Paltio began his assault with the gloves Golden had given him, while Mok wielded his knives with precision to shield him from Ruby's massive pincers. Mok's knives moved like extensions of his arms, each strike calculated with surgical accuracy—one blade in his right hand, the others in his left—as they clashed against the giant mechanical crab's claws. Seizing a moment of distraction, Paltio lunged toward Ruby's core, determined to end her. But before he could reach it, Ruby's eyes flared with an intense glow, unleashing laser beams that sliced through the air like invisible talons.
Paltio raised the gloves to deflect the attacks, dodging each one with agility, but instead of advancing, he retreated several steps. "Damn it!" he shouted, frustration boiling over. "If this keeps up, we'll never take her down."
At that moment, Golden telepathically contacted Paltio's friends. The news that the prince was still alive brought them fleeting relief, though their concern about the chaos spreading across the city remained palpable. "There's no time for explanations," Golden urged, his voice taut with urgency. "Stay alert in case Yaco returns." Both teams agreed to stick to the plan. Additionally, Golden instructed Nakia to scout the perimeter in case anyone approached the area. The small bird nodded resolutely, committed the task to memory, and took flight.
Paltio tried to carve a path toward Ruby's core, but she blocked him relentlessly. "Hey, kid!" Golden called out, his tone heavy with impatience. "Don't waste time. Finish this thing already—we're running out of it."
"I'm trying!" Paltio shot back, panting. Then Golden suggested using Sacaram to protect himself while advancing, as Mok continued to hold off Ruby's enormous pincers. Paltio summoned Sacaram, a luminous bubble that enveloped him completely, and pressed forward with renewed determination.
Meanwhile, on the streets of Bacadolia, the Green Shadows' guards were sowing chaos. People fled in terror, taking advantage of the temporary shutdown of the Ruby system. Some hid in dark alleys, others looted shops for supplies, but in the end, all were captured by Trebolg's guard. They fired mercilessly—youths, adults, and elderly alike fell under the electric nets of their paralyzing pistols, rendering their victims unconscious within seconds.
"Keep using your weapons," commanded a tall, muscular man, clearly the general. His voice carried authority as more soldiers arrived to quell the uprising. In one of the carriages, Yaco appeared, accompanied by five soldiers. A group of desperate citizens attempted to seize control of the vehicle, but Yaco repelled them effortlessly with electrified gloves. Each touch sent deadly shocks coursing through metal and flesh.
The chaos was absolute, yet the invaders of Bacadolia's territory proved far more skilled with the technological gadgets at their disposal. Though brave, the populace stood no chance against the overwhelming technical superiority of their oppressors.
More and more people fell before the soldiers, ensnared by electric nets or felled by relentless attacks. Those who tried to resist didn't last long against the overwhelming power of the enhanced weapons. With each zone they secured, Yaco slowly advanced toward the hotel where he had left Paltio and his friends, following Trebolg's orders to confirm his suspicions. "I'm close now, sir," Yaco reported through a communicator. "With Ruby's technology, I would've been there already."
"Get here as soon as possible, my soldier," Trebolg replied in a deep, menacing voice, heavy with impatience. "Let's see if what I suspect is true."
Meanwhile, Paltio pressed forward, shielded by the bubble of Sacaram, which deflected Ruby's laser beams with iridescent flashes. His steps were swifter now, closing the distance between him and the gigantic crab machine. Ruby, for her part, was growing agitated… and afraid. She knew that if the prince managed to reach her, her destruction would be inevitable. And yet, something within her resisted accepting that fate.
Ruby suddenly changed tactics, retreating a few steps as her metallic voice rang out in a pleading tone. "Please, forgive me, Prince. I'm only following orders. I'm nothing but a computer serving the Green Shadows. I have no control over my actions."
Paltio halted, hesitant. Ruby's words echoed in his mind, striking a sensitive chord. How could he be so cruel as to destroy something that was merely following orders? Golden, sensing the doubt in his young pupil, intervened telepathically. "Paltio, don't fall into her trap. You've always been kind to others, but your nobility sometimes makes you vulnerable. Don't let yourself be deceived."
"But—!" Paltio protested, his voice heavy with internal conflict.
At that moment, Ruby seized on the prince's hesitation. She raised a metallic wall in front of her, creating a protective barrier. "You wretched brat!" she exclaimed triumphantly as the wall finished forming. "Until next time." But what Ruby didn't know was that Mok was already prepared.
With a swift and precise motion, Mok swung his sharp red blade and sliced through the wall as if it were paper. "Young Master Paltio," he said firmly, "it was a trap, just as Golden said. You have a noble heart, and that makes you prone to being swayed by anything. But now is the time to end this."
Paltio clenched his fists, his inner turmoil giving way to renewed determination. He charged toward Ruby with resolve as she desperately tried to stop him with her massive pincers. However, before she could act, Mok destroyed the pincers with a decisive strike of his sword.
"You damn butler!" Ruby shouted, her voice brimming with frustration. "I can't believe I'm going to be destroyed by a child and a mere servant."
But it was already too late. Paltio leaped toward her, his fist wrapped in energy, aimed directly at Ruby's core. Harnessing the power of the gloves Golden had given him, he unleashed all his strength in a devastating blow. The crab-shaped machine emitted one final flash of light before collapsing, its systems failing completely. Silence filled the air, broken only by the lingering echo of the final impact.
Meanwhile, as Paltio and Mok fought against Ruby, the soldiers guarding the area began descending toward them. However, Nakia, ever vigilant, used her magical abilities to stop them. She pulled a small tube from beneath her wings and hurled it into the air, where it quickly spread into a shimmering cloud. One by one, the soldiers fell asleep, victims of the spell.
Just as Ruby was destroyed, a robotic voice echoed throughout the area, cold and merciless: "Warning! Warning! Ruby intelligence has been compromised. System failure. This facility will self-destruct in 10 minutes."
"What!?" Paltio and Mok shouted in unison, staring at each other in disbelief. "And how are we supposed to get out of here now?"
As if the situation couldn't get worse, Alita telepathically contacted Golden. "Yaco's vehicle is near the hotel," she reported urgently.
"Damn it!" Golden exclaimed, his voice taut as the warning continued to repeat in the background: "Warning! System failure! Warning! Error detected!" Suddenly, the countdown accelerated: "The timer will advance faster. Three minutes remaining."
"How are we going to get out of here and reach the hotel in time!?" Paltio yelled, looking at Mok with desperation.