2350 Saefel's Shield (Part 2)

"How can you become the Emerald Knight? We wear the same armor but only I carry the blood of Valeron!" Thrud said in outrage.

"Because despite your pompous self-appointed title, you are no Queen." Sylpha replied. "You weren't crowned in Valeron nor did you imprint the Royal Array and everything left by the First King.

"I did, just like I imprinted the power cores of the six great academies the day after my wedding. All you have is your stolen set of equipment and the cursed academy that you imprinted.

"Too bad that while Arthan was a coward and made it so that the power of the Golden Griffon would be split between him and his meat shields, Valeron was a true King! He fought his battles first-hand, never delegating or putting others into danger for his own ambitions."

"Are you telling me that…" Thrud tried and failed to complete the sentence.

Rarely would a Griffon experience despair but when they reached the white core, it would become a unique event. Yet that was how the Mad Queen felt and her throat was too tight to emit a single word.

"Exactly. The power that the Golden Knight pours into you and your army, every single Knight pours it only into me. And that's not all." An emerald sphere appeared in Sylpha's left palm and when she clenched her fist, the sphere turned into a shield.

An emerald shield made of pure Spirit Magic so dense that it had taken physical form.

"There's no such a thing as Saefel's Shield because the Royals are the shield of the Kingdom. The Emerald Knight is supported by his six elemental Knights and in turn, they are the Saefel Shield of the Royal family!"

The Queen moved on to the offensive, her body empowered to the point that the gap between her and the Mad Queen was gone. The six academies and the Royal Array they formed worked in a similar fashion to Silverwing's fortress.

Each one of them provided Sylpha with a constant stream of elemental energy that answered her will and was mixed with her mana, turning into Spirit Spells. Not only were they all Tower Tier, but the Queen could also instantly cast them as if they were bloodline abilities.

With the Saefel Sword now matching Arthan's and enveloped into a thick layer of Silverwing's Annihilation, Sylpha's mastery of the Royal Blade style immediately turned the tide of battle.

"How can this be?" Tessa was flabbergasted. "How come not even I have ever heard about this?"

"Because as long as Valeron had you guys, you were the only Royal Knights he needed." Tyris replied with a sad smile. "Valeron never intended to use the Royal Array himself. He was a true Awakened and a bright white core.

"Yet he knew that he wouldn't be there forever and that sooner or later his descendants should learn how to defend themselves. Valeron never meant to treat his children like helpless babies who needed his protection.

"Before abdicating the throne, he left everything they might need, but none of it would work if they were cowardly or neglected their training. Were Sylpha a mediocre mage, the influx of power would have already killed her.

"That's the real point of the Royal Ordeal. That's why only those I deem worthy can ascend to the throne."

"Thanks for the history lesson." Fyrwal nodded. "Valeron, I mean the Queen doesn't need us anymore but the kids do. I say we bring the When All Are One array to completion and bring in one member of each race."

"I like how you think." The Titania nodded and Warped them both below.

"We need three people. Care to join us?" She said to Vastor, Dawn, and Dusk.

"Me? A hero? I thought I'd be damned before it happened. After Lith, I get to be Valeron as well." The Master laughed in disbelief.

"Sure." The Horsemen said, yet they shuddered at the memory of Valeron's Blade Spell cutting Dawn's crystal asunder and almost killing her.

"You? A hero?" Fyrwal said with a scoff. "Aside from Valeron, no one in our group has ever been one. We are a bunch of war criminals."

"Then I'll fit right in." Vastor nodded, yet his voice was still filled with pride at the idea of telling Zinya and the children how he had taken the First King's place in the legendary array.

"Finally!" Lith blasted away a Divine Beast and reached Bytra. "I can destroy the Golden Griffon, but only with your help."

"Mind link." The Raiju nodded, not wishing to waste a single second.

Lith shrunk to his human size, jumping on her back while pressing several runes on his contact amulet.

"Marth, Vastor, Vladion. Here's my plan." He was still talking when Bytra bolted forward, moving so fast that only a trail of lightning marked her passage.

"You heard the man!" Vastor yelled more orders in his communication amulet as the When All Are One array took form.

Thanks to the power of the Master's cores, everyone exceeded the bright violet and had free access to Chaos Magic. Dawn bestowed upon the group Light Mastery on a level unthinkable even for Manohar while Dusk was now completely free from his shackles.

The When All Are One array now coursed with Life Maelstrom, Origin Flames, and Doom Tide, making its members unstoppable war machines.

They moved as one, keeping the formation tight and wiping Thrud's troops out of the sky so that no one could disturb Lith's search.

'Your Majesty, Verhen needs your help as well!' Marth said via a mind link.

The Royal Array transmitted not only the power of the White Knight but also his thoughts.

"Glory to the Kingdom!" Sylpha charged at Thrud in response, using her shield to block both the spells conjured from Light Raider and those that were doubled by Phantom Echo.

The Saefel's Shield shattered and the Queen took considerable damage, but she could afford it. The six great academies empowered her and most importantly, without destroying the Golden Griffon there could be no victory.

Thrud was pushed far and away, deeming Sylpha stupid for giving up on her advantage. She failed to notice that now the Queen stood between her and the lost academy, blocking her vision.

"Don't gloat yet. Energy cannot be destroyed, you know?" The Saefel's Shield reformed in Sylpha's left hand while with her right she performed a series of feints.

Thrud failed to understand why no attack followed the complex maneuvers until she saw that each deceitful spin of the blade generated a Tower Spirit spell.

She activated the gems on the Arthan Sword to conjure counter-spells but Sylpha did the same, bringing them back to square one.

At the same time, Bytra was running around the Golden Griffon in a spiral pattern while making sure to stay away from the tendrils of the Unwavering Loyalty array.

'Where next?' She asked after moving past the Knight's huge bottom.

'Sorry for the long shot, but that's where I would have hidden the power core.' Lith replied while holding the map of the Golden Griffon crafted 700 years ago by the Undead Courts.

It only needed its master to be near the lost academy to show him everything past the walls and armor.