2687

Los Angeles was under siege. The special teams were dispatched, each member acutely aware of the gravity of the situation. The city, a sprawling labyrinth of culture and life, was now a battlefield. As Team A monitored the Chinese Theater, and Team B secured the Santa Monica Pier, Team C patrolled the sun-soaked sands of Venice Beach. Yet, amidst the orchestrated vigilance, Rex felt an unease gnawing at him.

“Why now? Of all the times, why have the Yeagers decided to launch a full-scale attack?” Rex’s voice was low, tinged with suspicion, as he scanned the horizon.

Daisy, walking beside him, shared his disquiet. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it. Luna and the Yeagers have been more active lately, more present. A full-scale assault on LA now? Something doesn’t sit right with me.”

Rex nodded, his thoughts heavy. “And tonight, of all nights, when evacuating the city is impossible. We’re talking about millions of people, trapped.”

Daisy’s gaze softened. “Something else is on your mind, isn’t it?”

Rex exhaled slowly. “Yeah, two things. First, why would Barak leave us this message after betraying us? He’s responsible for my father’s death, and now, even after he’s gone, he leaves us this cryptic warning. Why?”

Daisy considered his words. “Maybe he knew he was going to die. Luna could’ve made a flux exchange with him—one he couldn’t break. After the deal, they fought, and he died. Perhaps he left us this message to make amends, to save lives.”

Rex nodded, but doubt lingered in his mind. “And then there’s Rona. She’s in Hollywood City right now, all by herself.”

Daisy’s confidence didn’t waver. “Rona can handle herself.”

“You have that much faith in her?” Rex asked, surprised by her certainty.

“Of course,” Daisy replied without hesitation. “Rona may not be as strong as Griffin or Adam, but when it comes to using flux energy, she’s unparalleled. She’s more than capable of facing whatever comes her way.”

Meanwhile, in Hollywood City, Rona sat alone atop a rooftop, the cool night breeze ruffling her hair as she sipped her coffee. The night was serene, but her instincts were sharp. She sensed them before she saw them—two figures standing below, their eyes fixed on her. Calmly, she finished her coffee, her body relaxed but ready. She leaped from the rooftop, landing gracefully before the two figures.

“So, you’re Yeager ranks four and two,” Rona said, her voice steady, devoid of fear.

The shorter one, Ace, smiled. “That’s right. I’m Ace, and this is Gaia.” He gestured to his companion, who stood silent, his presence heavy with menace.

The crowd around them, blissfully unaware of the danger, continued their evening as usual. But Ace was ready to change that. With a snap of his fingers, a giant snake materialized from the shadows, its massive body coiling around the area, creating an impenetrable barrier. The crowd was trapped.

Rona looked around, unfazed. “Impressive, but it won’t stop me. I’m still going to kill you,” she said calmly.

As Ace and Gaia prepared themselves, they recalled Luna’s warning about Rona during their briefing.

“Rona can’t break the laws of nature or reality with her flux energy, but don’t be fooled,” Luna had warned. “She uses her flux energy to the point where she can make herself physically stronger than either of you.”

Gaia had been skeptical. “What are you getting at, Your Grace?”

“Her physical strength is so overwhelming that she could destroy the planet with a single punch,” Luna had continued. “But we’ll force her to use only ten percent of her power. Surround her with normal humans, and she won’t be able to unleash her full strength without causing massive collateral damage. The shockwaves alone could kill everyone here.”

Back in the present, Ace and Gaia’s eyes were locked onto Rona, who stood ready, her body radiating a quiet yet terrifying power.

“We’re not running away, Rona. We’re going to kill you and every human here,” Ace said, his voice dripping with malice.

Without warning, they vanished, their forms blurring as they began slaughtering the innocents around them. Chaos erupted, screams filled the air as people fell left and right. Rona’s eyes darted around, confusion flickering for just a moment before she steeled herself. Ace and Gaia reappeared, attacking her in tandem. Ace threw a punch while Gaia drew a giant scythe from his flesh, swinging it with lethal intent. But Rona was ready. She deflected the scythe with her hand and caught Ace’s punch with ease.

A barrage of attacks rained down on her, but she countered each one with precise, deadly efficiency. Then, in a blink, she disappeared. Ace and Gaia paused, their eyes scanning the area, and then they spotted her—sitting atop a lamppost, a metal orb floating beside her.

“Does Rona have a palace?” Ace asked, more to himself than Gaia.

“Yes, but she won’t use it here. Not with humans around. If she used her palace, the humans would get caught in the crossfire and die. Luna estimated a ninety percent chance that she wouldn’t use it,” Gaia replied, his tone calculated.

Rona smirked down at them. “I’m not running away, just surprised you think killing humans would stop me from using my full power. It’s true, though—you’re going to die without landing a single hit on me.”

“Big talk. Let’s see you back it up,” Ace sneered.

Rona’s eyes narrowed. “Try me, apes.”

She hopped off the lamppost, drawing a dagger from the orb. With calculated steps, she moved between Ace and Gaia, her gaze unwavering. They attacked in unison, but Rona was quicker. She grabbed Ace’s arm, using him as a shield as Gaia’s scythe came down, slicing Ace’s body in half. Without missing a beat, Rona kicked Gaia in the side, sending him crashing through buildings. She then hurled Ace’s remains into Gaia, the impact driving them both through more structures.

Rona sprinted toward them, but a swarm of snakes materialized in her path. She cut them down effortlessly with her knife. Gaia and Ace reappeared, ready to attack again. This time, Rona drew a sword from the orb, slashing across their midsections. Electricity surged through their bodies from the blade.

Ace winced as the pain coursed through him. “That sword… it electrocutes on impact,” he thought, grimacing.

Rona grabbed Ace by the head, simultaneously kicking Gaia in the stomach, sending him reeling. Ace touched the ground, summoning more snakes, but Rona leaped away. Gaia tried to cleave her in half again, but Rona deflected the scythe with a thrown knife, then stabbed him in the chest, electrocuting him once more.

She was about to decapitate Gaia when the ground erupted with rocks, forcing her to dodge. “Magma, or perhaps just rock manipulation,” she mused, assessing the situation.

Ace and Gaia regrouped, bloodied but not beaten. “We need to tire her out,” Ace said through gritted teeth. “We need more time until the rest of the Yeager ranks arrive.”

As if on cue, multiple portals opened, and more Yeagers began to pour through, surrounding Rona. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized their them. “What the fuck” she said

Killer and the rest of the Yeager ranks appeared. “Hey guys sorry to keep you guys waiting,” he said.

Killer’s attention snapped to Rona. Without warning, he vanished, reappearing right in front of her. “Yeager Ability: Knife Rotation,” he muttered. A barrage of knives materialized, spinning at dizzying speeds. Rona dodged them all, but the deadly blades cut down countless humans around her.

“Don’t fight without me, Killer,” Beelzebub’s voice rang out. “Yeager Ability: Fly’s Touch,” she murmured as her hand transformed, becoming a grotesque appendage ready to strike. Rona noticed her approach and prepared to counter, but just as she was about to land a killing blow, Beelzebub vanished. In her place appeared Destiny, whose fist flew toward Rona’s face. Rona blocked the punch, sending Destiny skidding backward.

Rona quickly regained her footing, but her eyes widened in horror as she saw all seven Yeager ranks rampaging, mercilessly slaughtering humans left and right.

Killer was right—Rona is different from Adam, he mused. She’s willing to sacrifice lives.

“You need to act now, Rona,” Gaia’s voice echoed in her mind. “Use your palace to kill everyone here and save those outside.”

Rona formed a hand seal, determination etched on her face. “Broken Time Palace,” she declared.

“Is she really going to do it?!” Beelzebub shouted.

Killer attempted to activate his palace, but he was too late. A dome enveloped the battlefield, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. In reality, it wasn’t time that was slowing down—it was the minds of those caught within the dome. To a normal human, this mental strain would be lethal, but Rona believed they could endure for at least two minutes.

For the next ninety seconds, Rona moved with lethal precision, cutting down over a thousand Yeagers. She was gasping for breath, but her resolve remained unbroken. Turning her attention to the remaining Yeager ranks, she was ready to end them, but suddenly, the dome shattered, and with it, her palace. The Yeagers and humans snapped back to full awareness as their minds surged back to normal speed.

Before Rona could react, Luna rushed at her. With quick thinking, Luna activated a teleportation device, and Rona found herself instantaneously transported to the continent of Africa.

“Good work, everyone. You created the opening I needed to teleport her,” Luna said, satisfaction in her voice.

“Man, my head feels messed up,” Killer groaned, collapsing to the ground with his legs crossed.

“You can say that again,” Shadow agreed. “Her palace doesn’t attack physically—it’s all mental.”

“So, what’s the plan now, Queen Luna?” Gaia asked.

“Our mission is complete. Now, slaughter every human here,” Luna ordered.

“What about the other elite force members?” Destiny inquired.

“Oh, them,” Luna waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t care about most of them, but there’s one I want dead.”

“Who is it?” Ace asked.

“Rex Jones. I want him killed if possible,” Luna replied coldly.

“You all can handle that. I’m going to find some humans to capture for the killing games,” Beelzebub said as she walked away.

“I’ll set up base at the Wilshire Grand Center to maximize the kill count,” Ace announced before sprinting off.

“The rest of you, focus on finding that bastard,” Luna commanded. The others nodded and vanished, leaving Killer behind.

“You want Rex dead because he’s the next heir to the Dark Flame Style, right?” Killer asked.

“He’s too dangerous to keep alive,” Luna confirmed. “And I don’t want another Amelia Locke or Griffin to deal with.”

“Understood,” Killer said, disappearing in an instant.

“Give him back now,” a voice demanded. Luna turned to see Emma and Clara approaching, their eyes blazing with anger.

“Give us our brother back! We upheld our end of the deal—we released the captive Yeagers—now give him back,” Clara insisted.

“Sorry, but I can’t do that,” Luna replied with a shrug. “I still have plans for him. You should’ve made a flux exchange if you wanted a guarantee.”

The girls vanished, their parting words echoing in Luna’s ears. “You’ll regret this.”