Hayden's ultimate plan is slowly developing in the shadows. Blake's blood has been taken and now he is kept in a cell for some time before being sent to Ember Island's prison complex. Neyla fights her low esteem trying to decide between carrying the entire war on her back alone or choosing the way of a pacifist at the cost of losing her father's respect if he is to be resurrected. She's in the throne room sitting on the throne, trying to process the whole thing, not knowing what to do, what's good and what's wrong until Nero enters the hall with Blake's blood sample in his hand. He approaches the throne with some good news.
Nero: Your Highness, I am holding the key to our triumph! After nearly an hour of deliberation you spent here alone, I reckon you have already decided what's going to happen next. Let me hear it...
Neyla: I am lost in my thoughts, thinking about what's the right thing to do now...
Nero: I know what's the right thing to do. Your constraints are not a propitious sign for our empire. If you are unable to subdue your diffidence, allow me to seize your throne momentarily while you recover from your malaise. This empire is teetering on the brink of war and there must be someone who will shepherd its legions in challenging and traumatizing times like this!
Neyla stands up upset by Nero's words...
Neyla: The only one who is going to shepherd our legions is ME! You are just another pawn in my empire who bores and annoys me! I need no more of your effrontery!
Nero: You may denigrate me all you want, but I am who you need the most right now. You will not fare well without me!
Neyla: You want war? So do I! You may be thinking I am floundering or going crazy. The problem is in the fallout of war. I don't want innocents to die. Whenever I think about this, I think of the war from decades ago that cost my father's life. So many lives were lost just because two leaders couldn't agree with each other. Our people deserve to be free, living in a world of order.
Nero: Your vision of consonance is unreal. Most of the Gryphon population is against this cruel unremitting regime which segregates it. Crime and injustice reigns in the city with thieves and bounty hunters roaming around harming those who wish to live a normal life and you call that freedom.
Neyla: And you expect me to show repentance? It is my father who brought such a regime to this kingdom. Not me. I will not undo what he did. I cannot. Even if it costs my reputation.
Nero: I only ask you to be yourself and do what you think is right.
Nero shakes the blood sample in his hand...
Nero: If it's not you, then it will be your father who will replace you disgruntled with who you've become...
Neyla: I've only become a sensible person over these last couple of years....
She sits back on her throne...
Neyla: Now kindly desist from reproving me for not being the queen you once saw in me! I recall you came here to inform me about the extracted blood. Get the Reinvigorator replica at once!
Nero: The replica will be soon made. Neyla, listen to me one last time. We must march into battle first before they do.
Neyla: They can try. They will never get past the Thunderbringer.
Nero: I would not bet my life on it. Some troops on a reconnaissance mission detected unusual high military activity in our enemy's territory. We must get to them first before they get to us!
Neyla: Zootopia could've been so easily overtaken and our main enemy vanquished fifteen years ago with the help of Subject Alpha before he failed. If he didn't let his emotions consume him, we wouldn't have the need to make great sacrifices. That responsibility falls on me now. Very well, I will finish this for my father, for our empire and for my legacy! You've got my full consent to initiate a massive attack against Zootopia. I will partake in this UNNECESSARY WAR. I SHALL NOT be a victim to culpability!
Nero: You are making just the right decision! I will assemble the troops and prepare for this historic day! They will not withstand this onslaught, Neyla. The military assessment is done and we are all thirsting for battle!
Neyla: Leave the blood sample in the labs. The Reinvigorator must be made in case we find ourselves in dire straits.
Nero: Are you implying your father is not being resurrected... for now?
Neyla: Imagine him being brought back to life, seeing Zootopia conquered all by myself. All I want is him to be proud of me and see him on top of the world thanks to my tremendous achievement. No matter, I will work arduously to make his vision become real.
Nero: I see you are aspiring to be the daughter your father always saw in you. This will only yield a good outcome.
Neyla: It was always like that. I just didn't have the strength to do it.
Neyla's informant enters the hall...
Imperial Informant: Your Highness, Zeerox has returned from his mission and is awaiting a debrief.
Neyla: Bring him in.
Nero: Well, I'll let you two have a debriefing session while I deliver the blood sample to the labs and lay the groundwork for a military assault against Zootopia.
Nero leaves the hall while Neyla sits back on the throne and waits for Zeerox to arrive.
Just a few minutes later, Neyla's guardians open the doors to the throne room for Zeerox with a brainwashed mind. He walks past the door with his focus fully centered at Neyla.
Neyla: Project Zeta, you got my deep gratitude for bringing me Blake and accomplishing your mission.
He keeps walking closer and closer to her throne while the Gryphon guardians in the room keep a watchful eye on him on both sides...
Zeerox: Your gratitude has no real importance to me. And I didn't really complete the mission. The rodent is alive and thanks to him I know the truth about me and this experiment called Project Zeta. I've come back as a FREE animal. You will no longer command me!
Two Gryphon guardians block his path to Neyla's throne and two more come up from behind ready to slay him on Neyla's order...
Neyla: You DARE defy the Odynhood Empire?
Zeerox: It's reasonable for me to set my face against your empire! You've become my sworn enemy!
Neyla: THEN YOU WILL DIE FOR TREASON! EXECUTE HIM!
The gryphon guardians from behind his back strike first with their heavy battle axes. Zeerox sidesteps and disarms one of the Gryphon guardians and makes use of his own ax against him by chopping off his head and delivering a deadly blow into the chest of the other one. As the other two prepare to attack, he lobs the ax and it hits the head of one of the incoming Gryphon guardians. The last remaining guardian gets a taste of a high powered shot from the original Armsmorpher weapon he takes off his back and shoots right through his chest. All four guardians are eliminated by Zeerox whose powers are not affected and are the same just like they were before Gyzmoo brainwashed him. Since her four guardians are down, Neyla has become quite vulnerable.
Zeerox: Flimsy Gryphon undesirables! How many of them do you want to use against me? Come down here and fight me! I want nothing but your death!
Neyla: It's so sad to see you give in to lies. What have they done to you?! I had the perfect place for you in my empire but you choose the way of treachery! You want my death? Then you will rue this day you antagonized the Odynhood Empire!
She confidently stands up from her throne, pulling out two purple sabers powered by Gryphon energy harvested from the depths of Gryphon mines where rare purple crystals can be found and are used for forging weapons. It is shown Neyla is skilled at using weaponry in close combat when she twirls them in her hands ready to slay Zeerox. Her intimidating pose does not stop him from being himself, which is always being unrelenting and fierce, chasing his objective where failure is not an option. He uses the Armsmorpher to attack Neyla first with a supercharged plasma shot. He fires a death shot which is a one hit kill projectile which Neyla absorbs with her sabers and shoots right back at Zeerox. The deflected shot hits the Armsmorpher which completely destroys it in his hand. The explosion of the Armsmorpher causes a blast wave that destroys the imperial ornaments in its vicinity and knocks Zeerox a couple of meters away. Neyla steps down the stairs from her throne while Zeerox slowly recovers from the blast with his wounds healing. His glasses are broken and his eyes are revealed.
Neyla: Not so omnipotent now without your weapon? WEAK BEAST!
Once the smoke clears, Neyla notices that his eyes are no longer red and they have become natural green.
Neyla: You are not the Zeerox we've created....
Zeerox: I will no longer be your tool!
Neyla: You were never our tool, just a special unit who's destiny could have been full to the brim with power and wealth!
Zeerox: I make my own destiny which is not decided by mongrels like you! The destruction of my weapon shall not serve as a deterrent for me. You will die all the same!
Neyla: Then make it quick! You don't have long before more guards come to stop your revolt!
Zeerox charges forward Neyla while picking up one of the heavy battle axes from the ground and swings it at her. She jumps over him, turning in the air and slashing his back with her sabers as she lands on the ground behind him. Zeerox seems to be hurt and in pain from Neyla's exceptional sabers, which is something he didn't expect. He immediately turns around to face Neyla in great shock. She is in a fighting pose full of confidence...
Zeerox: What skulduggery is this? You didn't just hurt me!
Neyla: You've become way too petty to know the secret behind these blades!
Zeerox: Whatever! Pain will only make me stronger!
Zeerox roars in fury as he swings at Neyla who parries the blow with her sabers and strikes back. Her blades lacerate some of his body parts but it doesn't stop him from trying to land a finishing blow on Neyla. Covered in blood, Zeerox struggles to kill Neyla as the two clash. Neyla proves to be too fast and agile for Zeerox. At one point in their fight, Neyla does a furious spin with her blades that badly hurts Zeerox and makes him fall to the ground. Close to being defeated because of the special blades that he is weak against, he tries his best to get back up on his legs while Neyla slowly approaches him to slay him...
Neyla: Whoever incited you to this perfidy clearly knew how to stop you from destroying them. So, I ask you one more time, what have they done to you?
Zeerox: They... showed... me... to the... light!
Neyla: I get it. Your betrayal has enkindled my fury! I am tired of being surrounded by halfwits like you! So long, Project Zeta!
Zeerox: ENOUGH!
Zeerox uses the powers he absorbed from Zack as a last resort to fight back. His eyes start glowing blue and his body becomes electrified which makes Neyla cancel her blow. She is then hit by a lightning bolt that Zeerox shoots from his hand. The bolt makes her lose one of her blades as she is pushed back from the force which partially immobilizes her and makes small burning damage on her fur.
Neyla: Using tricks, aren't you? You may use your powers as much as you want but they will never be enough to extinguish my life or subvert our order! I refuse to be put down by a traitor!!!
Zeerox: Your empire's set of laws are of no importance to me. All I want is to be the mainspring of your demise!!!
Zeerox uses both of his hands to target and hit Neyla with two lightning bolts. The power of Zeerox's thunderbolts are too much for Neyla's saber to deflect. She loses her last saber and gets electrified and lifted up in the air. She's rendered completely defenseless.
Zeerox: You won't be getting up from this, witch!!!
Zeerox forcefully drops Neyla to the ground. She's now even more hurt with her fur covered in blood and badly burnt in some places. She is lying there on the ground, trying to regain control of her consciousness to survive at all costs. Zeerox approaches her after picking up a heavy battle ax from the ground when the door to the throne room opens and Nero along with at least a hundred of Gryphon Imperial guards enter the place with various weapons powered by mysterious purple crystals from the depths.
Zeerox: This is what happens when you believe in a self-fulfilling prophecy, I always come out on top! And now, you will DIE!
Zeerox raises his battle ax to brutally kill Neyla but before he is able to do so, Nero quickly grabs a spear from one of the guards and throws it across the hall. The spear's head impales Zeerox's back which makes him drop the ax and start falling towards Neyla who manages to roll away and avoid getting crushed by the giant. Zeerox falls on his knees with the spear's glowing purple head stuck deep inside his back. The mysterious substance the spear is powered with takes effect and makes Zeerox's body glow all purple and emit beams all across the hall as he accepts his ultimate defeat by stretching his arms wide, looking up at the ceiling as his eyes turn into purple void.
Zeerox: I...AM...FREE!!!
Loud terrifying groans of pain are heard before his body explodes and leaves purple and blue particles around the explosion zone for a brief amount of time before they disappear along with a bright smoke of the same color. Neyla is seen crawling slowly away, deprived of all her strength before she blacks out. Nero rushes towards her with dozens of Gryphon guards to check up on her.
Nero: Neyla!!! Speak to me!!!
She fell unconscious due to the immense amount of electric and burning damage she received.
Nero kneels and slowly tilts her to see her overall condition. Then he stands up furious...
Nero: Bring in a doctor this instant! Heedless bastards! YOU WERE TAUGHT TO NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN! Look at the result of the dereliction of your duty!
Gryphon Centurion: Sir, we couldn't have possibly predicted this. Zeerox was the core subject of our Project Zeta. We would never ever think he would attempt regicide! His loyalty to our empire and its queen was strong!
Nero: Loyalty you say centurion? Loyalty was just a fleeting character for this creature. I knew we should have never brought it to life. This happened for the very last time! We live in a world where we cannot trust anyone except ourselves! That big green lab rat must have had his mind distorted long before he arrived! Many of you are just beyond credulous. This is where the main problem lies.
Gryphon Centurion: On behalf of every guard responsible for the safety of our queen, we deeply apologize for our failure to prevent this from happening.
Nero: Do not feel sorry, get better!
Medic units rush into the scene to take Neyla away for a medical checkup. Neyla is then taken away from the hall.
Gryphon Centurion: Let's pray for her health. We cannot lose our leader at these times.
Nero: You still have one. Get ready for war. My autocratic leadership will make sure we are on the right track while she begins her recuperation which I hope will be fast.
Gryphon Centurion: Your orders are our commands sir. Everything will be according to your imagination.
Nero: Return to your barracks and let Brutus know that we will begin our conquest by blitzing the Zootopian territory soon like a tidal wave! This shall be the genesis of this armed conflict...
Gryphon Centurion: Your words will be spread sir....
The Gryphon Centurion leaves the hall with his troops while Nero seizes the throne, sitting on it with pride momentarily...