Both teams arrived at the same time.

  Leon, Lara, and Liu stood on one side of the massive chamber doors.

  Across from them stood the children of áris, their elemental auras flickering against the red emergency lights of the tower.

  For a brief moment, the corridor was silent.

  Then the colossal doors slowly opened.

  The chamber beyond was enormous.

  Metallic walls stretched upward like the inside of a mechanical cathedral. Thick cables pulsed with energy along every surface, feeding power into a giant holographic projection floating at the center of the room.

  Gin.

  His image stared down at them calmly.

  “You seek answers,” he said in a cold voice.

  “But all you will find here… is ruin.”

  Suddenly—

  The entire room exploded.

  A violent shockwave tore through the chamber.

  Leon reacted instantly.

  Black wings burst from his back as he pulled Lara and Liu beneath them, shielding them from the blast.

  Across the room, Roco summoned a massive electrical barrier, protecting the other siblings as sparks of lightning crackled around them.

  Smoke, fire, and shattered metal filled the air.

  Watching the War

  Elsewhere inside Spilri, hidden agents of Organization Alpha watched the war through holographic displays.

  The screens showed the battlefield outside the tower.

  áris and the Elemental Council were tearing through Spilri’s defenses like a storm.

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  Entire divisions of android soldiers collapsed under their assault.

  One of the agents swallowed nervously.

  “They don’t stop,” he whispered.

  “Nothing stops them.”

  Another agent looked pale.

  “If áris wins… there will be no place left for us in this universe.”

  The room fell quiet.

  In the shadows behind them stood Vander.

  He was preparing a small squad of elite agents.

  “Wait,” he said calmly.

  “Do not move until I give the order.”

  His eyes were fixed on the battlefield.

  “This war… will change sides soon.”

  Gin’s Challenge

  Back inside the tower chamber, the smoke slowly cleared.

  Broken panels flickered around the room.

  Gin’s hologram reappeared.

  Calm.

  Unshaken.

  “You believe you can force knowledge from me,” he said.

  “But I am the mind of Spilri.”

  “You are not prepared for what I keep here.”

  Iris stepped forward, flames swirling around his arms.

  “Stop hiding behind machines, Gin!” he shouted.

  “We’ll rip the answers out of you!”

  Leon spread his wings slightly, standing firm.

  “Then show us,” he said quietly.

  “Let’s see if you have the courage to face what you created.”

  The Guardian

  Suddenly alarms blared.

  Red lights flooded the chamber.

  The metal floor trembled.

  A cylindrical capsule slowly rose from the center of the room.

  The glass cracked.

  Then shattered.

  Something stepped out.

  The creature’s skin was dark and armored, veins glowing with unstable energy beneath the surface.

  Multiple crimson eyes opened across its face.

  Long claws scraped against the metal floor.

  Its body carried the marks of many species.

  Krizardian muscle structure.

  Fragments of horns.

  Wolf-like reflexes.

  It was not a natural being.

  Gin’s voice echoed proudly through the chamber.

  “Behold the Guardian of the Tower.”

  “A perfect hybrid… created to eliminate anyone who dares challenge Spilri.”

  Chaos Unleashed

  The Guardian moved first.

  Faster than anyone expected.

  Leon reacted instantly.

  Blue flames surged around his sword as he raised a barrier of water to block the creature’s first strike.

  The impact shattered the ground beneath him.

  Liu threw both hands forward.

  Dozens of glowing green chains burst from the walls, wrapping around the Guardian’s body.

  For a moment, it looked restrained.

  Then the monster roared.

  Energy exploded outward, tearing the chains apart.

  Lara raised her hands.

  Golden spears of light formed around her, launching toward the creature in rapid succession.

  Several struck.

  But the Guardian absorbed part of the energy and roared louder.

  The children of áris joined the fight.

  Columns of fire from Iris and Sol slammed into the creature.

  águs summoned massive waves that crashed into its body.

  The earth siblings raised pillars of stone to crush it.

  Vitor unleashed a vortex of wind, lifting debris and metal into the air.

  Roco called down lightning that illuminated the entire chamber.

  The battle became chaos.

  Each strike shook the tower.

  Walls collapsed.

  Energy blasts tore through the chamber.

  Yet the Guardian laughed.

  As if it understood.

  Desperation

  Leon gathered the five elements around him.

  Fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning swirled together, forming a massive sphere of energy.

  He hurled it forward.

  The Guardian caught it with both claws.

  And absorbed part of the power.

  Liu’s eyes widened.

  “It has Krizardian DNA!”

  “It’s adapting to our powers!”

  Before they could react, the creature moved again.

  It smashed through Lara’s barrier of light and struck her with a brutal blow.

  She was thrown across the chamber, crashing against the wall.

  One by one, the children of áris began to fall as well.

  Even their combined strength was not enough.

  Captured

  The Guardian raised its arms.

  A massive gravitational wave exploded outward.

  Everyone froze.

  The pressure forced them to the ground.

  Energy chains erupted from the floor, binding Leon, Lara, Liu, and the children of áris.

  Gin’s hologram appeared again.

  This time he was smiling.

  “You were strong,” he said calmly.

  “But not strong enough.”

  “Now… you will become part of my greatest experiment.”

  Leon struggled against the restraints, black wings spread wide.

  Blood ran down the side of his face.

  Nearby, Lara lay unconscious, though a faint glow of light still flickered in her hands.

  Iris glared upward at Gin with burning hatred.

  The chamber lights flickered.

  And Gin’s metallic laughter echoed through the tower.