The forest was filled with the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling. The sun beamed through the trees, casting dappled light on the ground below.

  Alice, Leopoldine, Rachel, and Zalgo traversed through the forest, following the trail of destruction left by the Traveler Bros. Leopoldine, strutting confidently, took in the surroundings. "Y'know, this place is actually quite peaceful."

  Rachel huffed, her annoyance still evident. "Yeah, if we ignore the fact that we're in the middle of a freaking forest, trying to find those pricks."

  Leopoldine chuckled at Rachel's reaction, finding her irritation amusing. "Ah, come on, Rach. Can't you just enjoy the scenery?"

  Rachel rolled her eyes, her annoyance growing. "Enjoy the scenery? We're tracking down the Traveler Bros, not on a nature walk, you moron.”

  Leopoldine feigned a mock-wounded look, placing a hand on her chest. "You wound me so."

  Rachel sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, please. You're just being dramatic as always."

  Zalgo spoke up in her usual leveled tone. "We should focus on the task at hand. We can explore the forest after we deal with the Traveler Bros.”

  Leopoldine chuckled, knowing she had egged Rachel on long enough. "Alright, alright. You're right. Let's focus on the task at hand."

  Rachel huffed, still annoyed, but redirected her focus to the mission. "Finally, you're being serious for once.”

  Leopoldine shrugged, a playful smirk on her face. "Hey, I can be serious when I need to be."

  Rachel rolled her eyes, not fully convinced. "Sure, Leo. You have the attention span of a hyperactive puppy.”

  Leopoldine grinned, finding amusement in Rachel's comparison. "Hehe, but puppies are adorable. Admit it, you love me anyway."

  Rachel tried to hide a scowl, not wanting to give Leopoldine the satisfaction. "In your dreams, Leo."

  Then came a low rumbling in the air which caught the girls off guard as they looked up.

  "Uh-oh," Rachel murmured, scanning the skies, "Must be the Traveler Bros.”

  Leopoldine took a serious look, her playfulness temporarily put aside. "Yep, you're right. They're coming."

  Zalgo also grew cautious, her eyes scanning the skies. "Be prepared. It seems they're not holding back this time."

  Alice's eyes widened, her earlier curiosity replaced by alertness. "What should we do?" she asked.

  Leopoldine put a comforting hand on her shoulder, her expression serious. "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll handle it.”

  Rachel nodded, her hands clenched tightly. "Yeah, we won't go down without a fight."

  Leopoldine's eyes narrowed in determination. "Damn right. We'll teach them a lesson they won't forget."

  As the rumbling in the air grew louder, a figure soon became visible in the sky. It was none other than the Traveler Bros, Alfonso and Giovanni, riding on a pair of strange devices that looked like rocket-powered gliders.

  "Great," Rachel groaned, her annoyance shifting to anger. "It's them."

  Leopoldine's eyes narrowed, her expression turning even more serious. "And they brought their toys."

  The Traveler Bros descended, landing a few meters away from the girls. Giovanni, one of the brothers, smirked, his eyes gleaming with arrogance. "Well, well, look who we have here.”

  Alfonso, standing next to Giovanni, added with a mocking smirk. "It's the girls we've been looking for. How convenient."

  Rachel clenched her fists, her irritation at the sight of the Traveler Bros growing stronger. "You two assholes! We've been looking for you!"

  Giovanni chuckled, his voice smug. "Oh, have you now? How cute, so eager to meet your doom.”

  Rachel's face twisted in a mix of anger and defiance. "We're not afraid of you, y’know!"

  Leopoldine, standing her ground, added, "Yeah, so don't get any ideas."

  But the Traveler Bros just chuckled, their arrogance showing. Giovanni spoke up again, a smirk on his face. "Oh, we weren't planning on taking things easy on you. We've got a little surprise up our sleeves.”

  Leopoldine's eyes narrowed, her voice filled with suspicion. "A surprise?"

  Giovanni chuckled, his smirk widening. "Oh, yes. A real doozy. You might say it's a trump card."

  Rachel's face tensed, her anger mounting. "What kind of trump card could you possibly have?”

  Giovanni's smirk turned into a wicked grin. "Oh, something that's been in the works for quite some time. Something that'll ensure we come out on top, no matter what."

  Leopoldine's expression hardened, sensing the increasing danger. "And you're planning to use this surprise on us?"

  Alfonso chimed in, his tone mocking. "Why, of course. What better time to test it out than now?"

  Alfonso pulled out the Onyx Key, which gave them the power boost that the girls—bar Leopoldine—remembered, nearly knocked them right out.

  Rachel growled in anger, recognizing the ominous item in Alfonso's hand. "You have the Onyx Key?!"

  Giovanni sneered, his confidence on full display. "Oh, indeed, we do. And it's about to put you girls in your place."

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  The two brothers then jumped up high in the air, forming a large ball of aura similar in size to the one fired by the Death Cannon.

  Rachel grit her teeth, anger and determination etched across her face. "Damn it, they're at it again. Can't they fight without resorting to such cheap tricks?”

  Leopoldine clenched her fist, her eyes narrowing. "They're relying on that damn Key for power again. Typical."

  Zalgo's expression remained stoic, but her eyes darted back and forth between the two brothers. "They're becoming even more arrogant and reckless with their newfound power."

  Alice watched the brothers closely, her voice barely above a whisper. "What are we gonna do?”

  Leopoldine pondered, her expression serious. "I'm unsure... But even if we manage to take the Key away, I bet they'll just keep finding new ways to get it back."

  Zalgo nodded, her eyes fixated on the brothers. "Their reliance on the Key is becoming a real problem. We have to find a way to break that dependence."

  Rachel crossed her arms, her annoyance evident. "We gotta find a way to counter that stupid Key. They're using it as a crutch, just like last time when they almost knocked out Al, Zal, me and—"

  Rachel paused as she finally realized that one person was missing from the fray: the woman with the shark tail. "Wait— where's Delphina?!”

  Leopoldine's attention shifted to the absence, concern crossing her face. "Delphina? Who's that?"

  Zalgo scanned the area, searching for any trace of Delphina. "A tall woman who has a shark tail. Haven't seen her since the Traveler Bros fled the scene earlier."

  Alice's eyes widened in alarm. "Do you think something might have happened to her?"

  Giovanni, still charging up the aura ball with Alfonso, called back with a grin, "She probably knows she's outmatched and ran off! You should be smart like her and run away too before we crush y'all with this ultimate move!”

  Zalgo shook her head in response to the taunting remark. "She's a strong warrior. I doubt she'd just retreat without a valid reason."

  Alice's worry grew stronger, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "But...what if something happened to her? We can't just assume that she's fine…”

  Leopoldine's eyes hardened as she listened to the Traveler Bros' taunts. "They're just trying to get under our skin... But damn it, where is she?"

  Rachel clenched her fists, frustration etched on her face. "If something happened to her, I'll make those assholes pay..."

  The ball was nearly ready to be thrown, the two brothers beaming with pride as they prepared to lay waste to the forest once again.

  As the tension reached its peak, a familiar voice called out from the distance.

  "Hold it right there!"

  Everyone turned to see Delphina standing nearby, her stance defiant as her shark tail waved around with agitation.

  Alice smiled, glad to see Delphina was safe. "Thank goodness, you're alright!"

  Rachel relaxed slightly, her tension lifting a bit. "Where the hell have ya been?!”

  Delphina, still looking a bit winded, replied, "Sorry, I went after the Onyx Key myself after the Bros fled. Then I got sidetracked by them firing that cannon."

  Giovanni, still clutching the Onyx Key, glanced at Delphina and scoffed, his arrogance apparent. "Well, well, look who finally decided to show up. You're a bit late to the party, aren't you?"

  The attack the brothers were preparing was at its apex, ready to be thrown as Giovanni said: "But hey! You're just in time to be obliterated with the rest now! Enjoy!”

  Not far from the scene, the giant ball of intense aura caught the attention of the Cabal members as they glided over the forest on Malika's magic carpet.

  "Hey, what's that?" Malika called out, pointing at the aura sphere.

  Brittany's gaze immediately flicked to the display, seeing two figures beneath the sphere as she conjured her life-sized scissors: Ciseaux du Diable. "Dunno, Mal. Maybe it's two mafia guys who know Void Magic. Lemme have at it!”

  Malika quickly raised a hand with urgency. "Hold on, Britt! We don't know who those two are, could just be some innocent travelers or something."

  Lotte, however, observed the strange aura with a sharp eye, her keen hearing picking up on something. "Wait, I can hear a conversation between them."

  The rest of the group quickly grew quiet, their attention fixed on Lotte's words.

  Finishing her assessment, Lotte continued, "Their aura levels are intense, but it see—"

  Brittany cut her off, charging up her own aura as she prepared an attack from afar. "Intense, eh? Seems measly to me! I'll crush 'em like a bug!"

  With a crossed slashing motion, Brittany landed a blow on the two culprits from a distance. The blow was a one-shot, the two brothers’ auras ceasing as their bodies fell to the forest floor.

  Malika's eyes widened in surprise, taken aback by Brittany's swift and ruthless action. "Damn it Britt, I told you to wait, dammit!" she exclaimed, her irritation evident.

  Danemon let out a weary sigh, shaking his head. "Seriously, Brittany, you always jump into things so damn fast..."

  Brittany smirked triumphantly, completely unfazed by Malika and Danemon's reactions. "Whoops! My bad! I couldn't resist the temptation to test out my new move for just a few seconds!"

  Lotte remained silent, observing the aftermath of the attack.

  Back on the ground, Alice and the others couldn't believe their eyes upon seeing the powered-up brothers getting knocked out of the blue, watching their bodies crash into the dirt.

  Leopoldine's expression shifted from surprise to disbelief as she watched the sudden intervention. "Did... did someone just knock out the Traveler Bros?! Just like that?!"

  Zalgo was equally taken aback, her eyes wide with astonishment. "What the...? Who or what just took care of them so easily?"

  Delphina, just as confused, added, "I have no idea. I just hope they're on our side..."

  Rachel, still recovering from the sudden turn of events, clenched her fists tightly. "Whoever stopped them is either our savior or our next problem."

  The Onyx Key fell from the sky next, with Delphina catching it with one hand, feeling its intense power emanating from within.

  The group of girls stood in silence for a moment, each trying to process what just happened. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Leopoldine noticed something moving through the sky.

  "Hey, guys, look up there!" Leopoldine exclaimed, pointing upward.

  All eyes turned to the sky, their gazes following Leopoldine's finger. They squinted, trying to make out a shape through the distance.

  It seemed like a carpet, with several figures sitting on it, slowly gliding high above the forest.

  Alice's eyes widened, her curiosity piqued. "Is that...a flying carpet?"

  Delphina, her gaze fixed on the figures, nodded in agreement. "Looks like it. But who could be on it?"

  The girls exchanged glances, their minds filled with questions.

  Rachel's eyes narrowed as she tried to make out the figures on the carpet. "I can't quite see who they are from here but..."

  Zalgo, her eyes now fixated on the figures as well, looked uneasy as she spoke up, "Ehh...we have the Onyx Key now, the Traveler Bros are down, so we should just leave and avoid detection from those people on that flying carpet, right? Anyone who can one-hit K.O. the Traveler Bros—while powered up by the Onyx Key no less—is trouble.”

  Rachel furrowed her brow in agreement. "Yeah, I'm with you on that one. Whoever those people are, we should steer clear of them. We don't want any more trouble."

  Zalgo and Delphina nodded in agreement.

  Leopoldine, however, crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "I can't shake the feeling that there's something familiar about those people on the carpet though..."

  Rachel shook her head frantically, not entertaining the idea for even a second. "NOPE! WE'RE OUTTA HERE! Zalgo's right, we needa stay far away from those guys!”

  The others agreed with Rachel, deciding it was best to keep their distance.

  Leopoldine, who was still intrigued by the familiar feeling, sighed, conceding to their decision. "Alright, alright, we'll retreat. But... I'm still curious about those figures on the carpet, though."

  Delphina, agreeing, nodded. "Me too. They do seem familiar. But they're way too far away to identify any distinguishing details.”

  Rachel, with an eye roll, scoffed. "If we can't see 'em properly, why bother getting curious about them? Let's just get the hell outta here."

  Zalgo, her tone firm, concurred. "Rachel's right. We need to prioritize our safety and get away from here. Whatever or whoever is on that carpet, we don't want any part of it."

  "Yup," Rachel agreed with a firm nod. "We have the Key now, let's just get outta here, this forest's nothin' but trouble.”

  Delphina, reluctantly agreeing, nodded. "Agreed. We should prioritize our safety and leave this area asap.”

  Rachel, feeling relieved that her friends had finally agreed, gave a firm nod. "Good, let's go then. Sooner we're outta here, the sooner we can relax.”