(During Issue 7, Elyon before the soldiers)

"Elyon—what is she doing?!"

Eric rhetorically asks as he is about to go after Elyon who incautiously and risks her presence before them once more. But Ray stops him in time before the soldiers notice. "Hold on! Those galhots were the ones during the Arminta raid. If we try to butt-in we'll be a sure capture!"

"Since when do tramps you like you wear jewels." The galhot approaches her as he grasps Elyon's shining pendant and begins to take interest on it.

"Remove your hand and excuse yourself you big monkey!" Elyon quickly gets ahold of her green pendant back. "I am Princess Elyon!"

The soldier then howls with a laugh of disbelief, "And I am a little butterfly!" He then snatches her pendant away from her and senses a powerful magic within her; a perfect addition to Phobos' collection. "Arrest her!" he commands as his fellow soldiers grab onto his arms.

"No!" Elyon cries out as she tries to break free. "Let me go! Phobos will make you pay!"

"Sure." The soldier examines and fascinates the pendant. "He usually punishes us when we follow his orders!"

"Let me go!" Elyon yells out once more. "I'm Elyon! The princess…" her soon cries fade out as she has given up the fight for what she truly was. 'I knew it! I'm just nothing to them here!' she says to herself as she was dragged out.

"This is going a lot worse than expected." Ray anxiously mutters meters away as they drag Elyon. "They really don't know who their princess is."

Eric sighs in frustration. "On my signal, we save the citizens and Elyon as well."

"Die trying?"

"Yap."

Suddenly, out of nowhere appeared a beautiful woman of long blond hair in a peculiar and familiar purple, turquoise outfit presents herself to the soldiers. "And I was her best friend!" as she stands boldly before them.

"Cornelia?" Elyon surprisingly recognizes as the soldiers who takes her releases their grip from the surprise.

"A Guardian?" Eric and Ray react in unison.

Cornelia waves her hand to the trees and the thick bushes as a glowing beam of light sparks around her hand. A then fast whizzing and flexible tree branch extends to the soldiers as it swirls and tightens around their bodies "Aarrghh!" they cry out.

"What are you doing?" Elyon asks. "You're the least person I was expecting!"

"What do you think about postponing our chat and helping me out?" Cornelia then bends down to the ground as she creates a spreading chasm on the ground leaving cracks and a glowing green beam of light between the cracks.

"Help!" the soldier cry as the rising fissure directs itself to them who try to get away from it.

Elyon joins Cornelia as more soldiers begin to approach them. "Stop them!" the reinforced soldiers from the Old Palace charge and rush over to attack them.

"Now what will we do?" Elyon asks Cornelia.

"Let's join forces!" Cornelia replies.

Elyon and Cornelia draw their energy beams around their hands and blast their powers at them in unison. "Powers of Earth!" Cornelia blasts her power. "Well I don't know which power this is, but I hope this works!" Elyon exclaims as she too bursts and joins her powers with Cornelia's.

A large beam of white and green light blasts through. "Run!" "Move! Help!" The soldiers manage to dodge quickly, but the beam hits the Old Palace instead. Their combined powers though did not destroy the large structure, but creates a swirling wave of light as it draws into the center; like a black hole.

"No—way!" Ray exclaims as the both of them witness the fight. "Did their powers created a portal just now?"

"…And maybe a large portal at that!" Eric observes

The large portal increases as the structure sucks the portal inside of its interiors. Then the earth shakes tremendously as large crack of ground around the building breaks off. The ground rumbles and trembles as the structure sinks into the ground within.

"What did we do?" Elyon yells as her eyes widen in shock.

"Ooppss…Maybe it was too much! I think we've caused an earthquake in Meridian!" Cornelia baffles as she takes Elyon's hand to run away from the sinking building as they rush to Caleb's escaped group. "

"Well, at least Elyon's safe, but right now is another huge problem." Eric says as he points out a swirling light building around the sinking building. "The portal increasing in size is too heavy to carry its load vertically and is now parallel to the ground! We must stop—"

"Hurry men!" shouts the soldier as the legionates from the hidden rocks overhears. "Let's get out of here with the prisoners!" he says as the soldiers follow his command and push a caged cart full of prisoners; probably for Phobos' collection.

"—'I' stop the portal before it swallows up the surrounding structures, since I get an amount of magical mana needed." Ray says as he pulls his hand out.

"While I stop and save the prisoners." Eric says as he hands over a small pocket book which transforms into a large leather book. He removes his cloak out to reveal his legionate uniform, jumps out from his position and boldly charges at the soldiers who have taken the prisoners captive.

Ray then rushes out to the portal as it swallows up more ground. "I'll be darned if this won't work!" he says as he flips the pages of the book to find a certain spell. He pulls his hand out front and concentrates, and chants the spell in a runic language. 'Barrier come out thee, eyes seen before me!.

Then a large alchemy mandala circle appears above the portal as its side drop a curtain of aura forming like a cylinder-like object to the ground as it encircles the portal within. "Urgh! That hurts!" Ray says as his hand stings and heats up. His magical mana depletes as he gives more of it as the grow portal begins to go against the barriers. "I can't hold on much longer!"

On the other hand, Eric has problems of his own as he manages to make way and defeat the soldiers single-handedly by surprise. 'Yet this pace won't last long! The soldiers may be terrified by the earthquake, but they have enough strength to still take me down!' He approaches to one of the carts and breaks the lock off and opens it. "Go now! I'll cover you!" he commands the captives. The prisoners rushes quickly out of their cell and flees.

"Hurry—!" Eric says as out of nowhere something hits him hard in the cheek as he flies backward to the ground.

"You are the young boy Atlas?" says a stern voice on front of him.

'What was that?!' Eric though sees birds swirling around his head in unconscious mind; he quickly gets up as he evades the incoming soldier attacks. 'What I saw back there was it, a legionate uniform?' He thinks. His sight becomes to clear off as he sees a stern escanor with a strong gesture in full on shining yellow armor and a blue cape behind him with his signature metal gear gloves.

"Never thought Kandrakar would send a boy to war." the escanor says. Suddenly he flies himself to him in an instant as he blows another fist to Eric and sends him off flying to a large tree.

'Such speed! Even faster and powerful than Cedric's blows!' He observes as his back lands hard on the tree as he spits out saliva and blood. He falls to the ground. 'I should have known, this was the legionate that Nigel fought before! It's the Fist of Attacks!' he analyzes as he staggers to stand up.

In an instant as he approaches him once again. "Fist First Technique: Jab Fist." He chants as he swoops in his fist but hears a loud bang of metal.

"Oh!" says the escanor as his fist land on the broad width of Eric's sword. "So Zagan was right all along, you Vanguards are a hard to deal with!" he saysas he swerves his fist around 'Jab Fist!' as he lands another perfect hit on Eric's side and flies sideways.

"Urgh!" Eric exclaims as he then lands on the ground and tries to stand back up again to his feet. 'I'll be darned! Not only is it skill-based, but magic-based too!' He then poses to his fighting pose. 'Guess I just have to predict his movements!'

"It seems like I can't sense any magic from you." the escanor says as he waltzes to him slowly. "Could it be possible you're just a simple warrior?" he then dashes to him again in a millisecond. "But then again, it's better off if you all the Vanguards die! Fifth technique: One-two barrage!"

'Now!' Eric predicts as he quickly flips his sword around and blocks another blow. He then rotates his sword around frantically as he blocks every punching blow before it reaches him. The clashing of the iron fists and the large metal sword creates a tremendous sparks and loud banging noises, until the escanor manages a fatal hit on Eric's body and once again, flies off.

He then feels his hands are in pain as he looks to his metal gear on his hands. He notices blood dripping off; the sword manages to scar off his gauntlets. He chuckles. "Never would I imagine that a normal and young legionate just as yourself would bleed me! Yet is that all you could do—"

Suddenly, a large explosion from behind disturbs him as he himself engulfs in within it. "Aarrgghh!" he cries in pain.

Eric as he lies on the ground sees Ray, who still resists the growing portal, 'So who then? Unless…!'

"Who was—Arrgh!" From behind he is knocked out by a long and crooked staff.

"Second Technique: Dynamite Shooter!" the hole on the edge of the staff shoots out a spark and projectiles to the escanor, and blasts him off.

"Now that's what I call reinforcements." Eric says as he staggers to stand to meet Nigel. "How's the date?"

"Better than you expected—" Nigel exclaims and stops as a battered figure stops before them.

"I should've killed you off, you Vanguard insect!" says the battered escanor as he rushes on front of them. "Second Technique: Hook Cross!"

"Look out!" Eric says as he tries to block the metal fist with the escanor's, but his fist didn't collide with his sword. 'Where's his fist? I knew that his fist could have made contact to my sword!'

"Fourth Technique: Fake Reverse!" he says as he fakes his right and transfers his energy to the left and hits Nigel to the shoulder. "Ooff—!" they both cry.

'Flames! Too fast just like when I first met him!' Nigel exclaims as he gets knocked over by the opponent's left swift swing. Nigel's body then knocks to Eric's and both fall to the dirt.

'He can even change his techniques in seconds?! What kind of monster is he?' Eric says as he tries to get up.

"Too slow!" he says as he prepares his final blow on them before they could get up. "Third Technique: Blow Cut-!"

Suddenly, a dark and black beam shoots up to him as he blasts away. He lands and crushes his body hard on rocky mountain side and leaves cloud of dust behind. "Clever, just as you always were." He spits out blood. "…Grantaire."

The large lizard approaches them, in his legionate uniform, with an aura of darkness around him. "… You should retreat, Thenard. Your men are fleeing from the fight." Grantaire hisses boastfully.

Thenard gazes beyond and sees his fleeing men retreating from the battle as the rebels of Jolras' forces from the Sanctuary outnumber his soldiers. "This is not over Grantaire!" he yells as he vanishes in an instant. He then appears before his men and leads them out of the battle.

Grantaire then approaches the fallen Vanguards. "Are you alright, Atlas? And—uh this other comrade? Was it Nigel?"

"That's right lizard." Nigel replies as he stands up.

"Mind what you say, Nigel. We're alright, Grantaire." Eric says as he tries to stand up. "But right now we should help Ray. He's been hanging unto that portal for a long time now." He points out to Ray who tries and struggles desperately holding onto the large force field.

"You boys cover for your friend's force field." Grantaire hisses to them. "I'll take care of the portal."

"Yes sir." Eric replies and the three of them approaches quickly to Ray as he still reaches his arm out weakly and now kneels as his body trembles. The cylindrical force field becomes to wear off as it glitches. "Ray! Hold on a little longer!" he shouts from behind him.

"How long is a 'little longer'?" Ray sarcastically asks in pain. "Be more specific!"

When they approach him, Nigel takes Ray's turn as he pours out his mana to the force field as Eric supports the weary and tired Ray in his shoulders. "Flames! So Ray's been resisting this large thing the whole time?!"

"Complain all you want, but don't lose focus!" Eric says as he fixes Ray whose arm braces on Eric's neck.

Grantaire meanwhile scribbles runic letters to the ground on front of the portal, and he then did the same procedure on all four sides of the circle in a cross formation. He then stands up and stretches his hand out. He concentrates as a runic language comes out from his mouth as the writings on the ground begin to beam with light. "Nigel, can you feel any resistance?" he asks after the chant.

"Surprisingly, not anymore." Nigel replies.

"Then you can let go now." Grantaire replies.