Locked doors will sealed your fate no longer."
"King Regis…" said Lunafreya sorrowfully to King Regis (who then glance away from her to glance at Zaltana).
"As for you, your highness. I want you to give me your word right here, right now that you'll meet up and help Noctis, his friends and Luna as much as you can, even at the cost of your own life." said King Regis firmly to Zaltana.
"Your majesty…" said Zaltana as she continue to glance sadly at him.
"Give me your word!" insisted King Regis.
"Alright, your majesty! I give you my word that I'll helped Luna, your son and his friends as much as I can, even at the cost of my own life!" said Zaltana as she promised King Regis (who nodded to her before he glance at Nyx).
"Our hope goes with you now, Nyx Ulric. Bring them away from Lucis and godspeed to you." said King Regis firmly to Nyx, who pursed his lips and nodded to King Regis before he pulled the 2 former princesses even further away from the wall.
King Regis watched them for another few seconds before he turned around to glance at the elevator at the same time General Glauca break through and came out of the elevator, stood on the floor and he raised and placed his arm over his chest and bowed to King Regis (who threw his cane away from him) before he raised his sword and charge toward King Regis, who raised his hand to casts and launch a fierce Thundaga magic at General Glauca, which struck and send him flying backward and crashed hard against the wall before he stood up and walked toward King Regis, who cast and launch another Thundaga magic at him but he block the magic with his sword and kept on walking toward him.
"Behold the King of Lucis, who hoarded tranquillity within his precious wall. Where is your tranquillity now, king?" said General Glauca coldly to King Regis as he walked even closer until he's in front of him. "Here's your peace, by steel swift descent!" General Glauca added to King Regis before he roughly grabbed and turned King Regis around then he turned around as well, raised and plunge his sword through King Regis's chest.
"NO!" screamed Zaltana in horror and remorse as she watched General Glauca killed King Regis in front of her, Lunafreya (who started crying) and Nyx (who pull Lunafreya away and covered her eyes from the cruel scene in front of her).
General Glauca let out a loud roar, plunge his sword deeper through King Regis's chest (which make him gasped in pain before he coughed blood out of his mouth then the light fade from his eyes) before he pull the sword out, turned and pushed King Regis's body down to the floor.
When Nyx saw General Glauca pushed King Regis's body down to the floor, his face immediately contorted with anger and he let go of Lunafreya and pull his kukri blades out from behind him in preparation to fight against General Glauca. But before he could do so, both Lunafreya and Zaltana quickly turned around and restrained him from attacking General Glauca.
"Don't do it! Glaive!" said Zaltana worriedly to Nyx. "Remember what your king told you!"
"She's right. We must leave now. It's what your king would want." said Lunafreya to Nyx in agreement to Zaltana's words before the angry look slowly fade from Nyx's face and they turned around and run out of the room away from General Glauca and King Regis's body.