A path along the banks of the East River.
A violent explosion erupted, accompanied by rising flames.
Steve and Kent, who had been tracking a Gurongi, arrived just in time to see a passerby being attacked. They immediately lunged forward to intercept the strike.
Although they weren't sure of the exact nature of the black ink spat out by this new Gurongi, it was clearly its primary method of execution. From their past combat experience, every ability used by the Gurongi was highly lethal. Judging by the situation, any target hit by that ink would be a dead man.
Without a moment's hesitation, the two leaped in front of the civilians to shield them. As expected, the ink exploded violently upon impact, the sheer force of the blast sending both heroes flying backward.
The Squid Gurongi, exhaling high-heat explosive ink, watched the disheveled Steve and Kent with a triumphant look. "Kuuga, and the Rinto warrior of unknown origin... you've shown up after all. But you won't stop me from completing my Game."
Having said that, it spat another glob of ink at the panicked hunting targets.
"Damn it!" Seeing the civilians unable to escape in time, Kent didn't stop to think. Moving like a hurricane, he crossed dozens of meters in an instant to stand before the bystanders, acting as a human shield against the ink.
Another violent explosion followed. Kent's outer armor took the full brunt of the ultra-high temperature and the blast, resulting in multiple cracks and scorched wounds across his chest.
"Captain Rogers!" Kent glanced at his damaged armor and gritted his teeth.
His meaning was clear: Steve needed to focus on the Squid Gurongi while he prioritized protecting the innocent civilians.
Steve nodded and immediately shifted into Dragon Form. Wielding the Dragon Staff, he charged at the Squid Gurongi with incredible agility.
However, faced with Steve's aggressive assault, the Squid Gurongi made no move to dodge or resist. Steve felt something was off, but he didn't slow down. He silently channeled more sealing energy into the staff, increasing its striking power, and thrust it toward the creature's chest.
The Squid Gurongi merely tilted its body slightly as the Dragon Staff made contact—and then Steve felt his weapon slip.
The staff slid harmlessly off the Gurongi's skin. It was as if the creature's body was coated in a frictionless substance. Because Steve had put his full weight into the thrust, the sudden lack of resistance left him overextended.
Taking advantage of the opening, the Squid Gurongi swung a heavy fist, catching Steve in the head and sending him tumbling. It then spat a glob of explosive ink directly at the airborne Steve, hoping to deal a finishing blow.
Steve's reflexes remained sharp. In mid-air, the Dragon Staff transformed back into his shield, which he used to block the blast.
"That shield of yours is quite remarkable, Kuuga. I haven't seen that one before," the Squid Gurongi remarked, watching the shield easily shrug off the explosion.
Steve held the shield steady, his gaze heavy. He switched to Mighty Form. While Dragon Form was agile, this Gurongi's skin was protected by a specialized, slippery substance. Speed-based strikes were too easily deflected; he needed a different approach to deal real damage.
"Trying to face me with red power?" the Squid Gurongi scoffed.
It began spitting globs of ink in rapid succession, covering Steve, Kent, and the original civilian targets.
Earlier, Kent had used his body to block because of the dire emergency. Now, he wasn't about to stand there like an idiot and soak up high-temperature explosions. Kent raised his hands, swirling with wind and lightning, and released a concentrated blast that intercepted the ink in mid-air, detonating it harmlessly away from the group. Steve, meanwhile, used his shield to move forward through the smoke.
"What a troublesome defense," the Squid Gurongi hissed, seeing its ink failing to bypass the shield.
Suddenly, screams rang out: "Monsters!"
A few more bystanders had been drawn toward the river by the sound of the explosions.
"Perfect timing. The prey is delivering itself," the Squid Gurongi chuckled. It turned its head and spat ink at the newcomers.
Realizing it couldn't bypass Steve's shield easily, it lost interest in the duel and refocused on its primary goal: killing Rinto to complete the Gegel game.
"Curse you!" Steve realized that at this distance, neither he nor Kent could reach the new civilians in time.
In a flash of desperation, he shifted into Pegasus Form. The shield in his hand transformed into the Pegasus Bowgun. With his heightened senses, he locked onto the black ink flying through the air and fired invisible energy bolts, detonating each one before they could reach the people.
However, the deafening roar of the multiple explosions was devastating to Pegasus Form's hearing, which was thousands of times more sensitive than a human's. Steve's mind was momentarily overwhelmed by the cacophony, leaving him dazed and motionless.
Seeing the opening, the Squid Gurongi spat a massive glob of ink at the paralyzed Steve. By the time Steve's mind cleared, the ink had already stuck to his chest.
The resulting explosion was agonizing. The hyper-senses of Pegasus Form translated the blast into thousands of times more pain than usual. Blasted backward, Steve rolled across the pavement, finally unable to maintain the form. He reverted to the weakened Growing Form (White), lying on the ground, struggling to move.
The Squid Gurongi's excitement flared. It prepared to spit one last glob of ink to claim the glory of finishing off Kuuga.
But suddenly, thick, scorching white steam began to pour from its own body. Producing that much explosive ink in a short burst generated massive internal heat, putting a heavy strain on its physiology. It had to return to the water to cool down.
"You're lucky today, Kuuga," the Squid Gurongi said. It leaped into the river and vanished beneath the surface.
Kent had been rushing to Steve's aid, but he stopped in his tracks, confused. Why did the Gurongi retreat when it had the clear upper hand?
After a moment of bewilderment, he helped Steve up. "Captain, are you alright?"
Steve shook his head weakly. "I'll live." His eyes remained fixed on the spot where the creature had dived in.
"Since it's gone and we can't track it underwater right now, and given our current state... we should head back to base," Kent suggested, looking at his cracked armor and Steve's weakened state.
Steve remained silent for a moment before nodding slowly.