Eudora stepped forward with eerie calm, but in a blink, launched shoulder missiles toward them. Kirana and Zephyr dove aside, narrowly escaping the fiery blast that obliterated crates behind them.

  Zephyr struck first, hurling his chained spear toward Eudora. But she caught it with her mechanical hand, yanking Zephyr toward her with terrifying force.

  "You’ll have to do better than that," Eudora said coldly, slamming Zephyr against a cargo wall.

  Kirana leapt into the air, firing a plasma arrow straight for Eudora’s head. It struck her helmet, flaring with sparks, yet barely a scratch.

  "Damn it... it’s not working," Kirana muttered, realizing her armor was nearly impenetrable.

  Eudora advanced, a glowing plasma blade extending from her arm. Kirana dodged nimbly, but the blade's edge grazed her shoulder.

  "Kirana! We can’t fight her like this!" Zephyr shouted as he stumbled back to his feet.

  "We have to hold on," she snapped, eyes locked with his. "We don’t give up now."

  The fight spiraled into chaos. Kirana and Zephyr danced between death and defiance, dodging plasma slashes and evading a flurry of energy blasts. Edena elite soldiers arrived, encircling them with deadly precision.

  Zephyr swung his chained spear, catching one soldier mid-charge and hurling him into a wall. "Kirana, are you alright?!" he shouted, rushing to her side.

  Drawing back her bow, Kirana loosed twin arrows toward Eudora. "Still standing. But we won’t last much longer."

  Eudora, serene amid the storm, batted the projectiles away with her armored hand. Her voice echoed, cold and resolute. "You’re a nuisance. Insignificant, next to the power I wield."

  Zephyr threw himself in front of Kirana, intercepting a laser shot. The blast slammed into his energy shield, sparks flying as he grit his teeth through the jolt.

  "No one touches Kirana while I still breathe!" he roared.

  Kirana's gaze softened. "Zephyr… you know we might not make it out alive, right?"

  He gave her a broken smile, sweat and blood painting his face. "Maybe not. But I’d die happy. Fighting beside you… that’s enough. If this is our last night, it’s beautiful, because it’s with you."

  Silence fell for a moment, the world slowing, though battle raged on.

  "Zephyr…" Her voice cracked. "I regret nothing. If this is the end, I’m glad Aelina was saved."

  On the ship, Aelina stirred, awakened by the final transmission from the comms. Her eyes widened as the fading voices of Zephyr and Kirana broke through.

  "No!" she screamed, pounding the glass of her capsule. "Dad! Mom! Don’t leave me!"

  Draven knelt beside her, his tone steady. "Aelina, breathe. They’re fighting for you. They won’t give up."

  Her tears spilled freely. "I don’t care who I am. I don’t care if I’m not their blood! I love them! I just want them back. I LOVE THEM!"

  From the control panel, Lyra closed her eyes, voice trembling. "Kirana… Zephyr… this can’t be your end. Please… just hold on."

  Back in the cargo field, Eudora closed in. Her relentless onslaught, and the elite troops, drained the last of Kirana and Zephyr’s strength.

  Zephyr collapsed to his knees, spear slipping from his grasp. "I… I can’t move anymore, Kirana…"

  Injured and weary, Kirana still held her bow. She drew one last arrow, locking eyes with Zephyr. "Then I’ll stand with you until the end."

  She fired. The arrow hit Eudora square in the chest, only to fizzle harmlessly against her armor.

  Eudora paused, staring at them through glowing red eyes. "You’re finished."

  Suddenly, a thunderous roar filled the air. Engines and wheels thundered from afar. From behind the stacked crates, rebel vehicles burst into view, former Edena military now turned against Caius Dalthar.

  "Positions!" a burly man in a leather jacket roared, raising a massive rifle.

  The rebels surged forward, engaging the elite soldiers, giving Kirana and Zephyr a sliver of breathing room.

  Zephyr let out a faint laugh through clenched teeth. "Kirana… they actually came. I can’t believe it."

  Though the reinforcements held back the troops, Eudora remained unfazed. She walked forward, silent, emotionless, unstoppable.

  Kirana and Zephyr, still on the ground, fought to hold on. Zephyr hurled an electric kunai. Kirana fired arrow after arrow. But Eudora kept coming.

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  She halted in front of them, lifting her plasma blade high. Her voice rang out like death. "This is the end. You will be eliminated."

  Zephyr, barely conscious, turned to Kirana. "I love you, Kirana. And I love Aelina. Please… make sure she knows that."

  Kirana grasped his hand tightly, tears streaming down her bloodied face. "I love you too, Zephyr. Whatever happens… I won’t stop fighting."

  Eudora raised her weapon, poised for the killing blow,

  A violent explosion ripped through the ground beside her. The blast rocked the field, dust and debris erupting into chaos.

  "WHAT WAS THAT?!" shouted one of the Edena troops.

  Smoke engulfed the battlefield. Kirana and Zephyr huddled behind a toppled crate, hearts pounding.

  "Kirana, we’re at our limit," Zephyr rasped, struggling to his feet with his spear.

  She trembled, gripping her bow. "I know… but Aelina needs us. We can’t die yet."

  The sky suddenly thundered with the roar of engines. All heads turned upward. A ship streaked through the smoke, raining down plasma fire on the Edena ranks.

  "Get ready! We’re coming in hot!" Kaelar’s voice rang through the comms, sharp and commanding.

  The ramp of the ship opened slowly. And from the light, a lone figure stepped forth.

  A woman clad in silver armor, etched with glowing blue streams pulsing like lightning. In her right hand, a massive axe blazed with fire. In her left, a radiant blue shield.

  With one powerful leap, she soared from the ramp. The ground shook as she landed, cleaving a crater beneath her boots. Dust and fire spiraled around her.

  Lowering her arms, her eyes glowed bright, pupils lit with fierce electric blue.

  Then she spoke, her voice low and searing with power:

  "No one touches my father and mother."

  The blue lines across her armor flared red, releasing a heatwave that rippled across the battlefield. Aelina’s combat mode had fully awakened, her systems unlocked, her resolve unshakable.

  In the cockpit of the ship, Velaria's eyes widened as she stared at the screen. "Her energy... it's skyrocketing! She's fully integrated with her body now. This is extraordinary."

  Behind her, Vega murmured, his tone low and foreboding. "She is the weapon Edena could only dream of."

  From a few meters away, Eudora's cold, metallic voice cut through the air as her eyes locked onto Aelina. "Subject AIKO. You are classified as a high-priority threat. Elimination protocol initiated."

  Aelina said nothing. She stepped forward, calm, slow, resolute. Then, with a single explosive leap, she soared through the air, her shield leading the charge.

  The impact struck Eudora hard, sending her crashing backward into a stack of cargo crates.

  Eudora rose swiftly. A crimson plasma blade extended from her arm, hissing as it sliced through the air toward Aelina.

  But Aelina met the attack with her blazing axe, intercepting it mid-strike. Sparks of raw energy flared as weapon met weapon.

  Seizing the opening, Aelina twisted her body, driving her foot into Eudora's torso. The blow hurled her across the field, slamming her against the concrete wall at the far end.

  With no time to lose, Aelina sprinted toward the cargo where Kirana and Zephyr knelt in pain.

  Kirana's voice trembled with emotion. "Aelina... you came back..."

  Dropping to her knees, Aelina met their gaze with tenderness. "I will never leave you. Not again."

  Zephyr struggled to rise, but his body betrayed him. "You have to go, Aelina. You have to survive. Forget us."

  She shook her head, gripping both their hands. "No. We all walk out of here. Together."

  Closing her eyes, Aelina activated the plasma regeneration embedded in their armor. A gentle blue glow flowed from her into them, restoring their energy shields, lifting the weight of pain.

  Then she stood. She turned toward the battlefield where Eudora was already stirring from the rubble.

  Her eyes glowed scarlet, filled with unshakable resolve.

  "Mother. Father," Aelina said firmly. "Get to safety. I’ll handle her."

  Kirana grabbed her arm, voice cracking. "No... Aelina, we can't leave you behind."

  Aelina offered a small smile, caressing her mother’s hand. "You’ve protected me all this time. Now it’s my turn. Trust me."

  Zephyr placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then hold on, kid. We’re coming back for you."

  Aelina nodded. "I'll be waiting."

  Amidst the scorched cargo field, Aelina stood tall, like a monument to defiance.

  She stomped the ground once. A storm of energy erupted from her, waves of crimson fire spiraling around her frame, forming a vortex of blinding heat.

  Containers were launched into the air, walls cracked, and smoke rose thick into the war-drenched sky.

  Over the comms, Lyra’s voice echoed sharply.

  "She’s entered WAR MODE. No one can stop her now. Kirana, Zephyr, you need to evacuate. Immediately."

  Kirana gazed at her daughter, half pride, half fear. Zephyr touched her shoulder gently.

  "She knows what she’s doing. We have to trust her."

  Kirana inhaled deeply. "We’ll come back to her."

  Together, they dashed toward the rebel line. From above, Kaelar redirected the ship, preparing to extract them.

  Across the wreckage, Eudora slowly rose, her crimson eyes burning from within a fractured helmet.

  Her damaged body began to repair itself, Edena’s self-regeneration tech weaving it back together.

  "Target locked," she intoned. "Subject AIKO: Maximum threat level. Commencing annihilation."

  A barrage of missiles erupted from Eudora’s shoulders. They spun and locked onto Aelina’s position with deadly precision.

  Aelina remained still.

  Then, like a blaze come to life, she danced into the sky, weaving through the hail of missiles, her movements graceful and fluid.

  An explosion burst nearby, but her shield deflected the brunt, and she landed soundlessly.

  With a swift swing of her axe, she released a crimson arc of energy toward Eudora.

  Eudora leapt, sword raised, cleaving the arc in two. The shockwave shattered crates and scarred the floor.

  The battle raged, symphonic, deadly.

  Aelina surged forward, axe clashing against blade. Energy detonated with each collision.

  "Why do you resist?" Eudora demanded, voice mechanical. "You were made to obey. You belong to us."

  Aelina shoved her back. "I am not a weapon. I am not yours. I am Aelina, and I will protect my family!"

  Eudora countered with a minigun burst, plasma rounds thundering. But Aelina deflected every shot, her shield spinning like a whirlwind.

  "Too slow," she snapped, and charged.

  With a fiery spiral, she struck Eudora again, hurling her back into the rubble.

  Then, she saw it. A fleeting vulnerability.

  Eudora rose, preparing her next strike. But Aelina had already drawn her power inward, the core on her chest glowing cerulean, wrapped in red flames.

  "This ends now," Aelina declared.

  Eudora lunged, but too late.

  Aelina fired.

  A torrent of plasma and fire exploded from her chest, crashing into Eudora like a meteor. The blast shook the earth.

  Eudora’s body crumbled, limbs gone, only her scorched head and flickering torso remained.

  Aelina approached, gaze unyielding.

  "Never come near my family again," she said, voice low and final. "And never harm Earth."

  The red light in Eudora’s eyes faded. Silence fell.

  Kaelar’s ship opened its ramp.

  Aelina ignited the boosters on her boots and lifted into the air, soaring into the ship with elegance.

  Kaelar, seated at the helm, activated the cloaking system.

  "We’re getting out of here."

  He set the course for Earth. Vega, checking the sensors, gave a firm nod.

  "Warpdrive is ready."

  Kaelar pulled the lever.

  "We’re going home."