Gabrielle looked around and the fallen mafia members, letting out a sigh as she crossed her arms.

  "Eh...that barely warmed me up."

  "Hey Gabby!" Cassie called out.

  Gabrielle looked over to the hill that the other Cabal members stood on, replying, "Yeah?"

  With a smirk, Cassie pointed in the opposite direction. "The good ole boys are here."

  Gabrielle peeked over her shoulder, and off in the distance, she could see four figures approaching her. She turned her front towards the newcomers, shaking her head.

  "...MORE motherfuckers? Do these guys ever learn?" she groaned, watching as the figures became more apparent. Slowly making their way to her were Jax, Iritscen, Liana, and Hikaru, the IOTA members sizing up their opponent.

  As they approached Gabrielle, they took in her appearance and demeanor. Jax was the most visibly eager, eyeing her with a smirk, while Iritscen fidgeted slightly, feeling somewhat intimidated by her aura. Liana's expression was as confident as his, while Hikaru merely observed, their gaze unreadable.

  "No...these guys are different," Gabrielle said under her breath, her expression unchanging.

  Far off in the distance, nestled between two hills, Elara kept her eyes on the prize, observing Gabrielle through a blown-up projection of the far-away scene, allowing her to see the conflict from up close alongside Alice and the others. Ciel, who joined the group, assessed Gabrielle's aura, and went wide-eyed at what she was seeing.

  "Well...she's...quite the powerful Void Mage. Her aura reserves are incredible. And you're sure the IOTAs can handle her?" she asked Venera, who shrugged.

  "You'd be surprised at what they can do. Give them a chance to show what they're made of."

  Elara, sensing another concentration of powerful auras, turned to where the Cabal members were situated, her brows raised in alarm. “Wait,” she warned, pointing to the Cabal's location, “There's more people with her. Their auras are also incredibly powerful.”

  Everyone looked in the direction Elara pointed in, seeing the Cabal from afar.

  “I know how to take care of them,” Charlotte assured.

  Jax was the first to break the silence, approaching Gabrielle with his hands in his pockets, speaking in a casual yet challenging tone. "Oi. You must be the lass we were sent to deal with, eh?”

  Gabrielle quirked an eyebrow at Jax's words, eyeing him up and down with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. "And you lot must be the fools who've been sent to kick my ass," she retorted with a hint of mockery in her tone. "Four of you, huh? That's it?”

  Jax chuckled at Gabrielle's words, unfazed by her mockery. "Our numbers are irrelevant, mate. We're not your typical motley crew of clowns. We're trained and experienced, and we know what we're doin’, yeah?"

  Liana, standing behind him, added her own two cents, her voice filled with confidence. "That's right! We're not here to play games. You may be powerful, but so are we. We've faced tough opponents before, and we've come out on top, nya~"

  Gabrielle couldn't help but let out a scoff at the group's arrogance. "Hmph. You sound confident, I'll give you that much. But let's see if you can actually back it up…nya," she mocked, emphasizing the ‘nya’ while glaring at Liana, which earned her a giggle from the feline android ship-girl.

  She then pointed at Jax, cocking a brow at him. "And you, you a hacker or somethin'?" she quipped, noting his Anonymous mask.

  Jax smirked behind his mask in response to Gabrielle's question, his tone still nonchalant. "Hey. Asking questions is MY job. But eh, yeah, you could say that. I'm one of the brains of the group. I hack into systems, gather information, and provide backup support. But don't think that means I can't hold my own in a fight."

  Iritscen, who had been keeping a low profile until now, took a small step forward. "We each indeed have our own set of skills and abilities," he chimed in, his voice betraying a hint of nerves. "We make a formidable team when we work together.”

  Gabrielle's gaze shifted to Iritscen, her gaze scrutinizing. "Hmph. A team, huh? A bunch of misfit oddballs working together. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me."

  Jax, unfazed by her words, chuckled once more. "Disaster for YOU, that is. You underestimate the power of teamwork, buddy. We know how to cover each other's backs and fight in sync. We're a well-oiled machine."

  The Cabal members watched the IOTAs closely, with Brittany jumping up for battle. "Dibs on the masked dude," she announced, preparing to jump off the hill before Danemon pulled her back by her leg.

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  "Dibs on no one. You aren't going anywhere." he ordered, his voice and grip equally firm.

  Malika laughed. "I know that's right, Dan. I'm preeeetty sure Gab's got this, that absolute walking tank of a woman," she added, taking a seat next to Vilho. "Say, V, how about a game of mahjong? It looked pretty fun."

  "Sure, but I hope you listened to the rules when I explained them to Danemon. I'm not very fond of repeating myself."

  Gabrielle scoffed at her opponents, taking a step forward. "So, out with it. Do you guys truly have business with me? Or do you just have a twisted death wish?"

  The IOTAs exchanged glances, their confidence undiminished by Gabrielle's challenge. Jax, being the face of the group, spoke up once more, his tone still calm and composed. "Oh, trust me, we've sure got business with ya, alright. Not only were you one of the thieves at the Emerald Oasis' auction, and anyone who interrupts the affairs of the Black Snakes are the REAL ones with a death wish, not us."

  Liana, joining the conversation once again, added, "Not only that, nya, but we have a specific order in mind, and taking you down IS that order."

  Gabrielle's eyes widened slightly at their revelation. "Hold up. You know about the Emerald Oasis, huh?" she said, a mixture of surprise and caution in her tone. "And you're working for the Black Snakes, I presume? So that means you're after..." she trailed off, raising her arms to show off her gauntlets. "...THESE?"

  Her cat ears perking up at the sight, Liana nodded, confirming Gabrielle's suspicions. "You betcha. It's what we're here for. And we won't be leaving without it, nya.”

  Gabrielle let out a low growl, her expression hardening. "You want my gauntlets, do you?" she said through gritted teeth. "You'll have to pry them from my cold, dead hands first."

  Elara observed the close-up projection of the scene, dissatisfied with Gabrielle's answer, but it was an answer she was expecting.

  "Looks like she won't back down," Charlotte said.

  "Then it's time for the plan we discussed," Adeyemi added.

  Jax looked back, giving his team a nod. Charlotte nodded in return, ready to use her temporal Void Magic ability. She raised a hand towards the Cabal members off in the distance and froze them in time, effectively locking them out of the conflict.

  Gabrielle observed this unfold, sensing a shift in the atmosphere. "You've come prepared, I'll give you that much," she acknowledged, still holding her ground. "But you think freezing my allies will give you all the upper hand in this fight?"

  Jax returned Gabrielle's gaze with a smirk of confidence. "It won't hurt, that's for sure. Your mates over there are frozen. But YOU...heh, you're comin' with us."

  After Jax's words, Hikaru, who remained silent all the while, suddenly dashed forward with their arms outstretched. When their hands connected with Gabrielle, the space-time around the group distorted, all five of them being forcefully teleported from the scene.

  Elara gasped as the IOTAs disappeared.

  This is it…I hope they can handle her… She thought.

  …

  Gabrielle's eyes widened as she was teleported with the IOTAs, caught off guard by the unexpected move. "Wha- how the hell did you-?!" she exclaimed, taking a look at the new location she was in: an endless, flat expanse with a black and white checkered floor and a black void as far as the eye can see.

  Liana, standing next to Gabrielle, gave a sly smirk, her tone smug. "We told you we had a plan, didn't we, nya?"

  Gabrielle shot her a glare, her annoyance reaching its peak. "Yeah, and it's an annoying one, that's for damn sure. A time-stopper and a space manipulator. This one'll be a bitch.”

  Jax let out a chuckle at Gabrielle's irritation, enjoying the fact that he had taken her for a ride. "Annoying? Nah, we prefer the term 'strategic,'" he retorted, his smirk growing wider. "And we have an interesting battlefield for this fight as well."

  He gestured to their surroundings, emphasizing the endless checkered terrain and the void surrounding them. "Welcome to the chessboard, courtesy of Hikaru. Quite the fitting arena, I'd say.”

  Gabrielle took in her surroundings, eyeing the chessboard terrain with a mixture of skepticism and annoyance. "Hmph, how typical," she grumbled. "You guys think you're real clever, don't you?"

  Iritscen chimed in with a chuckle, standing tall as he tried to sound cool. "Yup! Now that we gotcha trapped, you're at OUR mercy. You may have us beat in physical might, but we have enough skill to close the gap.”

  Gabrielle couldn't help but scoff at Iritscen's words, unimpressed. "You think you have the upper hand just because you've got fancy powers and some tricks up your sleeves? Well, let me tell you—"

  She tried to take a step forward, but couldn't budge an inch from her spot. "I...why can't I—" She cut herself off with a grunt as she tried lifting her foot off of the checkered floor to no avail.

  "Havin' trouble, mate?" Jax asked with a taunting smirk behind his mask. "It may be because your shadow is being pinned down thanks to yours truly.”

  Gabrielle's confusion turned into a glare as she realized what had happened. She tried to move her shadow again, but found it stuck in place. "Damn it. I can't move for shit, huh..." she muttered through gritted teeth, realizing the disadvantage she was in.

  Liana chuckled, her voice mocking as her cat tail swished behind her with delight. "Looks like you're not so untouchable after all, huh? Sorry to burst your bubble, nya, but you're not going anywhere, sweetheart."

  Liana then teleported away, floating above the endless void below as she continued: "But...we came to make this quick...so I say we get this over with in a flash."

  With her soft smirk turning into a wide grin, Liana conjured her rigging, this time a gigantic cannon, its nozzle cracking with electricity.

  In response, Gabrielle attempted to get out of the line of fire, but her feet remained firmly bound and restricted by her shadow, making it impossible to move. Realization dawned on her that she was well and truly stuck.

  "Ngh..." she grunted, frustration and anger building up within her as she coated her body using Fortify in preparation. As she stood firmly, her glare remained fixed on Liana, and she raised her fists. "Dammit, your little toy ain't gonna leave a scratch on me, you hear me?!”

  Liana, feeling even more cocky after hearing Gabrielle's defiance, let out a mock laugh. "Oh, you're quite confident, aren't you, nya?" she replied, her voice dripping with smugness. "But let's see if your bravado lasts after I blow you into nothingness, sweetheart. This cannon is no toy, I can tell you that. It's gonna pack a punch that'll have you singin' a different tune.”

  Liana's fingers curled in, readying herself to fire the enormous cannon as tensions heightened. Her voice echoed through the endless void, making herself more comfortable in her seat as the cannon continued to charge up, the static around the nozzle growing more intense with each passing second. "Hehe, nya~...now brace yourself, darling…"