OUTSIDE THE UNION HEADQUARTERS – DEVASTATED ZONE – AFTERNOON
The flames were still licking the building's walls. Smoke rose into the sky, black and thick. Sirens wailed. People fled. And in the middle of the chaos, three figures.
Mokonzi, fists clenched, eyes fixed on the man with the wooden mask.
Angel, hands in his pockets, a smile on his lips.
Grann, standing back, analyzing every detail.
Bazzard, perched on a winged creature, hovered above them. His arms were spread wide, like an actor on a stage.
Mokonzi raised his hand.
"DOMINATION. All beings weaker than me within a twenty-meter radius…"
Bazzard didn't let him finish.
"You really think I would have attacked the Union headquarters with such a simple plan?"
His voice echoed, amplified by his creatures. He pointed to the monsters around him.
"These monsters are citizens of this country. Normal people. Fathers. Mothers. Children. If you kill them, it counts as murder."
Mokonzi froze.
On the screens, viewers were shocked. Murmurs ran through the crowds. Faces went pale.
Angel stretched, nonchalant.
"Hey, you. Bazzard. Or Puppeteer. Whatever."
He cracked his neck.
"I don't give a shit that your plan is perfect. Whether they're civilians or not. What I see is a clown playing with lives. And that…"
He smiled.
"…I don't like it. So if I have to kill these people to save lives, I will."
He leaped.
Bazzard stepped back. His creatures moved to intercept.
Angel drew his Ether blades – two luminous arcs that shot from his hands. He sliced through the first creature. Then the second. Then the third.
But the fourth sent him flying.
He landed hard on the ground, rolled over his shoulder, got back up.
Grann was beside him.
Angel spat a little blood.
"Listen to me carefully, Grann."
Grann looked at him.
"In single combat, you have to accept that your power isn't perfect. So you have to compensate differently. And the simplest way…"
He extended his hand.
"…is physical augmentation."
A demon charged. Its fist came down on Angel.
CLANG.
An Ether cube appeared in front of him, blocking the attack.
"I don't doubt you already learned this at Myers Academy. But…"
He spread his arms.
"…have you ever tried pushing it to the extreme? To become so strong that you can do… THIS."
He struck the demon.
The body exploded. A cloud of smoke. Debris.
Angel attacked the demons one by one. Squares. Circles. Cones. Cubes. Trapezoids. Geometric Ether shapes shot from his hands, striking, deflecting, protecting.
Then he changed tactics. An Ether thread, thin, almost invisible, shot from his finger. He sliced a demon in half. Then another. Then another.
Grann watched, fascinated.
"It's with this ability pushed to its limit," Angel said, slicing a creature, "that heroes like Captain Man can use such devastating close-range attacks."
A demon tried to attack him from behind.
CLANG.
Archange appeared. Angel's stand. Thinner, less muscular, but with the same features. He positioned himself in front of the demon.
"Dame dame dame dame dame dame dame dame dame."
Archange machine-gunned it with punches. The demon collapsed, its body riddled.
Angel charged toward Bazzard.
He threw a spear he had just created. It struck the flying monster the Puppeteer was riding.
Bazzard fell. Rolled. Got up.
He was in front of Bazzard.
The wooden mask was within reach.
"So, do we negotiate?" said Bazzard, a smile beneath the mask.
Angel didn't answer. He made a movement with his hands.
"I have a second power, you know."
Bazzard froze.
"Teleportation. I can teleport anything."
A knife appeared in Bazzard's abdomen.
Blood flowed. Bazzard staggered.
"You see," said Angel, smiling, "that's how you win. You strike where the enemy isn't looking."
Bazzard spat blood.
ROOOOAR.
The ground trembled.
An enormous maw emerged from the ground. Teeth. Scales. Wings.
A dragon.
It struck Angel head-on, sending him flying across the street. Angel crashed into a building, sinking into the concrete.
The dragon rose into the air, unfurling its immense wings. It towered over the city.
Angel looked up.
His eyes lit up. A smile – a real one – appeared on his face.
Magnificent.
Bazzard, wounded, staggered. He saw an opportunity to flee. He turned around.
Mokonzi was there.
"DOMINATION."
Bazzard knelt. His head bowed. His arms dropped.
He could no longer move.
Mokonzi approached him, his gaze cold.
"You're a dead man, Puppeteer."
Bazzard gritted his teeth. Rage burned in his eyes. But he could do nothing.
---
AT THE HOSPITAL – THE JUSTICE'S ROOM
Wonder was sitting in his armchair, his cane resting on his knees. He looked at The Justice with a smile.
"You know, old friend…"
He stood up.
"…I worked with Bazzard."
The Justice looked up.
"What?"
"The poisoning. The fall of the Big Five. All of it was me."
He approached.
"I wanted the number 1 title. And you were in my way."
The Justice tried to stand. Wonder pushed him. The Justice fell against the wall.
"So let's keep it simple. You're going to fall. And I'm going to take your place."
The Justice clenched his fists. The poison burned in his veins. But he got back up.
"You will never have my place."
He struck.
His fist passed through Wonder. Wonder's body became intangible.
Wonder smiled.
"Too slow, old friend."
He struck The Justice with his cane. The impact resonated. The Justice spat blood.
"You know what I hate most about you?"
Wonder approached, his face close to The Justice's.
"It's that you're Gabonese. And you dare to measure yourself against my nation."
He struck him again.
The Justice fell to his knees. The poison flowed through his veins. Blood ran from his nose.
Wonder leaned down.
"Wonder is the best. Never forget that."
He turned on his heel and walked out.
The Justice, on his knees, watched him leave.
I will not fall. I cannot fall.
He got back up.
---
SOMEWHERE – PRIVATE RESTAURANT
Captain Man sat across from an old man. Mecha Sullivan. A legend. A hero from the first generation.
Sullivan drank his tea, eyes narrowed.
"Captain Man. The man who single-handedly was the symbol of justice for two generations. The very first hero of the country."
Captain Man smiled.
"How are you?"
"Very well. And you?"
Sullivan set down his cup.
"Ahhh, between us, it's incredible. We were part of the first generation of heroes. From the start of our careers to the end… I never saw you bend to anyone."
Captain Man lowered his eyes.
"You're wrong. I did bend to someone."
Sullivan raised an eyebrow.
"To whom?"
Captain Man looked at him.
"The best hero I've seen to this day."
Silence.
"His name is… The Justice."
---
TO BE CONTINUED…