In the present time, Yunbam, Hank, and the other Boas quietly observe the digital screen in front of them. On the monitor, they see Jen and Prekayda sitting in silent focus, watching Boa in deep spirit meditation.
Yunbam exhales, placing his hands together in prayer.
"Come on, Boa... You'll figure out a way to save these people and—"
Before he can finish, his eyes snap open. The world around him has frozen. Every movement ceases—his comrades locked in place mid-breath, mid-blink. The air shifts, thick with a glowing, spiritual presence.
Yunbam rises from his seat, heart pounding. The atmosphere feels sacred.
Suddenly, Hank stirs beside him, breaking free from the stillness. He blinks in confusion.
"Yunbam... what's going on?"
Yunbam looks around in disbelief.
"This... this has something to do with—"
But he stops.
A radiant soul, burning bright yellow with flames of energy, appears before them. Its presence washes over them like heat from a star.
Both Yunbam and Hank immediately understand. Their eyes widen as they instinctively reach forward—together—and lay their hands upon the glowing soul.
Back to the Star games, during the night in the forest near Taeo City, Kayle slowly wakes up inside a cabin. A few of her fellow Star teammates exhale in relief as she sits up. The door creaks open, and Tomi steps inside, offering a calm smile.
"Just as I thought," Tomi says, "you'd did great on your own and you became a Chosen yourself. I expected nothing less from you. But based on what we all saw from the sky, whatever battle you were in... it looked like a draw."
Kayle coughs lightly, accepting a cup of water from a teammate. After a sip, she responds, "It was close. But he had a slight edge over me. He's probably already back up again and ready."
Tomi folds his arms, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Hmm. Judging by your face reaction, I'm assuming it was Lars that you fought. He became a Chosen too... interesting. I've done all my research on the planet's lore. According to the old paintings, the Chosen are meant to protect the people of this planet. So… where are the people you're supposed to protect?"
Kayle sighs deeply and lies back on the bed. "Long story short—the people I was meant to protect are long gone. All I have left is this Chosen power."
Green magic sparks to life in her hand, forming a glowing bow. She stares at it for a moment, then adds, "Well, I guess it's time to improvise and protect the people we still have—our commoner Stars from planet Isha. We'll carry them all to the very end, no matter who wins."
Tomi nods solemnly. "Status report—we've lost a little over 50% of the Stars we came with."
Kayle sits up slightly. "I saw around 10% of them in another community, near the Vel Temple, back in the ruined lands where we started. The lead Star there is a horned woman named Vel. She's earned a bonus that lets her words persuade anyone, as long as they're at the same or a lower mortal level. But enough about stats—what have you all been doing?"
Tomi replies, "Well… we met Theo's son—Taeo."
Kayle's eyes widen. She immediately sits up. "Huh?! The son of the last Star Games winner is also competing this year? Oh wow, this year's competition just got a lot more intense. But no matter—we'll survive until the end."
Tomi then explains how he and his team helped Taeo's group during the city war, eventually taking over the city now renamed after Taeo. He continues, detailing how Taeo has also become a Chosen and has shared parts of his power with both Gilga and Gaia. Together, the three of them are making big plans to save the city.
"Hm," Kayle says thoughtfully. "Let's go see their progress."
They leave the cabin and make their way to a nearby mine. There, Ortis is seen directing Yuri and a team of workers as they gather resources.
Kayle pinches her chin in curiosity. "They're gathering massive amounts of resources… to whatever they're planning, it's probably going to involve a large-scale data convergence."
Tomi glances over. "Shall we still assist them, or do you have something else in mind?"
Kayle pauses, considering her options. "We've got choices. Taeo and his city have better odds, sure. But there's another—the mysterious man who stepped out of his own portal at the start of the Star Games. Yeah, he became a Chosen too. I still have so many questions about him. I can feel it—he's got something bigger planned. Who knows what his odds are, but I know he holds the answers… especially about that city he came from. It was on planet Isha, but no one has ever seen it before."
Tomi nods. "Yes… that man. It'll be kind of cliché for us to join the better group and survive with them. But we might get more out of it if we stick with… what was his name?"
Kayle turns toward them, her voice steady and confident.
"Nox. King Nox."
Meanwhile, in the floating village in the sky, Nox and his native people work diligently, side by side. Groups of natives gather at the edge of the floating island, each one placing their hand on a hovering brown orb. The moment they touch it, a protective shell of hardened earth forms around them—encasing them in spherical cocoons of dirt.
One by one, these spheres drop from the floating village like falling seeds. Nearby, dozens more dirt-encased spheres descend toward the ocean below, carrying native villagers inside.
As the spheres splash into the water, the people within place their hands against the inner wall. Magic pulses from their palms, causing the sphere to emit glowing brown beams that shoot through the ocean. These beams scan the seafloor, collecting valuable resources hidden deep beneath the waves.
Some of the spheres dig even deeper—piercing through the ocean bed and tunneling into the earth. They descend into vast underground mines, their beams scattering in all directions to extract minerals and magical materials buried far below.
Back on the floating village, Nox stands in his workshop, sleeves rolled up and focused on his craft. With the resources being gathered, he uses magic to fuse elements together, forming a glowing crystal orb. He then gathers the surrounding dirt with a sweep of his arm, shaping it into a hulking earth golem. He places the crystal orb into its core, animating it with life.
Golem after golem comes to life, and each one begins to assist around the village—hauling supplies, reinforcing structures, and tending to construction with silent efficiency.
Nox exhales deeply, surveying the rapid progress.
"Alright," he says to himself, "things are going faster than I thought. Well… let's get to the main work!"
With that, he lets himself fall backward. The ground behind him opens up, and he drops through a hidden shaft. He lands smoothly in a massive chamber located at the center of the floating village.
All around him, earth golems work tirelessly. In the middle of the chamber stands a massive, unfinished crystal orb—its size dwarfing the rest. Nox steps forward, channeling his magic through his hands as he reaches out and touches the orb.
The surface of the crystal glows in response, humming with growing energy.
Meanwhile, on the eastern islands, Boa awakens from his deep spirit meditation. His eyes open slowly as he takes a breath of the air.
"All of the plans are in motion now," he says, rising to his feet. "But we'll have to face whatever doom that comes next in the morning."
Prekayda bows with solemn grace.
"From the fortune ladies," she says, "they've predicted the next doom to be storms of undying disasters capable of covering the entire world."
Boa paces around the room.
"If that's the case," he says, "then I'll use my powers to stop it. I can already generated enough energy to create storms of disasters myself. If I can create one… then I can stop one."
From behind, Jen steps into view.
"Boa," she says, smiling softly, "it's nice to see you handling things so well despite your busy schedule. I assume you've been making progress with Project Soul?"
Boa turns to her, with a calm smile.
"Ah, finally out and about it, are you? Done having fun?" he teases. "But yes, to answer your question—I've already made contact with Yunbam and the others back home. They're moving forward with the plan. Once all the pieces align, we'll be able to save these people."
Jen glances at Prekayda.
"May I have some private time with Boa?"
Prekayda nods and bows respectfully before quietly exiting the room.
Jen and Boa sit together by the window, where the moon glows brightly above the village. For a moment, there's silence between them—just the sound of the wind and the distant crashing of waves.
"I didn't just go off to have fun," Jen says at last. "I had to find myself. Ever since the data dragon fight… my memories have been in a haze. But after taking this village's mother drug, I was finally able to recover those lost memories. It helped me connect with my inner soul."
Boa nods gently.
"I also understand now," Jen continues. "Why you always try to calm me down whenever you're struggling in battle."
He meets her gaze.
"So… you must've seen what happens when you go blue."
Jen nods again, slowly.
"Yeah. I become a monster with overwhelming power. But by doing that… it costs me my life. Thanks to you and Hank, you both used the highly costed resources to save me. I understand now—whenever I see you close to death, I lose control. That's why I turn blue—to save you."
She pauses, voice softening.
"That's probably why you kept stopping me from using it… like when we fought Otter. I almost used it again when you faced off against the former leader of these natives… but I remembered your words. All of them. When I was at my worst, you reached me. Your words… you, yourself, are always changing me. I don't even know if I can live without you. I never realized how close our bond really is."
Boa places a hand on her shoulder.
"We are family, Jen. That's as close as it gets."
He sighs deeply, the weight of his next words heavy in his voice.
"The doctors said that because of the drugs abused in your past, your body developed the ability to enter hyper overdrive. Your heart pumps 1000 times faster, creating a natural chemical reaction in your blood—that's what turns you blue. Fast. Powerful. Unstoppable. But once it's over, your blood cells clog… and it could kill you."
He looks her in the eye.
"After learning what you went through, I promised myself I wouldn't lose another family member."
They embrace, holding each other close in the moonlit silence.
But suddenly a distant explosion lights up the night sky in the village.
They both pull back from the hug, eyes wide.
"…Did you see that?" Jen asks.
Boa nods, his expression shifting into focus.
"Yeah, but I don't have time for it, I still have work to do, please go take care of it."
Jen steps forward, determination in her voice.
"Yeah… I'll take care of it. You just keep doing what it takes to save everyone, Boa. I'll handle the smaller problems."
She exits the room quickly, and Boa stays behind, exhaling deeply. He places a hand on his chest as a strong wave of magical energy gathers within him. His voice drops to a whisper.
"Fallen Boas… follow my voice and take rest in my heart. When the time is right… you shall all be given life again."
Meanwhile, at the source of the explosion, Jen rushes onto the chaotic scene. Villagers scramble to put out fires with water while smoke and ash swirl in the air. Among the devastation, she spots Crank, locked in battle alongside numerous animals and native warriors against Lars, whose presence is surrounded by destruction—fallen villagers and animals scattered around them.
Crank yells out, fury burning in his eyes:
"You're one of the Chosen! Aren't you supposed to protect the people of this planet?!"
Lars laughs darkly, his eyes wild.
"I'm sure all the other Chosen Stars are doing just that… but I am my own person. I'll decide my own fate. And the only way to save them from this planet's doom… is to kill them before they ever have to face it."
Crank signals for the animals and village warriors to back off.
"We don't have time for your bullshit. Our Boa is busy doing the real work—smart work. So I'll uphold my honor and handle the smaller issues… like you."
Lars smirks.
"I can't tell if you're brave… or just stupid. But by now, anyone with a brain should know they're no match for me."
His magic aura intensifies, glowing with chaotic power. Jen watches with concern as the energy grows around Lars.
But Crank doesn't waver. He tightens his grip on his battle axe.
"Boa always told me—'Crank, you might be dumb… but that's what makes you fearless. That's what makes you great in a battle of honor!'"
With a roar, Crank charges in without hesitation. Lars is momentarily stunned—how could someone so clearly outmatched still run headfirst into danger?
Crank swings his battle axe with such power that the ground beneath them cracks, launching chunks of rock into the air. Without another second, he pivots and slams his axe into each rock, sending them flying at Lars like earthbound meteors.
Lars blocks each one, but every rock explodes on impact, forcing him to shield himself further.
"So the rumors were true…" Lars mutters. "You really are the strongest mortal from Planet Isha, based by pure brute strength. But what a waste… to be born as a slummer like you, with no real brain. That'll be your downfall!"
He lunges forward, his fist clashing with Crank's axe—shattering it. In one fluid motion, Lars spins and drives a heavy punch into Crank's chest, launching him through several village houses.
Lars pauses, inspecting his fist.
"No mortal should survive a hit like that. And yet… your body's built to endure it. Must be why you need someone like that ex-pawn Boa… someone dumb like you needs his type of brain."
Lars prepares to give chase—
But suddenly, a flash! Jen appears in a blur and slices Lars's cheek with her dagger. No blood—only sparks.
Lars grins.
"Awh, the drug lady… I've heard of you. They say you're the fastest mortal on Planet Isha. Now I see why you three work together. Because you're all… flawed."
He strikes—faster than before. Jen's eyes widen.
"What?! He's gotten even faster!"
She tries to dodge, but Lars is already there—until Crank reappears, landing a massive punch that sends Lars flying into a nearby building.
Crank wipes blood from his mouth and smirks.
"No worries… we've already stalled long enough."
He stands beside Jen and glances at the smoke-filled sky.
"These animals… they have two packs. The new pack, led by their former alpha—the panther that I already defeated. And the old pack… they usually stay away from the village, but their bond with the new pack is never broken."
He grins.
"As the alpha of the new pack… I've already called for their help."
Jen then questions
" Is it me or are you starting to form better sentences, ever since you got out of prison?"
Lars bursts from the rubble, charging in fury—
But before he can reach them, a massive pair of claws grabs him mid-sprint.
A giant griffin lifts Lars high into the air.
"What the—?!"
The griffin tosses him skyward—just as a centaur below fires a magic-charged arrow that hits Lars's chest. The arrow spins rapidly, then explodes in a fiery blast.
Lars falls hard—only to be met by a giant chimera, who slashes at him with massive claws, then bites and tosses him aside like a ragdoll. The chimera's snake-headed tail charges and fires a powerful energy blast, striking Lars in midair and engulfing him in a massive explosion.
Jen stands in awe, eyes wide as the dust settles. Crank steps forward proudly, standing beside the trio of beasts.
He gestures to them one by one.
"Jen… meet the old pack."
He points.
"This is Delta Centaur… Beta Griffin… and Alpha Chimera of the old pack."