Miko Miyazaki makes her way to the throne room as the remaining Order of the Stick are cut off from doing the same.

Cast

• Haley Starshine ◀ ▶
• Elan ◀ ▶
• Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶
• Durkon Thundershield ◀ ▶
• Hinjo ◀ ▶
• Miko Miyazaki ◀ ▶
• Daigo Da- ◀ ▶
• Kazumi Kato ◀ ▶
• The Sapphire Guard
  • Soon Kim ◀ ▶
  • O-Chul ◀ ▶
  • Black-haired Sapphire Guardswoman ◀ ▶
  • Blue Crewcut Sapphire Guardsman ◀ ▶
  • Blue-bearded Sapphire Guardsman ◀ ▶
  • Eyepatched Sapphire Guardsman ◀ ▶
  • Road to Adventure Sapphire Guardswoman ◀
  • Black-Haired Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Blue Spike Haired Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Chonmaged Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Completely Bald Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Crewcut Sapphire Guardswoman ◀
  • Do-Ragged Sapphire Guardsman (also as Ghost-martyr) ◀ ▶
  • Flying Sapphire Sorceress ◀
  • Goggled Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Grey-cloaked Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Navy-haired Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Balding Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Blue-cloaked Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Blue-haired Sapphire Sorcerer ◀
  • Green-haired Sapphire Guardswoman ◀
  • Grey-haired Sapphire Sorcerer ◀
  • Grey-shield Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Jiaya ◀
  • Purple Spiky-haired Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Purple-haired Sapphire Guardswoman ◀
  • Teal-haired Sapphire Guardswoman ◀ ▶
  • White-helmeted Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Wingfooted Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Yunji ◀
  • White-cloaked Sapphire Guardswoman ◀
  • Dark-Goggled Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Grey-bearded Sapphire Guardsman ◀
  • Unarmored Midriff-baring Sapphire Guardswoman ◀
  • Blue Streak Sapphire Guardswoman ◀
• Xykon ◀ ▶
• Redcloak ◀ ▶
• Jirix ◀ ▶
• Three Hobgoblins

Transcript

Panel 1

Jirix: Hey, the Supreme Leader said to stay here!
Hobgoblin Soldier #1: We should be helping him!
Hobgoblin Soldier #2: Yeah!

Panel 2

Jirix: Those are positive energy spirits now, not flesh-and-blood humans! You can't hit them with nonmagical weapons like that!
Jirix: Trust me, we're a LOT safer staying right—

Panel 3

Miko Miyazaki decapitates Jirix with a high kick, "POW!" His head strikes the first hobgoblin, "clunk!", killing him.

Panel 4

Miko continues past, killing the remaining soldier with a karate chop, "chop!"

Panel 5

The throne room. Scores of dead paladins lie below the flying Ghost-martyrs which they became. Soon fights Xykon while Redcloack turns five of the remaining spirits, "POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF!". O-Chul remains paralyzed by Soon's Gate.

Panel 6

Miko sees the carnage from the throne room door with alarm.

Panel 7

Miko Miyazaki: It all makes sense now. I understand what I need to do.

Panel 8

Miko: The path is clear.
She enters the throne room.

Panel 9

Cut to Elan in the wall tower.
Elan: ...
Elan: Hey, did anyone else get that foreboding feeling just now?

Panel 10

Elan: Guys?
Haley: No, we are NOT launching ourselves into the throne room using the catapult!
Belkar: Why the hell not?
Haley: Because we don't know how to aim a catapult that precisely!
Belkar: Right, and that's why we fling the two nameless soldiers first, so we can see where they splat and adjust our aim accordingly.
Kazumi Kato: *gulp!*
Belkar: I mean, seriously, do I have to think of everything around here???

Trivia

• The title is a running gag from the Star Wars franchise, first spoken by Luke as they approach the Death Star.
• Released about 12 hours after #460, this strip marks the shortest time between updates to the comic during its entire run.
• This is the final appearance of most of the Sapphire guard.
  • First appearing in #320: Road to Adventure Sapphire Guardswoman.
  • First appearing in #447: Black-Haired Sapphire Guardsman, Blue Spike Haired Sapphire Guardsman, Chonmaged Sapphire Guardsman, Completely Bald Sapphire Guardsman, Flying Sapphire Sorceress, Goggled Sapphire Guardsman, Grey-cloaked Sapphire Guardsman, Navy-haired Sapphire Guardsman, Balding Sapphire Guardsman, Blue-cloaked Sapphire Guardsman, Blue-haired Sapphire Sorcerer, Do-Ragged Sapphire Guardsman, Green-haired Sapphire Guardswoman, Grey-haired Sapphire Sorcerer, Grey-shield Sapphire Guardsman, Jiaya, Purple Spikey-haired Sapphire Guardsman, Purple-haired Sapphire Guardswoman, White-helmeted Sapphire Guardsman, Wingfooted Sapphire Guradsman, Yunji, and White-cloaked Sapphire Guardswoman,
  • First appearing in #449: Dark-Goggled Sapphire Guardsman, Grey-bearded Sapphire Guardsman, Unarmored Midriff-baring Sapphire Guardswoman.
  • First appearing in #461: Blue Streak Sapphire Guardswoman.

External Links

• View the comic
• View the discussion thread