As the second team ventured deeper into the lair, followed closely by the third and fourth teams, the cavern opened into a massive chamber. Stalactites hung like jagged teeth from the ceiling, their tips glistening faintly in the bioluminescent glow of thousands of eggs spread across the floor. The soft, rhythmic throbbing of the eggs filled the space with an eerie pulse, each one illuminated by a ghostly light. The air was thick with the smell of decay and damp stone, and a faint clicking sound echoed from deeper within the cave.

Captain Steven knelt near a dark, viscous trail smeared across the cavern floor, his gloved fingers dipping into the goo. He rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, his face grim. "This is fresh," he muttered, glancing up at Rena and Neil. "Motherglare is close—she’s been here recently.”

Rena’s sharp eyes scanned the glowing eggs, her Emperor Ring pulsing faintly in response to the nearby threat. "Motherglare," she said, her voice steady despite the unease that gripped the team, "is the only titan we know capable of producing eggs at this scale and speed. If we don’t act quickly, she’ll overwhelm us with her offspring.”

Neil nodded, gripping his weapon tightly. His voice was resolute as he turned to his team. "Hans, Martin, Flo, Rem—let’s move. We’re heading into the tunnel." He gestured toward the small, dark opening where the gooey trail led. Team Three fell in behind them without hesitation.

As the second and third teams disappeared into the tunnel, Rena turned to the fourth team, her expression firm. "We stay and deal with this. These eggs must be destroyed before they hatch." She raised her hand, the Emperor Ring flaring to life, its divine glow casting radiant beams through the gloom. A shimmering portal formed above her, its edges gilded with golden light. From within, three angelic figures emerged, their slender forms spinning gracefully as they descended. Each one bore the elegance of a celestial dancer, but their piercing gazes hinted at their deadly purpose.

"Begin," Rena intoned, her voice resonating with power as she clasped her hands in prayer. The angels moved in synchrony, their every motion a blend of art and destruction. With each pirouette, beams of searing light struck the eggs, reducing them to ash. The divine energy danced around the team, inspiring awe even as it signaled the start of a brutal task.

"Let’s join the fun," Lenny said, her lips curling into a feral grin. Activating her ring, her right arm morphed into a massive, monstrous rhino limb. The ground shook as she charged forward, smashing through clusters of eggs with an earth-shattering impact.

Shierra followed, her containment vessel opening to release a swarm of glistening bees. With a swift movement of her hand, she directed the insects to pierce the eggs, their stingers injecting venom that caused them to implode in bursts of greenish slime.

Lorenzo darted among the eggs with his twin swords, his movements unpredictable and swift. Each strike severed the pulsing eggs cleanly, the blades leaving faint trails of light in their wake.

Drake, summoning his ring's creature, called forth a giant lizard that materialized with a guttural growl. Climbing onto its back, he urged it forward. The beast eagerly obeyed, snapping up eggs with its powerful jaws as it crawled across the chamber.

The team worked efficiently, their destruction of the eggs methodical—until a low, guttural sound reverberated from the farthest reaches of the cavern. The faint throbbing of the eggs grew erratic, then stopped. Rena paused, her hands lowering slightly as she looked toward the source of the sound.

From the shadows, the eggs began to hatch. Black dragonid titans emerged, their chitinous forms glistening as they uncoiled. They moved with alarming speed, their clawed limbs tearing through the remnants of the unhatched eggs as they swarmed toward the fourth team.

"Hold the line!" Rena shouted, her voice carrying above the growing chaos. Her golden angels soared forward, their forms glowing brighter as they clashed with the oncoming horde. Light and shadow collided in a blinding display as the angels cut through the dragonids, their movements as graceful as they were lethal.

Lenny roared, charging headfirst into the fray, her rhino arm swinging in wide arcs that crushed multiple dragonids with each strike. "Come on, you freaks!" she bellowed. "I’m just getting started!”

Shierra directed her bees toward the swarm, their collective buzz rising to a furious pitch. The venom-laden stingers punctured the dragonids’ exoskeletons, causing them to writhe and collapse.

"Stay close and cover each other!" Lorenzo shouted as his blades danced through the chaos, their movements a blur of precision.

Drake’s lizard lunged at the attackers, its jaws snapping shut around a particularly large dragonid. He gripped its reins tightly, his expression focused. "I’ve got your flank!" he called out to Lenny.

Rena stepped forward, the light around her intensifying. Her prayer turned into a battle hymn, the melody guiding the angels as they pushed back the tide of dragonids. She raised her voice, her words filled with divine authority. "For today, we shall not fall!”

The battle raged on, the team standing their ground as the swarm pressed closer. Rena’s angels fought valiantly, their light a beacon in the encroaching darkness. The cavern echoed with the sounds of clashing forces, a testament to their determination to stop the swarm at all costs.

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The tide of battle began to shift as Team 4 rallied, pushing the titan offspring back. Lenny, now in her half-rhino hybrid form, charged into the left flank with unstoppable force. Her monstrous arm smashed through eggs and titans alike, the ground shaking beneath her feet. With a triumphant roar, she turned back toward Shierra, who was coordinating her bees in precise attacks, their stingers piercing through the dragonids' armored hides. Lenny grinned, but her expression faltered as she caught a faint hissing sound.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion tore through the cavern. Flames erupted, the blast sending Lenny flying backward. Her transformed arm reverted to its human form mid-air as she crashed to the ground, injured and burned. Smoke filled the air, and she groaned in pain, her body writhing amidst the charred remains of destroyed eggs.

Shierra, caught in the periphery of the blast, stumbled. Her bees swarmed around her, frantically working to staunch her wounds with honeyed salve. Gritting her teeth, she limped toward Lenny, her voice trembling. "Hold still, Lenny. I've got you." She commanded her bees to tend to Lenny’s injuries, their tiny legs working quickly to stop the bleeding and ease the burns.

From her vantage point, Rena halted her divine melody, her concentration broken by the blast. Her golden angels faltered momentarily, their movements erratic as she tried to process the sudden chaos. "What just happened?" she murmured, her eyes scanning the battlefield. Her thoughts turned to Lorenzo, her suspicion growing.

Pivoting sharply, her gaze landed on Lorenzo, still engaged in fierce combat with the titan offspring. His twin blades danced through the swarm with precision, cutting down any creature that approached. His focus left no room for doubt—he wasn’t the source of the explosions. But before Rena could reevaluate, another blast rocked the cavern.

This time, the explosion came from the opposite side. The flames consumed the air with violent force, and Rena watched in horror as Drake’s lizard, engulfed in fire, staggered before collapsing. Its massive jaws gently cradled Drake's unconscious body as it succumbed to its injuries, falling motionless amidst the carnage.

The explosion erupted with a deafening roar, sending a shockwave that tore through the battlefield. Rena shielded her face from the searing heat, her golden ring glowing faintly in response to the destruction. When she looked again, her heart sank.

The blaze swept across the cavern, igniting everything in its path. It consumed the clutch of grotesque eggs scattered throughout, their oozing surfaces bubbling and bursting in rapid succession. The malformed draconid offspring, barely hatched, screeched in pain as the flames swallowed them whole, their cries fading into the crackling inferno.

From within the smoke and flames, a figure emerged—her presence radiating menace. Nova stepped forward, her feline eyes glowing with an unnatural yellow light, the telltale sign of Mnemona’s control. The oppressive aura around her sent a chill through Rena, who whispered under her breath, “You… are you behind this?”

But Nova gave no sign of recognition. Her ring glowed with malevolent energy, transforming her into a fearsome feline hybrid. Her sharp claws gleamed as she leapt toward Rena, her movements impossibly fast. Rena barely managed to summon a shield of divine light, but Nova’s ferocity shattered it. Claws slashed across Rena’s arm, the impact sending her sprawling to the ground.

Gasping for breath, Rena scrambled to regain her footing. Nova charged again, her predatory gaze locked onto her target. Just as Nova raised her claws for a fatal strike, Lorenzo intervened, his twin blades crossing in a defensive arc that met her attack with a resounding clash. Sparks flew as their powers collided, and Lorenzo’s voice rang out, filled with fury. "You!" he shouted, his expression twisted in anger. "You will pay for what you did at Griswold’s Hollow!”

Nova didn’t respond, her mind entirely consumed by Mnemona’s control. Her strikes came faster and harder, forcing Lorenzo to retreat step by step. Despite the relentless assault, his words struck a chord with Rena. What had happened at Griswold’s Hollow? What connection did Lorenzo and Nova share, and how had it led to this moment?

Rena rose shakily, her arm bleeding but her resolve unbroken. With a grimace, she tightened her grip on her Emperor Ring, summoning her golden angels back into formation. Their glowing forms shimmered above her, ready to defend and strike at her command. She turned toward Lorenzo, her voice sharp but laden with urgency.

"What do you know?" she demanded.

Lorenzo didn’t respond immediately, his focus fixed on Nova. His grip on his twin blades tightened, one blade raised and pointing directly at the feline hybrid, who stood poised to strike again. "She’s no longer Nova," he said, his voice cold and firm.

Rena frowned, confusion flickering across her face. "What do you mean?" she pressed, her thoughts racing. If neither Lorenzo nor Nova were the culprit, then who—or what—was responsible for the killings? Her mind lingered on the possibility of a greater force at play.

"Tell me what you know, Lorenzo," she demanded again, her tone edging on impatience.

Finally, Lorenzo glanced back at her, his expression a mixture of anger and determination. “Lady Rena," he said, his voice steady but laced with an undercurrent of pain. "I will stop Nova. But you need to find the puppet master—it’s close by. A greater titan. She has the ability to control minds. She’s the one behind the killings and ambush at Griswold’s Hollow.”

The weight of his words hit Rena like a thunderclap. Her suspicions about Lorenzo’s erratic behavior and his connection to Griswold’s Hollow started to unravel. The academy had long suspected the involvement of the Cult of Cerberus in the student killings, believing them to be sacrificial acts designed to weaken the Titan chains—acts that ultimately led to the freeing of Titan Coeus. Lorenzo’s tattoo, a known mark of the cult, had placed him under intense scrutiny. However, upon discovering that the massacre in Griswold’s Hollow was orchestrated by another titan, Lorenzo's alibi held firm. The realization meant that, while his past was shrouded in darkness, he might not be the killer the academy feared.

Rena’s violet eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation. Her angels hovered protectively around her, their radiant forms illuminating the smoke-filled cavern. "Are you certain?" she asked, her voice low but commanding.

"Certain enough to stake my life on it," Lorenzo replied, his gaze never leaving Nova. “Lady Rena, please find her. End this madness before it consumes us all.”

Lorenzo tightened his grip, his twin blades sparking to life as they clashed against Nova’s claws. The force of the collision sent sparks flying, illuminating his determined expression. “Go!” he barked wa at Rena without sparing a glance. “I’ll hold her off!”

Rena hesitated, her mind torn between helping Lorenzo and fulfilling her mission. But before she could make a move, the flames beyond them flickered violently, the firelight twisting into distorted shapes. From the blaze stepped another familiar figure, her silhouette shimmering with an eerie yellow glow.

“Where are you going, big sister Rena?” The voice was unnervingly calm, underlined by a sinister undertone that sent chills down Rena’s spine.

Emerging from the flames was Marge Verdant, her twin glaives gleaming with a deadly light. Around her swirled a host of her poisonous moths, their delicate wings refracting the flames in iridescent colors. The insects moved with an unnatural, hypnotic grace, dancing to an unseen rhythm as they encircled their master.

Rena’s heart sank as she took in Marge’s corrupted state, her face devoid of emotion save for the eerie glow in her eyes, a telltale mark of Mnemona’s control.

“Snap out of it, Margarete!” Rena shouted, her voice wavering between anger and desperation. But Marge merely tilted her head, her expression unreadable.

“The puppet master strings us all,” Marge whispered, her tone almost mocking. With a flick of her glaives, she sent her swarm of moths into the fray, their wings beating rapidly as they descended toward Rena like a shimmering, deadly cloud.

Rena gritted her teeth, gripping her Emperor Ring tightly. She couldn’t falter now. Summoning her angels once more, she prepared for the fight ahead, even as a pang of sorrow clutched at her heart.