In the blazing heat of the jungle, Boa storms through thick foliage, firing rapid energy blasts from his palm that vaporize waves of armed ogres in an instant. At level 20, he moves like a streak of red lightning, his team struggling to keep up behind him.
Ignis watches in awe.
At level 17, he mutters, "How is he this strong…?"
Tobias, level 16, echoes the shock.
"Wow Warlocks are quite special with this type of magic…"
Boa lifts a hand and red chains burst from his shadow, swirling as they form into a winged crimson imp. The imp bows midair.
"Master Boa," it squeaks, "your prediction was correct. Destroying each ogre clan weakens the Ogre King. You and your team have eliminated six clans so far."
Boa calmly says
"Only one left. I'm guessing Crank is already on it?"
The imp twitches nervously.
"Yes, Master… but he appears to be struggling."
Boa waves off the concern with confidence.
"He'll be fine. Let's keep moving. The mini-boss should be twenty levels weaker now."
Meanwhile, deeper in the Jungle
The ground trembles.
A tiger-like roar splits the air as Crank, now level 19, drives a brutal tiger punch straight through an ogre's chest. Blood sprays over him as his HP bar dips to ¾.
More ogres close in, levels 15 to 18, snarling with clubs raised.
Blood runs down Crank's arms.
The scent triggers something.
A memory.
Flashback — The Arena Of Oasis
Young Crank stands in chains, a child drenched in gore, forced by nobles to fight monsters and other captives. Blood covers the sand. Screams echo.
A noble stands above him.
"Carnage. That is all you'll ever be," the man says.
"A monster meant for battle. Entertainment for us nobles."
The arena blurs—
Bodies. Claws. More blood.
Crank roaring because that is all he knows.
The memory then jumps.
as his noble "master" lies dead at Crank's feet.
Crank looks at his own blood-covered hands, then storms the noble halls, tearing through soldiers in a frenzy.
But numbers overwhelm him. Dozens of nobles pin him down.
A stern noble officer approaches.
"You deserve death for killing your master," he says.
"But you will be put to use instead. One hundred years in the mines. Fighting data creatures. Until you die."
The vision jumps in time again
As he has a electric shock collar on in prison, all of the other inmates shrinking from him in fear.
Crank stands alone, as he disobey orders from anyone, as he is able to withstand the electric shocking from the collar until one noble officer steps forward.
Hank.
He defeats Crank, not with brute force, but with strategy, agility, and precision. And afterward, he visits Crank alone in the cell.
Hank kneels.
"Carnage… I'm sorry. The higher-ups demanded I prove I can control you."
"But I don't want this place to stay hell. We can change it. Together."
He smiles gently.
"How about a change to your name? To become a nicer one, hmmm if I had a son, I'd name him close to mine. So how about… Crank?"
Time passes.
Crank grows calmer. Kinder. A leader among the inmates from Hank's influence.
Then Boa and Jen join the prison family and Crank's heart softens even more.
The vision flickers again as it shows his POV of the 1st stage
Him fighting the Blaze Dragon.
Facing the Dark King.
Then the final moment with Jen as he gives her a last look before he teleports out.
He materializes in God's Arena but doesn't see her at all.
He then stares up at the magic screens to see Jen still in the 1st stage as moments later he then sees her final moments with Boa.
His chest cracks open with grief.
He beats his chest again and again, screaming,
"What a fool I was…! Too relaxed… too weak… blind to everything they planned… Damn it all!"
Back to Reality
An ogre's club slams into him.
Then another.
His HP dips past half.
Crank's eyes refocus, full predator.
He flexes, muscles bulging with rage and clarity.
"I can't stay weak… I must return to who I was!"
He charges, fists shredding through flesh.
"Only then will I be strong!"
He roars
"ANIMAL STAMPEDE!"
A storm of energy punches erupts from him, each blow forming into roaring animal faces, tigers, eagles, wolves, bears that crash into the horde, annihilating every ogre in an explosion of spirit.
Silence follows.
Crank drops to one knee, panting.
"I must stay strong… for the Boas… and for every friend I've lost."
The jungle glows as countless EXP orbs swirl into him.
LEVEL UP — 20.
Crank roars into the sky in frustration.
Meanwhile, in the swamp region, Gaia and her team reach the edge of the outer circle. A massive wall of swirling cloud and mist rises before them, humming with ancient magic.
Gaia stands at the front, level 21.
Behind her, Ortis, level 19, Hopper, level 18, and the rest of her pawn team ranging from levels 15 to 18.
Gaia presses her palm against the cloud wall.
Blue magic pours from her hand and spreads across the surface. The mist reacts, forming glowing blue arrows, each pointing in different directions, right and left.
She turns to her team.
"So there are multiple entry points into the central circle."
Ortis pinches his chin.
"Then which one do we choose?"
Gaia points decisively to the right.
"I have a gut feeling. Right is the right way."
The team follows her towards that direction.
As moments later they step into a new region where thick fog blankets the ground and ghostly spirits drift through the air, their forms flickering like pale flames.
Suddenly, they are surrounded by 100s of spirits as they then attack together.
Blades and spells pass straight through them. Several of Gaia's pawns gasp as their HP bars slowly drain, life being siphoned away.
Gaia's eyes snap to the glowing orbs clutched inside each spirit.
She reacts instantly.
Blue gears whirl around her arm as engineer magic assembles a rifle in seconds. She fires.
The bullet shatters a spirit's orb.
The ghost screams and explodes into EXP orbs.
Gaia shouts,
"Aim for the orbs!"
The team adapts as Ortis lunges forward, his fist igniting.
"For Lady Gaia!"
He slams a dragon fire punch into a spirit's core. The orb shatters. The spirit vanishes.
Hopper charges next, smashing incoming spirits with his massive shield. Each impact is absorbing each spirit he bashes.
His shield begins to glow.
"Queen Shield, adaptive change!"
The shield reshapes itself into a spirit-compatible barrier, a large orb forming at its center. A beam of light erupts from it, slicing through clusters of spirits.
Gaia keeps firing while tossing support healing grenades into her team. Green light bursts outward, restoring many of her team HP bars back to full.
She glances to the side as her management interface appears, several bars flashing at maximum capacity.
Gaia drags them into her palm and punches the air.
Magical gears assemble midair.
A giant magic turret forms in mere seconds, its base displaying a glowing computer screen.
She types rapidly.
RESOURCE INPUT REQUIRED
She inputs commands.
RESOURCE SOURCE: DIRECT PLAYER MANA
A slot opens.
Gaia plunges her arm inside.
Her mana drains steadily, passing halfway, she then summons a blue support grenade in her hand as she crushes it. It bursts into energy that flows back into her body, restoring her mana to full.
She checks the turret.
Resource Input: 25%.
The army of spirits surge forward, pushing the team back.
Gaia shouts,
"Hold on just a little longer!"
Ortis steps forward. His flames flickering blue.
"This is not where it ends," he declares.
"We will survive this!"
A task bar flashes full in his interface.
"Draconic Change, Spirit Form!"
His aura transforms as a spectral blue Chinese dragon erupts from his back, roaring as it sweeps through the spirit army under his command.
He clenches his fist.
"Spirit Transcendent!"
The dragon detonates, then reforms, larger than before. It coils once before diving straight into the turret.
RESOURCE INPUT: MAXIMUM
Gaia stares in shock.
Ortis meets her gaze.
"All for you, Lady Gaia."
The turret roars to life.
Massive laser beams tear through the mist, triggering chain explosions that obliterate the remaining spirits.
Gaia gives Ortis a happy thumbs-up.
He smiles faintly and murmurs to himself,
"I wish Yuri were still here… It's strange being the only one fighting for Lady Gaia affection."
Moments later after the battle
The team rests.
Then Gaia's senses sharpen noticing that someone is approaching.
She stands as the mist parts and Tomi emerges.
"Impressive," Tomi says.
"You eliminated the final spirit group. This region is officially cleared."
Gaia nods.
"I remember you. Tomi, you're from Dustin's group."
Tomi bows.
"That would be me. Come. There's lots to discuss about."
They move forward as the fog thins, revealing a ruined village packed with Star parties of every class.
"Welcome to Misty Village," Tomi explains.
"When we arrived here in this region, no party here could defeat the mini-boss alone, so we all agreed to formed an alliance. Together, we took down the Crown Ghost King."
They pass groups of Stars watching them in many different kinds of emotions.
As they then reaches Tomi's group, far ahead of them is a massive glowing bubble pulses within the cloud wall.
"After the battles," Tomi continues, "We and the other parties looted the entire region and found this."
A teammate of Tomi hands Gaia a tome.
"This covers Boss Monsters #17 through #20."
Gaia scans it. Holograms burst into the air as boss images and text appears.
"Did the other parties share their findings?" she asks.
"For a price," Tomi replies.
"Gold or loot. This is everything we could gather."
More books are handed over.
Tomi then offers Gaia a glowing magic flower.
"We're only sharing this freely because we're allies," he says.
"And because it's Kayle's wish."
Gaia's magic scans everything, revealing hologram treasure routes, puzzles, and three additional central-circle bosses.
She looks up.
"Any update on Dustin?"
Tomi waves his hand. A menu opens. He taps a button.
Kayle's voice fills the air.
"Didn't expect you to meet Tomi and the others this fast but maybe that's for the best."
Gaia smiles.
"I'm glad you're safe, Dustin."
Kayle laughs.
"Are you really going to keep calling me that? It's weird… hearing that name again but since it's from you, I don't mind. And yeah, being solo is kind of rough. But I've took down a mini-boss thanks to the help of my team and gained a ton of levels."
Gaia nods thoughtfully as she scans the village.
"I see your plan now. The central circle is far more dangerous than the outer. That's why everyone settled here, waiting for the path to be cleared since there is no time limit anyways."
Kayle responds calmly.
"Exactly. I did planned to get there and be the first to clear a path for my team but now that you're there…"
Gaia smiles.
"That I'll do for you instead."
"That's just who you are," Kayle replies.
"Always challenging yourself."
"We nobles are best suited for this. I guess I'll clear the path for everyone here." Gaia says.
"Thank you, Gaia, I don't have to worry anymore, I'll see you all in the inner circle," Kayle says.
The call ends.
Gaia tightens her grip.
Her team follows as she strides toward the massive glowing bubble in the cloud wall.
Behind them, every Star party in Misty Village watches in stunned silence.
Meanwhile, on Planet Isha, within Black Paradise, a towering city building houses a giant meeting chamber carved from black stone and glowing circuitry.
At the side of the room stand Basil, Wade, Yunbam, Hank, Vel, Ezzy, Rose, and Kelay as they each take a seat.
Suddenly, the lights dim.
The floor hums as a digital platform rises, and Susan's holographic form materializes above it. She bows gracefully.
"It seems everyone has rested enough," Susan says.
"First, I would like to congratulate all of you who participated in the battle a few days ago against the Gem Noble intruder."
The chamber trembles.
The floor splits open.
Another platform rises as this one reveals a chained figure strapped to a reinforced chair. His eyes are covered. His mouth is sealed. Thick energy restraints bind him in place.
Kairo EverJade.
Vel steps forward, shouting,
"Wait, hold on! I thought I was mistaken during the battle, but what the hell is Kayle doing here?!"
Rose squints, then follows.
"You're right. I thought you were still in the Star Games. Did you die in the first stage too and end up as a battle robot like us?"
Susan steps between them calmly.
"Of course you all still have many questions," she says.
"So I'll simplify things."
She gestures to the silent Kelay standing among them.
"This is my loyal commander of Black Paradise. Her name is Kelay BoomBronze and she is also the mother of the person you know as Kayle… also known as Dustin."
The room goes silent.
Vel's eyes widen.
"Whoa, what?! They look exactly alike! Like twins or something! And wait, Kayle has another name? Dustin?"
Rose nods slowly.
"Dustin PlatinumGrey. An exiled noble, just like his mother."
She crosses her arms.
"Most of that information was buried by Zion so common nobles wouldn't know much. Tomi must had helped her undergo plastic reconstruction to resemble her to be like her mother, exactly."
Vel stares harder, her confusion deepening.
"H-He? Her? So Kayle was originally a boy?
She lets out a stunned laugh.
"Wow… she completely fooled me."
Susan tilts her head slightly.
"Is that enough to satisfy your curiosity?"
Vel and Rose bow respectfully and return to their seats.
Susan turns back to the center of the chamber.
"Good. Now that introductions are settled," she says evenly,
"To not make much confusion let's us begin with the battle of Pawn City."
The lights dim once more as data streams begin to form in the air as a massive digital screen appear in the middle of room showing the BOAS showing up at Pawn city as Yunbam steps forward with a spiritual magically blade in his hand as lightning strikes around him.