Paltio firmly addressed the snakes: "Who's next?"
Both Serugulas stared at him with blood-red eyes, glowing with murderous fury. Ready to attack, the snakes lunged toward him, opening their enormous mouths filled with sharp fangs. However, Paltio didn't move an inch. He simply extended his hands forward, fingers pointed at them as if prepared to meet their charge head-on.
"Move, you fool!" Pax shouted, still recovering from the fall as he watched the snakes dangerously close in.
But just as the two creatures passed by Paltio's sides, they were cleanly sliced, as if a knife had cut through hot butter. The halves of the Serugulas collapsed to the ground, perishing instantly.
"I can't believe that..." Pax muttered, incredulous at what he had just witnessed. The boy had barely moved his hands, and with a simple gesture, he had eliminated the snakes. "Those gloves must be the power behind all this," Pax thought, observing the green gloves still glowing intensely on Paltio's hands.
Paltio, with a confident smile, turned to Pax. "Now we're even."
"Yeah, sure, kid," Pax responded indifferently, though his tone betrayed a hint of admiration.
Both turned to see Toco-Toco fiercely battling Lula, the gigantic "Serugula." The cat leaped nimbly, blocking the dart-fangs the snake continuously launched.
Suddenly, Toco-Toco stopped and looked toward them. "Oops! Time's up, bye-bye," he said with a feline grin before vanishing, returning to Golden's hologram.
"But why did he leave? He was doing fine!" Pax protested, frowning.
Golden responded through the mental link: "He can only stay in this world for a short time. He needs to recharge while I'm inside this hologram."
Lula, furious at the interruption, swung her massive body toward where Paltio and Pax stood. With bloodshot eyes, she began launching her dart-fangs at them. Pax quickly grabbed his sword and shield to defend and counterattack, while Paltio dodged the attacks with agility, using his gloves to deflect some projectiles.
"It's time to finish this," Golden urged. "The glove's power is about to run out."
Lula advanced toward them with surprising speed, opening her mouth wider and wider. Her four fangs protruded like deadly spines positioned at the points of a perfect square.
"I'll eat you all at once!" the snake roared, rushing closer.
Pax prepared his sword to plunge it into the creature's body, but Paltio stopped him with a gesture.
"No, throw me at her."
Pax looked at him skeptically but then nodded. "Alright, I think it'll work." He crouched and placed his hands one atop the other, forming a platform.
Without hesitation, Paltio ran toward him and placed one foot between Pax's hands. With all his strength, Pax launched the prince upward, sending him directly toward Lula's open mouth.
To everyone's surprise, Paltio cleanly pierced through the snake's body, leaving a gaping hole in his wake. He landed agilely on the ground as the gloves faded from his hands, causing an instant cramp.
"She's all yours, Pax," Paltio said, pointing to the wounded beast.
The gigantic snake collapsed to the ground, weakened. Pax seized the moment to deliver the final blow, ending her once and for all.
The creature evaporated into the air along with the remains of the other Serugulas. Shortly after, the others began to awaken from the paralyzing venom the snakes had injected into them, aided by the scepter piece Paltio carried.
"Well, we did it. We defeated those things," Paltio remarked, recounting what had happened.
Alita, still dazed, couldn't believe how close they had come to becoming snake food. Meanwhile, the group searched the house and found the bones of its true owners. They decided to give them a proper burial as a sign of respect.
"At least those snakes did one good thing: they washed our clothes," Ron commented, holding up his clean suit with an ironic smile.
Mok adjusted his glasses formally and added: "It's best we leave this place and get back on the road."
The group nodded, and after ensuring no latent danger remained, they left the place, ready to continue their journey.
Everyone agreed, and they returned to the road. As they resumed their path, the clock changed to "6."
"Six days have passed," Paltio said seriously, looking toward the sky, though it was darkened by the shadows. "We need to hurry."
"That means we lost more time than expected in that place," Ron commented, frowning.
"Yes, it seems time moved slower inside," Mok reflected. "But once the snakes were defeated, time returned to normal."
The carriage set off again. They rode without stopping until they reached a steep incline. As they descended, they spotted walls in the distance—not as large as those of the previous realm.
"We've arrived," Mok announced. "That's Fuertelia, the realm of the 'Strong.'"
"Good, we'd better go in and look for the piece," Pax instructed, adjusting his sword with determination.
The carriage descended the slope and arrived at the city gates. As they approached, they noticed an enormous flag hanging vertically on the wall, similar to the insignia Pax bore, but bright yellow.
"So this is where the famous Yellow Shadows are," Pax muttered to himself, eyeing the flag distrustfully.
They were about to knock on the gate, but before they could, it opened by itself. Upon entering, they saw the merchants' carriages parked near what appeared to be an improvised shop. Everything was cloudy and dark; if not for the blue flame emanating from Pax's torch, they would barely have been able to see anything.
"They decided to pass through… So this is Fuertelia. It doesn't look very fortified for a realm of the Strong," Ron said, inspecting the deserted city. It seemed like a ghost town, with empty streets and abandoned buildings.
They continued in the carriage until they reached the central square. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the air: "Prepare to witness our wonderful and talented Miss Troba, the badger, our great sovereign!"
Sparks and smoke began rising from the ground, lifting an improvised stage held up by four citizens of Fuertelia. From the center emerged a humanoid badger woman, dressed in an elegant yellow suit that contrasted with her blonde fur and bright green eyes. The crowd that had begun to gather erupted in applause, shouting: "Long live Troba, our sovereign!"
Pax frowned as he observed the scene. "But what's going on here? Why are there only men in this city? What about the Strong women? Where are they?" he asked aloud.
"The 'Red Shadow' is right," Alita said, crossing her arms. "Isn't it strange there aren't any women?"
"Yes, it's very odd, Miss Alita," Mok added, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Troba, the badger, began addressing her audience with a charming smile. "My dears, I love you all as much as you love me! But I need a little warmth… though more of your energy," she said with a diabolical grin.
Quickly, she pulled out a kind of guitar and began playing and singing. Her voice was hypnotic, almost magical, and the crowd started to grow dizzy. One by one, the men collapsed to the ground, smiling, murmuring: "Troba, we love you…" before falling into a deep sleep.
"What an ugly song… Don't you think, guys?" Alita said, turning to her companions. But no one responded. Paltio, Ron, and Mok were no longer by her side; they had approached the stage, completely enchanted by the music.
"Hey, guys! Paltio! Ron! Come back here!" Alita shouted, trying to get their attention. However, none of them paid her any mind.
Even Mok, who was always the most sensitive of the group, seemed to have lost all rationality. He was among the crowd, gazing at Troba with an expression of absolute fascination.
"Mok, not you too! Come on, I know you're the most level-headed of all of us!" Alita exclaimed, frustrated. But even he didn't hear her.
Alita was left alone, watching as her companions fell under the badger's spell. She knew something wasn't right… and that she'd have to act quickly if she wanted to save them.
"Oh! You must be new here, right?" Troba asked with a charming smile, extending her arms as if welcoming an old friend. "Welcome to my paradise, the place where you'll stay forever."
She played her guitar and sang again, but this time her gaze fixed firmly on Paltio. Her green eyes glowed intensely as she watched him kneel, struggling to resist the hypnotic power of her music.
"I think you and I will get along just fine," Troba said with a soft, melodic laugh. "Your energy will do me a lot of good. I hope you last, boy."
Paltio finally collapsed to the ground, unconscious, as Troba laughed with satisfaction.
"Guards! Take these three to my palace," she commanded, pointing at Ron, Mok, and Paltio. "But bring this young man closer... He will be my light for much longer."
Alita, standing by the carriage, tried to make sense of what was happening. She watched as her companions were dragged away by the guards without resistance. Her frustration mounted, but before she could act, Pax pulled her into a corner, covering her mouth with his hand.
"Quiet, girl," Pax whispered urgently. "Don't draw attention."
Troba, still on stage, slightly furrowed her brow, as if sensing something amiss. "I thought I saw someone..." she murmured, glancing toward where Alita and Pax were hiding. However, she couldn't make out anything in the darkness.
At that exact moment, while Pax and Alita silently struggled—her trying to speak and him firmly keeping his hand over her mouth to prevent any sound—four hands suddenly emerged from the shadows behind them.
Before they could react, the hands clamped tightly over their mouths, muffling any attempt to protest or cry out. Without giving them time to defend themselves, they were dragged into the darkness, vanishing like shadows swallowed by the night.
As they were pulled away, Troba remained on stage, oblivious to the kidnapping, with her unconscious male citizens lying at her feet. Now, both the people of Fuertelia and Alita's friends were completely at her mercy.