One’s decayed remains crumbled into dust, the last traces of his existence erased by his own arrogance. The battlefield was eerily silent for a moment—until Yornyang shifted, the unnatural glow of his inversion ability still flickering across his skin.

  He turned his gaze toward SOF, a smirk pulling at his lips.

  “That was… unexpected.” His voice was smooth, but there was a sharp amusement behind it. He flexed his fingers, testing the raw energy coursing through his body. “I should thank him. That little ‘erasure’ stunt made me stronger.”

  The ground beneath him trembled slightly as the inverted energy around him pulsed. His eyes gleamed with dangerous curiosity. “But now that he’s gone, I suppose it’s time to entertain myself.”

  Brave’s voice was steady as he stepped forward. “You don’t have to do this.”

  Yornyang chuckled. “Oh, but I do. I need to test something… and you’re all the perfect guinea pigs.”

  Without warning, he raised a hand—and the world flipped. The moment Yornyang’s fingers twitched, everything reversed. The air thickened unnaturally. The battlefield itself seemed to warp—flames that had been dying suddenly roared back to life, broken structures reformed as if time had undone the destruction. But it wasn’t time manipulation. It was Yornyang’s ability twisting the laws of reality.

  Senshi barely had a second to react before he felt his own fire turn against him—the flames coiling unnaturally, spiraling back toward his own body. He leaped away, gritting his teeth. “Damn it, my own heat—!”

  Shining, mid-step, suddenly stumbled backward instead of forward, his movement inexplicably rewound. “What—what the hell!?” His voice crackled with confusion as he tried to force his limbs to obey.

  Samui’s scanners went haywire, numbers flashing erratically. “He’s not just reversing things—he’s inverting cause and effect.”

  Yornyang smirked, his form flickering in and out of reality. “Let’s see if you can fight when your own actions betray you.”

  Weird cracked his neck, shaking off the bizarre pull of Yornyang’s inversion. The battlefield was distorting, twisting reality in ways that didn’t make sense—but Weird wasn’t the kind of guy to worry about logic. He grinned. “Alright, let’s see if my power still makes sense in your freak show.”

  Yornyang tilted his head, intrigued. “Ah, Reflex. I was wondering how you’d handle this.”

  Without warning, Weird rushed in.

  His movements were erratic, unpredictable. He wasn’t just attacking—he was baiting Yornyang into inverting his ability. If Yornyang could flip effects, what happened when an ability that reflects everything back collided with it? Their abilities clashed.

  Yornyang reversed Weird’s momentum mid-charge, sending him flying backward—but just as quickly, Reflex activated.

  The reversal reversed itself.

  Weird snapped back into position, his body correcting instantly as if reality had rewound incorrectly. He didn’t even stumble. Instead, he let out a low whistle. “Huh. That’s new.”

  Yornyang narrowed his eyes. “Fascinating.”

  Weird smirked. “That’s right. I’m a walking paradox.”

  Yornyang didn’t hesitate this time. He thrust his hand forward, unleashing a wave of inverted force—but as the energy surged toward Weird, his ability flipped it back the other way. The battlefield shook as Yornyang was hit with his own inversion. For a moment, his form flickered, unstable—his own power rejecting him. His body staggered back, the effect disrupting his control over the battlefield.

  Samui’s scanners instantly recalibrated. “He lost stability! If we press now, we can break his influence!”

  Yornyang staggered, his flickering form slowly stabilizing. The chaotic inversion feedback was still visible across his skin, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself back into balance. He took a slow breath, exhaling shakily. He wasn’t invincible anymore. His sharp gaze flickered back toward Weird, his smirk returning—though now tinged with exhaustion. “You’re troublesome,” he admitted, rolling his shoulders. “But your friends? Not so much.”

  Then, he raised his hands. Before anyone could react, a wave of energy rippled outward. Unlike before, it didn’t warp the environment—it didn’t invert space. It inverted life itself—exactly like what had happened to One before his demise. The moment the pulse hit, everyone except Weird felt their bodies lurch unnaturally.

  Samui’s breath hitched as her skin paled, wrinkles forming across her face in an instant. Her fingers trembled as she felt her muscles weaken—her body aging unnaturally fast.

  Senshi collapsed to one knee, his hands shaking. “What… the hell…?” His normally fiery aura dimmed, his breath ragged.

  Brave clutched his chest, his vision blurring. His hair turned gray in seconds. His voice cracked, but he still forced himself to stay standing.

  Even Shining, who had barely been touched all fight, let out a choked gasp as his limbs lost their strength.

  Yornyang was reversing their life spans. He smirked as he watched them wither before his eyes. “If you won’t die fighting me, then I’ll just make sure time takes you first.”

  Khem, standing still amidst the chaos, clenched his fists. Without hesitation, he activated his stasis ability, locking himself in time. The decay effect rippled over him but left no mark—he was untouchable in this frozen state.

  Weird’s breath hitched as he saw his team—his friends—falling apart in front of him. His usual cocky demeanor cracked, replaced by sheer panic.

  "No—no, no, no!" he muttered under his breath before launching himself at Yornyang, fists clenched, eyes blazing with desperation. "I’m taking you down myself!"

  Weird charged recklessly, swinging hard at Yornyang, but Yornyang twisted effortlessly, evading each strike with precise, minimal movement. "Fast," he remarked, sidestepping another wild punch. "But not enough."

  Weird gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling inside him. Every attempt he made to land a hit was brushed aside like an afterthought. Yornyang moved like he had already seen the outcome, effortlessly weaving through Weird’s attacks.

  Then, through the crackling air, a voice rang out.

  "YORNYANG—BREAK."

  Brave’s command cut through the battlefield, layered with raw force. Even while his body continued to decay, his presence remained unshaken. His voice hit Yornyang like a shockwave, forcing him to pause mid-dodge, throwing his balance slightly off.

  "FALTER."

  Yornyang stumbled. His fluid, untouchable movements wavered just slightly, just enough.

  "DISRUPT."

  A brief flicker of energy surrounded Yornyang—his own ability momentarily misaligned, thrown off course.

  Brave, despite the pain wracking his body, stood firm. His eyes burned with sheer willpower. "NOW, WEIRD! TAKE HIM!"

  Weird, summoning every ounce of his strength, lunged forward once more. But Yornyang, though slightly off balance, still dodged at the last second, a mocking grin tugging at his lips. "You're persistent, I'll give you that. But it's still not enough."

  Weird smirked back, breath ragged. "Looks like you're too focused on me and Brave... and you forgot someone."

  Yornyang's eyes widened in realization, but it was already too late. Khem, still locked in his stasis behind Yornyang, released himself in an instant. With no time to react, Yornyang barely had a chance to turn before Khem rushed forward and placed a hand directly on his back.

  Yornyang's entire body froze in place. His mocking smirk turned to stunned disbelief as the stasis took hold. His power, his movements, everything locked in time.

  And just like that, it was over. The battlefield trembled as Yornyang's control shattered. The unnatural aging reversed, the decay peeled away from Brave and the others. Everything Yornyang had twisted was undone in an instant.

  Weird exhaled heavily, his body shaking with both exhaustion and relief. His eyes darted around the battlefield, watching as the others slowly recovered. Though they were back to their normal selves, the reversal had taken a toll—everyone looked drained, barely able to stand. Even Senshi and Brave, the strongest among them, struggled to keep their footing.

  A weak chuckle escaped Brave as he steadied himself. "Damn... that was too close."

  Samui adjusted her scanner, her hands still trembling. "We really would have been doomed without you two," she admitted, nodding at both Weird and Khem.

  Shining wiped the sweat from his forehead, offering a tired grin. "No kidding. That was some insane teamwork."

  Senshi grunted, flexing his fingers as if testing his strength. "Give me a minute... then I'll start moving again."

  Weird, for once, didn't have a witty remark. Instead, he just let out a relieved breath and grinned. "Yeah, yeah... just glad we all made it out in one piece."

  Brave took a deep breath and steadied himself, his gaze hardening. "We're not done yet," he said firmly. "We need to find out where Wise's machine is."

  Samui let out a tired sigh, adjusting her scanner. "Just when I thought we'd get a break. But you're right. We can't let Wise keep that kind of power unchecked."

  Senshi, still catching his breath, smirked despite his exhaustion. "Tch… As much as I hate to admit it, we need to move. I don't plan on letting Wise run unchecked after all this."

  Shining rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the fatigue. "We need intel. Fast. Wise always has a plan, and we need to be ahead of him for once."

  Weird stretched his arms, forcing a grin. "Man, can we get like… five minutes? No? Alright, fine. Let's find this thing before it finds us."

  Brave, still regaining his strength, steadied himself and looked toward Yornyang's frozen form. "We can’t let him go. Capture him. His reign of terror ends here."

  Khem, ever composed, simply nodded. He glanced at Brave, acknowledging his order with a firm look. "Understood. We have no time to waste. Let's get moving."

  A few hours later, the team gathered in a makeshift command center, each focused on tracking down the location of Wise's machine. Samui poured over data streams, cross-referencing energy signatures, while Shining mapped potential hideouts. Senshi, despite his exhaustion, reviewed battle reports for any overlooked clues. Weird, now a bit more serious, assisted where he could, and Brave kept a sharp eye on their progress, his mind already formulating the next step in their mission.

  As they worked, theories began to form about the true purpose of Wise's machine.

  Samui adjusted her scanner, deep in thought. "If Wise is using meteorite stones, the machine could be amplifying their energy output. Maybe even creating new abilities."

  Shining frowned, tapping the table. "Or worse—what if it's meant to extract abilities from others? If Wise could forcibly take powers, he’d be unstoppable."

  Senshi, still tired but determined, grunted. "If it’s something that dangerous, we can't afford to let him activate it."

  Weird smirked, though there was little humor in it. "Knowing Wise, it’s probably something even worse. Something none of us have even thought of yet."

  Brave crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "Then we find it before he does. Before he uses it."

  A long while later, as the team continued their search, Samui's scanner suddenly pinged. She leaned in, adjusting the settings as an enormous energy signature appeared on her screen. It was almost unnoticeable, hidden beneath layers of interference, but its sheer mass made it impossible to fully conceal.

  Samui's eyes widened. "I think we found it." She glanced at the others. "This energy signature—it's coming from a meteorite stone. And it's massive. Even Wise couldn't hide something this big." She tapped a few buttons on her scanner, eyes narrowing. "It's in an isolated location. Almost like it's been deliberately placed somewhere no one would think to look."

  Senshi's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on him. "Wait a minute... that’s where the meteor first crashed on Earth."

  Senshi exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "So that's it... The core of whatever he's planning. If that thing is active, we might already be out of time."

  Shining crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. "With that much energy, there's no way Wise isn't using it for something catastrophic. We need to move fast."

  Weird gave a low whistle, shaking his head. "You know, for once, I was kinda hoping we were wrong. But of course, it's exactly as bad as we feared."

  Brave's expression darkened as he looked at the data. "Then we go. No hesitation. We take this thing down before it’s too late."

  Samui adjusted her scanner again. "The meteor's crash site... it's where everything started. Maybe Wise knew something about it from the beginning."

  Shining nodded thoughtfully. "If Wise set up his machine there, it can't be a coincidence. That place must have more significance than we thought."

  Senshi cracked his knuckles. "Then it's the perfect place to end this. We take the fight back to where it all began."

  Samui frowned as she analyzed the data further. "The location is even more concealed than I thought. The meteor crash site is buried under layers of dense jungle, and whatever facility Wise has built there is likely hidden beneath it. That explains why it was almost undetectable."

  Shining nodded. "A jungle-covered impact site with underground structures? That makes it a nightmare to approach and an even bigger problem if we have to fight inside."

  Weird crossed his arms, sighing. "Great, so not only do we have to deal with Wise, but now we get to trek through a jungle first? Fantastic."

  Khem, who had been silent for most of the discussion, finally spoke. "It will be difficult terrain, but it also means Wise’s defenses might be more natural than technological. That could work to our advantage."

  The group exchanged glances, slightly taken aback by Khem’s words. Senshi smirked, "Hah, look at that—Khem finally speaks. And of course, it’s about tactics."

  Brave took a deep breath and turned to the group. "I’ll stay back and gather reinforcements. We might need extra firepower if Wise has defenses in place. The rest of you move ahead and locate the machine."

  Samui nodded. "Understood. The sooner we get there, the better."

  Senshi smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Let’s hope we don’t need those reinforcements. But good to know they’ll be ready."

  Weird shrugged. "Fine by me. Just make sure you don’t take too long, Commander Brave. We’re gonna need all the backup we can get.

  Several kilometers away from Wise's base, the SOF team crouched on a high ridge, hidden by the dense jungle canopy. From their vantage point, they could see the outer perimeter of Wise’s defenses, though much of the terrain remained obscured by the thick foliage. Each member scanned the area carefully, their senses heightened. Samui's scanner beeped softly, catching her attention. She frowned, adjusting its settings.

  "I'm detecting an unusual energy signature," she murmured. "But I can't pinpoint exactly what it is. It’s shifting from being masked."

  Senshi narrowed his eyes, scanning the landscape. "We're still far from the base, but considering Wise, there should be some kind of defense. This is unusual. We should stay on guard and keep moving."

  The team moved cautiously through the dense jungle, each member hyper-aware of their surroundings. Hours passed as they navigated the terrain, pressing forward with quiet determination. But something felt off. After a few more hours, a creeping sense of unease settled over them. Samui checked her scanner again, frowning. "Something isn't right. We should have covered more ground by now."

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Weird glanced around, his usual humor absent. "Feels like we've been walking in circles."

  Khem signaled for everyone to halt. "High ground. Now. We need to confirm our position."

  The team scaled a nearby ridge, using the vantage point to survey the area. As they looked out over the jungle, realization dawned on them—they had barely moved from their starting position.

  Senshi let out a frustrated exhale. "We've been walking for hours, but we haven't made any real progress? This isn't normal."

  Shining clenched his fists. "This has to be Wise's doing. No way we're just bad at directions."

  Weird shook his head, rubbing his temples. "So what, we're in some kind of loop? Great. Just what we needed."

  Samui frowned. "If this is an illusion or a spatial disruption, we need to find its source. Otherwise, we could be stuck here indefinitely."

  Khem remained silent, his gaze scanning the jungle below as if looking for an answer. His eyes narrowed as he noticed something slightly out of place—a patch of terrain that didn’t quite match the rest of the jungle. He turned to Samui. "Scan that area. Something isn’t right."

  Samui adjusted her scanner, focusing on the spot Khem pointed out. Her eyes widened as new readings appeared. "There’s a stronger signature here… some kind of device. It’s faint, but it’s definitely not natural."

  The team moved toward the location, cautiously searching the area. After a few moments of careful inspection, Samui reached out and uncovered a small, nearly invisible device hidden among the foliage.

  Her voice was firm. "This is an illusion emitter. Wise’s defenses are already at play."

  Senshi narrowed his eyes at the device. "So this is why we’ve been going in circles. He didn’t just set traps—he altered the battlefield itself."

  Shining crossed his arms. "Classic Wise. Instead of overwhelming force, he makes you doubt reality itself."

  Weird let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course. The guy just has to play mind games. Can’t just throw some drones at us like a normal villain."

  Samui studied the device closely. "If this is just one emitter, there might be more. Wise wouldn't rely on just a single layer of deception. We need to disable these, or we’ll keep running in circles."

  Khem nodded. "Then let’s find the rest. But stay sharp—if Wise set this up, there’s no telling what else he has hidden here."

  Wasting no more time, SOF pressed forward, methodically destroying the illusion emitters as they advanced. The devices were well-hidden, but with Samui’s scanner and Khem’s sharp eye, they managed to track them down one by one. Each one they deactivated sent a ripple through the jungle, causing small distortions in the air, like reality correcting itself.

  Hours passed, and soon the sky darkened as evening settled in. Despite their continued progress, an unsettling feeling lingered among them. They had been walking for hours, yet something felt... wrong.

  Weird slowed his pace, looking around suspiciously. "Okay... I might be losing it, but does this place look familiar to anyone else?"

  Senshi’s expression darkened as he glanced at the surrounding terrain. "Yeah. This clearing—we’ve been here before."

  Shining cursed under his breath. "No. That’s not possible. We’ve been moving forward this whole time. We’ve been destroying the devices. There’s no way we’re looping again."

  Samui’s hands tightened around her scanner. "Then why does it feel like we’re repeating the same actions? Even the way the emitters are set up—it’s identical to what we’ve already done."

  Khem observed the ground beneath them, his mind racing. "It’s not just the emitters. The trees, the terrain, even the placement of our footprints... it's all the same."

  A heavy silence fell over them. They weren’t just trapped in a loop. They were trapped in something worse. Determined to break free, the team immediately shifted focus. "We need to find the source of this," Samui stated, recalibrating her scanner. "If this is more than just the illusion emitters, then there has to be a central device controlling it."

  Senshi tightened his fists. "Then we search the area again. Carefully. No assumptions. If something feels off, we check it."

  Weird ran a hand through his hair, his usual carefree attitude absent. "Yeah, because walking in circles for another few hours sounds like a blast. Let’s find this thing and smash it."

  Khem nodded, already scanning their surroundings with sharp eyes. "Look for anything that seems slightly out of place. If this loop is being controlled remotely, there must be a hidden core device keeping it active."

  As they continued combing through the jungle, an eerie sense of familiarity crept over each of them. Every tree, every rock, every destroyed emitter—it all looked the same.

  Senshi clenched his fists. "No way. We’ve done this already. We’ve searched this exact spot before."

  Weird exhaled sharply. "I was hoping it was just me, but yeah… I swear we’ve checked this place like three times."

  Samui's scanner flickered, her frustration evident. "It doesn't make sense. I should have picked up the source by now, but if we really are repeating this over and over, something is blocking the signal."

  Shining crossed his arms, his voice tense. "If we’re caught in something bigger than just illusion emitters, then Wise has set up something beyond our expectations."

  Khem remained quiet, his gaze locked on the jungle ahead. "Then we need to understand why we’re noticing the repetition. That might be the key to breaking it."

  Senshi exhaled sharply, frustration building. "Enough of this. If we’re caught in some kind of endless loop, then I’m breaking through it."

  He clenched his fists, summoning flames around them. "RYU!" he shouted, invoking the spirit of his fire dragon. Flames coiled around his arms, intensifying with raw energy.

  With a fierce punch to the ground, a massive flaming shockwave erupted outward, tearing through the jungle with explosive force. The wave of fire surged in all directions, setting trees ablaze and sending embers scattering into the night sky.

  Samui, caught in the sudden blast, staggered back, shielding her face from the heat. "Senshi! Are you insane?! You can’t just set the whole damn jungle on fire!" she scolded, her voice laced with irritation.

  Before she could continue, Khem and Shining interrupted her, both suddenly alert. Khem's gaze locked onto a dense patch of bushes nearby. "Something's there," he said in a low voice.

  Shining nodded, his stance shifting defensively. "It's not just the fire—something was already hiding before Senshi's blast. And now it’s moving."

  The figure bolted from the bushes, darting through the jungle with remarkable speed.

  Senshi, not willing to let it escape, quickly summoned another surge of flames. "You're not getting away!" he roared, launching another flaming shockwave in the figure's direction.

  The explosion ripped through the terrain, trees igniting in a brilliant inferno as the shockwave crashed forward. The force of the impact sent the fleeing figure tumbling, stopping them in their tracks.

  A loud exhale cut through the burning air, unnaturally sharp and heavy—loud enough for the entire SOF to hear. A faint giggle followed, barely audible but unmistakable.

  The team instinctively tensed, weapons and abilities at the ready. Slowly, the figure rose to their feet and stepped forward, emerging from the shadows of the burning jungle.

  Khem's expression hardened as recognition struck him. "...Three."

  Three tilted his head slightly, his smirk sharp and amused. "Ah, so you remember me. That makes things a little more interesting."

  Weird let out a sharp breath, his expression darkening. "Oh, hell no. Not you again."

  Khem remained unreadable, but his body tensed slightly. "So it’s you."

  Weird stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Yeah, I remember. You were the one screwing with time and sequences last time. Thought you were clever, huh?" He scoffed. "Guess what? I’m not falling for that again."

  Three chuckled softly. "Oh, Reflex... it was never about making you fall for anything. It was about seeing how long it would take you to notice. And now, I get to do it all over again."

  Weird scoffed, still keeping his glare locked on Three. "Yeah, that’s what he does. Makes you second-guess what’s real until you don’t know up from down. But this time, we’re ready for him."

  Three let out a slow, deliberate breath before smirking again. "Start. Action. Finish."

  The moment the words left his mouth, reality shifted.

  Senshi felt his body lurch forward—not of his own will. His fist shot out in a punch, but just as it connected with the air, his motion reset—his arm snapping back to where it started. He tried again—same result. His movements locked in an endless cycle, forcing him to repeat the same attack over and over.

  "What the hell—?!" Senshi growled, struggling against the invisible force controlling him.

  Shining blinked, but when his eyes reopened, he was no longer where he had been. He flickered between two positions, unable to tell which was real. His vision blurred—one moment he was standing behind Khem, the next, several feet away. A second passed, and he was back to the original spot.

  "Damn it—he’s messing with time itself!" Shining cursed, trying to stabilize his perception.

  Samui gasped as her scanner screen glitched, flashing unreadable data. "No, it’s not time—it’s our actions. Everything we do is being rewritten the moment it happens!"

  Weird, watching Senshi’s repeated attacks and Shining’s flickering, gritted his teeth. He had seen this before.

  "Oh, no you don’t," Weird muttered, immediately throwing a punch—but instead of aiming at Three, he threw it backward, at nothing.

  Three tilted his head slightly, intrigued. "Clever. Trying to disrupt the cycle by breaking the expected pattern?"

  Weird smirked. "Guess what, buddy? I don’t play by your rules."

  Instead of fighting instinctively, Weird acted completely erratically—twisting his body in random directions, making exaggerated feints, even dropping to the ground for no reason. The moment he stopped following a pattern, the sequence failed to lock him.

  Khem, having observed the changes, remained absolutely still. He focused his ability and created a stasis bubble, freezing himself in time. The moment he did, the forced sequences tried to loop him—but they had nothing to grab onto.

  Samui, still struggling to regain control of her scanner, realized what was happening. "It’s working! Weird is disrupting the expected actions! And Khem—he’s neutralizing the effect by refusing to move!"

  Three’s smirk never faded, but his fingers twitched slightly. "Oh? Then let’s make this more interesting."

  He straightened his posture, brushing the dust from his cloak before spreading his arms slightly in mock presentation. "I suppose it’s time for a proper introduction."

  His smirk deepened, his voice laced with amusement. "I am Three. Title: Steps. But tell me... are you sure that's all I can do?"

  With a slow, deliberate motion, he reached up and pulled back the hood of his cloak. The firelight from Senshi’s earlier attacks flickered against his now-exposed face—and then they saw it.

  A third eye, embedded in the center of his forehead, slowly blinked open.

  A pulse of unseen force rippled outward the moment it was revealed, an eerie shift that sent a chill through the air.

  Three's smirk widened. "You're all so focused on what you've seen before—three-step sequences, simple loops. But what if I told you... I can do more?"

  The moment he finished speaking, the world shifted again.

  Senshi, still locked in his repeating attack, suddenly found his body moving through an entirely new set of motions—punch, dodge, pivot, strike. Four distinct actions, repeating in a flawless cycle.

  Shining gasped as his flickering locations expanded—he now cycled through four different positions instead of two, disorienting him further.

  Samui’s scanner glitched wildly. "No—he’s increased the number of sequences! We’re not just caught in loops anymore, we’re in pre-planned patterns!"

  Weird clenched his fists. "Great, as if three steps weren’t annoying enough. Now he’s setting up full combos."

  Khem’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed the shift. "If he’s increasing the pattern complexity, that means the key to breaking free is finding the moment where the sequence resets... and disrupting it."

  Three chuckled, tilting his head. "Ah, but that would require perfect coordination. And let’s see if you can manage that while your actions are no longer your own."

  Senshi, now locked in the extended sequence, clenched his fists. He had already punched twice, and by the third strike, he unleashed a massive flaming shockwave toward Three—only to see it never reach its target.

  His body reset mid-motion, the attack vanishing into nothing as if it had never happened, yet his muscles still burned as if he had thrown it.

  "Damn it! I can't—!" Senshi gritted his teeth, forced to repeat the motion without the intended effect.

  Samui, trying to take control of the situation, raised her remote, ready to override Three's manipulation with a command—but her finger never pressed the button.

  Her hand froze in place, trapped in an incomplete motion. "No… I can’t move forward! I can only… hold this pose?!"

  Shining, attempting to fire a beam at Three, found himself in the exact same predicament. His body shifted through the steps of charging the blast, but when it should have fired, the moment never came. The beam remained unformed, and then his body reset back to the charge phase.

  Three laughed softly, his third eye glowing faintly. "Yes, that’s right. You see, it’s not just about making you repeat—it's about controlling which steps get to complete. And for you…? None of them."

  Weird and Khem watched as the situation deteriorated. Senshi, Samui, and Shining were completely trapped in Three’s manipulated sequences, unable to break free. Khem knew that if he moved, he would risk getting caught as well, so he remained frozen in his stasis state.

  Weird exhaled sharply, his fists tightening. He could move, but his ability wasn’t suited for offense. He wasn’t like Senshi or Shining—he couldn’t just overpower his way out of this.

  He glanced toward Khem, who remained frozen in his stasis. "You can see what's happening, right? You have to have some idea. I can rebound abilities, but that’s not gonna help much if I can’t land a hit. What do I do here?"

  Three let out a mocking chuckle, tilting his head. "Look at you, Reflex. The unshakable wall. The untouchable defense. But what good is the best shield when you can't strike back?"

  He gestured lazily at the battlefield, where Senshi, Shining, and Samui remained trapped in their incomplete sequences. "You can deflect anything, sure. But deflect what exactly? My ability isn't something you can just bounce back."

  Weird narrowed his eyes, a flicker of realization hitting him. He was the only one who hadn’t been affected yet. Even Khem had to lock himself in stasis to avoid the loop. That meant Three hadn’t used his power on him. Yet.

  Weird exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. "You got it all wrong, Steps. You're sitting there thinking I need to deflect something to be useful." He smirked, stepping forward. "But what if I don’t need to bounce anything? What if I just need to make you use your power on me?"

  Three raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh? And how do you plan to make me do that?"

  Weird grinned and suddenly grabbed a handful of rocks from the ground. "Easy. I'll just be annoying."

  With that, he started hurling anything he could find at Three—rocks, broken branches, even chunks of dirt. As he threw, he chuckled to himself. "Man, I used to be the best thrower back in the orphanage. You wouldn't believe how many times I nailed someone in the head from across the yard."

  At first, Three merely flicked his hand, keeping the projectiles locked in a controlled sequence so they never reached him. But Weird was relentless—his throws increased in speed and number, each one thrown at a different angle, disrupting the predictable flow.

  Three's smirk faltered slightly as he started having to react manually, dodging some of the objects instead of controlling them. The sheer volume was overwhelming his ability to maintain a perfect sequence.

  As his focus wavered, SOF began slipping out of the loops for split seconds at a time.

  Khem noticed the shift immediately. His sharp eyes tracked Three’s subtle reactions, recognizing the opening that Weird was forcing. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, moving at full speed toward Three.

  The moment Three’s gaze flicked toward him, Khem abruptly froze himself in stasis.

  Three’s eyes twitched as he tried to lock Khem into a sequence, only to realize there was nothing to manipulate. Khem, existing outside of time in that moment, became untouchable to Three’s power.

  This process repeated. Weird tirelessly increased the number of projectiles, forcing Three to hold back an overwhelming barrage while also keeping SOF trapped in his sequences. At the same time, Khem continued his strategy—rushing forward, drawing Three's attention, and locking himself in stasis the moment Three tried to target him.

  With every cycle, Three was forced to divide his focus further, his control slipping moment by moment. His third eye flickered, his steps growing less calculated as he started to slowly step back, pressured by the relentless assault.

  At that moment, Senshi finally completed his shockwave. The flaming energy surged outward, ripping through the air with explosive force.

  At the same time, Shining's beam blasted forward, cutting through the battlefield like a streak of pure light.

  Three's expression shifted as he was forced to redirect his focus entirely—not only did he have to block the relentless barrage from Weird, but now he also had to stop Senshi’s shockwave and Shining’s beam simultaneously.

  His third eye pulsed, and his hands moved in quick, precise gestures, trying to halt both incoming attacks while still holding his sequences together.

  For the first time, he was visibly struggling.

  Three's mind raced. If he tried to escape, Khem would immediately rush in and freeze him again. But if he stayed, he would be overwhelmed and eventually get frozen anyway.

  His third eye flickered, rapidly scanning the battlefield, calculating every possible outcome. Trapped between two losing options.

  Three let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he observed Khem. His gaze followed the perfectly timed sequence Khem had been executing—run, stasis, run, stasis. It was so simple, yet impossible to disrupt.

  His lips curled into an amused smile. "Such a simple but beautiful sequence..." he murmured, almost in admiration, as he watched Khem’s unwavering rhythm in real time.

  'Tch… Checkmate, huh?' he thought, gritting his teeth, watching as Khem steadily closed in, faster than he could move backward.

  Then—the touch.

  Everything stopped. No—everything moved all at once.

  The sequence completed, reality catching up in an instant. Senshi’s shockwave erupted, Shining’s beam fired, and every projectile Weird had launched surged forward at once.

  Three’s body froze, locked in time. His smirk barely had time to fade before his movements became utterly still, his ability severed in a single, decisive moment.

  Khem remained locked in stasis as well, ensuring he avoided the chaotic aftermath. Without his stasis, he would have been hit by the sheer force of Weird’s relentless barrage, along with Senshi’s shockwave and Shining’s beam, all now surging toward his position at once.

  Weird, watching the spectacle unfold, exhaled before flashing a mocking grin. "Whoops. My bad. Didn’t think that would all hit at once. Hope it didn’t sting too much, Steps."

  Senshi let out a breathless chuckle, shaking his head. "I can’t believe that actually worked."

  Shining smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Who knew throwing a bunch of random junk would be the key to winning?"

  Samui adjusted her scanner, her expression somewhere between amused and impressed. "Tactically speaking, it was chaotic, reckless... and surprisingly effective."

  Weird grinned proudly. "See? Sometimes you just gotta throw stuff and hope for the best."

  Khem, now out of stasis, glanced at Weird with his usual stoic demeanor. "I’m not sure that was a strategy."

  Weird shrugged. "Doesn’t matter. It worked. And it was my non-strategy."

  Senshi snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Just don’t start thinking you’re a genius or anything."

  Weird flashed a wide grin. "Too late."

  Khem's attention turned toward the now-frozen Three. His mind sharpened with a singular focus—interrogation. What was the machine for? What was Wise planning? He needed answers, and Three was the only one who might have them.

  With a careful motion, Khem released just enough of Three’s stasis to allow him to speak, ensuring he remained locked in place from the neck down, unable to move anything except his mouth. Three exhaled slowly, blinking as his senses returned. He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Well... looks like I lost. Not exactly how I expected this to end."

  Samui wasted no time, stepping forward. "What is Wise planning?"

  Three smirked despite his situation. "You think I’d have clearance for that? I was just told to gather the stones and stop any pursuers. Anything beyond that? Way above my pay grade."

  Shining narrowed his eyes. "So that's it? You just have no idea?"

  Three sighed dramatically. "Not a clue. But if Wise is putting this much effort into it, I’d say you’re running out of time."

  Senshi clicked his tongue. "Tch. So he really doesn’t know anything."

  Shining frowned. "Or he’s just lying to waste more of our time. We can’t afford to take his word for it."

  Weird crossed his arms. "I dunno, sounds pretty on-brand for Wise to keep secrets even from his own guys."

  Samui exhaled. "Either way, this isn’t helping us. We need real intel, not speculation."

  Khem, still focused, gave a curt nod. "Enough. We’ve wasted too much time already. We’re moving forward."

  Without hesitation, he raised his hand and completely froze Three in stasis once again, locking every part of his body in perfect stillness, ensuring there was no chance of him interfering any further. Without looking back, he turned toward the path ahead. "Let’s go."

  Samui nodded, already adjusting her scanner. "Agreed. We still don’t know what defenses are left between us and the machine. We should assume Wise is aware of our approach by now."

  Senshi stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders. "Tch… as much as I hate rushing in without rest, we don’t have a choice. Let’s go."

  Shining exhaled, still catching his breath. "We stay sharp and move fast. No more getting caught in loops."

  Weird smirked but didn’t argue. "Yeah, yeah. Onward to the next nightmare trap, I guess."

  Khem remained silent, but his slight nod signaled his agreement. With that, SOF pushed forward once more, determined to reach Wise’s stronghold before it was too late.

  The jungle loomed ahead, dense and unyielding, but there was no turning back. Each of them felt the weight of what lay ahead—Wise, his machine, and whatever final defenses awaited them.

  Night settled in, casting eerie shadows between the towering trees. The air was thick with tension, but no one spoke.

  Samui exhaled softly, glancing at her scanner. "We used to fight his soldiers. Now we’re fighting reality itself."

  Senshi scoffed, rolling his shoulders. "Tch. Feels like every fight pushes us into some new nightmare. Wise always finds a way to make things worse."

  Shining nodded, his expression serious. "And this time, we don’t have the luxury of falling into his traps again. We have to stay ahead."

  Weird stretched his arms, smirking. "Then let’s make sure this next part isn’t another game of loops and illusions. I’m getting real tired of walking in circles."

  Khem remained silent, but his sharp gaze stayed fixed on the path ahead.

  They all knew—this next battle would set the stage for what was to come.