Johann and Revchi were just outside Clover Castle. Thanks to Johann's magic, they were invisible and now looking at the Shadow Palace.
"Ah, this must be the Shadow Palace," said Johann.
"You know what that is?" Revchi asked.
"Yes, I do. An ancient Spatial Magic construct. Who would have guessed that it actually existed? Rumour has it that if you can make it inside, you can find all manner of powerful magic items and priceless treasures free for the taking."
"So what's our strategy going to be?"
"That's a good question."
Meanwhile, Charmy was cooking up some food in the courtyard so everyone could replenish their mana.
"Eat up; don't let the single crime go to waste," said Charmy as she stuffed her face.
Everyone soon began to eat and could definitely feel their mana being replenished. Maple was busy healing Dak, who was still recovering from his Dark Form transformation.
"Captain Hiccup already went ahead with Captain Dagur and Vice-Captain Heather," said Charmy, "but I bet there are some super tough enemies in there, so let's make sure we're nice and nourished before we go help them. So chow down people."
"Here, Marie," said Gaspard as he prepared to feed Marie. "Ready? Ahhh…"
"Can you please not do that," she said, embarrassed.
"There's no need to be shy around me, my darling goddess," he said, holding out the spoon. "Ahhh…"
"I told you to cut it out," she said, turning her head away from him.
Gaspard was immediately crestfallen.
"Have a bite, Gaspard," said Gordon as he held out his food towards him. "There's no need to be shy around me either. Ahhh…"
This just made Gaspard annoyed.
"Ah, yes, my beautiful magic is being replenished bit by impeccable bit," said Carl.
"This is great," said Dak. "This healing magic of yours makes me as good as new. Thank you so much, Maple."
"Don't worry about it; I'm just grateful I could be of some help," she smiled.
"Now I'll be able to bust out my Dark Form again," said Dak.
"Here," said Adelaide, handing Maple some food. "You better eat something too."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," she smiled.
"Typical Dak," said Adelaide as she sat down. "You always overdo it. I swear you would be hopeless without me if I wasn't here to help you." She then instantly blushed and looked at Maple. "I mean, you're still hopeless whether I'm around or not, so you better not read into that."
"I can't help but look into it," she said.
"Huh?" Dak frowned, totally clueless.
"Dak!" Sally cried. "Make sure you take good care of that unique body."
"Hey, wait a second," said Adelaide, standing up. "Why are you wearing his clothes?"
It was true; Sally was wearing Dak's spare rest and underwear.
"Why is it a big deal?" Sally asked.
"Oh yeah, hers got kinda ripped, so I lent her mine," Dak explained.
"And how exactly did that happen?" Adelaide asked. "Whatever, just tell me why you're all buddy with one of our worst enemies?"
"You're asking me this now?"
Sally then suddenly put her arms around his waist. "Because Dak promised me if I thought on your side, he'd let me do whatever I want with his body after the big battle was over."
"Whoa, whoa," said Dak awkwardly.
"Excuse me?!" Adelaide yelled.
"Do whatever you want?" said Maple, flushed.
"That wasn't what I said at all!" Dak yelled.
"Close enough," said Sally, placing a hand against his cheek. "I promise that I will use anaesthesia."
"Will you, though?" Dak asked dubiously.
"What's wrong with you, Dak?" Adelaide yelled. "She is our enemy! You're so stupid!"
"But…"
"I don't know what's going on between you two, but step aside so I can heal him," Maple pleaded.
"I thought you already finished doing?" Sally frowned.
"You're unbelievable," said Adelaide, fuming and promptly throwing her bowl into his face. "Take that!"
"Come on," Dak groaned.
"I hate to interrupt you, but don't you think you should eat something to sow your mana comes back?" Magnus suggested.
Adelaide narrowed her eyes at him. "Did I ask for your opinion?"
"Hey, I have rank you!"
"And I'm Royalty, that's all that matters."
"Uh-huh, I'm still your superior."
Luck merely laughed, but then he sensed something heading their way and stood up.
Magnus looked at him. "What's the matter?"
"They're here," he said.
Everyone turned around and saw that entering the courtyard, there were two possessed Magic Knights.
"I see two," said Luck.
"Gotta now!"
"You're dead!"
They then launched their attacks directly at them, but Luck sensed two powerful entities had arrived.
Suddenly falling out of the sky were Thuggory and Victoria, and they quickly countered their attacks and then created a binding spell.
"I see that you're awake," said Victoria, looking up at her brother. "About time."
Thuggory smiled. "Sorry to keep you waiting, dear sister."
"They're here…" Dak gasped. "Captain Thuggory and Captain Victoria! Wow, Captain Thuggory, you didn't die or anything! That's awesome! You got Salamander, too! Captain Hiccup wasn't kidding when he said you would return stronger!"
"Yes, Dak, it would appear that you have gotten much stronger during my slumber," Thuggory observed.
"You know it!" Dak smiled proudly. He then turned to Victoria. "But Captain Victoria, shouldn't you be resting at least one more day?"
"Don't need to. I'm not weak," she said fiercely.
"That woman is unstoppable," Zora smirked.
Snotlout had also been fully healed. "So they're finally back in the fray. Took them long enough."
'Lord Snotlout is amazing,' said the servant as he continued to heal Alvilda. 'I can't believe he's already recovered from such a serious injury.'
Thuggory looked up at Snotlout with a smirk. "Am I late? I'm sorry."
"Huh, then try to make up for it in battle," Snotlout huffed. "Even with Salamander's help, you won't outdo me."
Thuggory then looked at everyone. "What's the situation? I was informed that Hiccup had assumed control of the Magic Knights."
"We've more or less secured the castle," said Dak.
"And evacuated everyone we could find," Maple added.
"Place might need some remodelling, but I believe the king is safe more or less," said Tuffnut.
"And Captain Hiccup, Captain Dagur and Vice Captain Heather pursued the enemy into that construct up there," Vanessa informed him.
"And this new sword that I got allows me to undo the reincarnation spell," said Dak, holding out his Demon-Destroyer Sword.
"Then our next course of action is to back up Hiccup and remove the head of the snake," said Thuggory.
Magnus then looked up at the Shadow Palace. "Hey, guys, is it me, or is that hole getting smaller?"
Everyone looked up, and indeed, they could see that the spatial portal was shrinking; it was already half the size then it was a few moments ago.
"You're right, it is; we should hurry," said Maple, remembering what Bable told them earlier. "There's not much time!"
Unfortunately, before they could make a move, the elves that had been trapped in the Vermilion Residents managed to burst out.
"You will pay for your insolence," said Asger. "I will see to that!"
"Golden Dawn's best guys?" Zora stared. "We can't catch a break."
"While my gorgeousness has no limits, unfortunately, my magic has a maximum, and I've just about reached it," said Carl regretfully.
'We need to move, but,' Victoria frowned as she turned to face the enemy, 'with these numbers.'
"I say the captains go inside," said Vanessa and all eyes turned towards her and the Black Dragons. "Let the Black Dragons take care of everything here on the ground. With my Thread Magic and Charmy's cooking, we'll all be fine."
"You can count on us!" said Charmy.
Magnus looked at Dak. "Hey, Dak, you should go in with them. They're going to need your sword if they have to change someone back, don't you think?"
"Okay, I'll go," said Dak and saluted. "Do your best, Black Dragons."
"Roger," said Magnus. "Some of these bozos down here still think the elves, though, so try to make it quick all right."
"You got it."
"Wait, I'll go with you, Dak," said Adelaide.
"They will also need someone who can heal," said Carl, looking at Maple. "Go with the Maple. Don't worry, I'll provide my beautiful support of our comrades here."
"Okay," Maple nodded. 'That way, I can protect Dak. My brother actually said something smart for once.'
"But wait, I can…" Adelaide argued.
"Adelaide!" Scoldlout yelled from the battlements.
"Is that Scold?" she said, surprised.
"You go too," he said reluctantly. "I hate to say this, but for right now, you're stronger than me. So enjoy it while you can because I will surpass you again! I'm your older brother; I have to. Now hurry and make certain you come back. Remember, our family's pride is at stake.
Strangely, there was the nicest thing Scoldlout ever set Adelaide, and even more strangely, it cheered her up slightly.
Adelaide nodded and saluted. "Understood. I promise I'll come back. Thank you, Scold."
"Well then, shall we?" said Victoria.
"Don't fall behind us," said Thuggory.
Thuggory summoned Salamander, and he, Victoria, and Mapel climbed aboard on his back. They began to fly up towards the portal. Snotlout then landed next to Adelaide and Dak on his mercury eagle.
"Well…" he said, looking at them.
"You won't get past us!" Asger roared as he and the other elves attacked.
"You're in their way!" the Black Dragons yelled, countering their attacks.
The captains in their group immediately flew straight towards the portal without any time to spare.
"Here we go into the Shadow Palace!" Dak yelled.
They just managed to enter the portal before it closed behind them.
Once inside, they found themselves in a complete black emptiness.
"This is freaky," said Dak as he took in their surroundings.
Somehow, this boy was messing with their magic, so their magical transports disappeared beneath them.
"What's going on?" Dak asked.
"I assume this is the Shadow Palace's way of dealing with intruders," Thuggory assumed.
"This mana we're squirming in certainly is unusual," said Victoria.
"I can't control my magic in here!" Maple panicked.
"The Shadow Palace, I hear that it's the boundary between this world and the next," said Snotlout.
"So, are we going to die?" Dak asked.
"Are you trying to be funny because I'm not laughing!" Adelaide snapped.
They then all entered the spatial portal, and Dak landed face-first into the ground. He then heard screaming above, and when he turned his head, Maple crashed right into him, with his face getting buried in her chest.
"Are you hurt, Dak?" Maple asked, sitting up. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"
Dak was currently in no condition to reply.
"Don't worry, I'll heal you right away," Maple promised. "Planet Recovery Magic: Princess Healing Flower Robe!"
She conjured up her magical robe and used its power to heal Dak. While she did so, she took in her surroundings, although in some sort of chamber with floating rocks and dark and bleak walls. They seemed to be the only ones in the chamber, and there was no sign of the others.
"We're inside the Palace now? Where did everyone else go?" she asked.
"Thanks, Maple," said Dak as he got up.
Maple smiled, then became serious, stretching her hands. "Now use Magic Flower Guidepost to figure out the layout of this place is like."
She then conjured up a flower to produce a rather unusual holographic image of the entire Palace. It certainly was not shaped like a class; it resembled a ritual circle with ten different chambers linked together.
"Whoa, you really know your stuff, don't ya," said Dak.
"Let me see," said Maple as she examined the hologram. "It looks like there are several big places, and I sense Elven mana in each of them. We're in one of the main connecting chambers throughout the Palace. Apparently, the rest of our team has been scattered across multiple areas. So before we can regroup, they'll have to defeat all of the elves."
She then frowned. 'And that won't be easy. We're up against the Apostles of Sephira. One of their members alone has more magic than a squat Captain.'
She then turned and looked at the uppermost chamber. "The uppermost chamber seems to have the strongest magic of all."
"But that's him," said Dak, thinking of the real Licht. "Okay, so when everyone defeats the elf that waiting inside each room we meet up with the boss is."
"Right," Maple nodded. "And the central chamber is directly above our heads. We should go."
"Yeah," Dak agreed.
Fortunately, getting to the portal above their heads was easy, as the floating stone provided excellent steps.
"I don't know who we're going to go up against, but our only option is to win," said Dak, jumping through the portal.
He soon found himself in the central chamber, completely filled with paintings that looked as if they were alive.
Maple soon emerged from the portal, and it didn't take long to realise who the opponent was. "Don't tell me."
"These paintings," said Dak.
"Hey there," said a voice.
They looked up and saw that Lira was sitting above them with a paintbrush in hand.
"You and I have met before," he said, looking at Dak.
"It's Gustav," said Dak.
"Oh, come on, we went over this the last time," said Lira, looking annoyed. "My name is Lira. Oh well, I'm waiting for the final magic stone to arrive, so in the meantime, I say that we practice a little bit. How does that sound?"
"Here's an idea," said Dak as he raised his Demon-Destroyer Sword, "how about I wake you up right now."
"I'm already as awake as I can be, so there's no need," he said, turning his attention to his paintings. "Picture Magic is so much fun, huh? It's a little while to get used to, but it's way better than the scribbles I did before."
Dak and Maple watched in horror as monsters emerged from the paintings.
"We elves are about to design a totally new world, and as soon as we get rid of all you ugly humans, we'll have a nice fresh canvas to paint on."
Dak merely gripped his sword. "Find then. Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."
Adelaide found herself completely alone in one of the other chambers.
"I don't get it," she said to herself. "Where did everybody go? I need some backup."
Suddenly, she saw a light shining through the darkness in the chamber. She turned and saw Fana hovering above her with flaming wings.
"You look lonely, so I'll play with you," she offered. "But I have a feeling the game won't go on for very long."
"You again?" Adelaide stared confused. "I don't understand this. Why are you here?"
"Ah, poor thing, you look so confused," she said. "I may be Fana, but I'm a much different Fana than the one you remember."
Victoria was also alone in the chamber and was now facing Vetto, who looked at her rather curiously.
"So you're the opponent I ended up with," he said. "You may be a filthy Royal, but at least your mana is interesting."
Victoria merely cracked and smiled viciously. "I'm about to teach you the importance of respecting your elders, you mangy brat."
"Despite my adolescent form, I won't be easy prey," said Vetto. "No human alive can tame this beast."
Thuggory was also alone in one chamber, and his opponent was the new Captain of the Purple Orcas.
"I had heard that you had become captain," said Thuggory. "Yet we meet again defied on opposing sides, how regrettable. You will want a great man, Lord Kaiser."
"I suppose there's no reason for you to hold back sin as you and I don't actually know one another," said Kaiser.
"Indeed. I won't hold back; that would be ignoble. What's more, I know that Lord Kaiser can put up a decent fight. He never cared much for the spotlight, so I assume he became the Purple Orcas Captain for his squad's sake. His poor wife was terribly worried about him; he's an excellent Magic Knight, and there are people waiting for his return. So you will surrender him now!"
Flames then began to consume Thuggory as he summoned Salamander. 'Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander's Breath!'
Salamander then unleashed a burst of flames at Kaiser, but he created a vortex of wind that protected him.
"That is quite a powerful spell you have," Kaiser acknowledged. "Sadly, it will never reach me."
'Lord Kaiser's Vortex Magic allows him to deflect and disperse opposing attacks. Combined with the Elven magic, that makes him impervious to Salamander's power. None of my spells will harm him.'
Kaiser began to expand his vortex, which slammed into Thuggory and Salamander, who struggled to withstand their ground.
'He can use the vortex for offence as well?' said Thuggory as he tried to protect himself. 'Even using Mana Skin, I'm taken a great deal of damage and all the while, he's washing away my magic.'
Meanwhile, both Victoria and Vetto were battling it out. They were currently running around at incredible speeds, unleashing attacks with their fists. It was like two wild beasts fighting over a piece of meat, and neither one was backing down.
Victoria finally managed to land a hit, but Vetto jumped out of the smoke and punched her, slamming her into the ground. However, she nearly got back up with a crazed smile of excitement.
"I've burnt you to a crisp, and you're still fighting!" she laughed. 'Speed, reflexes and strength a worthy foe.'
She then clenched her fists, set them on fire, and then launched them at him. "Impressive! For a mere boy!"
Vetto laughed as he did the same as well. "Same goes for you. I never knew of another human who could put up a decent fight."
They kept swinging their fists, moving faster and faster, but neither seemed to be able to overpower the other.
'It's been a while since I haven't had this much fun fighting a snotty nose brat one-on-one,' Victoria smiled. 'Takes me back to my youth.'
Thuggory was having difficulty overpowering Kaiser, especially penetrating his vortex shield.
'He detects magic and blocks it automatically, so my attacks will never touch him,' Thuggory frowned. He then gave a small smile. 'This unfair advantage reminds me of my sister. She's had that wild of dishes spirit all her life. I idolised her for her strength, that is until I became frustrated with the devil make-care attitude.'
Many years ago, when Victoria and Thuggory were younger, Victoria was playing with her pet lion rather than training with Thuggory.
"There you are!" she said, chasing down the lion. "I'll get you this time!"
"Come back inside!" Thuggory called. "It's time for our training with Sister Gothi."
"Just let her go, Thugy," said Gothi. "Vicky doesn't need training with us; she'll become stronger on her own. That's how special she is."
'Looking back now, I'm sure I must have been quite jealous of her.'
Years passed, and Victoria was just one day away from getting her grimoire, but Thuggory was shocked by what he intended to do after achieving it, which was a stark contrast to him.
"What?! I don't believe this," he said as they walked through the courtyard. "You really have no interest in joining the Crimson Lion Kings?"
"That's right," she said.
"But why is that? With amazing abilities like yours, you'd be unstoppable as a Magic Knight. You could even become the Wizard Queen someday."
"After I get my grimoire tomorrow, I'm heading to explore the Strong Magic Regions," she informed him. "Who would want to waste their time on guard duty and capturing petty criminals. It's foolish."
'Foolish?' he stared. He then stopped and looked at her with a strong, determined look. "Sister…"
Victoria stopped in her tracks and looked at him.
"…I want a spa," he said, clenching his fist, "one round of both of us given it our all. Right here and now."
Victoria smirked. "Oh really, at least make it fun for me this time. You're so dull."
The two of them then sparred and nearly sent the castle blade with their fight. Their fight became infamous on that day and became known as the Tuesday of Blood and Flame.
Victoria was still trading blows with Vetto, and her blood was boiling when she fought about that day.
'That over-serious fool was on fire back then,' she said.
Vetto laughed. "You're probably the most powerful human in this whole kingdom."
Thuggory was still holding his ground against Kaiser.
"I am sure if I can defeat you, the rest of humanity will be of no trouble at all," said Kaiser.
Salamander swept down towards him, creating a powerful vortex of wind that nearly ripped him apart.
"Begone!" he yelled.
However, when he looked down, he suddenly saw Thuggory right in front of him.
"You're mine, human!" Vetto roared as he launched at Victoria and punched across the face.
However, his blow did not bring Victoria down. Instead, she took it head-on and clenched her fist, which burst into flames.
Both brother and sister were completely unaware that they were fighting against their bows at the exact same time as one another.
"Not me!" they said to their opponents.
'She's unorthodox, cavalier and somewhat mad,' said Thuggory, grabbing the helm of Kaiser's robe. 'But everywhere she goes, people clear path. Fearing her bold power.'
Victoria grabbed Vetto's necklace. 'He's overbearing, unbending and most of all boring. But his refined exceptional strength has earned him the respect and loyalty of all those who follow him.'
'My sister…'
'My brother…'
"Is worthy to be called the strongest!" they yelled.
"Reignition!" Thuggory yelled as he reignited his flaming arm.
"Times Two!" Victoria yelled as the flames around her fist became more intensified.
'He erased his magic using Salamander as a decoy,' Kaiser gasped. 'That's how he was able to prorate my vortex and close enough to hit me.'
'By using willpower to endure my attacks, she conserved enough magic for her next strike,' Vetto stared.
'As my sister's younger brother…'
'As that idiot older sister…'
'… I must prevail!' Thuggory then punched Kaiser, sending him flying.
'… I have to be strong!' Victoria yelled, slamming her fist down upon Vetto.
The two elves were sent flying, and Thuggory and Victoria stood victorious over their opponents.