The last two days remaining went on quickly, it was much quicker than they originally anticipated. The day of decision making came, yet there was no guarantee that this will turn out well in the end.

Mere hours left, when the sun slowly sinks from existence and the moonlight replaces the adornment of the sky comes, it will be the point of no return.

At a certain abandoned warehouse, the neuro agent was once again—held captive in the hands of the former tekno whom once shared fond memories with the organization.

The neuro agent kept seated on a wooden chair—very inefficient it will be if she were restrained as such materials are easily breakable under her grasp. However, without her weaponry with her, she can't do anything with Trez and Dos keeping an eye on her in the process.

The wait was very much excruciating with every second that passed. Until now, Alicia has no idea on what M.A.T.A. chose to do. The very second that passes makes her feel anxious on what will happen, as well as what to expect. Her actions of fiddling with her fingers were becoming more obvious as she anticipated the hour of meeting.

Footsteps soon followed which originated from someone whom she failed to bring back anew. The former tekno agent typed away on the keyboard where many monitors were at place. He couldn't help but to feel ominous for some reason, yet as he continued to search for surveillance, he found some were no longer usable. M.A.T.A. must've been aware of themselves being watched, thus disconnected some... crucial feeds.

The neuro agent raised a brow. "What are you even doing?" she asked plainly, not in the mood to gain unneeded response.

The boy, typing away in the keyboard kept his eyes glued to the monitors. "Establishing communication lines for transmission. Before setting off to the meeting point, I need to at least find out first on what their decision is going to be. Only then will I be able to strategize my next moves when I expect what there is to expect." He replied, tapping on a few more keys before taking a step back.

The monitors showed a connection screen, in the process of stabilizing connection signals in order to establish communication via transmission. During so, Ali took ahold of the mask he usually carried and wore it. The locks in place as the voice changer which came along with it was now set. "I hope you'd be quiet during the communication phase, Alicia. Because one wrong move from you and I might just show you how cruel I could be." He threatened.

Alicia narrowed her eyes, lips pursed. She isn't afraid of what Ali might do—knowing that it's an empty threat, that he won't dare touch a hair on her head. However, what she's more concerned of is how M.A.T.A. will take the idea if they find out who Zero actually is.

"Just be quiet and get over with it. Do you know what contributed to a villain's fall? Its because they talk too much. I'm not going to say anything that might 'harm' your identity, Zero, but be sure to think this through—you still have two hours before making a mistake you'd regret—" she paused, sighing, she's been repeating the same words over and over again—it was exhausting to even try.

As she expected, the boy didn't even respond to her words which were almost on loop given how frequent her sentiments were.

At long last, the communication line was stable and established, and the image of the General who looked clearly unhappy was shown. Standing in the center was Ali—Zero, with Alicia sitting a few feet behind him, sitting on a wooden chair. Beside her were Dos and Trez who silently watched the whole scene unfold.

The sight of Alicia in silence was ticking the General off—why won't she escape? She has the capabilities to. But he also took in account the factors that could prevent her from doing so, and he dares not know.

"Greetings, General. A week passed by so fast, I could barely comprehend what day it is today." Zero humored, his mask giving his voice the alteration it needed to protect his identity from someone who knew him long.

The General was obviously unhappy, his brows furrowed at the idea of such pep talk. "Spare me the gibberish and get on with it." he scowled, impatience being his utmost virtue known by many.

The young former tekno simply smiled in amusement before crossing his arms. "Very well, it seems to me that you're really eager to get onto business." His expression became plain with nonreactive emotions, lips a straight line of melancholy. "Time's up this fast, its time for you to make a decision. To prioritize the life of your agent, or to go against me." He questioned straightforward, as if his demeanor changed immediately into someone whom even Alicia couldn't fathom.

The General glanced over at his daughter for a moment, Alicia's eyes held an emotion of concern, and her actions through her eyes made it clear that the General shouldn't worry about her. However, despite the message being clear, the General didn't take risks. "The safety of Agent Alicia is of utmost priority. We have prepared the access chip which enables any user to access and manipulate the database framework, the core of M.A.T.A." he spoke sternly, eyes downcast.

Alicia was taken aback, eyes widened at the decision. "General, don't mind me! I'll be fine--!" the neuro agent was cut mid-sentence when she felt something near her neck. At the corner of her vision showed Dos' hand, clenching one of her shock stix of a weapon too close to her skin, it made her pause in hesitation.

"We had an agreement, Zero. Why is Agent Alicia being threatened?!" the General seemed unhappy in seeing what Dos was doing, feeling helpless that he personally wants to smash a mallet down on the Numeroz.

"We will bring her back intact and unharmed, however, we also need to remind her on how she is unallowed to say things she isn't supposed to." Zero sighed, looking back at Alicia with a hint of pleading in his eyes—hoping she'd just stay quiet.

The neuro agent understood the message but was still conflicted. Her mind had thoughts racing around from within her head, in situations like this, the Protocol Gegas is most certainly needed. But why? Why are they trying to risk so much just because of her?

Although, she wasn't too worried, seeing that Ali did promise not to use the power he has to wreak havoc—but still. What exactly made M.A.T.A. this confident?

What's so important about her that her wellbeing was suddenly the center of importance?

"Good to know that M.A.T.A. still had a heart. In two hours' time, we will meet at the rendezvous point of yours, and the exchange will proceed from there." He made a small smile underneath his mask; this was quite unexpected, but he isn't complaining either. It just made his job a whole lot easier.

"We will be there in time. However, ensure the safety of Agent Alicia, or we will not adhere with the conditions mentioned." The General spoke, giving one last look of worry towards Alicia before eventually initiating the end of the communication line.

The weapon was now drawn back from its threatening stance upon Alicia and retracted back to its owner. Zero merely eyed the woman responsible for it before glancing back at Alicia solely. "Well, it seems like I failed to show you their true colors, or they simply value you too much, being the General is your father." He spoke, taking a few steps forward to face the neuro female.

The neuro agent simply looked at him with eyes filled with mixed emotions that she herself cannot comprehend. "You can still stop, its not yet too late to do so. You can still redeem yourself—"

"Aren't you tired yet?" Zero questioned, placing a hand over his mask to remove it. Despite the mask being essentially helpful, it was not at all comfortable to wear. "Saying the same sentences over and over again for the last several hours to days on end. Can't you see that I'm not listening? Why waste your breath?" he inquired, though it was clear in his eyes that he already knew why.

"Are you sure? Certain that you're not listening?" she questioned, finding herself calming in such situation. "You're conflicted, I know that. We've been partners for years now, Ali. Even when we were still classmates, I already know how to read you." She continued, though she didn't stand from her position.

Ali eyed the two adults in the room, "You guys can go prepare, I need to talk to her in private." He commanded, however, the choice of words being far better than those used by the previous head of theirs before.

Dos and Trez shared a look before eventually taking their leave, to get ready as commanded, leaving both Ali and Alicia alone in the room.

"You're playing with fire, Alicia. Don't you understand the situation you're at? I get that you're unafraid knowing that I can't do anything to you, but why still hold on the gleam of possibilities that I cannot guarantee?" he asked, finding this at least a good time to talk things through before they step out and forth the meeting place.

"I know of a certain someone who would stop at nothing to set things right, do you still recall him?" she inquired, watching as the former tekno agent adverted his gaze.

He knew exactly who she's talking about.

But that boy is gone, he changed the moment he wore that mask—he faded away into a new identity.

"You just wont understand, that was the past and this isn't. I know what I'm doing—"

"Are you happy?" Alicia's question made the young former tekno pause from his words, silence taking over.

Ali adverted his gaze, his fists clenching for a moment, but he dared not show it to the female. "Happy...? Its been a long time since I asked myself that." He gave somewhat of a bitter chuckle. "But what do you think?"

"I see a conflicted boy, you're obviously unhappy." She sighed, slowly standing from her seat and facing the boy entirely. "I've been there, and its alright, it's not yet too late to decide. Think about what makes you happier—does this makes you happy? Do you think it'll do us all good if you continue?" she walked closer to him.

The boy remained quiet, eyes downcast and adverted away from the female, his hands still were in fists, and he was internally conflicted from his expression. What can he do? He's already been this far, what good would it be to suddenly back out?

Is it still possible?

"Ali, what you're doing is revenge—revenge on someone who might not even deserve your effort. This isn't justice, and you know it." her smile was equally bitter, but she knew she was making a difference.

"I'm at a loss—Alicia, I feel so obligated to do this that I don't even know what to do after. Believe me, I didn't want to do this at all—but I feel the need to—"

Ali couldn't finish his sentence when the neuro agent suddenly made a move. Warmth embraced him as her arms wrapped around his shoulders in a hug. He was stunned, the action made by the neuro agent was very much rare, but he wasn't complaining.

The neuro agent kept the former tekno in a warm hug, something she knew he needed so badly. "Just do what you want to do, and make sure it's right. I know the old Ali is still in there, and despite everything, I still chose to trust you." She slowly pulled away; her hands now fixed onto his shoulders. "Don't make me regret it, alright?"

"I have a promise to uphold... this isn't easy, Alicia. I can't just leave this be and go scot-free. I have no intentions to break my promise even if its against my own will..." he frowned, taking ahold of her hands and gently removing them from his shoulders. "I'm really sorry, Alicia." He lets her go, taking a few steps back before once again, wearing the mask which he began to loathe.

The neuro agent felt disheartened—she thought she finally broke down his walls—but she failed in the end.

Despite Ali not wanting a fate such as this, it's a promise he made all those months ago, it was no doubt that he will uphold it, he always does.

It was a very inconvenient trait.

"Ali, listen—"

"I'm keeping my promise and that is it. I don't care if it goes against my principles, or if I don't want it in the first place. I made this commitment, and I am intending to keep it. I'm sorry." Ali couldn't look her in the eye, he simply kept his gaze adverted and walked away to the left where the rest of the Numeroz earlier went.

The neuro agent was at a loss on what to do, the only way to prevent him from doing the inevitable is by simply.

Letting him stop in his own accord...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The moon shone bright in the sky, a mere imperfection to the dark void that blankets the once-bright sky. Trees swayed in sync as the night's breeze swiftly blew, and leaves of various sizes cascaded down amongst the grass, shifting away as some were carried by the breath of the night.

Despite the peaceful end of day, shadows appeared where footsteps were heard. The fresh crunch of dried leaves on the grass made occasional sounds, yet they were calm and eerie. The footsteps continued until they synonymously paused, it wasn't just one pair of footsteps, there were many.

In the clearing surrounded by darkened trees that continuously swayed with the wind, the grass touched by the luminous light basked by the moon. Sweet dewdrops moistened the greenery now shifted into a veil of a darkened shade of the night.

There stood a team, alongside several familiar individuals, all didn't seem pleased by what they're going up against. Waiting was inevitable, and time was ticking fast—the unfathomable impatience arose as the unexpected was now being anticipated.

Finally, another group of footsteps could be heard, the same sound of leaves crunching underneath soles. Shadows emitted which reflected due to the moonlight shining among the individuals, and there they stopped, just meters away from the supposed opponent.

The leader of the group who only now appeared gave a welcoming smile. "Good evening, General." The boy wearing a mask asked, his voice altered by what device he had installed. Hands clasped together, and other figures appeared from behind him.

The man—seemingly the General being addressed, gave a displeased expression. "Spare me the nonsense, I have what you want, and you have what we want." He immediately stated the agenda in very few words, not sparing a time for lousy pep talks that are deemed unnecessary at this time.

The young boy—known as Zero for the time being, simply gave an unending smile. "Wasting no time at all, it reminds me of the old days..." his smile became somewhat bitter though he remained his stance, glancing beside him to see the neuro agent which will be a part of the current exchange.

Alicia sent him a look of disappointment, though remained still. Her hands weren't restrained, but Dos stood behind her, hand by her shoulder, and her other hand readying her shock stix, ready to impale at any sudden moves. To which Alicia didn't even dare to move so suddenly.

"Are you certain it's the real thing? I wouldn't want to be... played at." His voice was sweet for the most part, but the bittersweet hint that left underneath was sinister and threatening.

The General shot a look towards Agent Rizwan's way before looking back at the figure claiming to be Zero. "It is, I wouldn't dare fool you when an agent's life is on the line." He replied, holding a small metallic box and opened it to show a small microchip inside. Based on the architectural design of the chip, it was the real deal.

It gave Ali a small smile, though he was still hesitating. "Give me the box, and I'll let your agent walk to you." He ensured, leaving his hand out for the item to be placed upon his palm.

The General would've protested but Agent Rizwan raised a hand to pause him. "Give him what he wants, and we get what we want." He gave the General a meaningful look before the General sighed.

Though untrusting, he reluctantly headed forward, crossing the invisible line separating the two sides. He handed the metallic box to Zero, brows furrowed. "We'll take our agent from here."

Dos raised a brow but said nothing as she released the neuro agent from her hold, though eyes narrowed.

But before Alicia could take another step towards the General, the former tekno agent grabbed ahold of Alicia's wrist, pulling her back. He didn't seem pleased.

"What are you—"

"Did you really think you could fool me with this trinket?" Zero chuckled lowly before throwing the box aside, already having scanned the contents of it which proves its obvious lack of authenticity.

The General cursed lowly before taking a stance.

They were supposed to agree to the trade deal—only, the item in exchange will be a decoy which was made and crafted into perfection by the tekno department.

Only I.R.I.S. should be able to find out that quickly.

I.R.I.S... does he have that?

A fight unexpectedly broke out shortly after. When Zero refused to give Alicia up, given that he was being played fool from the beginning, Agent Bakar angrily shouted a charge, causing both Trez and Dos to take action.

One by one, members of both teams intercepted by the invisible line meant to separate them from the beginning, the gush of wind from the night's breeze alongside the thumping of soles on the grass intensified. Of course, under Zero's command, hidden droids replicating the technology of M.A.T.A. also appeared to aid in battle, having hidden by the tree tops.

Agent Bakar deployed shields while engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Trez, being aided by Agent Geetha for a boost of strength, yet it still wasn't enough to surpass what energy was stored within the bulky opponent. Agent Leon used Agent Bakar for temporary cover, given how well the shield he made sustained damage from the droid's lasers. He balanced his weaponry by his wrist, ensuring accurate aiming as he shot multiple times at Dos' way, all of which were evaded successfully by the agile female.

Making a swift move, the woman in black and purple leaped from one point to another on the grass, moving along the breeze as she avoided Agent Leon's accurately aimed attacks, only with minimal adjustments made to combat the force and pressure of nature's breath. The woman's initial plan was to get close and immediately force the adult into a close-combat battle, yet she skidded to a pause when out of nowhere, a figure appeared as the fabric drapes ceased to be shown, Agent Karya intercepting the close combat scenario.

She scowled in annoyance as she charged up her shock stix, moving in agility while trying to knock the nuisance out with a stab or a hit. However, that was until Agent Karya took out a small sword from his sleeve and fully engaged in a small sword fight with the woman, the woman using only her shock stix which was durable enough to withstand the weapon's blow, all the while avoiding Agent Leon's aim.

Trez made a roar and jumped, smashing his fists down on the grass, the pressure left a tremor-like sensation on the earth's crust beneath the lush greenery in an attempt to knock his opponent off his feet. Earthen waves generated and amplified by the Azurium energy within his veins were emitted, releasing a wave of energy that could've knocked the mentors off their feet, but given Agent Bakar's own resilience, he got into a defensive stance and stood his ground. The energy waves were merely but a gush of wind against the hard armor under his carbon-fiber uniform. Alongside the boost he's getting from Agent Geetha, he was able to withstand powerful blows while at the same time, ensuring that the woman behind him was unharmed in support.

On the other hand, as the General himself was about to engage in battle—his umbrella forged into some kind of steel mallet with the mallet part itself being full metal and round in shape, the handle playing as the umbrella's handle. The General lunged forward, lifting his weapon to attack the unknown entity named Zero, but retracted his weapon to deflect another attack sent his way from someone else.

A certain woman dawned with dusted red hair appeared from behind Zero, her gaze narrowed as she aimed her small gun towards the General's way, while also being second-in-command of the meta droids which were initially controlled by Zero.

Engaging into a one-on-one ranged vs melee battle, Zero comes into play when Agent Rizwan appeared from behind and targeted the nape of his neck to render him unconscious.

But Zero had I.R.I.S. integrated into his mask.

He dodged it swiftly, as if expecting it this whole time, getting down while swiping his foot across the space in front of him in an attempt to knock the adult off balance. Of course, the monochrome agent leaped backwards to dodge. Both of them looked eye- to-eye.

"Seems like you're dead set on which side you're on, Agent Rizwan." Zero taunted while keeping a stance, hand stretched out as he had several mechadroids at his disposal. Two of them, being thrice his size, had their bulky armor ready.

The monochrome agent clicked his tongue in annoyance. "If I'd dare pick a side, I won't side with someone I don't even know." He leaped backward a few times to avoid the laser shot by the small droids levitating above ground.

Zero just gave a small snicker. "You'd be surprised to know, Agent." He ended what small talk existed between the two of them as they engaged battle, with Jenny keeping Agent Alicia at bay.

The wind brushing against their skin was nothing compared to the pressure of battle as Agent Rizwan quickly unwrapped a piece of his sweet treat, keeping it in his mouth as he leaped forward, pointer fingers ready to hit all the possible vulnerable spots brought by unexpected openings. However, Zero was much keen than before, and I.R.I.S. at his disposal only made him almost impossible to land a hit on.

Almost.

A small grunt left the young boy's lips as he held onto his shoulder which was rendered immobile by one of Agent Rizwan's most infamous weapon—a lollipop stick. His agile and impeccable aim managed to add pressure when aiming for the youth's shoulder, and thus, hitting the right spot to render it numb.

With his left shoulder out of commission, he scowled as he took another stance, though as mentioned, his whole left arm from shoulder down to his wrists were immobile.

Alicia had no weaponry on her, only her skills of close, hand-to-hand combat enabled her to evade the red-haired woman. It was unexpected, but Jenny knows how to fight back close-ranged.

Perhaps there was more that they are unknown of.

The neuro agent had to skip a few steps back, a scowl evident in her expression as she clenched her hands to fists, getting into a fighting position. The red-haired woman took a similar stance, the height difference being more of an advantage at Alicia's point of view.

She narrowly dodged a thrust from the red-haired woman, her eyes narrowed as she delivered one back, managing to land a blow on the woman's shoulder before going low, swiping her feet across the grass and knocking the taller woman off her feet in one sweep.

Despite being unarmed with her blastique—which would've been a great advantage on her part, she was still able to gain a competitive advantage over the opponent with her own physical skill.

A grunt audible enough for some to hear was heard, Zero skidding down on the grass, dirt matting his own clothes as dirt trails began being visible in sight. Despite this opening opportunity, Agent Rizwan stood his ground in stance, giving the boy only a second before he rushed forward, his pointer fingers ready to paralyze his pressure points—however, he failed to see the incoming mecha droid whose body bashed against his side, the impact sending him skidding down on the grass.

A groan left the monochrome agent's lips, pain coursing throughout his left side, a bruise definitely forming given the immense pressure and power sent in blow from the mechadroid. The former tekno agent laughed lowly before getting on one knee and standing up.

"You think I didn't anticipated that coming?" he smiled at Agent Rizwan's way, knowing that the man will take some time before being able to get up again. Clearly, having integrated I.R.I.S. and forging it onto his mask, he already knew what was coming.

He used it to his advantage.

With Agent Rizwan thinking that Zero was down, he failed to anticipate the blow awaiting his way, and thus, he too was down.

However, it wasn't Zero's priority, rather, he has no plans in doing damage beyond medical intervention.

"Urgh!" a groan loud enough to catch the former tekno's attention was heard. There, Trez received a blow he didn't anticipated as well and was brought down to crash against a tree from Agent Bakar's enhanced strength. Given his head and nape impacting the hit, it didn't take long before he lost consciousness for a moment, removing him as an obstacle.

Seeing that Agent Rizwan won't be getting back on his feet immediately, Zero once again took a stance and used I.R.I.S. to command the mechadroids that kept coming to charge towards Agent Bakar's way. Though, somehow...

The mechadroids weren't aiming to hit the man directly, they served as merely a distraction—or rather, an obstacle.

Zero still didn't dare harm the man, knowing what he was capable of—and how his conscience may not take it to harm the man.

It didn't take long before they were slowly being outnumbered—Zero's hesitation in harming the agents were putting the Numeroz into a great deal of a disadvantage, where the agents were able to quickly recover and get back on the field—while the Numeroz had their strongest ally down.

Zero didn't know what to do next, or how to end this tedious battle. Neither party got what they want—best he could do is keep his hold on the neuro agent to show how serious he was, even though he wasn't planning on anything harmful.

However, it seemed fate had other plans in store.

Seeing the clear hesitation which brings them at a disadvantage, the red-haired woman scowled—it's all up to her now.

Zero was thrown back by Agent Bakar's hit, his fists enhanced to radiate a wave of pulsating energy that threw him back, coupled by his plasma shield. The former tekno agent groaned in pain but did nothing to fight back, only allowing what little damage the droids could do at his disposal.

This caused the neuro agent to stop, wanting to call out to the boy to make sure he's okay, however, Jenny saw this as an opportunity.

While the neuro agent was busy checking if Zero was alright from her perspective—since she was well aware that the young former tekno was trying his best not to harm anyone, she failed to take notice of the woman whom she is currently locked in combat with.

A gasp escaped the neuro agent's lips as an arm wrapped around her neck, causing the agent to clutch her hands on the entity's arm, trying to pry it away. It would've been easy to escape, but the entity's other hand held something illuminating in the night's sky. The dark was not a problem in the battle, as most of their weaponry were illuminating the area—so was this.

"I've had enough of these futile games, surrender the absolute control over M.A.T.A. or else!" Jenny shouted, gaining everyone's attention as she revealed herself to be that entity. Her left arm wrapped around Alicia's neck in a headlock, the neuro agent's hands clenching on the clothed arm of her assailant. Jenny's other hand held what looked to be a blade of some sort—it wasn't large, yet it was at least half a foot in length, and two inches in width. The blade was illuminating an Azurium energy light that emitted in the dark, the blade forged with the Azurium Crystal replicating the sword used by the late Chief Pillar Leader Agent Djin.

The action made Zero pause in his stall of an attack. "Cinco! What are you doing?! This isn't part of the plan!" he shouted, worry and panic evident in his voice.

The blade was created from what was left of Djin's former weapon—the blade crafted from raw Azurium Crystal.

They agreed to hold Alicia as a bargaining chip but threatening her life was never part of this!

"Don't think I didn't notice how you're hesitating all this time. Its high time we get things done." Jenny replied, her expression contorted with stern menace as she held onto the neuro agent tighter, only mere centimeters until the blade of the weapon could graze and make contact with the neuro agent's skin which was just beneath her left cheek.

The neuro agent—Alicia, wasn't dumb. She knew what this was—she saw this weapon in the Numeroz' arsenal a day ago, but dare she not touched it, thinking that it won't even be casted eyes by anyone.

But she was wrong.

Zero narrowed his gaze into a glare, his scowl now turning almost into a low growl of rage—this is definitely not what he wanted.

This time, while everyone was distracted from the ruthless action made by Jenny, one agent was keen, remaining focused despite the obvious dispute currently between Zero and the Numeroz member.

A bullet was shot, quick and agile, almost invisible to the naked eye given its speed and precision. However, such projectile didn't remain unnoticed by I.R.I.S.' keen monitoring.

"Watch out!" Zero blurted briefly before using his stance to make a mad dash towards Jenny and Alicia, chasing time and beating the bullet before it hits. He didn't have time to know what it was or what it does—he has to stop it.

The young neuro agent and Zero made eye contact briefly before Zero shoved the two females away from the area of target, squinting his eyes in brief pain when he felt the bullet made impact on his right shoulder. It didn't impale him—however, upon contact, the bullet disintegrated, and a wave of electric pulse emitted from the area of effect. The former tekno grunted as his shoulder was once again—rendered immobile from the shock.

This gave Alicia the chance to bring her elbow forward and bash it against the taller woman's side, making her temporarily let go from the pain—allowing the neuro agent to escape her grasp.

The temporary period ended too quickly; Jenny was about to lunge forward to impale the young neuro agent for good but was brought down when someone else pounced on her.

The individual fights continued when Dos took advantage and attacked, but still, the focus of several agents were on what was currently unfolding.

Zero grunted from the pain pulsating from his shoulder—it was bad enough that Agent Rizwan paralyzed his joints, and the electro-bullet sent their way made it worse. It was no doubt that the bullet of that speed and precision can only come from the Neuro Pillar Mentor himself.

"I should've known you'd go against us!" the red-haired woman sneered and tried overpowering the youth with what strength she has—but the boy had grown slightly taller, and his strength increased from the months of training, as well as the aid of I.R.I.S.

But it was also no doubt that he is struggling, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with this one-on-one fight for long. "You... should've thought twice before threatening her!" he retorted before giving the female one last blow to knock her off.

But it was ineffective.

Instead, Jenny's rage was at its limits, without further remorse, her knees bent as she gripped the blade in her right hand—hoping to stab the young former tekno with it, but Zero was keeping his stance—although failing. Both at a battle to overcome each other with sheer strength, Zero had his hands locked at Jenny's wrists, preventing her from dealing an unimaginable blow while the female pushed down harder to bring the blade down upon the smaller male's body.

This was all seen and heard of by the neuro agent, her mind was a mess—she didn't know what to do. If she shouts out to him, he'll obviously be distracted, and thus, might cause his end—but she couldn't sit still and do nothing. Despite wanting to help, mechadroids and levitating robots continued to register her as a threat, sending lasers her way.

Apparently, time was not on her favor this time.

Warnings blared upon Zero's vision from his mask, I.R.I.S. was warning him of how low his stamina and energy was—it was only a matter of time before his body couldn't take it and eventually make him collapse.

He wanted to rest his injured shoulder for a moment—even for just a second.

But it was a big mistake.

A shout of pain rang Alicia's ears, making her snap back and look towards Zero, her eyes widened in horror.

Jenny used the young former tekno's exhaustion and injury to her advantage, letting go for just a second before drawing her wrist back and jabbing the blade down the area between his injured shoulder and collarbone. The boy was rendered motionless from shock, slowly dropping to his knees as crimson began leaking from his wound which was caused by the Azurium blade impaling the area near his shoulders. Crimson and dark red began cascading down his once peachy skin, his dark uniform staining with blood.

Jenny on the other hand, showed an expression of no remorse as she elevated herself down to meet eye-to-eye with the boy who was down on his knees, her hand stained with his blood as she still held onto the weapon. "You could've been a useful ally; however, you were weak." Those were the last words the red-haired woman whispered before holding onto the blade's handle tightly and hauled the blade back. The once-pristine blue blade made from the Azurium Crystal now stained with red, and the wound created by that blade was now soaking his supposedly dark attire.

As the young former tekno was left to stay kneeled on the grass, drops of red began painting the grass beneath him, he was motionless.

Jenny stood back up with a merciless glint in her eyes as she lifted the blood-stained blade towards the rest of the agents who were still in combat with Dos and the other mechanical enemies surrounding them. "Now, whose next."

"You... monster!" the neuro agent abandoned her battle with the mechadroids and made a mad dash towards Jenny, anger and hurt mixed in her eyes—which were beginning to burn with tears she didn't allow to show.

It was of sheer luck that Agent Rizwan was back on his feet and sprinted forward to intercept and aid Alicia before things take a much darker turn.

It was now Alicia's anger that was acting on her behalf, Agent Rizwan's stealth during close-combat allowed him to use a stone from the ground to knock the blade out of Jenny's hand, making the stained pristine weapon to skid across the grass, a good few feet away from them.

The red-haired woman didn't dare turn back to grab it, as it will only create an opening to get herself harmed.

However, the neuro agent was getting out of control, she made a roundhouse kick that knocked Jenny farther away from her supposed weapon, making her collide to a nearby tree. But she wasn't done, she sprinted forward to grab Jenny from the collar of her clothe and brought her down on the grass. From there, she delivered blows left and right, merciless as she assaulted the supposed assailant.

"Agent Alicia—restrain yourself!" Agent Rizwan called out, seeing how violent the youth was becoming. But she wasn't listening, small tears cascaded down her cheeks as she continued to deliver punches across Jenny's face, overtime her blows were increasing in intensity.

As if she was intending to kill her.

Agent Rizwan didn't like what was happening, the other mentors and the General were far too occupied at the moment to respond—especially the General who was battling three mechadroids whose sizes were double of his own, and strength far greater than the man's own strength. It just so happened that Agent Rizwan took care of those in pursuit of him.

"That's enough!" the monochrome agent shouted once again, having needed to immediately approach the youth, grabbing her by her forearms and pulled her away from the woman who was no longer responsive. Bruised and damaged her face was, a state that could've been beyond repair—Agent Rizwan couldn't decipher if this was a work made by an enraged, out-of-control youth, or Alicia herself.

She was always so reserved, and such violence was never on her list of intentions.

Why was she acting like this? For Zero?

As the monochrome agent pulled Alicia away from Jenny, the female was breathing heavily from her outburst of rage, her gloved hands were torn apart, and her knuckles were bruised red from the numerous impacts she made. It didn't take long before her eyes darted towards where Zero should be, the young boy still on his knees—his hands on the grass, crouched down as if he was still trying to stand despite his condition.

Then, they heard it.

C...Crack...

The sound of glass cracking caught almost everyone's attention, Dos taking this opportunity to disappear among the dark atmosphere, the leaves darkened by the night serving as her disguise to recover. Still, the mechadroids and levitating bots continued to attack, but most were under controlled.

One by one, shards of glass and carbon metal fell onto the grass, lancing on the spot between the young boy's hands on the ground. His gaze facing down, his shoulder shaking from the pressure.

"...Ali..." Agent Rizwan whispered lowly to himself; eyes widened as the young boy lifted his head to face them. With the mask broken and their pieces now on the ground, he could now clearly see the face behind the mask—

It was Ali.

"How... how could it be...?" Agent Bakar questioned himself as he saw with his own eyes the darkened pearls resembling so much of his mother, now skin was tattered with dirt and bruises.

A mixed of reactions came from the rest of the agents, until they had to snap out of it and continue fighting. As Agent Bakar was taken aback from the shock, he failed to notice Dos standing on a branch just above him, jumping down to land on the bulky agent's figure and stabbing her shock sticks at the agent's suit, sending electrical waves strong enough to render the man into unconsciousness. Her eyes narrowly scanned the rest of the agents who now targeted her, turning it into multiple battles against one.

The neuro female could only rush to Zero—now Ali's side, placing both hands at each side of his cheek. He was still awake—but barely holding on. His wound was seriously large—half his dark uniform now stained with crimson red. What made it worse is how speckles and plots of Azurium blue was on his wound—Azurium chemical.

It was what exactly led to Agent Zain's weakened state, leading to his death—it was Azurium poisoning.

"You knew this all along—he was alive this whole time..." Agent Rizwan mumbled as he immediately removed the hard plates of carbon metal armor, which was secured on his arms for his defense, revealing under was his long-sleeve clothe underneath. He didn't bother making second thoughts of this and tore the sleeve from his shoulder, using the torn cloth to serve as a bandage for the time being. The said dark cloth was wrapped and tied around the area where the wound was—needing to tighten the knot to secure the first-aid intervention—to prevent more blood from gushing out.

"I only knew it when he captured me, he isn't intending all of this." She was now calm enough to speak, pity and worry in her hazel eyes. "I'll explain everything later—we need to get him treated— Gah!"

The neuro agent was cut mid-sentence as pressure was felt from behind her back, causing her to let go of the young former tekno and grit her teeth in an attempt to ease it.

Agent Rizwan immediately took a few steps back, seeing Dos' shock stix struck onto the neuro agent's uniform, not enough to cause an impaled wound, but the electric shocking mechanism of it is what resembles a real threat.

Ali only gave Alicia an apologetic look, trying to hoist himself up as much as he could. His empty eyes managed to spot the metallic, circular device on the ground, in the pile of broken glass and metal shards which used to resemble his mask. There sat I.R.I.S., almost unscratched.

He used his uninjured arm to reach for the device, grasping it tightly on the palm of his hand before using his thumb to press the center and activate the device. The same sequence of blue scanned his irises and formed into a pair of glasses—the original I.R.I.S.

At the corner of his vision, he could see his energy meter dangerously low—it won't take long before he collapses completely, only the blueprint of the battle shown currently.

With what ounce of strength he has, he closed his eyes, the holographic blue area of the glasses slowly shifting into a bright white color. The same hand that grasped I.R.I.S. was raised, and soon, all the mechanical enemies—the droids, mechadroids, and elevating bots, ceased their violent assault towards the agents. Rather, he made a command mentally to switch their targets—to target the Numeroz instead.

The mechanical entities obliged the protocol forced onto them and ceased their battles with the mentors and the General, shifting their attention to Dos who was currently the only Numeroz member standing, and attacked.

As it turned out, there were more droids hidden in the forest area, awaiting orders, now revealed and attacked only one woman—Dos.

It was that very moment when Ali finally realized that instead of doing something for the betterment of M.A.T.A. and all of Cyberaya—he only made it worse. Fighting for control will never give any side the victory—only bloodshed and unintended violence—pain. He never should've done this—he shouldn't have trusted the Numeroz—or even Jenny. But no, he didn't and instead, believed that they could make a difference, to bring new light to what they're actually fighting for.

Alicia... he never wanted to use her to begin with, not as a sacrifice, and not as someone in danger in his hands. He didn't want for anyone else to get hurt—even until now.

But who could have known that he'd be backstabbed by someone he chose to trust again? With a weapon he himself forged out of what remained of Djin's old weapon?

Azurium is a dangerous thing to play with—but now, it was made clearer than before.

He just wants to change M.A.T.A. for the better, to get control and help others change—how ironic it was that it was he who was causing what trouble they're all encountering.

Now that his eyes were opened, this was the least he could do.

His head throbbed in pain, a headache forming, worsening by the minute. His hazy vision could comprehend seeing Alicia down on the grass nearby, unconscious from the earlier attack made by Dos, and all of the mechanical entities he took control of using override mode was now targeting the Numeroz—he didn't have to worry about anyone else getting hurt.

Only a small smile could be mustered as his vision blurred, the alert on I.R.I.S. becoming more apparent—he was slowly losing consciousness.

"Ali... keep yourself together." He heard Agent Rizwan spoke to him one last time before his eyes eventually closed, and the sheet of peace flooded what consciousness he has left—

It all faded away into darkness.