Jake looked back at Ivy in worried silence.
The darkness around her was changing shape.
Soon it tightened around her body and took a more familiar form. The trio watched, wide-eyed at her transformation.
Ivy raised her arm to touch Jake's face and pushed it away. Jake got the message and let her go. Once she was on the floor, she started spasming and shaking all over, foam pouring out of her mouth.
Jake tried to get closer and hold her again, but Max put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
That's the moment Ivy stopped. She stayed still for a few long seconds and immediately got on her feet. The darkness that covered her dissipated and a new form took its place.
Its design mimicked Jake's except for a few discerning details. His exposed teeth were replaced with two giant fangs. His blue markings were replaced with red ones similar to Max's. Her eyes glowed a bright red as well. Jake's characteristic horns were the only things she copied completely. While his frame was large and imposing, hers was tall and slender.
Jake slowly approached and reached out to grab her, but she hissed at him and jumped into the ocean. As she did, Stacya and Zack appeared out of that same spot and got in her way.
Ivy swatted them aside. Stacya smirked to block but was so overpowered by the strike she was knocked unconscious. Zack was sent flying in another direction.
"Ivy?!" Jake screamed as he ran over to stop her but was too late.
Paulina did her best to catch Zack and Stacya while Max laughed. As she moved across the waves, Max moved over to Jake.
"You know she looked exactly like you did when you first gained shadow powers. You don't think the Bishop..."
"Shut up Max. For the love of God, just shut up."
Max surprisingly heeded his words, focusing instead on the new Ivy.
Ivy swam across the ocean even faster than Stacya did. Max took a better look at her and saw her legs had fused to form a giant tail, similar in design to that of a snake.
"So her mutoxin influenced her transformation, huh?" Max muttered to himself.
Once she got to the struggling Galan, she leapt out of the water and wrapped herself around its right leg. The hole in it had almost healed. Just as Galan noticed her and raised his arm to swat her away, Ivy bit hard into its flesh.
Immediately after, that flesh started turning to stone. Galan grabbed her as quickly as it could and threw her into the docks. She bounced off the pier and landed in the closest warehouse.
"Ivy!" Jake shouted as he ran over to her location.
Paulina, still holding Zack and walking over to Stacya's unconscious body, shouted Max's name.
"Yeah?" Max responded, entranced by Galan.
"We're out of options here. You know that."
"But my orders..." Max said innocently.
"Why are you doing this? You know it's clearly bullshit, but you're still acting like some spoiled brat," Paulina said before she could stop herself.
"What did you call me?"
Max glared at her and got closer. Paulina backed away and threw Zack to the side. She didn't want him getting hurt.
"I... uh..."
Max got closer and closer.
"Stay back..."
Paulina tried to focus on morphing into a weapon.
"I said stay back!"
She couldn't. Max reached out and grabbed her shoulder. She tried her hardest to dodge or at least resist. It was meaningless.
"You're a good leader, you know?" Max said with a smile, shocking Paulina to her core.
He then turned to face the regenerating monster still stuck in the ocean. Paulina fell to her knees soon after. Now it all depended on Max. The fate of this city, all the people, her, Zack... He needed to win here.
"Well big guy. It's my turn now," Max said, stretching. Just as he took a step, his communicator rang again.
"I see what you're doing, Max," Milten said as soon as Max answered the call. "Stand down."
"Boss?"
"I got this."
Milten hung up right after. Max stood still, confused at what he meant by that, until his advanced hearing heard a familiar sound.
A Rocket.
He looked up to see Luthor's Warzone armor, the new golden variant powered by the black reactor—the one he used in his mission with Max while investigating the Shakers.
That can't be right. Luthor's dead... unless...
Max's smile returned once he realized who was in the armor.
"What's Luthor's armor doing here?" Paulina said as she got back on her feet and ran over to Zack.
"Not Luthor's anymore. It's Milten's now."
"Wait, he's in there? Then that means..."
"That he didn't want me interfering on the off chance I beat the thing before him? Yeah."
"But why?"
"That's why," Max answered, turning and pointing to the approaching news helicopter.
"This is Amy Armstrong from Empire News! This just in, a new super has joined in the battle against the monstrosity known as Galan. He bears a slight resemblance to the Super, Warzone!"
To be continued...