The battlefield was chaos.

  Drones filled the sky and ground like a swarm of metal locusts, their energy blasts painting the jungle with streaks of light. SOF carved through them, a relentless tide of destruction meeting an unbreakable wall of defense.

  Senshi twisted mid-air, his fist colliding with a large drone’s hull—BOOM!—its metal body caved inward, crumpling like paper before exploding in a burst of fire. He landed hard, rolling into a crouch, flames flickering along his arms.

  “Samui!” he barked. “Where’s my opening?!”

  “Almost there!” Samui’s fingers blurred over her interface, hacking through waves of encrypted defenses. The drone network was vast, interlinked like a single living creature. If she could breach it…

  Energy rounds sizzled past her head. She ducked, shifting position behind a fallen drone carcass. “Their firewall is adapting—I need thirty more seconds!”

  “Make it ten!” Senshi yelled, launching into another charge.

  Across the battlefield, Khem moved like a phantom, touching drones mid-motion—freezing them instantly before stepping past them like they were nothing more than statues. Weird stood firm, taking each attack head-on, his Reflex ability absorbing and rebounding the impact at double force, turning the drones’ own firepower into their downfall. Shining, moving with precision, weaved through the battlefield, his radiant energy beams slicing through the swarm, cutting down drones with calculated efficiency.

  A new wave of drones descended from above, this time larger—heavily armored units, their plating thick enough to withstand SOF’s initial strikes. Their rotating energy cores hummed with destructive force.

  Senshi grinned. “Bigger targets. I like it.”

  He rushed forward, dodging a barrage of plasma fire, and vaulted over a fallen tree. Flames erupted from his feet—"RYU!" he roared,, propelling him forward at blinding speed. "RYU!" he bellowed as he slammed his fist into one of the behemoth drones—CRACK!** The armor shattered on impact, but the machine barely flinched, retaliating with a shockwave blast that sent him tumbling back.

  Senshi coughed, rolling to his feet. “Alright. You don’t break easy.” He smirked, raising his fists. “Let’s fix that.”

  Samui’s screen flickered with rapid lines of code as she forcefully injected a virus into the drone network. One… two… three…

  Then, a breakthrough.

  The smaller drones twitched. Some hesitated mid-flight. Others outright fell from the sky, crashing into the dirt.

  Samui’s eyes flashed. “Got it.” Samui's lips curled into a confident smile as the virus spread deeper into the drone network. More drones flickered and shut down, some spiraling out of control before crashing violently into the jungle floor. "Keep going! We’ve got them on the ropes!" she shouted through the comms, her fingers still flying over the interface, determined to hack into the remaining systems.

  Senshi wasted no time. Flames erupted from his feet—"RYU!"—as he launched himself into the air, closing the distance between him and the remaining larger drones. He landed with a seismic force, immediately engaging them with rapid, devastating strikes. Each punch sent shockwaves through the jungle, metal crunching and breaking apart under his relentless assault.

  A drone swung a massive arm at him, but Senshi met it head-on, blocking with an intense burst of heat. "RYU!" He grabbed the appendage, his muscles tensing, and with a mighty roar, he tore it clean off before driving a flaming knee into its core, reducing it to molten scrap.

  More drones closed in, adjusting their combat algorithms to counter him, but Senshi didn't let up. He dashed through them, a blur of fire and fury, ripping through metal like paper. Each strike left scorched wreckage in his wake, turning the battlefield into a graveyard of burning steel.

  Amid the destruction, some of the SOF operatives exchanged glances. Khem’s eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed the fight. "This is too easy," he muttered under his breath. Weird, deflecting another barrage of fire, let out a sharp exhale. "Yeah, it’s a grind, but something feels... off. Feels like we’re fighting the warm-up act." Shining, keeping his focus on cutting down the next wave of drones, gave a quick nod. "If this is Wise’s defense, I expected worse."

  Without warning, something slammed into Senshi, sending him crashing into the ground with an earth-shattering impact. The ground shook violently, tremors rippling outward like a localized earthquake. Dust and debris exploded into the air, obscuring visibility for a moment.

  The entire battlefield froze. SOF snapped their heads toward the impact crater, eyes wide in shock.

  "What the hell was that?" Weird muttered, his stance shifting slightly.

  Khem’s gaze darkened. "Something big."

  The dust began to settle. A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.

  Then, from the crater, a figure emerged.

  Senshi coughed, staggering but still standing. He scoffed, but in the back of his mind, he remembered his last defeat at her hands. His fists clenched tighter, and his stance shifted, more grounded, more determined. His flames flickered erratically, his breath heavy—but he refused to fall.

  A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the clearing.

  "Well now… isn’t this nostalgic?" A smooth, almost amused voice rang out.

  Through the dust, Four stepped forward, her orange sports bra visible beneath the shifting light, muscles taut and ready. Four advanced with measured steps, her four hands flexing within advanced gauntlets, each brimming with latent power. She carried herself with the ease of someone who had already won, confidence radiating from every step. Her sharp gaze locked onto Senshi, lips curling into a familiar smirk, a glint of anticipation in her eyes.

  "How long has it been, Senshi? Feels just like not too long ago right?" she said, rolling her shoulders, her gauntlets humming to life. Senshi exhaled sharply, then raised his fists, stepping into a combat stance. "Rematch. Now." Four's smirk widened as she mirrored his movement. "That's the spirit."

  Weird sighed. "Out of all the people that could show up, it had to be her."

  Samui groaned. "Just when I was making progress hacking these drones…"

  Shining let out a dry chuckle. "Four showing up is never a good thing. This just got a whole lot worse."

  Khem remained silent, his gaze locked on Four, reading her every move.

  Before Four could make another remark, Senshi rushed forward, his flames roaring to life. "RYU!" he bellowed, closing the distance in an instant. His fist, engulfed in searing fire, aimed straight for her.

  Four barely had time to react before the impact landed—BOOM! The force sent a shockwave ripping through the battlefield, cracking the ground beneath them.

  But as the dust settled, Four was still standing. She had blocked the punch with two of her gauntlet-clad hands, her smirk unfazed.

  "Coming in strong, huh?" she mused, her other two hands snapping forward, aiming to counterattack with a crushing blow of her own.

  Senshi gritted his teeth as he found himself immediately on the defensive. Four’s attacks came from every angle, her additional limbs giving her an overwhelming advantage. He managed to evade the first few blows, but a crushing left hook clipped his ribs, sending pain rippling through his body. Flames erupted around him—"RYU!"—as he surged forward again, keeping up relentless pressure. His fists struck with explosive force, heat rippling off him in waves as he forced Four to stay on the defensive.

  Each impact sent tremors through the battlefield, the ground cracking beneath their feet. Four pressed her advantage, sensing an opportunity. She twisted mid-air, using one hand to grab Senshi’s wrist and another to hammer a reinforced strike into his stomach, launching him backward. The sheer force of their exchange caused trees to snap and nearby drones to lose balance. Senshi recovered mid-air, twisting his body to land on his feet, but Four was already on him. She dashed forward, closing the gap in an instant, throwing a devastating flurry of punches from all four arms. Senshi dodged two of her strikes but took a solid hit to his shoulder, sending him skidding backward. He growled, flames igniting brighter as he retaliated with a sweeping kick engulfed in fire. Four leaped over it, flipping mid-air and bringing all four fists down at once. Senshi barely crossed his arms in time, absorbing the impact but feeling the immense pressure drive him into the fractured ground.

  SOF operatives scrambled for stable ground as chunks of earth broke away, creating dangerous gaps in the terrain.

  Weird barely avoided falling into a sudden crevice. "Okay, this is getting out of hand!"

  Samui quickly analyzed the shifting terrain, adjusting her strategy. "Their fight is destabilizing the area—if this keeps up, we might have a full-on collapse!"

  Shining dodged falling debris, keeping his eyes on Senshi. "He’s going all in. But can he break her this time?"

  Khem observed quietly, considering everything. His gaze remained locked on Senshi and Four, his mind processing the battle with careful precision. After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. "We have to trust him."

  At his words, the rest of SOF snapped into action. With Senshi locked in his all-out battle with Four, they turned their attention to the remaining drones.

  Weird threw himself into the fray, absorbing incoming fire and sending it back in devastating counterattacks. "Alright, let's clean up while Senshi plays with his old friend."

  Samui redoubled her hacking efforts, pushing deeper into the drone network. "Almost there—just hold them off a little longer!"

  Suddenly, her screen flickered with warning signals. The drones were adapting—rewriting their own code, sealing vulnerabilities, and re-establishing their network link. Samui’s confidence wavered as she saw the system self-repairing faster than expected.

  "No way… They're countering me!" she hissed, fingers flying over her interface, desperately trying to outpace the AI’s defensive measures.

  Weird, blasting a drone aside, turned his head. "You saying they're hacking you back?!"

  "Not exactly, but their system is rebuilding itself! I need a new approach—fast!" Samui snapped, shifting her tactics, trying to push a new virus before the drones could fully restore their link.

  Shining blasted another wave of drones but frowned. "We don't have time for a tech war, Samui. Either break them now or tell us what to smash!"

  Khem, still observing, nodded. "Find the main relay. Disable it, and their adaptation will slow down."

  Shining took up a defensive position, blasting approaching drones from the air. "No pressure, right?" He pivoted to dodge a retaliatory blast, his laser slicing through another drone before he landed into a crouch. "But seriously, let’s wrap this up before these drones adapt."

  Meanwhile, Senshi and Four’s battle only intensified. Senshi launched himself off the crumbling ground, fire trailing his limbs as he closed the distance. "RYU!" His fist shot forward, but Four met him mid-air, catching his strike with two of her hands while her other two swung downward.

  Senshi barely twisted in time, the force of her blows grazing his ribs instead of crushing them outright. He retaliated instantly, twisting mid-air to slam a blazing kick into her side. Four absorbed the hit with her gauntlets, the impact pushing her back, but she recovered instantly.

  "You’re still all brute force!" she taunted, pivoting gracefully before delivering a spinning backfist that Senshi barely ducked under.

  Senshi smirked. "And you’re still all talk."

  He launched a fiery uppercut, but Four dodged, shifting her weight before planting both feet into his chest with a double kick, sending him hurtling back. Senshi flipped mid-air, landing on his feet, flames coiling around him like a dragon ready to strike. The ground beneath him cracked from the sheer pressure of his stance. "Alright, let’s see if you can keep up this time!"

  Four’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she flexed all four gauntlet-clad hands, her stance unwavering. "Oh, I intend to."

  With a sudden surge of energy, Four multiplied her power and attack speed, her movements blurring as she quadrupled the number of strikes. Senshi barely managed to block, his arms burning from the sheer force of her relentless assault. Each punch, each strike came from an unpredictable angle, overwhelming him with sheer numbers.

  Sensing the tide shifting, Senshi gritted his teeth and leaped backward, pulling a small scroll from his waist. The parchment was old, its surface charred at the edges, but the coal drawing of a dragon upon it pulsed with energy.

  "RYU!" he roared.

  A medium explosion of flame erupted outward, forcing Four to instinctively shield herself. Smoke and embers filled the air as the fire momentarily cloaked Senshi’s form.

  When the smoke cleared, a human-sized, serpent-like fire dragon coiled protectively around Senshi, its blazing eyes locked onto Four.

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  Four lowered her arms, eyeing the creature with an amused smirk. "Flashy."

  Senshi exhaled, his stance tightening as he met her gaze. "Let's continue."

  Meanwhile, across the battlefield, SOF continued their fight against the relentless swarm of drones. Samui's fingers moved quickly over her interface, eyes scanning the data as red warning signals began flashing across her screen.

  "Wait—something’s wrong!" she called out. "The drones are adapting! My hacks aren’t holding as long, and some of them are self-repairing!"

  Weird, in the middle of smashing a drone into another, gritted his teeth. "Great. A learning machine army."

  Shining shot down an incoming unit, barely missing a second blast aimed at his head. "Tell me you’ve got a workaround, Samui!"

  "I’m trying!" she snapped, fingers racing across her device. "If they fully restore their network, we’ll lose every advantage we have! We need to hit them harder—find their relay points before they sync up completely!"

  Khem, still observing, finally spoke. "Then we move now. Find the core units before it’s too late."

  Samui nodded sharply and refocused on her interface, rapidly scanning the drone network for any signs of a central control hub. Her fingers moved with precision as she initiated a deep scan, searching for the core relay that was keeping the drone army linked.

  "Give me a moment—I'm tracking the brain of this swarm," Samui announced.

  Weird stepped in front of her, taking a solid stance. "Then we'll cover you. Just do your thing."

  Shining fired precise energy beams, cutting through drones that tried to get too close. "We’re keeping the path clear, but make it quick!"

  Khem remained calm, his sharp eyes scanning for any potential threats beyond the drones. "Stay focused. The faster we find it, the faster we end this."

  Samui’s screen flashed as she noticed something strange—all the drone signals were converging toward a single point. Yet, when she looked up, there was nothing there. Her brow furrowed as she double-checked her readings. "Wait… that’s not right. There’s nothing at that location. Unless…"

  Her eyes widened. "Shining! Fire a strong beam in that direction! Now!"

  Without hesitation, Shining spun, energy surging around his hands before he unleashed a concentrated laser blast toward the seemingly empty space. The beam ripped through an invisible barrier, bending light as it collided with something hidden.

  BOOM! An explosion erupted mid-air, and out of nowhere, a wreckage appeared, tumbling to the ground in flames. The team watched as the cloaking field shattered, revealing a medium-sized drone—larger than the rest, clearly acting as the brain of the swarm, and it had been moving all along.

  As the wreckage smoldered, the remaining drones suddenly began acting erratic, their coordinated movements dissolving into random, chaotic patterns. Some spiraled aimlessly, others hovered uncertainly, while a few simply crashed to the ground like ants without their queen.

  Weird stared at it in disbelief. "Oh, come on! An invisible drone brain? That’s so unfair!"

  Samui exhaled, shaking her head. "No wonder my hacks weren’t fully working. It was dynamically rerouting control while hidden. This is next-level adaptation."

  Shining scoffed. "If we hadn’t found it, this fight would’ve dragged on forever. Wise really doesn’t play fair."

  Khem’s gaze remained firm. Now that he understood the full strategy, he gave the order without hesitation. "No more delays. Push forward. Take out the remaining drones and clear the path."

  Meanwhile, Four glanced back, noticing the shift in the battlefield. The wreckage of the drone brain signaled that SOF had figured out its control system. She let out a small chuckle. "Not bad. Your team isn't as slow as I thought."

  Senshi rolled his shoulders, acknowledging her comment with a smirk. "They’re the best."

  Four’s expression sharpened. "Then I suppose it’s time to go all out."

  She straightened, her gauntlets glowing with renewed energy as she reintroduced herself. "My name is Four. The title—Times."

  Her body began to blur, distortions rippling through the air around her. "Four times the power, four times the speed. Four times the punches."

  Senshi's eyes widened in shock as suddenly, there were four of her standing before him. Each identical, each moving in perfect sync.

  All of them spoke at once, their voices layered together. "Four times the fun."

  Each of the Four clones moved into position, surrounding Senshi from all sides. With perfect synchronization, they unleashed a barrage of strikes—each attack coming from a different direction, overwhelming him and his fire dragon instantly.

  Senshi gritted his teeth, barely managing to block and dodge as best he could, but even with his enhanced reflexes, he was struggling to keep up. His fire dragon coiled around him, attempting to shield him, but the relentless assault left him no time to counter.

  Realizing he needed a different approach, Senshi took a deep breath and slammed his fist into the ground—"RYU!"—sending out a massive shockwave of fire and force. The explosion disrupted the Four clones' assault, forcing them to momentarily retreat.

  Flames danced around him as Senshi continued unleashing consecutive shockwaves, keeping the clones at bay while regaining his footing. He exhaled sharply, eyes scanning the battlefield. "Let's see how well you handle this!"

  Four let out a maniacal laugh, the sheer excitement in her voice echoing through the battlefield. She barely held back her glee, her eyes gleaming with exhilaration. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time!" she declared, rolling her shoulders as her clones realigned around Senshi. "I'm really glad I took this job!"

  All of the Fours rushed toward Senshi simultaneously, charging straight through the flaming shockwave without any regard for the burns searing their skin. Their relentless advance sent embers swirling in every direction as they closed in on him from all sides.

  The battle reignited with frenzied intensity, but this time, Senshi held his ground. His shockwave attacks, powered by the fiery serpent coiling around him, provided just enough crowd control to keep the clones at bay, forcing them to reset their movements each time they tried to press an attack. The overwhelming force that had previously crushed him was now being disrupted, preventing them from fully acting in unison.

  Each Four launched rapid strikes, but Senshi countered each assault, using the moments between their resets to strike back. The battlefield became a violent exchange of fire and motion, neither side gaining a clear advantage—but for the first time, Senshi was no longer on the losing end.

  Meanwhile, across the battlefield, several brain units had been taken down. The drones' coordinated efforts were faltering. Samui's eyes scanned the battlefield before pointing at a dense cluster of drones. "There!"

  Shining reacted instantly, gathering energy before firing a highly concentrated beam straight through the swarm. The beam pierced through the drones, igniting an explosion mid-air. As the smoke cleared, another wreckage appeared out of thin air—another brain unit had been destroyed.

  Shining smirked. "One more down!"

  Weird wiped some sweat from his brow, glancing at the wreckage. "Okay, but is it just me, or do these things have way too many brain units?"

  Khem, still observing the fight with his sharp eyes, gave a curt nod. "They're running out of control. The number of drones still acting coherently is dropping. We’re close."

  Samui narrowed her eyes at her screen, noticing an odd shift in drone behavior. "Wait... they’re not just attacking us anymore. They’re swarming random spots, like they’re trying to defend something—but they’re also trying not to make it obvious."

  Almost as if they had heard her observation, the drones suddenly opened fire, beams of energy streaking from their positions toward the SOF team.

  Weird and Khem reacted instantly, rushing forward to shield Samui, intercepting the incoming blasts. Weird absorbed and reflected several shots, while Khem froze himself in place, taking the full brunt of the beams without flinching, his body locked in a moment of absolute stillness. The energy blasts crashed against him, their force dispersing uselessly as he remained an unmovable pillar on the battlefield.

  Shining, still keeping an eye on the battlefield, turned to Samui. "Where’s the next brain? We need to take it out—fast!"

  Samui's fingers flew over her interface, frustration growing on her face. "The drones are swarming too aggressively! They're interfering with the brain unit's signal, making it harder to track. I need more time!"

  Her mind raced as she quickly altered her approach. "If I can’t track the real signal, I’ll flood the battlefield with false ones. Let’s see how they like a taste of their own interference."

  Her fingers moved in a blur, rapidly inputting new code. Within moments, disruptor signals pulsed outward, mimicking the brain unit’s signature at multiple random locations across the battlefield.

  The effect was immediate. The drones hesitated, their coordinated patterns breaking as they shifted erratically, confused by the conflicting data.

  Shining noticed the reaction first. "Nice! They don’t know what to protect anymore!"

  Weird grinned. "Now that’s what I call hacking with style."

  Samui exhaled sharply, refocusing on her screen. "They’ll compensate soon, but this gives us a window. Find the one cluster that doesn’t react—that’s the real brain unit."

  Without skipping a beat, Shining locked onto the suspected location and fired a highly concentrated beam straight through the cluster of drones. The energy surged forward, slicing through multiple machines before detonating upon impact. A fiery explosion erupted mid-air, and as the flames dissipated, another wreckage appeared out of thin air—another brain unit had been eliminated.

  Shining smirked. "One more down!"

  Samui clenched her fists in determination. "Keep going! We’re almost there!"

  Meanwhile, back in Senshi’s battle, Four's smirk widened as she adjusted her stance. Instead of attacking in perfect unison, her clones suddenly began staggering their strikes, throwing Senshi off balance.

  One Four would lunge in first, drawing his defense, only for another to strike from behind a split second later. The once predictable rhythm had shattered, and Senshi found himself struggling to counter them effectively.

  "You caught on quick before," Four said, her voice layered from multiple bodies. "Let’s see how well you handle this!"

  Senshi was immediately overwhelmed, each staggered attack landing faster than he could react. For a few seconds, he found himself completely on the defensive, struggling to keep up with the unrelenting assault.

  Then, he took a deep breath and called out, "RYU!"

  But this time, there was no shockwave punch. Instead, the fire dragon coiling around him suddenly moved on its own.

  Whenever one of the Fours staggered their attack, the dragon lashed out at that precise moment, striking with pinpoint accuracy. Senshi mirrored the strategy, attacking a different Four at the same instant, perfectly counterbalancing their staggered assault.

  Four's clones recoiled, momentarily disrupted by the unexpected counterattack. Senshi smirked, regaining his stance. "Looks like you’re not the only one who can adapt!"

  Four let out a sharp laugh, her excitement growing. "Keep 'em coming!" she challenged, rolling her shoulders as she prepared for the next exchange.

  For half a minute, they exchanged a relentless series of attacks, neither side gaining the upper hand. But then, something changed. Four’s movements began to stagger—for real this time. Her once unwavering smirk faltered just slightly, and her breathing grew heavier.

  She exhaled sharply, her expression hardening. "I hate doing this, but..."

  One of the Four clones suddenly lunged forward, grabbing and locking Senshi in place, her grip like unbreakable steel. Before he could react, another Four reeled back, pouring all her might into a devastating punch, aimed straight at the fire dragon coiling around him.

  The dragon didn’t dodge in time. Four's punch connected, shattering the fiery serpent into embers, its form dissolving in the air. Senshi’s eyes widened as the heat around him suddenly faded.

  With his greatest asset gone, he barely had a moment to react before the remaining three Fours rushed in, landing a brutal barrage of punches onto him. Each strike hit like a hammer, knocking him back with incredible force.

  For a second, Senshi thought he was going to lose. The relentless assault had left him breathless, his vision blurring as pain shot through his body. His mind wavered, the weight of the battle pressing down on him.

  From the sidelines, SOF watched the fight with growing concern. "Senshi!" Shining called out, his voice cutting through the chaos.

  Samui clenched her fists. "We have to help him!" She started to move, but before she could act, a swarm of drones suddenly descended upon her, cutting off her path.

  "Damn it!" she cursed, quickly shifting back to defend herself. "They’re not letting me through!"

  Senshi, seeing SOF worried about him, clenched his fists. Guilt momentarily flickered in his eyes as he realized he had distracted them from their own fight. He let out a sharp breath, his stance wavering for a moment.

  "Sorry for making you worry," he muttered under his breath. Then, his body ignited, flames roaring outward in a sudden, violent eruption.

  BOOM!

  A massive explosion of fire blasted from Senshi, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. The sheer force of the blast forced the attacking Fours to instinctively retreat, shielding themselves from the heat. The flames swirled around him, reigniting the battlefield with renewed intensity.

  Each of the Fours stumbled backward, even the one that had locked Senshi in place—she got the worst of it, her body scorched and burnt badly.

  "Ryu." Senshi spoke, but this time, it was calm—not the usual battle cry, but a declaration.

  The fire around him shifted. His hair, wild and burning, took the shape of a dragon's mane, flames no longer merely coiling around him but becoming him. Senshi had transformed—he was the dragon now.

  Four’s eyes widened slightly, her smirk fading just a little. "Hey now. Where did this come from?" she muttered, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

  Senshi exhaled, his glowing eyes locked onto Four. "My power needs a dragon vessel to summon. But if one cannot use a dragon vessel… one must become the dragon vessel itself."

  He raised his fist and punched the air—BOOM!

  A massive flaming dragon erupted from the force, its fiery jaws snapping as it roared toward Four, engulfing one of her clones completely. The flames consumed her before she could react, disintegrating her instantly.

  Two down. Two to go.

  Samui watched Senshi take down another two Fours and couldn't help but smile. "We must do our best too." she said, determination in her voice.

  Shining, still blasting drones from the sky, glanced at Senshi's transformation. "I've never seen him do that before." he muttered in awe.

  Weird whistled, arms crossed. "Now that's cool."

  Khem, standing a few steps behind, remained silent. His sharp eyes watched Senshi closely, observing every shift in his stance, every flicker of the flames surrounding him. There was no surprise in Khem's expression, only keen analysis, as if he were studying a new phenomenon unfolding before him. He had seen Senshi grow stronger before, but this—this was something else entirely.

  Without hesitation, Shining shifted his aim and fired two consecutive beams at the suspected brain units. BOOM! BOOM! Two more explosions erupted as the wreckage of the brain units fell from the sky.

  Samui’s screen flashed with new data, and she quickly pointed toward another swarming mass of drones. "That's the last one!"

  Shining didn't hesitate. "Roger!" He aimed and fired one final beam, obliterating the last brain unit.

  Suddenly, the entire drone swarm lost cohesion, their formations crumbling. Some veered off uncontrollably, others hovered in place, their once-coordinated attacks now reduced to aimless drifting. A few even forgot how to fly, crashing into the battlefield in a chaotic rain of debris.

  Shining turned, a confident smirk on his face. He shouted toward Senshi, "Senshi! Let's finish this!"

  Senshi roared with all his being, "RYU!" as he threw a devastating dragon punch. A colossal flaming dragon surged from his fist, its burning form twisting and roaring as it rushed forward, incinerating another Four clone on impact.

  Only one left.

  The last Four didn't hesitate. She charged forward, her fist drawn back, preparing to strike with all her might. But before she could land a blow, her hand met Senshi's blazing aura—and instantly, her flesh burned upon contact.

  She flinched, her body reacting instinctively to the searing heat, and for the first time, her confidence wavered.

  Her eyes widened in realization—she had made a critical mistake.

  Senshi didn't let the moment slip. His body surged with power as he let out one final, explosive dragon punch. BOOM!

  The last Four reacted instantly, using all four of her gauntlet-clad arms to shield herself. But the sheer force of Senshi's punch, delivered almost at point-blank range, shattered her gauntlets instantly. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the battlefield, and before she could react, the flames consumed her completely.

  Four’s body was blasted backward, hitting the ground hard, her body smoldering from the sheer intensity of the attack. She tried to move but found herself completely unable.

  SOF then walked toward Four’s burnt body, surrounding her. Four slowly opened her eyes and looked around. What was once a thick jungle was now a wide plain filled with scorched earth, burnt plants, and the wreckage of countless drones.

  She let out a laugh, her voice raspy but amused. "I lose, didn't I?"

  Weird smirked. "Yeah, badly."

  Senshi shot him a look. "Show some respect. She fought like a true warrior."

  He exhaled, stepping closer to Four. "That was a good fight. You helped me evolve further."

  Four let out a weak chuckle. "Same."

  Samui stepped forward, her tone shifting to business. "Now tell us about Wise's machine. We know it's connected to the meteorite stones. What’s he planning?"

  Four raised a brow, then sighed. "Dunno. I'm just here for a fight. Didn't even know there was a stone-gathering job."

  Shining crossed his arms, eyeing her with suspicion. "Should we believe this one too?"

  Samui shrugged. "No choice. We have to move forward."

  Four let out another small chuckle before closing her eyes. "If you all have no business with me left... I'll be lying down for a while."

  As SOF turned to move forward, Four let out another laugh, her voice echoing in the now-silent battlefield.

  The team moved ahead, stepping over fallen drones and scorched ground, their mission still unfinished. The jungle that once stood dense and untamed was now nothing more than smoldering wreckage, a testament to the battle they had just fought.

  Senshi took a deep breath, his flames dimming slightly as he walked alongside the others. The battle had pushed him further than ever before, but there was still more ahead.

  Samui glanced at her scanner, eyes narrowing. "The energy signature of Wise's machine is still active. And it's getting stronger. We have to hurry."

  Khem, still quiet, kept his gaze forward. "Then let’s not waste any time."

  With the battlefield behind them and their next challenge ahead, SOF pressed forward into the unknown, ready for whatever came next.