Inside the carriage, Elizabeth sat bolt upright.

She was dressed in the formal traveling attire of the Royal Family—a long, ink-black silk gown. Its cuffs and collar were embroidered with delicate griffin patterns in silver and violet-gold thread, and over it, she wore a light, matching velvet shawl.

Her thick, dark hair was swept up in a courtly chignon, revealing the fair nape of her neck.

Her dark eyes, a legacy from her mother, peered intently through a slit in the reinforced carriage window, fixed on the abruptly tense scene outside.

She pursed her lips, her hand unconsciously tightening around the hilt of a shortsword fastened to the carriage’s interior wall.

Its sheath was studded with gemstone fragments, making it seem ornamental, but the blade within was lethally sharp.

It was a gift from William IV, bestowed upon her before her departure.

"Remember, Elizabeth," William IV had said, his gaze grave as he handed her the sword. "This is not for combat. It is to remind you that courage and responsibility will always weigh more than any gemstone."

BOOM!

The ground suddenly erupted!

Near the head of the convoy, rubble and dust gushed skyward like a geyser.

With a roar like grinding stone, a monster burst from the ground.

It resembled a segmented worm magnified dozens of times, clad in dark-red rock armor. Its head was eyeless, dominated by a giant maw filled with spiraling teeth. Deep within, a dim, molten light flickered.

Half its body remained underground, but the exposed portion already exceeded the length of three carriages. Scorching heat and a vile stench of sulfur washed over the area.

"Earth Rock Worm! Highest alert!" Sir Ernest’s bellow instantly drowned out the monster’s shriek and the crowd’s gasps of alarm.

His reflexes were lightning-fast. The instant the monster emerged, he was already airborne, launching himself from his saddle. The two-handed broadsword he had wielded for years erupted with blazing golden Life Energy. He became like a small sun, hurtling toward the monster’s head with enough force to shatter mountains as he brought his blade down in a vicious chop!

"All units, protect the Princess and fall back! Get out of its attack range!"

The elite Forbidden Guard Cavalry demonstrated the discipline of the Royal Family’s finest. Though startled, they did not fall into disarray.

Crossbow arrows shrieked through the air toward the monster in an attempt to hinder its movements.

However, the monster’s defenses were far greater than they had imagined.

Most of the crossbow arrows simply glanced off its dark-red rock armor, producing nothing more than a shower of sparks before being deflected.

Its massive body seemed clumsy, but it whipped around with terrifying power and speed. Like a giant, flaming whip, it easily swatted two cavalrymen who had ventured too close, sending them flying, horse and all. The sound of shattering bone was sickeningly clear.

Sir Ernest’s strike was the only attack that posed a substantial threat.

The golden blade, alight with Life Energy, slammed into the rock armor on the monster’s head, creating a blinding flash and a deafening CRACK. A deep gash was torn open in the hard shell, and viscous, dark-red fluid, nearly black, sprayed out, releasing plumes of corrosive white smoke.

The monster shrieked in pain and fury. Its massive head whipped toward Sir Ernest as it spewed a torrent of searing lava from its maw!

The old knight remained calm in the face of danger. As swift as lightning, he dodged the deadly spray of lava by a hair’s breadth. He then reversed his blade’s momentum and struck at the creature’s wound again, attempting to press his advantage.

His combat experience was immense; he knew that against such a thick-hided beast, one had to exploit its moments of relative slowness and focus all attacks on a single point to break through its defenses.

However, this Earth Rock Worm’s cunning and ferocity exceeded all expectations.

It seemed to have identified Sir Ernest as the greatest threat. Ignoring the other cavalrymen’s attacks, its massive body twisted with an agility that defied its size. Its thick tail, moving with immense force, swept in from an unexpected angle, cutting off most of the old knight’s paths of retreat.

At the same time, its wounded head opened its great maw again. This time, it wasn’t lava that spewed forth, but a great cloud of dark-red toxic mist with a pungent, acrid stench that rapidly began to spread.

"Hold your breath!" Sir Ernest’s expression changed. He bellowed a warning to his men while diverting his Life Energy to resist the corrosive mist, and for a split second, his movements faltered.

The monster seized upon that momentary opening.

The sweeping tail slammed solidly into Sir Ernest’s hastily raised blade.

BOOM!

It was a dull thud, like a battering ram striking a fortress wall.

A violent tremor ran through Sir Ernest’s body. His face flushed crimson, and he could no longer suppress the mouthful of blood that sprayed from his lips.

He was flung backward like a kite with a snapped string, slamming hard against the cliff face before tumbling to the ground.

The broadsword he had carried for years was torn from his grasp, landing point-down in the dirt a short distance away, its golden Life Energy extinguished.

"Sir!" his adjutant screamed, his eyes wide with horror.

Just then, from the shadows on both sides of the pass, several tiger-sized, dark-red figures silently emerged.

They were Scorching Beasts.

Shaped like giant spiders, they moved with treacherous speed, corrosive saliva dripping from their maws.

Their leader was gravely wounded and on the ground. They were surrounded by a powerful enemy. A toxic mist filled the air, and now, new monsters had joined the fray.

A tide of despair washed over the remaining cavalrymen, cold and overwhelming.

With bloodshot eyes, the adjutant led those still able to fight, attempting to break through to rescue Sir Ernest while simultaneously fending off surprise attacks from the Scorching Beasts.

Their formation completely collapsed.

Through the carriage window, Elizabeth watched helplessly as the knight who had been her mountain of security throughout the journey fell. She watched her loyal guards fall one by one under the monsters’ assault. She watched as the hideous Scorching Beasts crawled toward the seemingly unconscious Sir Ernest, and crawled toward her carriage...

The sounds of battle, the screams of men, and the shrieks of monsters outside the carriage grew ever closer, mixing with the thick stench of blood and sulfur that assaulted her senses.

Her palm, gripping the shortsword, was slick with cold sweat, her knuckles white from the force of her grip.

She could hear the adjutant’s desperate roar, "Protect the Princess! Fight to the death!"

But everyone knew this was their last stand.

A Scorching Beast broke through their tattered defense. Corrosive saliva dripped from its toothy maw, and its searing breath blasted against the carriage wall, causing the wooden frame to groan under the strain.

’It’s over.’

Elizabeth closed her eyes.

She thought of the mission her father had entrusted to her: ’Understand the true situation, coordinate the various factions, and prepare for the coming storm.’

’I remember how I secretly vowed never to betray that heavy trust.’

’But now, it’s all going to end in this pass.’

’I can’t accept this... I just can’t...’

For some reason, in that final moment as cold darkness began to consume her consciousness, she suddenly thought of the Northern Governor, whom she had only met a few times.

Throughout her many solemn duties, he was the only one who had ever asked her:

"With all this long-distance travel, are you holding up okay?"

It had been said in jest.

But it was the only time someone had expressed concern that didn’t feel like a mere formality...

SHRRIIIP!

The Scorching Beast’s claws tore through the outer planks of the carriage, and a wave of heat washed over her.

Elizabeth used the last of her strength to tighten her grip on the ornate yet useless shortsword, her knuckles a deathly white.

’Father, I’m sorry.’

’The mission... I...’

VMMMM!

A clear, high-pitched hum—a sound that seemed to descend from the heavens themselves, powerful enough to wash away all filth and despair—suddenly and without warning, tore through the cacophony in the pass!