Rise & Fall

*Safian breathes a little lick of flame at Mushu*

Safian:<After everything that you've seen, is that really so surprising?>

*She summons her glider and jumps on*
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Artexi:<For your information, we actually aren't doing half bad right now!>

*She summons her keyblades, then double casts Sol's Might before attacking the nearest couple heartless. Artexi does her best to avoid any shuriken coming her way*
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Eve:<If that were true, I wouldn't be sitting here in the snow arguing with you! I said I would help Anna find her sister, and I intend to do that.>

*Monu follows a step or two behind Lilith, arms crossed*

Monu:<Just so you can stab us in the back? We just had another Organization member try the same thing.>

Eve:<I don't control the Organization! I don't even want to work with you two, but...I do owe you for helping Anna and I with the rouge heartless, so thanks for that.>

Monu:<We are happy to protect Princess Anna from threats, including you.>

Eve:<I'm obviously not a threat to Anna! All I've tried to do is help her!>

OOC: Oogie. Hook. Xanatos.

~Arendelle~

*Euryale likewise wraps herself in furs.*

E"We should go help Hans, he doesn't know what he's getting into."
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*Hans moves aside to catch the spear under his arm & tosses the Dragoon a short distance. Since Nobodies become stunned when their attacks are parried, the other Dragoon flails all dramatic-like. He decides to turn & stab the Dragoon that is an active threat. Meanwhile, the Sorcerers keep up their attack.*
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L"Do you think we were born yesterday!? Obviously you only want Anna to lead you to her sister so you can force her into the Organization!"

*Irritum, hopefully enjoying the cold, is still trudging down the other mountain towards the forest.*
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~Land of Dragons~

*Seeing them approach, Shan Yu & his heartless vanish into darkness. They land outside of the city gates, not far behind the ragged procession of victorious soldiers. Mulan runs to their head.*

Mulan<Captain! Shang! Shan Yu is alive, he's in the city!>

Shang<And why should I believe you now?>
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*Artexi cuts huge gashes into the pair of Nobodies, forcing them to stagger back. Opposite her, Nero crouches low so the shurikens go over his head & whirls around, letting loose with a cloud of dark flames that burns another pair to a crisp & forces several more to leap back. Up above, the dragon is flying around, looking from them to the capitol.*

N"It's trying to decide if it wants to eat us before going to the city!"

So Taiyo goes down the hall or wherever, probably not moving as fast as she would in her usual attire.

==========================

Vega keeps moving to avoid the attacks which are simple enough to avoid since the cubes are made from stuff that'd make Wolverine's skeleton look like tissue paper.

==========================

Not enjoying the cold, but still trudging through the snow.

==========================

Azuma: "Safian, can you sniff them out?"

Eve:<I've already found Elsa, so if that was my plan, which it isn't, I wouldn't be here. Anyway, I couldn't even convince Elsa to help me find Anna. She won't leave her palace. So, now I'm going to bring Anna to Elsa, and then hopefully put a stop to this storm. Once we get back...>

*Monu interrupts her*

Monu:<That's nice. And what do you expect us to do during all this?>

Eve:<I don't have the means to get rid of you, so I'm not going to try. So I guess you'll continue dogging us.>

Monu:<Lilith suggested they we throw you off the mountain earlier.>

Eve:<You'll get us all blown off the mountain. Let's stop arguing for now and take Anna to Elsa before we all freeze to death. Alright?>
---
Safian:<I'll try and let you know if I find anything!>

*Safian disappears into the shadows and starts sniffing around*
---
*Artexi casts Sparkra on the nobodies she attacked before, then casts Sparkga on the dragon*

Artexi:<Don't even think about attacking that city!>

~Arendelle~

*Irritum is going to be trudging for a while, it's a big mountain & there isn't dick out there.*

L"Sure, let's do that."

*She lies. As she is now close enough to more-or-less see Eve's figure, she plunges the Keyblade into the ground, causing branches to burst out of the snow around Eve, stabbing at her.*
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*Eventually the wall of cubes reassembles itself into a U-shape in an attempt to box Vega in. Hans keeps hacking away at the Dragoon, ducking under its next slash as the other one begins to regain its flying footing. Just beyond the doorway, a Berserker is dragged in Vega's general direction by its cursed hammer as a pair of Sorcerers flit about behind it, each flanked by a pair of Dancers swaying back & forth. The Dark Corridor has closed, leaving these as the only enemies left. This is the scene that Taiyurle see as they follow where Hans went, finally rounding the corner of the hallway. Euryale immediately lashes out with Strike Raid, aiming for the staggering Dragoon.*
===========================
~Land of Dragons~

Shang<Look alive, men! What's the matter with you?!>

*He shouts at those lagging behind, looking world weary. Before he knows it, they stop & become consumed by dark flames, transforming into Bolt Towers.*

Shang<What--the creatures from before?!>

*He looks around, catching a glimpse of Shan Yu on the palace roof just before he disappears.*

Shang<Head to the palace! Protect the Emperor!>

*The trio & surviving soldiers nod & run off. Shang starts to draw his sword, but Mulan steps in front of him, holding her own blade up in a defensive reverse-grip.*

Mulan<They need you! We'll handle this!>
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*The Nobodies dissolve into Nothingness in a flash, but the dragon is far enough away that it just swerves aside. Evidently she pissed it off because its cymbal legs begin clanging together before it flies overhead, dropping a series of bombs along the mountain. Meanwhile Nero uses the power of darkness to lengthen his sword & slashes at the other Nobodies to keep them at bay, but a Ninja manages to slip around & swing a shuriken at his back.*

*Eve has no effective defensive techniques, so she attempts to move away from the branches, if possible. She swipes at the branches using her keyblade, covering her face with the other*

Eve:<Hey! I already said I'm not going to fight you!>

Monu:<...Wait. If we do this, we will look like the villains the Organization made us out to be. We will already have to convince Elsa we mean her no harm and aren't kidnapping her sister. Let's not make it harder for ourselves.>
---
*Safian jumps on the nearest Black Tower, slashing with flaming claws*
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Artexi:<Look out!>

*She turns, knocking away the shuriken with her keyblade, then uses Venom Raid on the attacker it was from*

Vega switches to the Darkest Fear and jumps, sending a Lone Eagle at the Sorcerer attempting to box him in then dives in, attacking with Predator Claw.

Taiyo casts Tragic Sphere on the Dragoon attempting to fly.

=========================================

Hitomi throws the Fenrir at a Bolt Tower, attacking with Tiger Slashing while Azuma shoots Wolf Storm at another.

~Arendelle~

*Taiyo's spell fizzles out because Euryale has already destroyed it. Once she regains her Keyblade, she stabs the other Dragoon in the back with Water Dash. Her attack intersects with the gashes Hans has created in it, causing it to break apart. The Berserker, having missed Vega, flies towards them with its hammer outstretched like a missile. For his part, Lone Eagle phases right through the Sorcerer. I guess he can throw it, but it's like throwing a bag in the wind, so it doesn't make much difference. The Sorcerers promptly resummon their cubes to their side as they twist in the wind. Meanwhile, the Dancers skate around Vega in a ring, a pair crouching low & glowing menacingly red while the other pair jump into a handstand, spinning with their bladed feet outstretched as they move towards Vega.*
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L"I don't care how it looks, I can't let Mom's murderer escape!"

*Eve escapes the 1st batch & sort of causes a branch to weirdly deflect, but they keep coming.*

L"Theoretically I can keep going as long as I maintain concentration, use this time to trap her in a tornado!"

Kristoff<Are you sure we should be letting this happen?>

*The princess shakes her head & starts to approach.*

Anna<Stop this! We need to take her back to Arendelle to stand trial!>
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~Land of Dragons~

*Reminder that only the Bolt Tower's head is vulnerable to attack, so you should be more specific. Because I never specified how many, let's say there's 10. The Tower Azuma attacks sort of recoils but doesn't go down, luckily Mulan is there to finish it off with a sword slash, strengthened by Mushu breathing fire down the blade. The Fenrir tears through another & the Bolt Tower Safian is mauling spins away from them, trying to throw her off. Thiera points her Keyblade at a trio in front of them, a dark dome compressing them to the ground. One of the remainder fires a beam of lightning at Thiera while she's busy with her spell.*
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*The Ninja eats a Keyblade to the gut, but isn't so easily brought down & just sort of twirls backwards. Nero sees that the snow is coming loose & sliding down the mountain again, not to mention the actual dragon & its bombs rapidly closing in on them.*

N"Let's just get out of here!"

*He quickly casts Magnet to suck the Nobodies up long enough to run back in the direction of the pass.*

Vega begins with a Shattering Demon Fist before swapping to the Keyblade and attacking with Fire Ring.

Taiyo moves to avoid the Berserker, casting Blizzaga from the Stormfall on it.

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Azuma attacks the Bolt Tower zapping Thiera with Reaper while Hitomi casts Gravity Well on it.

Monu:<Lilith, Lilith please. We both know who murdered Master Binah. I know what they did was unforgivable, but we need to remember who was really behind it...>

*Eve continues attempting to fight off the branches*
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*Safian claws at the head of the Bolt Tower she's climbing on, then sends a fireball at the Bolt Tower attacking Thiera*
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*Artexi darts after Nero after using Spark Raid on the stuck Nobodies*

Artexi:<What about the dragon?! We can't let it attack the city!>

~Arendelle~

*The longer this goes on for, the harder the branches are to avoid, & they begin scratching any outstretched limbs of Eve's.*

L"That's right!"

*Lilith pulls her Keyblade out of the ground, at which point the branches stop emerging & sink away.*

L"There's no point in killing you until we've used you to find Senthose."

*Meanwhile, the others brace against the building wind.*

Anna<Who is Senthose, & what does he want with my sister?!>
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*The Dancers sort of twirl & spin as they're thrown away. They look very charred, but unfortunately Vega fails to destroy any of them. Meanwhile, a Sorcerer shifts closer to the door like a garbage bag that's obtained sentience, rearranging its cubes to form a loose cube around him when Hans appears behind it & starts stabbing it. The other Sorcerer assembles its own into a wall in front of itself. Outside, while the Berserker is stuck in ice that's trying to crush it, Euryale slams into it with Meteor Crash, where it lies pulverized but still in tact with Euryale between it & its discarded weapon.*

E"Well, you're as durable as you look!"
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~Land of Dragons~

*The Bolt Towers burst, releasing their hearts. This drops Safian near another pair, one of which raises its lower end and head area into the air as if it's a giant hammer while the other side swipes Safian. Thiera yells in pain while she's electrocuted, catching her breath when the beam dies down. Mushu spits a volley of fireballs at the flattened Bolt Towers, destroying them & leaving only the pair attacking Safian.*
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N"We can't do anything about it if we're dead!"

*Either way, the Nobodies would be destroyed. He drags her around the rock wall, where they can watch the avalanche & the dragon fly over the mountainside as it drops the last of its bomb torrent.*

Vega is about to swap weapons before his Keyblade is replaced with the Stormfall which will probably get Taiyo into trouble with Euryale, but a dead man can't tell them anything about the Organization.

Vega uses Bubble Ward then freezes it with the ice magic available to him to defend against the inevitable attack while Taiyo uses Wind Blade on one of the Dancers.

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Hitomi casts Aquaja on the Bolt Towers while Azuma uses Darkness to attack one of them.

Eve:<...Anyway...>

*She looks over at Anna*

Eve:<I'll explain later, but you shouldn't concern yourself with our battles. Come on, let's go find Elsa before we freeze to death.>

Monu:<You can lead the way. Where we can see you.>

*Eve shrugs and starts down towards Anna*

Eve:<Oh, can you tell your friend over by Elsa's castle to knock it off?>

Monu:<...What?>
---
*Safian shadow travels behind the Bolt Towers, then breathes fire at them*
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*Artexi lets herself be dragged Nero*

Artexi:<So, what's your plan then?>

~Arendelle~

*The cubes around Vega start rotating, shredding the ice. The other Sorcerer ignores Hans's attacks & begins firing the cubes at the gaps in the shield like bullets. A Dancer is destroyed, but the others pirouette to their feet & skate towards Vega again.*

E"Why are you helping him, he's the enemy!?"

*While yelling at Taiyo, Euryale notices just in time that the hammer is speeding towards her. She rolls out of the way as the Berserker catches it & shrinks. It begins slamming the now proportionally giant hammer into the ground, releasing shockwaves as it moves towards her.*
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*Lilith mutters "I'm sure you will" when Eve talks to Anna, then holds her Keyblade at neck-level to keep her from going any further.*

L"You stay away from the princess, & quit talking nonsense while you're at it. Olaf the snowman--"

*She gestures towards him, & he waves.*

L"Says there's a staircase leading to the castle nearby, but the winds will make it difficult to cross."
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*Irritum finds eirself lost in the woods, because that is how trekking down an unfamiliar mountain in thick snow would work. With the white out conditions, the only hints available are Eve's scent from behind & many more dark scents to another direction.*
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~Land of Dragons~

*The Bolt Towers are held off by the other attacks long enough for Safian to do that, & with the combined attacks, they are destroyed. Being the only one injured, Thiera quickly casts Cure on herself, & Mulan is already running across the bridge.*

Mulan<Come on, we need to get to the palace!>
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*As the dragon is looking around, Nero notices the spikes on the its back & uses Collision Magnet to pull himself up on its back. Grabbing a hold of a spike, he starts attacking its horns. A small spike on each shoulder gathers lightning energy & bolts begin falling down over both him & Artexi.*

Eve:<I was the one helping...>

*Monu gets between her and Lilith*

Monu:<Just walk. Olaf, lead the way.>

*Eve crosses her arms, but turns to follow the snowman*

Eve:<Unless either of you can teleport, we'll have to cross there.>

Monu:<Actually, I can. I'll cross first, then Lilith and I can switch keyblades, and I can use vines to help the rest of you cross.>
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*Artexi uses Spark on each of the shoulder spikes sending the lightning bolts at them*
===
*Safian bounds in the direction Mulan indicated*

Taiyo casts Maelstrom on the Sorcerers.

Taiyo: "He can tell us about the Organization."

Vega uses Blizzard to reinforce the shield as dispelling it currently would be a bad idea.

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Turning around would be beneficial, but also difficult, especially if Eve had met up with others, so they keep pressing forward.

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They follow after Mulan.

~Arendelle~

L"I don't think that will help, but I know someone who might be able to."

*Her Keyblade shines brightly & transforms into the Oathkeeper.*
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*Irritum eventually makes it back to the town, where ey can smell the traces of a Heartless slain in the streets. A big one. The scent, & other smaller ones, leads to the palace.*
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*Vega continues to have the most dumbass of luck as Taiyo continues to not understand that Sorcerers are immune to fucking magic & succeeds only in blasting Hans into a wall. As the Sorcerers summon their cubes back toward themselves, a Dancer does a flying kick for Vega's neck, another crouches low & approaches from behind, & the 3rd leaps into the air. Meanwhile, while strafing backwards, Euryale releases a Blizzara cloud in the air, which explodes in the Berserker's face, destroying it.*

E"I don't know, seems like we're risking a lot on a gamble, maybe we should be more careful."

*Because Euryale sucks at lying, Taiyo knows what she really means is that you should be more careful & she doesn't like this plan.*
===============================
~Land of Dragons~

*Thiera's Keyblade glows & changes into the Divine Rose. At the palace gates, the trio are being pushed back by a hoard of Nightwalkers attacking with lunges & spinning kicks of blue flame & Shadows leaping at them. Meanwhile, Shang & Shan Yu clash blades in the doorway, the mighty Hun forcing the Captain back.*

Mulan<Hey, Shang Yu, remember me!?>

*She uses her hand to pull her hair up into a topknot, at which point the Hun's face dawns in comprehension with just a hint of rage.*

Shang Yu<The soldier from the mountains!>

*Shang takes advantage of the distraction to grab the Hun's arm & use the leverage to throw him over his shoulder. He then enters the palace to seal the gates, exchanging a look with Mulan as he does so.*

Th"Don't worry, we've come to help!"

*Thiera tries to lob a Bramble Bomb at the Heartless but it flies off-course when a fucking eagle swoops out of nowhere & abducts her. Mulan, with Mushu's help, rockets into the sky in a lance of flame after her. Shang Yu attempts to regain his footing.*
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*The good news is that she's at the right angle to destroy both of the spikes, since they're fairly fragile. The bad news is this knocks the Heartless out & it is now plummeting down the mountainside, taking Nero with it. Not really sure what else to do, he holds on to a spike for dear life.*

Taiyo casts Curaja on Hans while Vega takes his Keyblade back, attacking the incoming Dancers with Raging Beast, directing the final blow at the one coming for his neck.

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Irritum heads towards the palace, not at all liking the smell of things.

===================================

Hitomi gliders up to pursue the eagle while Azuma uses Wolf Storm on a Nightwalker.

*Artexi summons her glider, then dives after the dragon. She holds her arms out to grab onto Nero*
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*Safian shadow travels around Shan Yu, then jumps on her back and sets herself on fire. She claws at him*
---
Monu:<Very good.>

*Presumably they eventually reach the bridge. Monu uses his glider to teleport to the other side, then waves at the others. Eve waits with her hands in her pockets*

~Land of Dragons~

*Nero jumps because that dragon has a date with the ground. He lobs some dark fireballs into its head for good measure.*
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*Thiera struggles because she is held captive by an eagle. It screeches over its wing at Hitomi & drops her, allowing Mulan to catch her & it to swoop wide, zig-zagging back to Azuma. Meanwhile, a Night Walker explodes, Chien Po lifting Yao & Ling so they aren't buried & barreling through the Heartless, sending them flying. Shan Yu jumps back, slamming Safian between himself & the gates.*
==============================
~Arendelle~

*Vega destroys 2 of the Nobodies, but the 3rd is far enough away that it is unaffected. Fortunately for him, Euryale trusts her mate even if it's a bad idea, & slams her Keyblade into the ground, causing a rock spike to shoot up & destroy the Dancer. However, Vega is on his own to deal with the fact that cubes are swooping around him to form an uncomfortably close wall on 1 side & being fired at him like bullets from the other. Hans is not helping with the Sorcerers on account of possibly having a concussion. He stumbles to his feet, rubbing his head & mumbling in confusion about what's going on.*
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*Irritum finds the Duke of Weselton slinking back to the main gates with some guards, who point their spears at em.*

Duke<You there! I say, where do you think you're going? Just who are you?>
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Kristoff<How--why--?>

L"Forget it."

*She holds the Oathkeeper in the air, surrounding them with a tornado that flares outwards, before leaving each person that was inside surrounded by their personal bubble of air. Because of this, they can climb the bridge without even feeling the wind, unlike Monu, who only avoids being blown over due to being in the enormous shadow of the ice palace.*

Taiyo casts Curaja on Vega who then uses Corrupted Ram to bore through the incoming cubes.

=============================

Irritum: "There's darkness coming from the palace."

=============================

Hitomi fires the gliders cannon at the hawk.

Down below, Azuma continues taking shots at the Heartless with Wolf Storm.

*Artexi grabs Nero, using Spark Raid on the dragon's head*
===
*Safian shadow travels around to Shan Yu's side, then breathes fire at him*
---
*Eve crosses the bridge, careful not to slip*

~Land of Dragons~

*When Thiera is set down, she assists Azuma with the Heartless using Forest of Oblivio. Hayabusa the eagle swerves out of the way of the attack & abducts Ling, dropping him off of the wall. Yao decides to lunge at it, falling off himself. Mulan & Chien Po flank Shan Yu as he defends himself from the flames.*

Shan Yu<Charge the interlopers! Ram the gates!>

*As the last of the Heartless are shredded, a group of Neo Shadows rise out of the ground behind Thiera & Azuma, rushing at them.*
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*The spikes on the dragon's shoulders eventually regrow & it shakes its head, taking to the sky again. It coils up about a dozen yards away from them & charges an orb of lightning on each of its "fingers," blasting them at the Glider.*
==================================
~Arendelle~

*The cubes are knocked aside as he charges through, & he also evades the spinning attack from the cube wall.*

E"Are you gonna be okay? Can you handle that one?"

*She points at the damaged Sorcerer & Hans nods.*

Hans<I believe so!>

*With that, he rushes up to the Sorcerer & stabs it. Euryale stabs her Keyblade into the ground & glows magenta. She sinks into the floor as if falling through water, emerging behind the other Sorcerer & bashing it with a left-right combo, spinning her Keyblade to hit it twice more to the point where it begins looking like a deflated balloon. She takes a moment to glance at Vega.*

E"You'd better be grateful! If you try to run, I'll drag you back myself!"
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Duke<What are you babbling about, boy? Has the cold numbed your brain?>
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L"Aeroga is beginning to fizzle out, we'd better get inside the palace!"

Kristoff<Wow...did your sister make all of this? How long has she been gone for?>

Anna<A little less than 2 days.>

Monu:<She's so skilled, yet she can't stop this storm?>

Eve:<It may be something to do with her training. Anna, I don't suppose you know anything about the training Elsa received, do you?>

*They hurry to the castle as they talk*
---
*Artexi dives away from the lightning spheres, shooting spheres if they pursue. She yells over the wind*

Artexi:<Aim for the spikes again!>

*Artexi hurls her key blade at one of the spikes, using Spark Raid*
===
*Safian sends some clones to jump on Shan Yu, exploding on contact*

Taiyo attacks the remaining Sorcerer with Tiger Slash while Vega uses Raptor Ring. He probably caught a glimpse out of the outside, so leaving the castle would be difficult.

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Irritum: "The palace is in danger."

=============================

Hitomi flies to the wall to at least make sure Yao and Ling aren't dead.

Meanwhile Azuma uses Cerberus to attack three of the Neoshadows.