The last of the drones fizzled out, metal husks clattering onto the sugar-paved street. Celeste and Mezzo were still batting at the sparks like kids in an arcade, laughing breathlessly as the swarm finally died down.

Then the ground shook.

From the alleyway, a massive silhouette lurched forward. A mythic candy zombie ogre—easily three times their size—stumbled into view. Its body was stitched from slabs of licorice-flesh and frosting-coated bone, eyes glowing a sickly caramel red.

The Gilded Wasp leapt dramatically, his wasp-armor buzzing as he drew his gilded spear. “Hah! Another foe for my sworn crusade—!”

But the ogre’s huge paw came down faster than he expected.

“Wha—?!”

The Wasp froze. The shadow swallowed him whole. The paw was about to crush him flat—

Until Celeste darted in, blades flashing.

Clang!

The ogre’s strike rebounded off her crossed swords, sparks dancing across her ribbon hilts. Celeste staggered under the force but held.

“Are you okay?!” she called, her voice shaky but warm.

The Gilded Wasp blinked up at her. For a fleeting instant, through the slits of his ornate helm, Celeste caught more than armor and theatrics. Definitely a cheetah—she could tell by the slope of his muzzle, the subtle twitch in his jaw. His eyes, startlingly blue, flicked toward her, wide with something he seemed desperate to mask. Beneath the shadows of his helm, strands of white hair had fallen loose, stark against the gold and black of his insect-plated armor.

His mandibles clicked once, clumsily, before he found his voice. A blush bloomed beneath his mask, betrayed by the faintest flick of his spotted ears.

“I—I… you… saved me?”

Celeste smiled despite the weight pressing down on her arms. “Of course.”

He stammered, words caught between bravado and something he didn’t dare say.

Then the ogre roared again, and Celeste spun, deflecting another blow with a grunt. “Less talking—more fighting please!”

The ogre roared and brought its licorice-thick arm down in a crushing swing. Celeste leapt forward, instinct pulling her blades together in a cross-guard. The impact rattled through her bones—her paws slipped, her balance faltered—yet something inside sparked.

Heat rose in her chest. Her ribbons flared.

Almost without thinking, she spun.

Her blades sang in a wide spiral, cutting through sticky sinew and candy-flesh. Light burst from the steel in a sudden blossom—petals of glowing pink and white scattering outward like a shower of spring blossoms. The air filled with shimmering trails, and each arc of her slash ripped deep into the ogre’s hide.

The creature staggered back with a guttural howl, licorice skin splitting under the flurry. Sugary ichor sprayed across the cobblestones.

Celeste stopped mid-spin, breathless, blades humming with residual light. Her chest heaved as she stared at the fading petals drifting through the air.
“…Did I—did I just do that?”

“Bloody hell, lass!” Mezzo shouted, feathers ruffled, a wide grin spreading across his beak. “That was gorgeous!”

Ray slammed her hammer into the ogre’s knee, smirking despite the chaos. “Not bad for a first try. Do it again.”

Arcade, even while frantically typing on his wrist console, muttered in disbelief, “That shouldn’t even be possible…”

Celeste blinked, then let out a nervous giggle, cheeks flushed. “I—I don’t even know how I did it…”

The petals faded slowly, settling on the ground like falling starlight, as the ogre stumbled but refused to fall.

The ogre reeled under Celeste’s Starpetal Bloom, licorice flesh splitting, but it steadied itself with a guttural snarl. Molten sugar dripped from its jaws, sizzling on the cobblestones.

Mezzo staggered forward, fire burning in his eyes. “Alright, my turn—watch this!”

He hoisted Heartaxe high, strings crackling with heat as his claws raked a vicious riff across them. The axe blazed red-hot, flames licking up the edges. With a roar, he swung in a wide arc—

Blazing Chord Slash!

A wall of fire erupted from the blade, fanning out in a blazing crescent. The heatwave rolled forward, scorching the cobblestones black and smashing into the ogre’s chest. The monster howled, its licorice hide bubbling and splitting as the fiery shockwave pushed it back.

For a moment, it looked like it might topple.

But then—

The ogre thrust its maw open wide, belching out a torrent of sticky caramel strands. They whipped through the air like molten ropes, glowing and snapping. One caught the wave of fire—sizzling, hardening—and another lashed across Mezzo’s chest.

“GAH—!” He was hurled backward, crashing against a sugar-cracked wall, flames sputtering out on his axe. He coughed, dazed, his fur singed and smoking.

Celeste gasped, dashing toward him. “Mezzo!”

The ogre pounded its chest, its caramel whips snapping in the air like bullwhips. Melted sugar dripped from its claws, hissing as it hit the stone.

Ray grimaced, planting her hammer. “Great. It’s got tricks, too.”

Mezzo groaned as Celeste helped him up, his fur still smoking from the caramel lash. The ogre lumbered forward, caramel whips cracking, its molten eyes fixed on them like prey.

Ray spat into the dirt and stepped up, hammer glowing in her grip. “Alright, big guy—my turn.”

She lunged, her strikes landing in rapid succession—one, two, three—each blow sending cracks rippling through its licorice flesh. Sparks bled from the impact points, feeding into Heartbreaker’s head until it burned a molten red.

With a guttural roar, Ray planted her feet and spun the hammer overhead—once, twice, building momentum until embers whipped off in a burning chain around her. The flames spiraled outward in every direction, peppering the air like molten rain.

“Rising Ember Chain!”

She brought the hammer down in a brutal slam.

The ground cracked. A circle of burning embers erupted outward, creating a flaming zone that trapped the ogre in searing heat. Its licorice skin blistered, caramel oozing from fresh wounds as it staggered in the inferno.

“Try chewing through that, you sweet-toothed bastard!” Ray barked, flames reflecting in her eyes.

Celeste shielded her face from the heat, awe flickering in her gaze. “Ray… that was—amazing.”

Ray smirked through grit teeth, tightening her grip. “Damn right it was. Now let’s keep it down before it figures out another party trick.”

The ogre bellowed in pain, its caramel whips thrashing wildly, slamming against the walls as the burning circle ate into its candy flesh.

The ogre staggered in the inferno Ray left behind, caramel bubbling from its licorice-fused wounds. Its molten eyes narrowed, glowing hotter with each labored breath.

Skye flicked his deck open, pulling a shimmering holo-card between his claws. He gulped, then forced a smirk. “Alright, I’m calling it—Caramelus Rex. Big, sticky, and smells worse than Mezzo’s laundry.”

“Oi! Low blow, kid!” Mezzo barked, shaking caramel goo from his feathers.

Caramelus Rex roared, the sound rattling through the chamber as its caramel whips lashed out blindly. The team ducked and scattered.

“Time to make this sweet tooth dizzy,” Pitch snarled. He flicked his wrist, a full spread of glowing cards exploding from his paw.
Dealer’s Distraction!

The cards swirled like confetti, flashing neon edges that circled Caramelus Rex’s head. The beast reeled, swiping wildly at the illusions, its accuracy dropping as it struggled to focus on its prey.

C.H.I.P. clanked forward beside him, panels shifting as neon wings extended with a hum.
Power Pose!
Pitch and the robot struck a synchronized stance—Pitch spinning his shotgun in a flourish while C.H.I.P. flexed its piston arms. Their combined display sent out a pulse of dazzling light, blinding a cluster of Sugar Rushers that had begun to pour into the chamber.

“Show-off much?” Ray grunted, smashing another lollipop zombie flat.

Lumina stumbled forward, gripping her blade awkwardly in both hands. “O-okay, I can do this too!” she squeaked, darting at Caramelus Rex’s flank.

She spun clumsily, petals bursting from her sword tip as she slashed. Once, twice, three times—each swing releasing a swirl of glowing sakura blossoms.
Petal Dance Slash!

The petals stung and sparked against Caramelus Rex’s hide, tiny radiant explosions popping against its caramel skin. The beast snarled, lashing its sticky whips against the walls in fury.

Celeste’s heart leapt as she saw Lumina beam with pride—only for her stomach to drop when Caramelus Rex kept moving.

It didn’t fall.
It didn’t even stumble.

The flames, the petals, the cards—it was all wearing it down, yes, but not enough.

Caramelus Rex bellowed, snapping one of its caramel whips down with the force of a falling tree. The ground trembled, cracks spiderwebbing through the sugarstone floor.

Celeste braced, panting, blades up. “It’s… it’s not stopping!”

Ray growled, hammer at the ready. “Then we don’t stop either.”

The chamber shook again as Caramelus Rex lumbered forward, caramel dripping from its jaws in molten ropes. Every blow they landed seemed to melt, then harden back into place—its body refusing to stay down.

Skye’s breath caught in his throat, his hands trembling as he shuffled his deck. He swallowed hard, eyes flicking from Celeste to the raging ogre. “...Okay. My turn.”

He drew a glowing card and flicked his wrist with uncharacteristic sharpness. The air hummed as the card shimmered into radiant steel, edges glowing like molten glass.

Glint Slash!

The card spun through the air in a perfect arc, slicing across the ogre’s caramel-thick chest. Sparks flew where it struck, a burst of radiant light exploding on impact. Caramelus Rex howled, stumbling back a step as the card curved around midair and zipped back into Skye’s paw.

The boy’s chest rose and fell rapidly. His ears twitched. He glanced at Celeste—half-expecting disappointment, maybe—but she just stared at him, wide-eyed and proud.

Mezzo whistled. “Well, bloody hell, kid. That’s some trick shot.”

Ray smirked, wiping caramel off her knuckles. “Not bad, Rookie. Not bad at all.”

Skye held the glowing card tight, his voice quiet but firm. “Told you I’m not just here to watch.”

Caramelus Rex roared again, its caramel hide sizzling from the radiant cut. But instead of slowing, it slammed both fists into the ground, the whole chamber trembling as sugarstone cracked beneath their feet.

The fight wasn’t done.

From the carriage, Lady Revel watched in disbelief, lace sleeves stained in zombie guts. “This is insanity,” she muttered. “We should be running.”

Caedrix Umbranox, calm as ever, brushed ash from her mane, her smoke curling lazily around her. Her flintlock still jammed, she didn’t move to reload. Instead, she studied Celeste with narrowed, calculating eyes.

At last, she murmured, “She’s intriguing.”

Revel bristled. “Intriguing?! They’re breaking law! We should leave them to die!”

Umbranox didn’t look at her. “And yet… we won’t.”

Down below, the fight raged on, the gang holding the line together. Celeste’s glow flared with every strike, ribbons dancing like constellations as she met the ogre’s blows head-on.