(During Issue 12: Elyon blasts a hole at the Palace walls)

"Booomm!" Suddenly the air erupts from another explosion on the east. The wind gushes throughout Meridian, a large cloud of dust and smoke comes out from the tall Meridian grand palace. Chunks of debris fall off from the wall that creates a large hole.

"To think Nigel could've done that." Eric watches and gazes the tremendous sight. "Well, I hope the girls are okay. This is going to be a useless battle if they don't."

"Specifically who?" Ray annoyingly smirks and he too gazes the hole on the wall. "It's not the Guardians you are concerned with right?"

"Do you really ship me and her that badly?" Eric annoyingly remarks.

"Well again, you both really look good together, don't you think?" Ray says as he squints his eyes through the cloud of smoke. "You still have that green pendant didn't you? You always bring that wherever you go, isn't it a sign?" Ray teases.

"I don't think minimal conversations makes up that love chemistry and I whenever we would meet at some point, I can give the pendant back." Eric irritatingly pulls out Elyon's pendant. "If you want you should give it to her—huh? Ray are you seeing this?" He then notices the pendant glowing with a green aura, the same glowing presence at the Old Palace.

Ray then suddenly falls and faints from his gaze and sits tired on the hill.

Eric then quickly aids him, and guides his back to rest in the hill. "Hey! You alright? What happened to you? You used your Farsight didn't you?"

"Right you are detective." Ray sternly says. "Bad news from the castle, I think I saw Elyon and Phobos alone and I think he did something bad to her."

"What are you saying? Aren't the Guardians with her—?" Eric shockingly says. "Unless, the pendant! Her mother is trying to call her!"

"Concern are you, Eric?" Ray snickers slightly. "Never had the chance to take a glimpse on the Guardians but if your detective tails you so, she's really in trouble."

"Is that so?" a deep voice says from behind.

Eric turns to see the bandaged Jolras who walks and staggers to them; he then stood up and saluted. "Sir Kandor, shouldn't you be in bed to rest sir?"

"Been walking around and I heard you boys talking." Jolras says as he gazes the large hole on the top walls of the palace. "Are you sure about this, Bartholomew?"

"Couldn't affirm it, sir." Ray breathes hardly as he continues to rest down. "We better send up there to confirm it. It's all or nothing."

"Yes, but all the rebels are down here." Sir Kandor sees the tired rebels who rest on the hill, waiting for the conclusion from the palace.

"I'll go." Eric says hesitantly as he looks at the pendant that he returned into his pocket. "I'll have to make the run for it make it."

"So concerned for the princess are you knight-in-shining-armor'?" Ray snickers jokingly. "We don't have time to reach her though.

"The battle we fought here is also useless if Phobos won." Eric buckles and tightens his belt and sword. "So, if you'll excuse me—"

"I don't think that would be necessary Lyndon." Jolras says as he lies down on the grass, crunches his legs and place his sole feet above his body. "I'll bring you to them. Set your magic circle to normalize your blood level."

Eric then gets Jolras' plan but reconsiders the condition of Jolras. "Are you sure sir? The pain—"

"Forget the blasted pain!" Jolras yells in pain. "Just make sure that their alright. If not, hold it out as much as you can until reinforcements arrive, understood?"

Eric looks at Ray expecting for a reply, Ray waves his hand. "Don't look at me Atlas, I'm already lying on the hill with no strength left me to help you."

"Understood." Eric replies to Jolras and phases his steps back while he takes out a marker and he quickly draws magic circles under his forefront arm.

"Ready?!" Jolras asks.

"Ready!" Eric yells back, dashes forward at Jolras and sets his eyes on his feet. He focuses on the magic circle on his arm and pictures Elyon in his mind. With only a few steps away from Jolras, Eric jumps over him as he buckles his knees and feet together. 'Through the vessels nay depart, accelerate O beating heart!' He chants at the same time he lands on the soles of Jolras large boots.

"K-Kickthrust Fifth Technique: D-Double Sole Plunge!" Jolras chants at the same time as Eric lands on his feet. He then quickly pushes his knees and feet as hard as he can and aims and launches it toward the hole of the palace. "Aarrghh! My back!"

"There he goes…" Ray says as he gazes Eric's frightened body flying across the sky like a projecting catapult. "You sure Eric's going to be fine? You know he'll be facing Phobos himself of he does."

"If I could replace him for his safety I would, but my weight and the pain couldn't make it." Jolras replies and also rests his painful and aching body on the hill. "Let's hope for the best that Eric would be alright and hold out until the reinforcements arrive."

Meanwhile, in the air Eric soars through to the castle with his blood still intact and normalize from the acceleration his in. "Wooaahh!" He tries to maintain his balance and posture in the air. When he controls his body position halfway, he then squints his eyes to glance through the dust cloud to see through the large hole.

'Elyon!' Eric cries out inside his head. He sees the struggling Elyon lifted up in the air and bounded by four shining rings around her body, with her is a long-hair blonde man for all Eric can see is his back and assumed assumes that it is indeed her brother. Phobos, who stands proudly and smugly before her, then proceeds to reach his evil hand to her, probably to take her powers away.

In anger and rage, Eric crosses his brows, grits his teeth and prepares for hard impact. He positions himself for within a few seconds left braces for a crash landing. "Don't you dare touch her!" he yells out.

Phobos then turns around to the large hole, but before he could even see what it was. Eric crashes his landing unto Phobos himself! "Arrghh!" The two men stumble across the floor of the throne room from the major impact with Phobos being unconsciously knocked out from the collision while Eric slides across the shining marble floor.

"Eric!" Elyon cries out to him. She had already noticed the silhouette figure behind the dust cloud and recognizes his face when his hood came off from the flight.

"Hi—E-Elyon, your highness." Eric staggers to stand up and rubs his back from the pain and he wears the hood back again as he notices Phobos' lifeless body lying on the floor, he rushes toward Elyon who is still bounded by the powerful rings. "Are you alright? Did he do something to you?" He asks as he examines the rings.

"H-He did nothing to me, but he cheated our duel…" Elyon stammers. "Whoever wins takes over Metaworld. I manage to scare him by blasting that wall, but somehow my brother got the best of me and knock me out after he plans to surrender the crown to me."

"And the Guardians? Aren't they with you?" Eric asks as he folds his long sleeves to make space. He then scribbles a magical circle under his arm.

"They're g-gone…" Elyon depressingly replies. "Phobos divided us and lead them somewhere I don't know—what are you doing?"

"Trying to get you out." Eric reaches his hand out to the bounded glowing rings.

"I-I d-don't think so!" a voice yells behind them and suddenly a burst of electrifying energy and catches Eric off guard. Phobos slowly stands up as he continues to punish.

"Aarrgghh!" Eric cries out and releases his hand from Elyon, His feet buckle and bends down on his knees. 'Was that Phobos?! Dang it! I should've hit him harder!'

"Stop it Phobos!" Elyon cries out.

Phobos stops to punish Eric and to rests his powers and painfully walks over to them. "Eric is it? You dare have the courage to hit me!" he breathes.

Eric stands up quickly and pulls out his sword. He blocks Elyon from Phobos who slowly approaches and gestures to fight him. 'This isn't good! Phobos' energy is powerful than Cedric's or Elyon's! I bet he still has some in him after all!' But Eric trembles in fright by the intimidating and intense aura surrounding Phobos. Without any reinforcements or Ray by his side, his vision of fear and death once again flashes before his eyes. He nervously grits his teeth to maintain his focus.

"My my, you're the new Atlas Cedric was talking about, and I never thought that you would be the same age as my sister, young man!" Phobos reaches his hand out and prepares for another blow. He then notices Eric's hand shaking. "You scared? Cedric told me you're no mage as I am! You're just an ordinary being and you can't beat me! Step aside young man or die!

Eric breathes and concentrates on the situation at hand. "S-Sorry not an option." He replies and dashes forward to him. 'I just have to fend him off from Elyon before the reinforcements arrive! I just need to calm down Eric! Calm down!'

"Then die!" Phobos lifts his hands in the air with floating debris from the ruined walls on the floor following his command. He throws his hands to Eric and the debris follows him of different sizes darts off to Eric.

Eric dodges the smallest pieces and slices his debris in half as he continues to parkour and misses the incoming debris. Even though, his defense was not in his full potential due to his fear and tiredness, he continues to fight not only Phobos but his inner demons as well. "Urgh!" he yelps when pieces of debris finally hits on his upper brow causing it to bleed.

"Behind you!" Elyon cries out when she notices a small piece of debris floating behind Eric. It was the same trick she fell when she was caught off guard by Phobos deceiving declaration of surrender.

Eric hears the warning and quickly, spins his sword around him and deflects it. "Thanks!"

He continues to lead off the attack as he spins and rotates his sword around him. As the fighting continues, swift debris and causes him to bleed when debris hits his upper torso and his head but also then adapts to Phobos ability and proceeds to deflect the debris back at Phobos as more swift pieces shoots to him. Eric wipes his head off when blood starts to cover the side of his face.

"Urgh! Cedric was right, you legionates are persistent!" Phobos yelps when pieces of debris hits and scratches him. "Don't you dare!" He then lifts his hands in the air and the floors begin to crack like an organic being gets out beneath the tiles. Shooting and flexible tree roots spring and extend out with sharp point edges for instant kill.

Eric avoids it and slashes the tree roots that continue to extend up to him. He manages to cut them into two and used the amputated ones to parkour and misses out the incoming shooting roots, but as more roots attack the more pressure he has to deal with even without his other eye which is covered with blood.

"Arghh!" Eric cries out as a deep wound cuts his lower arm. 'Dang it! I can't take this anymore! I can't hold off much longer!' he says as he slices another incoming attack.

Phobos then notices the wobbling and bleeding Eric continues to drag on the fight. "Give up already will you! You never belong here yet you continue to meddle with this kingdom's affair!" he yells and arise are sprouting thick roots before Eric, like a wave ready to splash over him.

As the tree roots descend upon him, Eric hesitates and readies to swing his sword, in a single flash he slashes through all the roots in one full swing. He then jumps above the dead roots and is already halfway between him and Phobos.

Phobos casts another beam under Eric and suddenly a quicksand appears under his feet, the same quicksand which sent the Guardians underground. Eric quickly jumps and leaps to the nearby debris to avoid the same mistake. "Is bleeding and fighting for the future of Meridian important to you?"

Eric continues to dash out from Phobos quicksand when he finally lands safely on the floor with him and Phobos only meters away from each other. 'Almost there!'

"Must you waste your dear life for my sister?!" Phobos quickly zaps his energy beam as his last resort and Eric quickly blocks it just in time before it reaches to his body again.

"Arrghh!" Eric cries out as the sword keeps on absorbing more energy from Phobos. 'N-Not good! I can't handle this energy too much!' He slowly backs out as the energy keeps on pushing him back.

"H-He's right Eric! Let me b-be and I'll handle this myself!" Elyon cries out as she watches in horror the pain and suffering Eric's been through from Phobos' mighty and powerful magic as Eric's blood continues to drop tears of blood. "Y-You should go now! I can't watch you—"

"S-Sorry, Elyon!" Eric yells out in the heat of the moment and continues to slowly move forward. "I-I believe you as a potential queen for this rotten w-world—Arrggh!" Eric suddenly drops his sword and absorbs all the energy as Phobos continues to electrocute him. 'My sword I accidentally dropped it!'

'Yet I can't back out now!' Eric staggers and continues to push forward.