Wanzhang's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Sixty?" he repeated, stunned.
He hadn't expected there to be so many energy bottles in circulation.
Huande nodded gravely. "Yes. Sixty in total."
He continued, explaining the situation in a low voice:
"Forty of those bottles are not in Dongdu. For reasons we still don't fully understand… they've been purified. Beidu and Xidu each hold twenty bottles. Along with two of the crucial metal plates."
Zhantu narrowed his eyes. "So, if the three nations don't cooperate, there's no way to open Pandora's Box?"
"Exactly," Huande confirmed. "But… things have changed. Beidu has already decided to seize the box by force. It's only a matter of time before Xidu follows suit."
He took a breath before continuing. "That's why I need you to become ministers in this war. I want you to protect Pandora's Box at all costs!"
Zhantu scoffed, unimpressed by the blatant manipulation. "What a joke. You're trying to turn us into tools of war!"
He saw right through Huande's plan. It was clear: the group didn't care about them personally—only about what they could do. The real goal was to exploit them for their power.
The audience across the Three Realms, watching the broadcast, frowned collectively. Huande's intentions were obvious. He was using Zhantu and the others as pawns in a much larger scheme.
"This is a well-calculated move," one viewer muttered.
Back on the screen, Huande remained calm and unshaken. He spoke coldly.
"At the end of the day, this is a war you started."
Zhantu and Wanzhang stared at him, furious.
Huande continued. "If you hadn't begun using nebula gas for human experiments, none of this would be happening!"
"That's rich, coming from the man who abused the gas himself!" Wanzhang shouted back.
Huande ignored him. "Regardless, your efforts won't go unrewarded. If you succeed in stopping Beidu's assault, I'll make an exception and clear you of all charges."
Battle Rabbit's voice was sharp and resolute. "I won't fall for your tricks."
He turned to leave—but suddenly, dozens of armed soldiers raised their weapons and surrounded them.
"You have no choice," Huande said coldly.
Outnumbered and trapped, Battle Rabbit and Wanzhang had no choice but to comply… for now.
---
Meanwhile, far away on the Beidu frontlines, Xue Qian approached Tajimi silently.
"You don't really plan on cooperating with Xidu, do you?" he asked calmly.
Tajimi burst into laughter, her eyes gleaming with ambition. "Of course not."
"But before we conquer Dongdu, we need Xidu to behave. As long as we control Pandora's Box, we'll command the most powerful military force in the world. With that kind of power…" She paused and smiled coldly.
"Not just this country—the entire world will bow to my will."
"You're terrifying," Xue Qian muttered, shaken by her ambition.
Suddenly serious, Tajimi asked, "Where are Gris and the others?"
"They should be gathering the energy bottles as we speak."
---
Back near the Dongdu border.
Zhantu, Wanzhang, and Steve were moving through a dense forest on the outskirts of the city when a voice rang out from behind the trees.
"There they are!"
They spun around. Three young men emerged from the shadows. In the middle stood a tall, lanky figure with sharp eyes.
"So these are the targets?" he asked.
One of his companions squinted. "They're not the leaders… just the test subjects."
Another chimed in mockingly, "Hey, you guys got injected with nebula gas, didn't you?"
Wanzhang stepped forward, wary. "Who are you?"
The tall youth grinned. "We're the Three Crows of Beidu!"
He raised a finger in mock caution. "Let me make it clear—we don't reveal our real identities easily."
"Hey!" one of his teammates interjected. "You just told them everything!"
The tall one glared at him. "...Shut up."
Wanzhang raised an eyebrow and burst into laughter.
"You three… are you idiots?"
Across the Three Realms, the audience couldn't help but laugh as well. The Three Crows were clearly strong—but they were also ridiculous.
The tall youth scowled. "That's rude! You should learn some manners. I guess I'll just have to beat some into you!"
He raised a glowing energy bottle and began his transformation.
"Castle!"
His form shimmered as he turned into a monstrous armored figure.
Zhantu's face changed. "He… he transformed into a Slammer?"
"What's so surprising about that?" the now-transformed figure asked smugly.
Zhantu took a step back. "But… Slammers aren't supposed to have self-awareness!"
Gasps echoed across the Three Realms. The viewers had never seen a conscious Slammer before. This was groundbreaking!
No wonder Beidu had been saying that normal Slammers were inferior—it was because they had already succeeded in creating sentient ones!
In the Super Chat group:
Fu Xuan: "He's conscious? That's incredible. Beidu's Slammers really are more advanced!"
Keqing: "Looks like Dongdu is at a disadvantage…"
Yae Shenzi: "Beidu's tech is ahead of us. This could get ugly."
The conscious Slammer smirked.
"We are the ultimate evolution of the hardened Slammer," he declared proudly. "Now… take this!"
He lunged at Wanzhang and sent him flying backward with a heavy blow.
Wanzhang growled, got back to his feet, and pulled out his energy bottle.
"Let's see how you handle this!"
"Get the power of the End Dragon!"
He transformed, his suit gleaming with crimson light. His aura flared.
The bearded youth among the Three Crows was thrilled. "Oh! You're a Kamen Rider!"
He and another of the Crows pulled out their own energy bottles.
"Owl!"
"Stag Beetle!"
They transformed with explosive force.
Manjo quickly joined in.
"Rabbit! Tank!"
"Best Match!"
"Rabbit Tank Form!"
The battlefield exploded with energy as the fight began in earnest.
Battle Rabbit engaged one of the Slammers directly. The blows exchanged were so fierce that they cracked the ground beneath them.
"Not bad," the Slammer growled. "But I've fought Foundry Riders before."
He smirked, raising both fists.
"This is going to be fun."
Two of the Crows teamed up and began pushing Battle Rabbit back with a series of rapid strikes.
"They're stronger than we expected!" Wanzhang shouted, ducking under a glowing fist.
The audience in the Three Realms watched anxiously.
"These conscious Slammers… they're far beyond what we've seen before!" one viewer exclaimed.
It was true. The difference was night and day. Their coordination, their tactics—even their fighting spirit—was unmatched.
Beidu's plan was unfolding perfectly.
---
Back at the war council.
Huande sat at a massive table, watching the battle unfold on a holographic display.
"Just as expected," he murmured. "Beidu's Slammers are dominating. But let's see how long they can keep it up."
A general next to him asked, "Shall we deploy reinforcements?"
"Not yet. Let them wear each other down. We'll step in at the critical moment."
He turned away from the screen.
"And when we do, we'll claim everything. The box, the bottles, the plates… and the world."
---
On the battlefield, Steve stood behind a boulder, watching the chaos.
His heart pounded. He had never seen this level of power.
"This isn't just about energy bottles anymore," he whispered. "This is a full-blown war."
He tightened his grip on his bottle.
"It's time to fight."
With a burst of light, he leapt into the fray.
---
The battle raged on. Explosions echoed across the hills, and the sky was filled with shockwaves from energy clashes.
Battle Rabbit was panting, but his spirit remained unbroken.
"We're not giving up!" he shouted. "No matter how strong you are!"
The Slammer laughed. "Then fall with honor!"
They charged again, meeting head-on in a final, bone-shaking clash.
---
To be continued...