The sky darkened, not with clouds - but with smoke.
The Inferno Titan marched through Solunar City, every step melting the ground beneath it. Buildings scorched. Trees ignited instantly.
The heat was unbearable - a burning aura radiating from the monster, forcing people to flee in every direction.
Screams echoed as flaming meteors erupted from the Titan's core, raining destruction onto the city.
Rei arrived - her Lunar Crescent Hatchets already drawn.
Her breathing was steady, but the intense heat pressed against her skin.
"This one... is different," she thought.
She leapt forward - slicing through a flaming meteor mid-air - but as she closed in on the Inferno Titan...
Her attacks did nothing.
The Titan's molten hide simply absorbed the energy from her strikes, glowing brighter each time she hit it.
"It's feeding off my attacks."
Rei's mind raced.
"I can't destroy something that grows stronger every time I hit it."
The Solunar people - those who once mocked Rei - stood at a distance, too afraid to move.
Meanwhile at the city's hospital...
Zala and Larry held their newborn twins - a Solar boy and a Lunar girl.
The babies' cries mixed with the distant roars of the Inferno Titan.
Larry gently cradled his son, while Zala clutched their daughter close.
Then - a massive vine of flame shot through the hospital's walls.
The Inferno Titan roared, its tendrils of molten fire grabbing Zala, Larry, and the babies - pulling them from the hospital and dangling them above the burning streets.
Zala screamed - holding both children tightly.
The Solunar people froze - unable to do anything but watch.
Rei's eyes narrowed.
"Hostages."
Her muscles tensed. She was already on the edge of exhaustion from battling these monsters for days - but she couldn't stop now.
That's when-
Jim appeared.
Without hesitation - he dashed through the flames, using his Solun Lance to deflect falling debris and stray bursts of lava.
He looked up at the Titan, its fiery vines twisting higher with Zala, Larry, and the newborns.
"Rei! I'll save the babies - you take that thing down!"
Rei didn't respond - but the faintest flicker of trust passed between them.
The battle split into two parts.
Jim vs. the fire vines - using quick, precise strikes to slice through the burning tendrils one by one.
Rei vs. the Inferno Titan - figuring out how to destroy a creature that absorbed her every attack.
Jim climbed.
The vines lashed at him, burning his arms and legs - but he didn't stop.
He reached Zala and Larry -
"Hold on!"
With a single swing, he severed the vine holding Zala and the babies - catching the Solar boy and Lunar girl before they could fall.
Zala and Larry collapsed to the ground safely, shaking but alive.
Jim cradled the twins, his arms scorched from the heat - but he kept his grip firm.
The Solunar people gasped.
Rei finally noticed -
The Inferno Titan's core wasn't just absorbing Lunar energy - it was feeding off Solar energy too.
"It's unstable."
Rei's gaze darkened.
She extended her hand - absorbing the faintest sliver of Solar energy from the surrounding heat - mixing it with her Lunar power.
The energy spiraled into a single, deadly strike.
"Lunar-Solar Special Strike."
Her hatchet blazed - both light and dark fused -
She hurled it straight into the Titan's core.
For a split second -
Silence.
Then -
The Inferno Titan exploded - its core overloaded by the conflicting energies.
Flames shot into the sky - but quickly vanished as the Titan's molten body disintegrated into a pile of glowing embers.
_ _ _
Zala and Larry sobbed softly - holding their babies close.
The Solunar people didn't just stand there this time.
They cheered.
Not just for Heatsun and Moonsalt -
But for Jim - the boy with green hair who had saved innocent lives.
And for Rei - the warrior who had defeated yet another monster.
From afar - Moonsalt watched.
Her eyes shimmered, but a small, proud smile tugged at her lips.
Jim looked at Rei.
His arms burned. His legs shaking.
But he grinned.
"We did it, big sister."
Rei, breathing hard, didn't respond - but this time,
She didn't walk away.
At Dark Void's Base...
The air felt heavier than ever.
Aquadrown, arms crossed and face like stone, stared into the swirling pool of water at the center of the chamber - a live reflection of Soluna.
"It's time for my masterpiece."
Hellfire smirked.
Toxica rolled her eyes.
Dark Void's voice slithered through the silence:
"Don't disappoint me, Aquadrown."
A ripple spread across the water's surface - and from its depths, a massive figure emerged.
In a Coastal City...
The skies darkened.
Thunder rumbled.
And then -
Water erupted.
A massive whirlpool tore through the coast, rising into a towering column of water.
From its core stepped the Hydro Gargantua - an armored sea warrior standing like a moving tsunami.
Its entire body, encased in a shell of flowing water and glimmering scales, gleamed with Lunar and Solar reflections - and every step it took sent shockwaves through the city, flooding streets and shattering buildings.
Screams.
People ran - some clinging to children, others helping the wounded - as the floodwater surged higher.
Rei stood at the city's edge - her Lunar Crescent Hatchets glowing faintly.
She clenched her jaw.
"This isn't just a monster - it's a moving flood."
Her Lunar power crackled around her - but brute force wouldn't work. She knew that instantly.
Jim appeared.
Soaked to the bone, gripping his Solun Lance tightly.
"I'll protect the people - you focus on the monster."
Rei didn't respond - but her nod said everything.
The battle split into two fronts:
Jim's mission: Save as many Solunar people as possible, cutting through collapsing structures and pulling people from the surging flood.
Rei's mission: Find the Hydro Gargantua's weakness - and exploit it.
The battle began.
The Hydro Gargantua unleashed torrents of water, smashing through buildings like paper.
Rei charged - but her first Lunar Crescent Slash did nothing - the water armor simply reformed.
"I can't break through this..."
Jim darted through the waterlogged streets - rescuing a trapped family and shielding a young solar girl from falling debris with his Solun Lance.
His green hair clung to his face, and despite his efforts, some Solunar people still gave him suspicious looks.
One man even muttered: "The green-haired boy? Will he really protect us?"
Jim gritted his teeth but said nothing - slicing through a collapsing beam to clear a path.
Heatsun and Moonsalt arrived.
Their combined Solar and Lunar powers created a protective Solunar Barrier - leading people toward higher ground.
Henry and Marie used their skills - sending out controlled blasts of Solar and Lunar energy to push the floodwater back just enough for people to escape.
But the Hydro Gargantua wasn't done.
It summoned massive waves - threatening to consume the city.
Rei closed her eyes - recalling the battle against Tim.
The way she used her speed to disorient him.
Her mind clicked.
"Brute strength won't work... but confusion will."
She then unleashed -
Lunar Mirage.
Her form split into five shifting illusions - flickering around the Hydro Gargantua.
The monster roared - slamming watery fists into each illusion - but hitting nothing but air.
The real Rei struck.
She darted behind it - activating her Lunar Shield just as a water blast shot toward her - and with a burst of speed...
She unleashed a deadly combination:
Lunar Phantom Strikes - precise, blinding attacks aimed at the cracks in the Gargantua's armor.
Lunar Crescent Slash - slicing through its chest, forcing the water core to lose stability.
The Hydro Gargantua staggered - its once-fluid form glitching as its watery shell collapsed in patches.
Finally, a devastating Lunar Cresent Storm - cut directly into the creature's core.
With a deafening screech -
The Hydro Gargantua collapsed - its water dissipating into a harmless mist.
The city fell silent.
Jim stood at the city's center holding a young lunar boy he had saved, his green hair glistening under the sun as the rain died down.
Henry and Marie helped guide the injured.
Heatsun and Moonsalt reinforced the Solunar Barrier - ensuring the floods wouldn't return.
The Solunar people stared at Rei.
She was battered, soaked, and breathing hard - but victorious.
For the first time -
The whispers shifted.
"She saved us..."
"The black Lunar Warrior... she's not our enemy."
Then -
A small child stepped forward.
A Solar girl.
She tugged at her mother's hand before pointing at Rei.
"Mom... is she a hero?"
The mother being a Lunar- hesitant at first - finally nodded.
"Yes... I think she is."
The Lunar boy that Jim saved immediately ran away from him as he jumped towards that same Lunar mother crying. "Mom! I was scared..so scared.. but the green haired guy...saved me."
He was gripped tighter by her as the Solar girl also jumped on her embracing her brother crying.
Suddenly a Solar man ran to them at a blazing speed and shed tears as he reached near them saying. "You..all were safe? I was worried about you all."
The Lunar Woman handed him the children as she responded tearfully. "Yes dear, they are with us now. We won't let them go."
The Lunar boy cried on his arms. "Dad, the green haired guy... you need to thank him for that."
The Solar girl wrapped herself around the same Solar man comfortably saying. "Dad! It's also thanks to her, the Lunar Warrior sister that we are safe."
The Solar man now stared at both Rei and Jim, the Lunar woman standing beside him.
He finally muttered. "Thanks a lot for your help. We will forever be in your debt. We can't explain how to thank you properly."
Rei was silent but deep inside she was confused as to how to respond. It was the awkward for her to experience kindness.
Jim stepped forward and said. "No need to thank us. It was your duty. Your safety matters the most."
The Lunar Woman responded as she gave a knowing smile to the Solar man. "If you are ever in trouble, we will always be there for you."
The couple then gave a formal bow to them as they left.
Jim then grinned at Rei who was standing in a weird stance.
"I told you," he whispered to Rei. "They're starting to see you for who you are."
From a distance, Moonsalt watched -
Her heart warm as she saw her son, Jim, not only saving people but standing beside Rei - once seen as a threat and her former student.
She whispered softly: "You're making your own path... just like your father and I did."
Rei didn't smile - but she didn't walk away.
The Black Lunar Warrior was no longer just a shadow.
She was becoming a true savior.