The rest of the Hell army remains preoccupied, battling the relentless onslaught of mutated cow creatures. Among the monstrosities chasing after Wyn’s and David’s teams are two bizarre beings. One resembles a colossal centipede, its body elongated like a snake but unmistakably bovine, complete with curved horns atop its head and hooves replacing its legs. The other creature mirrors an aardvark in shape, its hunched frame and elongated snout bearing unmistakable cattle-like features, adorned with small horns and hooves. Both creatures are stark white with brown spots.

  Despite each creature being equivalent only to a mega champion, the battle on the saucer proves challenging. The dome occasionally materializes random, ordinary cows that obstruct their path. Any contact with these cows causes the army to warp to a random spot on the saucer. Determined to stay together, Wyn’s and David’s teams hold their ground, standing back-to-back to form a defensive circle. They only move when a cow materializes directly above or below them, guided by Violet, who stands at the center. Her vigilant eyes scan for threats both overhead and from the sudden appearance of these disorienting cows.

  “They keep on coming, boss!” Charlotte says as David lands a finishing blow onto the aardvark cow and from behind it, a bear cow charges toward them.

  “Steve told us to take down the saucer, right? Maybe we attack the dome?” Wyn suggests. “Let’s try attacking the eyes!”

  The group shifts their formation, with David taking the lead toward the dome while the others maintain their defensive stance. One of the dome's cow-like eyes twitches as it spots their advance, swiftly materializing both ordinary and mutated cows in their path. Undeterred, David commands Wyn to act. Gripping Wyn firmly, he lets him propel them forward with a burst of swirling winds.

  As Wyn nears the creatures ahead, he veers upward sharply to avoid collision. At David’s next command, he launches him in a second cyclone directly at the dome. David’s sword and shield strike the structure with a resounding clang, but the only response is a faint vibration that bounces him back, leaving the dome entirely intact. The cow-like eye shifts its focus to the spot where David’s weapons struck, its movements mimicking a mocking laughter as it taunts their futile efforts.

  Wyn swiftly picks David up, and the two regroup with the rest of the team, who are still fending off the mutated cows.

  “Even you can’t put a dent in that thing!” Eugene calls out.

  “I hate to do this, but we’ll have to split up!” David declares. “My team will try to find a weakness from under the saucer while you focus on the dome.”

  “They don’t have a wind user! I’ll go with them,” Violet interjects, stepping forward with determination.

  “Don’t worry about us!” Wyn replies quickly. “My mini cyclones will come in handy!” He knows better than to separate Violet from her team after everything she’s been through, but he hides any hesitation, keeping his tone confident.

  With that, David’s team rushes toward the edge, beginning their exploration of the saucer’s underside. Meanwhile, Wyn summons a series of mini cyclones around the dome at various heights, his team fending off cows as they form. At his signal, they leap onto the cyclones, each going in the same direction to keep the group close-knit.

  In the air, they encounter flyer cows and regular cows plummeting from above, intent on making contact. Wyn assumes a defensive stance, expertly redirecting any threats with cyclones, allowing his team to focus on investigating the dome.

  As they circle it, the team tries everything – touching, tapping, kicking, attacking, and even screaming at the dome – only to find no success. Frustrated but undeterred, they decide to ascend to the top and repeat their increasingly futile attempts.

  It is then, as the team reaches the peak, standing side by side on mini cyclones, their eyes scanning the dome for a weak spot, that they are suddenly struck by a powerful force. The impact sends them hurtling away from the dome. Wyn, hit squarely in the head, loses consciousness as his skull also makes contact with Mira’s.

  During the chaotic flight, James, positioned the furthest from the blast, slips and rolls off the saucer’s edge, plummeting into the unknown below. The rest of the team is swept further beyond.

  “The pyramid is a crystal? Where’s all the sand covering it?” David wonders aloud, his gaze fixed on the now nearly bare pyramid.

  “Is that James?” Jesús asks, pointing at the falling figure of James.

  Without hesitation, Violet leaps into action, chasing after James. She catches up just before he hits the sand, and he, shaken by the fall, leans against the pyramid for support. Suddenly, a door slides open in the pyramid, revealing an entrance.

  Violet, thinking they should report the discovery to David, attempts to gust both herself and James back up. But before she can make much progress, the entire pyramid teleports along with everything on it – including the saucer – and those within proximity. As the pyramid reappears, inverted, the dome that once sat at the top now serves as its base. Everyone and everything positioned on the saucer falls toward the sand, while Violet and James, previously at the base, now find themselves suspended in the air.

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  Violet, able to stabilize with a wind gust, pulls James inside the pyramid’s closing door, now skyward. The saucer dome touches the sand below, stabilizing the now-inverted massive structure and preventing anything below from being crushed by its vast edge. Gradually, sand begins to cascade from the skyward base, flowing like an hourglass and slowly concealing the crystal pyramid once more.

  “Wake up, Oppa!” Mira cries.

  Wyn stirs, blinking as he regains consciousness. “What happened?” he mutters, his vision sharpening to reveal a crowd gathered around him and his team.

  The eerie silence of his team unsettles him, and he springs to his feet. His gaze sweeps over them, stopping at the absence of James. Then his breath catches – the headless body of Steve lies motionless before him.

  “Absorb his essence, Mister Wyn. We’ve all agreed to let you take it all,” Lisa says, her voice trembling as tears stream down her face.

  “We need someone strong enough to face Ra,” Yu adds, his tone heavy with despair. “If we split the essence, none of us will stand a chance. Even someone as powerful as Steve didn’t make it…”

  Wyn’s head spins. The weight of their words presses down on him, threatening to crush him. This is too much. He freezes, his legs unsteady, until Mira gently grabs his arm and lifts it, guiding the band he wears toward Steve’s dissipating body.

  “Please,” she whispers, her eyes pleading.

  Wyn begins the absorption, his hand trembling as the essence flows into him. All the while, his blank stare remains fixed on Steve’s lifeless form, his mind unable to process the enormity of what he’s doing. A single thought anchors him amid the storm of emotions: “I hope James is safe. He has to be! I have to hurry up!”

  Wei watches in horror as the scene unfolds before him, his rage igniting like a fire. Lust rushes to catch him mid-fall, and soon he finds himself seated once more on the male Lust’s neck. Unlike the fear that gripped him during the Zeus fight, fury now courses through Wei. He screams in anger, his voice raw and unrelenting.

  Reacting swiftly, Lust encases them both in ice in an attempt to attack the barque. But without the aid of Steve’s powerful cyclone, her efforts fall short, leaving the barque unscathed. Instead, they are hurled away by a forceful strike from a paddle, sent careening through the air.

  Meanwhile, David, having searched tirelessly for Violet and James, begins to feel the weight of worry settle over him. Wei’s anguished scream cuts through the chaos, drawing his attention. He turns just in time to catch a glimpse of what remains of Steve – a sight that leaves a knot in his chest.

  Not liking the odds or the situation, David signals Charlotte, and the two rush to join Lust and Wei. At the same time, Eugene and Jesús continue their search for Violet and James.

  “You okay?” David calls out, airborne alongside Charlotte as they locate and join Lust.

  “He killed Steve!” Wei snarls, the anger in his voice still palpable. For once, his usual habit of pronouncing “L” like “R” vanishes in his fury. “Lure him to the ground! Sacrifice his people!”

  With a sharp nod, Lust and Charlotte descend toward the sand below, Wei holding tight as Lust maneuvers swiftly. David, propelled by Charlotte’s wind, tries to pace as Wei launches a flurry of attacks to seize Ra’s attention.

  Ra follows without hesitation, his solar barque racing toward them with terrifying speed. Lust and Charlotte push forward, leading the group to an area teeming with souls, expertly navigating obstacles in their path.

  Ra, however, shows no regard for the destruction he leaves behind, plowing through the scene and obliterating everything in his way.

  “Out of the city! To the dunes!” Wei commands, his voice steady despite the chaos.

  The group successfully lures Ra beyond the city walls and into the vast expanse of the dunes. Once there, they split their efforts – Lust, though hovering, lets her feet drag against the sand as she circles the solar barque, while David and Charlotte ascend, maintaining a safe distance in the air.

  “What are you doing? You think the sandworms will…,” Ra begins, his taunting interrupted.

  A colossal sandworm bursts from the dunes, its massive jaws closing around Ra and the solar barque, swallowing them whole in a single, terrifying motion and bringing him into the depths of sand.

  Having anticipated Ra to break free, the group braces themselves, ready for anything. However, what happens next defies even their wildest imagination.

  The entire colossal sandworm bursts from the dunes, revealing its monstrous length. Leading the emergence is the section just beyond its mouth – its massive neck, unnaturally arched and straining upward. Ra’s presence is unmistakable, his blazing form visible through the translucent flesh, flying within the creature and forcing that part of its body to lead the rise. The rest of the sandworm’s enormous bulk follows in a slow, rippling motion, towering above the dunes like a living mountain.

  Below, other sandworms latch onto its body, their massive jaws sunk into its flesh. These predators dangle precariously, with most of their enormous lengths still submerged in the sand, writhing and twisting as if in a coordinated effort to pull their prey back underground. Then, the group’s nightmare becomes a reality – Ra moves toward Lust and Wei, randomly adjusting the speed and height of the hovering worm while thrashing the dangling beasts below, making his movements as unpredictable as possible.

  Lust evades, but can’t find any opening to escape the onslaught. Charlotte, carefully taking aim, flies both herself and David to the spot where Ra is. With a precise strike, David thrusts his burning sword into the flesh of the sandworm. The blade lodges deeply, and David raises his shield against the worm’s flesh. The movement inside the hovering worm halts, causing all the other worms to stop as well. Before Lust can join David and Charlotte, flames erupt from within the worm, and a falcon bursts through its flesh, rocketing out and sweeping David and Charlotte back into the city. They crash into the wall, chipping a significant part of it, before all three tumble to the ground.

  David halts his roll, coming to rest facing the wall. A frantic scan of the area reveals no one in sight. Panic grips him as he realizes he’s lost track of Charlotte and Ra. A jolt of urgency surges through him – he spins around, and dread slams into him like a blow. A scream of pure agony tears from his lips as he takes in the horrific sight – Ra, a deep gash marring his arm, bringing his fiery stomp down to crush the unconscious Charlotte’s head.