The sound from below echoed in, as the chatter which earlier ensued grew more chaotic, or louder with each second. Jyuzou's words were quickly dismissed, as everyone focused on the commotion inside.

"Did the demons get in?" someone asked.

"Are we safe here?!"

"I told you it was a trap from the very beginning!"

Jyuzou gulped, subtly searching for the source with his eyes. A crack in the wall or the floor, or even some dust tumbling off the shelves. Yet, nothing came of it, and the sound only repeated itself, as if warning of things to come.

"They're destroying the castle!"

"The demons are coming in to get us!"

The noise came again, but Jyuzou's stress seemed to subtly muffle it out. The people went on, the louder voices mixing with the insignificant ones, with only the same words concluding the same statement.

"Give us the crown!"

Was there anyone in the world that came to mind when it came to comparing them to the likes of Bancho? Axel, perhaps, but from the older Morian's stories, his tide turned towards the demons. Maybe Koyote, for her efforts and singlehandedly managing to defend the island of Galliath? It could've been his friends or anyone who gathered in that workshop, now, presumably, fighting it out while the choice stayed his.

Or, it could've been Morio.

Maybe, it should've landed on his very own head.

...and possibly, no one deserved to bear it.

Jyuzou sank his fingers into the railings on each side and bent forward.

"No one here is getting the crown!"

The crowd went silent. Even Eryk seemed appalled, sitting back on his chair.

"What do you mean?" someone pointed. "Isn't that the entire reason why you came out here instead of that coward?"

"Don't call King Sebastian a coward. You're both royalty, yet you seep into disrespect and fight each other every step of the way." he shook his head. "I can guess now why it was such a hard choice to make. Everything you're doing is for the same selfish reasons!" he signalled with his fingers.

"Do you call our right to live and prosper selfishness? What a foolish statement, Morian!"

"Who's idea was it to even bring a kid out in the first place?"

"Our loved ones were killed back there!"

"You don't know anything about life."

"...what do you know, then?" Jyuzou asked, sighing. "Can you give me at least one example where you had to face death itself and make the right choice, despite everything that could go wrong?!"

One royal fixed her long, dotted tie. "I threw a spear at my man and he launched it back at me. Missed, but-"

"True!" someone else raised their hand. "I remember that my daughter grew angry over something and threatened to hurt me."

Jyuzou's eyes widened.

"I had to put my cat down once!"

"My mom threatened to kick me out of the house!"

"I had plants die on me!"

"You're..." Jyuzou stepped back, raising his voice, preemptively. "You're all awful!"

"Why? Is it because we struck a nerve, denying your flimsy argument?"

"You proved it." Jyuzou shook his head. "You think that just because you're royalty it means that you deserve special, individual treatment from the world! I lived my whole life without knowing I was like one of you... pests!"

Someone gasped.

"...and nothing's changing now. I'm still as angry, and none of the ways I view myself as a Morian have ever changed." Jyuzou at his own hands. "This isn't the time to try and argue about who did more, who suffered through what and who should stand at the top of this nonexistent podium..." he spoke through frustration. "All of you, equally, are awful!"

"I deny such irrelevant language, Morian!" someone stepped in. "Talk to one of yours as proper!"

"You'd be one to speak if you had something to prove your strengths." Jyuzou blurted out. "It doesn't matter now. The burning of the opera should've been a key factor in seeing through and making that decision. Why can't any of you be just like in those tales you're told of? I'm sure you've heard, and you even saw one in the theatre. N-Noble aristocrats, fighting for what they believed in."

"It's not our fault we were fooled!"

"You wouldn't try to battle, even if you wanted to." Jyuzou angrily shook his head. "You'd put your heads in the sand and wait for someone else to fix the problem. Instead of picking up a weapon and proving the weight of your blood, instead of telling the world that you're going to shape it how you want, you're just expecting the benefits, instead of accepting the drawbacks in stride!"

Jyuzou stepped to the side, breathing out.

"And you dare call the King a coward? He was willing to admit it, at the very least. He was weak and doubted he was worthy to bear his title, bestowing the role of trying to speak to your dense minds to me. He was the prime, like all of them! In all those damn stories!" he slammed the railing, with gritted teeth, almost pushing it off. "He could see it for himself, and even in the face of such a tragedy, he held his head high and found another solution. What about all the other Royals? They're just standing here, expecting a crown, without doing a thing to deserve it!"

Eyes drifted towards others.

"People are willing to die to keep this sacred division safe, to push things in order so you don't throw a fit, and you still find a way to complain! Because it's never good enough, and... unlike in those stories..." he turned to the side. "People knew if they deserved a prize. They fought when the time came, and were calm when there were no threats. You'd only take the good parts and throw everything else in this world for granted. If that is the definition of a Royal, then maybe there's a reason why I'm so pissed off about it."

Jyuzou sighed, as a ghostly apparition flew somewhere out of view.

"I'm angry because it has to be me, standing here and speaking through to you. I should be out there, fighting, as a proud Demonear, like all of my friends. Willing to put their lives on the line, stepping into the demon's terrain to defeat it. Someone pushes through and lets the others live another day. So why can't you do so as well?"

Everyone was silent. Even the distant noises of the thrashing didn't disrupt the moment.

"Maybe I'm just a kid, though, and I don't get it." he shook his head, gulping. "Right now, though, I decided to grow up. To face all of you, awful, filthy people," he uttered. "No one is getting the crown."

As his words echoed, the first signs of, possibly, yet another argument started peeking out. A sound grew exponentially louder.

Jyuzou squinted, and then it came, as sudden as his earlier statements. More screams, and commotion, with smoke permeating the destroyed wall and bookshelf from the left.

As the Royals ran to the sides, they crashed against each other, leaving enough space on the ground for two people to wrestle. Koyote pushed the cross into Serpigo's body, and black mist bounced up and dug into the ground.

Jyuzou's and her eyes met for a second before her body flew towards the other side of the room, crashing through the wall. The Serpigo zoomed in, pushing past all the people, as they began sprinting around with yells and cries, into the holes in the walls, or even pushing through the now open gate.

Jyuzou shook his head, breathing out. He put his hands on his head, frustrated before a voice came from below.

"Oi!"

Jyuzou turned, shaking.

"I'm with you on this!" A Royal raised his hand.

Jyuzou blinked a few times, while the few Royals below the balcony also turned their heads. They bore smiles, which shined back at Jyuzou's face. Even though all of them trembled, they ran forward, and towards the Serpigo that chased after Koyote.

"You're right!"

Jyuzou sucked in air through his teeth, before putting one leg over the railing, trying to jump up. Right as he did so, something swiped through the now, mostly empty room, causing a pillar below to crash down. Jyuzou moved away, jumping back into the small room behind him, as the commotion combined with every other noise seemed to come towards the place he stood in.

The Morian straightened, but not long before the wall to his right crashed into millions of pieces, following into the other bricks. The ground shook for a bit, and he instinctively covered his face, before something slid on the floor, followed by the sounds of a wooden object.

He dared move his hands away, facing his Guardian Demon, laid before him on the ground, followed by heavy breaths coming from the side.

"Told ya I heard Jyuso yelling!" Chyuuichi put his hand on the debris.

"Things aren't made out of the frailest of materials!" Chyuuichi winked, and Atomu turned.

"W-We need your help, Jyuzou. We're almost done with those-"

Suddenly, the Paladian jolted forward, grabbing the Morian's arm and pushing him to the ground. A shot of shining blood went right above his head, piercing through the adjacent wall.

Chyuuichi leapt with his frozen foot, as it hit the real Lisbeth's head, while the other strolled in.

Atomu slammed his weapon through, creating a wall separating the Morian, giving him some time.

Jyuzou turned to the Great Kowitzer, staring at the subtle shine of its end before picking it up. He easily leapt over the wall, readying his fist and the discs around him, while wearing an angered expression.

He launched everything forward, and a windy attack pushed the fake Lisbeth away towards the wall, with the speed of the discs destroying the adjacent ones at the sides.

Lisbeth slammed the ground, with blood going back to her hand and a heavy breath. The three moved down into the now cleared library, as the other Royals scoured away through the castle, running from the onslaught of demons pouring in.

The Serpigo launched towards one of the people, quickly caught by Koyote's hand. The two crashed into another open, golden hall with a staircase at the end and a painting of the King.

The woman spun her weapon around, before running forth and moving into battle again.

Jyuzou, Atomu and Chyuuichi chased around the castle, slowly clearing the cobbled corridors of the imps left and right. Amid the chaos, Ronpi and Katha's screams could be heard in the distance.

Jyuzou swiftly swooped in, piercing through a demon's head with his spear, and then helped a Royal stand up before pushing him away. Lisbeth struck from above. She spun her bloody weapon around, throwing its sharp end at Jyuzou and in turn forcing him out of the nearby window and onto the square.

Atomu and Chyuuichi eventually followed through, swinging their shots at Lisbeth. Jyuzou turned, seeing the copy flying in. The discs helped his ascent, as they all launched themselves, catching the demons in a big gust.

Pieces of glass went through his face and body, leaving bloody marks, but his weapon pierced through its hand, creating a massive, gushing wound.

Atomu and Chyuuichi pursued Lisbeth. The Mirillian launched a long streak of icicles towards the blood Lisbeth created. With a connecting strike, she started tumbling down, but not before the wall the Paladian created sent her upwards again. Chyuuichi slid up with frosted legs, punching her face in.

The two flew back, while Jyuzou soared through the sky and pushed the Mirillian to the side, with the fake Lisbeth growing fur and a shiny eye, seemingly out of nowhere. Jyuzou ground his teeth, continuing to push on, with the spear going through the demon's body.

The two landed on the ground, with noises coming from the front gate. Atomu and Chyuuichi breathed heavily, spotting something in the distance.

Leiru and his army guarded every single entrance, eventually moving in.

Koyote kept throwing blind punches, with the black mist engulfing her body. She kept being thrown around the chamber, crashing into the lamps on the sides, glass tables and statue busts of various Royals. She picked one halved head and launched it up above. The Serpigo took notice, and that's when she swooped in, cutting through with her cross.

The creature flailed, as part of the metal, decorated railing above went through its head, followed by a few golden plates falling towards the checkered floor. It bounced off the painting on the ceiling and then jumped out of the window.

Koyote stood, breathing in, pushing the continuously seeping blood away from her face. She focused on yet another shadow, coming in from the main entrance. She readied, thumb pushing into the air. "That makes three."

The Serpigo stopped right as Koyote zoomed forward. It stuck both grimy hands out and pushed her into the marble floor and up the carpet covering the staircase. Near the chandelier, it launched her forward.

Her legs were stuck between two unlit candles and a few bends and twists. The Serpigo stood at the top of the stairs, picking up a small statue separating the other halls of the castle. Instead of striking, it tore its head off, as it slid down the destroyed surroundings and tumbled below her feet.

Koyote's attention shifted before a voice came from the front.

"Koyote." a soft-spoken accent uttered. "Don't you feel at least a little guilty?"

She turned her head forward, seeing Olala, standing still.

"Every ounce of pain I felt, even though you vowed to keep me safe, was because of you."

"Who are you trying to fool?" she asked. "Repeating the things I already know."

A small tornado surrounded it, quickly turning into Dakarai, holding his hand out. "You killed me for a very selfish reason."

Koyote furrowed her brows, before they transformed, yet again.

"Oxy! Can't you see the stars?" her mom's voice came flying out.

"That up there is called the Equinoxe!" her dad followed suit.

She squinted her eyes.

"Why did you force me to make a choice?" Jyuzou asked.

"Why am I still weak?" Morio continued.

"You failed to protect me," Genni uttered.

"I didn't need any of your help." Ingo followed.

She reluctantly shook her head, pushing her leg through the chandelier. It hurt twice as much, with blood now staining the candles.

The creature swapped in again, now transforming itself into Bancho. With a sly smile and wounds permeating its body, Koyote found the courage to move. It felt like the sea. Struggling with her aches, blood and all, while someone else stood from afar and observed.

He didn't have to say a word to make her angry, and soon, with another tug of the cross, she slid through the metal, landing on the ground and breaking her leg. That didn't seem to matter, however.

Angrily, she turned, launching forwards, before striking at the Serpigo with all her might. The weapon seemingly pierced through, leaving only a shadowy apparition, followed by her scream.

Koyote tumbled to the ground. She breathed, trying to keep herself conscious. She tugged on the cross, before tightening her grip around its thinnest part.

"They never really die, do they?"

She sat up, taking one big bandage off and throwing it to the side. The crimson dropped onto the weapon, and she found the courage to stand, following the commotion. Dragging herself on the one working leg, she pushed her hand against the window, observing the main square.