ZERO SHIFT

The cavern reverberated with the sounds of battle the crash of metal, the hiss of venom, and the heavy thuds of the spiders' legs striking the rocky ground. Josuke gritted his teeth as he clashed with the mother spider. His devil form granted him enhanced strength and speed, but it came with a cost: the transformation was incomplete, its power unstable. Chaos, ever the voice in his mind, noticed it before Josuke did.

"You know," Chaos remarked, his voice both amused and sharp, "for all the trouble you're going through, you should have realized something's off by now."

"Can you maybe be useful for once instead of just criticizing me?" Josuke snapped, slashing at the spider's leg and dodging a venomous swipe.

Chaos chuckled darkly. "Useful? I already am useful. I'm the reason you're not dead right now. But if you must know, this mother spider is treating you like her favorite snack for a reason."

Josuke deflected another strike with his flaming blade, his heart pounding in his chest. "Because I'm the strongest one here, obviously!"

"No," Chaos said flatly. "Because there's something bigger at play."

Josuke growled in frustration but didn't press further, too focused on staying alive to entertain Chaos's cryptic warnings. What he didn't know was that Chaos had sensed something far beyond the spiders a ripple in the air, faint but undeniable. It wasn't the energy of just one devil, but three.

Elsewhere in the cave, the rest of Unit Zero fought valiantly. Arthur moved with precision, his blade spinning in a blur as he struck at the smaller spider's legs, forcing it to recoil. Lily lobbed another explosive charge, creating a temporary barrier of smoke and fire that allowed Silver to reposition.

"Keep up the pressure!" Arthur barked, sweat dripping from his brow.

"I'm trying!" Lily shot back, hurling another charge.

Hinata fired precise bursts of energy, each blast striking the smaller spider's joints. The creature hissed in pain but remained undeterred, its movements growing more erratic.

In the chaos of the battle, Silver's sharp eyes caught a flicker of movement near the orb. His focus shifted for a moment, and he saw it: a member of Unit Eight, their movements quick and calculated, slipping past the combatants toward the glowing prize.

"No way…" Silver muttered under his breath.

He watched as the ranger reached the orb, their hands moving with practiced efficiency as they secured it. Without hesitation, they turned and darted toward the cave's exit.

"They're taking the orb!" Silver shouted, his voice cutting through the noise.

But no one responded.

Back at the arena, the atmosphere was electric. The crowd erupted into cheers as the live feed showed the member of Unit Eight sprinting out of the cave with the orb. The announcer's voice boomed across the arena, filled with excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Unit Eight has collected the orb! They're making their way back! Will they secure the win?"

The camera shifted back to the chaos inside the cave, where Unit Zero was still locked in a desperate fight against the monstrous spiders. The contrast between the two scenes only heightened the tension.

In the waiting room, Ace leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Looks like someone's trying to steal the show," he remarked casually, a faint smirk on his face.

Kyle, standing nearby, watched the screens with a sharp intensity. He didn't comment, but his crossed arms and furrowed brow spoke volumes.

Inside the cave, Josuke's frustration was mounting. The mother spider was relentless, her attacks growing more feral by the second. His incomplete devil form was starting to take its toll, the strain evident in his movements.

Chaos's voice cut through his thoughts again, this time more pointed.

"Want a hint, genius?" Chaos asked, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Do I have a choice?" Josuke snapped, narrowly avoiding a venomous strike.

"The reason that spider's treating you like her favorite meal? It's not because of your half-baked devil form. It's because something or someone else is here. And they're a much bigger threat than you."

Josuke faltered for a moment, his mind racing. "What are you talking about?"

Chaos didn't respond immediately. Instead, he let Josuke stew in confusion, knowing full well the answer would come soon enough.

Silver, meanwhile, was growing increasingly desperate. The ranger from Unit Eight was already out of the cave, the orb in their possession. He turned to his teammates, his voice rising in urgency.

"They've got the orb! Unit Eight is gone!"

Arthur finally caught Silver's words, his expression darkening. "Are you kidding me?"

"No!" Silver shot back. "They're almost out of the cave!"

Arthur cursed under his breath, but there was no time to dwell on the loss. The spiders were still attacking with unrelenting fury, their focus shifting between Josuke and the others.

Lily, dodging another strike, shouted, "What do we do? Chase them or finish these things off?"

Arthur didn't answer immediately, his mind racing. "We focus on surviving this fight first!"

Chaos, still lingering in Josuke's mind, felt the energy signatures growing stronger. He recognized them now, their identities unmistakable.

"They're here," Chaos muttered to himself, his tone grim. "And they're watching."

Josuke didn't hear him, too focused on the fight to notice the subtle shift in the air. But Chaos's laughter was palpable. It was obvious that the devils out classed everyone in the cave except chaos himself

The three devils had arrived, their presence a storm on the horizon. And while the battle with the spiders raged on, Chaos knew this was only the beginning of a much larger conflict.

The chapter ends with Unit Zero still fighting for their lives, the orb gone, and the looming threat of the devils casting a shadow over the battlefield.