ZERO ONE: ONE HOPE!

BOOM!!!

The sound of the explosion wasn't just deafening—it was a thunderclap from hell that swallowed hope in an instant.

The giant heap of metal near their work area erupted, creating a wave of heat and sharp metal fragments that rained down like thousands of pieces of shrapnel.

The heat and pressure made the metal warp and screech, screaming like a dying creature.

Hariel and his crew immediately took cover behind the frame of the Sky Ark—their dream ship that wasn't even finished.

The impact of the fragments on its surface shrieked like the cry of a future nearly extinguished.

Something felt like it was breaking... not just steel—but a dream.

"ATTACK!!!"

The cry echoed, synchronized and cold.

From every scrap-heap crevice, factory roof, and shadowed wall, they emerged.

Dozens of Gear Phantom members, clad in dull black armor and lifeless iron masks. Their movements were sharp and brutal, like an army of bloodthirsty mechanical demons, surrounding them in a formation that left no room to run.

"Who are they?! There are so many!" Bolt shouted, terror plain in his eyes. His large hands gripped his giant wrench like a drowning man clutching a lifebuoy.

"Don't panic!" Hariel shot back, leaping in front of everyone.

His voice was sharp. Not just giving a command—but creating a pillar of trust in the middle of a storm.

His fire energy instantly ignited from his entire body, sparking wildly, becoming a blazing shield of hope in the darkness.

"We protect Niki! We protect the Sky Ark! This... is our dream!"

But even Hariel knew that what they faced now wasn't just an enemy. This was a man-made hell—and they were right in the middle of it.

The battle erupted.

Lasers sliced through the air like whips of infernal light. Electric batons struck with a nerve-shredding "KZZZT!". Small explosions, screams, the clang of metal, and sparks of fire merged into a deafening symphony of chaos.

Hariel became the center of the storm. He parried attack after attack while protecting his still-overwhelmed friends. He moved fast, his body a living flame that flowed and danced between a rain of bullets and electric shocks.

Behind the cover of the Sky Ark's frame, Niki knew he wasn't a fighter, but he refused to stay idle. He opened his tool bag, starting to throw various strange gadgets with calculated accuracy.

"Taste this! Magnetic nail grenade!" A small explosion took down two Phantoms.

"Mini smoke bomb!" A thick cloud of smoke gave his friends some breathing room.

"And this... my third-generation super-slick lubricant!" A puddle of oil made several enemies slip in a very undignified manner.

Hariel's reckless spirit was finally contagious. The ex-bandits rose up to fight.

Bolt struck with fury, swinging his wrench like a giant hammer. Grease created puddles of oil that trapped several enemies. Pipe danced with his long pipe, agile and fast. Wrench struck at the weak points of the enemy's armor with a pair of large screwdrivers. And Hammer—seeing Wrench cornered—finally exploded with courage, shattering an electric sword with a thundering roar.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY FRIENDS!!!"

From above, Lumi flew nimbly, becoming a radar for them all. "Hariel, behind you—three of them! Niki, from the right, throw smoke now! Bolt, STOP! There's an electric trap on the ground!"

Amidst the rain of bullets and the blaze of fire, one shadow shot forward without a sound. The Speed Demon, Vyce.

She descended upon the battlefield like black lightning, her body nearly invisible as she slipped between debris and flames.

"You think you can stop us with your little candle flame, Fire Boy?" she mocked, her voice seeming to come from all directions.

Hariel faced her, but Vyce was a nightmare. She wasn't just fast—she vanished. Every time Hariel attacked, Vyce had already disappeared. Her silver daggers appeared from all angles, scratching, tearing, stealing his stamina drop by drop.

"Red Flame… RED FIST!!!"

Something unleashed a punch of fire—striking empty space.

Vyce appeared behind him. "Too slow."

In an instant, she created a vortex of sharp wind from her own speed. "Speed Demon… WHIRLWIND SLASH!!!"

Hariel was trapped in a storm of blade slashes. His body was torn. Blood dripped. His breathing grew heavy.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!"

His body was thrown back and slammed onto the ground. Slashes covered his body, his hands trembled as he tried to get up.

"You're finished," Vyce said coldly, looking down at him with disgust.

She turned her back, leaving the Hariel she considered defeated, and targeted her next victims: Bolt and Grease.

Grease, who was helping a friend, didn't even notice Vyce's presence until a cold chill enveloped the back of her neck.

"Trash will always be trash," Vyce whispered coldly. Her dagger was raised—ready to end it all.

"NOOOO!!! DON'T TOUCH HER!!!" Bolt roared in desperation.

At that very moment.

Something erupted from Hariel's direction. Not an explosion of fire or sound. This was an explosion of pure energy.

A wave of heat so powerful that Vyce, the Speed Demon, was thrown back and fell hard. All eyes turned. Even the fires on the battlefield seemed to hold their breath.

Hariel stood up. But he was not the same Hariel.

Blood-red fire enveloped his body with an undefinable intensity. Its heat no longer felt wild, but majestic and controlled.

From his back, two giant wings of fire bloomed wide—magnificent, terrifying, like the wings of a phoenix rising from ancient legend.

His eyes—no longer a warm orange—were now a furious red, glowing like the eyes of a fire god newly awakened.

His face was not one of ordinary anger. It was a sacred fury.

"YOU... HURT... MY... FRIENDS..."

His voice was no longer Hariel's. It echoed, layered and immense, making the ground crack and the sky seem to rumble.

"... AND YOU WILL PAY FOR IT A THOUSAND TIMES OVER!!!"

The next blast of energy hadn't even arrived... but the world already knew:

The Phoenix... had awakened.