Lagos Submerged

In what remained of the building, fear hung like a dense mist, enveloping everyone who still lingered there. Their ragged breaths mingled with the crunch of debris beneath their feet. Before them, a dark figure emerged from the shadows. Cloaked entirely in black, with a hood obscuring their face and a long, sharp object in hand, they seemed plucked straight from the oldest tales of death itself.

The air vibrated with the echo of frightened whispers. Some closed their eyes, convinced that the grim reaper had come personally for them. But then, a voice broke the silence.

"What's wrong with you all? I'm not who you think I am," said the hooded figure as she stepped cautiously toward them.

When she crossed into a beam of light filtering through the remnants of the ceiling, everyone got a better look at her. What they had mistaken for a scythe was nothing more than a staff adorned with long, dark ribbons, their edges subtly glowing as they moved. The metallic shimmer danced in the shadows, creating fleeting illusions that only fueled their terror further.

"Calm down, it's over. I'm Agent A-11 from the Special Agents team, and I've come to save you," the figure announced before pulling back her hood.

What they saw was a skeleton mask—so realistic that some screamed while others simply collapsed unconscious. At that moment, another feminine voice rang out from above.

"Hey! Do you really have to scare civilians like that?"

From the sky descended another figure, this one dressed in an elegant green silk suit that billowed gracefully with the wind. Her boots gleamed under the dim light, and her purple hair, braided with golden tips, captured impossible glimmers. Her caramel eyes shone brightly against her fair skin. The newcomer landed gracefully before the crowd, crossing her arms.

"Wait… why aren't you wearing a mask in public? We're supposed to keep our identities hidden," complained the hooded one, now revealed as A-11.

The purple-haired girl smirked mischievously, pointing to a small device on her neck.

"It doesn't matter. With this accessory they gave me, you and the other agents see me as I am, but to everyone else, I have a different face. Isn't it great?" explained B-4, barely 20 years old, in a playful tone.

A-11 sighed, and resigned.

"If you say so…"

B-4 tossed her a similar sticker.

"Here, use this. You can take off that mask without any issues."

With some reluctance, A-11 placed the sticker on her neck and removed the skeleton mask. Beneath it appeared a young woman about 16 years old, with short black hair tipped with green and deep blue eyes, reflecting a mix of seriousness and youthful curiosity.

"There, see? You look fine. And to them, you'll appear as just another random person," B-4 remarked, showing her a small mirror.

A-11 studied her reflection and indeed saw someone else. An almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Alright… Now, how do we get these people out of here?" she asked, turning to her partner.

B-4 nodded and extended her hands toward the civilians. One by one, they began to rise from the ground as if inflated like balloons, their bodies acquiring an unreal lightness. Then, a massive metallic hand descended from the sky, gently enveloping them and securing them before transporting them to safety.

Meanwhile, a third male voice interrupted the scene.

"Well, ladies. You're all gathered here… And I don't see your boyfriend, B-4," said the newcomer, his tone lightly mocking.

"Oh, shut up, Patrick! You know we're undercover. You should call me D-3," replied B-4, annoyed, as she adjusted her dark green armor. Her face, marked by strong yet youthful features, matched her deep green eyes and hair of the same shade.

B-4 laughed.

"Well, there's no one left here now. You moved them somewhere else, right, Dove?"

"Yes, let's leave the numbers and letters behind. I'm tired of all that nonsense," said Dove, flashing a wide grin.

"You're right," agreed Hela, glancing at her with a hint of amusement.

"Save the act for later; it's time to fight. I'm not doing this alone," chimed in another voice.

From the shadows emerged a man dressed as a police officer, wearing an impeccable blue uniform. It was Tommy, whose agent code was B-7. His tone was firm but laced with sarcasm as he adjusted the toothpick between his teeth.

"We weren't wasting time, Tommy Tingwel," retorted Hela Nightwhisper coldly, crossing her arms.

"And by the way, where have you been hiding, my dear?" interjected Dove Windflier, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

Tommy was tall, with an athletic build that reflected discipline and strength. A small scar adorned his right cheek, and his short blonde hair gave him a youthful air despite being 26. He always kept that toothpick in his mouth, as if it were an extension of his relaxed yet lethal personality.

"Well, what do you think, Dove? I was fighting those machines… But they've got tough armor," replied Tommy, gesturing toward where he had been battling.

"At least I'm fighting, unlike you, Miss Scarecrow," added Tommy, raising an eyebrow at Hela.

"Hey! I wasn't scaring anyone. That's just how I make my entrances!" defended Hela, proudly pointing to her staff.

At that moment, Patrick Lightgreen interrupted, urgently pointing to the sky.

"You'd better jump now. Look at that!"

A gigantic metallic hand was hurtling directly toward them, threatening to crush them. Dove reacted instantly, wrapping Tommy in her density power and lifting him into the air as she sped away. At the same time, Patrick activated a hidden jetpack on his back and hoisted Hela up just in time.

"That was close," muttered Hela, watching as the enormous bone hand she had created was reduced to dust upon impact.

Finally, they landed on a nearby building. From there, they surveyed the chaos: the previous structure had been obliterated, and before them stood a monstrous creature. It had three fierce heads, each launching different attacks, and razor-sharp hands that shredded everything in their path.

"But who created that thing?" asked Tommy, incredulous.

"You can put me down now, darling," he then requested, addressing Dove.

"Oh! Alright," she responded, releasing him from her power. Tommy descended onto the rooftop and pulled a rifle made from his own bones from his back. He aimed at the beast and fired.

The projectile struck one of the creature's heads, causing it to roar in fury.

"Damn… I thought that would be enough, but no," muttered Tommy, frowning as he reloaded his weapon.

"Why don't you use your power to make it fly or levitate?" suggested Patrick, glancing at Dove.

"I can't. It's too much area to cover; I'd run out of mana," replied Dove, shaking her head.

"You're a trio of useless fools," Hela remarked with disdain.

"Oh really? And what are you going to do? Throw your bony friends at it?" Patrick shot back, clearly irritated.

"No! I have something much better in mind," declared Hela, planting her staff firmly into the ground with determination.

She then invoked: "BONE FIGHTER."

Suddenly, a group of skeletal soldiers armed with gleaming swords appeared beside her, ready for battle. The creature roared in anger at the sight of them and, with its sharp claws, tore apart another nearby building.

"I'll handle this," announced Dove, taking off into the sky like a majestic eagle.

She soared through the air with speed and grace, heading toward the civilians who were still floating amidst the chaos. Meanwhile, Patrick used his nanomachines and his ability to manipulate iron, creating metallic slides to help those Dove couldn't reach. Each coordinated action was a desperate attempt to save lives amid the devastation.

Hela commanded her troops toward the enemy as the skeletal warriors advanced bravely, though many were crushed or destroyed by the beast's enormous claws as it clung to the crumbling building. For his part, Tommy switched his rifle for a bow and began firing bone arrows that exploded on impact. But although they hit their mark, they caused no significant damage to the gigantic robot.

"Damn it! We're not doing anything to it!" shouted Hela from her position, watching as her soldiers fell one after another.

"I agree with you, little one," Tommy responded with a half-mocking tone as he dodged a large chunk of the collapsing building. Recovering, he shook his hat, which had gotten caught in a few curls atop his blonde hair. "Whoa! That was close."

Tommy adjusted his stance, looking at the creature with determination.

"We need to get closer. If we can get it to focus on us, the civilians will be safe… And so will my beloved Dove," he added, winking at her.

"Hey, lover boy! Am I invisible or what?" interjected Patrick, crossing his arms indignantly.

"Oh, right, you too," said Tommy, scratching the back of his neck with a crooked smile. "Uh, necro-mage, can't you throw a curse or something at it?"

"Normally, yes, but this is a robot. It has no soul or anything like that… You understand? Though I can do this: 'BONES STORM,'" replied Hela, raising her staff.

Suddenly, a storm of bones erupted from the ground, striking the monster with tremendous force. The creature staggered for a few seconds but quickly regained its balance.

"Not bad," commented Tommy, nodding approvingly. "But if you could make it stronger and bigger, that'd be great."

At that moment, Patrick appeared beside them, pointing toward the horizon.

"We've finished evacuating the civilians. Let's go support them."

Patrick positioned himself in front of the beast, quickly forming metallic gloves with his nanomachines and iron.

"'Iron Fists,'" he declared before charging at the creature's chest with devastating force.

The impact was so powerful that the beast lost its balance and fell from what remained of the building into the sea, sending up an enormous wave that threatened to become a tsunami.

"It's a tsunami, you idiot!" shouted Tommy, pointing at the gigantic mass of water advancing toward the civilians.

"Damn it! My bad," admitted Patrick, attempting to create a dam with his nanomachines. "Dove, can you help?"

Dove shook her head, flying at full speed toward where the civilians were.

"There are too many. I won't be able to save them all in time."

The wave was about to crash against the boats where the survivors were located. At that moment, Hela closed her eyes and murmured:

"There's no other choice… But this is going to cost me a lot of mana. 'DEAD WALL.'"

A colossal wall made of bones emerged from the ground, growing as tall as a building and shielding the townspeople from the impact. The civilians, astonished, whispered words of gratitude, some calling her "death" and others simply "the girl in black."

"That was close," Dove sighed, returning to the group.

"Got any more brilliant ideas, brainiac?" asked Tommy, raising an eyebrow at Patrick.

"I'm sorry…" replied Patrick, lowering his head.

"Stop fighting and defeat that thing!" exclaimed Hela, almost breathless, kneeling due to magical exhaustion.

The three-headed beast reemerged from the sea, its claws piercing nearby buildings as it advanced relentlessly. The panicked screams of the people echoed in the air.

"Go, fight that monster and beat it, guys!" shouted Hela from her position. "I don't know how much longer I can hold this wall."

"Alright, we'll do it," responded Tommy with determination.

"But make it quick," added Hela, struggling to rise as she fought against her fatigue.

"Guys, I've been analyzing the structure with my scanner. We need to attack it simultaneously, directly at its snouts," explained Patrick, displaying data on a holographic screen.

"Each one takes on a head," ordered Tommy, taking charge. "I'll handle the right one," announced Patrick, rising into the air.

"I'll take the left," said Dove, preparing to fly.

"Then the center one's mine," concluded Tommy. "Just make sure they open their mouths on my signal. I'll handle the rest."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Patrick, looking at him skeptically.

"If he says so, it's true," interjected Dove confidently. "He never fails."

"Alright, alright, nice faith in your boyfriend… But could you hurry up?" urged Hela, still kneeling as she kept the bone wall active.

Quickly, Dove extended her hands toward Tommy, enveloping him with her power to alter his density. With a fluid motion, she lifted him into the air and launched him toward one of the nearby chunks of debris close to the beast.

"Now go and do your part," she said firmly before nodding and disappearing in the direction of the monster's left head.

The team was ready for the final assault. Patrick, with his iron gloves gleaming under the dim light, confronted the right head. With impressive strength, he forced its snout open while creating a metallic rod to fend off the sharp claws that tried to tear him apart.

Meanwhile, Dove streaked across the sky like a bolt of lightning, approaching the left head. This beast unleashed freezing gusts that froze everything in their path. However, Dove didn't falter. She lifted several rocks from the ground with her power and hurled them into the creature's open snout. At first glance, they appeared as light as leaves, but upon contact with the inside of the snout, Dove altered their density, making them incredibly heavy. The beast roared in pain, unable to close its jaw.

The third head, the central one, was the most dangerous. Its eyes glowed with an intense red light as it fired laser beams that sliced through the air like burning blades. But Tommy already had a plan. He drew a bone arrow and shot it directly at the monster's eyes. The impact caused temporary blindness, which Hela's skeletal soldiers used to keep the beast's snout open.

The enormous monster thrashed against the attacks, spewing fire, ice, and laser beams in all directions. Its fury was chaotic, further demolishing the surrounding buildings. However, the team didn't back down.

"I think it's time," announced Tommy with determination, adjusting his stance as he prepared a special arrow.

With surgical precision, he nocked the arrow onto his bow and pulled the string taut to its limit. Taking a deep breath, he murmured to himself:

"I can… I never miss." Then, with all his might, he released the arrow.