"So, what now?" Mentos settled his behind on one of the large stones nearby inside the Conclave, eyeing Hao with a bit of concern and curiosity. He went on to say, "I know we've discussed this before, but is your mind still set on using these adorable beasts for that ridiculous experiment of yours?" His gaze fell on Maelstrom, who, despite the apparent affection in Mentos' voice, was glaring at both him and Hao, snorting roughly in response.

Ignoring the hostility, Mentos removed his buttocks from the rough surface he sat on and went over to the powerful creature and placed a tentative hand on its flank.

“Grr!” Maelstrom growled and twisted, making Mentos retreat to a safe distance.

Hao smirked, watching the exchange. "Not so adorable now, is it?" he teased his friend.

“It’s just still upset is all,” Mentos didn’t take offence to the beasts’ reaction to him touching it.

“Yeah, whatever.” Determined, Hao went over to the table in the corner of the Conclave, where he placed the X-Class sword, Judgment Day, on the worn wooden surface. He pushed away some of the old equipment and uttered firmly, "I'm certain about this."

Mentos shook his head, gesturing to Judgment Day with great dis-ease. "After what we've been through back at the Mile High Depot and inside the Skyship to acquire this creature, it would be a waste just to feed it to that cursed sword of yours." His loathing for the weapon was apparent, moreover, he remember how it had brutally absorbed his pet, Kitten. This memory only served to incite more unpleasantness inside him whenever he looked at Judgment Day.

“Unsheathing this sword is my top priority right now, if that beast has to die for that to happen, so be it” Ignoring Mentos’s warning, Hao carefully unwrapped Judgment Day from the dark cloth that concealed it. Using his Vibe Sense, he scrutinized the weapon, searching for any hint of the anomaly that seemed to be causing its recent unresponsiveness.

“Maybe I just didn’t use it correctly last time.” With a deep breath, he approached Maelstrom, X-Class sword in hand.

“Growl!” Maelstrom became wild, tugging on its chain with much ferocity.

Seeing this, Hao spoke, “Settle down, beast. You can’t break those chains.”

The beast's anger only grew at Hao's approach, while the docile Sword Fishes observed the scene with curiosity, their glistening eyes were wide, additionally, cool bubbles were oozing from their mouths as they tried to comprehend the situation.

Mentos hesitated for a moment before moving closer to Hao, curiosity getting the better of him. He wanted to witness what Hao was about to do with Judgment Day and the beast.

Arriving in close proximity of Maelstrom, Hao pushed forth Judgment Day and tapped the hilt on the beast's large body, expecting absorption to occur and fill the Bio Esp tank mechanism, but nothing happened. Mentos raised a brow, wondering internally what was wrong. Maelstrom, meanwhile, was growing increasingly agitated with each jab and poke from Hao.

"What the...? Why isn't this working!?" Hao's frustration boiled over; he even bit his lower lip, trying to maintain his composure.

"Is something wrong, Vee?" Mentos asked, genuinely concerned.

"So it seems," Hao responded bitterly, taking the sword away from Maelstrom's side. The beast growled then subsequently swung its tail at him, but Hao flicked backwards to avoid it, landing gracefully. However, his foot dislodged a loose stone, causing him to stumble. Mentos caught him just in time to prevent him from falling.

"Are you alright, mate?" he inquired, steadying Hao.

"Yes," Hao replied, the bitterness still very much evident in his voice and the way he acted. “Let’s try this one more time.” He returned to Maelstrom, determined to try again with Judgment Day. Despite his persistence, the sword remained unresponsive. He remembered the fight with the Bastian Bandits at Katana Creek, where he had also unsuccessfully attempted to absorb their essence with Judgment Day.

"Vicky, Vicky, Vicky!" he repeatedly muttered beneath his breath, clearly annoyed thinking of what the expert Blade Forger must have done to tamper with Judgment Day’s functionality.

"Vicky?" Mentos repeated, confused by Hao's sudden mention of her. "What does she have to do with this situation?" He genuinely wanted to know what was bothering his friend.

Instead of answering the question directly, Hao requested, "Mentos, come here for a sec."

“What for?” Mentos hesitated for a moment before coming closer.

Whoosh!

Without any warning, Hao twirled the X-Class sword around and thrust Judgment Day's hilt directly into Mentos's hands. The suddenness of the action caught Mentos off guard, making his eyes shoot wide open in horror and his body convulsing from the sheer trepidation he was experiencing. Gripping the sword tightly, he was too afraid to let it go. His mind was a turmoil of delusion as he wondered what would happen next.

"Hmm? Nothing is happening," Hao observed, realizing that the sword remained unresponsive. Hence, he withdrew it from Mentos's hands with his expression one of utter disappointment.

Mentos was far from pleased. Veins popped out on his forehead, he could barely contain his anger from pouring out. "I can't believe you just did that, Vee!" he shouted, seething. "You were prepared to sacrifice me to that cursed sword to prove a freaking point!" He pointed disdainfully at Judgment Day. "Our friendship is bloody over! Do you hear me?"

"Come on, Mentos," Replied Hao, trying to sound apologetic but not entirely succeeding. "Don't be so dramatic. I had a hunch it would be unresponsive, and even if it did start absorbing you, I was prepared to cut your arms off."

"Don't even joke about that, mate. That shit isn't funny." Mentos was fuming, his mental state was a whirlwind of hurt and anger. It even cause him to kick away a huge rock that would have proven some difficulty under normal circumstances, his anger simply heightened his physical prowess beyond normalcy. "I'm done helping you out, Vee, period. From now on, you're on your own."

Reaching out his hand, Hao pleaded, "Come on, friend. I need your help to figure this out," He was showing off Judgment Day as if it would somehow change Mentos's mind.

"Do it yourself!" Mentos snapped, unwilling to budge on this matter. "Don't play around with my life like that and expect us to still be friends."

Mentos began storming toward the exit of the Conclave, while he did this, an odd movement in the ground caught Hao's attention. With his Vibe Sense deciphering the incoming blue beat tones, he could tell that something was amiss.

"Mentos, stop where you are!" he yelled. "Don't take another step!"

"Or what?" Mentos challenged, feeling defiant. "You're going to fight me?" He turned back glaring at his friend while grasping the hilt of his Blade Edge.

Before Hao could respond to this obvious invitation of malicious intent, a massive, dark creature burst out of the ground just a metre ahead of Mentos. Dust was roused up along with tiny rocks flying in every direction. The creature's silhouette loomed menacingly over them, but its true form remained obscured for the moment. The tension in the space reached a breaking point while the two friends faced an unknown threat.

Wise Feather: "The way of the sword teaches us to be fearless in the face of danger. Embrace your fears, and you will become more courageous and confident than ever before."