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As Rex woke up, he noticed he was in a giant cage cell. As he got up, he looked around and saw a pair of yellow eyes watching him from the darkness. Instinctively, Rex reached for his sword, but it wasn't there. Quickly, he shifted into a fighting stance.

"Calm down, young one. We are not going to harm you," a deep voice echoed through the chamber. The figure stepped forward, revealing himself as a towering Yeager looming over Rex. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Agnes," the giant said.

Rex didn't sense any hostility from Agnes and gradually dropped his guard. "What is this place?" Rex asked, still cautious.

"This is Mondor, the prison for us Yeagers who defy Hades," Agnes explained.

"Hades... does he have red eyes and blue skin?" Rex asked, his memory flashing back to a familiar face.

"Yes, how do you know him?" Agnes inquired, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"He was the one who turned me into a Yeager," Rex explained, his voice tinged with resentment.

Agnes studied Rex carefully, nodding as if confirming a suspicion. "As I thought. The marks on you—the blue and white skin—mean he personally transformed you into a Yeager. But what's surprising is that you remember who you are," Agnes noted.

"Yeah, I do, but I have to get out of here. Do you know how?" Rex asked, urgency creeping into his voice.

"No, we don't know how. Even if you manage to escape, these mechanical dolls will start chasing you," Agnes said, pointing upwards. Rex followed his gaze and noticed the creatures—robots identical to the one he had just defeated back in the lower level of the cave—hovering above.

"Shit," Rex muttered under his breath, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"I have to get out of here, though. My mission is to kill Hades," Rex declared, his eyes burning with determination.

Agnes looked at him, recognizing the resolve in Rex's eyes. "From what I'm seeing, you still have your Yeager abilities, don't you? They took all of ours, so maybe you could break out of here," Agnes suggested, his voice filled with a glimmer of hope.

Rex's mind raced as he realized he still had his Yeager abilities intact. "Make your ability... disintegration touch," he thought. He placed his hand on the cage door, and it dissolved into nothingness.

"Be careful, Rex," Agnes warned. "Hades' two top soldiers are down here with us. If you run into them, you might die."

Rex nodded, his heart pounding, but his resolve unshaken. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the heads-up," he replied, stepping out of the cage, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

As soon as Rex left the cage, he used his second Yeager ability to turn invisible. As he walked, none of the robots seemed to notice him, though Rex did feel the heat radiating from the surrounding environment. He realized that while the heat didn’t immediately harm him, if it became too intense, it could pose a serious threat. Pushing those thoughts aside, Rex entered a giant room.

The room was vast, with high ceilings and dark corners, but it wasn’t empty. A giant Yeager sat in a massive chair, perfectly suited to his towering height.

“So, you’re Master’s new pet?” the Yeager said, his voice deep and mocking. “My name is Lobo, one of Hades’ top five generals.”

Rex’s eyes narrowed as he studied Lobo. He knew a fight was inevitable, but he had one question first. “I know we’re about to fight, but let me ask you one thing. Do you even know who Luna is?”

Lobo looked puzzled. “Who the hell is that?”

Rex shook his head, dismissing the question. “Doesn’t matter. You’re going to die now.”

With that, Rex charged at Lobo, leaping into the air and aiming a powerful punch at his head. But before he could land the blow, massive tentacles shot out from Lobo, wrapping around Rex’s arm and flinging him across the room. As Rex crashed into the wall, Lobo rose from his chair, his giant fist poised to strike.

Rex quickly recovered, using his hands to conjure flames that scorched a bit of Lobo’s leg. “That tickles,” Lobo remarked, unfazed. He then kicked Rex in the stomach, splitting his body in half and sending him flying into another wall. Rex’s lower body quickly regenerated, and he glanced down, realizing that even his clothes had regenerated with him.

“So my clothes regenerate too,” he thought briefly, before looking back up at Lobo. Just then, more giant tentacles came crashing down toward him. Rex dodged them with agility, but suddenly, something came crashing through the wall, slamming into him and forcing him to cough up blood.

“Ah, Knight, you’re finally here,” Lobo said, addressing the new arrival.

Knight matched Lobo in height and stature. “Be quiet, Lobo. Why haven’t you killed this Yeager yet?” Knight demanded, his voice cold and authoritative.

Both of them turned their gazes to Rex, who was struggling to stand. But Rex wasn’t done yet. He focused, feeling the power within him building up. His body began to glow red and white as he concentrated his energy.

“So, he can use hyper flux energy,” they both realized.

“This is going to be fun,” Lobo thought with a smirk. He snapped his fingers, and Rex’s sword materialized in front of him. Rex grabbed it, drawing the blade and preparing for battle.

“Let me fight him,” Knight said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Lobo understood and sat back down in his chair, eager to watch the upcoming fight.

Rex turned his full attention to Knight, gripping his sword tightly. This was going to be a battle unlike any he had faced before.

Knight easily grabbed hold of Rex, lifting him effortlessly before throwing him hard into the ground. As Rex coughed up blood and struggled to rise, Lobo snapped his fingers, causing the ground beneath them to lower into a larger, more ominous room.

Knight wasted no time, launching spikes from his back toward Rex. Rex used his sword to deflect them, but one managed to slip through, piercing his stomach and leaving a gaping hole. The force sent Rex crashing into the wall. Despite the pain, Rex remained standing, his wound quickly regenerating. But more spikes followed, forcing Rex to move quickly to avoid them.

As the spikes closed in, robots began to surround Rex, blocking his path. With swift, powerful strokes, Rex sliced through the machines, his movements growing faster with each swing. His color began to change from red to white, signifying a new level of speed and power. Seizing the moment, Rex leaped toward Knight, managing to slash his neck slightly.

Knight, surprised by Rex’s speed, attempted to crush him with a powerful fist, but Rex countered by cutting off Knight’s legs. Enraged, Knight activated his Yeager ability, transforming into a massive three-headed dragon. All three heads unleashed torrents of fire at Rex, but he stood firm, his body now able to withstand the intense heat.

“Flame Style: Flame Death,” Rex thought, unleashing his own flames that overwhelmed and consumed Knight’s fire. The dragon’s three heads roared in agony as Rex’s flames engulfed them. As the smoke cleared, Knight’s body was reduced to a lifeless husk, which crumbled into ash.

Lobo, watching in disbelief, screamed in fury, “Die!” His tentacles surged toward Rex, but with one swift movement, Rex destroyed them all. He then turned his attention to Lobo, his flames burning brighter than ever.

“You’re dead,” Rex declared, as his flames enveloped Lobo, burning him to a crisp. As Lobo’s body disintegrated, Rex felt a sudden impact from behind.

“Hey Rex, you’ve been staring at Barak’s body this whole time,” Leon’s voice snapped Rex out of his daze.

“Sorry, I was daydreaming,” Rex replied, shaking off the illusion. “Did we recover anything from this robot of his?”

“Yes, we did. Barak left us a message, but we have to decrypt it,” Leon said.

“Hey boys, come over here for a second,” Nicholas called out to them.

Both Rex and Leon walked over to Nicholas, their curiosity piqued.

“What do you want, old man?” they both asked in unison.

“I’m going to ignore that comment,” Nicholas replied, “but we’re heading home now, and Rex, you’re coming along too.”

“Why do I have to come with you?” Rex questioned.

“First off, we were buddies who went on that operation together—the one that got me suspended. And second, it’s about the dark flames too,” Nicholas explained.

“Okay, let’s get going,” Rex agreed, surprising Leon with how quickly he was convinced.

“She convinced you that fast,” Leon thought to himself.

Together, the three of them walked through the portal, heading to the Ivanov residence, ready to unravel the next mystery that awaited them.