Meanwhile, Rudo and the rest of the group are still scrambling through the dark, looking for an exit. He grows uneasy when he notices that the sounds of Zanka’s battle have completely vanished. Just as the thought sinks in, he crashes into Gris, who’s found a way out. Gris immediately sends a couple of supporters upstairs to alert headquarters, then turns back, ready to check on Zanka. But before he can, footsteps echo down the corridor.

At first, Gris thinks it must be Zanka, but the figure that emerges is the worst possible option—the Raider leader himself. The man’s eyes instantly lock onto Rudo, sizing him up against the description he got from the captured bandit. Without warning, he leaps onto the wall behind Rudo, clinging there like a creepy Spider-Man knockoff, and announces he’s finally found the giver from the sphere. To cut off their escape, he drives his claws into the wall, collapsing it behind them.

Gris warns that if he touches Rudo, he’ll be making enemies of every cleaner alive. The Raider doesn’t care—he just mutters about his awful sense of direction and how he showed up late, annoyed that his subordinates had already lost. Then he strolls past Gris like he doesn’t exist, focusing only on Rudo. He snatches away Rudo’s mask, mocking him that he doesn’t need it when there are no trash beasts nearby.

When Rudo demands to know what happened to the staff-wielding cleaner, the Raider shrugs it off—he says the guy had a bad attitude, so he “disciplined” him. He didn’t kill him, but let’s just say the poison wasn’t exactly a party favor. As he speaks, his rings glow and twist into long, metallic claws. He tells Rudo to come quietly, promising no one else has to get hurt.

That’s when Gris and Folo charge. But the Raider is absurdly fast—he dodges, flips into a handstand, and kicks them both across the room like he’s showing off in a gymnastics routine. He sizes them up: Folo might become a giver one day, but Gris? Worthless, he says. A nobody.

But Gris doesn’t back down. Bloodied but standing, he declares that he’ll protect his team no matter who he faces. The Raider sneers, calling him pathetic. Rudo shouts for Gris to retreat, but before he can, the Raider’s claws drive straight through Gris’s chest, bursting out the other side. His lucky charm tumbles from his hand as Rudo freezes, horrified.

The sight drags Rudo back into his worst memory—the death of Regto. His mind blanks. He clutches his pendant, and the past floods in. He remembers the day a younger Regto caught him banging his head against the wall. Regto, panicked, asked what the hell he was doing. Little Rudo had replied flatly: “You told me to stop hurting others. You never said anything about not hurting myself.”

The answer shook Regto to his core. He’d thought Rudo was calmer since the pain in his hands had dulled, but now he realized the boy was still seething with something darker. Pressed for the reason, Rudo admitted he didn’t know—only that he carried a constant, nameless anger. But Regto understood. The real wound was abandonment. Rudo felt thrown away by his parents, and that sense of worthlessness had festered into pure rage.

Regto told Rudo that if he wanted to overcome his constant anger, he needed a purpose in life—or at least something he genuinely enjoyed. So he patched him up and dragged him through all sorts of activities: reading books, trying games, even experimenting with cooking. But nothing clicked. Just when Regto was about to give up for the day, Rudo spotted a man tossing out a bag of garbage, and his curiosity suddenly sparked.

Pushing open the gate to the main city, Rudo rummaged through the trash and pulled out a broken mask. Concerned, Regto followed. Then, out of nowhere, Rudo broke down in tears. He said the mask was only a little broken—it didn’t deserve to be discarded like it was worthless. He wanted to fix it because, to him, it still had life left.

Regto realized this wasn’t just projection—it was Rudo’s true gift. He could see value in what others threw away.

Back in the present, that same pendant in Rudo’s hands begins glowing, transforming into a vital instrument. The Raider is visibly shocked. Against all odds, Gris, still clinging to life, understands what’s happening. He says Rudo isn’t creating new weapons—he’s awakening the hidden potential inside discarded things. The pendant morphs into a creepy, almost sentient weapon, and the Raider can’t hide his excitement. Practically drooling, he asks what Rudo’s new vital instrument can actually do.

Meanwhile, Folo carefully lays Gris down, though his injuries remain critical. Rudo thanks Gris for guiding him through his darkest moments, saying that without him, he’d still be lost in despair. Now, though, he knows exactly what he has to do—starting with shutting the Raiders up and proving them wrong.

The Raider leader, impressed by his spirit, finally introduces himself as Jabber. He admits he loves nothing more than determined fighters and strong givers, before launching himself at Rudo. The two clash in a brutal exchange.

On the sidelines, Gris, bleeding heavily, reassures Folo that he’ll live. He reflects on Rudo, realizing that before, his emotions clouded his purpose, but now that fire is focused.

The battle heats up. Rudo stays entirely on the defensive, forcing Jabber to overextend with each attack. Taunting him, Jabber demands a counter, but Rudo calmly tells him to attack if he dares. Annoyed, Jabber urges him to enjoy the fight more, but every strike whiffs as Rudo dodges with ease. Eventually, Jabber notices something strange—he simply can’t land a hit.

Rudo explains: the pendant was once a charm Gris prayed over, wishing that everyone would return safely from missions. That prayer manifested into a defensive-type vital instrument, boosting evasion. Jabber smirks, saying it’s great for dodging, but useless for fighting back. Rudo disagrees. He points out that while he hasn’t moved from his spot, Jabber keeps darting around wildly. That gives Rudo the edge in predicting his movements.

Annoyed by the “lecture,” Jabber charges again. This time, though, the pendant shifts his trajectory just enough to mess him up. That’s all Rudo needs—he plants his fist square into Jabber’s face, rattling him. To his surprise, Jabber laughs it off—apparently, he’s a pain enthusiast and enjoys the beating.

Calling the fight “rigged,” Jabber keeps pressing, but Rudo doesn’t flinch. Using the pendant’s subtle redirection, he lands another devastating punch to Jabber’s gut. Not one to quit, Jabber switches tactics again, smashing up the surroundings to kick up a thick dust cloud, hoping to blind Rudo and flip the momentum.

Rudo is on full alert when suddenly a stone brick comes flying at his face. Luckily, the talisman reacts in time and saves him. But Jabber isn’t done—he slices a pillar, showering him with debris. Rudo dodges every piece, but then Jabber lunges from his blind spot. Once again, the talisman shifts his movement, letting Rudo grab the opening and slam him into the ground.

Annoyed but thrilled, Jabber cranks up his speed. Still, even at top gear, he can’t land a hit. To anyone watching, it looks like Rudo has unlocked budget Ultra Instinct, dodging with zero effort and countering whenever Jabber gets close. After a vicious beatdown that leaves Jabber leaning on a wall like he just got dropped off a bad date, he bursts out laughing. “Man, it’s been ages since I’ve had such a premium-quality thrashing!”

Then, smirking through the pain, Jabber explains his little discovery: the talisman only reacts to attacks with hostile intent. That’s why rubble thrown in the smoke earlier slipped through undetected. Rudo stares, unimpressed, wondering why this psycho is monologuing like a Saturday morning villain—until Jabber casually stabs his own arm with his claw.

Rudo: “Uh… bro, what the hell?”

Jabber, smiling: “Neurotoxin. Strong stuff. In a few seconds, I’ll be unconscious but still rampaging. And your toy talisman won’t think it’s hostile.”

Seconds later, he collapses—only to jolt awake, screaming an ear-shattering howl. His body thrashes wildly as he dashes like a spinning tornado of claws and destruction. Rudo, stunned, barely dodges. What shocks him more is that even in this half-dead state, Jabber is terrifyingly strong.

Worse, Folo and Gris are nearby. If Jabber turns toward them, they’re done for. Thinking fast, Rudo bolts in the opposite direction, baiting the berserk beast away. It works—Jabber pursues him relentlessly. With the talisman not reacting, Rudo blocks with sheer grit and even tosses Jabber over with a desperate judo move. The impact cracks the concrete floor, but the maniac pops right back up, eyes glazed with bloodlust.

Rudo thinks: “Okay… battlefield experience can push people past their limits. Or maybe this guy’s just a full-blown masochist.”

That thought drags up an old memory—bullies on the Sphere pounding him while he refused to fight back because Regto told him not to. They once sneered, asking if he was a masochist. At the time, he didn’t even know what the word meant. Later, he innocently asked Regto at home… and now, years later, facing Jabber, he finally understands: masochists are psychos who like pain. Which, frankly, makes this whole situation ten times worse.

Jabber charges again, ripping apart everything in his path. Rudo desperately dodges and blocks, but the monster’s raw strength is overwhelming. Just when it looks like the claws will land, a staff comes flying, pinning Jabber down. Rudo instantly recognizes it—Zanka’s weapon.

Moments later, Zanka limps into view, barely standing, but still radiating determination.

Rudo: “You seriously think you can fight like that?”

Zanka, smirking: “Don’t underestimate me.”

He spots the talisman in Rudo’s hands and notes that he finally seems to have figured it out. Rudo admits it’s useless against Jabber’s mindless frenzy, and Zanka explains that the talisman responds only to hostile intent—something he already deduced while watching from a distance.

But Zanka has an idea. Since he himself can’t move much because of the poison, he suggests that Rudo let him attack once. The talisman would then redirect Rudo straight toward Jabber, carrying him into striking range.

Rudo, horrified: “And if it doesn’t work?”

Zanka, dead serious: “Then man up and eat the hit.”

Before they can argue, Jabber roars back to life, slashing through a pillar. Both dodge, and Zanka warns Rudo not to let the claws even graze him or paralysis will set in. To vent his frustration, Zanka suddenly attacks Rudo, triggering the talisman, which flings him directly at Jabber—landing a crushing blow.

Rudo, furious: “So you did attack me with hostile intent!”

Zanka, shrugging: “Relax. Just a test. See? Teamwork.”

He positions himself again, ready to repeat the maneuver. As Jabber lunges forward, Zanka strikes Rudo, and the talisman yeets him right into Jabber’s face, another devastating hit. Impressed, Zanka admits that Rudo is learning to control the talisman well, even using it to propel him a considerable distance. They gear up to repeat the combo, ready to keep smashing Jabber down until he finally breaks.

Thanks to Rudo’s control, Zanka smashes Jabber with a lethal combo that knocks him back to his senses. Just as Jabber sees Zanka in front of him, he gets a little too excited—like he’s about to meet his crush—but the next thing he feels is Zanka’s staff cracking down on his head, knocking him out for real this time. Zanka lands on his feet like a pro, only to stumble straight to the ground. He thinks they’ve won, and even Rudo eases up a bit. Bad move—the talisman suddenly crumbles into dust, vanishing like Thanos just snapped his fingers. Rudo panics, desperately trying to save it since it belongs to Gris, but all he can do is watch it blow away.

His panic spirals into a full-blown meltdown, and he collapses, writhing on the ground like a fish out of water. Zanka notices claw marks on Rudo’s back and realizes Jabber struck him without them noticing. And speak of the devil—Jabber pokes himself with his left claw and springs back up, looking like he just took a spa day. He smugly announces that his left claw acts as a super painkiller, making him function normally again. As for his right claw? Its poison has Zanka paralyzed for about 30 minutes, so Jabber casually stabs him again for good measure. With Zanka down, he drags the spasming Rudo away to their base, not even caring that his teammates are still lying unconscious nearby.

Rudo, barely conscious, blames himself for putting everyone at risk. But when Jabber leaps out of a hole, he suddenly finds himself outside instead of inside the building. Confused, he’s greeted by Rio and Enjin, and before he can blink, Enjin’s umbrella smashes into his gut, slamming him into a wall. Despite that, the masochist somehow stays awake and notices other terrifying Cleaners arriving with Enjin. Turns out the supporters who escaped earlier called for backup, and the cavalry arrived just in time.

One supporter worries that Gris and the others might be dead, but Enjin reassures her that they’re tough. He sends her team to rescue them, while Jabber freaks out—well, “excited freaks out.” He screams that the Cleaners look really strong and admits he’s in no condition to fight. The sheer helplessness of it all… turns him on. (Yes, he’s still that guy.) Even Rio is disgusted, realizing poor Rudo has been fighting a freaky masochist this whole time.

The Cleaners argue among themselves: the big guy fumes about their teammate being harmed, only to get told to shut up because he’s annoying. Finally, Enjin declares they’ll take Jabber into custody and interrogate him, asking if he really thought he could mess with the Cleaners and walk away. Jabber, of course, gets even more excited and starts fantasizing about a prison life where he plans a daring escape. He admits he’ll probably lose here but insists he has orders to bring back Rudo, and he won’t return to his boss a failure.

Just as he’s about to charge, one of his teammates hugs him from behind, begging him to stop. Jabber tells her to buzz off—he still has a mission. But she tells him the boss had a big smile earlier, which makes him freeze. She holds him down, and finally he calms himself, choosing to retreat. A mystical manhole portal appears in the wall, and Jabber smugly says goodbye, telling them to give his regards to Rudo, who “must be knocked out by now.”

Except—plot twist—Rudo pushes through the poison, using every bit of strength to stand and yell at Jabber to stop. He vows to pay him back for what he did to Gris and the others. Jabber, impressed by Rudo’s guts, grins and promises they’ll fight again. But before leaving, he notices Rudo’s gloves with their unique design and mutters that the boss will be thrilled to learn he’s carrying something from the special series 2. Then he vanishes into the portal.

Afterwards, Zanka and the others are rescued, and the poison wears off Rudo. He rushes to Gris, who’s still alive despite severe blood loss. Rudo apologizes for destroying the talisman, but Gris comforts him, saying if it helped, then it was worth it. The last fragments of the talisman drift away, and Rudo is left uncertain about what to feel.