The battlefield shook beneath their feet.
The Avantgarda charged headfirst at the cyber dragon, slicing a clean line across its metallic throat. Sparks erupted, and for a moment, Sora thought it was over.
But it wasn't.
The dragon's throat regenerated almost instantly—dark metal fusing and sealing the gash in a flash of red light.
"What—?!" Sora gasped.
Before he could react, the dragon's tail lashed out with immense force, slamming the Avantgarda into a nearby cliffside.
CRASH!
"Agh!" Sora groaned, the cockpit rattling violently.
Hanada wasted no time.
The Req Gewehnr let loose a hailstorm of machine gun fire, followed by a barrage of guided missiles. Smoke enveloped the dragon, but as the dust cleared, it still stood—its armor scorched, but unrelenting.
"Tch... Damn thing won't go down!" Hanada muttered, his eyes narrowing.
With a war cry, he lunged in. The Req Gewehnr charged, piercing its combat knife through one of the dragon's plated limbs. Then, he fired his sidearm directly into the beast's gaping maw.
The dragon began to glow.
"Sora, it's charging a beam!" Hanada warned.
A massive red beam erupted from the creature's mouth.
The Req Gewehnr raised its arms just in time—catching the blast, shielding its cockpit. But the cost was immediate. The arms melted under the heat, systems flashing red.
"Goddammit!" Hanada cursed.
From behind, the Avantgarda returned to the fray. With a sudden leap, Sora drove his blade deep into the dragon's back.
But the dragon wasn't done.
It spun wildly, knocking the Avantgarda's head with its claw, sparks flying. Sora countered with a heavy punch to its jaw.
"Deploying Nexus Arsenal!" he commanded.
The Avantgarda's backpack detached and hovered into a floating array behind it, transforming into a sleek energy cannon. Energy charged through it in pulses.
Hanada blinked. "You're using that already?"
"Now's the perfect time to test it."
The cannon fired—a roaring blast of concentrated energy that tore through the dragon's side, vaporizing half of its torso.
The creature howled, collapsing to one knee. Its regeneration slowed. The healing... had limits.
"Time for the kill shot!" Hanada shouted.
The Req Gewehnr's fist morphed—massive brass knuckles clicking into place. It dashed forward.
The Avantgarda followed, sword glowing with charged energy.
BOOM!
Hanada's mech slammed its knuckles into the dragon's face, caving it in with a brutal crunch.
In a blur, Sora cleaved the body into a dozen pieces with swift, precise slashes.
"Alright! My kill!" Sora cheered.
"Hah?! I crushed its skull. You just played clean-up!" Hanada barked back.
Their playful bickering was short-lived.
A red flash caught their eyes.
The orb from earlier—the same one that floated inside the temple—now lay in the open, glowing with intense energy.
A sudden beam of energy burst from it.
"Look out!" Sora yelled.
Hanada raised the Req Gewehnr's damaged arm to block. The beam formed a circular barrier around the limb—then instantly severed it.
"Oh shit!" Hanada gasped as the arm crashed to the ground.
"Hanada!" Sora shouted.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward, sword in hand, and lunged at the orb.
The moment his blade touched its surface, the weapon shattered—fragmented into dust.
"What...?!"
The orb pulsed—an overwhelming dark red energy burst outward, blinding both pilots.
The light vanished.
So did the orb.
Panting, Sora stared at the empty space.
"It's... gone..."
Silence settled.
The battlefield was over.
But something far more dangerous had just awakened.