The dog stood in front of the beast because, after talking with Reia and Aiden without reaching an agreement, he decided to face it to save his new friends. Podbe stood tall with every hair on end, as if every fiber of his being was ready for battle. He repeated to himself mentally: "I can do this, I must protect them, or at least try. This cannot be the end."
"Don't be stubborn, Podbe," warned Reia with a tone mixed with concern and frustration. "The system itself says you don't have the strength needed to defeat it."
"We can't lose, right, Aiden? We're the good guys," replied the canine, activating his hardness ability as he advanced toward the beast with fierce determination.
"What are we going to do?" asked the frightened children, watching as the enormous beast approached with gigantic steps that made the ground tremble beneath their feet.
Eduard tried to calm Adia, who had curled into a fetal position after seeing that creature emerge. As she babbled, she kept repeating: "This can't be happening, it can't be."
Gat and Ezequiel also went after the dog, determined not to stay on the sidelines.
"Hey, old man, we can't just sit around and let the little doggie have all the fun," said Gat to his leader with a forced smile, trying to hide his own fear.
"You're absolutely right, kid. We must face this adversity no matter what," responded Ezequiel with a resolute look.
Both were approaching the spot where the dog stood, ready to fight.
Lidia and Rino had tied up the two head scientists, Laos and Swang, and were keeping them under guard. Marie instructed them to search for the prisoners to find out what they had brought from the other side of the portal. Both obeyed the order and began inspecting the captives. Lidia searched for Swang while Rino searched for Laos. When they finished, Rino only found some pebbles the size of a coin that the doctor had been carrying.
"They only have this junk," he told Marie, tossing it on the ground without realizing that the doctor's entire treasure was hidden within them. The scientist gave no sign to avoid drawing attention or raising suspicion about their value.
"She's clean too," Lidia informed Marie.
"But then, how did that thing get here if the portal closed? There must be something fishy going on," wondered Marie, frowning.
"That enormous monster that came out of the portal is the guardian of the orb of darkness, just like last time," said Adia from her spot, her voice trembling. "A long time ago, the same thing happened. I thought it was a forgotten memory, but now, seeing it again, it seems the barrier placed on me by the leader of the C agents is losing its power and unlocking some past traumas."
Adia took a deep breath, stood up from where she was, and then, looking at Laos with a fixed and furious gaze, she asked:
"You, what did you bring from that place? Where is the dark orb? You're putting all of us in danger here. If that thing gets out, it will cause chaos and destruction in the outside world."
A little more composed, she instructed Lidia and Rino:
"It must be around here somewhere. Look carefully, guys."
They responded: "We've already searched thoroughly, and all we found were those bits of junk he had in his pockets," Rino clarified. "It must be somewhere. Find it; we must stop that thing from leaving this place. Keep searching. I'll try to help the others. Eduard, stay with them. Without your gloves, your powers aren't as effective," she instructed. "Alright, I'm off," she said and vanished from the spot.
On the battlefield, Aiden positioned himself behind Podbe. The canine signaled for him to retreat and join the group, but Aiden replied: "No, I'll stand by your side again. We can't be separated. Besides, I opened that portal—I can do it again and send that thing back where it belongs." "Fine, but stay over there where it can't see you. I'll distract it," the dog responded, advancing toward the beast with a powerful bark that echoed through the air. "Alright, I'll focus over here so I don't become a burden and work on reopening that portal."
The canine ran toward the beast and unleashed a "firehead," but before he could reach it, the beast struck him with one of its scythe-like arms, sending the dog flying into one of the walls. "Damn it," the canine muttered to himself. "Don't continue. Look, it's destroyed your hardness ability. It just deactivated, minus twenty Health Points. Imagine—if it hurt you while that ability was active, now without it, it could finish you off," Reia warned, her voice trembling with fear.
Podbe got up, blood trickling down his back and head, and charged again. "Don't be stubborn," Reia pleaded in his mind, trying to stop him with a couple of electric shocks, but the dog was determined not to give up.
Suddenly, two figures appeared beside him: it was Gat and Ezequiel. "You're not alone; we've come to support you, boy," they told the dog as they rushed to his aid. "How could I have forgotten about them?" Reia remarked. "If we rely on them, we might have a chance to defeat that thing," Podbe thought. "Yes, perhaps you're right, and there's still hope," she replied.
Gat fired his shots using his ability while Ezequiel prepared his final attack. He could only use this technique three times a day, and he wanted it to be stronger than the previous ones to damage the beast. His fists began to glow with the color of moonlight, growing larger with each passing moment. "Hurry up, old man!" Gat shouted as he fired his attacks and dodged the beast's sharp front legs.
Podbe focused on the tentacles and the lion-like legs—there were four in total: two front legs and two that supported the creature. Ezequiel fully illuminated his fists, took a deep breath, and declared he was ready. Then he signaled for Podbe and Gat to move out of the way. They immediately complied, and Ezequiel launched his attack at the beast's chest. A brilliant flash of light erupted, and the part heading toward the beast took the shape of a crescent moon. The impact struck the beast's chest, and a massive explosion followed.
"He did it!" exclaimed Gat, watching Ezequiel sweat and pant as if struggling to catch his breath. "That was the last one I can do today—I think I overexerted myself." Ezequiel fell to his knees and then collapsed completely. "He did it!" echoed the group near Marie. "He defeated it! Thank goodness the threat is over."
Gat and Podbe approached Ezequiel. Gat lifted him, cradling him in his arms, and repeatedly asked: "Leader, are you alright? Answer me, Agent B!"
It seemed that Ezequiel had exhausted himself with that attack. After a moment, he opened his eyes and whispered faintly: "I'm fine."
Gat hugged his mentor tightly while the dog gave him a gentle lick on the face. "Alright, let's get out of here," Gat instructed Ezequiel, placing his arm over his shoulder to help him stand. "Come on, Podbe," Gat said, but the dog remained frozen, staring intently at the site of the explosion.
As the cloud of dust began to clear, the beast came into view—angrier than ever, ready to use its fierce mantis-like front legs again, as if nothing had happened. Where the attack had struck, only a small crack could be seen. Everyone was stunned. "If that doesn't work, we're doomed," they shouted among themselves.
The enormous creature launched its two sharp front legs toward the dog and the two others with him. The three stood motionless, overwhelmed by the creature's immense power. Just before the attack could land, a dome of energy enveloped them. Adia had arrived to protect them.
"Sorry I'm late," she said. "I'll help as much as I can."
They were relieved by her arrival, but she quickly warned: "Don't celebrate yet. I don't think my dome can withstand those massive weapons for long, nor the beast's powerful lion legs."
The enraged beast began striking repeatedly with all four legs, and Adia's dome started to crack. "We need to leave this place," she urged, pulling out a card and tossing it outside the energy field toward where her friends were.
As the beast shattered the dome, the four teleported back to where the others were.
Meanwhile, Aiden was hiding among walls that formed a triangle. Closing his eyes, he tried to figure out how to reopen the portal. "How did I do it? How did I do it?" he repeated to himself, searching for a way to activate his power. "I need to connect with something—maybe the machine I used, or those colored substances."
He glanced at the spot where the chair with the liquids had been, but it was completely destroyed. Suddenly, he saw a beam of light shoot past and strike the beast in the face with such force that it staggered. "What was that?" he wondered.
And it wasn't just him—everyone else who had survived the attack was also wondering what could be so powerful as to harm that monstrous creature.