Elara looked over in shock, her eyes widening as she saw Hikaru transform into something...inhuman.

  "What...is this...?" she whispered, taking a small step back.

  Gabrielle tried to suppress it, but even she was rattled by the sight. "Is that...even possible?" she managed, trying to keep her voice steady.

  Ciel's eyes were fixed on the scene as he processed Hikaru's new form, his mouth silently forming the words, What...The…HECK.

  Gabrielle let out a strangled gasp. She has faced many enemies before, including demons, but seeing a person morphing into what looks like a demon was certainly new. "...Huh, what's up with this girl...or dude, couldn't tell."

  "They're neither a girl nor a dude," Adeyemi corrected, her eyes never leaving her transformed IOTA companion.

  Gabrielle kept staring at Hikaru's new form, which served as an excellent distraction for the latter, who freed themselves and the other IOTA members of their gear and rope binds using their enhanced space Void Magic skill.

  Sensing the new opportunity, Elara turned her attention to the now-free IOTA members on Malika's magic carpet.

  "Liana!" Elara barked. "Unleash something nasty before that time bubble that When made wears off!"

  Liana didn’t hesitate. With a smirk and a flick of her wrist, one cannon materialized across her forearm—the RKS Liana’s primary siege engine—and charged with a shriek of building energy.

  Jax struggled against Chelsea's gear bindings on his arms and torso but managed to tap his Anonymous mask. “Zofie! My left sleeve—there’s a flash pulse in the inner pocket! Toss it toward Cassie when Charlotte drops the field!”

  Zofie nodded—one paw already frosting over with dark ice magic.

  “Leave it to me,” she purred. “I love crashing parties.”

  The skies were a battleground of chaos and conflict.

  Outside, Cassie's eyes changed to light blue for a brief moment, conjuring warships that surrounded the sky-cart. The demon hurled herself and her war gliders toward the sky-cart with the fury of a vengeful hurricane, her hands ablaze as she prepared to unleash her wrath.

  Inside, the crew scrambled to prepare for the imminent threat.

  Elara, Ciel, and the IOTA members worked together, using the tools at their disposal to activate the air defense systems and stabilize the shaking sky-cart.

  Charlotte's time bubble dissipated—time rushing back in like a flood—and the sky-high battle officially commenced.

  Before the Cabal members could react, Liana unleashed a devastating beam from her forearm cannon, its concentrated energy slicing through the air like a blade. One war-glider exploded mid-flight, sending sparks and wreckage spiraling into the clouds.

  Zofie lunged forward as Jax’s flash pulse soared past her—snatching it midair with an ice-encased paw before chucking it hard toward Cassie’s face.

  The device detonated in a burst of searing light and sonic distortion—blinding Cassie for just half a second, but enough to throw off her aim.

  “Hah! Hope you liked your spotlight!” Zofie sneered, already summoning jagged shards of dark ice around her claws.

  Meanwhile, Hikaru hovered slightly above the cart—floating now thanks to their altered form—their once-silent demeanor gone. A low hum pulsed from them as space itself seemed to bend in response to their will. With just a gesture, they warped reality: flipping two more war-gliders upside down midair and yanking one Cabal member clean off his ride with invisible force.

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  Elara grinned wildly. “Well well…looks like our little mystery box just became the main event.”

  Jax watched the chaos unfold, impressed at the sight of Hikaru's incredible powers. He made a mental note to study their abilities later, as he found them both terrifying and fascinating at the same time, lucky to have them as an ally rather than a foe.

  "Damn, what the hell are these Cabal guys?!" he said under his breath, watching as Danemon summoned a heavy thunderstorm in the sky.

  "I’ve no idea," Charlotte replied, her tone cool and calculated. "But whoever these guys are, they're powerful.”

  "That much is clear," Ciel murmured, her fingers flying across the sky-cart's control panel as she worked to keep the vessel steady. "They're not playing around...we need to be careful."

  Liana nodded in agreement, her gaze darting around the sky as she evaluated their options. "Any chance we can outrun them, nya?" she asked, half-jokingly.

  Ciel shot Liana a deadpan look. “Outrun them? With this rust-bucket sputtering through storm winds like a drunk hummingbird? Yeah, sure. Next you’ll ask if we can politely ask them to leave.”

  A thunderbolt cracked overhead—Danemon’s doing—as if nature itself mocked the idea.

  “Only chance we’ve got,” Ciel snapped, “is to hit hard, hit fast, and punch a hole through their formation before they swarm us like gnats on rotten fruit!”

  Jax suddenly leaned forward, mask flickering with data streams. “Wait—Hikaru! Can you warp space near Cassie’s thrusters? Just enough to destabilize her flight path?”

  Hikaru turned slightly—their glowing eyes narrowing—and gave one slow nod. The air around Cassie began to shimmer like heat haze…then twisted violently sideways.

  WHOOSH—CLANG!

  Cassie spiraled midair with a snarl as her plasma thrusters misfired from the spatial distortion. She caught herself just before face-planting into a war-glider—but now she was off-balance…vulnerable.

  Elara didn’t miss it.

  “Liana! NOW!” she barked.

  Liana grinned—an eerie glint in her silver eyes—as both cannons she conjured on her arms flared to life.

  “This one’s called: 'Don't Call Me Cute’, nya~”

  KABOOOOOM!!!

  A twin-pulse energy blast screamed across the sky—direct hit!

  The shockwave sent three more gliders flipping into chaos while smoke and ionized light filled the air…

  …Leaving only silence for half a heartbeat.

  Cassie erupted from the smoke trail — bruised, furious…but still flying. And behind her? More war-gliders converging…

  Antiquus soaring back in, jaws wide, unleashing an ancient pterodactyl roar that shook the clouds:

  "TIME TO CLAW SOME FACES OFF!"

  Elara cursed under her breath as she watched Cassie shake off the direct hit. "Damn, that girl is tough as nails," she muttered, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the new threats on the horizon.

  Jax had a similar look on his face—a mixture of respect and annoyance at Cassie's resilience. "Well, she is a demon, and definitely not a run-of-the-mill one, that's for sure. We can't underestimate her.”

  Elara nodded, a hint of a challenge in her smile. "Damn right. But we're not out of this yet. We just need to keep hitting them hard. We can't give them a moment to catch their breath, or we're toast."

  Ciel had been monitoring the situation closely, her eyes flickering with intense focus. As Antiquus roared his entrance, her eyes softened a bit with relief.

  "Sheesh, now he's joining the fray too…?" Cassie cursed.

  "That's right," Antiquus replied smugly, "And guess what? Your little friend riding on that silly carpet back there with his other buddies? He's not the only one who can control the weather.”

  Cassie and the other Cabal members exchanged tense glances as they processed Antiquus' words. "What do you mean?" Malika asked, her voice laced with concern. "What are you planning?"

  Antiquus just chuckled, his wings fluttering with an unnerving grace. "Oh, just a little something to even the playing field a bit. Can't have you guys thinking you have the upper hand just yet."

  Charlotte glanced at the sky outside. "A weather event? Great. Just what we need on top of all this mess.”

  Elara clenched her fist, her jaw set and her eyes never leaving Danemon. "Ugh, When is right about one thing—we don't need any more weather issues to make this situation any more difficult than it already is. We gotta think fast, find a way to stop the weather dude or at least keep him occupied until we can deal with the rest."

  Ciel glanced at the sky as well, her mind racing. "I can try to create a barrier to block his weather magic, but I'm not sure how long I can hold it.”

  Jax nodded in agreement, his mind racing with possibilities. "We need a two-pronged approach. Ciel, see what you can do to create that barrier or counter Danemon's Void Magic. The rest of us will take care of the Cabal. Maybe we can even distract Danemon long enough for you to buy some time."

  Elara let out a tense sigh. "Easier said than done. We're outnumbered and outpowered. But we don't have any other options, do we?”

  Ciel gave a steely nod. "I'll do my best. You all just keep those Cabal members off my back and buy me as much time as you can."

  Jax nodded in agreement, his jaw set with determination. "Copy that. We'll keep them occupied, you focus on creating that barrier. Let's give ‘em hell.”