On the moon's desolate expanse, the air thickened with despair. Lihanna's voice pierced the silence, a desperate cry. "Watch out!" At light speed, the Sovereign charged at Raijin and Kamaki. Her warning came just in time; they dodged, narrowly escaping death as the monster's claw tore through the lunar dust.
Sando charged, his sword raised high, holy light blazing. But the Sovereign's fist smashed into his stomach, shattering his armor with a sickening crunch. A blast of lunar energy followed, hurling Sando into a crater, his body limp and broken. The Sovereign lunged again, but Glavatus stepped forward, a shield of rock rising from the ground as lunar shards hurtled toward Sando. "Sando!" Glavatus roared. "I can't face this alone—I need your holy blessing to boost my strength!"
Sando staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth. "You're right… this thing's a nightmare." He raised his sword behind Glavatus' shield, channeling divine energy to amplify Ayane, Pluto, and Glavatus' power. His eyes darted to Gendai, still unconscious, her form crumpled and vulnerable. "Glavatus, whatever we do, we must protect Gendai—she's out cold!"
Glavatus nodded, resolve hardening. "Understood!"
"Pluto!" Sando called. Pluto darted forward, his wind-swept form evading the Sovereign. He fired a blast from his guns, but the Sovereign swiped it away as if it were nothing. "NO! PLUTO!!!" Glavatus' scream tore through the void.
From a distance, Ayane loosed an arrow pulsing with energy, striking the Sovereign. "Nice one, Ayane!" Pluto gasped—until a blade of flesh erupted from the Sovereign's arm, piercing his chest. Sando's eyes widened in horror as the creature yanked upward, splitting Pluto in half. His body crumpled, brain and blood spilling onto the lunar soil. Ayane collapsed, retching in terror, the sight etched into her soul.
Glavatus and Sando charged, their cries a mix of rage and grief. Felicia turned to Lihanna, panic in her voice. "What do we do now?" The Sovereign materialized behind her, but Lihanna anticipated it, swinging her nodachi to deflect the attack.
"There's two?" Kamaki shouted.
"It can clone itself—stay alert!" Raijin yelled. The Sovereign leaped back, but Lihanna pressed forward, throwing her nodachi. It bounced off its bladed arm, and she caught it, clashing blades with the monster. "We should help her," Raijin urged.
"Let's go!" Felicia agreed. Gendai stirred after ten agonizing minutes, her head throbbing. She looked up to see the carnage—Pluto's mangled body, Sando and Glavatus guarding each other, and the monstrous Sovereign. Tears streamed down her face as her heart shattered. "What… what is that monster?"
Sando shouted, "Watch out!" Glavatus punched the Sovereign, but it turned. "AYANEE!!!" he screamed. Ayane, trembling with her bow, froze in shock. The Sovereign stepped back, spawning two more clones, each embodying different lunar illusions. Glavatus summoned a pillar, striking one's stomach, while Sando's blast scorched the moon's surface, missing its mark. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.
Gendai threw her spear, her green telekinetic aura piercing a clone. "I'm here now!" she cried, splitting her spear into dual blades, her rage fueling her green and silver hair and eyes.
Felicia sensed a shift. "What's that?" A third Sovereign joined, weaving illusions with the clones. "SHIT! LIHANNA!" she shouted. Lihanna rushed to her side, Raijin and Kamaki following. Felicia's Phoenix flames formed a protective barrier, aided by Lihanna's water shield. A massive shockwave of lunar energy erupted, Glavatus shielding Sando, Gendai, and Ayane with all his might—only to lose both arms in the blast. "NO! GLAVATUS!!!" Sando's scream was raw, echoed by Ayane and Gendai's horrified wails.
Glavatus' screams pierced the void, a horrifying symphony of pain. Lihanna, Felicia, Kamaki, and Raijin emerged from the shockwave, shaken but alive. "We made it, but they didn't," Lihanna said, voice breaking.
Felicia's eyes hardened. "Like he said, we're enemies. We should focus on surviving this tragedy."
The Sovereign advanced, its presence suffocating. Felicia whispered, "Lihanna, isn't it time you revealed your secret strength?"
Before Lihanna could respond, she swung her sword at the Sovereign, their clash rippling the moon's surface. Corrupted energy hands seized her. "I can't move!" she gasped. Felicia transformed into a Phoenix flame, burning the hands away. "Thanks," Lihanna said, her carelessness replaced by resolve. Her hair turned black, her eyes shifting to lunar blue and purple, her water aura now a mesmerizing purple-blue. "I won't let that happen again."
Kamaki and Raijin stared, awestruck. "No way… that's why Vanessa was interested. Lunar water?" Kamaki murmured.
The Sovereign flew toward them. Lihanna stepped before Felicia, swinging her nodachi. Lunar water blades slashed the air, but the Sovereign dodged effortlessly. As it closed in, Lihanna held her blade overhead, lunar energy surging. Her downward slash scarred the moon with a narrow, destructive blast, leaving a deep wound that silenced the battlefield in awe.
"Lihanna has awakened?" Kamaki asked.
Felicia nodded. "Yeah, this is from her training with Vanessa—a power she didn't know she had. Lihanna is that power now."
Gendai bit her lip, watching Lihanna's dominance. "She's ahead of me now… no wonder she made me look weak."
Sando knelt beside Glavatus, trying to stem the bleeding. Ayane, on her knees, sobbed, "Why, Sando? Why is this happening? This is why you should've listened! Pluto would be alive if we'd cooperated against those parasites! Your ego's killing us—be a hero, do something!"
"I'm trying," Sando choked, "but this Sovereign is unstoppable."
Ayane's voice cracked. "Look at them—they're alive, holding their own, while we lost Pluto and Glavatus is dying!"
Glavatus cut in, his voice weak but warm. "Hey, don't fight. Let's have a happy moment while I'm still here. But listen Sando everything we went through—I don't regret our adventures. They were fun."
Sando's eyes glistened. "You're a strong man. Our journey wasn't long enough, but keep being a hero. Survive this, no matter what."
Glavatus turned to Gendai. "Gendai, we haven't known each other long, but it was a pleasure to fight beside you. I wish you and Sando a peaceful, happy life."
Gendai's tears fell. "Glavatus, your spirit was a joy. I'll always remember you."
He smiled, shifting to Ayane. "Ayane, you're a beautiful girl."
"What do you mean?" she stammered, shocked.
"This is the worst time, but… when I first saw you, I thought you were beautiful—your hair, your voice, your eyes. I adored everything about you."
"Glavatus, what are you saying?" she whispered.
"I'm in love with you, Ayane. It was one-sided—I know I'm not your type—but I can't take this to the afterlife unconfessed. And one last thing: when you find happiness, embrace it, smile, be happy. As long as you're cared for, that's enough for me."
Ayane knelt beside him, tears streaming. "I'm listening."
"I love you," he rasped, closing his eyes, his final words a fading whisper.
Sando, Ayane, and Gendai's cries erupted, a heart-wrenching wail that echoed across the moon. Felicia, Kamaki, Lihanna, and Raijin faced the two Sovereigns, their own resolve tested by the tragedy unfolding behind them.