BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT

All four beast teams put forth their best efforts, effectively dispatching numerous falling zombies from above. The scoreboard displays the current points: Team Donkey with 67 points, Team Bulls with 65 points, Team Elephant with 88 points, and Team Horse leading with 92 points.

Megan gracefully bounds across the entire arena using her magnetic boots, eliminating multiple zombies with quick staff swings. She suddenly positions herself in front of Mikey, Kiren, and Cain, launching into combat. Kiren, in an attempt to defuse the situation, asserts that Megan needs not fight them. Ignoring Kiren's plea, Megan continues to engage all three of them. In a surprising move, Mikey manages to graze Megan's cheek with his blade. In response, Megan propels the top half of her staff toward Mikey. Kiren swiftly intercedes, using his shield to block the projectile, but it propels him upward into the air. Kiren subsequently lands in front of Luka, who expresses his curiosity about Megan's friend's strength. Kiren prepares for a confrontation with Luka.

Luka darts in with impressive speed, repeatedly thrusting his sword at Kiren, who skillfully parries each strike. While Luka is quietly impressed by Kiren's defense, Kiren's thoughts race as he grapples with the sheer speed of Luka's attacks. Luka employs a feint, causing Kiren to react defensively, but then redirects his thrust, piercing Kiren's shoulder, resulting in a spray of blood.

This sight fills Kiren with rage, intensifying his resolve to fight for Ragnar's sake. Kiren retaliates with powerful hammer swings, but Luka deftly evades by leaping away. Luka then unleashes a rapid flurry of blade thrusts, appearing to move at lightning speed. Kiren manages to block these strikes and counters with his hammer, narrowly missing Luka. However, Luka finds an opening and inflicts a cut on Kiren's back.

Kiren's anger surges, driving him to launch a furious assault on Luka. Once more, Luka thrusts his blade hundreds of times in a lightning-quick sequence, yet Kiren continues to deflect the strikes with his shield. In a bold move, Kiren while blocking with his shield executes an upward kick that dislodges his shoe, sending it flying and hitting Luka's chin and taking him by surprise. Kiren then swings his hammer, and although Luka narrowly evades, he counters by slicing Kiren's forehead. Kiren retaliates swiftly with a shield bash to Luka's abdomen, propelling him into his fellow team members.

Wiping the blood from his forehead, Kiren vocalizes his determination, suggesting that perhaps his motivation stems from his desire to avenge Ragnar. Luka is genuinely impressed with Kiren's progress, but he rises to his feet, cautioning Kiren not to grow overconfident, as he has only just begun his journey into high-level combat. Both warriors assume stances, their respective weapons flickering with magical light. As Luka's blade makes contact with Kiren's shield, a brief magical spark emerges before quickly dissipating.

Suddenly, the entire ship experiences a violent shake, causing Kiren and Luka to cease their battle. A colossal magical door materializes above the arena, heralding the arrival of the Face machine. It hovers in the air, its eyes flickering with an eerie glow, as it conjures a massive black orb beneath it. The Face machine then reclines atop this enigmatic sphere. Volk and Jarvis are taken aback, astonished by the sudden appearance of this black orb that it was at the core of the ship but now magically transported to the arena.

Jarvis proceeds to provide an explanation, clarifying that the black orb serves to nullify the magical abilities of all other magic users but Rider family within the ship. Volk recalls that the Face machine and the black orb was discovered together by their family long ago, further deepening the mystery of their connection.

Henry, wearing a smile of enjoyment, encourages everyone to persist in their battles, as the Face machine has now joined the ranks of the spectators. The crowd, a mixture of excitement and shock, witnesses this unprecedented event, as it marks the first time the Face machine has engaged in such a manner. Volk speculates that perhaps this signifies a moment beyond entertainment, as the Face machine seems to have developed a heightened interest and chosen to directly observe the event.

Megan delivers a powerful strike to Cain's face with her staff, causing him to crash and roll away. Mikey charges forward, his blade flickering with magical light, while Megan swings her staff, her entire body flickering with mystical radiance. When they clash their weapons, a brief magical spark appears and vanishes, causing a slight tremor in the black orb beneath the Face machine.

Meanwhile, Kiren and Luka engage in another intense clash of weapons, creating additional magical sparks that make the black orb shake even more. By this point, all the zombies from the arena are now dead, leaving the rest of the beast members to watch in awe as Luka, Kiren, Mikey, and Megan engage in a battle that surpasses their expectations.

The two duels eventually converge, with Kiren sliding alongside Mikey, and Megan leaping back to Luka. Mikey expresses his bewilderment regarding the flickering lights on their weapons but admits that this moment is the most exhilarating experience of his life. Filled with excitement, Kiren lets out a triumphant roar and charges towards Luka and Megan.

Megan's face lights up with a radiant smile, reveling in the intensity of the remarkable battle. She decides to make her move, firing the top half of her staff at Kiren, who skillfully evades as it crashes into the ground. In a swift motion, Megan activates a button on her staff, sending electricity coursing through both halves of the staff, shocking Kiren from both the front and behind, rendering him momentarily immobilized.

Mikey and Luka engage in a fierce clash of weapons, their eyes locked as they maneuver throughout the arena, producing numerous magical sparks with each collision. Megan, addressing Kiren, acknowledges his earlier sentiment that he is correct that they need not fight but cautions that if they persist, one of them might meet their demise. However, before Megan can complete her sentence, Kiren hurls his shield towards her, throwing Megan off balance. This sudden disruption ceases the electrical shock, allowing Kiren to rush toward Mikey and Luka's ongoing skirmish. Kiren declares his intent to avenge Ragnar, inspiring Cain, the Donkey, and Elephant masters to instruct their teams to attack the Horse team.

Megan quickly regains her footing, reattaches her staff, and orders the Horse team to form a defensive formation. She then leads the charge against the other three beast teams, swinging her staff with tremendous force, striking numerous beast members and generating a flurry of magical sparks.

Kiren closes in on Luka, swinging his hammer. Luka expertly evades the attacks, narrowly avoiding Kiren's strikes. Luka prepares to counter, but Mikey intervenes, forcing Luka to block Mikey's assault, causing him to crash to the ground. Kiren and Mikey surge forward, delivering powerful blows with all their might. Luka also swings with all his strength into one blow, their weapons clash with such intensity that they create the largest magical spark seen so far, illuminating the entire arena and causing the black orb to crack.

Henry leaps in excitement, clapping vigorously, and Volk notices that even Henry's body is now flickering with magical light. The screen then displays the halftime marker. Henry, his eyes glowing intensely, turns to Volk and signals that it's time. Volk nods and employs his magic to summon a magical door in the center of the arena. As the door swings open, Agustin falls on his back onto the arena, bringing an abrupt halt to the ongoing battles.

All eyes are fixated on the screen displaying the team points: Donkey Team with 77 points, Bull Team with 71 points, Elephant Team with 83 points, and Horse Team leading with 122 points. The Donkey team's master proposes a high-stakes strategy, suggesting that if they eliminate Agustin, they can gain a massive 200 points and secure victory in the event. The Elephant team also expresses interest in taking down Agustin.

Kiren and Megan spot Agustin , they are shocked to see him and become curious about why he is present on the Rider's ship. Mikey and Megan swiftly order their team members to cease their advance, while the Donkey and Elephant teams charge relentlessly toward Agustin. Awakening to the sound of the crowd, Agustin finds himself surrounded by oncoming warriors. Witnessing this, Megan and Kiren leap into action, interposing themselves between Agustin and the approaching Donkey and Elephant warriors. Kiren declares loudly that Agustin is his friend.

However, the Donkey and Elephant Masters manage to slip past Kiren and Megan, driving their blades into Agustin's abdomen. With daggers in their other hands, they clashes their daggers together and declares that Agustin is their prey. Agustin coughs up blood, memories flashing through his mind of his time inside Henry's testing lab, where he recalls the injection of the purple drugs. Suddenly, Agustin snaps back to reality,  declaring that he is no one's prey.

In an astonishing transformation, Agustin morphs into a colossal lion-like monster, biting off the heads of the Donkey and Elephant masters. The massive lion stands at a towering 50 feet, its deafening roar shaking the entire ship. Henry seizes the opportunity, leaping onto the lion's back and merging his body with the creature's flesh. Henry proclaims that if they can defeat his lion mount, they can claim victory in the entire battle royal. This shocking turn of events leaves everyone in awe and disbelief at the sight of such a formidable monster.

The remaining Donkey and Elephant warriors charge forward blindly, seeking to avenge their fallen masters. The lion retaliates by swinging its massive paws, quickly dispatching many of the warriors. Despite their efforts, the warriors shoot numerous arrows into the lion's flesh, but these attacks barely scratch the surface.

Stepping back from the chaotic battle, Megan expresses that the focus of the event has shifted away from victory.  Kiren concurs, emphasizing that their primary goal now is to survive together. Standing side by side, Luka and Mikey discuss their predicament. Luka expresses his surprise at witnessing Young Master Henry's ability to conjure such a monstrous entity. Mikey suggests that they should cooperate to survive until the timer expires, acknowledging that they are no match for the Lion monster.

However, Luka counters by reminding everyone that they have been living within the Entertainment System, and this moment is what they have long awaited. He believes there won't be another opportunity like this one and that they should unite to face the Lion monster, creating the grandest battle in Entertainment System history. Mikey smiles in agreement, and they jointly order their warriors to join forces.

Kiren voices the urgent need to rescue Agustin from within the Lion monster, to which Megan responds by acknowledging the formidable challenge ahead. Observing the lion preparing to strike at warriors who are hesitant to engage, Kiren leaps forward, positioning himself in front of them and blocking the impending attack with his shield. This defensive maneuver sends Kiren sliding back slightly, but it successfully redirects the attack away from the frightened warriors.

Meanwhile, Luka and Mikey issue orders for their warriors to fire smoke arrows at the lion. The arrows find their mark, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. Megan seizes the opportunity to take action, firing the top half of her staff into the lion's abdomen. Using the magnetic pull from the staff, she propels herself forward and underneath the lion's belly. Megan continues her trajectory, swinging around to the back of the lion, bypassing its tail, and landing on top of it. There, she drives the other half of her staff into the lion's back, eliciting admiration from Henry, who claps in approval. Megan dismounts as the lion experiences a powerful shock from the staff. The lion roars in agony, with Henry applauding in delight.

Kiren, determined to make a connection with Agustin, leaps onto the lion's face and receives a shock. He manages to climb to the lion's eyeball, calling out to Agustin, reminding him of their friendship. In response, the lion swipes its paw toward Kiren. Megan employs her magnetic boots to reach Kiren quickly, pulling him away just as the lion's paw strikes its own face, causing significant damage. The lion topples to the ground, allowing the Bull and Horse teams to target the exposed wound on its face. After shaking off the staff from its body, which ends the shock, the lion retaliates by dispatching numerous warriors with its powerful paws.

From opposite sides of the lion, Mikey and Luka synchronize their strikes, delivering powerful blows with their weapons to the lion's stomach. Their simultaneous attack produces significant magical sparks. In the meantime, Kiren utilizes Megan's assistance to leap upward, wielding his hammer as he descends. He strikes the wound on the lion's head, generating a magic spark that shines even more intense than the previous ones. Kiren then declares that he'll free Agustin from the lion's grasp.

Suddenly, the lion's body begins to convulse with magical lights, and an unknown force pushes everyone backward. It becomes enveloped in a magical aura. As onlookers watch in astonishment, the lion's tail multiplies into dozens of tails, each emitting magical energy balls. These tails unleash a barrage of magical laser beams upon everyone in the arena, causing numerous explosions. This destructive display also leads to the black orb to explode.

The Face machine's eyes illuminate in a rainbow of colors as they whirl within their sockets. The audience is left in shock by these unforeseen events, while Henry's laughter echoes through the chaos. The lion continues to fire magical beams, striking the spectators in the seating area and prompting a frantic evacuation. The display screen shatters, adding to the pandemonium.

Amid the chaos, the Riders swiftly remove Jarvis and Eleon to safety. Volk, observing Henry revel in the destruction of the system, finds a smile forming on his face. He recognizes that Henry has successfully shattered the anti-magic black orb, unveiling a power they can harness to challenge and potentially overthrow the Tower Masters.

The Face machine heads to Henry and radiates with intense magical light, condensing into a smaller magical sphere that Henry eagerly consumes. In the arena, Kiren regains consciousness despite sustaining significant injuries. Through the lingering smoke, he spots Cain assisting Mikey, and he makes his way to them.

Mikey asserts that it's time to escape while the chaos still rages, emphasizing that this is their best opportunity for a clean getaway. With resolve, Mikey produces a flare gun and fires it through a hole in the ceiling. Cain carries Mikey as they prepare to depart, with Kiren on the verge of joining them.

However, Kiren hesitates, casting a final glance back at Megan and Luka as they approach the lion. Both are enveloped in vibrant magical auras. Luka remarks that with the Anti-Magic orb eliminated, they can finally reveal their true potential. Megan wears a confident smile as her staff returns to her hand, and the orb at the end of Luka's hilt gleams brightly.

Unable to leave Megan behind, Kiren decides to stay behind with her and driven by the realization that he must save Agustin, as he is the hero they need.