With growing tension to the team, General Luis would have wanted to have the team right now not to have any missions and lie low. However, the people from higher commands are adamant to keep the reputation, no matter the risk.

And so, with a heavy heart, General Luis had given them a mission, in which, intelligence provided them another relic was rumored to be there. They have sent the Team Unknown to scout and confirm if this was true or not.

When the team arrived to the rumored location, the dark field lies shrouded in mist and shadows, with twisted remnants of ancient battles and flickering echoes of magic scars marking the land.

Team Unknown, concealed in their black, hooded cloaks and masked faces, merges with the darkness, moving stealthily. Each mask, a seamless dark surface save for a single slit over the right eye, hides all expressions, yet their intentions are crystal clear through their intense gazes and movements.

The silence is thick as they arrive, each step light yet intentional. Val's steps falter slightly as Deleo's presence fills his mind.

Val keeps muttering to himself while his mind was heavy with Deleo's words, "Not now. I need to focus… to keep them safe."

Deleo, with his voice echoing in Val's thoughts, smooth yet sinister, "Safety? Safety is a cage. You are more than they understand, Val. Give in."

A flicker of movement—a signal of the ambush—breaks the silence. Enemy factions emerge from the mist, each dressed in armor laced with enchanted metals that gleam faintly, reflecting the lingering firelight from ancient spells.

The underworld factions advance, each wielding a unique ability: one throws bursts of electric energy, another manipulates the air, and a third step through shadows. The team's cohesion strains under the assault.

Bo's voice cackled through the Mind Link, but with a commanding tone, Riggs, on my mark. They're aiming for Val.

Riggs, who was now in an alert stance, ready to fight, and with eyes locked on the attackers, his voice was gruff through the Mind Link. Got it, but he's slipping, Bo. Can he handle this?

Bo and Riggs no longer have the time to talk it over, as the attackers were already running towards them.

Then, Val's movements are sharper, yet unpredictable. A purple fire radiates from his hands, blending with flashes of dark energy, but his control wavers. Deleo's whispers grow louder, urging him to unleash his power without restraint.

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Val's surroundings are a blur of motion as the opposing forces close in, their abilities igniting in a chaotic array of magic. Blades clash and elemental bursts streak across the dark field. Each attack pushed Val further to the edge, his grip on his abilities slipping as Deleo's sinister voice gained ground in his mind.

Another enemy lunges, attempting to cut off their team's retreat, and Val barely manages to deflect a blow, his power spilling over in an erratic, spiraling burst of Purple Fire.

The flames dance unpredictably around him, searing the ground beneath his feet and making the air tremble with raw energy.

Ember, blocking his own attackers, notices Val's destabilizing aura. A pulse of urgency flows through the Mind Link. Val, pull back!

Ember's tone shifts to something sharper, more demanding than usual, as he narrowly avoids a tendril of the dark fire that threatens to consume friend and foe alike.

Val's response is immediate, but strained. I don't need saving, Ember.

With each word, his voice becomes rougher, edged with an eerie resonance that sounds less like him and more like Deleo.

The Black Lotus leader, observing from a distance, senses his moment. As soon as the enemy leader saw the Purple Fire, he knew who in general who it belongs to. There are more information that can be gathered in the Underworld, unlike getting information from normal channels.

Smirking behind his mask, he raises his voice to provoke Val further. "So, the Void chose a Bellator after all… but will it obey him?" The words hang in the air, baiting Val into lowering his guard.

With a sudden rush, Val's fury peaks, and he lunges at the enemy leader. The clash is explosive, Val's Purple Fire and Void power surging forth in a force that pushes his opponent back with brutal intensity.

But the strain is too much—the lines between Val's will and Deleo's influence blur, and a dark aura cloaks him, tendrils of Void energy and fire intermingling dangerously around his form.

Uurk!

Val struggled to steady his attacks in front of the enemy.

Even Bo and Riggs struggle to maintain formation amidst the fallout, their own voices sharp with alarm over the Mind Link.

Riggs calls out, He's losing control, Bo! We need to step in, now!

But Bo hesitates, weighing their options, as Exeo's grave voice cuts through the channel, We can't risk the mission. Get in formation and keep him steady. If he falls, we all fall.

Just as they begin to realign, the enemy regroups for a relentless counter-assault. Their abilities converge, targeting Val in a ruthless barrage aimed to exploit his instability.

In response, Val's Purple Fire rages to a fever pitch, and the Void energy responds, flaring outward. The battlefield itself seems to shudder under the raw, unchecked force.

The surrounding mist and shadows seem to draw inward, like prey to a predator, as the energy radiating from Val amplifies. His eyes glow with an otherworldly intensity, casting eerie reflections through the shadows.

A tense silence falls as even the enemy falters, visibly awed and unnerved by the destructive power beginning to unfurl.

Deleo's voice fills Val's mind, chilling yet coaxing. "See? Even they tremble. They are ants before us. Release it all, Val… let them know true fear."

Ember, who kept his eye both on the attackers who he has been parrying and on Val, his voice calm yet carrying urgency, talked to Val via Mind Link, Val, focus! Hold back!

Val roared, and the battle rages on, the weight of the decision resting with Val as his team braces for the fallout.