"Behind me!" Ben yelled as he put himself forward and put his parents, Duke Ramirez, Alejandra, and the other guy behind him. 

There was chaos unfolding everywhere. The curtains were bursting into flames, the tables and food were thrown around everywhere, and the rubbles' dust plagued the air as clouds.

Ben grit his teeth, he didn't have his weapon with him right now, so he had no weapon to use to fight. Thankfully, the Royal guards burst through the doors in immediate fashion to try and fight back the assailants.

"YES!" Yelled the manic Baron. "SEND THEM IN AND WITNESS THEIR DEATHS!"

The guards raised their spears and halberds and charged forward but what met them was a blast of fire that knocked them all backwards.

Out of the group of masked soldiers there were five that looked special. Each wearing a golden necklace between their shoulders. "Hemming, The Captain will be here soon." One of them spoke. "Complete your mission."

"Of course!" The Baron along with a few of the masked men then ran towards a direction that the Emperor recognized.

"Stop them!" He yelled and the guards tried to move forward but they were blocked once more by a wall of flame. Afterwards a larger looking guy, also with a necklace, came forward and struck the ground with his fist cracking the marble and sending a fissure that blasted the guards, tearing some of their limbs off.

The remaining nobles panicked and tried to rush out as much as they could. Then the necklaced men turned their eyes towards Alejandra's direction.

"There's the Imperial Family and the Grand Duke too." You could feel their grin under their covers. "Let's finish this quickly."

A tall but slim looking necklaced, rushed towards the Lady in blinding speed with a dagger. Alejandra couldn't move, her legs were petrified, as she stared at the dagger coming her direction. 

But right before she could get stabbed, she was embraced then turned away from the attack. She heard the sound of the steel piercing through flesh as the grunts of her father sounded near her ear. 

"Ack!" The Duke groaned in pain but he smiled, staring at his Daughter, safe within his arms.

"JOSEPH!" The Emperor worryingly yelled. The tall guy jumped backwards and towards his allies.

"I'm fine! Your Highness, please take my daughter somewhere safe!" He pleaded and the Emperor and Empress nodded, grabbing Alejandra near them.

"DAD! YOU'RE BLEEDING!" Alejandra couldn't believe her eyes. Her shining father, unbridled by anything, and always standing proud, was now huddled in pain as blood stained his white coat. 

Alejandra felt horror, the deepest horror she's ever experienced rush through her veins. She wanted to help her Father but the Emperor and Empress dragged her away to safety. "PLEASE YOUR HIGHNESS, LET ME HELP MY FATHER!" She begged as the Emperor ran away with her in tow.

"Shit…" Joseph fell to his knees but Ben supported him so he could stand. 

"Grand Duke!" Ben held him tightly.

"Your Highness." The nobleman who was with Alejandra called over to the Prince. "I will be going after the Lady. Please take care of the Duke."

Ben blinked, a bit confused. "What are you gonna do!?"

The nobleman sighed and placed their hand on his arm. "Please. Trust me. I'll trust you to beat those guys here. I have a gut feeling."

Ben pursed his lips, his fists clenched, he winced and felt the body of Alejandra's father weakening in his arms. He gave in. "Fine! Don't let her die!"

The Nobleman nodded and in an instant ran quickly after the Lady.

"He won't be able to do anything." The tall guy laughed and removed his mask, one by one the rest of the four other necklaced ones removed theirs as well.

The tall guy had a large scar across his lip and curly blonde hair. 

The guy with the fire magic was a pristine looking guy with brown hair and blue eyes.

The large man was a bald, large, muscle head that towered over everyone else.

There was also a silent lady who had her eyes closed and a short old man with a bowler hat.

"Who are you people?" The Duke spat blood but his voice was still angry.

"You don't need to know." The fire guy spoke softly. "Only that we are simply the Adjudicators sent to terminate all of you." He raised his hand and a swirl of flames began to concentrate on top of his palm.

Ben grit his teeth as his hand grabbed onto Duke's body. What can he do right now? How do they get away from this? 

Think Ben, think.

Then he realized his hands were wet and he realized how stupid he was. "Duke Ramirez, take a seat right here for me." He gently laid the Duke down next to a pillar. He started to use his own magic.

He guided the blood of the Duke to clot faster so he could heal easier, afterwards he faced the group of Adjudicators before him, the fireball about to be launched.

"Are you ready to die, Crown Prince?" The fire one spoke affirmatively.

Ben glared and grabbed the dropped dagger on the floor. "No." He then slashed his arms and blood started spilling everywhere but it didn't fall on the ground, they collected, turned, and hardened into a blade in his hand. 

The fireball then rocketed towards him at full speed. Ben braced himself and slashed vertically meeting the embers of the flame with the edge of his blade of blood.

In one straight clean cut, the fireball was split in half as Ben continued to glare towards the five necklaced ones , surrounded by a bunch of their grunts. "There's nowhere for you to run." Cackled the tall one.

"I don't need to run." Ben glanced somewhere and smirked. 

Out of the blue, a foot found itself connecting onto the tall guy's face, sending him flying out of the ballroom. A woman with black hair in a dress, being the attacker. She huffed and puffed as her head turned scarlet from fury.

"Hi Master." Ben said as he referred to Duchess Ramirez, still in her blue gown but her murderous aura turning her surroundings red.

"Benjamin. Take Joseph out of this place. I'll kill these guys myself." She declared. "There's dozen more of their soldiers down the hallway, Duke Bay and the guards are making sure the nobles escape safely. Be careful."

"Thanks." Ben grabbed the Grand Duke and continued to heal him as he ran out to the halls and headed to evacuation. Although, his chest felt heavy. Lady Alejandra and his parents headed somewhere different. Hopefully they'll be okay.

"It's you, Roselia Ramirez." The fire guy spoke dismissively as if one of his comrades wasn't just sent crashing outside.

"You're Kingdom men aren't you?" She spat. "You chose the wrong man to stab, cause now I am fucking pissed."

Roselia stomped the floor and the ground cracked beneath her. Her heels shattered and she turned barefoot. Her dress was torn and hair was a mess but she didn't care. These guys hurt her husband, so they all must pay.

"Chase after him." The Fire guy directed the one with the large giant body, who nodded and dashed out the door.

Roselia stood there and let the guy leave as she faced the rest of the three left across from her. 

"Aren't you gonna chase after him?" The Fire guy remarked.

"You're underestimating my pupil, if you think that one man is enough to catch him." Roselia spouted with bitter hostility.

"I see." Fire guy clapped his hands and suddenly fire burned all around the room. "I'll follow after him once I deal with you."

"Talk less, do more." Roselia shifted her feet on the floor then leaped from the ground and cast her foot upwards then downwards performing a semi-roundhouse kick.

The Fire Guy, surprised at her speed, still managed to block her strike but he skidded to the side due to the impact of the attack. Immediately afterwards, the dignified looking lady stepped forward and dark feathered wings erupted from behind her. She growled and launched a kick herself that Roselia evaded easily.

The old man then stomped on the floor and an array of smoke began to coat the entire room, blurring any vision and making it harder to breathe.

Through the smoke a torrent of flames launched towards the Duchess's location who then side stepped and dashed backwards to give herself time to form an idea of what each of their abilities are.

Roselia took deep breaths as she stood far away from them. She glanced at the fire guy where she pretty much has a basic gist of his powers, the other two however…

The girl's a bird and the old man produces smoke. That's all she can gather right now. 

"What's wrong?" The dignified bird lady mocked. "Realizing how weak you are?"

Roselia clicked her tongue and corrected her posture. "Silence, you avian." She spat back. "Those who can't even land their attacks, don't have the right to speak."

The Bird Lady hissed at the Duchess and charged towards her angrily. To which Roselia lifted her left leg in a curved angle then spun around to land her side kick right at the left cheek of the Bird Lady and launched her to the other side of the room.

"Impressive." Clapped the Fire one. "You are indeed an Azarolla with that skill in fighting."

"You really talk too much." Roselia clicked her tongue and dashed towards the Old man and the Fire guy.

She raised her fist and trailed it in an arc for a strong punch to the gut. The Duchess propelled forward in astonishing speed as the Old man once again casted an egregious amount of smoke that rendered the room impossible to see through.

Roselia punched thin air as the place where the two men were standing a few seconds ago was now completely empty. 

Within the smoke she could hear shuffling, running, and random noises. Then from different directions attacks would come at the same time.

From her left, was the Bird Lady rushing in with her talons, but to her right was a fireball heating it's way towards her, and from her front was an attack by the Old man.

Roselia cursed, she couldn't block all of them when she couldn't see them coming. The Duchess flexed her body and arms to prepare for incoming damage then she took a stance and as the Bird Lady's kick came in, she navigated through the sir and deflected it with her arms. She then raised her legs and struck a straight kick in front of her knocking the Old man back, but the fireball struck her right in her shoulder.

"Gack!" Rosia grit her teeth as she felt the burn in her body.

"Feel the burn, Duchess?" Chided the Fire guy through the smoke. "It's impossible to defeat you in a straight fight. So this is what we came up with to deal with you." 

"Real smart." Roselia groaned and relaxed herself as she tried to focus. "Good for you."

"Don't act tough, Duchess. Tonight will mark the defeat and death of two of the Empire's strongest warriors." The Fire guy laughed. "This broken palace will be your grave, Your Grace, as well as that horrible Duke of the West."

Roselia blinked and felt a smirk form on her lips. "You mean to say, you will kill Duke Bay tonight?"

"Indeed so." The Fire guy's smile can be felt through his slick voice. "The man who chased after the Prince has enough strength to kill that bastard."

Roselia laughed. "If you say so." Then she closed her eyes and breathed in. "I am about to tell you something, however. You're superiors…? Well they've sent you to a suicide mission." 

"What?"

"There's no way a group of nobodies like you ever stands a chance at defeating me, let alone Duke Bay." She laughed.

"How dare you underestimate us!" The Fire guy snapped. "Once more!" He ordered his group and like last time they attacked from all directions all at once.

"The same trick won't work a second time." Roselia kept her eyes closed and breathed out. "I didn't become a general with just my magic, you know?" She stepped lightly on the marble floor under her and with her mind, she opened her ears further.

Like a bat, she could see their movement through the smoke. Not through sight, but through sound. She relaxed her body, relaxing her senses, and with efficiency she could now feel the shifts in the air around her. 

The mastery over one's mind is the key to becoming a powerful warrior. 

Roselia felt like the time slowed down as her body felt their attacks way ahead in time before they could even attempt them. The shifts in the air as a slight breeze came from her right, then left, then behind her.

She knew exactly where they were.

As all their attacks came forth. A fireball from behind, a talon attack from the right, and the Old man's charge from the left. She had already predicted their moves by studying the flow of wind.

In one swift motion, she made her body lighter as she lifted her leg up. She then flipped her body to the side so that her left arm was on supporting her, then she proceeded to twist her body in a way that she spun herself and kicked her surroundings in a three hundred sixty degree arc at the exact moment all of the attacks were in range. The moment her foot made contact with the enemy, she would make it as heavy as she could.

The Bird lady was struck in the torso with what felt like an iron bat as she felt her chest get crushed by the sheer blunt force of the attack. The Bird Lady ended up getting sent to the wall in a single motion crashing everything in between.

The Old man wasn't safe as the leg connected with his neck. It struck him right below his chin and it felt like his head was about to be torn clean off. The Old man came flying towards the burning tables and chairs as the tableware clashed loudly on the marble floor.

The Fireblast that was sent behind her was eviscerated immediately by the kick as if it wasn't ever there. 

With the Old man passed out, the smoke slowly dissipated revealing the disgruntled Fire guy as he glanced around his defeated colleagues.

"So? Whose grave is it going to be again?" Roselia spat as she stood herself straight and glared at the man who led the group that dared to touch her husband. "Let's settle this, shall we?"