"Here we are," Captain Henry shouted, his voice steady despite the tension thickening the air. The team stood before what appeared to be the new magistrate’s office, an imposing structure of gray stone and steel that loomed over the foggy streets of Londona. Its polished exterior and ornate detailing gave the illusion of respectability, but Marge’s sharp gaze lingered on the building's edges. She knew that beneath its facade lay something far darker: an illegal titan research lab. The weight of their mission pressed heavily on all of them.
The area was eerily quiet, the usual bustle of construction workers conspicuously absent. "It looks... underguarded," Hans observed, his tone cautious.
"Too quiet," Marge muttered, her eyes darting to the shadowed corners of the surrounding area. "Keep your eyes open. Something's off.”
Rem knelt near the building’s foundation, her fingers brushing against the faint, glimmering strands of a silky web stretching along the walls. The threads were almost invisible in the dim light, but they sparkled faintly like dew under torch light. Her breath hitched as she leaned in for a closer look.
“This,” she whispered, barely audible, “this is the spider titan’s work. There’s no mistake—the hidden lab must be here.” She traced the web further along the wall, noting how it disappeared into a narrow crevice near the building’s side entrance.
Hans frowned, stepping closer. "If the lab is here, where are the guards? Why no patrols?”
“It’s not just unguarded,” Rem murmured, her hand still tracing the web’s intricate patterns. “It’s abandoned—at least on the surface. They probably didn’t want to draw attention. The spider titan’s already been through here. The woman must be inside.”
The realization sent a ripple of unease through the group. Captain Henry adjusted the grip on his sword, his jaw tightening. “Then we have no time to lose. If she’s here, we need to act before she can summon anything else.”
The five exchanged uneasy glances, each silently acknowledging the danger ahead. Marge gave a curt nod, her voice firm. “Weapons ready. This place is likely riddled with traps or worse. Stay sharp.”
They advanced cautiously, entering the building through a side door hidden beneath a scaffold. Inside, the air was stale, heavy with the metallic tang of machinery and something else—something foul. The labyrinthine corridors stretched ahead, dimly lit and unsettlingly sterile.
The team moved in formation, their footsteps muffled against the tiled floor. Despite the lack of visible threats, every shadow seemed to whisper of danger. They scanned the area, searching for anything that might hint at the lab’s purpose or location.
As they rounded a corner, Hans spotted faint scuff marks on the floor—signs of recent movement. “Looks like someone’s been moving heavy equipment,” he muttered, pointing out the tracks.
“Probably hauling titan materials,” Flo speculated grimly.
Rem’s gaze remained fixed on the webs, her focus unwavering. She traced the silken threads further along the walls, their density increasing with each step they took deeper into the structure. Her expression hardened, her voice steady but laced with urgency. “We’re on the right track. These webs are leading us somewhere. Wherever they end, the lab—and the woman—will be waiting.”
Hans glanced at her, his brows furrowed with concern. “Then Ika must be somewhere inside too,” he said, “We need to move—now.”
Marge nodded, her violet eyes narrowing as she assessed their surroundings. Her voice was firm, cutting through the tension like steel. “No more delays. Let’s not keep her waiting.”
Without another word, the team pressed forward, their footsteps silent against the cold, polished floor. The air grew heavier, laden with a sense of foreboding that wrapped around them like a shroud. Each step deeper into the hidden depths of the magistrate’s office seemed to echo the silent promise of the confrontation that lay ahead.
Inside the lab, Neil and Ika moved cautiously amidst the sterile white walls, their silence broken only by the eerie hum of machinery. The room bore the scars of a violent struggle; splatters of blood marred the walls, and the faint smell of ozone lingered in the air. Thick strands of spider titan silk clung to the corners, coiling over machinery and covering large sections of the walls, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.
Ika’s eyes darted to the motionless guards lying on the floor, their faces frozen in expressions of fear and agony. She took a step closer, her voice trembling but laced with urgency. “Professor…this is the work of titan, some must set loose in here. If we don’t stop them, more people could end up like this!”
Neil turned sharply, his eyes meeting Ika’s with a firm but urgent resolve. “Ika, listen to me. This isn’t a mission for students anymore. My priority is getting you out of here safely and finding the rest of your team before things spiral even further. If we stay here too long, we’ll only be putting ourselves in greater danger.”
Ika hesitated, glancing at the fallen guards again. Her fists clenched, but she didn’t argue. She could see the weight of the situation reflected in Neil’s expression—this was no longer about training or proving themselves. Lives, including their own, were at stake. Before she could respond, a faint, almost imperceptible sound echoed from behind them—a soft shuffle, like a predator stalking its prey.
Neil stiffened, his hand instinctively reaching for the Mirage Pearl on his finger. Despite his efforts to cast subtle illusions to mask their presence, the ruse had failed. Emerging from the shadows was Idran, his form exuding lethal intent. His movements were swift, predatory, as he stepped into the light, spear in hand.
“Impressive,” Idran drawled, his voice cold and taunting. “But not impressive enough. The moment you set foot in here, you sealed your fate.”
Before Neil could respond, Idran lunged, his spear gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights. The first strike was blindingly fast, aimed straight for Neil’s chest. Neil sidestepped just in time, his Mirage Pearl casting shimmering duplicates of himself that danced around Idran, each one moving in erratic patterns.
Idran paused briefly, his gaze flickering between the illusions before smirking. “Your ring is interesting,” he remarked, his voice filled with both admiration and menace. “So, this is the power of the spoken Emperor Ring: Mirage Pearl—casting illusion over illusion. But it won’t save you if I strike faster than you can cast.”
With that, his own ring, Velox Edge, flared to life, its crimson light glowing ominously. The air around Idran seemed to distort as his speed increased to an unnatural level. His strikes became a blur, each one precise and deadly. Neil barely managed to deflect the onslaught, the edge of the spear grazing his shoulder and drawing blood.
Neil staggered back, clutching his wounded shoulder as the pain burned through him. Idran sneered, his voice mocking. “You’ve seen too much. And you…” he turned his gaze briefly to Ika, “are just a loose end waiting to be cut.”
“Idran!” The shout came from further down the corridor, loud and commanding. “Idran, where are you? The woman is here! Protect me!” Baron Ewan’s panicked voice echoed, cutting through the tense moment.
Idran’s sharp eyes flicked in the direction of the voice. He hesitated only for a fraction of a second before lowering his spear, his form blurring as he retreated with unnatural speed.
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As silence fell over the corridor once more, Ika rushed to Neil’s side. Her ring glowed faintly as she pressed her hands to his wound, stabilizing the injury with its soothing energy.
“We can’t stop here,” she whispered, her voice urgent but steady. “If we don’t keep moving, they’ll find us again.”
Neil nodded, wincing as he straightened. “We need to move,” he said firmly, his tone steady despite the pain etched across his face. Together, they began retracing their steps, searching for a way out of the labyrinthine corridors. Every corner they turned felt like a potential trap, the eerie hum of machinery serving as a constant reminder of the dangers lurking nearby.
Unbeknownst to them, Marge and her team had already entered the facility, determined to find Ika and uncover the lab’s secrets. The distant sound of commotion echoed faintly through the sterile halls, but Neil and Ika, focused on escaping, dismissed it as another ripple of the chaos they had already witnessed.
——
Idran’s spear crackled with energy as he squared off against Elvira, her spider titan looming protectively in front of her. The arachnid behemoth was a monstrous sight, its eight legs tipped with jagged spikes, its many eyes glinting malevolently in the flickering light. Elvira stood atop the titan’s back, her posture rigid but defiant, the Jar of Pandora clutched tightly in her hands.
Idran rolled his shoulders, his expression unreadable, his tone clipped. “You’ve got five seconds to stand down, lady. After that, I don’t care what happens to you.” His spear spun deftly in his hands, a subtle display of his readiness.
Elvira’s sneer was filled with derision. “You’re nothing but a hired thug. Why don’t you crawl back to the man who pays you?”
Idran tilted his head, unimpressed. “Thug, mercenary, hero—it’s all the same to me. I get paid to take things down, and you’re next on my list.”
The spider titan lunged, its massive legs cracking the floor with each step. Idran darted to the side, his Velox Edge ring granting him superhuman speed. The titan lashed out with its spiked limbs, narrowly missing him as he rolled and countered with a powerful thrust of his spear. The blade struck true, piercing one of its legs, causing the creature to let out a high-pitched screech.
Elvira steadied herself atop the thrashing titan, her face a mask of fury. Without hesitation, she raised the jar, its ominous glow intensifying as she muttered an incantation.
“Enough!” she spat, ignoring the tension thickening in the air. The lid of the jar creaked open, releasing a surge of dark energy that filled the room with an oppressive aura. From the swirling black mist emerged a sleek, mantis-like titan, its iridescent wings shimmering with a deadly sharpness. Its spindly body hovered above the ground, its bladed limbs clicking ominously as it sized up its prey.
Following closely behind was a second titan—a gelatinous, translucent mass that slithered onto the floor. The slime titan spread out like an oozing shadow, its amorphous form sticking to every surface it touched.
Idran’s lip curled as he adjusted his stance. “Two more, huh? That’s fine. I get paid by the threat.” He didn’t wait for them to make the first move. The spear in his hand glowed brighter as he lunged at the mantis titan, meeting it head-on.
The mantis titan struck first, its wings slicing through the air with a metallic hiss as it dove at Idran. He met it with a blur of spear thrusts, deflecting the deadly blades. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, the sound of metal on metal ringing out. Idran’s speed allowed him to counter with a flurry of precise strikes, clipping the titan’s wings and forcing it to retreat momentarily.
But the slime titan was already on the move, its gelatinous body surging forward to flank him. Idran barely avoided its grasp, leaping back just as the sticky mass latched onto the floor where he had just stood. The substance sizzled and corroded everything in its path. With lightning speed, Idran’s spear sliced through the slime titan, but the two split parts quickly reformed, each becoming a clone of the original.
From a shadowed corner, Baron Ewan peeked out, his face pale and drenched with sweat. Between labored coughs, he croaked, “Elvira, stop this madness! Y-you’ll ruin us all! The jar—it’ll destroy you too!”
Elvira’s gaze snapped to him, her lips curling in a vicious smile. “Ruin us? Us?” She laughed bitterly. “You mean ruin you. That’s all you care about, you coward. Your lies, your bribes, your precious reputation.”
The Baron coughed harder, his trembling hand clutching his chest as he wheezed, “Your... husband’s death was necessary—for the greater good! Sacrifices had to be made for the research!”
Elvira’s knuckles whitened as her grip on the jar tightened. Her voice rose, sharp and venomous. “Don’t you dare speak of him. He was innocent, and you made him your scapegoat! Now you’ll pay!”
The spider titan skittered toward the Baron, its massive legs gouging deep grooves into the floor. Idran glanced briefly at the unfolding scene, then refocused on the mantis titan, whose wings shimmered menacingly as it charged again.
He muttered under his breath, “Not my problem, old man. Should’ve hired more guards.”
The slime titan surged forward, its gelatinous mass splitting into tendrils that lashed out at Idran. He twisted out of the way, but the distraction gave the mantis titan an opening. One of its bladed limbs struck his shoulder, grazing him. Idran hissed in pain but retaliated with a powerful thrust, driving his spear into the mantis’s torso. The creature shrieked and staggered back, ichor dripping from the wound.
The spider titan reached the Baron, its shadow engulfing him. Elvira’s expression twisted with rage as she pointed at him. “You will beg for mercy, just like he did.”
Baron Ewan stumbled back, coughing violently. “E-Elvira, p-please! Be reasonable!”
But reason had long abandoned her. She raised the jar again, the glow intensifying as the room shook under its power.
From the opposite side of the lab, a sudden explosion of cosmic energy lit up the room. Rem stepped forward, her palms glowing as she directed another blast toward the mantis titan, ripping through its damaged wings. The creature crashed into the wall, screeching before crumpling to the ground.
Marge’s voice rang out through the chaos. “Elvira, enough! You don’t have to do this! Let the academy and the king bring justice for what’s been done!”
Elvira didn’t flinch. Her rage burned brighter than ever. She raised the jar high, its surface glowing ominously as she prepared to summon yet another creature. “Justice? Where was justice when they murdered my husband?” she spat, her voice trembling with anguish.
“Spread out!” Marge commanded, her sharp voice cutting through the noise. “We need to contain the situation before more titans are unleashed!”
Hans leaped forward, conjuring a torrent of water to intercept the slime titan clones swarming Idran. The water surged like a tidal wave, washing the smaller slimes into a corner where Flo’s thorny rose vines ensnared them. “Keep them trapped!” Hans shouted, his face taut with concentration as he pushed the water into tighter currents to prevent the slime from reforming.
“On it!” Flo’s vines twisted and coiled, forming a barrier to hold the writhing mass in place. Sweat beaded on her brow as she poured her strength into keeping the titans at bay.
Meanwhile, Marge turned her attention to Elvira and the spider titan skittering toward Baron Ewan. She unleashed her poisonous moths, which swarmed the creature in a shimmering cloud, their venomous touch searing its exposed joints. The spider titan reared back, its massive form thrashing as it tried to shake off the swarm.
Elvira clung to its back, her eyes blazing with fury. “You won’t stop me!” she screamed, raising the jar again. The glow intensified as another summoning began, the room shaking with the power radiating from the artifact.
Marge narrowed her eyes. “Not happening.” She darted forward, her twin glaives flashing in the dim light. With a well-placed leap, she landed on the spider titan’s back, slashing at its legs with precision. The beast buckled, its movements slowing as the venom and strikes took their toll.
With a final, powerful blow, Marge drove both glaives into the spider titan’s abdomen. It let out a monstrous screech before collapsing, its massive body crashing to the ground. Elvira was thrown off, landing hard on the floor. The jar flew from her grasp, tumbling across the room.
Elvira scrambled to her knees, her eyes wild as she reached for the jar. “No!” she shouted, lunging toward it.
Marge advanced, her weapons at the ready. “Elvira, stop this! Whatever justice you’re after, it won’t come from more destruction!”
But Elvira, clutching the jar, ignored her plea. The artifact pulsed with energy, a dark promise of the horrors it still held. Her trembling hands prepared to open it once more, determined to unleash another wave of titans.
Rem’s heart pounded as she saw Elvira raise the jar once more, the glow intensifying. With no time to waste, With a sudden burst of speed, Rem lunged forward, cosmic energy rippling through the air as she aimed to smash the Pandora jar from the woman’s grasp. The woman’s eyes widened in surprise, but her reflexes were sharp. She dodged to the side just as Rem’s hand came crashing down.
The jar slipped from the woman’s grip and hit the floor with a dull thud, but it didn’t shatter.
“Damn it,” Rem muttered under her breath, quickly rushing toward the fallen jar. She could feel its energy, dark and pulsing, seeping into the room. Her hand hovered above the surface as she began chanting an ancient incantation, her words barely audible beneath the roar of battle.
“Eluria vastal! Talvum rednash!” Rem’s voice was filled with both urgency and defiance. The jar began to glow, its surface pulsating with an ethereal light that grew brighter with each of Rem’s whispered words. It shimmered in her hands, almost as if it was on the verge of breaking. The air around her crackled with cosmic energy as she poured her power into the artifact.
Marge, barely standing but refusing to fall, saw Rem’s effort. “She’s doing it,” she whispered, her violet eyes wide with hope.
Hans, his breathing labored, nodded as he shielded the group from an oncoming attack of slime titan. “Just a bit longer. Rem’s close!”
But then Elvira screamed, a wild, guttural sound that sent shivers down their spines. She swung her arm, knocking Rem away with a vicious blow, sending her sprawling to the ground.
“Rem!” Flo shouted, rushing to her side.
Rem groaned, clutching her side, but her eyes never left the jar. She’d come so close—so close to breaking the jar, to stopping whatever foul force was bound to it. But now, the opportunity was gone, and the jar pulsed once more with dark energy.
Elvira, regaining full control of the artifact, raised it high above her head. The mist around the dock thickened as if the jar was summoning something far more dangerous. Then, with a sudden, bone-chilling roar, the air around them shifted.
Emerging from the jar was Nathuros, the Greater Shark Titan. Its sleek, metallic body glimmered in the dim light, and its movements were predatory, as though it swam through an invisible ocean. Its eyes gleamed with an intelligence far beyond the lesser titans they had faced, and its presence exuded an overwhelming aura of dread.
The team braced themselves as Nathuros let out another bone-chilling roar, signaling the beginning of a battle unlike any they had faced before.
——