Upon reaching the northern gate, Ryuu and Ilene slow to a stop.
A crowd of people follows behind them, though they slowly split away as Ilene waves them off.
“You’ve certainly become popular, haven’t you?”
Ryuu scratches the back of his head.
“Don’t ask me. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“They must’ve heard about the incident. A decent number of citizens were on the verge of getting caught up in it, so I’m sure they were more than happy to spread rumors about what they saw.”
They turn their attention back to the gate as a couple of guards approach.
One of them starts to ask a question, then stops in place when he sees the noblewoman.
“Lady Ilene?! Please, go on ahead.”
The pair passes by without trouble, and makes their way outside of the walls.
Once their eyes adjust, the lush green landscape greets them.
What had been covered in snow before is now the beginning of a season of growth, although the wind still carries a particular chill.
Off to the side, a sleek carriage rests atop the grass.
It’s wrapped in a silky red shade–with white accents along the doors–yet there doesn’t appear to be anything to pull it along.
“Good morning, Ilene. Dragon Blade.”
They peer past the carriage to find Lady Evelyn sitting on a blanket.
She has a spread of food laid around her, and Lucian stands diligently as he watches her eat.
“Oh, Lady Evelyn,” Ilene begins.
“I see we’ve intruded on your meal.”
“Nonsense. I was just finishing up.”
She raises a hand, then Lucian gently guides her to her feet.
After he quickly packs everything up, they move over to the back of the carriage.
“Shall we be off? We want to make use of daylight as much as we can during the journey.”
Ilene nods.
“Of course, Lady Evelyn. Let’s get you all out of here.”
Ryuu hands his bag off to Lucian, while Ilene and Evelyn watch from a few yards away.
“Dragon Blade. I take it you coming here means you’re prepared for what’s ahead?”
“It’s the opposite. I wouldn’t be leaving like this if I could currently handle what’s coming for me.”
He peers into Lucian’s eyes with an even stare.
“You were able to kick Morrell’s ass without breaking a sweat. You can make me stronger, right?”
The elder Blade pushes his glasses into place.
“You’re overrating my abilities. I certainly defeated that man, but if it looked easy to you, you’ve got a long way to go as a M’yin.”
He tosses Ryuu’s bag into the trunk of the carriage and softly shuts it.
“But, yes… I can make you much stronger. I’ll be directly teaching you about combat between M’yin, as well as some of the advanced magic arts. I believe that should be enough to satisfy.”
Ryuu smirks and pumps a fist in the air.
“Hell yeah! By the time I’m done in Titania, I’ll be able to kick Morrell’s ass myself next time!”
“Hmph. That’d be nice…”
They rejoin the ladies by the front of the carriage, where Lucian hops onto what looks like the driver’s seat.
He lays his hand over a crystal sticking out of a short pole, and it lights up with bright mana, causing the carriage to lift off of the ground.
“Woah! There are vehicles like this?!”
Lady Evelyn hides a smile at Ryuu’s outburst.
“Yes, devices like this are common in Titania. Although, most models are about eight times cheaper than this one. I don’t like to be stingy when it comes to comfort.”
She slowly makes her way to the side of the carriage, using a barrier of mana to lift herself in without difficulty.
Ilene and Ryuu face each other one last time as the duchess disappears from view.
“So, this is it,” the noblewoman awkwardly starts.
“By the time you return, I could be a duchess.”
“I have no doubts that you’ll be able to pull it off. The next time we meet, we’ll be ready to go after the Eternal Order with our own power.”
They shake hands before parting ways, Ryuu showing his signature devilish smirk one last time before hopping into the carriage.
Ilene watches them fly away from the gateway, then turns back into the capital with a fire lit inside of her.
******
Ryuu sits across from Lady Evelyn on a plush white bench.
Cushions and pillows cover more than half of the seat, making it hard for him to hold a good posture.
He glances up at the duchess lounging across from him, and wonders how to start a conversation.
This woman seems to have some kind of relationship with Ilene, not to mention her family.
I’d prefer to get a little familiar with each other right off the bat, since I’m not very good at acting “proper” for long.
The silence stretches for about ten minutes before Lady Evelyn starts things off.
“Dragon Blade. That was the name you were granted. Am I remembering things correctly?”
“Yes. That is the name Duke Alastair gave me.”
“It’s an excellent one; you should take pride in it. From what I understand, the details of your Talent are pretty much nonexistent for those that haven’t seen it in action. Even those that have seen it can’t give a solid guess on what it is.”
Lucian must’ve told her whatever he could.
I only used [Draconic Presence] in front of him, but maybe Morrell said something he picked up on?
“I have grown to appreciate the name in this short time,” he replies.
“If I had to guess on the reasoning behind it, it’s because the names of my two main spells are [Shredding Talons] and [Piercing Claws]. There are plenty of creatures with those characteristics, but I suppose my Barrier art is the final piece of the puzzle.”
Lady Evelyn tilts her head, causing the brim of her hat to slightly flop over.
“Your [Barrier]? What do you mean?”
“My Barrier art takes on the shape of a dragon scale. I would say the duke got a clear view of all of that during my Blade exam.”
“I see, I see. Hence the name Dragon Blade. It certainly suits you.”
The two of them sit in silence for a few more minutes, until Ryuu speaks up again.
“So… I hear you’re the most powerful person in the Northern Reaches, and Lucian is thought of as the strongest Blade. Is that true?”
The duchess sits upright and folds her hands in her lap, mulling over the question.
“Hmm. Well, from my biased point of view, Lucian is without a doubt the most capable Blade in the region. As for my own standing… I certainly wouldn’t know if I’m the most powerful, but I’m not afraid to say that I can’t imagine myself ever losing.”
“Does that not mean the same as being the strongest?”
“According to some, perhaps. I suppose my own definition is different from yours.”
She pulls some snack sandwiches out from a nearby container and places them on the table–one sandwich for each of them.
Without saying anything, the duchess unwraps her sandwich and begins taking small, fast-paced bites.
Ryuu wears a nervous smile as he picks his own up and graciously chomps down.
His brows shoot up as soon as he tastes the crisp vegetables and salted meat inside.
Before he knows it, he’s wondering where the rest of his sandwich went as Lady Evelyn finishes her own.
“Ahh~ Lucian makes the best food! You agree, don’t you?!”
Ryuu caught glimpses of her face while she was eating, but her veil hides what he expects to be an excited expression.
“That was a pretty delicious sandwich. Is everything he makes that good?”
“Oh yes! Lucian can make all kinds of meals. He’s the only one I trust to cook for me at this point, besides the head chef of my palace I suppose.”
“Must be nice. All I know how to do is fight, so I guess Ilene will have to be content with that.”
“Hehhh~ Are you missing your lover already?”
“!”
Dammit, I forgot that everyone from the gathering is under the impression that we’re together.
I’m sure that rumor will only continue to spread… How long am I gonna have to keep this up?
“A-ah, geez. You caught me, Lady Evelyn.”
She smiles and leans back against a wall of pillows.
“Well of course. Nothing gets past me!”
Ryuu looks to the side to keep himself from cracking, then finds himself in shock from the window’s view.
A group of animals larger than the carriage are running alongside them, about a hundred feet away.
“[Mana Sense]”
He sharpens his vision as he analyzes the beasts.
They all possess traces of mana, although most of them aren’t particularly strong.
A couple of the beasts have steady flows of mana exuding from them, while the tiger-like one in the front has powerful bursts of mana constantly erupting from it.
Lady Evelyn moves across her seat, pushing her face close to Ryuu’s as she peers out of the window.
“Wow… I’ve never seen such a large group of Fallen around these parts.”
“Fallen? Is that what they’re called?”
“That’s right.
Fallen, or simply known as “mana beasts”, are creatures born from strong concentrations of natural mana.
They can appear anywhere that mana wells up in for a certain period of time, and the power they possess is decided at the moment of their birth.”
“Really? Does that mean they could even form in the middle of a city?”
“The possibility isn’t zero, but any Fallen born in those conditions would be expected to be weak. The reasoning for that is that the constant use of magic within the city serves as a kind of filtering for the mana. That’s one of the many reasons it’s so important to form an economy around magic and its uses.”
“That makes sense. So then, aren’t smaller villages in danger of being overrun?”
Lady Evelyn becomes silent as she keeps her eyes on the Fallen in the distance.
She then abruptly pulls her head back and stretches her arms above her head.
Without waiting for a response, she lies out across her seat and nestles into the pillows.
She’s snoring within seconds, leaving Ryuu to deal with the silence of the carriage.
I didn’t know things like Fallen existed.
How much more have I been ignorant of since living in the Pit?
If I can learn more about what’s out here, maybe I can find a way to stop Hyouma…
He continues to toss around different ideas in his head, but eventually, the boredom brings drowsiness upon him, and his eyelids fall shut as his consciousness fades.
******
Ryuu suddenly wakes up as his head smacks against the side of the carriage.
He rubs the bruised area and glances around, finding Lady Evelyn calmly sipping some tea as the carriage wildly lurches in every direction.
“What’s going on?!”
“We’re passing through the storm zone! It always storms in this area, as the result of a spell from long, long ago! It means we’re getting close to Titania!”
“I thought it would take four days to get there?!”
“In a normal carriage, perhaps, but these types are operated by the user’s mana manipulation! With Lucian driving it, the journey can be made in just about a day!”
“Wait, is Lucian gonna be okay out there?!”
“…He usually is.”
Great.
Ryuu scoots close to the window and watches bolts of lightning strike nearby every passing second.
It appears that Lucian is swerving so much because he’s dodging the lightning, but Ryuu questions how that’s even possible.
He then tries using [Mana Sense] to see if he can read the storm, but soon learns that the rain and lightning are completely natural, and devoid of casting times.
What kind of spell could have created something like this?
It makes anything I’ve seen look like a pitiful imitation of magic.
“Once we get out of this, will we-”
BOOM!
A shock wave ripples throughout the carriage as the roof splinters apart.
Ryuu and Lady Evelyn fly through the air, while Lucian stands in the sky just ahead of them.
He holds a hand out and casts [Barrier] around Lady Evelyn, but is immediately clipped by a stray bolt.
His magic art shatters as he falls to the ground, unconscious.
Ryuu uses {In-step} and [Barrier] to grab the duchess out of the air, then lands with a thud.
He immediately gives up on trying to predict the lightning and instead repeatedly uses {In-step}, happening to dodge the raining bolts with pure luck.
Damn!
I can’t stop to check on Lucian like this!
I’m not even sure where this storm ends!
A bolt strikes the ground in front of them and disrupts Ryuu’s footing, sending him reeling backward.
He falls onto his back and catches the lady, coughing as the scent of ozone overwhelms him.
“Well this isn’t very good. We’ll never make it to Titania at this rate.”
“Lady Evelyn, now isn’t the time for jokes like that.”
He sits up and pulls himself to his feet, holding her in his arms.
“I’ll get you through this. No matter what!”
“My~ How brave of you!”
“Rahhhhh!”
Ryuu dashes through the storm, focused on nothing but charging forward as the ground explodes all around him.
His body surges with aura as he powers his legs, but his energy is draining with every step.
Soon, he sees the end of the storm, a warm glow in the distance past the dark, swirling clouds.
As he gets within a few hundred feet of it, three bolts block his path in rapid succession.
He skids to a stop and turns on his heel, committing the last of his aura to a final burst of {In-steps}.
The pair become a blur as they travel across the barren landscape, and Ryuu can feel the finish line just ahead.
On his tenth use of his aura technique, his legs give out, and he stumbles to the ground.
“Shit! Not now! You have to run, Lady Evelyn! The clearing is just ahead!”
The Blade punches his legs as he tries to bring life back into them, then suddenly feels his hair stand up on end.
Are you serious?!
A bolt of energy pierces directly through Ryuu’s skull and into the ground below.
He feels his organs instantly char as blood pools inside of his scorched mouth.
He’s only able to have one last thought before his heart stops.
Is it even possible to safely get through a place like this?
“[Diverged Destiny]!”
Lady Evelyn, Lucian, and Ryuu stand in a clearing with lush grass all around them.
They look at each other with a little hesitation, then a sharp boom makes Ryuu turn around.
Only thirty feet behind him is the edge of the storm zone, and he sees the crater that he should be dead in.
“W-what just happened?”
Lucian sighs and pulls his gloves a little tighter.
“You used it didn’t you, my lady.”
She grins–presumably–and gives a dismissing wave of her hand.
“There was no avoiding it. Dragon Blade did his best, but I was resolved to use it the moment you were struck.”
“Um, excuse me? What exactly did you do, Lady Evelyn?”
Ryuu questions her while trying not to seem impatient, but is met with a small shrug.
“Just a little spell of mine. Even if I like you, I can’t go spilling all of my secrets so soon. All that matters is we’re safe, and now we’ve got a couple hours on foot until we’re home!”
She takes off with that, prompting Lucian to follow right behind her.
Ryuu sighs and rubs his neck, soon moving after them toward the great city of Titania.
******
An hour later, the trio stops under a large tree for a short rest.
The sky has begun its transition to the darkness of night, so Lucian prepares torches out of vines and dry wood.
Once he finishes, he lights the two torches with a spell and hands one to Ryuu.
Before they can head out, a low growl from beyond some shrubbery freezes them in their tracks.
“Some kind of animal?”
“No, it’s likely a Fallen.”
Lucian corrects Ryuu while holding his torch higher.
As soon as the light hits a nearby group of bushes, the same growl repeats, and a large Fallen leaps out toward the group.
Ryuu casts [Barrier] and causes the mana-coated beast to slam against it, then Lucian blasts it a dozen feet away.
“I’ll leave this one to you, Dragon Blade. It’ll be good for you to experience how it feels to fight something that isn’t human.”
Ryuu nods and carefully hands his torch to Lady Evelyn.
He then flows aura throughout his body as he slowly measures up the Fallen, noting that it seems to be the tiger-like one he spotted before.
“You followed us for quite a while. Have you found what you’re looking for?”
The tiger growls and flexes its paws, sinking six-inch, curved claws into the ground.
It locks eyes with Ryuu and gathers strength into its haunches, then jumps.
Instead of charging directly at its prey, the Fallen leaps into the air and aggressively growls, unleashing a cluster of explosions around it.
Ryuu pushes off the ground and runs in a circle beneath the tiger.
He casts [Mana Sense] to get a read on the situation and finds the same explosive flow of mana around the beast as before.
Is it random?
It seems like it can activate the explosions at will.
Let’s take care of this quickly.
As soon as the Fallen lands, Ryuu propels forward off the dirt and closes in on his target.
“I’ll finish you with power! {Charge Point}!”
A fist of condensed aura slams into the Fallen’s chest from the front and sends it skidding back a few feet, but otherwise has no effect.
The beast then shakes its body and growls as it suddenly disappears.
Ryuu instantly scans his surroundings with [Mana Sense], but doesn’t find anything.
At the last second, he feels a cold chill across the back of his neck and drops to the ground.
The sound of blades swishing through the air just above him is immediate, causing him to roll backward and onto his feet.
“What was that?!” he shouts with a hint of nervousness.
“I couldn’t sense its presence until it was about to attack!”
Lucian calls out to him from under the tree with Lady Evelyn.
“The fact that you were able to avoid it at all shows promise. That’s only one of the Storm Cat’s abilities–keep your guard up.”
Another swipe of claws narrowly misses Ryuu as he throws himself to the side.
He rolls over and over across the grass, until pushing himself up to one knee.
Storm Cat, huh.
It can conjure explosions around its body and entirely hide its presence.
How should I deal with this…
He presses his palms to the ground and expands his senses, reaching out with his mind like he did back when he was being tested for mana sensitivity.
The changes in the mana currents around him, the slight trembles in the ground–he listens to all of this while waiting for the next attack.
“[Piercing Claws]!”
Ryuu thrusts his hand through the air as it’s surrounded by golden light, then a spray of blood flies up, and what appears to be a paw falls next to him.
A sharp yelp pierces the Blade’s ears just after, but it’s quickly replaced by a furious roar that reverberates through his chest.
“Haha, looks like my claws are sharper! I’ll be finishing this with the next one!”
Mana swirls in a heavy mist around Ryuu and the Fallen as they charge their energy.
The tiger seems to have given up on hiding itself after losing a front limb, instead staring straight into the Blade’s eyes with a primal rage.
It roars from the depths of its gut as a series of explosions set off around its prey, but are blocked by a small ring of barriers.
“{In-step}!”
Ryuu appears behind the tiger in an instant and wraps his arms around its unbalanced torso.
He locks his hands and heaves, pulling the beast through the air and slamming it backward on its head.
It retaliates with a blast of close-ranged explosions, but Ryuu’s currently-enhanced senses allow him to deftly flip out of the blast zone and charge more aura in his palm.
He aims his open hand at the Fallen and unleashes the aura in one go.
“{Charge Burst}!”
Aura shoots outward like a cannonball and buries into the stomach of the Fallen.
The attack expands on impact, bringing with it the sickening sound of bones crunching and splintering, then the creature falls to the ground.
Ryuu wastes no time, bringing his heel down on its neck with {Charge Point} and putting his opponent out of its misery.
The felled Storm Cat soon begins crumbling to dust as he slowly backs away.
I wanted to end it with that technique.
Leon would’ve been able to put a hole through it with his Charge Burst technique.
He awkwardly steps back as his travel companions move out from under the tree.
“Not bad, but you took too long,” Lucian judges.
“You should have a clear path to victory mapped out the instant you learn your opponent’s abilities. No, you should have one before that as well.”
“Really~ I think Dragon Blade did great! You would think he faces Fallen like that regularly from how brave he was!”
Lucian and Lady Evelyn give him their own versions of praise as they return to their journey.
Along the way, he learns more about the Fallen themselves.
Lucian leads the way with his torch as he gestures widely with his free hand.
“Storm Cats are C-Rank Fallen, which is widely considered the limit of what can be safely dealt with by the average Intermediate A’yang or M’yin. I was surprised to see that you were practicing both paths during our battle with Morrell, but after watching you, I had no doubt you would be able to hold your own against that Fallen with limited information.”
“C-Rank… I think I’ve heard something like that before… Ah.
Ilene had mentioned the title “B-Rank Outlaw” to me once.”
“Ranks are given to Outlaws–people who use their powers to break the law–and Fallen, as well as a few other groups. They roughly signify the danger presented by each threat, as per the specifications made popular by the Sacred Land. For your information, anything within the realm of B-Rank or above usually calls for one to be at least Advanced-Tier to handle it alone.”
That can’t be right.
Ilene said that random asshole from my time in Bexter was a B-Rank Outlaw.
Unless… Is there more to the ranking system?
“Sir Lucian, is the rank given only a measure of physical danger, or is it a sum of different elements?”
“The latter. Although it’s more common for someone, or something, to have a combat power reflecting their rank, other characteristics they possess can influence it. For example, information. If a person is deemed to possess information that could be deadly in the wrong hands, their rank as an Outlaw is significantly raised. The reasoning for that is to attract Enforcers that want the bounty.”
“What are Enforcers?”
“The M’yin and A’yang that have made a career out of hunting down Outlaws. Although, Enforcer is a bit of a strong title. You’re better off thinking of them as mercenaries with some pull in their home city, depending on their level of mastery and accomplishments.”
“Got it. I’m surprised I haven’t run into any of them yet.”
“It’s only natural you wouldn’t run into ruffians like that inside of Mahora’s Gold District. They don’t allow…imperfections.”
The group continues on in awkward silence as the path under them slowly transitions into cobbled stone.
After passing through a forested area, they emerge into a wide clearing that expands for miles.
A slow breeze rustles the grass around them, just enough to set the mood as the stars above light their path.
Moonlight eventually breaks through the clouds and washes over a large construct in the distance.
Ryuu squints his eyes as he tries to make out the shape.
“A pyramid? No… What is that?”
“That is Titania.”
Lady Evelyn gestures toward the floating contraption along the horizon.
“The Floating City, final resting place of the ancient magic. That is my city.”
******
It takes another half-hour for them to close in on the city in the sky.
Once they get near, Ryuu has to crane his neck up to get a glimpse of it.
The upside-down obsidian pyramid rests two hundred feet in the air, and seems to be held up by some kind of magic.
From directly underneath it, the impossibly-large contraption blocks out the entire sky.
“Woahhh! I’ve never seen anything like this before! I almost can’t believe it’s real!”
Lady Evelyn pulls a fan out from somewhere inside her gown and begins cooling herself.
“Yes, it always seems so imposing from down here. I promise it’s a lot more beautiful inside.”
“Inside? Is the city not on top?”
“There is a section on the highest level, but most of what’s important resides in the center of the shell. Come now, Lucian has finished his preparations.”
Lucian finishes drawing a sigil in the ground and fills it with mana.
A beam of blue light shines down from the tip of the pyramid and washes over the three of them, pulling them along at high speeds.
My body- It’s pulling apart!
Ryuu snaps into place inside of a small office room, and it takes all of his willpower not to immediately hurl.
His two companions are just ahead of him, and they wave Ryuu over as guards open the door ahead.
They step aside as the trio passes through into an outdoor reception hall, where hundreds of people filter in and out of small hubs.
The people continuously load into different flying vehicles and take off through a large rectangular opening on the floor.
“Where are we, Lady Evelyn?”
“This is the Loading Floor. From here, you can get a ride to anywhere inside of Titania. We’ll be heading to the Upper Levels.”
Lucian leads them to a hub on the far side of the hall where a hovering convertible-type vehicle waits.
He kindly waves Ryuu into the passenger seat, while graciously taking the back seat with Lady Evelyn.
The mustached driver then straightens his necktie and speaks with a nervous tone.
“W-where would you like to go, m-my lady?”
“To the Upper Levels. I’d be grateful if you could leave us near the Palace Floor.”
She gives the driver a polite smile, barely visible under her veil.
“O-of course! We’ll get there in no time!”
He places his hand over a nearby crystal and speeds downward into a bedrock tunnel.
The passageway twists and turns, but their vehicle manages to pass several others on its way through.
After what feels like no time at all, they emerge above a wide area full of glowing buildings, generous flowers, and shimmering crystals.
It’s as if an oasis below the earth was shot up into the sky and inhabited by magic itself.
Countless flying vehicles trace paths through the air, coming incredibly close to collisions, yet never touching.
The convertible shoots high above the rest, aiming for a village-sized bundle of buildings raised upon a platform in the back of the Upper Levels.
As they get closer, Ryuu spots tiny shimmers of blue, purple, orange, and many more colors around the buildings.
They move around in steady paths, making them appear to be almost living.
Soon enough, the driver whips around a corner as they descend onto the streets, then pulls up in front of a fountain in the center of the floor.
“Here you are, my lady! I hope your ride was satisfactory!”
Lucian hops out of the car and opens the door for her, offering his hand.
“Yes, you brought us here quite fast. Thank you.”
The driver rubs his head in embarrassment, while Ryuu steps out and watches him fly away.
Lady Evelyn immediately spins around as she follows the street ahead.
“Ah~ The lights of Titania at night… How I’ve missed them! Lucian, can’t we have a night out for once?”
“I’m afraid not, my lady. You have a lot of work to catch up on after our time away.”
“Hmm. I don’t want to think about that right now. Oh, I know! Dragon Blade, we’ll show you around while you’re here. Come with us to the Mystic Palace!”
She points up as she finishes, and Ryuu follows her finger, spotting a large crystal palace along the wall above.
More of the blue beams from before are shooting up to it from below, acting as an elevator up to the Palace Floor.
He walks along with wide eyes as they traverse the Upper Levels, soon arriving at one of the beams and stepping inside.
The feeling of his limbs stretching apart returns, but the weird sensation goes away quicker this time as he appears above.
He follows close behind the others, glimpsing a fenced area in the back where a dozen people are practicing magic despite the late hour.
“That’s the training yard.”
Lucian glances over his shoulder at Ryuu.
“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be in there pushing yourself to the limit. I don’t know what kind of training you went through under Master Darius, but if you want to be home soon, you’ll have to reach the Advanced-Tier.”
“What?! I thought that took ages! I only recently got the Intermediate title!”
“I know you plan on going after that Morrell person, and the wild-looking one. I don’t like interfering in outside matters. That said, I can’t let you go after them as you currently are. I was caught off guard, but the ice-user got the best of me. If you want to stand a chance, the Advanced-Tier is the absolute minimum you have to reach. On average, it takes A’yang ten years to reach it, and M’yin seven or eight years. Do you think you can do better?”
The elder Blade turns to fully face Ryuu, and fixes him with a stern glare.
Ryuu meets their stare and clenches his fists.
He remembers his promise with Ilene and resolves himself to the hardships ahead, smirking as he replies:
“I have a reason to get back to Mahora as soon as possible. I’ll reach the level of an Advanced M’yin in one month!”
Lady Evelyn laughs behind her fan while Lucian narrows his eyes.
“Of all the things you could have said… Fine. We’ll see exactly what you’re capable of going forward, Dragon Blade.”
They then make their way to the front entrance of the palace, starting on the path to Ryuu’s rebirth.