𝑆𝐿𝑌 || 𝗿𝗺𝗮

ˣˡⁱⁱⁱ

╔                              ╗
ᶜʰᵃʳᵐⁱⁿᵍ ᵍᵒˡᵈ
╚                              ╝

everyone took a step back at the menacing voice of their host when kumiho felt pala slipped away from her grasp. her eyes widened and she turned around to find him, lonky and popo disappearing down an unknown hatch

their screams reached her ears and she shared a look with miyo

❝ i'll go after those three ❞, miyo said, ❝ you take care of charming gold and make sure to turn on your watch incase something happens ❞

kumiho nodded and watched as she hop down the dark tunnel before turning her attention back to the machine. it was still functioning but it was moving rather slower than normal

she reached out for kuga and pulled him back from attacking, ❝ hold your horses tough guy, we can't just blindly attack him. he could have something up his sleeves ❞, she warned him and liu nodded

❝ i'll look for the power source. you guys distract him for as long as you can—work together and remember he's only able to use one ability at a time so that's a an advantage for us ❞, with that being said, they all split up so the machine could focus on them while liu hid behind one of the container boxes

both kumiho and gai took a sharp turn causing it to crash into the wall. it went on for a while until kuga decided to join in the 'fun'

he charged up his power and aimed his fist directly to where charming gold was at as a huge gust of wind knocked the machine

liu quickly stepped away from his spot when he noticed it's torso opening up to reveal a red crystal. he looked at the stone with a grin

❝ meet up! ❞, he exclaimed and his three teammates appeared by his side, looking at him with an expectant gaze, ❝ a red light flashes whenever he switches to another ability. the red core is the source of its power and when it switches, the torso opens ❞, he explained

❝ that's when we strike? ❞, gai asked, glancing at the machine

liu nodded, ❝ kuga, you stay here with me and make sure its attention is on us. kumi, gai, once the torso opens—make sure it stays open ❞

gai hummed and looked at kumiho before he wrapped an arm around her waist and teleported behind the machine. he leaned in, ❝ you ready? ❞, he whispered, his breathe running down her ear to her neck and she nodded

as soon as the torso opens, they both stepped inside and placed both hands above their heads to stop it from closing. kumiho bit the insides of her cheek at the heaviness

liu noticed them and held up his gun and fired but the bullet got deflected much to his dismay

❝ nice try, jackass ❞, charming gold sneered from inside when his face dropped at the warning in his screen

❝ system overheating...system overheating... ❞, it repeated and the machine's torso expanded, giving both kumiho and gai to relax their arms and legs

shan appeared beside the duo and she got them back to safety. all eyes were on liu as he let out a sigh and loading his gun as he shoots

kumiho lets herself get dragged away by makhan as the machine deactivated. she could faintly smell the scent of oil coming from it and covered her nose with her jacket

she leaned back and rested her head on liu's shoulder, his scent of cologne filling her nose instead and her eyes trained on charming gold's body

❝ is it finally over? ❞, gai asked, standing up from where he sat and brushed away the dirt on his outfit

no one answered as they looked at charming gold's motionless body when his hand twitches. they all took a step back when he stood up, his tall figure reaching his full height

❝ you little— ❞, he stopped mid-sentence when gasps echoed the area. he noticed most of their eyes were trained on his face

his face

his real face

❝ monster.. ❞, gai murmured, his face crunched up in disgust at the sight in front of him

kumiho looked away—not out of disgust of course—but she just doesn't know how to react to it. she hated the name calling but that's their enemy so staying silent is the only choice

charming gold glanced around and picked up a glass from the floor. he held it up and gingerly touched his cheek in shock, resisting the urge to cry

he threw the glass and listened to its broken noise as he scoffed, ❝ a monster you say? ❞, his eyes hardened at the group before him, softening when it landed on kumiho before returning to a cold stare

❝ fine ❞, he spat, ❝ i'll show you a real monster ❞, he picked up the shards of red crystal in his hands and gripped onto it until his knuckled turned white

the group listened as he screamed in pain and a bright light blinded them momentarily. kumiho winced at the flashing light, stepping back until she bumped into makhan's chest. the elder held onto her shoulder, protectively with a grim look

❝ what have we gotten ourselves into..? ❞

↳-end of chapter 43! i hope u enjoy^^-༉‧₊˚✧