They stood apart on the rooftop, eyes locked, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Thunderstorm's rage boiled over—he lunged forward, striking first.
Scythe met him head-on, countering with a powerful punch of his own.
The impact was explosive—sending shockwaves tearing through the air and rippling across Ultra City.
Down in the streets, cars skidded to a halt. Civilians stepped out, shielding their faces from the sudden gusts.
A man, staring up at the rooftop brawl, shouted,
"Who the hell are those guys?"
The man next to him replied, "Isn't it obvious? That's Thunderstorm… and the other one—uh—yeah, that's the guy who attacked that alley the other day."
Another civilian chimed in, "Wasn't it Blaze who took him on first? What, are they taking turns now? They should just take him down already."
"Yeah, come on. They're Nine, and he's just one guy," another added. "Should be over quick."
But a woman spoke calmly from behind them. "Maybe there's a reason they're not rushing him all at once. They're the ones in the fight—we don't know what they're seeing… or how dangerous that man really is."
The group turned toward her—it was a pregnant woman.
Howard, a man in a green shirt, frowned. "Ma'am, I advise you to move along. Things might get serious here."
"You don't have to tell me," she said, turning and walking away from the growing crowd.
The men resumed their talk. One of them nodded toward the fight. "She's got a point… but if it's a one-on-one brawl, Vilex is the guy who should be up there."
Josh scoffed. "Vilex? What's he gonna do against someone like Scythe? This isn't street-level punks anymore—this is the real deal."
Mikky shot back, "Oh, so now he's useless against guys like this? You ungrateful clown—Vilex has fought and bled for this city. And in case you forgot, he's ranked number one on the B-rank heroes list."
Josh waved it off. "Yeah, yeah… hero rankings. Big deal. That's just for show. My kind of hero is one who talks and gets things done."
Mikky narrowed his eyes. "And who's that supposed to be?"
Josh smirked. "Rudy."
Mikky just rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.
Howard muttered under his breath, "Just appreciate who's fighting for you…" Then, in his head: This city's people love to start pointless arguments. No wonder the other cities call us The Noisy Neighbors.
Still, plenty of civilians remained, watching the clash of Thunderstorm and Scythe with wide-eyed fascination.
***
Elsewhere—on a rooftop not far from the battle—the rest of the Hero Squad stood, silently observing.
The first to speak out of the lot was Jakson.
"Are we just gonna stand here and watch them fight?"
"Yep, that's what we're doing," Raymond replied.
Jakson shot back instantly. "Then it's pointless. If we're just gonna stand here doing nothing, I'm going home."
"Nope. No one leaves," Raymond said firmly.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He checked the caller ID. "Guys, it's Timothy." He picked up.
"You guys didn't tell me you were going after Scythe," Timothy said.
Raymond answered, "We weren't even planning to. One of our cameras caught him standing like he was waiting for us, so we got here."
"Okay, but why'd you leave the lady alone in here?" Timothy asked.
"Nope, she's not alone. I asked Max to drop off Tyler's girl with her," Raymond replied.
"Didn't see her— oh, sorry, seems she went to the toilet," Timothy said.
"Alright, you handle things over there. I'll stay here with them in case of anything." Raymond ended the call.
Sage then asked, "What did the Captain say about Scythe?"
"He said nothing. Let's get home first and see what he got from wherever he went," Raymond replied.
***
Now, to the brawl between Thunderstorm and Scythe.
Scythe, skillful as ever, swung his blades with casual speed, sharp arcs slicing through the air. Unlike their first fight, Thunderstorm met every strike head-on. With a crackle, he conjured a lightning whip, matching each slash with electrified lashes.
Then, bloodlust flashing in his eyes, Thunderstorm raised his hands and slammed them together. The deafening thunderclap sent a shockwave rolling through Ultra City. Down below, civilians clung to whatever they could to avoid being blown away.
The force lifted Scythe clean off the ground. Thunderstorm shot forward, fists blazing.
"You hurt my sister— I'll kill you here!" he roared, driving another punch deep into Scythe's gut.
Scythe crashed into the side of a building. Groaning, he forced himself upright.
"I can't let him keep beating me like this… I need to counter," he muttered. He scanned the area. "I can use this place to my advantage."
Thunderstorm burst through a window, barreling toward him, but the moment he entered, a thick mist filled the entire floor.
Thunderstorm stopped, scanning his surroundings. Scythe's voice echoed from somewhere inside the haze.
"You fight with the intent to kill me… but I can't let you have your way. If I want to see the one I care about again, I have to fight you with the same bloodlust."
Tyler didn't care for the words — only for ending Scythe.
The mercenary teleported rapidly through the mist, slashing at Thunderstorm from every angle. The hits landed, but Tyler stood his ground, enduring the pain. Finally, frustration boiled over.
"I've had enough of this shit!" he roared. Lightning raged around his body, condensing into his fists before he slammed them into the floor. The discharge tore through the building in every direction, striking Scythe and blasting him clean out into the open air.
Tyler spotted him and launched upward, hammering him with punches that drove them both high into the sky. "I'll take the life out of you! For every minute she stays unconscious, I'll keep fighting you until you're dead!"
***
Back with the other heroes, they watched the aerial battle.
"Should we interfere? It's looking like it's turning bloodlusted from here," Derick said.
"He's got a point, Vice Cap," Larry added.
A phone rang — Timothy again.
"Hey, tell Tyler his sister's woken up. It's getting more intense out here, and we need both of them alive," Timothy said.
"Understood," Raymond replied. "Guys, we stop this now. As much as I want to see Scythe pummeled, we've got to end it. Tyler's sister is awake."
"That's good news. Leave it to me, I'll bring him here," Sage said.
He opened a portal just as Thunderstorm was winding up for another punch at Scythe, intercepting him mid-swing.
"Why are you stopping me?" Tyler snarled.
"Shut up, dude. Your sister's awake — isn't that why you were still fighting?" Jakson said.
Tyler's eyes lit up, his scowl softening into a smile. "I'm happy she's awake… but what about him?"
"He won't come at us now. He's tired, and he knows he wouldn't last long if he took us all at once," Raymond said.
From a distance, Scythe watched them. He already knew why the fight had stopped.
"It seems the sister is alright. Thank God… I'd have carried the guilt of killing someone's beloved forever," he thought.
As the heroes prepared to leave, Scythe called out.
"Thunderstorm! I'm happy for you… and I'm sorry for hitting your sister."
The heroes frowned in distaste. "Is he mocking us?" Max asked.
Tyler glared, but after a pause, he sighed. "I don't know what you're trying to do… but thank you."
In a flash, the heroes were gone, heading back to The Fortress.
Scythe collapsed, clutching his stomach and spitting blood onto the ground. "I can't do this anymore… We were evenly matched, and if it weren't for that news, he'd have killed me. And again… I hurt someone close to him. I'm fighting for my own sister's freedom, but I can't challenge that man."
Tears slid down his face as he lay there, covering his eyes with one hand.