'NO!' Ayame shouted in desperation.

There was a loud bang, and everyone was scattered on the floor. With difficulty, Ayame managed to pull herself up and looked around at the bodies around her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Ayame Kinnosuke, princess and granddaughter of the Emperor of the Central Land wasn't afraid to fight. She hasn't been for a while now. But for some reason dread started to creep inside her mind, making her body shake. Was it with anger or with fear?

The Golden Dragon King spoke to her in a low, rumbling voice, startling her out of those thoughts.

Ayame are you sure you want to do this? The power surge might be too great for you.

'I have to do something.' she said under her breath, her eyes sweeping around the hall. They fell on Nomiya first, with his spikey red hair, his face grey. Then her eyes fell on Kenji, knocked down with his sword in his hand, a small trickle of blood falling across his forehead. Hot anger started to bubble in Ayame's chest. Her blood boiled and she was livid with fury.

'I can't let him get away with this. First my grandfather, then this. I won't let him take away any more precious people from me.' she said sternly.

She turned her head towards the monstrous creature in front of her and took a step forward. The Golden Dragon King spoke again, this time slightly amused.

You're a simpleton, Ayame, but I like you. I shall lend you my power. Be careful, for it might be more than you can handle.

With that, Ayame felt a powerful surge of energy coursing through her body, slowly reaching her hands. It was coming from inside her, like a water balloon that had ruptured, allowing the liquid to run freely. She raised both her hands, tightly grasping the Dragon Sword in her hands, preparing herself.

Everything happened in an instant. A burst of light ignited the sword, making it look like it caught fire. Ayame raised it above her head and let the power of the Dragon King overtake her. Her eyes flashed yellow and she pounced on her enemy, slashing the sword through the air in a fluid move. The creature staggered backwards, a huge gush of black blood streaming out of the wound. With a loud thud it fell on the floor and laid there, inert and dead.

Ayame panted, trying to breathe but she felt suffocated. The Dragon King had been right, the power was too great for her to handle in her current state. She collapsed on the floor, but strangely she felt something soft around her body. Her eyes fell on a marble-white face, framed by beautiful black hair. A pair of dark eyes was staring down at her, gentle hands cradling her. Kenji had woken up and caught her just as she was falling.

'You did it Ayame. You killed his monster. You saved us.' he was saying softly.