INFINITE CHAOS

In the rubble of the dungeon, Elara lay under the shield of her guards' bodies, barely breathing with so little space to move. She kept her cool as the guards used their bodies to burst through the debris, revealing the broken-down dungeon. The only thing that survived the explosion was the cell where Mary had been tortured; all the other cells were destroyed. As Elara stared at it, she burst out laughing in a psychotic manner. "Even your cell has your resilience," she muttered.

Elara and the guards, both injured and uninjured, proceeded back up to the palace. The guards were all disappointed—they had lost to a 19-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl. It wasn't adding up. Elara, on the other hand, was in the sick room, her shoulder being bandaged by the nurse. Michael's diabolical javelin throw had almost grazed her heart. A shiver ran down her spine when she remembered Michael. His resilience reminded her of how John was ready to die to save Mary. It made her wonder if John had come back as Michael and Mary as Juli. What kind of phenomenon was this? Regardless, she just had to kill the two thorns in her side.

Elara left the sick room and called for all the guards. "CHASE THEM THROUGH THE CAVE. I WILL SEND SOMEONE TO KILL THEM AT THE END."

In the cave, Michael was resting on Juli's lap. She was relatively unscathed, having taken less damage from the blast. Suddenly, the cave started to rumble with the sound of multiple footsteps.

"THE GUARDS OF BRITANNIA HAVE COME TO EXTERMINATE THE TRAITORS."

Juli didn't know what to do. Her clothes were torn, and she had scratches everywhere. But she wasn't going to leave Michael. She dragged his body up and carried him on her back, jogging despite the pain. Her endurance was possibly at the level of peak human due to the amount of torture she had endured. She panted and sweated but didn't stop. The guards broke through the rubble and saw her shadow in the distance, rushing straight for it. Juli saw this and increased her speed to the fullest, her legs tensed up, cramps all over, her skin red as a tomato. She didn't stop. She ran until she met a dead end.

She looked at the dead end, feeling like she might collapse and cry. But then she remembered Michael's whisper, the one who gave her light and hope. "Close your eyes and push through the sand. I built the tunnel to have illusions for my enemies. The sand is weak and can be pushed through. Before you jump, smash your leg into the ground to create a hole. Don't worry; the sand we stand on currently is very weak."

Juli did as the exhausted Michael instructed. She hit her leg on the floor, then jumped forward through the weak sand, closing her eyes as she pushed through. Finally, she reached the end of the weak sand wall, but what she saw next was traumatizing. She whispered, "Michael," her legs trembling. Michael, now barely awake, climbed down from her back and cleared the sand from her face, looking forward.

"So she killed all the royalties," Michael said, looking into Juli's eyes. "Let's go."

They proceeded through the remainder of the cave, passing the dead bodies of all the Scottish royals. They finally reached the end of the tunnel, but the shaft that should carry them up to the palace wasn't working. Michael was exhausted, pain coursing through his entire body. Juli was barely standing, so he carried her to relieve her legs, even though he himself was tired.

"Do you need help?" a voice from above called out. Michael recognized the face and nodded. It was his personal guard, someone who was like a brother to him. The man sent a rope down, and Michael grabbed it, dragging himself and Juli up. As Michael got closer, he saw that the man's face had iron pins inserted.

"BASTARD!" Michael swung on the rope and jumped up, facing the imposter, with the shaft space standing between the two men. He dropped Juli, only to cough out more blood. He couldn't fall now, or Juli would be taken and killed.

"You have the guts to wear my guard's skin on your face," Michael growled.

The man chuckled. "It's a nice look, and I'm surprised you noticed so fast. I guess the rumors are true—you are an interesting specimen."

The masked man ran straight at Michael, covering the entire shaft distance and jumping to his side. Michael reacted quickly, pushing Juli away, but before he could dodge, a punch hit his chest. Michael looked up. "You know how this goes."

Michael ran up to the man, sending a punch, but the man dodged it by flipping and tried to punch Michael's groin. Michael did an air split, using his right arm to return a punch to the man's head. The man kicked Michael's injured thigh, making him shout in pain, but Michael didn't give up. He got up, taking a stance that required one leg, and jumped toward the man, sending a barrage of punches. The man blocked them all and punched Michael in the stomach, then did a roundhouse kick to Michael's head, sending him to the ground.

The man approached Juli. She was too tired to do anything, only able to crawl and call out for Michael. But seeing her in danger, Michael forgot all his injuries. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. He jumped on the man's head, ripping off the pinned mask, causing blood to scatter. Michael didn't stop there. He bit his tongue until it bled, mixed it with sweat, and spat it into the man's eyes. Then he used his fingers to puncture the man's eyes without hesitation. 

But the man was no average opponent. He lifted Michael and threw him two meters into the air. Juli wasn't just going to watch. She grabbed her knife, got up with her tired self, and ran to the man. The man sent a punch, but Juli, numb to pain, slashed his legs and arms in quick succession. As Michael fell down, he prepared an upside-down bottle kick, sending a powerful kick to the man's skull. The man went down on one knee but didn't back down. He grabbed Michael's legs and smashed him into the ground back-first, causing Michael to gasp in agony. But Juli wasn't done. She did a split, positioning herself below the man's belt, and stabbed him in the genitals five times without a break. She dodged his stomp and threw the knife to Michael.

The man punched Juli, sending her into the air, unconscious. Michael caught the knife, his eyes blood-red, full of intent to kill. He bulged his hand so much that his veins expanded, gripping the knife so tightly his hand dislocated. Using every muscle, with burning adrenaline rushing through his veins, he smashed the knife straight through the man's throat, bursting it open like a piñata. Even with this, the man used his last strength to drag Michael and throw him off his body before falling into the shaft space, cold and dead.