"What?" Jake froze.
"NACHIO attacked Fake Scars. Missiles, tanks, drones, and robotic forces — they've unleashed everything," Aldrio said.
Jake's eyes widened. "Hero Town is a battlefield. Evacuate all civilians!"
Without hesitation, everyone rushed outside.
Dream soared into the sky, followed by Lia, Carter, and Emma. DA vanished without a trace.
Ron was the first to leave — but a sudden headache hit him.
"Ron," Dream said telepathically, "you have to head to Fake Scars' headquarters."
She linked the others — Jake, Lia, Carter, Emma, and DA — through mental connection.
Ron activated his phone but quickly realized his number was off.
Jake watched from a high vantage point while others saved civilians.
"What should I do?" he wondered.
He issued mental commands. "Lia, Carter, attack NACHIO's forces. Dream and Emma, handle Fake Scars' troops. Crush them."
The group acted instantly.
Lia's telekinesis flung NACHIO's armies across the city.
Carter formed colossal swords, each big enough to slice entire continents in a single strike. He swung at unmanned forces.
Lia located the crew controlling NACHIO's drones, entered their minds, and eliminated them.
Dream's power split the earth itself, swallowing tanks and robotic soldiers.
Emma's punch shattered everything in its path.
Meanwhile, DA hovered, observing silently.
Then — a massive figure landed on the battlefield.
No one knew whose side he was on. Fake Scars? NACHIO? It didn't matter. His presence alone radiated destruction.
He slammed the ground; the impact shattered buildings and sent everyone flying.
Emma's punches couldn't touch him; he dodged with unnerving ease.
He leapt across structures like a wild beast, grinning.
Lia hurled every tank, drone, and rubble at him using telekinesis. He dodged every attack, laughing.
A giant vehicle charged him. With a single kick, he demolished it.
"Such strong opponents… YEAH!" he roared.
In an instant, he closed the distance to Lia, fist raised.
Suddenly, a punch intercepted him mid-air, sending him hurtling across multiple buildings.
"Damn! What was that?!" he roared.
Lia blinked. DA appeared, standing calmly.
"Hy," he said.
The giant swung, fist inches from DA's face. DA dodged casually while speaking.
The figure leapt toward a cliff, readying his next strike.
Two men came out of nowhere, in front of Lia, at a distance.
Lia was about to attack but DA stopped her.
"They are our men. The one's who helped us against Larthur." DA said.
Carter formed a massive arrow and launched it straight at the towering man.
But before it could reach him, a figure appeared — an old man, sword in hand.
With a single swift motion, the old man swung his blade and sliced the arrow cleanly in half.
Carter's brow furrowed. "Who… are you?" he demanded.
Before he could react further, a punch slammed into his face, sending him crashing across multiple buildings.
Carter skidded to a stop, pushing himself upright. As he looked up, the old man hovered above, sword raised, ready to strike.
A flying tank hurtled toward him. The old man didn't hesitate — he swung his blade, cutting the tank perfectly in half.
Then a fist shot toward him. He twisted aside — it was Lia.
The old man lunged at her with his sword, but she met his gaze directly. In that moment, she entered his mind.
Suddenly, the old man's vision twisted. Hallucinations overtook him. Faces of his fallen comrades appeared, their eyes accusing, their mouths screaming:
"We died because of you!"
"You didn't save us!"
"…because of you, we're gone!"
He staggered, his sword shaking as fear and guilt consumed him.
Carter watched in awe. "What… did you do?" he asked.
"I entered his mind and triggered his deepest fears," Lia explained. "Now he'll be fighting his worst nightmares… forever."
Carter nodded grimly and looked back at the old man. He stood frozen, sword slipping from his hand like a broken soldier.
"And what about the big man?" Carter asked.
Lia pointed toward Emma. The massive figure was still standing, but Emma's fist slammed the same spot on the ground where the man stood, repeatedly, each strike reverberating like a meteor impact.
"That big man may be standing, but Emma is hitting him relentlessly," Lia said.
Carter laughed, exhilarated.
"Carter, Lia — go destroy Fake Scars," Jake's voice echoed in their minds.
Without hesitation, the two dashed off toward the enemy's stronghold.
"Sir, many monsters have appeared out of nowhere!" Aldrio reported urgently.
"Don't worry," Jake said calmly.
Suddenly, the sky crackled with lightning. A streak of energy moved faster than the eye could follow.
Rocky had arrived.
He darted across the battlefield like a living arrow, striking down monsters with inhuman speed, leaving nothing but devastation in his wake.
Elsewhere
Ron stood on top of the shattered building.
Several men lay unconscious on the ground around him.
"Who did this?" Ron muttered.
Suddenly
CRASH!
A window exploded into shards. A winged figure burst through the glass and shot toward Ron. Before Ron could react, four horns slammed into his stomach, and the figure tackled him violently.
They crashed through another window and tumbled out of the building.
Mid-air, Ron got a clear look at his attacker.
Dragon Sage, Connor.
Connor wasn't finished.
He grabbed Ron and tackled him across multiple buildings. Concrete shattered in their wake. Ron hit the ground hard, coughing up blood.
Without giving him a moment to recover, Connor slammed Ron into a mountain — then drove him straight into the earth, piercing through the ground and bursting out on the other side of the terrain.
Ron's vision flickered. His eyes were on the verge of turning completely white.