Shortly after, Blaze and the team, The Tip of The Shuriken, arrived at the lair of the Nine-Headed Hydra.
"Hey... is it still far?" Ark asked Blaze, who was holding a map to guide them to the Nine-Headed Hydra's lair.
"Yes... just a little bit more... I think," Blaze replied.
"Give me the map!" Misa demanded, taking the map from Blaze's hands.
"Hmmmm... looks like we're on the wrong path," Misa said.
"Really?" Ark asked.
"Yes, the map shows we should have turned left after exiting the city, heading west," Misa explained.
"Blaze! Don't you know the directions?" Ark asked.
"I know," Blaze answered.
"Really?" Ark responded skeptically.
"Then show me where east is," Ark challenged Blaze.
"Hm... It's over there," Blaze pointed.
"That's west," Ark corrected.
"Hm... ha... It must be over there," Blaze said.
"That's north," Ark replied.
"Turns out, even though you look strong, you're also clueless about directions," Ark said to Blaze.
"Hehehe... That's because no one ever taught me that," Blaze responded with a laugh.
"Did you never go to school?" Lisa Ririsa asked.
"Yeah, I've been an orphan since I was a baby. I never saw my parents' faces. I was raised by my grandmother. She told me my parents died when I was just two months old," Blaze explained.
"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss, Blaze," the Ririsa sisters said sympathetically.
"It's okay, actually, I'm proud of my parents," Blaze said.
"Really? What makes you proud of them when you've never even seen them?" Ark asked Blaze.
"My grandmother told me about them. My father was a great adventurer, but he died defending the country of Ra during the invasion of the Dark Nation, and my mother passed away two hours after giving birth to me. My grandmother said my father was very handsome and my mother was as beautiful as the moonlight," Blaze said as he recalled his parents.
"Wow... Your grandmother seems to know everything. By the way, where is she? I'd love to meet her," Lisa Ririsa said.
"My grandmother passed away two years ago from a heart attack," Blaze answered.
"Your fate is really harsh, Blaze. I'm sorry," Ark said.
"It's fine, because I know that crying over my fate won't change anything. I've accepted my destiny," Blaze said.
"You have a strong mind, Blaze," Ark said.
"Let's turn left now, there's a ravine up ahead. We'll go through it," Lisa suggested.
Eventually, they arrived at the Nine-Headed Hydra's lair, which was located inside a cave.
"This must be the Nine-Headed Hydra's lair," Lisa said.
"Hm... Given the size of the cave, this definitely seems like the right place," Ark agreed.
"If this really is the Hydra's lair, why don't we just go in and defeat it?" Blaze said enthusiastically.
"Wait! Don't be reckless, Blaze. We don't know what kind of traps the Hydra has prepared for intruders. It likely has strategies or traps set to fight or kill anyone who comes. We need to be cautious... Let's wait for it to come out of its lair and then attack," Ark advised.
"Ark's right, Blaze. We need a plan," Misa added.
"Hm... Alright, what's the plan?" Blaze asked.
"The Ririsa sisters will attack its four legs," Ark instructed.
"Understood," Lisa and Misa replied.
"I'll attack and try to decapitate the Hydra, and Blaze, you'll need to burn the stump of the head I cut off," Ark said.
"Okay," Blaze agreed.
"Alright, we're all set. Now, let's wait," Ark said.
The Hydra eventually emerged from its lair, and Ark and the others prepared to attack.
"Alright, the Hydra is out of its lair. Time to execute the plan," Ark said.
"Got it," the other members of The Tip of The Shuriken responded.
The Ririsa sisters began attacking the Hydra's four legs.
"Lisa! Attack its two back legs!" Misa shouted.
"Alright, I'll attack its two front legs," Lisa replied.
Everything was going smoothly until the Hydra retaliated.
"Hah... This is easy, isn't it, sister?" Lisa said to Misa.
"Lisa, watch out?!" Misa yelled.
The Hydra attacked Lisa with its tail, sending her flying far away, where she crashed into a large rock, causing her head to bleed and her spine to break from the impact. Witnessing this, Misa Ririsa rushed to her injured sister's side, halting her own attack.
"Lisa?! Wake up, please!" Misa cried as she held her unconscious sister's face.
"We have to help them, Ark!" Blaze said.
"Hm... alright, let's move and save them!" Ark said.
"Time to act!" Blaze declared.
They rushed to rescue the Ririsa sisters from the Nine-Headed Hydra.
The Hydra began attacking Ark and Blaze as they got closer to the Ririsa sisters, spewing fire toward them.
"Blaze, watch out!" Ark warned.
"Whoops... that was close," Blaze replied.
"We have to be careful too," Ark said.
"Hm... you're right," Blaze agreed.
The Hydra then launched another attack, this time with all nine of its heads, creating a massive firestorm.
Blaze managed to hide behind a large boulder, but Ark, with his massive frame, was too slow to take cover in time. The fire struck him, and he was burned to a crisp right in front of Blaze.
"Ark...?!" Blaze screamed.
Blaze rushed over to Ark, who had been incinerated by the Hydra's flames.
"Ark...? Ark...?! Wake up...?! " Blaze desperately tried to rouse him, but Ark was already dead.
Seeing Ark's lifeless body made Blaze feel disappointed in himself, blaming himself for not being able to save his team.
"Damn it! Once again, I couldn't save my friends," Blaze said, hitting the ground in frustration.
But then Blaze realized there was still a chance to save the Ririsa sisters.
Suddenly, the Hydra attacked again, this time killing both of the Ririsa sisters before Blaze's eyes, leaving him to witness the death of his friends for the second time.
"Misa...? Lisa...?!" Blaze cried.
Blaze's fury soared as the Hydra killed his teammates, causing his elemental fire power to surge dramatically. He prepared to strike the Hydra with all his might.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" Blaze shouted, unleashing his Black Fireball (a massive black fireball) toward the Hydra.
[Note: The Black Fireball is Blaze's strongest attack, the most dangerous and hottest form of elemental fire.]
Blaze launched the Black Fireball, completely engulfing the Hydra in flames. The fire was so intense that it couldn't be separated until the Hydra was reduced to nothing but ash.
Blaze defeated the Nine-Headed Hydra, but his teammates were all dead, and the Hydra's remains were reduced to dust. As a result, Blaze had nothing to claim from the mission. All he had left were the memories of his fallen comrades, Ark and the Ririsa sisters, whose deaths weighed heavily on him.