The tension on our damaged ship was palpable as I asked, "What's the plan?" Everyone turned to me, their gazes expectant.

"Why are you all looking at me?"

Ezra let out a laugh. "I don't know, man. You're the brains of our crew, Dune. Plans are kinda your thing."

What? Me? I glanced at them, then sighed. Thinking about it, it did make sense. Maybe I was the smartest one here. But the thought struck me, was my past self like this? If I ever regained my memories, would I still be… me? Would the person I am now disappear?

But what i know is that… Whatever happens, I'm not dying here.

"Alright. Our main goal is to kill them. We don't have any more explosives… Nely, can you make something from your ability?"

Nely shook her head. "No. My ability creates anything, sure, but even if I make explosives, they'll just be Neba. They won't actually explode."

Damn. "Alright, then we'll—"

Before I could finish, a massive shadow fell over us.

"Get away!" I shouted.

The enemy ship came crashing down on ours. Wood shattered and splintered as the impact rocked the deck beneath us. Our already battered ship groaned in protest, beyond repair now. Four figures leaped down from the wreckage, landing before us with unnerving precision.

I looked up at them, my chest tightening.

Four Zetens.

Three stood at the front, clad in a dark green armor that pulsed faintly with Neba. The fourth lingered in the back, calm and motionless, a shadow draped over him like a shroud. The three armored ones were different from anything we'd faced before, their presence suffocating.

Nely quickly conjured blade from her own Neba, and handed it to me. "Thanks."

"Armour Must be one of their abilities," I muttered to Nely beside me.

"Forget the plan," Ezra said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's just destroy these guys. They're obviously ready to kill us, so why hesitate?"

At the front of the group stood a tall attractive woman with sharp green eyes and sleek black hair. She smiled, her gaze predatory.

"Poor Zetens," she said with a mock pout. "It's such a shame you had to meet us. Sadly, we've no choice but to kill you all."

Her smile widened, revealing unnervingly sharp teeth as green wings sprouted from her back. With a powerful flap, she launched herself toward me, her speed blinding.

"Why me?!" I shouted as she snatched me, lifting me high into the air.

"No reason," she said with a smirk, her mouth opening wider to reveal three rows of jagged teeth.

"What the hell?! Get away from me!" I yelled, using Nebastep to push her off and propel myself downward. I hit the deck hard but rolled to my feet, ready to fight.

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Below, chaos had erupted.

Nely was locked in combat with a blonde man whose green eyes shimmered as he threw glowing webs at her. She dodged them with ease, her scythe of Neba materializing in her hands as she charged at him.

The man hissed, blocking her attack with sharp claws that sprouted from his fingers. "I'm Lucius Nara, by the way. What's your name, beautiful?"

"You don't need to know," Nely snapped, her voice cold. "You'll be dead soon anyway." She pressed her attack, her scythe clashing against his claws with brutal force.

On the other side of the wreckage, the twins faced a hulking brute of a man who was effortlessly tossing chunks of ship debris at them.

"So you're the one who threw the whole ship at us, huh?" Ezra said, dodging a massive piece of wood. "I'm curious—what's your Neba core?"

The man smirked, flexing his muscles. "I'm Odor. My core's an ant."

"Never heard of it," Liam muttered as he ducked another attack.

"Your skin's tough too. That's a solid core," Ezra said, licking his lips. "Killing you might help me strengthen my defenses."

"You mean ours right brother?"

"Of course Liam"

Odor loomed over Ezra and Liam, his skin hard and gray like an ant's shell. His thick arms moved with sharp, bug-like snaps. When he punched the deck, wood cracked where the twins had stood just seconds before.

Ezra and Liam moved fast. One moment, Ezra was in front, then, in a blink, Liam stood there instead. Odor's small, dark eyes struggled to keep up.

Liam rushed in, throwing punches, but his fists barely made a dent in Odor's tough skin. Odor swung back, but the twins switched places. Now Ezra was behind him, slamming his knee into Odor's side.

Odor grunted, his shell-like skin taking the hit. He lunged forward, his sharp teeth snapping, but the twins swapped again. Liam appeared at his back, kicking hard behind Odor's knee. The big man stumbled.

Ezra and Liam kept switching, each strike aimed at Odor's softer spots, his joints, the edges of his armor-like skin.

Odor growled, a strange buzzing sound. He lashed out, but the twins were too quick. Their constant movement left him confused and slow.

Finally, Odor dropped to his knees, his hard skin scraped and bruised. The twins stood around him, breathing fast but unharmed.

Odor just laughed. "You two are really annoying."

Then suddenly, he turned to the figure in the back. "Omen! Do something, or I'll kill you myself!"

The person in the shadows, Omen, didn't respond. He stayed perfectly still, his eyes watching the chaos unfold with eerie calm.

"Heh. Big guy," Liam said, grinning. "Looks like your teammate's not interested in helping you."

Odor growled, and his muscles rippled as liquid seeped from his skin. The strange substance splattered onto Ezra, who screamed as it burned through his clothes and into his flesh.

"Take that, you little shit," Odor said, laughing as Ezra writhed in pain.

Liam's expression darkened. He switched places with Ezra and attacked, but Odor blocked his strike with ease.

"What's wrong?" Odor taunted. "Not so strong on your own, are you?"

Liam gritted his teeth as Ezra stumbled back in pain. This wasn't going to be an easy fight.

[ Other side of the battle ]

She lunged at me again, her claws growing longer, jagged, and more vicious with each movement. Her speed was unnerving; she was on me before I could even react.

"Shit!" I cursed, using Nebastep to jump and dodge, barely evading her slashing claws.

"Oh, are you a bunny now? Stop jumping!" she taunted, her laughter grating in my ears as she chased me relentlessly.

I twisted midair, slashing my sword toward her. She blocked it with one of her claws, the impact reverberating through my arms. Before I could counter, she surged forward, pinning me to the ground.

Her claws plunged into my shoulder.

"Agh!" I screamed, the sharp pain spreading like fire.

She grinned down at me, her green eyes glinting. "I just realized, I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Melisa." She opened her mouth wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

I grimaced, feeling the pressure of her claws. "Nice to meet you. I'm Dune," I muttered through gritted teeth.

With what little strength I had, I pressed my hands against her stomach and used Nebastep to push her away. The burst of Neba energy blasted her back, sending her flying as her stomach armor shattered.

She coughed violently, staggering to her feet. "Ah ouch, you hurt me Dune," she hissed, wiping blood from her lips.

I dropped to one knee, my hands trembling from the recoil of my own attack. My palms were raw, skin split from the strain. That burst was powerful, but the backlash, it's too much. I realized if I overcharged Nebastep again, it might destroy her, but it would destroy me too.

Melisa straightened, her grin widening. "Heh. Let's fight to the death, Dune!"

"Let's not," I muttered as I forced myself to stand. My legs were shaky, my body screaming for rest, but I raised sword anyway.

Melisa didn't wait. She lunged again, her claws slicing through the air with terrifying precision. I dodged, but not fast enough, her claws nicked my arm, blood spraying onto the deck.

Her attacks became frenzied, almost erratic, but her strength and speed only seemed to grow. Her excitement was palpable, her laughter growing louder as the fight dragged on.

"This is so much fun!" she shrieked. "You're tougher than I thought, but it's only making me hungrier!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I spat, slashing at her again.

She blocked with ease, her claws tearing into my sword as she pushed me back. Her green wings flared behind her, and her voice dropped into a chilling growl.

"When I'm done with you, I'm going to eat your head!" she said, her lips curling into a sadistic smile.

I froze for a moment, disbelief hitting me. "What?!"

She leaned closer, her eyes glimmering with wild hunger. "I just know you'll taste delicious, Dune." She spread her claws wide, revealing them fully.

"My Neba core is mantis," she said with a twisted grin. "And you? You're just my prey."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She wasn't just fighting me, she was hunting me.

"Guess what, Melisa," I said, gripping my sword tightly, my blood dripping onto the deck.

"You're about to learn what happens when prey fights back."

"…."

"…."

"It sounded way better in my head."

She let out an exhilarated laugh, and the battle continued. Her strikes came harder and faster, but I knew now, as a prey I had to outthink her, or I wouldn't survive.