A massive circular black object appeared out of nowhere, hovering in midair roughly fifty meters above Rulu and the others. Sensing the presence of something strange, Rulu quickly turned to look — and found it to be an enormous circular black stone slab, encased within a lead-grey hemispherical dome that resembled a glass cover. A large crowd of people stood atop the slab, looking down at Rulu and the others below.
Rulu looked more carefully at the figures standing on the circular slab, and recognized them — they were none other than the very people who had fled the hall just moments ago. Shunaizel, Euphemia, and the Suzaku Guard Captain were all standing on the slab, and the Emperor of the Sanctuary stood among them as well, gazing down at Rulu and the others from above.
"You — how dare you show yourself before me again! Get down from there right now!" Rulu shouted, immediately unleashing his Spiritual-power in a direct mental assault on the Emperor standing on the slab.
The Emperor stood perfectly still atop the slab, showing no reaction whatsoever to Rulu's words. Seeing that his Spiritual-power had no effect on the Emperor, Rulu shifted his attack to the others on the slab — but the result was the same. Not one of them responded to him in the slightest.
"What's happening — why has my Spiritual-power stopped working again? Can the Emperor actually block my mental attacks?" A look of confusion crossed Rulu's face as he muttered to himself.
C.C. said, "I think it's because of that strange dome. As long as they remain inside it, your Spiritual-power can't reach them."
"If that's the case, things are going to get very difficult." Rulu murmured, then turned to W.W. at his side. "W.W., can you help me deal with those people standing on the slab?"
W.W. glanced up at the crowd on the distant circular slab, then said, "I'm sorry. I have no wish to become involved in your conflict with others. This is something I cannot agree to."
Rulu said, "But these people are trying to capture me and C.C. If you won't help us, we're going to be taken."
C.C. said, "That's right. Without your help, W.W., Rulu is very likely to be killed by them — just like Shari."
W.W. looked at Rulu, then down at the lifeless Shari in his arms. After a brief pause, she said, "Since this is Lady C.C.'s request — very well. I will do what I can to assist you, though I cannot promise I am able to help you defeat them."
While Rulu and W.W. were speaking, a large pack of strangely shaped beasts appeared in the surrounding area — leopards, jackals, and half-human half-beast creatures among them, numbering somewhere between ten and twenty. They spread out around Rulu and the others, glaring at them with vicious eyes, looking as though they might attack at any moment.
"Surrender, Rulu. You are surrounded. There is no escape." The Emperor's face darkened with anger as he called down to Rulu below in a low, furious voice.
"Do whatever you want. I will never surrender!" Rulu glared up at the Emperor, defiant. He knew that even with W.W.'s help, the odds of defeating the Emperor and these Strange beasts were slim — but with Shari's death at the Emperor's hands, Rulu's heart was filled with nothing but hatred. He had made up his mind: even if it cost him his life, he would fight until the very end.
The Emperor seemed to read what was in Rulu's mind. He spoke again: "It seems you cared a great deal for that woman who died. If you are willing to surrender to me, I may consider using my power to save her. What appears to you to be death does not look the same way to me."
"Save Shari?!" Rulu was startled. The Emperor's words sparked something in him — a strange idea began to take shape in his mind. He bowed his head and gazed at Shari's lifeless face in his arms, searching urgently through his returned memories and knowledge for anything that might save her. Slowly, an idea began to surface.
"W.W., may I borrow your crown? I need it urgently right now." Rulu looked up at the golden crown resting on W.W.'s head, his voice filled with earnest sincerity.
W.W. studied Rulu's face in silence. After about ten seconds, she spoke in a calm, even voice: "It seems you truly do need it right now. And it seems only you can save her."
"How did you know I wanted to save her?" Rulu said, somewhat surprised — he was certain he hadn't said a word to W.W. about his intention to revive Shari, yet she had spoken his thought aloud before he could.
"This is not the time for that. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to bring her back." W.W. flew to Rulu's side. As she did, her body underwent a change — a pair of pure white human-like hands grew from her teal serpent body. With these newly formed hands, she lifted the golden crown from her head and placed it onto Rulu's.
"Shari — I'm coming to save you…" Rulu took one long, deep look at Shari in his arms, then released the hold he had kept around her. Something strange happened then — instead of falling to the ground, Shari's body began to float gently upward, until she lay suspended in the air roughly five meters above the earth.
"What — what is he trying to do?" The people gathered on the slab above watched the scene with bewilderment. Even the Emperor found his curiosity drawn to Rulu's actions. He fixed his gaze on Rulu but made no further move.
Rulu tilted his head upward, gazing at Shari's suspended form, and used his Magic and Psionic power on her body, drawing on the knowledge and memories that had returned to him. A soft golden luminescence began to emanate from Shari's body. The air around her began to move — flowing rapidly, flowing into her body. As the surrounding air poured in, the golden glow radiating from her grew steadily brighter.
"Could it be — is he trying to resurrect that woman?!" The Emperor's expression shifted. His gaze swept to the Strange beasts encircling Rulu and the others — and as though they had received a silent command, the creatures began charging toward Rulu at speed.
"W.W. — stop them!" C.C. cried out urgently. She knew that Rulu could not afford any disruption right now — if he were interrupted, there would be no hope of successfully bringing Shari back.
W.W. immediately used her Magic and Psionic power to summon a storm and hurl it at the Strange beasts charging toward Rulu — but there were too many of them, and the storm's force was not enough to hold them back. And with her golden crown now on Rulu's head, she could no longer use Magic or Psionic power of the fifth level or above.
The Strange beasts closed in fast. One wolf-like creature lunged at Rulu's back and knocked him to the ground. W.W. flew at once toward Rulu, coiling her serpent body around the wolf's neck and dragging it away from him. The instant Rulu hit the ground, Shari's suspended body dropped from the air and crashed to the earth — and the golden luminescence that had been emanating from her vanished entirely.
"Damned beasts — don't get in my way!" Rulu snarled furiously. He used his Magic and Psionic power to seize the massive stones in the surrounding area and hurl them at the nearby creatures. One boulder struck a Minotaur in the head and crushed its neck; another smashed into the waist of a centaur, shattering its spine. The remaining beasts hastily fell back, circling swiftly around Rulu and looking for an opening to strike.