The Ogre had both of its hands wadded together, raised high above its head and poised for another slam on the downed crocodile. At the peak of its attack, Janus launched himself with his Special Technique.

"Ion Tail!"

The back of his heel struck the Essencima in the arm and created a small purple explosion of plasmic energy. Chunks of the creature accompanied by violet sparks scattered across the refinery floor. Janus landed on his feet right next to Gurk while the Ogre knelt on its knees, clutching onto the part of its arm that was now missing.

"Come on Gurk, we need you!" Janus said to the crocodile, trying to lift him up. Gurk let out a grumble as he struggled to right himself. While Janus was helping his friend, Itzel approached the Ogre from behind and pulled her arms back as she opened her palms wide.

"Wild Wind!"

A concussive force of air rushed out of Itzel's' hands, taking the shape of a small round tornado. The blow was enough to send the Ogre forward onto its stomach, making a loud thud as its body hit the ground. The floor began to shake from the impact. Janus focused on the ground beneath the Essencima and watched as a long crack formed underneath it.

"I think it's almost done for!" Itzel said excitedly. Her enthusiasm immediately shifted to dread when she watched the Ogre head towards one of the narrow sections that contained a victim trapped on the wall.

"Serrated Gale!"

The monster's head jerked forward, but its progress remained unhampered. Being close enough to the creature, Janus lunged forward and took hold of the Ogre by its wounded arm. He managed to slow its progress, but the Essencima's strength allowed for it drudge on with him hanging onto its limb. Gurk then jumped onto the Ogre's back, sinking his jaws into its spine.

The creature stopped in its tracks. The weight of all Janus, Gurk and the Ogre was too much for the floor to handle. The crack in the ground expanded in all directions before collapsing altogether. In a massive mess of concrete and tile, the floor gave way and the three fell onto the ground level.

"Gurk! Janus!" Itzel shouted as she ran towards the newly formed hole. All three lay on the ground, but only Janus was moving. He slowly lifted himself up from a prone position with the limited strength he had, coughing as the dust around him settled. He looked to his left and saw Gurk lying face up, his eyes closed and his mask dented in. He moved over and began to tug on his friend's arm.

"Gurk!" Janus said. "Gurk! Get up!" The crocodile remained unresponsive. As he continued to check on Gurk's condition, Janus could feel the rubble underneath his legs start to move. His head darted towards the Ogre that was steadily rising from the ruin of the ceiling. It extended one hand out and began to claw at Janus in an attempt to grab him. He scrambled backwards, falling off the massive heap of rubble and onto his back.

"Don't worry Janus! I'm coming down there now!" Itzel said as poked her head down into the hole. She then sprinted through the remains of the floor that she was on, moving past the holes that were spread across the ground as she darted towards the staircase. The black sludge that coated the frame of the entryway began to bubble again.

However, instead of a long tendril coming out, both Enidri and Donva tumbled out of the wall and onto the ground. Enidri held onto her half-brother's throat with both hands, shaking his head back and forth as they both rolled across the ground. Donva’s arms flailed back and forth as he tried to get Enidri off him.

"You spoiled brat!" Enidri shouted as she took hold of Donva’s shoulders. She moved his upper body up and down, knocking him against the floor with each shake. "You think you can just drag me through some crazy portal and—" A nearby shadow tendril struck Enidri in the back of her head, forcing her to release Donva. With the swordswoman dazed, Donva staggered upright. He stepped backwards, forming long, tentacle-like appendages from nearby piles of sludges to cover his retreat.

"Eni! You're alive!" Itzel exclaimed. For a moment she let a smile show on her face.

"Yeah, I know." She rubbed the back of her head where she had been struck. "Have you seen my Ion Blade anywhere?" Enidri asked.

"Looks like your brother has it," Itzel replied as she pointed at her weapon that was in Donva's hand.

"Great," Enidri moaned. "Guess it's going to be like the old days..." she said to Donva. She pressed her fist into the palm of her hand and stepped closer to him.

"If I hadn't exerted all of my energy summoning that Ogre... I would have bested you!" Donva barked back as he rubbed his neck with one hand.

"Uh-huh. Excuses, excuses." Enidri continued her progression, only to have a sharp wall of Essencima-like spikes rise in front of her in a flash with a nauseating scrunch.

"Not a step closer!" His eyes shifted towards Ringa who was beginning to stir. "Any more struggling and everyone dies! The detective. The captives. My newfound Affinity allows me to control both nearby Essencima as well as the black substance that covers. All it takes is a bit of focus..." he then snapped his fingers. "They're all dead."

"And what do you think happens after that, Donva?" Enidri said, her fingers digging into her fists. "You think I'm going to let you get away with doing something like that? I'll hunt you down!” Her eye narrowed towards the exhausted man on the opposite side of the thick pool of sludge. “And I’ll end you! Slowly. And painfully."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Itzel couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes to the back of her head. "I can tell melodrama runs in the family," she said under her breath. Enidri heard the response, evident by the way her eye darted towards Itzel before looking back to face Donva.

"Your threats don't scare me. I know you could never go through with something like that," he said as he grinned once more. "If I were to die, who would you have left? You'd just spend your time roaming the alleys of Labrisson all by yourself, just like you did after our father was killed."

"How can you say that?" Enidri's fists uncurled. She then let her arms spread out to the sides, showing that she wasn't looking to fight. "Does it not matter how close we once were?”

“That’s old news. I’m a changed man now. The truth will do that to a person.”

“If you’re worried about what you’ve done… it’s not too late. If everyone here is still alive, then there’s a chance for forgiveness.”

“They are still alive. But if you keep pressing on… that will all change.” Donva’s breathing intensified. He lowered his head, his body shaking almost uncontrollably.

"Eni," Itzel whispered, "His neck!"

"What?" Enidri’s eyes focused on the object that protruded from the back of his head.

She pointed to his neck with her thumb. "There's something on his neck."

“Yeah, I noticed that too when I was strangling him,” Enidri whispered back. “Can you tell what it is? My vision isn’t what it used to be after… you know.” She tapped on her eyepatch. Itzel grimaced before focusing on the dark black mass that was latched onto the back of Donva’s head.

“It almost looks like… an Essencima,” Itzel declared.