The cocoon began to open slowly, revealing a strange and fascinating creature. First, horns resembling antennae emerged, attached to what appeared to be its head, followed by arms similar to those of a human. Finally, the rest of the body slid out of the cocoon with an almost hypnotic grace. Once the red light enveloping the cocoon had completely faded, the creature was fully exposed to everyone.
It had a humanoid shape, but its head was adorned with two pincers that could initially be mistaken for antennae. Its face resembled that of a human, except for the nose, which had been replaced by a structure akin to that of an insect. Instead of a nose, it had bright red eyes with blue irises that seemed to burn like embers. Its body was covered with lion-like skin, and its hands had four long, slender fingers. Its feet ended in hooves, though they gave the impression of wearing shoes due to their natural design. On its back, a protective shell housed small insect-like wings, still motionless. Its entire body had a deep red wine tone, like fresh blood, and glowed with a neon-like brilliance that seemed to illuminate the entire room.
The creature examined its hands with curiosity, turning them slowly as it observed its new form. However, it did not have much time to continue inspecting itself, as Sir Larot suddenly appeared, wielding his sword with astonishing speed. His attack was so swift that no one, except his friend Aragon, managed to perceive it. "He is very fast," the onlookers murmured, including Zeus's team, who watched in amazement.
Adia, meanwhile, wondered how much power this dark knight possessed. They had never before faced an adversary formidable enough to force the guardian to evolve in order to confront him. Everyone expected Larot to destroy the beast with a single blow, as he had done previously, but this time something changed. The being that had emerged from the cocoon transformed its right arm into a sharp scythe, similar to the front legs of a mantis, but much larger and deadlier. The creature emitted a high-pitched screech that resonated in everyone's ears, forcing even Larot to retreat. The sound abruptly ceased, leaving only a tense silence.
Then, the creature adopted a thoughtful posture, looking around with calculating eyes. Suddenly, a voice echoed in everyone's minds: "It is I, the guardian of the portal." Its tone was cold and terrifying, more imposing than anything they had ever heard. "My name is Urion, the guardian, and you, humans, have stolen an object that was under my care. I remained in my primal form, but you left me no choice but to reveal my true form. Now you will pay the consequences of your actions."
"What is it that they have stolen from you?" some of the onlookers asked.
"They have stolen the Black Heart, the most powerful gemstone in the universe."
"Perhaps we can help you find it and return it to you," Adia suggested cautiously.
"Returning my things will change nothing. I will still destroy you because of your interference and usurpation," Urion responded coldly. "Enough talk. It is time for your judgment." With that, he severed the mental connection.
Zeus, observing from the shadows, muttered to himself, "So that's what the doctor took. Interesting. With that, I can create excellent servants." A sinister laugh echoed in his mind as he plotted how to use the gemstone for his own purposes.
"Hurry, give the potion to the dog so it can recover. At least we'll have a chance against either of those two monsters," Eduard said, gasping for air as he pointed at Podbe. The dog was in poor condition after facing Urion in his primal form and Sir Larot. But before they could administer the potion, Urion unleashed a series of red waves from his scythe-arm, destroying everything in their path.
Clouds of dust filled the air, a result of the explosions, forcing everyone to scatter. Urion continued firing uncontrollably until Larot approached again, determined to confront him once more. Their weapons clashed with a deafening roar, but the impact was too much even for The Dark Knight.
"Damn it," Larot muttered through gritted teeth. Urion looked at him with disdain and activated his telepathy briefly. "Poor fool, do you think you can defeat me? I am superior to you. Perhaps my animal form was not enough to stop you, but in my thinking form, there is no one who can defeat me." With that, he fired a beam from his eyes that struck Larot's sword directly. The blade, which he believed to be indestructible, shattered into two pieces, sending him crashing into one of the walls with devastating force.
"That thing is very strong," Zeus commented with concern. "Everyone, go back to the elevator. We need to get out of here with the prize."
"But we need the boy," Laos protested. "Without him, all of this would be in vain, and another failure would occur."
"If we don't leave here, we'll all die," Irina exclaimed urgently. "Aragon, do you think Larot will bring the boy with him?"
Aragon nodded, and everyone understood the signal. They began retreating quickly, running as if in a race against time. Upon reaching the elevator, sweaty and exhausted, they activated the machine. Through a laptop, Zeus ordered his worker robots to initiate Protocol D, which involved starting the elevator's propulsion. The robots obeyed instantly, and rockets emerged from beneath the machine, causing it to ascend rapidly toward the upper floors. The passengers felt dizzy from the vertiginous speed of the ascent.
Upon arriving at the parking lot, the seven leaders, their leader, Zeus, and the doctors, began evacuating the area. Great Zeus instructed them to leave the building immediately. At one of the panels in the parking lot, he ordered the security robots to ensure all workers evacuated the premises as quickly as possible.
"As you wish, sir," replied the head robot before turning off the monitor. A piercing alarm blared throughout the building, louder than the one Podbe and his team had triggered upon entering.
"So that's what they want: the boy who can open a connection to our world," Zeus thought as he listened to the surrounding conversations. "They have what I was entrusted to protect. Feeling the aura of the gemstone fade from the seventh floor, I will kill the boy in front of them to make them suffer and prevent them from fulfilling their ambition. Then I will destroy them all." Urion laughed wickedly in his mind, reveling in the chaos he had created.
Immediately, the portal guardian unleashed his eye-ray attack once more, this time with greater intensity, directed upward, creating a massive hole in the ceiling. Everything began to collapse, and black tentacles emerged from his back, seizing Aiden and tearing him from Podbe's arms.
"No, let me go!" the boy screamed desperately. "Not again, I'm not leaving my dog behind again!"
"No, Aiden!" the others shouted. Maria and Billy tried to reach him, but it was futile.
The great beast ascended into the air, spreading the wings it had drawn from the shell on its back, while the entire structure crumbled in its wake. Inside himself, Podbe thought, "No, Aiden, I have finally found you, and now I have to let you go again."
"Calm down, Podbe, we'll go after him," Reia said softly, trying to console him.
"This is the end," murmured the two scientists who were with them, panicking as they watched the entire floor collapse. The children were heartbroken because they hadn't been able to save their friend. Elena, to herself, thought, "I never got the chance to apologize to you, and now I'm going to die here. I'm sorry, Aiden, I truly am."
"There's nothing we can do," Marie said with resignation as the structures of the floors above collapsed on top of them. In the distance, in one of the corners, Sir Larot lay on the ground with a crack in his helmet revealing one of his closed eyes. Slowly, the eyes began to open, revealing a furious glow of deep blue.