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"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"
RUMBLE!
With a mighty draconic roar, Lucifer unleashed a shockwave of imnse power from his Aura, hurling hundreds of Zodiacrons backward as they scread in agony. Many were marred by deadly cracks, and a few plumted from the skies, their fates unknown.
"No, wait! Please don't kill them!" Quick Hare scread, rushing onto the battlefield and shielding several Zodiacrons from Lucifer's furious claws.
CRAAASH!
"Ungh?! Girl! Don't get in the way! This is war! They ca to kill , so I'll kill them!" Lucifer roared angrily.
"No, they're being manipulated! None of these people are evil. None of them are bad!" Quick Hare cried, shocking nearby Zodiacrons. "Please, Maria…! Don't kill them! It's him! Drakogon and his henchn are our enemies, not these brainwashed people!"
"Why is she protecting us?!"
"Quick Hare, why?"
"What's going on? Why would she even do this?"
"She's going against her own ally?"
Drakogon's face contorted as he noticed the scene. He swiftly glared at Stryphex, who nodded and surged toward Quick Hare like a crimson thunderbolt.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
"Nnnggh?! Aagh!"
Quick Hare scread, her armor shattering in half as Stryphex struck her three tis with a rapid series of claw attacks, appearing above her in his Zodiac Tiger Beast Form.
"A traitor like you must die! Don't you dare taint our people's minds! You're rely pretending to care!"
"I used to look up to you, Stryphex, but you're too far gone now, aren't you?"
"Hm?!"
Stryphex's eyes widened as a long snake tail struck his chest, sending him flying before he could react, an explosion of green mana erupting from the impact.
BOOOM!
"Ungh?!"
Stryphex regained his balance, kicking the air and glaring at his assailant.
Vyperion floated in midair, wielding a pair of gamma swords, his sharp eyes fixed on Stryphex.
"Hah! A Snake dares challenge a Tiger?! Don't make laugh! Do you want to die so badly, Vyperion?!"
"Quick Hare taught that the Zodiac Beast we're born as doesn't matter. What matters is what we do with our power, how we grow as warriors and… as people. You, blessed by one of the strongest beasts, have beco nothing but scum, Stryphex, proving her entirely right."
"Am I really going to stand here and listen to your nonsense, you idealistic vermin?!"
Stryphex roared, clashing with Vyperion, who narrowly evaded his deadly claw attacks. Using his Snake Zodiac Beast abilities to elongate his limbs, Vyperion caught Stryphex off-guard.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
However, whenever Vyperion aid with his spear, Stryphex parried with sharp claws. Roaring, Stryphex unleashed a beam of light from his jaws, striking Vyperion, destroying his chest armor, and exposing his body.
BOOOM!
"Ugh!"
"Hah, I got you!"
FLASH!
Stryphex lunged for the kill, his claws brimming with crimson energy as his Aura surged, resembling a roaring Tiger of blazing flas.
"{Blazing Tiger Claws}!"
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
RUMBLE!
An explosion of flas and lightning erupted. Stryphex found himself halted by another attack, his eyes widening as the girl he targeted suddenly prevented him from killing Vyperion.
"Quick Hare?! No, get out of here!"
"I won't! I told you I'm done running away! I'll face this with you!"
"Adorable, but unfortunately for you, I'm not alone!" Stryphex laughed as dozens of Zodiacrons erged from all angles, attacking Vyperion and Quick Hare with laser guns and powerful gamma weapons, slashing at them relentlessly.
"No! Wait, everyone, please stop!" Quick Hare pleaded. "You're being manipulated! We don't want to harm you!"
"Damn it, Quick Hare, this won't work! There are too many. We have to defend ourselves!" Vyperion roared angrily, preparing to swing his arms at the attacking civilians.
"Nooo!" Quick Hare, however, stopped him, taking the blow with her own arms.
CRAAASH!
"What the…?! What are you even doing?!" Vyperion asked in disbelief, as the people behind her were equally stunned.
"Civilians… we must protect them! That's what warriors… what soldiers are for! We fight, we train, and we keep fighting, risking our lives… for them!" Quick Hare declared. "I love my city, and I love my people! I cannot bring myself to harm them… and I won't let you harm them either, Vyperion!"
"You're such an idiot!" Vyperion roared angrily. "Don't you see they want to kill you?!"
"They don't truly want to!" Quick Hare insisted, glancing at the crowd. "Look at them. Their hands are trembling, their eyes darting everywhere. They're not fit to fight! They're just afraid… afraid of losing everything they've worked so hard for."
"Quick Hare?"
"Why… What's going on?"
"Aren't you evil?"
"I am not evil, idiots!" Quick Hare shouted angrily. "Drakogon brainwashed you into believing that! Why would I ever do what he claims?! I haven't changed one bit. If anything, I've only learned the truth about him! Vyperion, now! While they're listening!"
"Right!" Vyperion nodded, swiftly projecting the footage he recorded.
The Zodiacrons saw Drakogon's conversation with the Hive Queen's Daughter, to the god king's disbelief, captured by Vyperion's eyes.
"What you've brought was not enough. My Mother hungers for more. She is evolving and requires vast amounts of food for her ascension. The battle ant to procure food failed. I thought you controlled your herds. What is the aning of this?"
"I've already handled it. You don't need to worry. Tell your mother that another battle will soon provide more food. An annoyance disrupted the status quo, but I assure you it won't happen again."
"I hope so, Drakogon. The authority and strength you've gained ca from my Mother. You must obey her. You've been spared and granted privileges only because it's more convenient for us to have soone raise our food to a suitable size and age before consumption."
"Yes, I understand. I'll eliminate any interference, just as I did with them. I hope your children enjoyed them. They seed quite 'tasty,' especially the small ones, those little, annoying vermin."
"Hmph, at least you remain consistent. You may go now. Mother hungers. Procure food within a week."
The brief exchange revealed the grim truth to everyone… Most remained in disbelief, shocked. So refused to accept it, and Drakogon, in his desperation, exploited their lingering doubt.
"It's fake! Don't believe it! How could you create such a foul video, Vyperion?! How low have you sunk?! How could you betray the trust we placed in you?!"
"Don't speak to with your crocodile tears, Drakogon! You're the monster, and we all know it now! The Hive Queen is coming because she's furious Maria killed her daughter, the one you were conspiring with!" Vyperion retorted. "I suspect she wants you dead, thinking you're responsible, right? And now you're dragging us all into this, offering us and these people to appease her anger! After all, as you said, we're just cattle. You can always wait a few hundred years for new generations of Zodiacrons to erge from the Mountains! We're nothing but disposable pawns to you!"
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