Blaze smirks.
For a split second, Larenzo sees the smile
And then Blaze is gone.
A burst of red light.
A thundercrack of compressed air.
Larenzo's eyes widened.
Blaze appears right in front of him.
His fist is already drawn back.
BOOOOM
A shockwave punch slams into Larenzo's face, the impact snapping his head back as his body rockets across the street like a bullet. He smashes through a billboard frame, then crumples into the side of a building, debris crashing down everywhere around him.
Blaze walks forward slowly, relaxed, confident, untouchable.
Above, MP helicopters converge.
Spotlights slash through the smoke.
Rotors shake the air.
Cameras focus in, broadcasting the fight live across every ward.
The flaming rubble around Larenzo trembles
And hundreds of thin fire-beams shoot out, homing toward Blaze like a storm of burning needles.
Blaze lifts both hands.
His palms glow a harsh, white-hot red.
He doesn't dodge.
He boxes.
Punch after punch, rapid and precise.
Every beam deflects or shatters, lighting up the sky like fireworks.
In the distance, Sam stirs.
Bleeding, dizzy, barely conscious, he lifts his head enough to see the sky glowing red and orange.
Sam:
"…Larenzo…?"
His voice is weak, swallowed by explosions.
Sam Reaching to his pocket weakly
Inside the damaged building, Larenzo pushes up from the dust, dragging himself forward. His face is bruised, his breathing harsh, but he doesn't stop.
He extends one trembling arm.
His fingers open.
Dozens—then hundreds—of tiny fire orbs erupt around his hand, spinning like a fiery galaxy.
He walks out of the broken wall, each step heavier than the last.
With every step he takes, the fire orbs multiply
Hundreds become thousands.
Then
Larenzo thrusts his hand forward.
A massive beam of fire erupts from his palm, tearing straight through the air toward Blaze.
Blaze steps sideways slightly, one foot anchoring.
He catches the entire beam
with one hand.
His fingers dig into the blaze like gripping thick smoke, the heat curling around his arm but not breaking him.
Blaze:
"Futile, Larenzo."
Behind Blaze, three red orbs form in a perfect triangle, humming with destructive pressure. He reaches his free hand back, letting the orbs swirl around his palm in a circular orbit.
His smirk widens.
Blaze:
"Let me show you how it's really done."
He flicks two fingers outward.
The first orb shoots to the right of Larenzo's beam.
The second shoots to the left.
They curve like guided missiles.
Larenzo's eyes widen
The right orb hits first.
KA-THOOOOOM
Flames erupt around him, hurling him several meters to the side.
Before he can breathe, the left orb slams in
BBAAAMMM
The explosion sends Larenzo spinning, crashing into the pavement, skidding across the cracked asphalt. His body is steaming, blood dripping, his vision blurry.
He tries to stand
His legs buckle.
Blaze descends slowly from above, landing in front of him with a soft tap.
He lifts his hand.
Index and middle finger extended forward in a casual gun sign.
The final red orb floats from behind him, drifting toward the tip of his fingers like a bullet waiting for instructions.
Around them
MP armored trucks screech into position.
Dozens of soldiers slide behind shields, rifles aimed at both men.
Choppers hover overhead, blades beating down air pressure.
Everyone is shouting orders.
Everyone is tense.
Except Blaze.
Blaze:
"End of the line, Larenzo."
The red orb at his fingertip begins to glow brighter.
Larenzo looks up, beaten, breathing hard, body failing him
But his eyes refuse to break.
Blaze doesn't blink.
He just smiles.
His fingertip glows brighter, the orb now whining with compressed force.
Blaze:
"Goodbye."
He flicks his hand forward
FWIP—BOOOOM
But the orb never reaches Larenzo.
A blue portal tears open in front of him, swallowing the red orb whole.
Both Blaze and Larenzo freeze.
A second later
Another portal snaps open above the MP soldiers who had their guns aimed.
The orb drops out.
KAAAAA-THROOOOOM
A massive explosion erupts behind Blaze, flames ripping upward, flipping armored trucks, swallowing soldiers, shaking the whole block. The shockwave rattles the choppers overhead, sending them swaying.
Larenzo and Blaze stare, stunned for the first time all fight.
Then
A large blue portal appears directly behind Larenzo.
A figure steps out.
Calm.
Unhurried.
One hand sliding onto Larenzo's shoulder like a tired parent grabbing a reckless kid.
Blaze's eye twitches. "One bug after another."
Larenzo tilts his head slightly, eyes drifting back just enough to see the blur of a silhouette. He can't fully turn he's too injured.
The man looks down at him first, voice low and disappointed.
???:
"This is one of Charlotte's captains eh."
Larenzo's jaw tightens. His breath shakes.
Then the man lifts his head, staring straight at Blaze with a cold, unimpressed stare.
???:
"...And don't compare me to him."
Blaze's smirk fades into a straight line.
Before Blaze can react
The man's arm makes a smooth, downward swipe.
SHH–SHH–SHH
Three blue slashes carve through the air and smash into Blaze's chest and abdomen, knocking him back dozens of feet. His boots skid across the pavement as he catches himself, blood trickling down the newly cut lines across his torso.
Blaze's eyes widen
Not in fear.
But in interest.
Meanwhile, the man grabs Larenzo like he weighs nothing.
He turns his wrist.
A portal opens in front of them.
In one fluid motion, he throws Larenzo through.
Larenzo disappears instantly.
The man turns around.
Hands slipping into his pockets.
No rush.
No hesitation.
Not even acknowledging Blaze again.
He walks into the portal slowly
Like this entire battle bored him.
The edges of the portal flicker, then close.
Silence takes over the street.
Sam, half-conscious, watches the entire scene with wide eyes. Choppers hover shakily in the air, soldiers scream for medics, and Blaze stands frozen, the blue slashes still stinging across his chest.
Then
A small portal appears beneath Sam.
His eyes widen just before he drops through it.
The portal shuts.
Leaving Blaze alone in the cratered street with a look of mild curiosity on his face.