The building exploded in a massive burst of light and flame. The Inhumans and Lucien had made it outside just in time, but the force of the explosion still sent shockwaves through the street.
They watched as the store suddenly burst out in brilliant light, flames rising from the structure before the entire building was blasted into nothing.
From the dust and debris arose a black giant that stood nearly thirty feet tall. The being looked as if it were made entirely of charcoal, its body radiating intense heat. Only its eyes were visible through the darkness, covered in flames that burned like twin suns.
The moment the giant fully emerged, the streets around them began erupting with molten lava. The asphalt cracked and split as superheated rock bubbled up from below. The beast roared, a sound that shook windows blocks away, and started using its massive hands to crush random objects - cars, street lamps, anything within reach.
The creature's rampage was indiscriminate and violent. It swung at the Inhumans, forcing them to dodge and scatter.
"Why is he going crazy all of a sudden?" Lucien asked Medusa as they both leaped away from a stream of lava.
"It happens to one in a few thousand Inhumans," Medusa replied, her purple hair whipping around as she moved. "He went into a berserk state. This is the manifestation of his abilities."
Lucien nodded, processing the information quickly. "Then we just have to cool him down, right?"
Without waiting for an answer, Lucien jumped toward Dante and delivered a punch directly to the giant's face. He held back significantly - with Dante's stats being just in the 130s, he could have crushed the new Inhuman in a moment if he used his full strength.
The goal wasn't to kill, just to subdue.
The force of the blow sent Dante's head snapping to the side, but the creature roared back immediately and tried to retaliate. Lucien wasn't there, jumping onto the giant's shoulder and launching himself upward to strike at the back of Dante's neck.
The hit connected solidly, causing Dante to stumble forward. Lucien landed and immediately began his next attack, always staying just out of reach of the creature's grasping hands.
Though it mattered not if Dante caught him or not.
As the fight continued, Lucien started deliberately positioning his attacks to push Dante in a specific direction. Each punch, each dodge, each feint was to drive the berserk Inhuman toward the harbor.
Black Bolt quickly understood Lucien's plan. He shot up to the sky, the Inhuman king began firing precise laser beams at Dante, not to injure but to herd him along the same path Lucien was creating.
The coordination between them was seamless despite never having fought together before. Black Bolt's aerial position gave him the perfect vantage point to guide Dante's movements, while Lucien's ground-based attacks kept the creature moving forward.
Meanwhile, the other Inhumans worked to clear civilians from the path of destruction. Medusa used her hair to lift people to safety, while Karnak's helped direct evacuation routes. Even Maximus pitched in, though he seemed to be enjoying the chaos more than the others.
Gorgon used his earthquake-generating powers to create barriers of rubble that channeled fleeing civilians away from Dante's rampage. Lockjaw teleported back and forth, carrying groups of people to safety with each jump.
The battle moved steadily toward the water. Dante's lava powers were causing massive damage to the streets and buildings, but at least they were moving away from populated areas.
Lucien continued his assault, landing blow after blow while staying constantly mobile. The giant's movements were becoming more erratic as frustration built up. Every time Dante tried to grab or strike his elusive opponent, Lucien was already somewhere else.
Black Bolt's laser beams created additional motivation for movement. The king was careful not to cause serious injury, but the controlled bursts of energy were enough to keep Dante off balance and moving in the desired direction.
After several minutes of effort, they finally reached the harbor. The smell of salt water mixed with sulfur from Dante's lava powers created an almost toxic atmosphere.
This was the moment Lucien had been building toward. With Dante positioned perfectly at the water's edge, Lucien gathered more of his strength than he had used so far and delivered a powerful punch directly to the giant's face.
The impact was tremendous. Dante stumbled backward, his massive form losing balance, and crashed into the sea with a splash that sent water hundreds of feet into the air.
The ocean immediately began to react to the extreme heat of Dante's lava body. Steam rose from the water in thick, white clouds as the temperature differential created a violent reaction. The harbor looked like a massive hot spring as the water bubbled and churned around the submerged giant.
Lucien and the Inhumans watched carefully as the steam continued to rise. The contrast between the creature's molten form and the cold ocean water was creating a spectacular display.
Slowly, the giant's body began to show cracks. The intense black surface started breaking apart like cooling volcanic rock. Pieces of the charcoal-like exterior fell away, revealing something underneath.
From inside the crumbling giant form emerged a young man who appeared to be roughly the same age as Lucien. His clothes were mostly destroyed, with only part of his trousers remaining intact. He was unconscious and floating in the now-warm harbor water.
Medusa immediately sprang into action, using her prehensile hair to carefully pull Dante out of the sea and onto the dock. The newly-emerged Inhuman was breathing but clearly exhausted from the transformation and subsequent rampage.
Lucien activated his status-viewing ability again to check on Dante's condition. The display showed that he was now fully Inhuman, with his awakening process complete at 100%. His stats had stabilized, and there were no longer any signs of the berserk state.
"That was quite a performance," Maximus said with obvious appreciation. "Bringing a new Inhuman who has entered berserk state under control is quite problematic due to their abilities, but you, my friend, took care of it quite nicely if I may say so."
He paused for a moment, then continued with his characteristic mischievous smile. "How about you join me the next time I am in the mood for a rebellion?"
Lucien looked at Maximus carefully. The man gave him a similar vibe to Tony Stark - brilliant, arrogant, and potentially dangerous. But unlike Stark, Maximus wasn't quite as much of a thorn in his eye. There was something almost charming about his straightforward approach to chaos.
Still, Lucien had no interest in getting involved in trouble.
"No thank you," he said with a sigh.
Maximus kept his smile, though there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "No? What a bummer. It would have been exciting to see you against my brother, especially while he's still recovering."
The other Inhumans frowned at how casually Maximus was talking about potential betrayal. But Black Bolt and Medusa both wore helpless expressions on their faces. They knew that if Maximus was loyal to one thing in his life now, it would be to the Inhuman people as a whole.
He may have committed sins in the past, and his methods were questionable, but his loyalty to the Inhumans was unquestionable. Especially after he and Black Bolt had finally found common ground and bonded properly as brothers.
Lucien turned his attention back to the unconscious Dante. "What will happen to him now?"
"We will take him to Attilan," Medusa replied without hesitation.
Lucien frowned slightly. "What if he doesn't want to go there?"
"That will be his choice," Medusa said firmly. "If he wants to stay among humans, then he can. If he doesn't feel comfortable here, he can leave after learning to control his abilities. The only thing that matters to us is that he remains safe, because he is one of us."
Lucien nodded approvingly. At least the Inhumans weren't planning to force Dante into anything. That was more than he could say for some of the other organizations he'd dealt with.
"I'll be taking my leave then," he announced.
But at that moment, a familiar red and golden suit appeared in the sky, flying directly toward their location. Iron Man was approaching fast, probably drawn by the reports of the explosion and subsequent rampage.
Lucien looked at Black Bolt with an expression that clearly conveyed his feelings about the newcomer.
"He's your problem," Lucien said flatly. "If I stay, I'll beat up that guy."
For the first time since Lucien had met him, Black Bolt's face showed a hint of amusement. A small smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded in understanding.
With that acknowledgment, Lucien turned and left the scene.
.....
A.N.: Sorry for the delay, Dear Readers. My device was broken and well... I was roaming around for 2-3 days to get it repaired.
Enjoy~
...
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