The thought of Jodium brought the spirit of death around Barzo, tempting him to break the oath as he felt the danger posed. A Tophoran as a Vexon meant a mind driven by a darkness Barzo didn't understand. It made Jodium unpredictable, and in the business of war, that bred victory. Still, he shook his head, refusing to abandon his promise. This felt like the ultimate test, and he would ensure to pass it without sacrificing restraint.
As the Agents drove toward Vine Street, far away, a Lyriax hovered over a factory. Its door slid open mid-air, and from the shadows emerged Jodium Powell. To his right was Naydian, his ally. And at the centre, Reilord Paxon revealed himself, his visor gleaming with the factory's rusted reflection. The Lyriax cloaked as they jumped and landed.
"My lord," Jodium said. "It's straight ahead."
The walk lasted less than ten minutes before a large door loomed, metal corroded, choked by age. Paxon tilted his head, and in the order-ridden silence the other Vexons ran to open it. It screamed, pleading for mercy like the many who'd suffered under his brutality. Lights flickered to life. Paxon stared into the hollow beyond.
An Armoury Room.
Lava flowed through pipes that curled toward the middle, converging at two massive circular arm-holes suspended above the molten core. This was where Rone had forged every Vexon weapon. And now… it belonged to the Relion Lord.
Paxon stepped forward, fingers brushing the edges of the arm-holes.
"Prepare it," he said.
The Vexons moved at once, carrying a green-glowing stone, Traxa Steel. It was the size of a child, and it took five of them to manage it. A material of destruction. With one last push, they hurled it into the lava.
Paxon raised his arms, and the Vexons closed in. His upper armour peeled away under their hands, piece by piece, until only his chest remained. A red pillow was brought forward. He laid his visor on it gently. The curve of his face was still unseen, hidden behind flowing curls. After sliding both arms into the sockets, a hiss roared. The Traxa screamed. Pipes trembled. Chains twisted. The forging began. Sword-blasters tapped in unison, the ritual. The Vexons chanted, voices rising in a dark hymn. Smoke thickened as lava fused with the stone. After a final strike, a deafening clang shattered the air, forcing Jodium and Naydian to kneel before him. Sweat gleamed on Paxon's chest as he turned.
The weapons were born.
Heat seethed. The green hue of the Traxa Steel was gone.
Paxon approached. Orange light caught in his gaze, pink pupils shimmering like cursed stars. The eyes of Raxtens.
"The Guidax Vension begins."
The Vexons brought forth the creations.
First, a curved blade. Paxon extended his hand, a Vexon offered a Raxten. It crackled across his skin, but he didn't flinch. He embedded it into the blade. Lightning surged. The metal echoed as power filled its core. Next, the gauntlets, he did the same, forged in Raxten soul. When it was done, he faced Jodium and Naydian, still kneeling at his feet.
"The blood of our homes spills in the name of survival. The fall of Tophora is victory. And the capture of the Expansionals… an oath."
He paused. "The shadows have touched your weapons. As have I."
Sword-blasters tapped again. Naydian's arm stretched out. Paxon raised the curved blade, hovering it over him.
"I accept it, my lord," Naydian said. The blade dropped into his grasp. "Arghh!"
Electricity bolted through his veins. He fell to both knees, trembling.
No reaction from Paxon. He simply stepped to Jodium, who nodded, firm.
Jodium slid his hands into the gauntlets, and fire gripped him, searing up his arms. He gritted his teeth, but stayed silent.
"You are now my elite Retaliacs." Paxon's gaze lifted. "Let's give our guests a warm welcome."
#
The open gate of G Manufacturing saw the Agents had arrived. Their Driveacle veered off silently. Barzo scanned both sides of the empty road, mind calculating how many souls passed these parts with no idea of the threat hiding before them. His eyes returned to the gate, fists clenched. If this was it, everything he'd ever hoped for was within reach.
"Where are the others?" Lovena asked.
"Not late like you two," Fortune said, emerging from across the street.
Bayla waved, following close behind, but her eyes shifted to Midian, and the smile faded.
"What is it?" Midian asked.
Bayla walked to the gate and raised her hand. The space ahead rippled, fading and reforming in waves like water. An invisibility cloak.
Vidiax's jaw tightened. "Ready your Waypnaries."
Weapons slid free with a hiss, the sound of battle answering the call.
With a breath, they entered.
#
The whistle of birds haunted their steps, and wind skittered objects across the concrete, forcing the Agents to watch for the tiniest movements of danger.
"Hold positions," Vidiax said, kneeling, her hands brushing a crack in the ground.
It seemed as though she were tending a wound. Tophora had worn its mercy thin in this war. Then, a crumbling noise, and the scent of burning simmered through. To her surprise, the crack stretched before her toward the factory, slow at first, then quicker, too fast for her track. She rose, understanding at once.
"Take cover!"
The factory erupted, swallowed by the ground until only dust filled the air. The Agents steadied themselves against the heat and wind, eyes scanning the smoke. A shadow emerged as the breeze shifted. Paxon. His armour reassembled across his frame, piece by piece. Barzo exhaled. It was him, the Relion Lord himself. No longer a vision.
"Vieldem," Bayla said. "Renix. Wait until we say go."
"No," Barzo hissed. "He's mine."
He rose, levitating. His muscles tensed, and breathing slowed. Eyes locked on Paxon's heart. Then he flew straight at it.
"Barzo!" Midian shouted.
The warning was too late. Revenge seethed through his teeth as he charged. And all he saw on the Relion Lord's face was a smirk.
Paxon crossed his arms; white sparks gathered within his visor. He tilted his head and leaned forward, the sky clashed. Reality shattered in Barzo's ears as a blinding blue thunderstorm burst from the visor.
He barely gasped before Midian yanked him mid-air, dragging him behind a stone pillar.
The Agents took cover as the thunderstorm tore through everything in its path. Metal turned to ash. Air evaporated. Not even dust survived. When the visor powered down, its echo screamed. Smoke simmered, heat enough to pull sweat from Barzo's brow.
Midian saw the distraught on his face. Words weren't needed.
Only a nod between them.
Silence spoke more than voices could.
She rose from cover, stepping into the open. Bayla and Fortune joined her at the centre, weapons drawn, movements calm but ready.
Lovena tapped Barzo's shoulder. He jumped, turning to her with relief. The power of a Relion Lord had shaken him, deeper than expected. Yet as the rain returned, his fists clenched. Calm became command. His eyes fixed on the Agents as they charged.
With a stomp, energy surged beneath Paxon, a forcefield kicking the Agents.
Still, they pushed forward as the battle turned into a dance written by death herself. They struck in turn, blow after blow, but none of it landed, and fatigue settled in.
The Relion Lord's feet blurred with speed, slipping through their defences as if he teleported. Midian's chest crumpled under a punch that sent her crashing. She gasped, blood spilling from her mouth, vision gone for two seconds.
Two seconds too long.
Fortune was next. His eyes skittered over the field, trying to track Paxon, impossible to pin. A hand seized the back of his neck, his face met the wall, and he was flung aside like a rag doll.
To end it, Paxon kicked Bayla into unconsciousness.
Barzo and Lovena panted, watching them struggle to rise.
"Get up… please… get up," he whispered, eyes shifting to Midian.
"We have to help them," Lovena said. "Barzo… we have to."
He looked at her, then down at Vone, long enough to hear it whispering to fight back. To protect his peers. He rose, brows bending in anger.
A long sigh escaped Paxon as he breathed in the toxic air, as if fuelling his hunger for war. He glanced up to the empty skies, smirking. From the cloaked Lyriax, Jodium and Naydian watched their Lord at work.
"Hey!" Barzo yelled, standing beside Lovena.
Paxon turned, amusement blooming. "You two must be new… how generous of Sift to bring more fun." He caught the spark in Barzo's eyes. "Hmm."
Barzo scoffed, glancing at Lovena, action ready in their eyes.
He waved Vone, feeling its power hum under his palms. The place of fear dissolved by the second. Everything he'd done to reach this moment would be worth it. He called upon the faith of his ancestors, and his heart warmed as if his father's spirit had answered.
Lovena lifted Wilzder, the spheres detached, floating around her like sentinels, directed by the command of her hammer. Her eyes widened, impressed.
"Let's go," Barzo said, feet lifting as Flight Mode took over.
Lovena pointed her hammer at Paxon, and the spheres zoomed toward him, pummelling until a metal strike hit his stomach, like a blaze of punches.
Gasping, Paxon's forcefield pushed them back, returning the spheres to their master. Lovena cursed under her breath.
Yet Barzo refused this outcome, striking fast before Paxon could make another move. Spinning around his counter, Barzo used the wind to his advantage as speed became his ally.
Paxon grunted, raising his armbands to block, and drove a punch into Barzo, forcing him down.
But the word no beat in Barzo's mind, and the strength of a Vieldem surged like lightning. He got back up, flying quickly, farther out.
Paxon stared, head tilted with curiosity.
"V, now!" Barzo yelled.
Paxon looked down for her—gone. She'd kicked his arm, shifting him a step. Too much time spent guarding made the spheres go unnoticed, they burst with power, beams plummeted and slid him across the ground.
Still, he crossed his arms, bracing against the roar of energy. He growled, punching through the beam, and redirecting it upward. It exploded in the clouds, painting them blue.
Barzo and Lovena stood side by side again, chests heaving.
Midian stepped up, resting a hand gently on their shoulder. A quiet pride.
One by one, the Agents formed a line. Wounded, but not broken.
"Impressive," Paxon said.
His steps echoed as he stared with an unusual calm, then froze, intrigue written beneath the visor. Even Jodium shared the silent reaction. Seconds passed, the clouds shrieked, brightening, silver through grey, answering to the Relion Lord's rage.
The Agents looked up, confusion painted on their faces.
Barzo's stomach dropped, worry deepening as he guessed what would come. "Midian."
"I know," she said, breath falling as she turned to him.
Paxon raised his head up, and a single bolt struck his visor, feeding from the storm.
"Brace yourselves," Midian said, eyes widening. "It's his Kayza Finale."
Silence returned, and Paxon's visor was no longer black, only pulsing with red lightning. Arms crossed, ready to release, he spoke the words.
"Black Sun."
His visor cracked. The blast tore open, folding into a black wormhole of thunder and darkness. Everything began to pull inward. Stones ripped from the ground. Trees vanished, scorched to vapour.
The Agents snapped into Agility Mode, anchoring themselves with everything they had. Barzo drove his blade into the ground and held tight. Lovena was too late, the vortex dragged her backward.
"Barzo!" She yelled.
"Lovena!" He called.
Without hesitation, he let one hand go, his bracelet fired. Chains burst forth, latching onto her wrist, surprising him. She gripped tight, teeth clenched, legs flailing.
Barzo screamed as his muscles burned. His other hand clenched the blade, still buried deep. Every nerve begged him to let go. Then he looked at her, eyes wide with terror. Death spoke her name, ready to write it in the heavens.
"Hold on, Lovena!" Barzo yelled.
Lovena felt the chains pull her closer to safety. Then a shadow swallowed the ground. Barzo glanced up, Yosen hovered above on his board, cape drawn like a banner. A smile flickered across Barzo's face. But it tipped too soon.
"No!" Lovena screamed.
Her grip slipped. The chain tore from her wrist, dragging her straight toward the vortex.
"Lovena!" Barzo shouted.
Yosen dropped. His board shot upward as he fell. The ground shook under his landing. Both hands thrust forward, Volena froze mid-air, her belt answering him, inches from the vortex. With a single motion, he flung her into his arms.
The Kayza Finale ended. The black hole vanished. Silence echoed.
Yosen laid Lovena down gently.
"Are you well?"He asked.
She struggled to speak, the words snagged behind adrenaline, but she nodded.
Yosen scanned his Agents, then looked to Paxon. He raised his hand, a blade summoned.
Jodium leaned forward, but Naydian blocked him with a firm arm.
"Not today," he said. "Let him have it."
Jodium snarled, staying put, eyes burning toward Yosen.
Paxon drew his blade from its sheath. At last… a worthy opponent.
"Yosen Sift," he said. "Agent of Anarchy."
"Paxon," Yosen said. "Relion Lord of Londro."
"Come to finish our dance?"
Yosen tilted his head. "I'm here to make it our last."
Paxon smirked. "Just like the old days."
The history between them was deep. Though Yosen didn't admit it openly, Barzo knew the wounds of his father's death still ran through him.
Before Barzo could grasp the scene, a powerful gust slammed through, he shielded his eyes as the ground cracked. They had begun. Blades screamed.
Yosen threw his sword, levitating it under his control as he dashed in.
Paxon blocked both, fists and blade. He fired his visor into the ground, blasting himself upward to flip over Yosen, then slid away to gain distance.
A hiss echoed.
The visor sent a wave of crackling thunder.
A shield formed in Yosen's grasp just in time to block the blast.
Yet Paxon kept walking, pouring more force into the attack. With every step, his smirk widened, until a laugh that haunted the Agents' ears.
It shivered down Barzo's spine like a shadow grabbing his soul, trying to own it. He glanced at the others, their eyes wide, hope searching for a place to live. As Yosen struggled beneath that power, Barzo closed his eyes, maybe accepting defeat… only destiny knew.
But his eyes opened. Faith restored.
Then a sword whipped around the blast and slammed into Paxon's face. The visor flew off, pink eyes exposed. He squinted. Yosen had vanished, sprinting so fast he was a ghost. And once Paxon found him, the sword snapped back to Yosen and he struck. Paxon froze, stunned by the speed.
The Marble Agents leaned forward.
"Did he… do it?" Lovena whispered.
Barzo's breath caught. The Cinema Gaze. Yosen's style. It required no Reja Gear. The only Agent brave enough to master it. The reason he was the Elexant.
Standing before Paxon, Yosen didn't lower his weapon. His breathing grew heavy. His eyes stayed low. The air sung prayers for the souls of Tophora lost to Vexo Wielders. And now, their pain ended.
A relieving sigh left him as his eyes lifted.
Yet… Paxon smirked.
He was still standing.
No cuts. No wounds. Nothing.
Yosen glanced to where the shattered visor had fallen… gone. His blade hovered near the Relion's chest. He pressed forward, but it phased through air. His hand reached into the illusion… and pulled something out. A Cylinder, still glowing. Paxon glitched away.
Barzo's jaw dropped. He'd switched to a Signal before the attack.
Yosen swept the field, searching for the real Relion Lord.
Then the Marble Agents heard it, a Lyriax roaring above. Its invisibility cloak shimmered, and collapsed.
All eyes turned upward. They gathered beside Yosen.
Two masked Vexons, and between them, Paxon.
He walked forth with the same cruel smirk, the pink shimmer in his eyes pulsing with malice. He brushed dirt from his armour, then slid his black visor back on.
Barzo's fists clenched. As they vanished into the clouds, his breath turned hard, anger pumping through his chest, tightening his ribs. The burn pressing against his heart was the urgent need to awaken his Kayza. Years of notes weren't enough to match Paxon's power, and all his doubts came crashing back. Was hope worth holding at this point?
"I'll teach it," Yosen said. "I'll teach you how to get a Kayza Finale. And together, we will win this war."
Surprised, Barzo stared at him, and so did Lovena.
His face blazed with purpose, and Yosen matched it.
The little hope he'd lost now burned back.