A part of me wishes Mataku were here to deal with Oinos. I'm sure he could beat him, though having them fight each other to the death doesn't sound too bad either. But I doubt the Primordial Terror will show himself until our meeting on the moon. So I have to be the one to face this existence that could be a god even without the Imagination Engine.

"Can you teleport during movement?" I ask Flann just in case, although I doubt it. Unlike her father, her ability to teleport is much more limited.

"Only slow movements." She replies, then her eyes widen slightly in realization. "If you hold him still for a bit, I can bring you anywhere you want."

"The sun?" It's only a half-serious question. I'll most likely die before he does if we're sent there. Flann shakes her head without recognizing that it was a joke, and I sigh. "Then how about the dark side of the moon?"

"I can do that." Nodding in assent, she confirms my choice. I can direct Oinos toward Chaos-Juzual or Mataku then and complicate the situation for either party. After all, those two are against everybody else, which includes the Old Humans. The Wanderer of the Wild will have no choice but to fight them as well.

"I found Kouratua in the throne room. But there's a lot of opposition. I'm losing bodies." Tokomaha suddenly states, an irritated expression on her face. "And I've lost sight of the big man."

Aurelia wordlessly runs toward the door. She seems quite attached to the God of Gold, courtesy of their similar characteristics. I exchange a glance with Kamii and Hestia, then follow after the golden girl.

"Converge on the throne room." In the voice of a commander, I relay the order for everybody, but especially the little goddess. "Where was Oinos last?"

"Broke the front gate and all my bodies there. I don't know where he went after." I hear from behind me, the voice sounding more peeved than alarmed. Tokomaha's clones are quite a bit weaker than the original, but I have no doubts that Oinos could break her real body with a single punch as well.

The corridors are empty except for the clones standing guard along our path. They leave their posts when we pass, and follow us, causing our numbers to swell as we make our way downstairs.

Eventually, we come upon a hall filled with dead soldiers strewn across the ground. Scorch marks from a rapid-fire weapon litter the pillars and walls, and beams have cut molten streaks into the stone in some places. A few dead devils can be seen with countless arrows in their bodies or with spears stuck in their eyes and open mouths, but the difference in numbers tells me that regular humans stand no chance against them.

This truly is a repeat of the sneak attack on my mother.

Taking in the scene with a glance, I direct my eyes at Aurelia's incredibly long golden hair swaying before me as she continues down the hall. Seeing that these devils can be killed with conventional weapons is giving her hope that Kouratua is alright. His abilities are virtually the same as hers, so he should be able to defend himself against these without much trouble.

Of course, that's only true if there are no variations in the devils. I'm sure versions with more resilient bodies, higher intelligence, and possibly even access to the Imagination Engine exist among this invasion force.

We make it down to the floor connected with the first terrace from the ground level, where the throne room is also located. Here, three dozen of Tokomaha's clones are pushing against a front of armored devils wielding swords and spears. It seems that not all of Alverost's forces are equipped with guns and beam weapons.

But I can tell that these are a different breed. Their bodies are covered in brutish black steel armor. Those who swing serrated swords also have tower shields protecting their bodies, while others wield two-handed halberds and axes that could cleave regular humans in two.

The clones, who were able to easily overcome human opposition during the Battle of Kairaki back then, are having a hard time even bringing one of these towering warriors down.

"Out of the way." Aurelia commands with a voice that echoes through the hallway. In the next moment, she swings an arm, and a blade of liquid gold cuts through Tokomaha clones and armored devils alike. She didn't even stop to consider that those are her allies, but knowing that they aren't alive is what led to her disregarding their existence.

"You could have warned me." The little goddess complains with a pout. It's not that clones getting killed hurts her, but it took some time to create them. And losing them to friendly fire feels like a waste.

Aurelia doesn't even seem to hear it, as she continues to walk without stopping, not even deigning to look at the remains of the armored devils. When I pass them a moment later, I find that they're more human-looking under their armor than those we've seen so far. Aside from hairless red skin, they have mostly human faces - although they sport sharp teeth and pupil-less eyes.

Soon, we come upon the massive bronze door to the throne room. Last time, I blasted it open with a plasma beam because it showed a relief of the God King making gods bow to him. This time, it has been broken down already, with countless corpses of both humans and devils littering the ground. The sound of fighting can be heard from within.

As we reach the doorway, I find the room teeming with devils of all kinds, embroiled in a melee with human soldiers and minor gods of Adanak. One towering devil with red skin and goat-like horns is looming over the God of Gold on the ground. His body is dented in many places, as he seems to have lost the concentration necessary to keep his physical form intact. He's using his bare hands to hold back the massive cleaver aimed at his neck.

Mereana is standing at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the throne platform. Her silver armor is covered in blood, as she fights off a horde of devils trying to climb up. Two women and five men are standing with her, wielding swords and spears to defend the throne. On it sits a shivering young woman, accompanied by three archers and a man in azure armor. That must be the new ruler of Adanak and the members of her royal guard.

But we're on time. Kouratua and Mereana are still alive, and the new queen hasn't been killed yet.

Without needing a signal, everybody springs into action at the same time. Aurelia points a hand at the ground and transmutes a multitude of golden weapons. Kamii charges forward, joined by Tokomaha and her clones. Hestia flies into the air and conjures an array of spirit spears through the Imagination Engine. I transform into my real appearance and let out a roar that causes the devils to stop in their tracks.

In the next moment, two giant hands break through the floor below me and grab my ankles. Then I'm pulled down, out of the throne room.