The streets were overrun by chaos and suffering; there were dead and wounded everywhere. Fire and destruction spread to every corner of the city, as if it had been bombed by military planes, reminiscent of the coup d'état of 1955. The city's sound grew increasingly dreadful; screams of agony echoed throughout, as if no one could stop them. Desza's laughter grew louder, and so did the hatred of those pursuing him; now it was clear that Desza didn't need a prison but to be eliminated with a painful and revolting death. There was no longer a reason to turn the other cheek.
Candado and the duo managed to track down Desza in an old textile factory. Their faces were injected with rage, except for Candado's, who seemed like a tragic hero. Everything seemed so normal and painful that it wasn't worth showing guilt for it.
"BASTARD!" shouted Rozkiewicz, filled with rage.
"YOU'RE A CANCER TO SOCIETY!" yelled Krauser, partially revealing his eye sockets.
"You've caused too much harm, Desza. It's time for you to pay for it."
Desza exploded into laughter, but it was a sick and deranged laugh.
"The world is cruel, dirty, evil, and hypocritical. It doesn't need heroes like you; it needs to be punished by the same evil," he said, then looked at Candado. "I know you agree with me. Your eyes are dead and tell me you've seen too many injustices. Why fight with me when your enemies are yourselves?"
Candado drew his facón and, with a cold and emotionless attitude, said, "I would never join a mentally deranged person."
On the other side of the situation, Jørgen was locked in a fierce battle with Declan and Anzor. Their swords were no match for their steel arms.
"Surrender, you'll never best me," said Anzor.
"We'll see about that."
Jørgen rushed towards him and grabbed his arm, but Anzor punched him in the face. Still, Jørgen didn't let go and responded with a knee to the chest. Then, Declan intervened with his fencing; his speed was magnificent. However, Jørgen used his quickness and grabbed him by the neck, starting to deliver punches at an incredible speed. Declan did his best to fend off the blows. In that moment, Anzor charged towards him with his sword, and Jørgen, sensing him approach, threw Declan's body at him.
"You're weaklings."
As he helped his friend to his feet, Anzor said, "Never underestimate a Russian; you never know the extent of their power."
Then, their eyes glowed, Anzor's turning red, while Declan's shone green.
"Ready, brother?"
"Anytime," Declan replied with a smile.
Both stood up and prepared their swords. Suddenly, creatures emerged from their backs, from the waist upwards. Anzor's was red, muscular, with four arms, each holding a sword. It had a third eye on its forehead, a black mustache, white eyes, and gave the impression of being an old man. Declan's was green, muscular, with two arms, bald, and with bull-like horns. Its eyes were blue, it wore gold bracelets on its wrists, and held two katana swords with chains connected to its weapon.
"Heavens, this will be difficult."
"You'll see the true power of the Russian Confederation."
"I doubt it," Jørgen said as he extended the blade of his right arm.
Both rushed towards him at an incredible speed, making it difficult for Jørgen to see them. Anzor appeared behind him, and the four-sword creature descended with all its might. Jørgen barely managed to defend himself and stop it with his two arms turned into blades. Then, Declan attacked from Jørgen's back. Jørgen noticed and kicked him, but the creature dropped its weapons and grabbed his leg. It then lifted him into the air and threw him to the ground. Anzor tried to chain him, but Jørgen recovered quickly and jumped high enough to be above their heads. He decided to attack the one that would make his life easier, choosing Anzor. He descended with all his might, hitting the creature on the head and neck with his legs. Anzor thrust his sword into Jørgen's thigh, who, far from feeling pain, broke free and with the same injured foot, delivered a tremendous blow to Anzor's back.
Later, Declan attacked with impressive speed, making it difficult for Jørgen to dodge. Rips appeared in his clothes, but at one point, Jørgen took Declan's arm and fractured it with a strong blow to the elbow, causing a cry of pain. With that suffering, his creature reacted and attacked him twice as fast, but Jørgen kicked him in the chin and then punched him in the chest. Declan, far from giving up and still in pain, drew his second sword and tried to thrust it into Jørgen's chest. Jørgen realized and kicked his arm, making him drop the sword. Then, he grabbed him by the neck, punched him, and pushed him away.
"You said you'd give me what I deserved?" Jørgen asked with his cold demeanor.
"DECLAN! IT'S TIME TO PLAY!"
Both stood up, and their bodies shone again. Their creatures began to heal their owners; Declan's arm healed, and Anzor's wounds did too.
"It's time for punishment," Declan said as he prepared his fencing stance.
Anzor was the first to attack; his speed allowed him to tear Jørgen's back. Then, he attempted to strike a fatal blow with his blades, but Declan stopped him with his fencing and delivered a strong blow with his head. His creature grabbed Anzor by the neck and slammed him to the ground, causing Jørgen to spit out blood.
"SUFFER THE WRATH OF HARAMBEE!" Declan shouted as he continued to strike on the ground.
As the fight between these three continued, Walter, Sofia, and Frederick engaged in a fierce battle with Rŭsseŭs, Azricam, and Guz.
"You cursed bitch," Sofia said to Rŭsseŭs.
"Accept it, your flowers and little animals won't stand a chance against my lava and fire."
"Rŭsseŭs, don't behave like a child, fight seriously."
"Sourpuss."
"LISTEN! Surrender, there's no reason to fight. We have nothing against you. Just leave and never fight with us again," Guz said.
"NEVER!" Walter shouted. "Do you think we'll just pack up and leave like that? You're mistaken. We're not cowards. And what's with not fighting because you don't know us? You didn't know anyone who attacked that day. You're damn murderers and hypocrites, and I won't stop until I finish each one of you."
"You're so closed-minded and stupid, you believe so much in Harambee, someone who hasn't done anything for you, but you've done for her," Azricam retorted.
"You're wrong about that, beauty. Harambee freed us from people like you, and if there was a way to bring her back to life, then I would give anything, even my life," Frederick said.
"Just because she's beautiful," Sofia added.
"Well, that would be 80% of my objective, but the rest is out of conviction (liar)," he said.
"Shut up, I think diplomacy didn't work, Guz," said Walter.
"It's a shame things have come to this point. It's sad to spill magical blood," Guz replied.
"Hypocrite," Walter muttered.
Words didn't work; both sides were steadfast in their ideologies. Things only worsened. In the midst of the destroyed streets, these three fronts unleashed their greatest hatred.
Rŭsseŭs was the first to attack, clearly targeting Sofia. The concentrations of her vengeance grew stronger; each of them wanted to destroy the other.
Walter took the initiative to drive Azricam forward through the buildings, slamming him against any structure he found, keeping him away from his comrades.
Frederick decided to confront Guz, who had no better idea than to provide assistance to Sofia by fighting alongside her.
"It's time to end this trash," Frederick declared.
Guz, with his hand behind his back, signaled for him to come. Frederick took it as a challenge and accepted, running towards him. And Guz, with his hands behind his back, summoned one of his tentacles, but Frederick turned invisible, causing them to miss and allowing his enemy to punch him from behind. However, Guz caught him with his left hand, while the other remained behind his back.
"Not bad."
"Well, let me show you more."
Frederick freed himself from Guz's grip and disappeared again. To protect himself from such an elusive fighter as Frederick, Guz summoned a small circle of strange shadows in the shape of arms, with himself in the middle.
"Brilliant, but it won't do you any good."
Then, Frederick appeared above his head, and before he could do anything to defend himself, Frederick called his dogs and they attacked him. Then, he fell into the middle of the circle and kicked him in the chest. Afterward, he clapped, and his animals dispersed.
Guz, who was slammed against the wall of a store, stood up and adjusted his mask.
"I see you're quite skilled, despite your demeanor saying otherwise."
"Feel the might of Frederick Fliipoff."
Guz drew two green tentacles from his back and used them as additional limbs to fight.
"Here it comes," Frederick joked.
Then, he disappeared again and repeated his tactic. But Guz was smart; he made sure he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. So, using his powerful tentacles from his back, he soared into the air, keeping both hands behind his back as if he were a professional.
"Let's see how far your specialty goes."
Frederick reappeared, sporting a mischievous grin.
"Too easy."
Then, he hopped onto a car nearby, punched where the keys went, and the car started. Afterward, he drove at an incredible speed towards Guz's tentacles. Guz, realizing too late what he was about to do, couldn't prevent Frederick from crashing into his means of standing in the air, causing him to fall onto a nearby building.
Since Frederick didn't know how to stop the car, he abandoned it and jumped to the side of the road. Then, he watched as the car headed towards Guz, who was recovering from the fall, and ultimately crashed into him.
"I'M A CHAMPION!" Frederick yelled.
On the other hand, Sofia was fighting Rŭsseŭs. Although it seemed like she suffered from mental imbalance, it was only her mocking nature.
Fire and lava were everywhere, so Rŭsseŭs had all the advantage. Sofia was in an area where nothing favored her; there were hardly any trees, grass, or herbs, so she found it very difficult. She had to get creative, but even without nature, she realized she had the same abilities as Rŭsseŭs, as she controlled fire and lava, surprising her rival. Rŭsseŭs showed her power by throwing all the lava she had around her.
"It's impossible, you're supposed to control nature."
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ChatGPT
"No, I didn't lie; I control nature. Fire and lava are part of nature, they're just natural disasters," Sofia replied.
Sofia smiled and used lava as armor. Her staff had become more than just branches; it had transformed into diamond.
"It's time for revenge."
Sofia ran towards her and took care of returning all the blows she had received that day in Resistencia. Her powers and abilities had improved greatly that day. Rŭsseŭs had transformed her fists into limestone and proceeded to strike with them, but Sofia dodged them. Finally, Rŭsseŭs grabbed her by the right arm and threw her aside with all her might. However, being a professional, Rŭsseŭs burned the ground with lava coming from the soles of her feet. She submerged herself in them and emerged from the other end. Sofia distanced herself from her and struck her in the chest, but Rŭsseŭs stopped it and, with a smile, tossed her into the air. After spinning her around for a while, she sent her flying towards one of the nearby houses. Sofia extinguished the lava from her body and transformed into stone, and her staff changed shape, no longer diamond but now metal.
"You've improved a lot, girl," Rŭsseŭs said as she created a dripping sphere of lava.
In response, Sofia threw her staff at her, but Rŭsseŭs dodged it. When she turned around, Sofia was no longer there. Then, she heard a faint whisper in her left ear.
"Behind you."
Startled by the message, Rŭsseŭs turned around and blindly unleashed her powers, burning everything in her path. She stopped upon colliding with a truck nearby, completely wrecking it. Rŭsseŭs's breathing was rapid; she had never experienced something like that before. Then, she turned and received a surprise blow from Sofia with the staff that had flown earlier.
"Surprise."
Rŭsseŭs was outraged, and her body began to harden; her eyes turned black, and a white substance akin to blood oozed from her sockets.
"It's time to end this nonsense."
Sofia pushed her and distanced herself from her as much as possible. Then, she assumed a stance while striking the ground with her staff more than three times.
"The song of nature will fall upon you."
Things were getting very dangerous between the two of them. Frederick realized it wouldn't be a safe place if they unleashed all their powers and, like Guz, who had emerged from the rubble, they fled from there to fight elsewhere.
On the other hand, Walter and Azricam were venting their hatred with blows, Azricam's bizarre white armor against Walter's "armor" made of a cactus.
"Beast, animal, killer, you don't deserve that armor."
"Then take it off," he said, drawing a sword from his waist and pointing it at him. "Come closer and take it off my body."
Walter grimaced in disgust and shot him with thorns from the palms of his hands. But it was useless; his thorns couldn't penetrate the tough shell of that armor.
"Cry, little rabbit," Azricam taunted.
"You're bad with witty remarks."
"That's because I'm not made for that."
"Neither am I."
Then, he stretched out his arms and struck him in the chest. Azricam managed to partially stop that lethal attack, but he could still fight. He stood up, drew a second sword from his back, and began spinning on his own axis at an incredible speed that not even Walter Dussek himself could see.
"Oh, damn," Walter said as he reinforced his armor with spikes everywhere, but these were stronger, larger, and harder.
"DIE!"
"No."
Walter ran towards the threatening storm. Then he jumped and landed on the other side, turned around, and showed his fists, sharp with thorns, and threw them from his knuckles. However, these were very tough and heavy; they served to stop that deadly whirlwind by hitting him in the chest and thigh. This caused it to explode and fly through the air, crashing onto the asphalt. The friction of the methane emitted by the whirlwind, along with the metal spikes, caused a chemical reaction that ended with an imminent explosion, but not strong enough to kill Azricam.
"Did I do that?" Walter wondered as he looked at his hand.
Then, he jumped from the burning building to where his enemy lay on the ground, unconscious.
"I think it's all over."
Azricam opened his eyes and grabbed Walter's feet. Then, he thrust his sword into Walter's chest, but to his surprise, he stopped it with both hands, his palms bleeding.
"That was close, little one."
Walter emerged from his armor the same way he did with Joel and approached him. Then, he took him by the hands and delivered a deadly headbutt. His head took a hard blow indeed, but not as much as his opponent suffered.
"Do you have a head of stone or what?" he asked as he held his helmet.
Seeing that Walter had a titanium strip on his forehead, Azricam was surprised and fell silent.
"Not only cactus is my forte."
Azricam stood up and looked at him closely.
"Who are you?"
"Find out."
There was a secret that the boy known as Walter Dussek hid, but it wouldn't be revealed that day.
But not all were fighting outside. Leandro, Celeste, and Fiore found themselves battling within an abandoned hotel due to the recent explosive attacks. The trio was pursuing Dockly, who had been spotted on the rooftop attempting to shoot Candado in the head. His rifle was obliterated by a precise shot from Celeste's magnum, without the aid of a telescopic sight, from over thirty meters away.
Upon being discovered, Dockly sought refuge inside the building to regroup, as three individuals were hot on his trail, one of whom he particularly wished to avoid: Leandro Maidana from Pøchclámak, with whom he had numerous conflicts and disagreements. The reason for his flight remained a mystery.
The trio entered an area resembling a dining room, large and disheveled from the explosions outside. Leandro began to scan the surroundings, aware that they were being watched.
"Oh, darn," exclaimed Walter as he reinforced his armor with spikes, which were now stronger, larger, and tougher.
"Die!" shouted his adversary.
"Not today."
Walter charged towards the whirlwind threatening to engulf him, leaped across, and landed on the other side. He then displayed his fists, sharpened with spikes, and hurled them from his knuckles. Though the spikes were tough and heavy, they succeeded in halting the deadly whirlwind by striking it in the chest and thigh, causing it to explode and fly through the air before crashing onto the asphalt. The friction from the methane emitted by the whirlwind, coupled with the metal spikes, triggered a chemical reaction that resulted in an imminent explosion, yet not potent enough to kill Azricam.
"Did I do that?" Walter wondered aloud, inspecting his hand.
He then leaped from the flaming building, landing near his unconscious foe.
"I think it's over," he said.
Azricam opened his eyes and seized Walter's feet, attempting to impale him with his sword. To his surprise, Walter halted the blade with both hands, preventing it from piercing his chest, albeit at the cost of bleeding palms.
"That was close, little man," Walter remarked.
He emerged from his armor, much like he had done with Joel, and approached Azricam, seizing his hands and delivering a fatal headbutt. While Azricam's head received a harsh blow, it was not as severe as the one his opponent suffered.
"Do you have a head of stone or something?" Walter quipped, holding his helmet.
Upon noticing the titanium strip on Walter's forehead, Azricam was taken aback and fell silent.
"It's not just the cactus that's my strength," Walter declared.
Azricam rose to his feet and regarded him intently.
"Who are you?" he inquired.
"Find out," Walter replied cryptically.
There was a secret hidden within the young man known as Walter Dussek, but it would not be revealed on that day.
But not everyone was fighting outside. Leandro, Celeste, and Fiore found themselves engaged in battle inside an abandoned hotel, owing to the recent explosive attacks. The trio was in pursuit of Dockly, who had been spotted on the rooftop attempting to shoot Candado in the head. His rifle was destroyed by a precise shot from Celeste's magnum, without the use of a telescopic sight, hitting him from over thirty meters away.
Upon being discovered, Dockly sought refuge inside the nearest building to regroup, as three individuals were chasing him, one of whom he particularly wished to avoid: Leandro Maidana from Pøchclámak, with whom he had many differences and conflicts. The reason for his flight remained a mystery.
The trio reached an area that appeared to be the dining hall, quite spacious and disordered from the explosions outside. Leandro began to search his surroundings, realizing they were being observed.
"Cele."
"Yes, I know," she said as she drew her weapons.
"What do they know?" Fiore inquired.
"The enemy is close, and I'd prefer you didn't use your explosive skills for this occasion," Leandro said.
"Why?"
"The building would collapse on us," Celeste concluded.
And from the darkness, standing on a chandelier, he aimed his Winchester shotgun. His skill was incredibly remarkable; he moved so cautiously that the chandelier remained still and made no noise. He was quite professional, but his luck didn't last long. When he released the safety of his gun, it made a small and insignificant noise, but it reached Leandro's ears.
"Up!" Celeste turned around and fired into the air, albeit not paying attention to her target, not to mention it was dark, but the bullets startled Dockly, causing him to lose his balance and fall from where he was standing, ending up on the floor.
"It's time to kill," he said as he aimed his Winchester at them.
"Dockly, my friend, I think you've changed quite a bit since the last time we met."
"Yes, the mission at the subjugated house. Do you remember?"
"How could I forget?"
"You saw what the guild members were doing."
"They weren't guild members."
"I trusted Harambee, and she betrayed me."
"... "
"You're a filthy corrupt man." Leandro raised his hands and threw his knife. "Come on, I don't want to hurt you; we've been friends for a long time."
"We're not anymore," he replied, releasing the gun's safety again. And just as he was about to shoot, Leandro turned invisible and shouted.
"Now!" Dockly aimed at Celeste and fired, but she ducked behind a table. Then Fiore, armed with a pickaxe, ran towards him and disarmed him. Leandro then reappeared behind Dockly and grabbed his arms.
"You're under arrest."
"I think you should take off that crappy ski mask, you're not fooling anyone."
"Come on, I think it's time for you to surrender." Dockly chuckled.
"I'll never do that." Then he broke free and tried to strike, but Leandro blocked all his attacks with his left hand.
"You always sucked at hand-to-hand combat." Celeste emerged and began shooting, but Dockly grabbed his Winchester and started firing back, but none of the bullets hit her.
Fiore was also skilled in hand-to-hand combat, making it difficult for Dockly to keep him at bay. However, everything changed when Dockly pulled out two grenades from his pocket and threw them into the air, then ran and hid in another room.
"DOWN!" Celeste shouted.
But Fiore reacted quickly, intercepting both grenades in the air and throwing them out of a nearby window, thus averting the deadly explosion and potential damage. When the grenades exploded, only a few glass fragments shattered.
"SEARCH FOR HIM!" Leandro ordered.
Although Dockly had momentarily escaped, he still longed to fight his former friend.
As conflicts erupted everywhere, Candado's team, led by Héctor, tended to the wounded and faced strange stone lackeys of unknown origin. Carolina was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Chesulloth. With the help of Clementina, the android's deadly machine gun, the situation became complicated. Carolina, accustomed to training with Candado in recent months, showed outstanding combat skills and was doing quite well so far.
Meanwhile, Kevin, Martina, Andersson, and Hammya encountered the Wandering siblings and Isabel. One of them seemed quite pleased to see Hammya.
"I see we meet again, green-haired girl."
"YOU'RE THAT CRAZY WOMAN!" she shouted while hiding behind Martina.
"Do you two already know each other?"
"She tried to kill me a few months ago, she's insane."
"I see you've shown your true nature, haven't you, Jane?"
"Shut up, Isabel, remember the enemy is ahead."
"I don't know how they know each other, but to me, this will be brilliant," commented Andersson.
"Whatever the Russian said."
"For the last time, Kevin, I'm Swedish."
"Attack!" he said, ignoring Andersson.
Kevin went after Joel, while Andersson stayed to protect Hammya, who wasn't very skilled in these situations. Martina approached Jane, who, in the eyes of others, seemed quite reckless.
"Don't stray too far from me, Miss Hammya."
"I can handle this on my own."
"No, seriously, don't stray too far from me because Candado explicitly ordered me to protect you."
"He did that for me?"
"Yes, so don't wander off."
Despite feeling touched, Hammya understood that it wasn't the time or place to let those feelings take over. She remained on high alert as Andersson fought against Isabel.
"You're good, for someone from Cerámico."
"I'm made of porcelain," he adjusted his scarf and ran towards her.
Isabel, armed with a small axe, began to attack Andersson. Although not apparent, Andersson was skilled in that type of combat. He allowed her to cut his left arm, then he crouched, kicked her in the abdomen, and pushed her away from him and Hammya.
"Was it worth it?" Isabel asked mockingly.
But she was surprised to see Andersson's arm returning to its place, the pieces reconnecting and healing his wound.
"Yes," he then opened and closed the hand he had lost, "it was worth it."
In the distance, Gabriel watched the fight from a building, stepping on the back of a dead individual. Behind him, thousands of corpses and blood stretched out everywhere.
"Clear," Gabriel said, removing his hat.
One of the bodies moved, still alive. He pulled out a weapon from his pocket and aimed it. Gabriel, entertained and with his back turned, commented:
"That's rude," he whispered into the individual's ear, just before plunging his hand into his back and ripping out his heart.
Gabriel observed it and then threw it away.
"My job is done," Gabriela said as she left the building with her hands in her pockets.
Kevin and Martina faced off against Jane and Joel.
"They're weak," Jane said.
To which Kevin responded by grabbing Jane by the neck and throwing her into the air.
"Oops, sorry for being weak."
Then Joel appeared and wrapped Kevin with some kind of metal thread all over his body, piercing needles into his arm, chest, and legs. Martina intervened, cutting the threads and driving Joel away.
"Damn rat," Kevin said as he pulled out the needles.
Then, Jane appeared with her unsheathed sword and ran towards Kevin, who made cuts all over her body. Kevin grabbed the sword and squeezed it tightly until it shattered.
"I think I broke your toy, heh."
Jane summoned chains from her back and the ground, attacking Kevin. However, he grabbed the chains coming from her back and pulled them strongly towards him. Then he lifted her into the air, spun her around for more than six seconds, and let her go. Jane crashed into a wall, which didn't break, but her back did.
"Who are you?" Jane asked as she got up.
Kevin stood firm, bringing his arm across his chest in a squared position, while the other one was behind his back.
"I'm a unionist," he said proudly.
Suddenly, a chain wrapped around his feet.
"Well, I didn't see that coming."
Then Jane gestured with her hand and tossed him high into the air.
"Kevin!" Martina yelled as she fought Joel.
"Don't worry, I'll go after him," Jane said. Then she pulled out four chains from her back and followed him.
Kevin's body fell into a zoo, in an empty cage, but with water indeed.
"God, that bitch really packs a punch."
Then he stood up and began to walk around until he found an exit. Kevin gave it a push and opened the door, then he explored the area. It was an empty zoo, no animals in sight, or so he thought. He noticed there were at least three animals: a dolphin, a red Madagascar owl with blue eyes, and a baby panda bear, seemingly frightened.
"But what..."
Then he felt something under his foot; he stepped aside and saw a small turtle that hid inside its shell.
"Oops, sorry."
Then he bent down and picked up the turtle, removing the dirt from its shell and peering through the hole where its head was hidden.
"I'm glad you're okay and your shell is tough."
When he said that, the turtle stuck its head and four limbs out to walk on his palm. Kevin smiled.
But that joy didn't last, as Jane appeared and destroyed the entrance door.
"Here you are, beast."
Kevin put the turtle in his pocket and prepared for the attack.
"I see you're a grudge holder, GET READY!"
Jane ran towards him, and with her brute chains emerging from her back, like additional arms, they grabbed Kevin by his legs, but he freed himself by stomping on them. Then, he fled and hid in one of the cages there, where a baby panda was hidden.
Jane searched everywhere for him since she had lost sight of him when Kevin had turned around to hide.
"Come out, friend, or I'll destroy this whole place," she threatened.
The panda growled as she passed by, causing her to turn around and return to where she had heard the sound.
Kevin covered its mouth with both hands and looked around, searching for a way out until he found one of the cage bars out of place. He took the panda under his arm and ran to the other end of the cage, making Jane spot him.
"There you are," she said, then began shooting strange metal bullets from the palms of her hands.
But Kevin dodged them all, continuing to do so until he reached the other end of the bear's cage. He punched it and got out of there, then let go of the panda and gestured for it to move away. At first, it worked, but when he turned around, the panda was hugging him.
"No, no, no, no, let go."
Then he started shaking his leg.
"Let go of me, I'm telling you, leave my leg alone."
But the bear kept holding onto him.
"Black and white furball, let go."
But the more he wasted time trying to get the panda off him, Jane appeared in front of him, destroying a brick wall that separated them.
"Great, problems just keep multiplying."
Kevin grabbed the panda once again and fled the scene.
"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Jane asked as she caressed her chains.
"Hammya was right about saying she's unhinged."
Kevin turned a corner and saw a tree, and upon seeing it, he got an idea and climbed it, then placed the bear on one of the many sturdy branches.
"Now, be a good panda bear and leave me alone."
Kevin climbed down, adjusted his mask, and went after her, and when she saw him, she prepared her chains to strike him.
"It's time for you to die."
But as Kevin ran towards Jane, his fists began to create a sphere of blue and white energy with both hands, and as he approached, the sphere grew and grew, slowly but steadily.
Jane, noticing this, began to laugh and stored her chains back into her back, summoning new ones from the ground to attack him.
"If that's how you want to play, then fine, I won't let you get close to me," she declared.
The chains kept coming, and each of them attacked Kevin, but he audaciously dodged each one of them, getting closer with every move. Then, Jane pulled a chain from her chest and directed it towards him. Kevin panicked and dodged to the side, causing the chain to cut through one of the folds of his mask, which fell to the ground.
Jane laughed at the near miss, believing he was as good as dead and that his magic had vanished, probably due to the fall.
"What do you think now?" she taunted.
Kevin stood up and turned to look her in the eyes, wiping the smile off her face.
"What? A Bailak?"
Before she could react, Kevin ran towards her and struck her with the energy he had been creating moments ago, hitting her squarely in the chest. This caused her to fly through the air and crash into one of the cages, breaking the bars and the wall.
At that moment, Joel, who was fighting Martina on the rooftop of a building, felt a bad omen running from his waist to his head.
"Jane," he said as he struggled with Martina, then looked over his shoulder, "sister."
Then he refocused, pushed her away with all his might, and looked towards the zoo, sensing that his sister was in danger. He then pulled out from his pocket some large needles attached to metal threads and leaped from the building. Armed with these needles, he threw many of them like monkeys swinging on vines.
"JOEL!" shouted Isabel, watching him flee from the battle.
Then she looked at Andersson, who hadn't broken a sweat or dirtied his clothes during the fight.
"I'm sorry I can't keep up with this, a coward just ran away, and I can't handle it alone," she lamented.
"What?"
Isabel slammed her fist on the ground, and strange green smoke emerged out of nowhere.
"She's getting away, follow her," Hammya said.
Andersson, fanning away the smoke with his hand, said, "It seems Kevin is in trouble, we need to follow her," he adjusted his scarf and looked at Martina, "HEY! Your brother is in danger, we need to follow her."
While Andersson and the others followed the Witnesses, something significant was happening in the zoo, perhaps the most important of all.
Kevin picked up his mask and the torn piece, placed it back together, welding it with his finger turned torch, then put it on and walked over to where Jane lay, crossing the cage that had been destroyed by the impact of her body, jumping over the wall, or what was left of it, and reached a dying Jane.
"You... There weren't supposed to be any of you left," said Jane.
"Well, the world isn't what it seems," Kevin replied.
"Why would a race as strong and pure as yours be on the side of the Guilds? They were supposed to have turned their backs on you when they were exterminating you."
"I don't follow the guild."
"But you said..."
"I said I was a guild member, but not one of the W.O.G.A.B., but one of Candado."
"How can you follow him?"
"Because he showed me something I never saw in the guild members, trust."
"You chose the wrong side."
"Time will tell, something you won't see anymore."
"...?"
"You've seen me, as you said, the Bailaks no longer exist, therefore, you must continue to believe that."
"The world is so intriguing."
Kevin transformed his right arm into a sword but, as he was about to kill her, Joel appeared behind him and cut his arm with his threads.
Unfazed by the pain, Kevin turned and tried to kill the person coming after him, but Joel appeared to his right side and beheaded him.
He took his unconscious sister and left. Seconds later, Martina, Andersson, and Hammya arrived, seeing Kevin lying on the ground with his head severed and a huge pool of blood. Hammya and Andersson shed tears at the sight of their dead friend.
"Why are you crying?" Martina asked.
"Aren't you sad? Your brother is gone," Hammya said.
At that moment, Martina picked up Kevin's head and reattached it to his body.
"What are you doing?" Andersson asked.
"Kevin, brother, you were very careless," she said as she reattached the head as if it were a bottle cap.
"Damn, that hurt," Kevin said as he coughed.
"You're alive," Andersson said, overjoyed.
"Yes, I am," Kevin said, then stood up with Martina's help and looked at the duo. "What's up?"
Andersson was surprised, and Hammya fainted, but before she hit the ground, Andersson caught her.
"It seems the girl isn't used to all of this," he remarked.
"Give her time," Andersson said as he tried to help her stand.
At that moment, his arm grew back, and his clothes repaired themselves.
"All right, time to go."
But when Kevin took a step, he felt his leg heavier, then looked down and saw it, the panda bear clinging to his leg.
"You again, don't you have anything else to do?"
At that moment, a red owl perched on Andersson's shoulder.
"What? And who are you?" he asked.
The owl chirped and nestled.
"Well, what can you do? I'll call you Redy," he said, then stroked its head. "I'm happy for you, now help me get this off."
"Why don't you adopt it? Mom said that Bailaks choose their animals, and they choose the Bailaks," Martina suggested.
"Yeah, but I'm not ready," Andersson replied, then began pulling on the bear's hind legs. "Let go of me already."
"Come on, you'll like it," Martina insisted.
Kevin relented, crouched down, and stared at the bear intently. It yawned, but still kept its eyes on him. After a few seconds, the panda's eyes turned sky blue and glowed.
"What did you do?" Martina asked.
"I adopted it."
"With a staring contest?"
"No, what I used is called Línguro, which in our language means friend. It's a magic where we exchange souls and hearts, keeping us united forever."
"Wow," Andersson said, trying to keep Hammya from falling, but after a few taps, she stood up.
"What's happening?" she asked.
"I see you've woken up," Andersson said.
"Kevin, you're alive."
"Of course I'm alive, I'm a Bailak," Kevin said, then turned around. "Right, Martina?... Oh, where did she go?"
At that moment, a noise came from the aquatic area followed by a joyful shout.
"YAY!"
Then Martina appeared with a glowing fish tank and a tiny dolphin.
"Isn't it cute?" she asked.
"What did you do to that dolphin?" Andersson inquired.
"I adopted it, and with my Línguro magic, I made it small enough to fit in here."
"God, everyone has a pet except me," Hammya lamented.
At that moment, Kevin reached into his pocket and pulled out a turtle, then placed it in Hammya's hands.
"Well, now you do," he said.
"HURRAY! I'll call you Lentejuela," she exclaimed.
"Why?" Kevin asked.
"Because it's slow."
"Oh, then I'll name mine Masha," Martina said to her dolphin.
"Great, I'm glad. Can we go now?" Kevin asked.
"What will you name your friend?" Martina asked.
Kevin looked at the panda and said.
"I have no idea."
"Think of a name."
"Alright, I will." He said, then he placed his hand on his head, and after a few minutes, he said, "I'll call him Pochongi."
Everyone laughed at the amusing name he chose.
"What's going on?"
"Pochongi, the panda."
They all burst into laughter once again.
In a moment of tension, they relieved it with laughter and continued laughing as they exited the zoo.