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Chapter 28 - ESCAPE OR END IT HERE

Under the veil of the night, Xai takes the wheel of a bus, leading a convoy of three other buses, all heading toward the island's gates. Above them, a flare in the sky illuminates the darkness. Unbeknownst to the Riders guarding the gates, their attention is fixated on the ongoing chaos at the nearby Rider ship.

As the buses approach the gates, Ezzy emerges alongside Stella, their guns drawn and ready. Quickly they eliminate the distracted Riders guarding the entrance. Rune, bearing his menacing butcher blade, follows suit, hacking through the front gates. Simbad lends his support by picking off a few Riders with well-aimed shots. Their combined efforts allow the group to  control the front gate area, paving the way for their next move.

Amidst the wreckage of the ship, the Riders diligently work to extract any survivors. Among them, Cain emerges, guiding Mikey to join the remnants of his Bull team, a mere dozen strong. With concern on his face, Mikey queries the whereabouts of the rest of their team, but his comrades solemnly shake their heads, revealing that they perished in the explosions.

Fury courses through Mikey as he declares that this is their moment to break free, to seize their long-awaited freedom. His proclamation reverberates through the air, catching the attention of several Donkey and Elephant members nearby. Mikey boldly asserts that the era of the Entertainment System has met its end, and he doesn't hold back, denouncing Volk's son, Henry, as an abomination and dismissing the existence of the Face machine, claiming it no longer serves their interests. This impassioned speech resonates with the other Donkey and Elephant warriors, motivating them to join the cause.

Jarvis and the remaining Riders vehemently oppose this rebellion, asserting that the System will never die. Jarvis issues a chilling order for the Riders to aim their firearms at them, warning that any attempt to escape will result in death. However, the situation takes an unexpected turn as a sniper bullet finds its mark, striking down a Rider near Jarvis. Startled, Jarvis turns to gaze across the lake at the front gates, which have fallen under the control of the Old Berry Town people.

In response to this new threat, Jarvis commands the Riders to return fire at the front gates. With skillful use of his magic, he summons a magical door, pushing several Riders into it. These Riders emerge from a corresponding magical door at the front gates, opening fire and claiming the lives of some of Stella's men. Stella and Ezzy retaliate, taking aim at each magical door that materializes near them.

Jarvis's smile widens as a massive door manifests on the road behind the front gate. A Rider vehicle emerges from it, carrying a payload of deadly explosives. However, before the Rider can trigger the explosion, a sudden, unexpected savior arrives. Michael bursts onto the scene, delivering a powerful kick that sends the vehicle soaring into the sky. It detonates harmlessly in mid-air. Over his earpiece, Michael communicates with Mai, proposing that if she allows him to infiltrate the island, he can put an end to this war once and for all. Mai responds, advising Michael to stand down and focus on the mission, cautioning that they are not yet prepared for a full-scale war.

The remaining warriors launch a fierce assault on the Riders, seizing the opportunity for a rebellion. Among them, Cain directs his attack toward Jarvis, engaging him in combat. Mikey, displaying a formidable strength, incapacitates one of the Riders, taking his keys in the process. With newfound determination, Mikey urges everyone to make a break for the front gates.

A group of survivors hastily makes their way down the lengthy path leading to the front gates, seeking escape from the chaos. Mikey commandeers a Rider's vehicle and works tirelessly to load as many survivors as possible into it. He then takes the wheel and speeds down the path toward the front gates, determined to get the survivors to safety.

However, the pursuing Riders, unwilling to let their captives escape, open fire on the fleeing survivors as they traverse the path. In the nick of time, Michael arrives on the scene, wielding his lightning powers to shield and rescue many of the survivors. With a burst of speed, he propels the vehicle toward the front gates.

Suddenly, a fleet of Rider boats emerges from the island, gliding across the lake's surface. They unleash a barrage of bullets aimed at the front gates. In a dazzling display of his lightning powers, Michael swiftly takes action, obliterating multiple boats with a single, powerful strike.

Back at the confrontation between Jarvis and Cain, Jarvis delivers a relentless beating, forcing Cain into the ground. Holding a pistol to Cain's head, Jarvis is on the verge of delivering a fatal blow. In his final moments, Cain defiantly proclaims that at least the rest of his family is now aligned with the right people, and he boldly declares the end of the Entertainment System. Without hesitation, Jarvis coldly fires two shots into Cain's abdomen. 

In the midst of the chaotic battle within the ship, Megan and Luka skillfully evade a barrage of energy beams unleashed by the Lion's numerous tails. Kiren, armed with his trusty shield, charges forward, using it to deflect the relentless onslaught of energy beams. Amid the fray, Megan, driven by a distant memory from a dream, recites an incantation she had seen in that dream. Channeling her magic, she conjures a fiery fire magic ball and hurls it at the Lion, enveloping it in searing, magical flames.

The Lion frantically spins to extinguish the magical inferno, but it continues to burn fiercely. Luka exploits this momentary vulnerability and slashes open the Lion's side, causing blood to gush forth. Megan, seizing the opportunity, leaps into the air and delivers a powerful blow to the Lion's head, sending it crashing to the ground. While airborne, Megan skillfully avoids energy beams from the Lion's tails, thanks to her magnetic boots.

The Lion retaliates by head-butting Megan, sending her hurtling across the ceiling before she crashes to the ground. The Lion then charges up, forming a colossal energy ball within its gaping maw. Luka employs his magic to leap into the air, thrusting his blade into the energy ball. The resulting explosion propels him back to the ground, but the Lion's head is obliterated in the process. With its headless body, the Lion collapses lifeless.

Henry, who had been fused with the Lion, disengages and approaches Luka, declaring him the winner of the event. He raises Luka's hand triumphantly, promising him substantial rewards and powers. As Henry places his hand on Luka's chest, a stream of purple drugs flows from his fingertips into Luka's body, causing him to scream in agony. Volk arrives at the scene, expressing their shared dreams and ambitions to achieve greatness with this newfound power. Kiren takes advantage of the situation and retrieves an unconscious Agustin from the decapitated Lion, deeply concerned about what experiments were conducted on him.

Before he can reach Megan who is also unconscious, Volk intercepts him and orders him to release the "test subject." Kiren demands answers about what was done to Agustin. Henry reveals that Agustin was used as a test subject to enhance humanity, but Kiren objects, stating that turning Agustin into a monster is not an improvement. Volk takes out his chainsaw blade, pointing it menacingly at Kiren. Their weapons clash, with Kiren using his shield to block Volk's attacks. Kiren attempts to counter, but Volk swiftly evades. With a press of a button, Volk's chainsaw emits a fiery fire blast, which Kiren narrowly manages to block with his shield. Volk employs his magical abilities to traverse a magic door, appearing behind Kiren but before slashing Kiren's back.

  A powerful bolt of lightning strikes Volk, sending him flying. Kiren turns to find Michael, who speaks into his earpiece, openly defies Mai's orders and vows to end the conflict without Adam's assistance. Henry rushes to his father Volk, who sustains a severe chest wound. Henry gazes into his father's chest cavity, where his still-beating heart is visible, and he is overcome with grief. Rudda, awakened from her slumber in the mansion, crashes through the roof of the mansion and crashes into the Rider's ship. She then witnesses Volk's dire condition, shedding tears of despair.

Rudda immediately channels her healing magic onto Volk's injured chest, her focus unwavering as she endeavors to mend his wounds. Meanwhile, Henry, seething with anger, strides purposefully toward Michael, who stands resolute. Michael declares his intent to prove everyone wrong, prompting Henry to retort that Michael has harmed his father.

With a wave of his hand, Henry summons a dozen monstrous rats that emerge from his fingertips. These creatures quickly transform into enormous, menacing rat-like monsters. Michael, engulfed in a shimmering aura of lightning-infused magic, proceeds to dispatch each rat with a single, precise strike. Henry, tears streaming down his face, agonizes over the loss of his rats, crying out in anguish.

Suddenly, Henry lets out a piercing scream as an immense seagull, thousands of times larger than normal, effortlessly tears open the ship from the outside with its formidable beak, launching a ferocious attack aimed at Michael. In response, Michael is cloaked in a vibrant maelstrom of lightning-infused magic manages to extricate Kiren, Agustin, and Megan from the ship, heading towards the front gates. However, their escape is abruptly halted when the monster seagull flaps its enormous wings, generating a powerful gust of wind that propels all of them into the nearby lake. As they plunge into the water, Kiren immediately swims toward Agustin and Megan, while Michael, despite his attempts to swim toward them, is ensnared by the seagull's formidable claw.

The monster seagull hurls Michael high into the air and readies its massive beak to devour him alive. In a desperate move, Michael harnesses his lightning powers and propels a bolt of electricity directly into the seagull's gaping maw, causing it to convulse in severe shock. Seizing the opportunity, Michael forcefully kicks the incapacitated seagull downward, sending it crashing into the far side of the lake with an electrifying impact. The water around the fallen creature crackles with residual electricity, rendering it temporarily unconscious.

Emerging from the water, Michael finds himself getting crushed by a giant fist from a monkey-like monster who is also thousands of times larger than normal. Despite his injuries, Michael swiftly regains his footing and realizes that Henry is controlling these monstrous entities. Determined to confront Henry, he skillfully evades a series of attacks from the monster monkey and dashes back towards the broken remains of the ship. Channeling a substantial surge of lightning magic into his feet, Michael delivers a powerful chest-high kick to Henry, propelling him through the air and crashing onto the island.

The Monkey monster lunges forward, swinging wildly at Michael. Michael adeptly evades each strike, realizing that time is running out, as his electrical energy is depleting rapidly. Suddenly, the Monkey halts its attack midway. Perplexed by this, Michael turns his attention to the Monkey, which is now shedding tears. Recognizing an opportunity, Michael seizes it and dashes toward Henry. Approaching Henry, he grabs him by the neck and delivers a powerful electrical shock, causing Henry to scream in agony. However, in an unexpected twist, Michael is suddenly struck from behind by a large needle, sending him hurtling into a nearby tree. As he grapples with the pain, Michael realizes that the needle is connected to a string, which is now pulling him toward Rudda. In a swift and coordinated assault, Rudda launches multiple attacks with her needle blade from various angles, slashing at Michael.

Michael responds by generating an electrical charge around him, using it to repel Rudda and create some distance. He attempts a lightning-fast kick, but Rudda manages to evade and counters by thrusting her needle blade into Michael's stomach. With a surge of magic, she forces him backward, impaling him against a tree. Michael's grim realization dawns as more needle blades, each connected by strings, materialize and pierce his body. The relentless assault ultimately results in the destruction of Michael's heart, leaving him in a state of panic, drained of lightning magic, and teetering on the brink of death. Rudda then positions herself in front of Michael, conjuring a massive pair of scissors and preparing to sever his head from his body. However, in a sudden turn of events, Michael vanishes in a burst of lightning magic.

In the meantime, Kiren manages to bring Agustin and Megan to the shore. As Megan regains consciousness, she hears approaching footsteps. Although Kiren is exhausted, he stands ready to face the oncoming Riders. Megan summons her staff and urgently urges Kiren to take Agustin and escape from the island. Kiren initially refuses, stating that a Hero never abandons their family. However, Megan firmly insists that if he doesn't leave now, they are all in grave danger. Kiren gazes at the still-unconscious Agustin, unable to decide. Megan reassures him that she will be fine and charges toward the Riders, who open fire on her. Megan skillfully evades the bullets and incapacitates several Riders. With a heavy heart and tears in his eyes, Kiren lifts Agustin and races down the long road toward the front gates, knowing he has left Megan behind.

Megan is then knocked down by Jarvis, who proclaims her as his prey to the other Riders. Jarvis then expresses his longstanding fascination with Megan, singling her out as the only warrior with a pretty face. Megan pays little attention to his words and instead takes action, launching the top half of her staff at Jarvis. However, he uses his magic to redirect the staff into a magical door. Megan attempts to cast a fireball spell, but her exhaustion from the previous battles overwhelms her, causing her to collapse onto her knees. Jarvis, seizing the opportunity, moves closer to her and even licks her face in a disturbing manner. He declares his intent to do as he pleases with Megan.

Suddenly, a voice breaks the tension. It's Luka's voice. Luka orders Jarvis to release his  horse champion(Megan). Jarvis turns around to see Luka accompanied by 30 other Horse warriors. Luka emphasizes that the Horse clan still requires Megan, and they won't relinquish her. Jarvis smirks and suggests that Luka is fortunate to be friends with Volk. As Luka approaches Megan to help her up, she notices a change in his eyes.

The Old Berry Team manages to make their getaway on buses stationed. Mikey embraces Kiren with joy at the sight of his friend being alive. However, Kiren inquires about Cain and the rest of their comrades. Mikey's eyes well up with tears, and as Kiren glances back at the island, he is filled with the somber realization that their escape came at a great cost, leaving them with heavy losses. Ezzy steps forward and embraces Kiren, reassuring him not to dwell on their fallen comrades as their deaths will not be in vain. 

In Mai's chamber, Michael lies on the floor, his chest riddled with numerous wounds. Mai offers him a bottle of blood to aid in his healing and remarks that she should have intervened earlier. She mentions that she kept faith in Michael, which is why she allowed him to continue fighting. Michael gazes at the table, noticing the small lightning bolt token he had given Mai, which she used to save him. Reflecting on this, Mai admits that even she held onto some hope for Michael's success, but now there's a lesson to be learned. Michael expresses his apologies and acknowledges that Mai was indeed correct that they cannot win the war without Adam.