That same night, Desza and her team were still being hunted, but under Pullbarey's orders, Desza had to remain in the shadows. She had been underground, thanks to a gift from her boss, but that time was about to run out. She had received a personal visit from Pullbarey.

Pullbarey entered Desza's room accompanied by two hooded figures. Judging by their height, they were children, one thirteen and the other twelve years old.

"Welcome, alien being," said Desza as she polished her machete.

"You are a peculiar human. I have never seen such brutality against another human being before," Pullbarey replied.

"Oh, I’m flattered, very flattered," Desza smiled.

"What happened to that meeting?" Pullbarey asked.

Desza stood up and walked toward him.

"It was canceled."

"I see. So, you didn’t get anything."

"Oh no, of course not. I never leave without getting something in return."

"Your lethal blows are of no use to me," Pullbarey said, pointing to the bandage on Desza's forehead.

"I had a few mishaps," Desza replied, stroking her forehead, "but I’m not a failure. I was able to talk to Sheldon."

"Sheldon?" Pullbarey asked, puzzled.

"A clone of Candado. Just mentioning his name was enough for him to lend us his help."

"Just him?"

"No. Do you think I settle for crumbs? I have the help of everyone."

"Good. I still need more people for this grand project."

"True, there are many things we still need, but it doesn't matter. They can be acquired later."

"We don't have enough reinforcements."

"I’m volunteering too," a voice resonated from the darkness.

Desza leaned to the side, trying to see behind Pullbarey.

A hooded figure stood in the doorway. The guards turned and prepared to attack, but Pullbarey raised his fist, signaling them to stop.

"Well, well," Desza said, stepping between the hooded figure and Pullbarey, "you must be very brave to come here."

The individual stepped forward and removed her hood, revealing her face: black eyes, red hair, and a tattoo of the number eight on her forehead that glowed faintly.

"Oh, wow, you're a woman," Desza remarked.

"My name is Ocho," she said calmly.

"Ocho? What a name. What do you want from me?"

"I came to join you."

"Me?" Desza raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Ocho replied.

Desza sheathed her machete on her back and began to circle around her.

"Wow, you entered here without anyone noticing. Impressive."

"There was no one at the entrance," Ocho said with a smile.

"Great, great," Desza responded, stopping in front of her. "TEAM!" she shouted into the air.

At that moment, Desza's companions appeared through a door that was there. Upon noticing Ocho’s presence, they went on high alert.

"Who is she?" Azricam asked.

"Relax, it's all good. She’s Ocho, and she wants to be our friend."

"And? Am I with you or not?" Ocho inquired.

"Wow, you're very quick. But not just anyone joins me. We used to be more, but the weakness of some caused our number to dwindle. You’ll have to prove to me that you’re worth something."

Ocho looked at Desza’s companions.

"Is that your team?"

"Oh, of course. They will be your test."

"Is that so?" Ocho asked, uninterested.

"Sure, but first, I'm going to give you two conditions."

"Speak."

"Wow, the first: if you accept and fight, you have to win. Because if you don't, I’m going to kill you. I hate the weak."

"That doesn’t scare me."

Desza laughed and continued.

"The second: you can reject my offer and calmly go home. A gesture of my respect to someone like you, who stood up to me. I love people with guts."

"Well, are you done?"

Desza laughed again.

"Yes, I think so. So, are you going to fight or are you going to reject me?"

"Fight."

"Good, I'm glad. You’re still brave," she then looked at the others. "Hey, you can now show off your qualities."

Everyone moved toward Ocho, except for one, as Desza stopped him midway.

"You don’t, Jørgen."

"Ma’am?"

"You will be the dessert."

"As you command," Jørgen replied, standing next to Desza.

"What will you do, Pullbarey?"

"I'm not interested in your trivial matters. See you later."

With that, Pullbarey vanished along with his guards.

"Ha, what a shame," Desza said, looking at her team. "Let the fun begin."

Ocho removed her cloak to move freely and got into position. She wore a long-sleeved red shirt, refined black pants, and a vest of the same color, white metallic gloves, and triangular shoes, also white and metallic.

"I’m ready."

"Rose, stay back," Joel said.

The girl nodded and positioned herself behind Desza.

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"It’s time to polish my skills," Chesulloth said.

Everyone got into position.

"This is going to be entertaining," said Rŭsseŭs.

"Be careful, Isabel," Jørgen warned.

"Don’t worry."

There was silence for a few seconds until Desza gave the order.

"ATTACK!"

Dockly pulled out his Winchester and aimed at Ocho. However, she was in front of him in the blink of an eye. She took the barrel of the gun and deflected the bullet, then delivered a punch to his face and a knee to his chest, causing Dockly to drop his weapon. Ocho picked it up and shot Guz, damaging his mask and making him fall backward. She then shot Rŭsseŭs in the chest, forcing him to kneel. But when she was about to shoot the third cartridge, Jane took the gun away from her with her sword. Ocho stepped back and used her hands to block the attack.

Joel appeared behind her and started throwing needles at her. Ocho spun around and stopped some with her left hand.

Guz got up, pulling his tentacles out from his back. His face had a hole in the right cheek where the bullet had lodged. Fury reflected in his eyes as he attacked Ocho. She grabbed one of the attacking tentacles, wrapped it around her left wrist, and ran toward Joel. Along the way, she was pursued by the violent sword strikes from Jane and Guz's parasites. When she reached Joel, who pulled out more needles to throw at her, Ocho struck him in the chest, fracturing his right arm with her leg and wrapping the tentacle she had around his neck. She then shoved Joel against his sister.

Azricam and Chesulloth ran toward Ocho, but before they could do anything, Rŭsseŭs stood up. Still bleeding from the bullet wound in his stomach, he grabbed her by the glove, causing it to burn her. But despite that, Ocho managed to free herself by headbutting him in the face, and with her aching hand, she used the other to repel the sword attacks from Azricam and Chesulloth.

Ocho grabbed the arm of the latter, struck her at the waist, and then kicked her knee, causing her to bend. After that, she used her arm to strike Azricam in the face, sending him stumbling back. This gave her the time she needed to finish off Chesulloth, hitting her chest with the palm of her hand and releasing a red electric shock. Then, she turned and saw Azricam. She ran toward him, but he quickly raised his sword, swinging it at her neck. However, Ocho ducked, grabbed him by the waist, and threw him to the ground. She stood up and raised her palm wrapped in red electricity, but before she could strike him, her arm was brutally injured by a bullet in the middle of her wrist.

Ocho looked up and saw Dockly standing, aiming at her with his Winchester.

"Hasta aquí, hermosa" said Dockly as he released the cartridge from the barrel.

Ocho jumped toward Dockly, but he shot her in the leg, crippling her movement further. In a matter of seconds, everyone surrounded her.

"You’re trash," Azricam said.

Ocho smiled.

"They fell."

She stood up and grabbed Dockly by the neck, hit him in the waist, then turned and grabbed Jane by the shoulders, using her as a springboard to escape. The mark on her forehead began to glow, illuminating a red hue.

"The games are over."

Ocho struck each one of them; she took Jane's sword and hit her in the back of the neck, knocking her out. Joel, furious, lunged at her, but Ocho used his rage against him, as he wildly and predictably threw his needles, making it easy for her to dodge all his attacks. Finally, she threw her own, grabbed Joel by the neck, and hurled him against a wall. Then, the gloves she wore grew up to her elbows.

“This ends here.”

Ocho focused her attention on Rŭsseŭs, who unleashed lava from the palm of his hand. She dodged and kneed him in the bullet wound, knocking him unconscious. Then, she grabbed Az-ricam by the neck and threw him into the air, where he crashed against the ceiling and fell backward, passing out instantly. Next, she turned to Chesulloth and knocked her out with a powerful blow to the head, leaving only Guz, Dockly, and Isabel, who had yet to make a move.

Both men gave it their all. Dockly readied his rifle again, Guz adjusted his mask, and Isabel took a defensive stance.

“I suppose you are the last ones.”

Dockly responded with a shot.

“Yes, that’s what I feared.”

Ocho sprinted toward them, pulled a whip from her back, and struck Guz first. Isabel jumped into the fray and kicked Ocho in the chest, injuring her severely. However, Ocho didn’t give in; she pushed through the pain and retaliated, this time hitting Isabel in the stomach with ten times more force. Then the shots began to rain down on her; Dockly was shooting like a professional, but Ocho was agile and dodged every one until she reached him. Just before she could land a blow, Guz protected him, grabbing her by the legs with his tentacles. He then flew at her, attempting to knee her, but Ocho stopped him with both hands. Dockly took his weapon, reloaded it, and aimed. Knowing what was coming next, Ocho freed herself and backed away from Guz, though he was still hot on her heels. This time, it was a close-quarters fight, and Guz was skilled; he targeted her chest, abdomen, and head. However, Ocho was also good at defense; she knew she couldn’t land a direct attack since Guz moved too quickly.

In that moment, Dockly trembled, unable to shoot with his partner in front of him, while Isabel recovered and moved toward Ocho. Realizing this, Ocho separated Guz from her, threatening to remove his mask, which made him back away abruptly, giving Dockly time to fire. Ocho bent down, and the bullet struck Isabel in the shoulder, sending her to the ground. Jørgen was stunned to see this and tried to rush to her aid, but Desza blocked his path, placing his machete in front of him with a smile.

Not only was Jørgen shocked; Dockly and Guz were, too. Ocho seized the opportunity and knocked Guz out with a strike to the neck, then took down Dockly with a blow to the head. Only Ocho remained standing, smiling.

“I’ve won.”

Desza sheathed his machete and tucked it away on his back.

“Well, you’ve finished dinner; now comes dessert.”

Jørgen leaped into action, rushing toward Isabel, who lay unconscious on the ground. He pulled a large handkerchief from his pocket and bandaged her wounds. Isabel was in agony; it hurt, but her life was no longer in danger. Jørgen placed his right hand over the injury and pressed his fingers down hard, causing Isabel to scream in pain. He held this position for a few seconds until something shot out of the wound and into his hand: Jørgen had extracted the bullet. Without wasting a second, he bandaged Isabel’s wound.

Then he stood up and stretched his arms. Immediately, all the bodies of his fallen comrades began to levitate and vanish from the place, including Isabel.

“Do you know, miss? You’re not to blame for her being hurt, but still, I hate you.”

His eyes, dead from insomnia, reflected rage.

Desza wore a chilling smile.

“How thrilling, Jørgen is upset,” he said while grabbing Rose by the arm and hiding her behind his back. “This is going to be a big problem.”

Jørgen Czacki, an orphan, had known a home in a convent orphanage, where he had hundreds of brothers and sisters, and countless mothers and fathers. All of that had vanished in one night: a night of fire and death. Jørgen had fallen asleep in the church’s basement, and upon waking, the smoke had driven him to escape, only to find himself engulfed in flames. The culprits had vanished, and all his brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers were dead. Jørgen screamed, and that scream caught the attention of a young man named Desza, who happened to be passing by. The desecrator saw in the boy’s eyes the rage he was feeling at that very moment.

“Fascinating,” Desza said.

Jørgen got into position while Ocho awaited the attack. The mark on his forehead, the infinite number, began to glow red. She smiled and lunged at him, even though he anticipated her attack; it was she who struck first.

Jørgen ducked, transforming his arm into a sharp, dangerous metal, and thrust it toward her chest. Ocho stopped the blow with her hands and wrapped her legs around him, causing him to fall. However, Jørgen somehow managed to break free and pull away from her. His left arm began to take on a metallic form, and a black pyramid emerged from his hand.

“The Pyramid of Oblivion.”

In the blink of an eye, Jørgen had vanished before her eyes, reappearing behind her. Ocho turned and countered Jørgen's power, using her arms as a shield. The room trembled as Jørgen’s power dissipated. However, Ocho began to grow serious. She threw a punch at his face, but Jørgen deflected it, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him. Ocho threw a second punch; Jørgen ducked and grabbed Ocho by the chest, lifting her into the air and slamming her to the ground. But once on the ground, she clamped her legs around his head and brought him down.

Then she got to her feet and started punching him in the face until he was unconscious. However, Jørgen seized her fist and pushed her off him. To distance himself from her, he transformed his arms into blades and charged at her once more, this time using his speed, a velocity Ocho could not control, leading her to take several hits. But Ocho had no intention of giving up. She struck the ground with such force that it caused a tremor throughout the place, freezing Jørgen for a few brief seconds, giving her the opportunity to hit him. When she was close enough, Ocho extended her right hand and struck him with a red sphere of electricity, hitting him square in the chest and sending him crashing into the wall. However, he got back up and raised his hand; this time it wasn’t a pyramid but something different: a small pentagon that he brought to his waist and began to grow.

Seeing this, Ocho was determined not to let Jørgen finish what he was doing, so she began to attack him. However, Jørgen closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his orbs were completely dark. He ran at her, grabbed her by the neck, and with fury reflected on his face, struck her chest with all his might, causing an explosion that severely injured Ocho. As Jørgen walked toward her, his body began to fade slowly. But as he drew near, Ocho rose and sat up.

“This is the first time this has happened to me,” she said.

Jørgen didn’t reply.

Ocho stood once more, clasping her hands together and leaving a considerable distance between them.

“This is the damage you should never have caused me.”

Then she laughed, and from that empty space within her, a red figure began to take shape: an eight. Suddenly, all her wounds began to heal.

“The infinite number,” she murmured.

The eight grew simply by her uttering those words, and as she opened her eyes, she lunged at Jørgen. He tried to stop her, but the number consumed him, compressed, and disappeared. Jørgen knelt, starting to bleed from various parts of his body.

Desza clapped.

“Bravo, bravo, bravo, you’re worthy of joining me.”

Ocho approached Jørgen and handed him her backpack.

“What does this mean?” he asked.

“We are now partners, so you’ll have to heal them,” Ocho replied, pulling her hand from her pants pocket. “This is for your girlfriend; it will heal her wounds.”

“Thank you,” Jørgen said, turning his back. “And by the way, she’s not my girlfriend.”

“What a reserved man,” Ocho remarked, smiling.

Desza walked toward her.

“Tell me, girl, now that you’re on our side, why do you want to be part of this?”

“The same reason you do, sir.”

“The same reason?”

“Candado… DEAD!”