The battle between ZARIOUH and the BLACK FOX raged violently.
The BLACK FOX advanced—
One step.
Two.
His armor fully regenerated, returning to its deep black sheen.
ZARIOUH raised both daggers,
Taking a combat stance that resembled a sword dancer poised between rhythm and death.
The BLACK FOX spoke, his voice cold and mechanical:
"Opponent evaluated…
ZARIOUH: Threat Level SS.
Activating offensive pattern:
BERSERKER MODE."
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
The red light in his mask intensified.
ZARIOUH smiled.
"I was hoping for this."
They launched toward each other—
Like meteors.
But this time, the BLACK FOX was different.
He didn't merely block ZARIOUH's attacks—
He evaded them before they were even launched.
Every stab from ZARIOUH's daggers missed.
A single punch from the FOX's metallic fist shattered ZARIOUH's defensive field and slammed into his chest.
The impact wasn't normal—
It was the sound of something breaking.
ZARIOUH coughed up blood violently.
He staggered back a step, shock flashing through his eyes.
The BLACK FOX didn't give him a second.
Defense became a storm of offense.
A spinning kick tore through the air, forcing ZARIOUH to raise his arms to block—
The recoil made the bones in his forearms tremble.
Before he could recover, the FOX was already behind him—
As if he knew exactly where ZARIOUH would be—
And hurled him violently across the corridor.
The FOX's cold, synthetic voice cut through the roar of battle:
"Combat superiority ratio: 87.3%.
Opponent strategy: predictable.
Weak points: identified."
The red glow of the FOX's mask burned steadily now.
He was fighting not only with strength and speed—
But with absolute knowledge.
Every pattern in ZARIOUH's attacks.
Every feint.
Every gap in his defense—
Calculated.
Exploited.
Instantly.
ZARIOUH forced himself upright.
His breath poured from his chest like burning smoke.
His shoulder bled from the wound left by the previous berserk beast…
His left knee trembled against his will.
But his eyes—
They were sparks of fire.
The BLACK FOX attacked again, claws slicing the air like twin rotating blades.
ZARIOUH retreated… blocked…
His back scraped against the wall—
Then he lunged with the red dagger.
Strike after strike.
Stab after stab.
But the BLACK FOX was a perfected killing machine.
He grabbed ZARIOUH by the throat.
Slammed him into the ground.
Concrete shattered.
Blood sprayed from ZARIOUH's mouth.
"ZARIOUH…"
GHAZLANE whispered, her words breaking as she watched the screens, every new wound opening before her eyes.
"He won't survive this slaughter…"
MONA pressed her palm against the glass, her voice choked with tears that refused to fall.
But there—
In the heart of hell—
ZARIOUH smiled.
A smile burning with rage.
Twisted with defiance.
Shining through blood and sweat.
"Since when…"
He ducked beneath a strike that nearly split his spine—
"…has a FOX ever taken me down?!"
ZARIOUH roared and kicked the FOX back.
"What kind of madman smiles at the edge of death?!"
MONA screamed, unable to believe what she was seeing.
ADEL never looked away from the screen, his voice steel-solid:
"ZARIOUH may be reckless…
He may be harsh…
But his heart holds absolute loyalty.
He has always been the most driven to protect this team."
ZARIOUH collapsed to his knees, blood pouring from dozens of wounds.
"He'll stand,"
ADEL continued, his eyes burning with unwavering belief.
"That's who he is.
No matter how hard he falls— he always rises."
"And every time he rises…"
OBASSO added with breathless excitement, eyes shining like stars,
"He comes back stronger… tougher… fiercer than before!"
And in that moment—
ZARIOUH stood again.
Refusing to bow his head to anyone.
He charged straight into the FOX's assault—
Without trying to evade.
He crashed into FOX's iron body like a human missile.
He didn't block the nano-claws tearing into his right shoulder.
Instead—
With everything he had left,
He wrapped his torn arms around the FOX's body—
Locking him in place.
In that moment,
ZARIOUH wasn't fighting to win.
He was fighting to protect something far greater than victory.
As pain devoured his body,
Memories exploded through his mind like shrapnel:
MESNAS, wounded in the hospital— his silence heavier than any accusation.
• SOLIMON's voice, trusting him to complete the mission— trust as heavy as a mountain.
• LOUVNA's gaze, believing in him to lead her to safety— innocence that must never be broken.
Then—
An image of the team, gathered around a table, laughing.
That simple moment—
Once ordinary—
Had become the very core of everything he was fighting for.
"No… I won't fall again,"
He whispered to himself, blood filling his mouth.
"ZARIOOOOOOUH!"
GHAZLANE screamed.
MONA closed her eyes, refusing to witness the end.
The FOX's artificial voice echoed:
"Suicidal pattern detected.
Probability: 99.8%.
Analysis: Target attempting movement restriction to strike the critical weak point."
For the first time—
There was hesitation in the machine's movement.
It was not programmed for an enemy who turned his own body into a trap.
The FOX launched his final attack—
Driving his second claw toward ZARIOUH's head to crush it.
In the fraction of a second where death should have been inevitable—
ZARIOUH moved.
Using the immense force of the FOX's own strike,
He exposed him for a single instant.
ZARIOUH's soul screamed:
NOW!
He leapt—
A mad leap only possible for someone half made of pain—
And half forged from steel will.
"This is for them!"
He roared, wrapping his arm around the enemy's neck.
"This is for MESNAS!"
He drove the blue dagger into the rear joint of the armor.
"This is for LOUVNA!"
He shoved the blade deeper between the shattered plates.
"And this… is for THE SHADOWS!"
With a final, precise strike—
Then, with everything left in his body,
He plunged the red dagger straight into the core of the armor and screamed:
"And THIS… is for MOHITO!"
The BLACK FOX froze.
His body convulsed.
Sparks erupted beneath the mask.
Then—
He collapsed.
Lifeless.
The mask shattered against the floor.
ZARIOUH dropped to one knee, breathing violently.
"This is the end of anyone who dares threaten my family."
Then—
He stood.
Not like a boastful victor—
But like a guardian who had removed a threat from those he protects.
Blood still poured from his wounds.
Yet his stance was taller than ever.
Behind the screens, cheers erupted.
"He did it!"
GHAZLANE shouted, leaping from her seat.
ADEL and OBASO clasped hands in triumph.
LOUVNA smiled— a smile of pure relief.
And MONA—
With tears pooled in her eyes—
Carved the image into her heart.
The image of a hero
Who rose
From beneath the rubble.
*****************************
Suddenly—
As the team was still focused on ZARIOUH's battle—
The sensor array flared violently, alarms screaming inside the operations room.
OBASSO spun toward it instantly and shouted through the comms:
"Everyone!! The floors are colla—"
He didn't finish.
Because the ground beneath them shook violently.
A thunderous explosion ripped through the building from above.
Floor 12 collapsed onto 11…
11 onto 10…
10 onto 9…
Concrete dust blasted through the corridors.
ORGANISATION soldiers fell from above.
Entire sections of the structure collapsed like a burning domino chain.
ZARIOUH tried to run—
But the shockwave hurled him backward across the floor.
And in that moment—
Two bodies fell from the sky.
One massive.
Encased in heavy black nano-armor.
Followed by a second, slightly smaller form—
SOLIMON
and the COMMANDER OF THE FIFTH BATTALION.
They plunged five floors down,
Still fighting each other in midair.
Everything glimmered in the golden age of battle.
SOLIMON spun his triple-bladed scythe, slicing the air like a raging vortex.
The COMMANDER blocked with two nano-ignited blades—
Their strikes colliding as they fell:
SOLIMON kicked the enemy's chest.
The COMMANDER countered with an elbow that shattered a metal panel.
SOLIMON planted his feet against the wall of a collapsing floor.
The COMMANDER struck him through the smoke.
Then—
They slammed into the ground directly in front of the truck.
The impact was so violent that the truck was shoved a full meter backward.
LOUVNA leaned out from inside the vehicle—
She saw SOLIMON rise, his armor cracked and sparking.
and the COMMANDER shook the dust from his shoulders—
His red eyes lock straight onto her.
His laugh—
Mocking.
Arrogant.
Spread through the chaos.
SOLIMON stepped forward, placing himself between the COMMANDER and the PRINCESS.
"You won't pass."
The COMMANDER smiled.
"On the contrary…
I'll start with you."
SOLIMON stood firm.
His triple-bladed scythe rotated slowly—
A rotation carrying a single meaning:
Defeat is no longer an option.