"Too bad, my friend." The voice slithered through Havoc's consciousness like poison. "You are already mine."
"NOOOO!" Havoc's scream tore through the air, raw and desperate. His hands clawed at his skull as if he could physically rip the presence from his mind.
But the darkness had already taken root.
"Showtime, Havoc." The voice purred with ancient satisfaction. "Give me a performance worthy of remembering."
RAAAAAAAHHHHH!
The roar that erupted from Havoc's throat wasn't entirely human anymore. The sound cracked the earth beneath his feet and sent tremors through the surrounding buildings. Heat rolled off his body in waves as magma veins traced bright patterns across his skin, pulsing like a second circulatory system. His cannon arm blazed crimson, the metal itself seeming to melt and reform. His eyes burned like twin suns about to go supernova.
The transformation wasn't finished. His axe tail began to elongate with wet, organic sounds—stretching, sharpening, becoming something that belonged more in nightmares than reality.
This was no longer Havoc. This was a true Soul Wretch.
"I'm here!" Seris landed beside them in a crouch, her arrival stirring up clouds of dust.
"Perfect timing!" Percival called out, though his voice carried an edge of worry.
"What in the world happened?" Seris took in the scene—the cracked earth, the oppressive heat radiating from Havoc's transformed body.
"Havoc lost it," Fred said grimly. "Something's controlling him. Turned him into... that."
Seris closed her eyes for a moment, extending her senses. When she opened them, her expression was troubled. "There's definitely another presence here. Something powerful and malevolent. But I can't pinpoint its location—it's like it's everywhere and nowhere at once."
"So what's our play?" she asked.
"Hit and run tactics," Percival said without hesitation. "This thing could take any of our heads off with a single blow now. We need your range to keep it honest."
He looked each of them in the eye. "We end his suffering. All of us together. Are you with me?"
"Always," Sofia said, her usual bravado replaced by quiet determination.
"Any changes to formation now that Seris is here?" Fred asked, his grip tightening on his weapon.
Percival's aura exploded outward—dark red and violent, like spilled blood under starlight. "Yeah. One change. No holding back anymore. Go completely wild."
Fred's eyes lit up with something that was equal parts anticipation and madness. "Oh, I *love* when you say that."
"Finally," Sofia breathed, cracking her knuckles. "I was getting tired of playing it safe."
"But what's the actual strategy here?" Seris pressed.
"No strategy," Percival's grin turned feral. "Fight your own way. Trust your instincts. Just watch each other's backs and don't let that thing corner any of us alone."
"Works for me," Fred shrugged, but there was nothing casual about the way he hefted his weapon.
They turned to face Havoc. The air between them crackled with barely contained violence and killing intent.
Drake collapsed against a chunk of rubble, his legs finally giving out. "Looks like I'm benched for this one."
He reached out mentally, hoping for some guidance. "System? You there?"
Silence stretched in his mind like an empty void.
"System, come on. I could really use some backup here."
Still nothing. *What the hell is wrong? She's never been quiet this long.*
Meanwhile, the malevolent voice whispered sweet poison into Havoc's consciousness.
*Rip them apart. Slowly. Make them scream.*
"Here he comes!" Percival's warning cut through the air.
"I'm ready—" Fred started to say.
BAM!
The world blurred. One moment Havoc was twenty feet away, the next his cannon was buried in Fred's gut with the force of a freight train.
"GAH!" Fred's eyes went wide as the air was driven from his lungs. He rocketed backward, his body punching through a brick wall like it was made of paper.
"FRED!" Sofia's voice cracked with rage and worry. "How dare you hurt him!"
She launched herself forward, her fist trailing blue energy.
Havoc spun to meet her charge. When their attacks collided, the shockwave rippled outward in concentric circles, shattering windows and cracking pavement.
But Sofia's eyes went wide with shock. "He... he caught my punch?!"
Her strongest attack, the one that could shatter stone, sat motionless in Havoc's enlarged claw.
His other arm swept toward her in a vicious arc. She threw herself backward, but not quite fast enough. Razor-sharp claws opened four parallel gashes across her forearm.
"Damn it!" Blood seeped between her fingers as she pressed her hand to the wounds.
"Sofia, are you alright?" Seris called out.
"I'll live, but this freak is stronger than anything we've faced." Sofia backed away, reassessing the threat.
"It's a full Soul Wretch now," Seris explained grimly. "You need to channel more power if you want to hurt it."
Sofia watched Havoc advance, each footstep leaving molten prints in the concrete. "No wonder Percival told us to go all out." She wiped blood from her arm. "That thing launched Fred like he weighed nothing."
"The poor creature doesn't realize what it just woke up," Seris said, a dangerous smile playing at her lips.
"Oh, Fred's definitely going to take this personally now."
"That's what I'm counting on."
---
Inside the ruined building, twin points of yellow light blazed in the darkness like the eyes of a hunting predator.
"Fred! You still breathing in there?" Percival called out.
The response came as Fred stepped through the hole he'd made, dust and debris falling from his shoulders. But something had changed. His casual demeanor was gone, replaced by something cold and predatory. His eyes burned with barely contained violence.
"That ugly bastard got my blood boiling," Fred said, his voice carrying a razor-sharp edge. "I'm going to enjoy tearing him apart piece by piece."
"Good," Percival said. "Because we're going to need that killer instinct."
"Don't worry about me." Fred's grin was all teeth and malice. "I'm just getting started."
The voice in Havoc's head snarled with impatience. *Kill them! What are you waiting for? Stop playing with your food!*
ROAAAAAAAR!
Havoc's tail whipped through the air in a deadly horizontal arc. Sofia and Seris dove in opposite directions as the massive appendage smashed into a concrete support pillar, embedding itself six inches deep.
But Sofia was already moving. She sprinted up the trapped tail like it was a ramp, using Havoc's own body against him. At the last second, she leaped and spun, putting her full body weight behind a devastating kick.
"Eat this!"
WHAM! Her heel connected with Havoc's jaw, snapping his head back with a wet crack.
"Beautiful! My turn!" Percival charged past her, his hammer already wreathed in flames.
"IGNIS—FLAMING HAMMER!"
CRACK! The impact was like a thunderclap. Havoc's massive form was launched skyward, spinning end over end like a rag doll.
"Seris, he's all yours!"
"Right!" She raised her arm, and Drake watched in fascination as green light coalesced around her hand. "Divine Bow!"
The weapon that formed was elegant and deadly—sleek black material covered in glowing runes that seemed to shift and writhe with their own inner life.
*Is that an Echoform?* Drake wondered. *No, she didn't say 'Phase Shift.' What kind of power is that?*
Seris drew back the string, and lightning crackled around her fingers, solidifying into a bolt of pure electrical energy.
*What the hell?!*
"LIGHTNING SHOT!"
The arrow screamed upward, trailing sparks and the smell of ozone.
CRACK! BOOM! Thunder split the air as it struck Havoc center mass, electricity dancing across his body in brilliant arcs.
"Perfect shot!" Percival grinned up at the spectacle.
THUD! Havoc's smoking form crashed back to earth, leaving a crater where he landed.
"These people are absolutely insane," Drake breathed, equal parts awed and terrified.
"Is it over?" Sofia asked, still clutching her wounded arm.
*THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...*
The mechanical sound of Havoc's artificial heart still echoed across the battlefield. His core still pulsed with dim light.
"Doesn't look like it," Percival said, approaching cautiously.
"Here, let me take care of that," Seris said to Sofia.
"Thanks."
"Heal." Green light flowed from Seris's hands, and the gashes on Sofia's arm sealed themselves without even leaving scars.
"You're incredible, Seris."
"Don't mention it."
*Seris can fight AND heal? I definitely need someone like her on my team. But where did Fred go?* Drake thought, scanning the area.
Percival stood over Havoc's motionless form. The creature's eyes showed only whites, rolled back in his skull.
*He's unconscious. Finally.*
"Are we in the clear?" Seris asked.
Percival turned to answer, a smile of relief beginning to form on his face—
The voice slithered through Havoc's mind like acid. *Wake up, my puppet. You haven't claimed your revenge yet.*
BAM!
Havoc's eyes snapped open, blazing with renewed fury. His axe tail screamed upward toward Percival's exposed back.
Percival's combat instincts saved his life. He flipped backward, the tail missing him by inches as he skidded across broken pavement.
ROAAAAAAAAR!
The sound shattered windows for three blocks in every direction.
"Are you hurt?" Sofia rushed to Percival's side.
"I'm fine." He glared at Havoc with pure hatred. "What does it take to put this monster down permanently?"
*How is Havoc still fighting after taking that much damage? Soul Wretches really are in a league of their own,* Drake thought with growing dread.
Seris was already nocking another lightning arrow, her face grim with concentration.
But the voice had more gifts to bestow. *Let me enhance your power. You're running low on energy.*
SHLUNK! Havoc's cannon arm swelled grotesquely, doubling in size as dark veins pulsed across its surface.
"Oh, come on!" Sofia stared in horror. "Now what?"
The voice purred with satisfaction. *Perfect. Turn them all to ash.*
Havoc braced his massive cannon with both hands. Energy began building inside the barrel, visible as a growing point of crimson light.
"Incoming!" Percival spotted his hammer lying twenty feet away. *I need my weapon.*
The cannon reached critical charge, humming with barely contained destruction.
"FIRE!"
THROOOOOOOMP!
The energy beam that erupted was easily twice the size of his previous attacks—a column of pure annihilation that scorched the air itself as it traveled.
"Lightning Arrow!" Seris's shot detonated against the beam but barely managed to slow it down.
"That did nothing!" she gasped.
*That arrow might as well have been a firecracker. Seris and Sofia won't survive a direct hit from that,* Drake realized with mounting horror.
Without hesitation, Percival sprinted toward his teammates, spreading his arms wide.
"What are you doing?" Sofia asked.
"What I have to," Percival said simply. "Stay behind me."
The beam scorched everything in its path, leaving a trail of molten concrete and twisted metal.
"Here it comes." Seris and Sofia pressed close behind Percival, who stood like an immovable wall between them and death.
*Please let this work,* he prayed.
The beam was mere inches away from impact when—
"AEROPEX—WIND SLASH!"
WHOOOOSH! A crescent of compressed air sliced horizontally through the energy beam, splitting it perfectly in two.
BOOM! BOOM! The divided attack exploded harmlessly on either side of them, close enough for them to feel the heat but causing no damage.
"FRED!" Sofia's voice cracked with relief.
"Thank god you're okay!" Seris breathed.
Fred stood twenty feet away, holding an elegant obsidian spear inlaid with golden riuns. His eyes burned with an intensity that was almost frightening.
"What took you so long?" Percival asked.
"Does it matter?" Fred's voice was deadly calm. "Perfect timing is perfect timing."
"Can't argue with that. Thanks for the save."
"Don't mention it."
*So that's his Echoform. An obsidian spear—definitely fits his personality,* Drake observed with interest.
ARRRRRRR! Havoc's roar cut through the smoke as his vision cleared.
"Percival." Fred's voice dripped with barely restrained violence. "This ugly lizard has wasted far too much of my time. Plus, he had the audacity to hit me. I want to end this. Permanently."
"Agreed. Time to finish what we started." Percival's aura flared like a bonfire. "Everyone attacks at once. Seris, maintain distance—we need your support fire."
"Understood."
"Sofia, Fred—you're with me on the front line. Give him everything we've got."
"Music to my ears." "Let's do this." They spoke almost in unison.
"Move out!"
The three charged as one, their battle cries echoing across the devastated battlefield. Behind them, Seris drew back another lightning arrow, her eyes calculating angles and timing.
Havoc's burning eyes blazed even brighter as he prepared for the final clash.
*End this, guys. Please,* Drake thought desperately. *I can't watch anyone else get hurt because of my weakness.*
—TO BE CONTINUED—