Hercules, the legendary hero, embodied a wisdom that rivaled his strength. Hera underestimated his intelligence; the world often overlooked the profound wisdom that guided Hercules through the challenges of life - Dorotheos

Operation Menu: Phase Dinner (D+8.1 hours)

Tauru and Sidedragon stealthily navigated through the fog and the dense forest, sidestepping branches and wood shards scattered across the forest floor. Sidedragon adjusted his mask as the image of Estelle flickered momentarily.

Coming to a halt, Sidedragon took a knee and gently touched the ground, signaling Tauru to do the same. Tauru and Sidedragon scanned the woods for any signs of movement.

“Think they'll fall for this... ruse?” asked Sidedragon in a low voice, waving his hands over his body.

“It's easier to believe that Boss Kitty is out here than the idea that she infiltrated the most secure fortification in all of Battle City,” Tauru replied in the same hushed tone.

Taking a sip of water from their canteens, they resumed their journey through the forest. As they passed a tall pine tree, Sidedragon pointed to a clearing, motioning with his hands that it should be avoided. While searching for an alternate path, Citadel stepped out from behind a tree.

“Fee-fi-fo-fum, I found a Thornewood who likes to run,” Citadel declared, flexing his muscles.

Tauru snorted and said, “I’m going to make you eat those words.”

Jezebel stepped out along with several others.

“Jez, is this the real Estell or another fake?” Buck asked.

Her blue eyes glowed as she scanned Tauru and Sidedragon. Buck raised his weapon. The display in his scope read ’37.5m’. Jez smiled.

“It doesn’t matter, kill’em all,” she replied.

Buck flipped the safety off his weapon and steadied his weapon. From high above a shrill whistle sound screamed from above. Buck looked up. Bun-Bun fell from the sky and crushed him in an instant. He turned pale in an instant and disappeared.

“I know what that’s like,” Tauru said snickering.

Sidedragon dipped behind a tree for cover.

“But is it on our side?” he asked.

“Harvy you idiot, Buck was on our side!” Jez yelled at the mechanized rabbit.

The robot extended its arms, revealing a three-barreled Gatling gun under one and a rail gun mounted on the other hard point. Red laser dots targeted Citadel's gang as the rail gun started to glow.

"If it's red, it's dead," Bun-Bun declared in its mechanical voice.

"Yup, looks like he's on our side now," Tauru remarked.

The three barrels of the mini-gun spun rapidly as the rounds tore through the trees, catching one of the thugs attempting to take cover. Citadel delivered a powerful punch to a tree, sending it crashing toward Sidedragon and Tauru. They evaded the falling tree, prompting Citadel to initiate a bull rush attack. However, Tauru countered with a charge, slamming Citadel into the trunk of the toppled tree.

“It’s you and me, twat waffle,” Tauru said as crouched low and began to bob and weave.

“Fine by me shit stick,” Citadel said, and bull rushed Tauru.

Tauru smoothly shifted laterally, delivering a punch to the back of Citadel's head as he passed. Citadel collided with the tree trunk with a loud crash.

"I almost felt that," Citadel said, checking his arm.

With two more uses of his diamond defense available, it would fully recharge in another five minutes.

Jezabel unsheathed her curved dagger and sprinted towards Sidedragon. Her weapon swung wildly in random directions.

"You can drop the act; I know you aren't that idiot mage," Jez declared, crouching low.

Sidedragon removed his mask and his image appeared. He raised his index and middle fingers in the air, positioning them over the center of his chest. Jez deftly switched her weapon from her left hand to her right and back again, observing the subtle dance.

His eye color shifted from red to blue. Within his thoughts, he foresaw her next attack, the tactics replaying in his mind. Jez planned to swing the blade at his face, and when she dodged it, the weapon would materialize in her other hand, aiming for a lethal slice at his neck.

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"Don't kill her; I need to take Citadel out first," Tauru telepathically communicated to Sidedragon.

"Then I'll kite her away. Good luck with that brute," Sidedragon replied.

Drawing a knife stick from his belt, Sidedragon anticipated the first attack. He blocked it with the side of the stick and immediately raised it to protect his neck. As foreseen in his mind, the weapon materialized in Jez's free hand but was stopped. She stepped back, shaking her head in disbelief. Sidedragon retaliated by delivering a powerful kick directly to her chest, forcing her back several feet.

Citadel straightened himself out, tightening his grip on the chains. Lightning crackled across the links, and the scent of ozone permeated the air. He jabbed his fists twice, followed by a swing of his elbows, and concluded with a cross strike using his right arm.

Tauru adjusted his stance, arms facing up to cover his nose, elbows pointed down, and crouched down. As he moved his head from side to side, his arms blocked the first two jabs and ducked the last attack that whizzed over his head.

Backing away from Citadel, Tauru stood up straight and quipped, "If I had known you wanted a workout partner, I would have brought my yoga mat."

He spread his legs shoulder-width apart and stretched his arms out.

Citadel glared, smacking his fists together as the electric charge intensified. Tauru smiled, unfazed, and continued his stretches.

"Let's see if you're still smiling after I send you to purgatory," Citadel threatened.

Tauru changed positions and stretched again.

"Don't worry, I won't beat you too bad, just slap you around a bit to show you who's boss. Now shush and let me finish my warrior two," he retorted and leaned to his right.

Citadel narrowed his eyes and initiated his bull rush attack. Tauru had just enough time to raise his arms in defense when Citadel crashed into him, unleashing a relentless series of attacks. The electric current crackled as he repeated his punch, punch, jab combination. The onslaught continued, with Citadel accelerating his movements. His muscles grew bigger after each swing. As Citadel pulled his fists back, static electricity built up once again, causing the air to pop and fizzle with each blow. The relentless barrage of attacks continued a ceaseless onslaught that stretched on seemingly without a moment's respite. Blow after blow, each strike filled the air with the distinct sounds of impact, the thuds, and cracks echoing through space. Tauru's arms moved in a rhythmic dance of defense, the swift and deliberate motions a testament to his skill.

Citadel's fists blurred in a blur of motion, a visual symphony of aggression and determination.

When Tauru wobbled backward, Citadel, tightening his grip on the chains, delivered a powerful uppercut to Tauru's jaw. The punch sent him airborne, and he landed on his back.

He loomed over Tauru, catching his breath, and used his thumb to wipe the side of his lips. Tauru snapped to his feet, raking his hand through his hair without a scratch in sight.

"Is the pre-workout warm-up over already?" Tauru quipped. "You really should consider doing more cardio; it builds stamina."

"How?" Citadel yelled.

Tauru extended his hand, revealing a single grape-sized Glitter Bomb that glowed brightly. Citadel stared back, mouth agape in disbelief.

The ground rumbled as Tauru ducked down low, closing the distance between him and Citadel, who raised his hands in defense. Tauru manipulated the Glitter Bomb between his thumb, middle, and index fingers. Citadel swung his fists toward Tauru's jaw, but before the punch could connect, Tauru skillfully slipped to the side and shoved the sphere into Citadel's mouth.

Standing at full height, eye-to-eye with Citadel, Tauru blew a puff of air into his opponent's face. Citadel winced and instinctively swallowed. The bomb descended his throat into his stomach.

"Release," Tauru said with a grin.

The bomb exploded and sent aluminum chaff and super-heated silver strands throughout Citadel’s insides. What was left turned pale blue and disappeared.

Jez yelled, “You asshole, I’m going to murder you!”

Tauru wiped his hands and shrugged, “Something he ate didn’t agree with him.”

“Ignis spontaneous!” Jez screamed.

Jez turned on her feet to face Tauru and began to glow brightly. Her clothes burst into flames. Sidedragon, who was still near her, took a cautious step back, shielding his face from the heat.

She sprinted towards Tauru, slashing her weapon in random directions as she closed in. Sidedragon threw his knife stick, and the weapon landed precisely between her legs, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face. Undeterred, she pulled herself up and exploded in a bright flash. The remaining gladiators punched out.

“Jez tried to concentrate all her life force for one final attack; guess she didn't make it in time,” Sidedragon remarked. “Speaking of which, how did you channel Citadel’s physical and electric attacks.”

“Must have been my mad skills,” Tauru replied with a casual shrug.

“You're a fresh third-level guardian; that was luck,” Sidedragon retorted.

“Luck is one of my skills,” Tauru replied confidently.

“Sure, let's go with that,” Sidedragon conceded.

Bun-Bun hopped over and began to scan the area.

Sidedragon’s eyes shifted to turquoise blue as he studied Tauru’s electric pathways. Even on the best days, Sidedragon surmised that Tauru might be able to channel 15 percent of the damage with the tank deflect skill. He checked the guardian/tank skill tree and realized that if it was maxed out, he could deflect up to 50 percent of the damage. Bringing his hand up, he rewound the mental image of the fight. Adjusting the filters, Sidedragon noticed that the snake tattoos on Tauru’s arms had their meridian lines, theoretically capable of channeling the extra damage.

“But how much?” Sidedragon wondered.

The snake’s scales shifted, and he played the fight in slow motion, observing how the scales channeled the remaining energy to the hand holding the Glitter Bomb.

“Interesting luck,” Sidedragon remarked with intrigue.

***