Current Objective: Survive.

"First wave." Elok's voice falls over the army below, and dozens of them react in an instant. They raise their heads as their eyes glow brighter. Then as he raises a hand over them from the safety of his balcony, he gives the command. "Attack them. Leave no survivors. I'm not playing games any longer."

You tense up as your Kitty Sense warns you of impending danger. Not only do many copper automatons start rolling and squirming their way towards you, but two of the ALICEs do as well, each armed with a halberd. You raise your sword as you remain close to Summer, who is also ready for combat. Her spear is pointed forward like the stinger of an angry bee. Reinforcements have yet to arrive, but you need to fight regardless. Even if you need to somehow survive fighting every last robot present, and you need to face Elok and Breiah on your own, you are prepared.

Summer is the first to act. She darts forward, piercing one of the copper spheres into a heap of smoldering ashes. Quickly, she spins the polearm back, and lifts off the ground with a buzz from her tiny wings.

You swoop in next. With a flurry of slashes, you dart past a few of the spheres, as well as a serpent, cutting each of them to pieces. While you may not be at your best at the moment in regards to Lauo or Invisible Ties, you use all your might to carve your blade through the plates of metal. It doesn't matter if your muscles are pushed to hurting, or your body grows exhausted. This is the final fight. You won't let anyone fall in this battle, even if you need to pull out every trick you have.

You whisper down to your armour. "When I get close enough to it, I want you to leap to the tree. Nobody will be able to harm you in there." Then you continue your ****. Summer takes on the ones that slip past, while you continue closer to the army. You can't leave your ally behind, but you do need to keep Elok on his toes. After dodging past the halberd thrusts of both ALICEs, you squat down, and then Bunny Hop. Space warps around you, and in an instant, you're clinging to the side of the gigantic tree.

Peony ejects from your armour, and immediately strides inside.

You then pivot and thrust your weapon towards the rightmost balcony, shouting, "Flare Bolt!" as you send a burning ball of fire towards Elok Daven.

He raises a hand, and the spell dissipates over an invisible barrier. "If you think your dryad friend can control a tree such as this, you're going to be very disappointed."

"It's for her safety. Not that you'd understand that. You treat your allies so poorly that they're part of the reason I even made it this far."

You're not certain if he's noticed the bracelet or not, but hearing that has briefly silenced him as his eyes observe you closely. But then you leap off the trunk of the tree, and not in an ordinary manner. Once again space warps around you, and suddenly you're slamming your shoulder into the back of an ALICE about to strike Summer. You send her flying into the wall, and then proceed to slice a copper sphere in half right at her feet. She's doing well, but she's not the strongest fighter you have. The most trusted of your allies have yet to make their appearance.

Should I scry on them? No. I need to have faith that they're coming. At this point, not only can I not afford to drain myself more, but if I'm distracted for even a moment, either I or Summer could get hurt.

"Second wave, attack!" Elok shouts, a little less composed this time around.

As soon as they react to his words, a thud echoes out from across the room. He can't quite see given the tree, but it's coming from the other balcony--the one with Serafina floating nearby. The door swings open, and a flash of white makes its appearance as it dashes to the edge of the railing.

Serafina screams. She floats away quickly, avoiding the wrath of the angry and wounded man.

William Cresswell's chest heaves up and down as he tightly grips his own magic blade. He looks as he normally does, though his coat is still missing, and now he has a still-bleeding cut all the way across his right cheek. The blood has run down to his armour, though his suit still shines, and while his black hair has become a mess through whatever struggles he faced on the way here, his attention is no less focused. He's looking in the direction of Elok Daven, even if he can't see him.

"William!" you call out from below.

"I see you," he replies. Then he turns his attention down. "I'm glad I didn't arrive too late. We have business to finish together. He's here, isn't he?"

You look to Elok. "And too cowardly to come down."

The man in question opens his arms wide. From above, he laughs once more. "Cowardly, no. You'll have your chance if you survive, but it seems rather crowded down here. Breiah insisted we test things properly, and there's a rather high chance you won't even get the chance to face me."

William slams his boot down on the railing, and then vaults himself into the air. As he does, bright white feathered wings extend out from his back, though upon closer inspection, they're translucent. They appear as if they're made of solid light. He soars around the trunk of the tree, and then soars down like a hunting falcon towards the Demon King on the balcony nearby.

"I detest impatience," Elok says, opening the door behind him. "Look how long I've been waiting. Learn from me, or else you'll never last."

"You won't escape," William growls.

"That isn't my plan." When he swings open the door, a blur of gold rushes past.

Vaulting from the balcony is another ELIS. This one wields a massive, shimmering maul, and despite being unable to fly, it cares not for the distance it's about to fall. While the swing of its weapon thankfully doesn't collide with William's body, they do hit one another mid-air. The weight sends them both down to crash against the army by the side of the tree. You aren't certain what's happening over there, but the true chaos has begun. Every automaton springs to life and begins their ****.

While you do strike at the ALICEs when needed, you do your best not to slay them. They're durable, and can handle a lot of damage, so it isn't difficult, but you also need to focus on not dying yourself. You knock them away, cut them, even remove an arm or two, but your own Alice loses hers all the time. As for the mindless drones, you shatter them to bits. As you fight, you search your mind for anything to help. None of your spells are needed for the time being. You're fighting a hoard of robots. So right now, it's best to simply work with your swordsmanship, and save your mana and tricks for Elok himself.

"Haa!" William screams out as he throws two ALICEs off his body. The wings may be gone, but he's still fighting on the opposite side of the room as best he can. Flames rise from his sword, and he carves his way through the army his own way. His strikes are less precise than usual, but you can hear the frustration in his voice--the exhaustion as well. He's a powerful man, but you wonder if he's stronger than you. He hasn't seemed to utilize what you have, intentional or not--Invisible Ties, Bunny Hop, etc. Instead, he's gained power using that ring he wears. It's the one he used on Sa'dis when he perished.

Speaking of which, he lets out a terrifying roar as a wave of energy rushes off his body--one you can feel from here.

"You've left holes!" William shouts. "We're unfinished projects, but I learned some time ago what brilliance you've demonstrated entirely by accident. These holes can be filled with all manner of powers, albeit not without struggle. I've tried and tried to take on different abilities, and I've succeeded with some. My first real test was with the Demon King Sa'dis, which began with a simply increase in strength and his abilities as an incubus, but there was something else."

"... Oh? Write that down, Breiah," Elok whispers above.

"I didn't want to use this, but I don't care anymore." He reaches beneath his armour and withdraws a familiar amulet. It radiates with a terrifying power, and as he clenches his teeth, his body begins to transform. His muscles bulge, he stretches to be a few feet taller than before, and his eyes burn with a fiery red light. His canines grow into fangs, and his sword swirls with a demonic energy that immediately takes you back to your battle with Sa'dis.

William, along with his very own Amulet of Stupendous Strength, swings his sword with both hands, sending a wave of impact that carves some of the automatons open, and sends the rest tumbling away. It may not be quite the same as how Sa'dis was, but there's a hint of that power in there. It seems he's been able to tap into it by using a similar artifact. It doesn't look exactly like the one you've seen, but he surely has his own magical engineers just as you do.

This isn't enough. Not even close. William is drained, maybe even more than I am. I've almost forgotten about my own injuries. Should I scry them now? No, wait. I need to scry on someone who can turn the tides, but with this lair being like a labyrinth... All right. I need to try something risky.

You out a hand to your head while the room is distracted and try to call somebody very specific.