Bayu's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. The metal wasn't just moving—it was responding to him.
His heartbeat quickened. Was this… his power?
Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fist. If the machines would listen, then he would make them fight.
With newfound determination, Bayu reached out his hand. And the metal began to rise.
Hendra rushed toward Yuni, his face full of disbelief. "What are you doing?! Throwing scrap metal at him? Do you really think that'll help?"
Yuni smirked, eyes gleaming with confidence. "You just don't get it, boss," she said casually. "Bayu has absorbed the power of the Aetherium Crystal."
Hendra's eyes widened. "He absorbed it?"
"Yeah! And that junk I threw?" Yuni gestured at the scattered metal, now twitching and shifting on its own. "That's his power now."
A strange sensation coursed through Bayu—a pulse of energy, raw and untamed, flowing like an extension of himself. The scattered metal around him was no longer just lifeless debris. It was waiting. Listening.
His fingers twitched, and the metal stirred in response.
"Is this… my power?" he murmured, barely daring to believe it.
But there was no time to dwell on the revelation.
A furious roar split the air.
"You're not getting away from me!"
Ferris barreled toward him, his steel-forged body moving with terrifying speed, closing the distance in an instant.
Instinct took over.
Bayu raised a hand, and the metal around him moved.
Scrap and broken gears shot forward like a tidal wave, slamming into Ferris with crushing force. The impact sent him skidding backward, his advance halted. The air thrummed as jagged fragments swirled around Bayu, orbiting him like a storm of steel.
He didn't understand how, but he felt it.
"Come together."
The words left his lips like a command.
And the metal obeyed.
Gears locked into place. Plates and machine parts fused, twisting and reshaping in a dance of iron and steam. Pipes lined the sides, hissing as dark vapor seeped into the air. Within seconds, the swirling mass had forged itself into a massive gauntlet, heavy and unyielding, encasing Bayu's right arm like it had always belonged there.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the weight settle over him—not as a burden, but as an extension of his own strength.
His breath came fast, his mind racing.
"What… is this?"
Everyone fell silent, eyes wide in awe. Bayu, still trying to grasp the full extent of his newfound power, barely had time to process it before heavy footsteps approached.
Ferris, recovering from the previous attack, glared at him with fury.
"Don't think a mere gauntlet will let you win!" he sneered.
Bayu had no time to respond. Ferris lunged forward, his fist surging with brute force. Instinct took over—Bayu tightened his stance and threw a punch of his own.
The moment their fists collided, a shockwave erupted from Bayu's gauntlet. A deafening burst of energy sent Ferris flying backward, slamming into the ground like he'd been hit by a speeding train.
Gasps filled the battlefield. Hendra, Yuni, and even the soldiers stopped, stunned. Ferris—the unstoppable iron brute—had been taken down in a single hit.
Bayu stood frozen, his breath uneven. He stared at the gauntlet on his arm, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "How...?" he whispered.
Yuni took a step back, eyes wide. "No way..." she muttered. "Did he just—take down that metal monster in one punch?"
Hendra swallowed hard, his gaze shifting between Bayu and the groaning Ferris struggling to rise. "That… that's the power of a Crystal Abomination," he murmured under his breath. "So he really is one of them…"
Ferris, struggling to his feet, could no longer hide the fire of rage burning in his eyes.
"You...!" he roared, his voice booming with fury. "I won't let you leave here alive!"
Fueled by pure hatred, Ferris charged. His iron fists struck relentlessly, each blow aiming to crush Bayu. But Bayu, now growing accustomed to his gauntlet's power, blocked every attack with precision. He clenched his fist, energy crackling around him, ready to strike back.
"Fall already!" Bayu shouted, determination ringing in his voice.
But just as he prepared to land the final blow, a sharp gunshot split the air.
A bullet struck his gauntlet, jolting him back. He turned, eyes narrowing as he spotted the Shattered Star soldiers taking aim.
"Fire! Don't let him defeat Commander Ferris!" one of them barked.
A hail of bullets rained down on him, forcing Bayu to raise his gauntlet in defense. He gritted his teeth, breath heavy. "Damn it… if only I had a shield!" he muttered.
As if responding to his wish, the gauntlet began to shift. Metal and gears twisted and locked into place, reshaping themselves into a massive shield that covered his entire body.
Bayu's breath hitched. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Did it… hear me?" he whispered.
Bullets continued to ricochet off the shield, the sound of metal clashing against metal echoing through the battlefield. Every second felt like an eternity.
Then, amid the chaos, a stray bullet struck one of the Shattered Star soldiers, sending him crashing to the ground.
Bayu glanced up.
Bagas, rifle lowered, shouted across the battlefield, "Protect Bayu!"
Hendra, hearing the command, wasted no time. "All units, focus fire on the Shattered Star troops! Cover the kid!"
Hendra's forces sprang into action, unleashing a precise counterattack. Gunfire roared as the battlefield turned in their favor, giving Bayu a brief moment to catch his breath.
He exhaled slowly, gripping the shield tightly.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Ferris, seeing the situation turning against him, let out a furious growl.
"Damn it! If they can't finish you, then I'll do it myself!"
The metal pieces that had formed the massive shield in front of Bayu began to tremble, as if called by an unseen force. The iron plates creaked, slowly detaching and floating back toward his arm.
Within seconds, the fragments started to reconnect, moving with mechanical precision like the inner workings of a colossal machine. Piece by piece, the metal wound itself around Bayu's right arm, reforming into a solid gauntlet with the sound of hissing steam escaping from its vents.
Ferris lunged at him.
But this time, Bayu was ready. A newfound confidence surged within him. He read Ferris's movements with ease. Just as the punch was about to land, Bayu ducked, his body flowing like water. Ferris's strike hit nothing but empty air.
Seizing the moment, Bayu clenched his gauntlet, now glowing with power. With all his strength, he launched an uppercut straight into Ferris's chin.
The force of the impact was immense. A surge of energy erupted from the gauntlet, sending Ferris flying backward. He staggered, his body thrown several feet before crashing onto the ground.
Ferris struggled to rise, his face contorted in pain and fury.
"How… How could a failed experiment like you can defeat me?!" he roared, seething with hatred.
"Because…" Bayu muttered, his fists tightening.
"I won't let you—" he continued, as the gauntlet's parameters surged dangerously close to the red zone.
"—hurt anyone ever again!"
Ferris let out a bitter laugh, his rage barely restrained. "Just die already, you failure!" he roared, his voice seething with fury.
Fueled by pure hatred, he lunged at Bayu, determined to finish him off.
But Bayu moved first. He slammed his gauntlet into the ground, using the force to launch himself into the air. As Ferris charged beneath him, Bayu clenched his fist tight, his body twisting midair before he drove his punch downward with all his might.
"You're done!" he snarled.
Ferris barely had time to react. Instinctively, he threw his arms up in a desperate attempt to block, but the gauntlet-powered strike shattered through his defense, slamming straight into his chest.
A sickening crack rang out as Ferris's body was sent crashing into the ground, the impact splitting the earth beneath him. Blood dribbled from his lips, his body motionless.
Bayu landed smoothly, his breath ragged. He looked down at Ferris, his muscles tense, waiting for any sign of movement. But Ferris didn't rise.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, a wave of unease rippled through the remaining Shattered Star soldiers.
Their leader had fallen.
Panic set in.
"Commander Ferris is down! Fall back—now!" one of them shouted.
The battlefield broke into chaos as the remaining forces scrambled to retreat, their confidence shattered.
Bayu exhaled sharply, the tension in his shoulders finally easing as he watched them flee.
"I can't believe I actually—"
His words never finished.
A sharp sting pricked his neck.
Bayu stiffened. His fingers trembled as they reached for the small dart now embedded in his skin. A wave of numbness spread through his body, his limbs growing sluggish.
"What…?" His voice barely came out, weak and unsteady.
The ground tilted beneath him. His knees buckled. The world blurred at the edges of his vision.
Through the haze, he saw figures approaching—Hendra and his troops, moving in formation.
And standing among them, rifle still raised, was Bagas.
Bayu's fading consciousness barely registered the look on his friend's face—heavy, pained.
"I'm sorry, Bayu," Bagas murmured, his voice carrying just enough weight to reach him. "But this is the only way."
The last thing Bayu saw was the sky overhead, darkening as the world slipped away.