"Please rise for the Supreme Court justices!" the MC announced. The massive crowd gathered around the stadium obeyed immediately. The justices entered and took their seats, led by Chief Justice His Highness Nikoome.
"I welcome everyone to this court session," the Chief Justice began. "The accused stand charged with deceit and espionage—grave offenses punishable by public execution under our laws. But before judgment, we must hear the case. The accused have no lawyers and must defend themselves. This hearing will last no more than three days. Justice delayed is justice denied. We will listen to the accused."
The accused were brought before the high bench. The justices sat elevated, surveying the crowd and the defendants. A microphone was placed before them.
Nick stepped forward to speak. "Your Honors, there's no need to prolong this trial. We understand the gravity of the accusations and the evidence, but that is not enough to sentence us to death. I swear before all present, we never intended to spy on your secret bases."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Gavel! Gavel! Gavel!
"Order! Silence!" the Chief Justice commanded. The crowd fell quiet.
"Nick, is that your name?" the Chief Justice asked.
"Yes, Your Honor," Nick replied.
"We have reviewed the footages. It clearly shows you discussing plans to get the puzzle book. Should we play the audio recordings here?" the Chief Justice pressed.
Nick exchanged nervous glances with his allies. Whispering, he said, "That would only worsen things. Should we confess and propose the battle tests?"
Jenny nodded. "That's our best chance. Nick, you must propose it."
Nick faced the justices again. "Your Honors, we admit our mistakes regarding espionage. But we beg you not to play the recordings publicly. It would only humiliate us. Instead, we ask for mercy."
The Chief Justice paused, then asked, "What kind of mercy do you propose?"
"A battle test," Nick said confidently.
The crowd erupted in surprised cheers and gasps.
"Silence!" the Chief Justice commanded with a gavel. "Explain."
"As I said, let us face your four—or more—hybrids here, before all. If they want this duel test, let them come and get it."
Excitement buzzed through the stadium.
"Very well," the Chief Justice declared. "A briefcase will hang above the arena. Tables, ladders, and chairs surround the fenced walls, heavily guarded. Eight of our best hybrids will face out your five men. No rules. The team that retrieves the briefcase will determine the judgment—either side spared from judgements. Prepare yourselves."
Cheers filled the air.
The bell rang, signaling the start.
Fear gripped the five. Their lives were at stake.
Nick winked at the girls, signaling their plan to stealthily steal keys and weapons once they knew the relics' locations.
The crowd roared, rooting for the hybrids and eager for the brutal fight.
"How do we beat these giants?" John whispered anxiously.
"They outnumber and overpower us," William said.
"We have to stay hopeful," Nick whispered. "Knock them out before thinking about the briefcase."
"Target their weak spots," John added quietly.
Lama turned to Mikal. "Where are their weak points?"
"The hips," Mikal answered. "That's where they get painful injections. The flesh there is vulnerable."
"Flying kicks to the hips—that's our best shot," Nick said, recalling his taekwondo training.
"Then use chairs to finish them off," John added.
"Viva Victory!" Nick muttered under his breath, determination burning in his eyes.
The battle began fiercely.
One hybrid boasted alongside the crowd's clamours after hitting out coldly, the five guys, "I hear voices in my head… they talk to me!"
But Nick's team quickly turned the tide.
Nick's signature move, the "NKO," took down four hybrids.
Mikal speared another.
John's flying kicks floored two more.
William's "claymore kick" dropped the last hybrid.
Breathless, they regrouped.
"Let's use tables, ladders, and chairs to paralyze their hips before grabbing the briefcase!" Nick ordered.
One by one, the hybrids were incapacitated and carried before being put through the tables.
Though the crowd jeered, Nick's team stayed focused.
William climbed the ladder, reached the briefcase, and victory bells rang.
"Winners: John, William, Lama, Mikal, and Nick!" the MC announced to mixed cheers and boos.
Meanwhile, the girls excused themselves to the washrooms.
There, they seduced the escorting guards with playful touches and whispered sexual promises.
"Boys love that good thing," Elizabeth teased.
"Please, take off your clothes!" Jasmine purred.
"Not so fast! Tell us where the store and relics are first," Jenny demanded, kissing a guard and deftly stealing keys from his belt.
"The store's on the left inside the palace courts. The relics are on the right," the guard whispered before being knocked out by swift martial arts moves.
The girls rushed into the derelict palace courts, found their backpacks in the store, grabbed weapons, and hurried to the relic room.
Jenny warned, "Traps! I trained my mouse to disable them."
Releasing the mouse, it skillfully cut the wires triggering laser beams.
The lasers vanished.
They seized the black gem and a few pages of the puzzle book, then escaped as guards discovered the knocked-out sentries.
"Secure the palace!" the leader shouted.
Despite the pursuit, the allies regrouped at a forest landmark.
Panting, Jenny checked the baby in her bag.
Nick held Billy Putian for the first time, pride swelling in his chest.
"We have to move fast," Elizabeth said. "We need to reach Melon air base before they catch us."
Nick explained their plan to trek to a hill for an airlift.
"What about food?" Jenny asked. "The baby needs nutrition."
"We'll steal supplies from the base," Nick assured her.
"As you say, leader!" Jenny smiled.
The group hurried through the forest, hope flickering despite the danger ahead.