Paltio's friends were about to arrive in their tank-carriage when Mok noticed something strange. He furrowed his brow, glancing around uneasily. "Wait a moment… What's going on here?" he murmured under his breath. According to his calculations, this place should have been shrouded in thick mist, but now everything was unnervingly clear. He could see every detail of the road without effort.
"What's wrong, Mok? Are we not there yet?" Alita asked, watching him curiously as he remained lost in thought.
"It's odd, Alita. This place was supposed to be covered by mist, but now everything is visible. Even the path looks cleaner," Mok replied, pointing toward the horizon with a worried gesture.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken? Maybe we still have some way to go," Ron interjected, adjusting the strap of his backpack as he spoke.
"No, I'm certain. According to my map, this is the Great Sea of Mist. It doesn't make sense for the mist to just vanish like that. Not even during the Marine Dawn did this ever happen," Mok retorted, shaking his head in frustration.
"I sense energy ahead," Toco-Toco suddenly announced, his red eye glowing as it scanned the surroundings.
"Well, if we're truly in the Sea of Mist, then we must press on," Mok concluded, though his tone betrayed lingering uncertainty about what lies around them.
Without another word, the vehicle continued forward. Finally, they stopped at the edge of a dense forest to conceal themselves and wait for the precise moment to act, supporting Paltio from the shadows.
At that instant, a hand emerged from the bushes and startled Alita. Before she could scream, the hand quickly covered her mouth.
"What the—" Mok began, turning toward the mysterious figure.
"Relax! It's us!" Ban exclaimed, lowering his hand from Alita's mouth. But he wasn't alone. Behind him stood a large army, ready for battle. Even the professor was there, accompanied by his impressive Rose.
"Everyone's here! How exciting!" Alita exclaimed, recognizing the newcomers, though she also noticed some unfamiliar faces among them.
"And where are my friend Galatea and her daughters?" Alita asked, looking around.
"She and her daughters are infiltrating the ranks of the Yellow Shadows. Remember, Meliradal provided them with support," Strongia explained calmly.
"That's right, Your Majesty—I remembered," the young woman added, bowing respectfully.
"There's no need for that, child," the queen responded with a gentle smile.
"But how did you all manage to get here so quickly?" Lucca asked, gazing at the group with admiration.
"Well," Strongia began, "it was all thanks to Galatea, who informed us about the meeting point. But none of this would have been possible without the professor."
"Yes, the professor created some amazing devices," Ariafilis interrupted enthusiastically. "Though I'm still mad because they used me as a guinea pig without asking," Ban complained, crossing his arms.
"Moments Before..."
"Well, Professor, we're all ready," Rodelos said, addressing the inventor with determination.
"Perfect. It's time to head to Avocadalia," the professor replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Wait, wait!" Strongia exclaimed, raising a hand to stop them. "We have a problem."
Strongia went on to recount what Galatea had revealed to her: that the various factions of the Shadows were turning on one another due to lies and betrayals. She also mentioned a secret weapon they were building—one that could alter the course of the war. Finally, she warned them that the Shadows planned to unleash their master, the dark Urugas, in the Great Sea of Mist using the power of the Marine Dawn.
"So basically, we need to prevent Urugas from rising again, right?" Paris summarized, frowning deeply.
"That's correct," Rodelos confirmed. "But I don't think it's going to be easy."
"Well, we'll see as we go," the professor said resolutely, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the group. "For now, let's focus on supporting Paltio."
Everyone nodded, though some couldn't hide their anxiety. The resurgence of Urugas was an unknown threat, but the mere fact that Tejod had a dark superior made matters even more complicated. No one knew who Urugas was, but the weight of his name seemed to echo in every heart like an impending shadow.
Back in the present moment, during the encounter between Ban's team and Alita's group, Paris quickly explained the situation. "That's pretty much it: we need to take down the bad guys."
"Right, then there's no time to waste," Ron responded, gripping his weapon with determination.
But before they could advance, Karpi raised his binoculars and pointed toward the horizon. "What is that?" he asked, his voice trembling. A massive stone was rising from the center of the sea, and a platform began to form slowly over the dark waters.
Suddenly, the sea started to churn violently, rising with supernatural force until it reached the moon. The moon was engulfed in thick darkness, resembling a lunar eclipse, but something different happened: a purple halo emerged, expanding from the center of the moon to form a dimensional portal. From that portal, sinister eyes peered out, observing the world with an intensity that froze the blood.
Fear coursed through everyone present, even Dall, who, paralyzed by terror, nearly wet his pants. It was clear this was no ordinary manifestation; something ancient and terrible was awakening.
"There's no time for fear. Now's the time to attack!" Alita shouted, launching a bright spark into the sky. Only Paltio, distracted as he watched his scepter lose power, noticed it.
"It's the signal," Paltio thought, realizing it was time to act.
The allied armies began clashing with the Shadow troops. The battle was about to begin, and the air vibrated with tension.
Meanwhile, Tejod lamented silently. His master, Urugas, couldn't fully emerge from that place due to the limitations of the Marine Dawn, whose effects were already beginning to fade. Determined to complete his mission, Tejod took out his amulet, intending to turn Paltio into red jade as punishment for speaking "nonsense." However, he didn't notice that Pax had snatched the artifact away.
In that instant, someone else burst onto the scene. Pax removed her armor, revealing Lukeandria beneath it.
"You… You should be dead!" Tejod exclaimed, incredulous at the sight of the young woman.
With no more tricks up his sleeve, Paltio decided to attack Tejod alongside Lukeandria. But the Supreme Shadow Councilor was swift and lethal: Lukeandria took a direct hit, leaving her gravely wounded.
Meanwhile, Urugas sent a mental message to Tejod—a clear, cold command: "There is still a light of Avocios that must be extinguished immediately for my return. The boy must die."
Upon hearing this, Tejod let out a cruel laugh and pulled two jade figurines from his cloak: Paltio's parents, petrified and trapped in that form. Staring hard at Paltio, he offered a cruel ultimatum: "You have two choices: save your parents or save Lukeandria."
Paltio froze, unable to decide. On one side were his parents, who had raised and loved him all his life. On the other was Lukeandria, a friend he had met during his journey and who had become a cornerstone of his fight. Both were important, but he could only save one.
The weight of the decision crushed him. Every breath was a reminder that time was running out against him.
"Well, I'll give you another option," Lukeandria said in a firm voice that surprised everyone as she suddenly appeared. But it wasn't just one Lukeandria—two identical clones emerged on either side of Tejod, each carefully lifting the jade statues representing Paltio's parents.
Tejod, for his part, was stunned to lose the element of surprise yet again. The Lukeandria duplicates quickly ran toward different points on the battlefield, ensuring Paltio's parents were safe. One of the figures reached Alita's team, who confirmed that these statues were indeed the parents they had been searching for so desperately.
"So that bastard Tejod had them with him all this time," Alita muttered, clenching her fists in contained rage.
The sky began to crack slowly, revealing once again the golden light of dawn that was breaking through. The radiant rays of sunrise attempted to pierce the darkness Urugas had imposed upon the world.
Determined and filled with resolve, Paltio prepared to face Tejod. However, the badger unleashed a cruel and confident laugh. Before Paltio could take a step toward him, a web of lightning enveloped him like a glowing spider's web woven by invisible hands.
"What the hell…?" Paltio murmured, struggling futilely to free himself.
It was clear now why Tejod and his allies had seemed so calm: while receiving mental orders from Urugas, they had been weaving this deadly trap without Paltio noticing.
"You know why my master can't come out, don't you? It's because of you, foolish brat. You're the only obstacle to his return. I don't know how, but you are… or rather, you were," Tejod said with a malicious smile. "You were everyone's last hope."
With a swift motion, Tejod conjured an enormous dark energy sword and, without hesitation, stabbed Paltio directly in the heart. The young man's body fell lifelessly to the ground, while silence spread across the battlefield.
All his friends turned in horror at the sight. The air seemed frozen, heavy with disbelief and sorrow.
"Ha, ha!" echoed the deep, sinister voice of Urugas from the dimensional portal. "At last, my era begins… The era of Urugas!"
As he lay on the ground, Paltio's eyes began to close slowly. With his final breath, he murmured barely audible words, as if recalling something important:
"There I was, surrounded by countless enemies alongside my friends, facing overwhelming hordes…"