Den stood over Victor, the man who once terrorized Aetheris.
"Hmm... who are you?" Victor growled, still restrained.
Den smirked. "I'm the one who will save you."
He raised his sword. With a single slash, the chains snapped.
Victor stretched his arms, his aura flaring with raw hatred.
"I will kill Bin… and destroy everything he created!"
Den chuckled. "Bin is already dead. But his descendant lives."
Victor's eyes burned with rage.
"Then I will erase his legacy!"
Liu crossed her arms. "Den, we should leave. We're exposed here."
Den nodded. "Let's mov."
---
Luz and his team arrived at the prison ruins, their eyes scanning the carnage.
Dead Light soldiers lay everywhere.
Jed clenched his fists. "We're too late…"
Marcus knelt beside a fallen guard, his jaw tightening. "Whoever did this… they're monsters."
Luz narrowed his eyes.
Then, he felt it—Den's presence.
"They're close."
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward, Jed and Marcus following behind.
As they ran, they spotted Den, Liu, and Victor in the distance.
Victor was struggling to move, clearly weakened from years of imprisonment.
Den was supporting him, his expression tense.
Liu turned her head, spotting them.
"Den, they found us."
Den glanced back, then turned to Liu.
"Buy us some time."
Without hesitation, Liu stopped and faced Luz's group alone.
"You two handle her," Luz ordered. "I'll chase Den."
Marcus and Jed nodded, stepping forward.
Liu smirked. "Oh, my two old classmates… this will be fun."
---
Marcus attacked first, launching a flurry of punches.
Liu sent a barrage of flying rocks toward him.
Marcus punched through them all, his strength shattering the debris.
Jed followed up with a lightning-fast katana strike.
Liu reacted instantly, summoning a wave of water that pushed Jed back.
Jed landed on his feet, gripping his sword.
"She's strong."
Liu laughed. "Of course I am."
Jed suddenly threw his katana straight at Liu.
She caught it—but the moment her fingers wrapped around the hilt—
Jed teleported.
He appeared right in front of her and delivered a powerful kick to her chest, sending her flying.
"Now, Marcus!"
Marcus charged forward, his fist engulfed in flames.
He swung at Liu—
But in an instant, a powerful gust of wind sent him flying backward.
Marcus crashed into the ground, groaning. "Damn… she's tough."
Liu smirked, dusting herself off.
"You boys are getting predictable."
She created multiple clones, each flickering with elemental energy.
Marcus took a deep breath. "Clones? No problem."
He rushed forward, punching through them one by one—
BOOM!
The clones exploded, flames engulfing Marcus.
He screamed in pain, his body badly burned.
Jed's eyes widened. "Marcus!"
Before he could react, the clones turned on him as well.
Jed dodged and slashed through them, but the explosions forced him back.
He scanned the battlefield, his eyes locking onto the real Liu.
"There!"
He dashed forward, avoiding the clones, and punched at Liu—
But she dodged.
Jed accidentally dropped his sword in the attack.
Liu laughed. "No sword, Jed? You're done."
Jed smirked.
"Who said I needed a sword?"
He lunged forward, grabbing Liu.
But before he could land a decisive blow—
The explosive clones closed in.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
But when the smoke cleared—
Jed was standing unharmed, having teleported back to his sword at the last second.
Liu, however, had also escaped—by turning into water.
She reformed nearby and immediately rushed to rejoin Den.
Jed cursed, looking at Marcus's badly burned body.
"I have to get him back to Biringan."**
They had lost this fight.
---
Meanwhile, Luz pursued Den and Victor.
Den suddenly stopped running and turned around.
Luz skidded to a stop, gripping his sword.
Then—he realized.
It was a trap.
The ground trembled.
Figures emerged from the shadows.
Luz's eyes widened.
He was now surrounded by the Dark Side's secret army.
Den smirked. "Feel scared, Luz?"
Victor chuckled weakly. "How fitting… the descendant of Bin will fall here."
Den turned to Matthew.
"Get Victor to the healing chamber. He needs to recover."
Matthew nodded, carrying Victor away.
Den then drew his blade, pointing it at Luz.
"Now, let's deal with you."
Luz scanned the battlefield, his grip tightening on the Sword of Light.
---