At that moment, Scarface, along with his brothers and men, had reached the wall. They rushed up the stairs until they reached the top, where they found the guards confronting terrifying and savage creatures.
Those creatures had bodies covered in thick, hardened scales, appearing in horrifying forms. They possessed sharp claws, deadly fangs, and long tails that slammed against the ground with force—like an additional weapon.
With every wave crashing from the sea, more of these creatures crawled and climbed toward the wall, creating a horrifying scene filled with tension and fear.
Scarface paused for a moment, observing the overwhelming numbers of creatures pouring in without end. Then he narrowed his eyes and muttered with a mix of shock and anger,
"Why have they suddenly appeared in such numbers? There must be a reason driving them to attack... but what?"
Without hesitation, Scarface signaled his men to join the battle, and they charged forward to fight alongside the guards. However, the increasing numbers of the creatures made the battle exhausting and difficult.
Amid the battle that Scarface and his men were fighting, Ateen arrived at the palace with the female warriors. She opened the door, only to be met with a horrifying sight: the women of the guard lay on the ground, with blood flowing everywhere.
Ateen stepped forward cautiously, her eyes searching for any sign of life. She spotted a woman still moving, signaling to her with a trembling hand.
When Ateen approached, she asked in a tense voice, "What happened here?"
The woman replied with difficulty, "There is a group... heading toward the king. You must protect him!"
Ateen quickly moved toward the king's chamber. As she approached, she noticed that the door next to the room was open.
When she entered, she was struck with overwhelming shock as she found the king lying on the ground, his body bleeding heavily. Blood had pooled around him, and his face was pale.
She rushed to him, and when she held him, she saw the hollow in his body—where his liver had been. She screamed for the guards to bring the physician immediately, then spoke to the king, saying, "It's alright, you will live."
The king looked at her with a pale face, overcome with weakness, his tearful eyes barely concealing deep pain. He then spoke in a weak, broken voice,
"It's alright… I will not live long. The poison has already begun spreading through my veins… and I can no longer reclaim what they took from me."
Tears filled Ateen's eyes as she felt helpless before the king's fate. She said in a trembling voice,
"Don't speak like that… I will find a way to save you!"
But the king shook his head with difficulty and continued in a fading voice:
"The kingdom… is in your hands. Protect it, Ateen."
Silence fell for a few moments before the king breathed his last.
Ateen remained staring at him, her lips trembling as she whispered softly,
"My king… please… don't leave. The kingdom needs you."
She leaned beside him, holding his cold hand between her trembling fingers, her tears falling silently onto his hands. Pain overwhelmed her, and her voice broke as she continued calling to him:
"My king… my king… please, don't leave me alone!"
She continued calling, but the voice she was waiting for would never return.
At that moment, Basil, Hamza, and Novich arrived at the palace gate.
As soon as they rushed inside, their eyes fell upon one of the guards, kneeling on the ground, crying bitterly.
Basil quickly approached her and asked, "What happened here?"
The female guard lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears, and answered in a choked voice,
"The king… has been murdered…"
They all froze in place, shock spreading across their faces.
Then the female guard continued, pointing upward,
"Go to the king's chamber… Princess Ateen is there."
They exchanged stunned looks, unable to believe what they had heard, then rushed forward to see the truth for themselves.
They hurried toward the royal chamber, and when they reached it, they found Ateen standing beside the bed, placing the king's lifeless body upon it.
The sight was devastating; blood covered his body, and the effect of the poison was visible on his skin with a pale discoloration.
The king had been assassinated—his chest bearing a horrifying hollow where his liver had been torn out, alongside a deep stab wound that testified to the brutality of the crime.
Basil and Hamza stood in shock, while Novich's tears began to fall, unable to hide his grief.
At that moment, Ateen turned to them, her voice filled with sorrow as she cried,
"They planned the king's assassination. Killing him was not their only goal—they came to take from his body what they had been seeking."