"It's now or never," murmured Tommy as he saw the three heads of the monster align perfectly in position.
But Patrick, observing the scene from the air, couldn't help but doubt it.
"It's just one arrow… and three targets. How's he going to pull it off?" he thought, using his iron gloves to hold one of the mechanical beast's snouts in place.
The arrow was launched with lethal precision toward the beast. However, just before impact, something extraordinary happened: the arrow split into three parts, each transforming into an independent arrow. With perfect trajectories, they simultaneously entered the oral cavities of the three heads.
"Explode, you disgusting robotic monster!" shouted Tommy, spitting out his toothpick in disdain.
The arrows inside each head began to glow intensely before detonating in a devastating explosion. The beast roared furiously, attempting one last attack, but ultimately collapsed to the ground with a deafening crash. Its three heads burst into a rain of sparks and twisted metal.
With a triumphant smile, Tommy muttered to himself:
"I told you—I never miss." His grin stretched from ear to ear.
"How good that you succeeded," whispered Hela, her voice barely audible due to exhaustion. Maintaining the bone wall had drained almost all her energy. Finally, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
The bone wall that had protected the citizens began to crumble slowly, revealing the survivors safe and sound. Patrick rushed over to check on Hela.
"She just passed out," announced the young man after briefly examining her.
"That's good," Dove and Tommy responded in unison, exchanging a knowing glance.
"Well, I won't doubt you again, buddy. It's true—you never miss," commented Patrick, giving Tommy a friendly pat on the back.
"I told you: my boyfriend is the best," added Dove, wrapping her arms around Tommy and planting a passionate kiss on him.
"You can do that somewhere else," interrupted Hela, weakly getting up as she brushed the dust off her clothes.
The four exchanged complicit glances before continuing to assist the population and confronting the remaining robots in the area.
Loch Ness, Scotland. A young woman strolled calmly along the lake, taking photographs with an antique camera. Her attire drew attention: she wore a black jacket with "V"-shaped edges resembling bat wings, an elegant purple dress, and a violet wide-brimmed hat that completed her extravagant style.
"Why don't you come out, you damn creature? I was told I'd find the Loch Ness Monster here, but I've been waiting for hours, and nothing… I'm starting to get sleepy," she muttered, frustrated, as she adjusted the angle of her camera.
Suddenly, a radio in her pocket began emitting a high-pitched and insistent voice:
"Hey! Sonia! Are you there? Eh! Sonia…" The voice turned more serious after a moment of silence, "Agent E-9 reported. That's an order."
The girl, Sonia, grabbed the radio and brought it to her ear, revealing her lavender hair and bright red eyes.
"You're not my boss," she responded defiantly.
"Hey! Where are you? We need you! We're under attack by robots. Respond!" insisted the voice before the transmission abruptly cut off.
"That fool D-8… Thinks he's my boss just because his agent code has one less digit. How ridiculous," murmured Sonia, irritated as she tucked the radio back into her bag. "And why did he hang up? Well, I was getting bored here anyway. I'll go rescue him."
As she headed back along the path, something in the lake caught her attention. The water began to move violently, forming waves that shattered the calm of the place. Suddenly, an enormous figure slowly emerged from the water.
"It must be him," Sonia whispered with contained excitement.
The monster had a long, scaly neck, just as the legends described. But when it fully came into view, Sonia frowned.
"You're not the monster. You're an impostor, and you'll pay for usurping its place," she declared firmly.
The fake Ness opened its gigantic maw, revealing rows of sharp metallic teeth. With a mechanical roar, it lunged toward Sonia, ready to devour her.
The monster charged at Sonia ferociously, but she dodged with an agile movement, leaving a trail of red liquid emanating from her fingers.
"Try my blood attack: 'BLOOD DRILL'!" she exclaimed, forming several drill-like tips made of blood that spun at dizzying speeds.
The tips pierced through the metallic body of the robot Ness, tearing apart its internal structure until it finally exploded in a burst of sparks and fragments.
"Well… If these robots are this weak, I wonder if that useless Renzo hasn't already died before I even get there," Sonia muttered sarcastically before sprinting away like the wind, disappearing from the scene without looking back.
However, just after Sonia left, the real Loch Ness Monster slowly emerged, observing the chaos with curiosity before sinking back into the depths of the lake.
Inverness, Scotland, a few kilometers away. The main bridge of Inverness lay in ruins. At one end, a young man dressed in a copper-colored suit launched explosive discs at a group of seal-like mechanical robots.
"Take that, you beggar robots!" shouted Renzo Freidelmel, Agent D-8, adjusting his stance as he prepared another disc.
But before he could throw it, several robotic eels emerged from the water and surrounded him, tightening their grip around him. Renzo tried to break free, but the eels began electrifying his suit.
"I can't move!" he shouted, feeling the electricity coursing through his body.
At that moment, another voice echoed from a distance.
"I'm coming to save you!" yelled a boy who charged at the eels, trying to pull them off with his bare hands. However, he was electrocuted and fell to the ground.
"Are you okay, Claus? I mean, Agent B-9?" asked Renzo, concerned.
"Yes, don't worry. That was just one of my copies," responded another boy identical to the one who had been electrocuted. This one wore yellow pants and a green t-shirt, with a calm expression on his face.
Claus Reedword was a thin 12-year-old boy with sky-blue eyes and light brown hair styled in an undercut, featuring shaved sides and longer hair on top. His unique ability allowed him to create exact clones of himself, which he could make appear and disappear at will.
Renzo, on the other hand, removed his helmet, revealing his dark mushroom-cut hairstyle and bright orange eyes. At 18 years old, he had a confident—and somewhat arrogant—attitude, though he also showed concern for his teammates.
"What a relief," sighed Renzo.
"Yes, but I could feel his pain… or at least I think so," replied Claus, touching his arm thoughtfully.
"I can't move my arms, or I'd get rid of these things myself," said Renzo, frustrated.
"Well, I could use several of my clones, but better not. It's not good to waste mana unnecessarily," added Claus, shrugging.
Suddenly, a 14-year-old girl appeared beside them, arms crossed and an expression of annoyance on her face.
"These two fools again…" she muttered.
"Oh, it's you! Goth girl," Renzo responded teasingly.
"I'm not goth! Can't you see I am dressed colorfully?" she protested, pointing to her vibrant outfit.
With a quick motion, she shot a jet of blood that formed a net, trapping the eels and freeing Renzo.
"Not bad, friend," commented Claus, nodding in admiration.
"And this equalizer here, who is he?" the girl asked, turning to Renzo.
"He's an agent like us," Renzo replied, standing up.
"Great… I got stuck with the fools," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Hey! Who are you calling fools?" interrupted Renzo, raising an eyebrow in protest.
"You, obviously. I'm not here to be your babysitter," retorted the girl, crossing her arms.
"You used blood to fight… How crazy," remarked Claus, looking at her curiously.
"Well, there's no time for chit-chat. Something bigger is coming," she said, pointing toward the sea.
An enormous basking shark emerged from the water. "Ah! It's just a stupid shark," said Sonia, but before they could react, the creature began to transform. Its fins turned into legs, and its body adopted a humanoid shape, standing upright like a titan ready to devour them with its gigantic mouth.
"You had to provoke the robot animal, didn't you?" Renzo scolded the girl.
"It's better to fight," she responded, approaching the shark without showing any concern.
She unleashed her technique, "BLOOD DRILL," but this time, the blood tips didn't have the desired effect. The robotic shark resisted the attack, roaring furiously as it advanced toward them.
"Damn fish with legs! You'll pay for that," exclaimed Sonia, preparing to strike again.
"Hey, wait!" shouted Claus, pushing her just in time. The robotic shark had lunged quickly at her while she was distracted boasting.
"Hey! Why did you do that? Now you got eaten!" protested Sonia, pointing at the boy's body, which had been split in half by the shark's jaws.
"No! Claus!" shouted Renzo, horrified.
"Relax, I'm fine," came another voice behind them. It was Claus, unharmed and smiling calmly.
"But how? We saw it eat you… And there are your guts spilled all over. Was it a trick?" asked Sonia skeptically, crossing her arms.
"Well, what you saw over there was one of my clones. But I'm perfectly fine. I can switch between them and create as many as I need," the boy explained proudly.
"Bah! A human photocopy… That's something straight out of comics and manga," commented Sonia, pretending indifference, though her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"My power is awesome, and your face says otherwise," countered Claus with a teasing smile.
"Right, Renzo?" he added, looking at the copper-suited boy.
"Uh, yeah! It's pretty cool," Renzo replied, nodding quickly.
"Well then, the only thing we need to do is defeat this giant shark with a cone-shaped mouth," remarked Claus, pointing at the robot.
"Yes, but worse still: that kind of shark doesn't usually have teeth. However, this one seems to have teeth on top of teeth. It's very weird, but hey, what do you expect from a robot? Something unnatural," Sonia commented sarcastically.
"Alright, let's finish this thing off once and for all," declared Renzo, pulling out a pair of copper axes. He used them to pry open the creature's mouth while a clone of Claus ventured inside to destroy the central chip.
"See, if it's like that, piece of cake," commented Renzo as he watched Claus emerge from the robotic shark's mouth holding the chip in his hands.
"Well, we're done here. I guess you didn't really need me," said Sonia, shrugging as she prepared to leave.
But before she could take a step, more robotic sharks began to emerge from the water, surrounding them.
"Great. Now there are more. You just had to open your mouth, Renzo," Sonia complained, glaring at him.
"I think this is going to be a long afternoon," murmured Claus, swallowing nervously as he watched the new enemies approach.