Sehki's feet paced as Rigal summoned the vortex of aerokinetic spheres around himself, slashing his hands down to send them after him.

Bistro's workers, Ainsley, Lorena, Delta, and Scaldwave all eagerly hoped his plan would work as Sehki lunged towards the ground, racing with the intangibility factor from the hailing barrage.

No one expected him to dive out, rising higher in the air with his hands shaped like a cross.

"Come on, finish me off in the eye of your storm!"

"I don't need my pack to take you down," flicking his hands to redirect the circling walls of the storm all in his direction.

Sehki grinned, shadow whipping, a miniature whirlwind orbiting around him after launching dual Spiral Gears in the opposite direction that dispelled some of Rigal's storm puddles while running forward.

What sent Rigal ablaze was when Sehki's other palm conjured a fireball.

"You fool, you'll burn us both alive!"

"Can't cook chicken if I don't turn on the oven!"

Rigal dived in head first to finish him off, but Sehki threw the fireball up into the storm and whipped the Gear in front of his path, tripping him as the rising heat suffocated the air.

He dived into his attempted murderer's shadow, back kicking him into his falling storm, slipping out of the burning storm before launching fireballs at all of Rigal's bulles meant to harm him. The bully was unable to control his own magic bombardment overwhelming him.

Sehki watched his successful plan, his shadow masking him from the heat until the smoke cleared. Running to the front of where his fellow prince's charred body would drop, he had something to say as his silhouette's head matched Rigal's.

"Monarch of the Skies," staring into his defeated eyes. "Sink into the shadows," folding his arms and smiling for the camera while punching the third source of his suffering into the ground.

"Winner, Shadow Paladin," the AI referee announced, as he bowed, waving to the viewers and blowing kisses. His allies blew a sigh of relief, with Madam wiping the sweat off her face.

Xia got up out of his seat. "He lost?"

Calypsa shrugged, amused. "His drive exceeded Rigal's, just as I predicted." Then she frowned. "But with that much magic power. Xia, we need to get over there: both of them are in danger!"

Cree dived down, holding Mandrew, Minus, and Capel by his shoulders, throwing them next to a rising Rigal.

"Had to stop your circle from interfering, though it looks like you," turning to Sehki, "had a plan for that."

"All thanks to you Coach." As the two high fived, Rigal arose.

"What was your point to this all?"

Sehki pointed to you. "Because Rilis wants the same thing I do, to see you get stronger. I want your help to make this world a better place, but if you're going to run and hurt your own allies, you won't get stronger until you lose something, someone precious to you."

The answer didn't please him, about to continue fighting, when he received a hug from Rilis.

"I hate you, but I don't want to lose you."

He gasped, not recognizing the water about to flow down his eyes.

"Top R, look out!"

Sehki and Cree moved instinctively when the Herdsmen was above them, lifting a halberd to stab Rigal when Amarilis pushed him out of the way, her scales not preventing her from getting slashed through the chest, falling to the ground.

Both princes screamed. "Amarilis!"

"Ursa! Aquila! Die!"

Sehki thrusted his shadow, sinking Rigal and Amarilis from further harm and clutching them. Cree let his circle go while the former tossed her to Capel.

"Auriga boy, get her to safety!"

"An alpha male doesn't run from danger!"

"Yo murderer, your ass is like my women, mine," Mandrew yelled, quickly facing repercussions from the Herdsmen's shield that blocked his dragon attacks, twisted his arms so much the confidence coughed into cries of mercy, and spear stabbed his legs.

"Move, now!"

Capel hightailed it out of there while Minus's field of air created a swirling wall of wind that pushed the Herdsmen's back, until they pulled out a sword which ignited on fire, dismantling the wall.

"Royal Authorize, Visual Audio Shutdown!"

Almost all of the videos ceased screening around when the Herdsmen grabbed Minus' face and began squeezing the life of it before throwing him into Mandrew, stomping on his chest and heading towards the trio of brawlers.

Sehki responded with a shadow wave pushing him back, but they persisted, crawling on top of it and brushing him aside to target Cree and Rigal.

The heir sporadically summoned a bolt of lightning as his last resort, which briefly stunned the Herdsman before his body began swallowing it in.

"He's a Void?"

"No! That's his natural ability," Cree yelled, kicking up an entire field of ice to trap him by his feet. "He can absorb the raw magic of Ursa Major, Ursa Minors, or Aquila. That's why Windy over here flew away like a chicken beforehand."

"You can't fight him," as the Herdsman began swallowing the magic up. Sehki whipped him from behind, then the Victory Rider gun-shape to blast him rapidly with fire magic, but the Herdsmen shut it down with a shield that morphed into a cattle driver with the flame to force his shadow to protect him.

The Herdsmen jumped towards Rigal, who called for the guards, making Cree stop him with his shield. He'd open his mouth to absorb Cree's attacks but the freed fae smiled, piercing him throughout the chest, channel wind through his staff's usual grip, and kicked it from the opposite behind, piercing him in the chest.

"How?"

"I'm part Indus, remember. My power's amplified with a spear or staff," throwing him airborne. "Sehki, here's a boost!"

He jumped back onto Cree's weapon, forming a Shadow Claw to smash him in the chest.

The guards arrived as he fell, spotting the Herdsmen and releasing electric bolts from their Aquila lances.

"Wait, don't!"

Their prince's warnings fell on deaf ears as the Herdsmen swallowed and absorbed them all, rising up with more power.

"Slaughter, Aquila, Ursa, All In My Way!"