“Look, this is it, my lord,” announced one of the soldiers accompanying the leader in the golden mask, pointing to a pile of branches and leaves covering the base of a mountain.“That’s right. This is it,” Jock confirmed as he surveyed the scene. What appeared to be a door lay hidden beneath the natural cover. “Alright, soldiers, clear the entrance. I order you!”The soldiers hurried to remove the leaves and branches with the swords attached to the shafts of their spears. Once the entrance was cleared, a dark and spacious passage was revealed. They prepared torches and began to enter. The opening was large enough to allow ten people to pass through at once.“My lord, they’ve entered,” reported the spy observing them from afar, communicating with his general through a device.“Excellent, boy. We’re already in position and ready to attack,” replied the general in a firm voice. “Prepare to seal the entrance on my command.”“Yes, sir. Awaiting your instructions, sir,” the spy responded, r

“Well, it’s your turn to do something, my dear friend Godar,” Blaget declared with a sinister smile. Without giving him time to respond, he hurled Godar toward the battlefield, having already activated the ring that Blajon had entrusted to him. “We’ll use this in extreme situations,” Blajon had said, and this was precisely one of them.Godar hit the ground with a muffled cry as his body began to transform. His humanoid avocado form quickly faded, giving way to a monstrous and grotesque creature. It was enormous, with the head of a bee but a metallic spiral where its mouth should have been, and the segmented body of a giant scorpion. Its long, robust tail ended in a sharp stinger that gleamed under the dim light of the cave. The resulting creature was as terrifying as it was lethal.Upon seeing the complete transformation of the half-avocado hybrid, Blaget didn’t hesitate for a second. He decided to leave the scene, not without first cruelly mocking him. “Good luck, Godar,” he said sar

Alita lunged toward the enormous beast with determination. As she touched down in front of it, she began moving her hands rapidly, causing the ground beneath the creature’s legs to sink like quicksand. The beast tried to free itself but was trapped, like a fly stuck on gummed paper.To protect herself from the creature’s free pincer, Alita conjured a barrier of water that shimmered like a liquid crystal. It appeared incredibly resilient, stopping every attack without yielding an inch. However, seeing that it couldn’t harm her, the beast fixed its massive eyes on her and lashed out with its sharp tail directly toward the young girl. With lightning speed, Alita summoned a block of rock to intercept the stinger. The impact shattered the block into pieces, sending up a cloud of dust that enveloped the area. When the dust cleared, the creature, waving its tail to disperse the haze, realized Alita was no longer where she had been moments before.“Take this!” Alita shouted from the other sid

“Right, let’s get to work,” Paltio said with determination.“Understood!” everyone responded in unison, ready to act.“Wow, two speeches in one day. I’m impressed, Paltio. Don’t let your brain overheat,” Ron teased, while Alita nodded with a mischievous smile.The group decided to split into two teams. Paltio would lead the search for the final piece of the Scepter of Avocios alongside Lucca, Lukeandria, Ban, Ludra, and Dall. The latter was assigned because, although he wasn’t particularly skilled in combat, he could assist with simpler tasks like exploration. On the other hand, Alita, Ron, and Rodelos joined Ariafilis’s team to free the Reedalian prisoners from the mine and contact the professor, who might help them track down the mysterious crystals.Moments before departing, Dall voiced his frustration: “Hey, why do I have to dig with them?” he asked, looking at Ariafilis before he left.Jock, ever blunt, replied without hesitation: “It’ll toughen you up. Besides, it builds charact

Rodelos was being overpowered by the Vichus when, suddenly, something yanked him out of their grasp. Confused but relieved, he looked up to find Ron.“Are you all right?” Ron asked, helping him to his feet.“Well, boy… What are you doing here?” Rodelos responded, brushing off the dust as he tried to catch his breath. Despite his weary tone, it was clear he appreciated the assistance.“Don’t worry, we’re here to help,” Ron assured him with a confident smile.“We?” Rodelos asked, looking around curiously.“I’m here to assist,” Chiki said in his red wolf form, appearing behind them with a determined expression.“Well, I’d forgotten how strong you are, boy,” Rodelos remarked to Ron with a small smile of gratitude.“At least you think so… Unlike someone,” Ron muttered, casting a quick glance at Chiki.“Enough with the nonsense and fight! Can’t you see these things don’t give up?” Chiki shouted as he delivered a pair of powerful kicks that knocked down two nearby Vichus.“You’re right,” Rod