As Daru and Gram navigated the underground halls of the city, they encountered other Gliffs encased in tubes lining the area adjacent to the cells before finally coming to a halt.
Daru: What are all these people doing here?
Gram: This is horrible! They look like they're dying.
Daru clenched his fist.
Daru: They are dying. I can feel their pain and despair. It's overwhelming.
Gram observed Daru as the veins in his hands darkened.
Gram: Daru, look! Your hands.
Daru glanced at his hands and noticed the blackened veins.
Daru: What is happening?
Gram: That's what I saw when you fought that big guy at Rito's planet.
Daru: This is what you saw?
Gram: Yeah, and you were incredibly strong—stronger than usual.
Daru focused on the individuals in the tubes as he stepped forward and placed his hand on one.
Gram: Hey! What are you doing?
Daru: Just experimenting.
As he placed his hand on one of them, his dark veins began to pulse slowly.
Gram: Are you… taking their pain away?
Daru withdrew his hand as a female Gliff opened her eyes and looked at him.
Lady Gliff: T-thank you.
Daru: You're welcome.
The lady smiled and closed her eyes again.
Gram: I can't believe that actually worked!
Daru: Yeah, me too.
Gram: You Zatarians are strange.
Daru: Quit talking and let's keep moving.
Gram: Yeah, yeah.
They resumed their search through the halls, determined to locate the others. Meanwhile, Akira and Zodiac were seen neutralizing four guards. Akira hurled the last guard into a wall, resulting in a broken back, eliciting a scream of pain. She approached him and stomped on his face, rendering it unrecognizable.
Zodiac: You need to be quieter with your kills; you're too sloppy.
Akira: Mind your own business. Worry about yourself, and I'll worry about me.
Zodiac: Of all the people, I got stuck with you.
Akira: I'd rather be with Himitsu than you.
As Zodiac and Akira exchanged words, they heard a distant voice.
???: Help… someone help!
Zodiac: You've got to be joking.
Akira: I spoke too soon.
Both of them approached the source of the voice and discovered Himitsu and Kana in a cell.
Himitsu: (Shocked and Happy) ZODIAC! AKIRA! YOU FOUND US! YES! I KNEW YOU'D COME!
Zodiac: You can do the honors. (looking at Akira)
Akira: I can't, asshole.
Zodiac: I know you can't.
Zodiac walks up and draws his blade.
Kana: That's not going to work. No sword will—
Zodiac slices through the bars effortlessly, causing them to fall to the ground.
Kana: (Shocked) W- but how? That's not possible!
Himitsu: (Chuckles) You see, Kana, Zodiac's blades are no ordinary blades; they're Zatarian blades.
Kana: Zatarian blades? What the hell is a Zatarian?
Himitsu: Well, funny you ask—
Zodiac uses sudoshi to teleport directly to Himitsu's neck, pressing his blade against it.
Himitsu: Ugh!
Kana: Wh-!
Zodiac: Say one more thing about my blades, and I'll stick it where the light doesn't shine.
Himitsu: Okay! Okay, I'm sorry.
Zodiac withdraws his blade.
Zodiac: Let's go. We need to find the others and regroup.
Kana: Wait!
Akira: Ugh! What now?
Kana: I know a shortcut to where your friends are.
Akira approaches her.
Akira: How do you know where the rest of the team is?
Kana: I've been down here a couple of times, and I know it pretty well. If I'm correct, the rest of your team will be in the left wing since we're on the right.
Akira turns to Himitsu.
Akira: I can't believe you let her use you while she was working for the enemy!
Himitsu lowers his head in shame.
Kana: It wasn't his fault!
Akira: Oh yes, it was! If he wasn't such a sucker for pretty girls, I would have killed you already and been done with this stupid mission.
Kana remains silent as Akira exhales heavily.
Akira: Lead the way to our team.
Kana: Right.
Kana begins walking, and everyone follows her. As they proceed, Ohma and Kono are seen running through the halls.
Ohma: Do you know where you're going?
Kono: No, I have no clue! I'm just hoping to find something or a hint. I'm wondering why all these tubes are down here. What is Froog planning?
As they run, Ohma suddenly grabs Kono and halts.
Kono: What the he—
Ohma covers Kono's mouth and places a finger to his lips, signaling her to remain quiet due to the presence of someone nearby. He gestures towards the direction of the voices as Kono draws her firearm. They cautiously approach, leaning against a wall.
Ohma: (whispers) They're on the other side of the wall.
Kono nods, gripping her weapon tightly. They both spring into action.
Kono: Ugh!
Daru seizes Kono's gun and lifts her along with it.
Daru: Kono?
Kono: Daru?
Gram shouts, waving his hands as Ohma delivers a punch, striking Gram in the face and knocking him to the ground.
Gram: (holding his nose) AAH! DAMNIT!
Ohma: Gram?
Gram looks up to see Ohma.
Gram: Ohma!? Why'd you punch me?
Ohma: I thought you were a bad guy.
Gram: Clearly, I'm not!
Ohma: I'm sorry!
Daru releases Kono's gun, causing it to drop.
Kono: We were looking for you—well, anyone, really.
Daru: Yeah, us too.
Kono: I guess they took all your stuff too?
Daru: Just my watch. I don't use anything else.
Kono: That's true. They took all my guns except for this one, and they took Ohma's weapons too.
Ohma assists Gram in standing.
Gram: (still holding his nose) Yeah, they took my spell book.
Daru: Before we find them, we need to locate the others to regroup. We don't know what's down here or what could be lurking.
Gram: Whoa, what do you mean? Are you talking about zombies or... minotaurs?
Daru: Yeah, maybe. Who knows what Froog's been up to down here? It could be anything.
Gram: Ah man! I can't handle this.
Ohma: It's okay, Gram. I'm here to keep you safe.
Gram: Thanks, Ohma. I appreciate it.
Daru: I just want to know why Froog is keeping all these people down here and why in tubes.
Kono: People? What people?
Gram: When we were heading this way, we saw a bunch of Gliffs in tube cells, but they looked like they were on the verge of death or already dead.
Ohma: That's horrible! I don't like this Froog guy one bit! I'm sorry, Daru, but he doesn't deserve to live after what he's done.
Kono: Thinking back, he was controlling the black surge! So he's been murdering innocent people for fun!?
Daru: I don't think he was killing people for fun; he must have had a reason. And why did he only come out at a certain time? It doesn't add up.
Kana: It's because he had more time.
Daru and the others turn to see Kana and the others.
Ohma: Zodiac! Akira!
Gram: Himitsu!
Himitsu: Hey, guys!
Ohma: We were just about to search for you.
Daru: Kana, what did you say?
Kana: (Takes a deep breath) I said he had more time to do what he needed.
Daru: Meaning?
Kana: Okay, yes, he killed people, but most of the time he just used the black surge to capture them. Whoever got in the way died. He had more time to execute his plans.
Zodiac: What was he working on?
Kana: You're standing on it.
Kono: This place?
Kana: Yes, he wants to capture people and use them as blood bags for himself.
Gram: Blood bags!
Akira: Why does he need blood bags?
Kana: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
Zodiac: Try me.
Kana: He's planning to take over places. I don't know exactly which ones, but the people are meant for the black surge so it keeps getting fed, allowing it to continue aiding Froog without breaks. You see, Froog goes by many names, but the name he wants everyone to know is The Leech King.
Gram: (Bursts out laughing) Aww, man, that was a good one!
Kana looks at him with a serious expression.
Gram: Oh… you're serious.
Ohma: Why do they call him that?
Kana: He's a cold-blooded killer, and he has a way with the leeches. It's like he can control them and make them do whatever he wants.
Gram: WAIT! So the black surge is a whole bunch of—
Kono: Leeches!
Daru: Now everything is starting to make sense.
Kana: Anyway, we should try to find Froog as soon as possible. I should know which room your equipment is in.
Kono: Sounds good! You should—
Zodiac: Hold it.
Everyone looks at Zodiac, confused.
Ohma: Huh, what's the matter?
Zodiac: Aren't you forgetting something? She's been working with the enemy. She can't be trusted.
Himitsu: B-but—
Zodiac: I don't want to hear from you, Himitsu. You have no right to speak after what you've done.
Gram: Come on, Zodiac! I know she was working with him, but maybe we can trust her now.
Zodiac: Oh yeah? What about that time we met that girl who was working with the Nitharians?
Daru: That's a valid point.
Akira: I agree. Plus, I still need to rip her heart out when I find her again.
Kono: While that's a valid point, Zodiac, don't you think we could forgive her?
Zodiac: I don't think you understand, Kono. We live in a world where not everyone can be trusted.
Himitsu lowers his head, uncertain of what to say.
Kana: He's right. It was my fault for putting you in this situation. You can leave me if you want. But I will say that Froog can go screw himself. I'm telling you the truth: I can retrieve your equipment and locate where he is. We might not have much time because he's likely preparing his plan.
Daru: His plan? What plan?
Kana: He calls it "The Grand Surge." Essentially, it's the black surge, but worse. He plans to take over this entire planet with his leeches and gain full control.
Ohma: (Surprised) Really!?
Kana: Yes. That means everyone on this planet will either die or be controlled for the rest of their lives.
Gram: Wait, then why are you working for him if he's going to infect everyone?
Kana: There's more to it. He promised to spare those who work for him, including me. He also said he would treat my father's condition.
Akira: Then why don't you continue to work for him? It's not like you'll get infected anyway.
Kana: Because I know deep down he's just a liar. I reached a point where I was ready to accept my fate, that everything would come crashing down. But after seeing you guys fight off that creature, I regained hope that you might have a chance to stop him.
Everyone remained silent for a few moments, processing what Kana had conveyed.
Zodiac: Fine, lead the way.
Kana: Huh?
Kono: Wait, you changed your mind?
Akira: (Upset) Hell no! We don't need her help with anything!
Zodiac: If what she says is true, we don't have much time left. We need to grab our stuff and find him before it's too late.
Daru: Oh wow. Didn't know you could change your mind.
Gram: Same here.
Zodiac: Shut up. I'm just making the logical choice, that's all.
Himitsu lifts his head, smiling once again.
Kono: Well then, Kana, please lead the way.
Kana: Right! Follow me!
Kana begins running down the hallway, with the others closely following. As they proceed, they encounter more Gliffs in cells, appearing either frightened or devoid of spirit.
Himitsu: Wow! There are so many of them!
Kana: I know. He's been feeding off them day by day. It's really sick.
Continuing their run, they navigate left and right, attempting to locate their equipment as swiftly as possible.
Gram: This place is like a maze! Just how big is it?
Kana: It's big, trust me.
After a few more moments, they arrive at the end of the hallway, prompting Kana to raise her hand.
Kana: Hold on. It should be just around this corner.
Kana leans against the wall to peek around the left side. As she observes, she sees an open area with multiple guards patrolling, spears in hand. While scanning the area, she spots the crew's equipment on a table, being handled by two guards.
Guard 1: (Holding a Jump Watch) What is this?
Guard 2: How am I supposed to know?
Guard 1: Do you think we can make a lot of money off this?
Guard 2: Maybe.
Daru: What do you think you're doing?
All the guards quickly turn around to face Daru and the others.
Guard 3: They've broken out of their cells!
Guard 4: We must stop them!
Two guards rush toward Daru with their spears raised, compelling him to remain still. As they approach, both lunge their spears at Daru's chest, but it has no effect.
Guard 3: How in the!?
Daru: (Smiling) Did you really think that would work?
Daru swiftly grabs both guards by the neck and lifts them off the ground, then slams them down, incapacitating them.
Kana: (Astonished) Wow! You're really strong!
Guard 5: Don't let them get their weapons!
Guard 1: (Fearful) Y-yes!
Before the guard can react, Zodiac uses Sudoshi and appears directly behind him. He draws one of his blades and cleanly beheads the guard, causing his body to collapse.
Guard 2: Noo!
The remaining guard slowly backs away from Zodiac, terrified.
Zodiac: (Shaking his head) No point in doing that when you're already dead.
The guard feels a sharp pain in his chest and looks down to see a wound. He coughs up blood and falls to the ground, lifeless.
Zodiac: Idiot...
The final guard, uncertain of his next move, attempts to flee.
Guard 5: I'm getting the hell out of—
He is interrupted as Akira steps in front of him.
Akira: No, you're not.
Akira seizes the guard's head and unleashes a torrent of fire, incinerating it entirely.
Kana: H-how can she breathe fire!?
Kono: Oh, she's a dragon.
Ohma: And a scary one, at that.
Kana: A dragon!?
The last guard collapses, leaving all the guards in the room incapacitated.
Akira: There. That should be the last of them.
Daru: Was that really necessary?
Akira: I don't care; I do what I want.
Daru shakes his head disapprovingly.
Zodiac: Just hurry up and grab your weapons.
Himitsu: Oh right!
Everyone approaches the table near Zodiac to collect their weapons.
Himitsu: (Clutching his sword tightly) Oh, I missed you so much! Don't ever leave me again!
Gram: (Holding his book) The great Gram has finally got his legendary book back!
Kono: (Sighs) Can you all act normal for once?
Ohma: (Swinging his nunchucks) It feels good to have my nunchucks back again.
Daru: Alright, we have our weapons back. Now show us where Froog is.
Kana: Very well. Now we'll head to—
Guard 6: There they are!
Everyone turns to see more guards preparing to attack.
Kono: (Aiming her gun) I guess we have more guards to take down!
Ohma: Let's do this!
Everyone prepares for battle, charging toward the guards. After several minutes of engagement, they reach a large door, and Kana halts.
Kana: This should be it.
Kono: So you're saying Froog is right behind this door?
Kana: Yes. Once you go in, there's no turning back.
Akira: Good. We can finally put an end to this.
Ohma: Froog can finally pay for all the suffering he caused.
Zodiac: Hey, Kana.
Kana: (Turning to Zodiac) Yes?
Zodiac: Can you come here for a second?
Kana: Uhhh, sure, I guess?
Kana walks past everyone and approaches Zodiac.
Kana: Is there something you need?
Zodiac: Yes. For you to die.
Zodiac swiftly seizes Kana and presses one of his blades against her neck. Everyone is taken aback.
Gram: What the!?
Himitsu: Zodiac! What are you doing!?
Zodiac: Like I said before, she cannot be trusted.
Kono: But she helped us get our stuff back and even brought us to Froog!
Zodiac: And? This could also be another trap.
Himitsu: (Upset) But it can't be! She wouldn't have gone through all that trouble just to betray us.
Zodiac: It doesn't matter, Himitsu. Once you're working for the enemy, there's no turning back.
Himitsu: Why, Zodiac? Why do you always have to resort to killing!?
Zodiac: Because that's just who I am. You should have known that when you first met me.
Himitsu looks frightened as he glances at Daru.
Himitsu: Daru! You need to stop him! Please!
Daru: I don't know, Himitsu. This is not my problem.
Himitsu: Please!
Daru remains silent.
Himitsu: (Looks at Kono) Tell him to stop, Kono!
Kono: I—I don't know what you want me to do.
Himitsu: (Looks at Gram) Gram! Please help me!
Gram turns his head away from Himitsu, uncertain of how to respond.
Zodiac: Don't you see? This is your punishment for not following orders. Now, face it like a man.
Zodiac presses his blades harder against Kana's neck, drawing blood.
Himitsu: (Screaming) PLEASE, ZODIAC! DON'T DO THIS! I BEG YOU!
Kana begins to cry as she gazes at Himitsu, smiling.
Kana: It's okay, Himitsu. This is the sin I must bear.
Himitsu looks at Kana, tears streaming down his face.
Kana: Thank you for everything you've done for me. I truly mean that.
Zodiac presses the blade even harder.
Himitsu: PLEASE, STOPPPP!
Kana: I believe in all of you. You will defeat Froog. I know you can. Until then, take care.
After she speaks, Zodiac swiftly slices her neck, her eyes rolling back as she collapses to the ground.
Himitsu: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Himitsu rushes to Kana's body, holding her tightly and weeping uncontrollably.
Zodiac: (Flicking the blood off his blade) There. Now we can focus on Froog.
Zodiac walks past Himitsu and approaches the others.
Ohma: Did you really have to kill her?
Zodiac: We can't afford any more mistakes. It had to be done.
Akira: (arms crossed) Who cares about her anyway? We barely knew her.
Gram: (looking at Daru) Are you okay with this?
Daru: As I've said before, it's not my problem. If she hadn't been working for Froog, it would have been different.
Gram: (head down) I see…
Kono: I'm going to get Himitsu quickly.
Kono turns and walks to Himitsu, who is still on the ground holding Kana.
Kono: Himitsu, we have to go. I know you cared about her, but we need to stop Froog.
Himitsu remains silent for a few moments. He gently closes Kana's eyes and lays her on the ground before standing back up.
Himitsu: (quietly) Then let's go…
Kono: (placing her hand on his shoulder) Thank you.
Kono and Himitsu approach the others, facing the large door.
Daru: She said he's through this door, huh?
Daru moves closer to the door and knocks, noting that it possesses the same reinforcement as the cell bars.
Daru: This door has the same effect as the metal bars.
Zodiac: That shouldn't be a problem. I'll just—
Akira: Just stand back!
Akira pushes Zodiac aside and steps in front of the door.
Zodiac: You know you're not strong enough to break it down, right?
Ignoring him, Akira charges her fist, flames enveloping her hands. She assumes a punching stance and delivers a powerful blow to the door, causing it to shudder violently.
Ohma: Whoa! That was amazing!
Akira: (glancing at Zodiac) Don't test me next time.
Zodiac: (smirking) Okay then. Let's proceed.
They all walk past the shattered entrance, visibly surprised.
Gram: WHAT IS THAT!?