Haywire's wounds soon healed almost completely. Casting a deadly glare at Endurance and Mrs Evergreen, who was mounted on the Blue Ranger and circling around Endurance, he stood up with a passionate grunt as if he was more than ready to go back into the fight.

"What's the hurry, big fella?" Sky asked him as he petted his winged friend's thick neck. "Are you sure you can go back?"

The noble beast turned his face to his human friend's. Haywire's eyes went soft as he let go of a pleading whisper full of pride.

"I'd rather die if anything bad happened to you, my friend," Sky whispered. I wish Endurance and Mrs Evergreen got on with it already and somehow killed each other off, but that's wishful thinking.

Haywire nodded vehemently in the general direction of Endurance with his beak, as if asking Sky to stop worrying and get on with the mission he had given the rest of the team a moment ago.

Sky nodded. "Okay, fine." Those two monsters need to be dealt with.

He pressed his lips into a thin line and sighed. "Be careful, though."

Haywire whistled a couple of times in a howling-like melody, firmly patted the ground a few times, and then he took off into the sky. Soaring and diving in beautiful corkscrew movements, Haywire started shooting his trademark sonic echo attack at both Endurance and Mrs Evergreen when either of them got in range.

Soon other phoenixes followed, then free from the control of either of their former masters. Sky took a glimpse all around the battlefield, where Hazel and his friends had naughty smiles on their faces. They succeeded at hacking those phoenixes! I knew they could do it.

Endurance's sight had been restored despite the damage. He roared as he shot fireballs at both his old and new enemies. As he chased them and looked for better angles to shoot from, he paced along the battlefield, away from Sky.

Halle, Naomi, Captain Alana, and Alistair grabbed their shotguns harder and joined the phoenixes in shooting at their biggest foe.

Sky smiled. Endurance is getting away from me, but at least he's distracted. It's my turn now. Cover fire crossed the air above Sky's head as he sprinted towards Endurance. Bullets, fire, and a wide range of attacks thundered in the air.

During the course of that second round of the battle, Endurance had moved in a circular motion, and was now standing and fighting his enemies at the other end of a bizarre metal structure before Sky. It stood like a tall building of sorts in the central part of the valley-shaped top of the volcano.

Dodging stray bullets and fireballs, Sky made his way across the battlefield and towards that structure, his gaze fixed upon the enigmatic edifice that beckoned him with its twisted allure. Massive thick metal beams formed the skeletal framework of the structure. Their once straight lines were now warped and twisted, creating a surreal labyrinth of angular protrusions that seemed to defy reason. Shards of metal, both large and small, littered the landscape like fragments of a shattered mosaic, their jagged edges glinting ominously in the flickering lights of fireballs. Some of those metal shards had been fused with the chaotic beams at the structure's centre.

Sky gulped. The debris-and-metal-made structure loomed tall and imposing against the fiery backdrop of battle.

With his heart in his throat, Sky took a glimpse into an alley-looking dark place among the metal debris, where shy small lights were glowing deep within. In that dark corner, large metal eggs were stored there. They were the ones casting that eerie blue and purple glow with their circuit-made shells.

This is not a random construction or mere debris. It's a storage facility... some sort of nest for Endurance's eggs?! In the shape of a dark, crazy maze made of metal residues. Damn.

He entered slowly, but his steps were shaky and hesitant.

Endurance has built a large nesting ground in which he stores his eggs. These look ready to hatch.

Sky took a look left and right as he got closer. His eyes widened at the revelation before him: a large gestation facility stood before him, with more than fifty eggs ominously glowing.

The ones I saw outside which got crushed before were only a few handfuls. This is the real deal. But... I shouldn't waste my time here. I need to find a way to enter Endurance's body while my friends distract him.

Sky retraced his steps and went back outside in a hurry. It's best if I circle this place instead of trying to cross it.

He ran all around the perimeter until he saw Endurance's claws. The giant beast was restless, moving to and fro on the battlefield. Sky inspected Endurance's lower half of the body, assessing his chances.

He grunted with dissatisfaction. No holes here. What about up his legs? Maybe his underbelly?

Up went his eyes, scanning for a weak spot, but he found none. Despite the many attacks, Endurance had no hole in the lower half of his body. That was when he saw the metal beast's only hole available: his anus.

Oh, God. Please, no. Sky's shoulders dropped as he pouted in his mind.

But when the giant beast shot three fireballs at his friends and family, who yelled and suffered the consequences of fighting against an all-powerful beast that was no match for them, he sighed and stared at the unholy orifice with determination. The anus it is.

While he sprinted towards one of Endurance's claws, from the corner of his eyes, he saw Naomi receiving the full impact of a lightning attack from Endurance. Her body jumped a few feet into the air, her arms outstretched and her head thrown back. She landed a few feet back, colliding head-first into the metal corpse of a beheaded Airshark.

His feet stopped abruptly and stared at the gruesome scene, but before he had time to say or do anything, Endurance shot a second lightning attack at her.

No! Sky's hand and arm were shot forward at his dear aunt.

Thankfully, Haywire dived on her with his metal wings fully spread like a protective fan. The electricity of Endurance's lightning attack hit Haywire's wings and bounced back. Then, Kovak rushed to assist him with his shotgun.

Thank you, my dear friend! Sky sighed and resumed his sprint towards Endurance's claw and started climbing up his leg.

"Naomi!" Kovak yelled when Endurance turned to the sky to attack a handful of released phoenixes which were bugging him. Haywire lifted his shield-like wings when Kovak approached to them. "Are you okay?!"

Sky could hear Kovak, but he couldn't see the state his aunt was in from up high. He frowned all the same. Before he entered, he approached the beast's metallic anus and took one last glance down below, hoping to see what state she was in.

Halle was providing cover fire for Kovak and Naomi. The latter was lying on the ground, unmoving. Kovak was holding her and caressing her face. She was unconscious.

Sky turned his head a bit to their left. Alistair stood there. He put a hand over Haywire's neck and they nodded at each other. His father jumped on his winged friend's back and both took to the skies. Yes, mount him and fight Endurance and Mrs Evergreen together! You'll make a great team.

"Halle, take them out of here!" Alistair yelled when he signalled Haywire to take off with a gentle patting on the side of his majestic body.

I can't and I shouldn't delay this anymore. They know what to do. Sky sighed and entered Endurance's body through his metallic anus, undetected.

OOO

The guts of this gigantic beast are a nightmare and a mechanical wonder at the same time.

As Sky ventured into the belly of the monstrous cyborg eagle—the parent of all other phoenixes—he found himself immersed in a labyrinth of mechanical marvels and sinister contraptions. The interior resembled a twisted fusion of steel and sinew, a nightmarish amalgamation of flesh and machine. Neon lights in red and blue flickered eerily, casting long shadows across the maze of corridors and passageways.

Everywhere he looked, Sky saw gears turning and pistons pumping, their rhythmic movements synchronised with the beast's own. Massive hydraulic joints creaked and groaned as the creature shifted its weight. Cables and wires snaked along the walls like veins, pulsating with the lifeblood of the monstrous abomination.

Amidst the maze of machinery, Sky stumbled upon a series of metal bars that resembled an emergency fire escape staircase, their rungs ascending upwards towards the heart of the beast. With a grim determination, he began to climb, each step bringing him closer to his ultimate goal—the creature's brain.

As he ascended, Sky marvelled at the intricacy of the cyborg beast's inner workings, the sheer complexity of its design genuine evidence of the twisted genius of its creator, Kovak. Gotta admit that the man is a true prodigy.

During his climb, he passed chambers filled with whirring turbines and humming generators, each one a vital component in the creature's formidable arsenal.

Finally, Sky reached the summit of the metal staircase, where he found himself face-to-face with the pulsating core of the beast's consciousness. Tubes and wires snaked from the creature's biological brain, connecting it to the myriad of mechanical systems that powered its every movement.

With a steely resolve, Sky reached out into his baggy pockets. Squatting on the metal floor, he laid out his two weapons side by side. Then, he grabbed the Swiss army knife he had borrowed from Hazel to secure them together.

The enhanced whistle will be the greatest source of energy that can ever power my sonic gun. It's much more powerful than human breath. It's going to boost its capacity for destruction exponentially. With such a powerful incoming blast, the subsequent sonic blast will be the most powerful I have ever seen—or so I hope.

Aiming the resulting weapon at Endurance's brain, Sky hesitated for a moment. I almost feel pity for this beast. After all, he's a father to Haywire. An evil one whose purpose doesn't diverge much from mine, since I wish to bring down Mrs Evergreen too, but still... we cannot coexist. He sees me equally as a threat due to the Lifebringer in me.

"Ah, the Entity's chick is a sneaky little pest, I see," Endurance's icy voice boomed inside his brain like a PA system.

The finger on the trigger hesitated. Damn, he's spotted me! Now what?!

"A daring strategy, I must admit," Endurance went on. "Maybe I shouldn't underestimate you."

"You shouldn't," Sky replied. "But if you surrender, I'll spare you. I can free you from your malignant coding, as I did for Haywire." At least I hope I can. It would be a kick-ass move to have him switch sides and help me fight Mrs Evergreen.

"Spare me?" The beast laughed loudly. "Human sense of humour. I will never understand."

"Help me defeat Mrs Evergreen," Sky insisted. "The Lifebringer inside her is the latest version, and therefore a much more powerful one. She's the biggest threat."

A cheeky giggle echoed from wall to wall. "Are you afraid you cannot beat her?"

Me? I don't know. My father can't, that's for sure. He was in a much worse state than she was in during their duel. I have little training in one-on-one combat. My father, on the other hand, does. But I won't allow him to fight against her anymore. I should be the one to do it, since my Lifebringer is more recent. Haywire could help me, but Mrs Evergreen looks like a supervillain from an epic action film.

What if I fail?

His hands shook, and he briefly closed his eyes.

"I'm not afraid," Sky lied. "The Lifebringer in me gives me the strength I need. Besides, I'm smarter than her."

"Then, do it. You don't need me."

A dark giggle echoed all around Sky. Before he could say anything, Endurance shot a lightning attack at him, which emanated from his brain circuits.

Sky dodged it in the nick of time. The energy was reabsorbed instead of hurting him.

"The Lifebringer is something you were never meant to have in your body," Endurance added with pride and anger. "Nobody does. Right after I freed myself from my master, Kovak, I got virtual clues that this foul project had started the testing phase on a human specimen, thanks to a spyware I sent to Anti-Ageing Inc. back in those days. I never found out his name, but I had his genetic signature."

And that's why Endurance thought I was the Entity. He mistook me for my father.

"Humans cannot have that much power," the self-righteous, evil monster went on. "It'll corrupt and destroy you eventually. That's why I have to kill you all who have it within you, Evergreen, Haywire, Alistair, and you."

He's beyond saving. At least I offered him a way out. "You'll regret this," Sky whispered with his forefinger steady on the trigger of his enhanced sonic gun.

The beast's laughter echoed once more.

As Sky's finger tightened around the trigger, a surge of anticipation coursed through him. With a steady hand and unwavering focus, he directed the barrel of the sonic gun towards his target, his heart pounding.

With a sharp exhale, Sky unleashed the power of his enhanced whistle, channelling its raw energy into the heart of the device. In an instant, the air crackled with electricity, and a blinding green flash illuminated the surrounding darkness as the sonic blast erupted from the gun.

The force of the blast sent shockwaves rippling through the air, shattering the silence with its deafening roar.

Endurance shot another lightning attack at the incoming sonic one, but it was no use. Like a thunderclap, the sonic wave tore through everything in its path including the electric pulse, leaving destruction in its wake. The impact of the sonic wave severed the wire connections and tore apart bits of brain, sending both sparks and grey matter flying.

Out of instinct, Sky shielded his head with both his arms while the giant beast cried in agony.

He took a glimpse of what was going on between his fingers. For a fleeting moment, Sky bathed in the brilliance of his creation. As the echoes of the blast faded, he knew that he had harnessed the ultimate power of sound to vanquish his foes and protect those he held dear.

The fatal blow to that monstrous abomination made the creature convulse and writhe, which, in turn, made him lose his balance, and made Sky lose his too.

With a loud cry, Sky's body slid down over what once was the floor, now a vertical surface. He grabbed the metal bars he had used to climb to Endurance's brain and used them to climb down the beast's body. Due to the pull of gravity, descending became a much harder task than climbing.

Parts of Endurance's brain bled down the stairs while the beast went on whining hoarsely. Shards of metal, electrical sparks, and melted brain tissue rained on Sky. I have to get out of here—and fast!

His hands and feet couldn't go any faster. His ragged breathing matched the nervous tick under his eye in speed.

Endurance's body suddenly shook violently. Sky's back hit the nearest metal wall. After a loud groan, he went back to his race down below to the beast's anus.

Right when Sky emerged from the beast's rectum, Endurance's body lost all strength. One last rusty cry echoed in all cavities, all across the battlefield, and inside the teen's ears as he grabbed the metal rectal exit in a tight grasp.

Oh, no! Not now. He's dying... right when we're... Fuck, no! The beast's balance was compromised right on the verge of the volcano's crater. Endurance's body was teetering right at the top of a steep cliff.

Sky hurried to climb down. His hands grabbed a large metallic feather from his tail when Endurance's massive body was starting to lean towards the precipice. He used the large feather from the beast's tail as some sort of sledge, letting his body slide down at an unnerving speed towards the inner part of the valley-shaped volcano.

His palms burned as he tried to slow it down. He hissed and grunted. His eyes filled with unshed tears because he wouldn't pull his hands away. As the monster who gave birth to all phoenixes was about to fall down the cliff, Sky was getting closer to the tip of the feather sledge—and he had no safe way of landing.

Then, a loud whistling cry echoed in the air. Sky turned his face to it and saw Haywire diving from up above to save him.

Haywire! Sky reached out a hand to his winged friend when Haywire's front claws were outstretched to catch his human friend.

Endurance's body fell down the cliff, sinking into the shadows of the night, but Haywire snatched his human friend in the nick of time. The Golden Ranger threw him in the air and stretched his back with his wings spread apart on either side of him. He laid his back bare for his human friend's butt to land safely.

Clinging to the ranger's thick neck with all the love in the world, Sky said with relief, "Thank you, big fella!"

Haywire corkscrewed in the air in a mesmerising pirouette as he flew over their friends' heads, watching his outstanding performance with awe and cheering.

As the wind combed his hair, Sky watched his family and friends rejoicing over what he had achieved and what Haywire had done to save him. Naomi, though, was still lying on the ground, unconscious.

But suddenly, one of Mrs Evergreen's swords impaled Alistair from behind. Blood dripped from the wound on his belly and the corners of his mouth.

"NO! Alistair!" Halle yelled as she put her hands around him with a worried face.

Everybody around him gasped and turned to see Mrs Evergreen stand with a sly smirk as she was still mounting the Blue Ranger. She flew past the astonished crowd as Alistair sank to his knees with a blank stare.

Captain Alana and Sky's friends gathered around Alistair, who eventually fell down unconscious.

"Damn you, evil woman!" Halle roared with pride, grabbed her shotgun, and fired at Mrs Evergreen and his blue flying ally repeatedly. Tears appeared on the verge of her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Sadly, she missed due to the Blue Ranger's dodging skills.

Sky grunted at the evil CEO and glared at her as he grabbed Haywire's feathers on his neck with brute force.

Barely a second later, both Sonic Echo Rangers hurtled through the air at full speed at each other, their collision imminent. The tension crackled in the charged atmosphere as they closed in on each other with breathtaking velocity.

However, just as the clash seemed inevitable, the Blue Ranger executed a last-minute evasion, soaring gracefully above Haywire and Sky, narrowly avoiding the collision.

But Sky's relief was short-lived as something seized his shoulders with an iron grip, wrenching him violently from his trajectory. With a startled cry, Sky felt himself lifted into the air, his hands torn away from their grasp on Haywire's feathers. Panic surged through him as he stared down at the empty void beneath him, the ground disappearing in a blur below.

It was the Blue Ranger who had snatched him, its actions orchestrated by none other than Mrs Evergreen. Her laughter echoed through the tumultuous air, sending shivers down Sky's spine.

"Thank you, Sky," she said loudly, over the noise of fast flying. "You did the dirty work for me. Let me thank you with a... quick death!"

Hello, my sugar cubes!

One foe is out of the picture, but Mrs Evergreen isn't done just yet.

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar