Almost stumbling, Zacky managed to get out of the central building of the Sacred Ruins. Alongside her were Lyka, Lucie, Bianchi, and the fairy, all panting heavily. Princess Alex was not with them: she had transformed into a monster. The building collapsed completely, burying the monster and raising a huge cloud of dust. Their arrival interrupted the battle between Robo Maeda and Aideen. The human was in terrible shape, with cracks all over his suit and his helmet missing. The automaton, however, was in perfect condition.
Zacky ran to her friend, supporting him under the arm to keep him from falling to the ground. Robo Maeda did nothing; he just stood there, watching the ruins collapse. The fall of the main structure had caused a domino effect, bringing down the rest. Nothing was left standing.
—Zacky? Is everyone alright? What happened? —said Aideen, catching his breath.
—The princess played us from the beginning —said Zacky—. And now she has turned into a monster.
—But... where is she? —asked Aideen.
—She’s coming! ☆☆☆—said Roz Coda, pointing at the ruins.
A green explosion sent debris flying in all directions. A terrifying creature with a purple body, six red eyes, three on each side of its head, sharp claws, and a long neck ending in a massive mouth full of teeth emerged from the ground. Its tail ended in a sharp blade, and multiple tentacles sprouted from its back, each with blades at the ends. It was a grotesque, unnatural being.
And it was also Princess Alex Sansta.
The creature let out a roar that froze the blood of everyone who heard it. The only ones unaffected were Robo Maeda, who remained impassive, and Roz Coda, who floated forward slowly until she was face-to-face with the creature.
Zacky held her breath.
—Princess? Can you hear me? ☆☆☆ —said Roz Coda, extending a tiny hand toward the monster's snout—. Please, calm down and listen: we want to hel...
A tentacle pierced Roz Coda's head. The fairy's light went out instantly, and she fell to the ground, lifeless. Lucie turned pale. Lyka immediately shifted into her tiger form and faced the monster.
—She’s gone mad! She’s not the princess anymore —said Lyka—. We have to end her before she kills us all.
—Kill her? —said Zacky— She's the princess! How can we kill her?
—She killed the fairy! We’re next! —said Lyka.
—We can’t kill Alex! I...! —Bianchi tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.
—We have to rescue her. She’s trapped inside the monster —said Lucie—. I know it. Don’t ask me how, but I know. I think we can reach her if we combine our efforts.
The ground began to tremble again. Zacky looked toward Robo Maeda, who shrugged. Goliath appeared, riding on the shoulder of his giant robot. The machine was heavily damaged from hand-to-hand combat with the Makoto Cloth Corps.
Bianchi saw that one of the fallen pieces had crushed his motorcycle, destroying it. Enraged, he rummaged through the wreckage until he found a shotgun. His eyes were filled with rage but also fear. He confronted Goliath, aiming the weapon at him.
Robo Maeda stepped in, placing a hand over the shotgun's barrel.
—Young master, the ruins... have collapsed —said Robo Maeda.
—That’s true, hahaha! Then we won! —said Goliath.
—But we have a new problem. Look —said Robo Maeda, pointing at the monster.
The creature hadn't moved but was sniffing the air. It struck the ground in front of it, pulling a sacred relic from the debris. The object was shaped like a mask, but, broken. It sniffed it and tossed it away.
—Ah, I see. Well, let the “Coalition” handle it —said Goliath.
The monster attacked. It launched its tentacles at Zacky, identifying her as the weakest target since she was holding Aideen. She slashed at the tentacles with her sword, but they regenerated instantly, leaving a trail of black fire as they fell and decomposed.
One tentacle bypassed Zacky's defence and struck Aideen in the chest. Instead of piercing him, it collided with a magical barrier: Lucie had once again used her elemental spirit of light to protect them with her magic.
Aideen thanked her, but they had no time to react as the monster turned its full strength on Lucie.
—Need a hand? —said Goliath suddenly.
—Yes! But, are you going to help your enemies? —asked Zacky.
—Is that monster the mystery of the ruins you wanted to solve so badly? —asked Goliath.
Zacky nodded. Everything she had pursued was embodied in that monster. Other worlds, sacred relics, Divine Beasts... everything.
—I'm done with the Sacred Ruins. You can do whatever you want —said Zacky.
—I want to hear you say it —whispered Goliath.
Zacky bit her tongue.
—You win —she said simply— Enough?
Goliath began to laugh but also reactivated his giant robot. One of the robot's arms fell off, but it still had another to fight with.
—Robo Maeda! Attack! —shouted Goliath.
The robot took flight and charged at the monster. Its massive fist came down on the beast, smashing it to the ground. The creature roared. Bianchi ran toward them, tears in his eyes.
—Don't kill her! No! —Bianchi shouted.
That second of distraction allowed the monster to rise again, destroying the robot's fist. Tentacles shot toward Goliath, but Robo Maeda deployed all his weapons and stopped them.
But the power difference was significant, and the automaton was defeated instantly. Semi-destroyed, Robo Maeda pulled Goliath away from the monster.
—Can you continue, Robo Maeda? —asked Goliath.
—My circuits are 80% damaged, young master —said Robo Maeda—. I don't think I can keep fighting without repairs. Give me a minute.
—You! —Goliath shouted at Bianchi— Why don't you want to kill the monster?
—Because it's Princess Alex Sansta! She's royalty from Light Castle! —said Zacky—. If you want to provoke an international conflict between her kingdom and Academy City, go ahead, kill her. If not, help us rescue her.
Goliath looked at the monster, which stood expectantly. It stared at them with its six tiny eyes, deciding whom to attack.
—I've seen that creature in ancient manuscripts —said Goliath—. From the time of the coup d'état in Light Castle. From... well, what they call "Sandora's invasion." Though I never understood what they meant.
"An invasion from another world. That makes sense" thought Zacky. But she kept her thoughts to herself, as it was valuable information. "I must travel to Light Castle someday to investigate."
—It also resembles the beasts my mother described in her research —said Lucie.
—Your mother? —asked Goliath.
—This isn't the time to talk about that! —said Zacky— Bianchi! How do we get your princess out of that monster?
Bianchi shrugged.
—You must know something! Don't hide information or she might die! Bianchi, Alex might die trapped inside that monster! —Zacky shouted.
Sighing, Bianchi looked at the princess and surrendered.
—It's like a shell. Or armor, or whatever you want to call it. The point is, it can be opened and removed. She's inside, but she might not be conscious, as the power of Thir'ahmh, the Hound of Eternity, is too much for a single individual. It must be shared —said Bianchi.
Zacky smiled. If it was just a shell, armor, or suit... there was still hope.
—Aideen —said Zacky—. We need a surgery on that monster.
—Understood! —said Aideen.
Suddenly, dozens of tentacles shot up from the ground. Zacky couldn't dodge them, and a couple pierced her torso near the ribs.
—Ugh! Get away! —said Zacky.
But six tentacles had pierced Aideen from side to side. Her friend was bleeding from half a dozen wounds and his mouth.
She stretched out her hand, trying to reach him, but the monster contracted its tentacles and pulled Aideen toward itself. The doctor was violently flung through the air, drawing dangerously close to the monster, which awaited him with claws ready to destroy him.
—Aideen, NO! —Zacky screamed.
But before the monster could tear him in half, Goliath fired at one of its arms. He had snatched the shotgun from Bianchi. The arm exploded but began to regenerate immediately. Without stopping, Goliath kept shooting at the monster's limbs, making them explode one by one, leaving only the head intact.
—All together, hahaha! HANADA! Time to DEMOLISH! —shouted Goliath.
A group of automatons had reached them. They began firing at the monster’s limbs, but they were too far away, and Thir'ahmh had already started to defend itself. Living blue flames emerged from the remains of its limbs, crawling toward the automatons to protect their creator.
Lucie seized the moment and, using her elemental spirit of wind, created magical vines that entangled the monster's body and tentacles. Goliath reached Aideen, who had activated the survival mode of his suit, stopping the bleeding. Even so, judging by his expression, he needed a hospital immediately.
Goliath fired the last cartridge at the monster’s chest. The impact created a hole large enough to reveal the princess’s clothing. Aideen, with one last effort and a scalpel, made internal cuts in the monster’s structure, enlarging the wound and further separating it from the princess.
Thir'ahmh went berserk. The monster increased its regenerative power and threatened Goliath and Aideen with a claw. But Lyka transformed into her spider form and wove a web that entangled all of the monster’s limbs and tentacles. Lucie continued summoning more and more vines, but even with the combined power of both, they couldn’t stop the monster.
—We need more help! —said Goliath.
—Allow me, young master! —It was Robo Maeda. Despite his nearly destroyed body, the automaton drew a chainsaw from his right arm and struck the wound, widening it further. The speed of the chainsaw was enough to overcome the monster’s regeneration, and finally, the princess appeared, drenched in the creature’s blood.
—Pull her out! Someone pull her out! —shouted Zacky. She had to kneel, as her wounds were turning dark.
With all the pain in his heart, Bianchi drove his werefox claws into the monster’s flesh. With a strong tug, he tore Alex Sansta’s body from the beast, pulling her out of the monster. The sound of tendons snapping and bursting turned their stomachs, but they had managed to free the princess.
The amulet embedded in her chest remained there, hanging, but no matter how much they moved it, they couldn’t remove it.
—Is she alive? —asked Zacky.
—Yes! —said Lucie. Seeing Zacky’s condition, she ran to help her. She applied her magic from the elemental spirit of water to heal her wound, closing the flesh and stopping the bleeding.
—She’s not waking up —said Bianchi—. She’s not responding.
—I’ll heal her with my magic! —said Lucie.
—It won’t work —said Goliath—. It’s not her body that’s damaged. It’s her mind.
—Then what do we do? —said Zacky.
Goliath placed a hand on Bianchi’s shoulder. He tried to get his glasses to reflect the sun, but they were broken. Even so, his appearance was very cool.
—Only someone who truly loves her can bring her back. Call out to her. Let your voice guide her back, puppy —said Goliath.
Everyone held their breath. Bianchi nodded, embraced Alex with all his strength but with delicacy, and whispered into her ear:
—Princess, please wake up. Princess, it’s me. Alex, come back to me —said Bianchi.
Lyka turned away, shaking her head. Zacky also shook her head, skeptical.
"That only works in fairy tales," thought Zacky.
But the princess convulsed, and slowly, she opened her eyes.
—Bianchi? Is that you? —she said, almost in a whisper.
—Alex! You’re alive! —said Bianchi, burying his head in the princess’s shoulder.
Thir'ahmh’s body began to disintegrate, as if it were ashes carried by the wind. The princess smiled and embraced Bianchi, her savior.
—It worked —said Aideen, approaching Zacky.
—I never would have believed it —she said.
—There are things that neither science nor logic can comprehend, my friend —said Aideen.
—Indeed. Indeed —said Zacky, shrugging. A solitary tear rolled down the archaeologist’s cheek. The battle of the Sacred Ruins had ended.
After the battle, everything had returned to normal. The mystery of the ruins remained hidden, buried within Alex Sansta's body. Zacky couldn’t get her to talk, so she decided to leave it at a technical draw, with the promise that she would visit Light Castle someday (sooner rather than later) to uncover the secrets of Protopaterpolis and, above all, to learn everything she could about the world of "Sandora."
The HANADA Group was satisfied with the outcome of the battle at the Sacred Ruins, as they had been completely destroyed. Although they searched thoroughly, no more hidden sacred relics were found, though Robo Maeda seemed to know more than he was letting on. The only thing Zacky managed to extract from him was that, thanks to the research of his creator, Yokoshima HANADA, they knew the Sacred Ruins had contained secrets of Protopaterpolis — ancient relics dating back around 3,000 years, from when the world was different and even had a different name.
Lucie and Lyka had not found any news about Helen, so they requested permission to continue exploring the remains of the ruins, hoping to find something they had overlooked. Goliath granted them access to all the technology of the HANADA Group, offering them total and absolute support, as long as it was supervised. Wu Xiaohu stayed with the HANADA Group a little longer, as he wanted to feel part of something bigger, and he was well-received there. But he kept an eye on Lyka and Lucie, as he ultimately wanted to regain his human form.
Mi Sung and the Makoto Cloth Corps had survived the battle without suffering any casualties. They were granted what they had been promised, thus becoming the true victors of the battle of the ruins. Even Aideen was healed, but still hospitalized.
Days passed, and with them came the farewells. Most of the group remained in Academy City, but two members were leaving: Bianchi and Alex. Zacky had received a call from the princess, asking to meet on the street in front of Zacky's hideout.
—Princess. Puppy —said Zacky upon seeing them.
Bianchi greeted her with two fingers to his forehead. Goliath had given him a new motorcycle, a special one with advanced technology, to help him with the monumental task he had been assigned.
He was now the guardian of the princess. Her protector. Her shield.
—Miss Zacky, I wanted to thank you one last time and apologize —said Alex Sansta.
—It's all good. I've seen the solution to the mystery of the ruins with my own eyes, so all is forgiven. Are you feeling better now? —said Zacky.
—I feel... strange. I sense two consciousnesses, two heartbeats, two minds in one body. It’s... —said Alex, touching the amulet on her chest— another mystery.
Zacky smiled.
—Are you asking me to solve that mystery for you? Because if so, I won’t accept —said Zacky—. There are things we need to discover for ourselves.
—Thank you. That’s what I wanted to hear —said the princess.
—Good luck on your journey, Princess. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, sooner rather than later —Zacky told the princess—. And you, take care of her, puppy.
—I will —said Bianchi.
—Where’s the rest of your Skulk gang? —asked Zacky.
—Kimihe can handle them for now. We have a new destination: we’re going home —said Bianchi.
—Home? I thought the Skulk didn’t have a permanent home —said Zacky, smiling mischievously.
—We do now. My home is your home —said Alex, hugging Bianchi from behind. Together on the motorcycle, they made a very romantic scene. — Thank you, Bianchi. For everything.
He just nodded, too embarrassed to reply.
—I wish you the best of luck. Princess, knight, see you! —said Zacky, turning her back to them and heading back into her hideout.
The sound of the motorcycle starting and the crackling of the engine faded into the distance, leaving Zacky alone with her thoughts. She had solved yet another mystery. She was still the Student Detective League’s Star.
But every day held a new secret to uncover, a new adventure, a new mystery to unravel. She placed a hand on her waist, where the wound inflicted by Thir'ahmh still throbbed. It hadn’t fully healed.
She shrugged and opened a cabinet. Inside was her violin, which she hadn’t given proper attention to in a long time. There was a handwritten note: it was from Morginna.
“Are you finally going to sign up for violin lessons?” the note said.
—Elementary, my dear Morginna! Elementary! —said Zacky, laughing.
And she began to play.
