"Finally!! We’re in the Magutayk Region!" Fodio shouted, his voice echoing across the new horizon.

  The group stood frozen, awestruck by the view. Stretching before them was a vast landscape dotted with ancient city ruins and massive industrial plants looming in the distance. Brookhan stared in wonder, his mechanical sensors recalibrating to the sheer scale of the world—until a voice shattered the silence.

  "Oh? You’re here already? You’ve arrived sooner than expected."

  A woman stood before them, her presence commanding and cold.

  "Milla..." Fodio growled. Without waiting for a command, he lunged forward with blinding speed.

  "Calm down, Fodio... haha," Milla teased, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Are you in such a hurry to end up like your leader, Trusarg?"

  "perhaps you'd like a rematch with him in the afterlife?" Fodio growl.

  The rest of the group was caught off guard, forced into a battle they weren't yet prepared for. They scrambled into defensive positions as Fodio and Milla traded blows that blurred in the air.

  Fodio leaped back to rejoin the group. "Boss Denki, she’s the one! She’s the head behind every Toaddah-cult hunt against us," he spat, his face twisted in pure rage. "Her armor... it’s different," Denki noted, his hand tightening on his Heat Blade. "That’s a Mech Suit," Fodio explained. "Only the Belekturr have that tech. Be twice as careful, Boss!"

  "What now? Are we just here to talk?" Milla mocked, casually glancing at the scenery as if they weren't a threat.

  Denki, Fodio, Brookhan, Grekknark, and Brendarg charged as one, with Krizz providing cover from the rear. TING! TING! ZZTTT! SLASH! Even with their combined strength, they struggled to land a clean hit on her.

  "I know that suit has a limit!" Fodio screamed. "You’re such a liar, Fodio! You haven't changed at all! Haha!" Milla countered.

  Suddenly—ZZTTTT! BOOM!

  Brookhan’s Hydraulic Punch connected squarely with Milla’s back. The force sent her hurtling through the air, smashing through a stone wall. Dust filled the air. To their horror, Milla stood up among the rubble, coughing up blood but still smiling.

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  "HAHAHAHAH! TRUSARG!!" she shrieked, spitting blood onto the ground. She lunged at Brookhan with terrifying speed. Brookhan raised his Shield Blast—CLANK! He parried the strike, but the sheer momentum sent him tumbling across the dirt.

  "I'm okay, sirs!" Brookhan yelled, picking himself up. He signaled to the team; he would be the bait.

  Brookhan charged again with his shield raised. "Look at me, you hag!" "Pathetic!" Milla sneered, meeting him head-on.

  CLICK! BOOM!

  The Shield Blast erupted at point-blank range. Milla was thrown back again, her suit’s left arm sparking and malfunctioning. Sensing the opening, Denki and Grekknark closed in.

  "HYDRAULIC PUNCHHHH!!" Brookhan roared, exhausting the last of his arm’s pressure.

  ZZTTT... BAANNGG!!

  Milla was sent flying once more. Her shoulder was dislocated, but she stood up and snapped it back into place with a sickening pop, showing no signs of pain. Her nose was bleeding profusely, and her suit was smoking.

  Denki’s group was reaching their limit. Brookhan’s hydraulic arm was empty, and his shield blast was drained. Panic began to set in—until WOOSSHHH!

  Fodio charged alone. Milla’s grin widened. "Just like old times, Trusarg! HAHAHA!"

  The two moved with identical speed, a whirlwind of steel. But suddenly, Fodio’s vision began to blur. The poison, he realized. It's spreading.

  "BOSS! THEY CHEATED, BUT I'LL DO THIS FOR THE CREW!" Fodio screamed. Denki and the others tried to intervene, but the aura surrounding the two fighters was too intense. They could only watch the spray of blood and the sparks of clashing blades.

  SPLATTT!

  Fodio’s blade sank deep into Milla’s left ribs. She looked at him, blood bubbling from her lips, still smiling. "You... you were always... hard to kill... damn you... cough..."

  THUD.

  Milla’s body hit the ground, lifeless. Fodio stood with his back to the group for a moment before turning around. He was covered in blood, and his nose was bleeding, but he was wearing the happiest smile they had ever seen.

  "This crew is... really something. I’m satisfied... to have lived this way... hahaha," he whispered. Denki rushed to his side. "Fodio! Stay still, let us treat you!" "Boss... no need... hehe," Fodio wheezed. "It’s okay. I’m okay now... because you all accepted me... you believed in me." "Don't talk like that! You have a massive gash in your side!" Denki shouted, his hands shaking as he searched for bandages. "Where is that special medicine of yours, Fodio?!"

  "Boss... calm down. That medicine won't work on this. We're too far from Yvonary anyway..." Fodio coughed up a thick spray of blood. "I told you... I was cheated. The cultist poisoned me... haha."

  Fodio grew weaker, one eye closing as his strength faded. Grekknark and Denki held him up. "Damn it, keep breathing!" Grekknark roared. Fodio just smiled. "Thank you..." He took one last, deep breath and pulled Denki closer, whispering into his ear:

  "Boss... the one you're looking for... argggg... in... Sector D... kkk... D3."

  THUD.

  Brendarg burst into tears. Denki followed, his silent sobs shaking his frame. The world seemed to collapse around the crew. Fodio lay there on the plain of the Magutayk Region, a permanent, peaceful smile on his face, his journey finally at its end.

  "What's your plan now, little wolves?" the voice of WAN-i drifted through the wind, watching from the distant shadows.

  To be continued...