As Luna and Ace, the fourth-ranked Yeager, made their way through the facility, the darkness around them seemed to swallow everything whole.

“Why is it so dark in here? It’s so annoying,” Ace grumbled, his voice echoing faintly in the blackness.

“It’s because of Barak,” Luna explained, her tone calm and composed. “This is his facility. The reason it’s dark is because of Shadow. His powers harmed Barak so much that even light would hurt his skin. That’s why it’s like this.”

Ace nodded, though he couldn’t hide his frustration. “There’s something I want to ask you, Queen.”

“What is it?” she asked, her voice betraying no emotion.

“You sensed it too, right? After Killer took down Adam… another dark flame appeared,” Ace said, his voice low and cautious.

Luna didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she kept her gaze forward, her silence speaking volumes. “It doesn’t matter. He’s going to die anyway,” she finally replied, dismissing the concern.

They reached a door at the end of the corridor and opened it together. Inside, a man sat in a bathtub, his body wrapped in bandages, only his eyes and mouth visible. Despite his weakened state, his eyes burned with rage.

“You fucker! You killed Adam! That wasn’t part of the deal! You said you were only gonna kill the world leaders!” the man, Barak, yelled, his voice echoing off the walls.

“You shouldn’t focus so much on the deal,” Luna said, her voice icy. “I said I wouldn’t kill him myself, so I sent Yeager Rank One to do it.”

Barak’s anger flared, his eyes narrowing. “Once that Yeager heals me, I’m going to kill both of you,” he declared.

Ace turned to Luna, a smirk playing on his lips. “Do I have to heal him? We could just kill him right here.”

Luna shook her head. “No, we can’t. We made a flux exchange. If the deal is broken, I don’t know what will happen to me.”

Ace sighed in annoyance but relented. “Fine,” he said, snapping his fingers.

Out of nowhere, snakes appeared, their fangs glistening with venom. They slithered toward Barak and sprayed venom over his bandaged body. As the venom took effect, the bandages dissolved, revealing Barak’s fully healed form. He stretched, testing his newly restored strength.

“You’re ready to die now?” Ace taunted.

“I should be asking you that,” Barak replied, his voice dripping with malice. “Thunder Style: Thunderclap,” he thought, clapping his hands together. A deafening shockwave, the sound of thunder itself, erupted from his hands, tearing through the facility and leaving it in ruins. Luna and Ace managed to escape just in time, but the destruction was immense.

“Where did he go? Man, I really wanted to kill him and eat him,” Ace muttered, scanning the area for any sign of Barak.

Then, they heard the rumble of thunder from the sky. Both looked up, spotting a figure in the clouds.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Ace said, a mix of disbelief and excitement in his voice.

“I’ll let you deal with this one. I’ll watch from a distance,” Luna said, stepping back and allowing Ace to take the lead.

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From the clouds, a massive figure descended, crashing into the ground with earth-shattering force. Ace barely dodged the attack. As the dust settled, the creature revealed itself—a giant robotic dragon, with Barak seated in a cockpit at its center. A dome materialized around them, cutting them off from the outside world.

Barak glanced at Luna, her voice calm but emotionless. “Don’t mind me. I just set the dome over us so no one can interfere. I won’t fight. I’ll leave this to you two,” she said,

Barak. “She sent a dome over us so no connection can be made. Even if I die, the force will know about their plans for LA,” Barak thought. “I just need to deal with Ace. For the past two years, I’ve had cameras set up around the world. I know everything about him and his abilities.”

Ace, eyeing the cockpit, realized what Barak was planning. “He’s trying to stay far away from me. He probably knows about my poison. So he’s hiding in the cockpit, huh? This is gonna be fun,” Ace thought, grinning.

Barak pressed a button, and lightning began to surge through the dragon, crackling with lethal energy. The dragon unleashed a torrent of lightning at Ace, who dodged and started to run. But Barak was ready. The dragon’s tail whipped around, lethal spikes shooting out toward Ace. One spike managed to sever Ace’s arm, but it regenerated within seconds.

Ace grinned, the thrill of battle coursing through him. “You’re going to regret challenging me, Barak,” he muttered, preparing for the fight of his life.

Ace dashed into the forest, but Barak wasn’t about to let him escape so easily. With a swift command, the robotic dragon’s tail unleashed a barrage of spikes, obliterating trees for miles within the dome. However, as the dust settled, Barak couldn’t find Ace among the wreckage. Confused, he scanned the area until his eyes caught movement above him.

Ace was in the air, grinning with anticipation. “Yeager Ability: Mamba Death,” he thought. A giant snake materialized out of thin air, lunging at the dragon’s right wing. Barak quickly reacted, sharpening the wings with nanobots, slicing the snake in half mid-air.

“Thunder Dragon, Thunder Bolts,” Barak commanded mentally. Thunderstorms gathered in the sky, sending down a deluge of lightning bolts aimed at Ace. One bolt struck Ace square in the chest, but to Barak’s surprise, Ace deflected the lightning with his bare hands.

Ace landed on top of the dragon, his eyes burning with determination. “It’s over, Barak!” he shouted.

Barak wasn’t done yet. “Lightning Dragon, Lightning Eruption,” he thought. A massive explosion erupted on the dragon’s back, sending Ace flying backward. The force of the blast ripped off all of Ace’s skin, leaving him a grotesque figure of exposed bones and flesh. He crashed into a rock but quickly stood up, undeterred.

“You truly are amazing, Barak!” Ace yelled, his voice filled with adrenaline. “Yeager Ability: Thousand Snakes,” he thought.

Snakes swarmed the dragon, tearing into its systems. “Alert: Power lost on the left wing,” the system announced. Barak’s face twisted in frustration. “Fuck!” he muttered as the dragon plummeted to the ground.

Ace strode toward the fallen dragon, his resolve unshaken. “I’m sorry, Adam. I betrayed you… I just wanted to walk with all eight of you guys again. I know you can never forgive me, but I can kill this bitch!” Ace thought.

Inside the cockpit, Barak made a final stand. “Lightning Dragon, Supercell!” he roared. A massive explosion erupted, vaporizing everything within the dome. The blast was so intense that even the protective barrier was obliterated. Luna stood unscathed but realized the dome had been completely destroyed.

Amidst the destruction, Ace’s skeleton stood, slowly regenerating his body. “That bastard almost killed me… I had to use my palace to stay alive, but it doesn’t matter. It’s feeding time,” Ace thought with a dark grin.

As the hatch of the dragon’s cockpit was destroyed, Ace lunged at Barak. Barak, in a desperate move, drew his sword at the last second. Their final clash was swift and brutal—Barak aimed for Ace’s neck, but Ace crushed Barak’s heart with unyielding force.

Later, Ace and Luna walked away from the battlefield together. “Man, that was a fun fight,” Ace said, holding Barak’s brain and heart, casually eating them.

Luna, her expression as emotionless as ever, nodded. “Good job killing him. He was ranked fourth, but you killed him. That’s what matters.”

“So now we can start by killing everyone in LA?” Ace asked, still savoring his gruesome meal.

“Yes,” Luna replied, her tone cold. “But we have one more meeting. I need all seven of you to discuss one person.”

“Who?” Ace inquired, curious.

“Rona,” she said, her voice carrying an air of significance.

As they left, the remains of Barak’s robotic dragon lay shattered, and Barak’s lifeless body slumped in the cockpit, his head completely gone.