The entire lab had collapsed, leaving a cloud of dust and debris. Scarlet acted swiftly, using her mud wall earth technique to shield everyone from the destruction. Peter, Aqua, Goldie, and Fiery immediately took defensive positions, while Ethan and Alyssa were guarded by the twenty soldiers present.
Peter shouted, "Is everyone okay?"
Ethan called back, "Yes, no injuries here!"
Peter turned to his team. "I can sense something—or someone." As he looked to the sky, his eyes locked on a figure hovering above.
Peter commanded, "Stay on guard!"
Ethan called out, "Who are you?"
Scarlet squinted at the figure, studying him closely. "Doesn't he look like the unknown person we encountered before?"
The figure descended slowly, revealing his appearance: a human-like form with long, flowing hair, a beard, piercing blue eyes, a sharp jawline, and a lean, muscular build. However, he wore no clothes, adding to his eerie presence.
The unknown person spoke in a cold, detached voice. "You should all be dead by now... but I guess this task falls to me."
Aqua stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Then I will just have to kill you myself."
The unknown person smirked. "You don't understand the seriousness of this. You've interfered, and they want you dead."
Goldie asked sharply, "Who are 'they'?"
The unknown figure waved off the question. "Don't bother asking."
Unseen by the figure, Aqua had begun charging a lightning attack in his right hand. But before Aqua could act, the unknown person's gaze snapped to him.
The figure sneered, "Do you even realize who you're challenging?" Suddenly, Aqua's lightning attack dissipated into nothing.
Aqua stared at his empty hand in disbelief. "What is this power?"
The figure chuckled darkly. "Do you want to see?"
With a wave of his hand, a swirling portal opened, revealing another dimension. Inside, Reynolds was tightly bound to a strange, lifeless black tree. The scene was bleak, filled with an otherworldly darkness that sent chills down their spines.
Everyone stared, stunned. Peter whispered, "What... what is this?"
Ethan's voice trembled. "It looks like another realm entirely." He stepped closer to Peter, his voice low and frightened. "Peter, he is not ordinary. He's not human. His power... is beyond anything we can face. There will be consequences for this. Peter... we're in serious trouble."
Peter clenched his fists, nodding grimly as the portal closed with a snap.
The unknown person's tone grew colder. "Your fate is sealed." He raised his arms, and two black spheres of pulsating energy began to form in his hands. The ground beneath them trembled violently as he hurled the spheres toward the group.
The attack came too quickly to dodge. Peter shouted, "Scarlet, it's up to you!"
Scarlet understood immediately. Channeling all her energy, she created a massive mud wall to shield them. The spheres collided with the wall, resulting in a deafening explosion that shook the ground.
Scarlet gritted her teeth, pouring every ounce of strength into maintaining the barrier. She screamed, "Run! I can't hold this for long! Save yourselves!"
But as she glanced back, she saw Peter, Aqua, Goldie, and Fiery standing firm behind her like unyielding pillars.
Scarlet yelled, "You're still here? Why haven't you run?"
Peter, Aqua, Goldie, and Fiery spoke in unison. "We're not leaving you behind."
Meanwhile, Ethan and the soldiers had reached safety. From their vantage point, they watched in horror as Scarlet's wall began to crack under the strain. Finally, it shattered, leaving the five directly exposed to the massive blast.
Ethan's voice trembled as he whispered, "It's over... they're all gone."
End of Chapter 6