Inside the abandoned factory hall, where nothing could be heard except the echo of breathing and the steady drip of water falling from the corroded ceiling, the silence was shattered without warning.
A thunderous explosion shook the very bones of the structure.
Dust rained from above like fog, and the iron chains restraining SHOUTNA rattled violently.
"What is happening?!" shouted KLAUS, jolting upright, his eyes whipping toward the source of the blast.
From the shadows of the entrance, THE JOKER emerged slowly—
His steps were as calm as always,
but his smile… far more unsettling this time.
"It seems some uninvited guests have found the address of our little party," he said in that disturbingly soft tone of his.
Fury surged across KLAUS' face like a flood.
He spun toward SHOUTNA, eyes blazing with rage.
"Is this part of your plan?!"
SHOUTNA lifted his shoulders subtly, as if brushing off dust—
yet that spark in his eyes…
KLAUS knew it too well.
It always meant trouble.
"ANSWER ME!"
He lunged and kicked SHOUTNA in the chest.
SHOUTNA's body jolted backward, but he suppressed his groan—
as unyielding as stone.
"Do you think you'll survive this?" KLAUS growled, leaning over him.
"I'll kill you myself… I'll enjoy watching your soul leave your body!"
He raised his head toward THE JOKER, rage still boiling.
"Send every soldier! Every unit!
Don't leave them a single path to escape!
I want them DEAD!"
The JOKER's smile stretched wider—
as if delight was dripping from each corner.
"As you wish… this will be entertaining."
He turned and vanished back into the dark,
his eerie laughter echoing—
merging with the distant rumble of explosions.
*********
At the port, ZAKI and AXE traded blows, their bodies drenched in blood.
"You're truly a formidable opponent," AXE said with a wide grin.
"But I must finish this.
LEVEL UP — 50 out of 50!"
"Me too," ZAKI replied.
"LEVEL UP — 65 out of 65."
ZAKI anchored his feet,
hammer pulled back,
face fearless—
But his eyes said:
"This fight will not be gentle."
Both launched at the same time.
The clash…
Was a meteor striking Earth
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The explosion ricocheted through the containers,
The water rippled violently,
And ravens fled the cranes in terror.
The impact blasted AXE backward,
crashing him into the ground.
Silence swallowed the area.
The fog thinned slightly,and
the waves calmed into slow undulations.
ZAKI stood tall,
eyes still fixed on AXE—
who could no longer rise.
********
On the other side of the port…
Dust still rolled like ghosts across the battlefield.
BOW stood atop a twisted container,
a triumphant smirk carved on his lips,
as though victory was already carved in stone.
But when the dust began to clear…
His smile collapsed.
"No… impossible…"
BOW whispered, voice cracking.
Before him stood MESNAS—
untouched.
Unburned.
Not even scratched.
Battle dust rested on his shoulders,
But not a single wound marked his body.
"The fight is over," MESNAS murmured,
calm yet decisive,
eyes locked on BOW.
In an instant, nanofibers surged from every direction—
closing around BOW like a predatory net.
No room to dodge.
No path to run.
"Drop your bow," MESNAS ordered.
"Go to hell! You think I'll surrender that easily?!"
BOW screamed, raising his weapon.
But the moment was cut short by ZAKI's weary voice:
"Stop right there!"
ZAKI stood with trembling knees,
yet unbroken will.
His hammer rested over the unconscious AXE's skull.
"Drop your weapon now,
or I'll turn your friend's head into paste."
BOW froze.
His gaze darted between AXE
and the tightening nanofiber snare encasing him.
A brutal choice hung in the air—
submit,
or lose his comrade forever.
"Brother…"
The word escaped BOW in a cracked whisper.
For the first time,
the cold mask broke.
His eyes trembled between AXE—
and his pride as an undefeated marksman.
"Damn it!"
He hurled his bow aside.
In the control room…
"They're incredible!"
GHAZLANE gasped, eyes wide.
"Aren't they?"
ADEL replied with quiet pride—
Though his gaze stayed fixed on the screens.
But victory didn't last.
Suddenly, doors burst open from every angle—
troops pouring in like furious ants,
surrounding the group.
"Drop your weapons NOW!"
ZAKI stood barely upright,
hammer in hand,
but his body—
broken, bleeding, exhausted.
"Damn… I can't fight anymore…"
MESNAS' eyes gleamed—
with a resolve set in stone.
"I'll hold them.
You and MAYNO escape.
I can't trap this many with my fibres,
But I can make an opening.
Be ready."
ZAKI shook his head fiercely.
"Leave you to die? Never."
A wide, fierce smile broke across his bruised face.
"Let's drag them to hell with us…
Let our deaths be something worth remembering."
MESNAS gripped his shoulder—
a silent farewell full of unspoken words.
"Yes, if this is the end…
let it be an end worthy of the SHADOWS."
The circle of rifles tightened.
Metal chimed—
death's bell ringing.
MESNAS and ZAKI crouched, ready to leap.
"No… NO!"
GAZLAN screamed through tears.
ADEL's hands clenched until his knuckles turned white.
"All this…
And this is how we end?"
He whispered, broken.
The screen flashed—
And before fate could fall—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
A colossal explosion tore the port apart,
as if the ground had erupted with vengeance.
Debris flew.
Dust surged skyward.
The battlefield transformed.
And through the chaos—
a silhouette rose.
CLAY.
Standing amid the destruction,
a grenade in each hand,
as if they were part of his body.
"Missed us, you cowards?!"
He hurled both grenades in opposite arcs—
igniting a chain of detonations
that plunged the soldiers into disarray.
Chaos.
Screams.
Blind retreat.
Through the haze—
SOLIMON dashed in like a vengeful phantom.
"LEVEL UP!"
His scythe whirled into a deadly frenzy,
cutting through steel and flesh alike,
an unstoppable storm of death.
"Game over for you!"
BALL yelled from atop a container,
eyes blazing.
"Pincer maneuver—NOW!"
From the shadows, ZICK and NABEEL emerged.
"On it!" they shouted together,
closing the trap around the collapsing troops.
MESNAS, who had braced himself for death,
lifted ZAKI away from the new firing lines.
"These bastards…
always stealing the spotlight at the last second!"
He snapped—
Though his eyes shimmered with relief.
ZAKI smiled weakly:
"Looks like our cursed luck
decided to give us another chance…
Unfortunately."
Back in the control room—
ADEL jumped from his chair, nearly knocking it over.
"They made it!
They came at the perfect moment!"
The battle ignited once more—
But the tide had turned.
Because the SHADOWS…
had arrived.