The lunar wasteland trembled under a suffocating pall of dread, the moon's silver-gray surface scarred by craters and bathed in the cold, unforgiving light of Earth's distant gaze. The air, though absent, seemed to pulse with the weight of impending doom as the Sovereign's corrupted energy loomed like a shadow over the battlefield. It was 12:15 AM EDT, September 15, 3012, on Earth—a time irrelevant to the chaos unfolding here, where survival hung by a thread.
"Shit! This Sovereign is a pain in the ass to deal with!" Kamaki bellowed, his gauntlets blazing with fierce blue flames, sweat beading on his brow as he braced for the next assault.
Raijin stood at his back, his lightning and wind energy crackling like a storm's heart. "Lock in, bro! We've got to make it out of here alive!"
Kamaki gritted his teeth, his voice a mix of frustration and hope. "We should contact Vanessa and Riah for backup—this is looking bad. I've still got my garden to tend to back home!"
Raijin's eyes narrowed, his aura flickering. "They've got their own battles—probably facing the whole world right now. We fight this alone or survive long enough for help!"
One Sovereign froze, its humanoid form shrouded in swirling lunar corruption. " Raijin!" Kamaki called, his voice tense. "What's it doing?"
"Watch out, everyone—brace yourselves!" Raijin shouted, a primal instinct kicking in. "Something doesn't feel right!" A massive wave of corrupted lunar energy surged toward them, a tidal force of darkness that threatened to consume all in its path. "SHIT!" Kamaki yelped, his flames flaring in defiance.
Lihanna and Felicia spun around, the shadow of doom hanging over them like a guillotine. Sando shielded Gendai, his holy aura a fragile barrier, while Ayane froze, her trembling hands struggling to nock an arrow. A tear slid down her cheek, a silent plea escaping her lips. "Someone… please help me…"
Felicia raised both hands, a flame igniting from her chest, the pale blue fire of her Phoenix spirit coalescing into a radiant orb. Lihanna glanced at her, her nodachi gleaming. "What's your plan? Need my help?"
Felicia nodded, her eyes resolute. "Yes." Lihanna's gaze darted behind—another Sovereign was conjuring a matching lunar wave from the opposite side, a deadly pincer movement. Lihanna's water aura surged as Felicia's flame grew, engulfing Sando, Ayane, Gendai, Kamaki, Raijin, and the lifeless forms of Pluto and Glavatus in a protective dome of ethereal blue fire.
Lihanna met Felicia's gaze, her voice steady. "So that's your decision."
Felicia's expression hardened. "It's the only way. Inside this domain, you're all protected, wounds healing. But those outside when I unleash this atomic blast—let's hope I catch them both at once."
Kamaki grinned through the tension. "Damn, Felicia, I didn't know you were built like that!" A flame flickered on Felicia's forehead, her eyes snapping open as she whispered, "Retribution." The air ignited as her pale blue flames erupted in a cataclysmic blast, a roaring inferno that swallowed the Sovereigns and their lunar waves in a blinding explosion. The moon's surface quaked, dust and debris spiraling into the void as the shockwave rippled outward.
When the smoke cleared, the Sovereigns were gone—or so it seemed. Felicia collapsed, but Lihanna caught her, brushing her hair gently. "I figured that would drain you. A strike like that—you did good."
Felicia struggled to her feet, her breath ragged. "Thanks… it took a toll, but I'm not wasted yet. Another attack like that? I don't think I can manage right now."
Lihanna nodded, a faint smile breaking through. "That's okay. You saved us."
Sando released Gendai, his voice soft. "Are you okay, babe?"
Gendai rose, her eyes blazing with resentment. "Yeah, she healed us, but when we needed it most, she didn't lift a finger. She let Glavatus bleed out—and they call themselves the good guys."
Sando's jaw tightened. "The Phoenix girl's drained. One less issue for now."
Ayane's voice cut through, sharp with frustration. "You haven't listened to a word I said, Sando! We have to cooperate with them, not fight them, if we want to survive!"
Sando roared, his holy aura flaring. "Me, side with the people who let my two friends die?!"
"Your ego's the problem!" Ayane shot back, tears welling. "If you hadn't picked fights, they'd still be alive!"
Raijin's voice boomed, shattering the argument. "It's not over yet—that thing isn't dead!" The lunar bodies of the two Sovereigns merged, their forms coalescing into a towering, nightmarish entity. A collective gasp of awe and terror rippled through the group.
Lihanna stepped before Felicia, her nodachi drawn, her lunar water aura shimmering. Felicia muttered, her voice trembling, "You've got to be kidding me… this was only phase one."