[Catacombs of Steel - Depths]
The echo of the previous fight had died down. Now only a heavy silence remained, interrupted by the beads of sweat that fell from Goro's forehead and evaporated at the touch of his steely arms. He walked down the narrow corridor as if carrying the weight of the entire structure on his shoulders.
In front of him, Astaroth adjusted his incomplete mask, a crooked smile escaping from beneath the metal plate that covered half his face. Behind, a cracked wall revealed a lit generator, crackling like a mechanical heart.
-I hope you're ready," Astaroth said, his deep voice booming through the steel walls. The watchdog. The wall.
Goro did not answer. His breathing was slow, heavy, as if preparing every cell for deadly blows. Distant thunder shook the structure.
Astaroth flexed his shoulders. Beneath his skin, there was a deep crack, like rock splitting. His veins darkened, his skin tightened and, before Goro's eyes, became opaque, like freshly polished marble.
-Beautiful, isn't it? -Astaroth mocked, stretching out an arm. It struck his own bicep, the impact sounding like a hammer blow on stone. Living marble. Imperfect, but enough to crush a steel toy like you.
Goro didn't flinch. His metal knuckles locked. The half-erased tattoo on his neck throbbed like an old memory.
-You talk too much.
Astaroth let out a throaty laugh and charged at him.
The first impact
When they collided, it was like two locomotives crashing together. Astaroth's fist slammed into Goro's guard, grinding steel plates. Goro responded with a hook straight to the side of his opponent's neck; the blow bounced off the marble surface, sending sparks flying.
Astaroth stepped back, wiping a drop of blood from his ear. He laughed.
-That's it! I want to see if your steel can break rock!
He lunged again, this time with an elbow. Goro ducked, caught him around the waist and lifted him over his head, slamming him into a concrete wall. The wall creaked, but Astaroth barely flinched. He stood up, his skin already recovering from small cracks.
-Harder... harder..." he whispered in a cavernous voice. I want to feel it crack! Goro didn't answer. He let it come.
Shock after shock
The punches were so heavy that the ground beneath his feet cracked. Each of Goro's blows reverberated off his metal forearm, feeling the living flesh still connected to the steel strain until it almost broke.
Astaroth shoved him into a pipe that exploded in a shower of steam. Goro spat blood, but he grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed his head against a support column.
-GRRRRRRRAHHH!" roared Astaroth, returning the headbutt. His marble forehead cracked open Goro's makeshift helmet, and he let out a low gasp.
The floor was a patchwork of dust, bent metal and blood. With each crash, the structure shuddered.
Advantage and disadvantage
Goro was breathing fast. His fists were cracked, tiny fissures running through his steel plating.
Astaroth noticed. He smiled, showing a cracked tooth.
-You are yielding. Marble is eternal.
Goro spat aside, a red thread between his lips.
-Marble splits. Steel tempers.
With a roar, Goro lunged, using his shoulder as a battering ram. He slammed it against the wall and drove a punch straight into the rib. A crack rippled across Astaroth's skin, a subterranean crunch spreading through his torso.
Astaroth coughed in surprise. He took a step back.
Goro seized: knee to the plexus, a closed-fist hammer blow to the temple. Astaroth staggered, a crack of marble running down his jaw.
Brutal counterpunch
Astaroth reacted like a wounded bull. He punched Goro in the jaw, knocking him back several feet. He ran after him, each step vibrating the ground.
-MORE! -he shouted, "BREAK EVERYTHING!
They threw themselves at each other, fists for fists, locks that burst bone and metal. Goro felt his right arm fail: an internal hinge was stuck.
Astaroth grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
-STEEL! -he shouted, "HE'S DROPPING!
Goro, out of breath, just smiled. His eyes flashed like blades.
-No... today.
With his free arm, he slammed a hammer straight into Astaroth's cracked side. The marble skin crackled like porcelain. A second fracture ran down his enemy's chest.
Astaroth roared in pain. Goro used the momentum to unleash a flurry of punches into the crack. One. Two. Three. Four.
CRACK!
Astaroth's torso gave way: the marble layer cracked like a shell. Astaroth took a step back, his breath turning into red bubbles.
-This... this... can't... can't be..." he gasped, falling to his knees.
Goro looked down at him from above, his forehead covered in blood.
-Marble is beautiful," he chuckled. But even stone turns to dust.
With a final right, he sent him sprawling backwards to the ground. The echo of the blow echoed throughout the catacomb.
After the knockdown
Goro stood for a moment, staring at his dented knuckles. He took a deep breath, feeling every muscle, every metal seam protest. But he was standing.
He looked down the corridor. He knew the others were struggling too. That they were all pushing beyond what they could.
He pressed a hand against the wall, leaving a mark of blood mixed with metal grease.
-One less," he muttered. Marble vengeance... for nothing.
He stood up, cracked his neck and started to move, limping barely, towards the meeting point.
Somewhere, he heard a distant shout. He knew that Shiftie, BlockWave, Ricochet and Quiet Bloom were also playing for their lives.
Goro gritted his teeth.
He had to believe they would win too.
BlockWave & Shiftie vs. Vesper
[Side Hallway - Steel Catacombs]
The hissing dripped off the walls, like a malicious echo. Daiki breathed with his back pressed against the wall, while Shiftie, barely visible in the gloom, groped around the corner of the corridor. The air was heavy with a metallic smell, like freshly spilled blood.
-You saw it, didn't you? -Aoi whispered, not daring to look away from the corridor.
-Yes," Daiki replied, clenching his fists. It's fast. And it leaves no footprints.
Vesper appeared suddenly, walking along the wall as if his spine were a snake. Her eyes glowed like broken mirrors, and her hands, gloved to the wrist, revealed five black claws on each finger, glistening in the flickering light.
-Children, children..." he crooned, letting his voice echo unnaturally, "Why are you meddling in adult things?
Daiki stepped forward, blocking the path between Vesper and Aoi.
-Because we get tired of waiting for the 'adults' to do something. -He flexed his knuckles. A crackle of electricity flickered across his wrist. You're going to regret not running now.
Vesper let out a hoarse laugh. She leapt to the ground, landing on her feet without a sound. The red light of the alarm illuminated the demented grin behind her white hair, matted like strands of dirty cotton.
-Poison, lies, illusions," Aoi murmured, crouching slightly. What else do you keep in those hands, monster?
Vesper stretched out his fingers, letting the claws make a wet click.
-I just want to taste them today. One at a time.
The first attack
BlockWave stepped forward, throwing a punch with his shock shield activated. Vesper dodged by leaning back like a contortionist. In the blink of an eye, he snuck up behind Daiki, scratching her left arm with one of his claws.
-Daiki! -Aoi shouted.
Daiki spun around, gasping. The wound burned, a burning that spread like liquid fire. He felt a sudden dizziness, his vision blurring for an instant.
-Can you feel it? -Vesper whispered, bringing her face almost to Daiki's ear. The poison dance.
Daiki pushed him with a knee to the abdomen, but Vesper slipped away like smoke. Aoi searched for him with her eyes, disappeared into broken pipes and creaking shadows.
Broken synchronicity
Shiftie took a deep breath, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Her silhouette flickered like a spark, moving forward down the corridor to cut off Vesper's escape. The villain spun, saw her appear in front of him.
-You will not escape! -Aoi shouted, launching a direct kick.
Vesper parried it with his palm, as if catching a butterfly. His claws came dangerously close to Aoi's leg, grazing the fabric of her trousers.
-What soft skin," he purred.
Before he could scratch her, a disc of energy slammed into her wrist. BlockWave, dizzy, raised his right arm, keeping his pulse shield on.
-Don't even think about it! -Daiki snarled, as he staggered.
Vesper recoiled, shaking his hand as if tickled. Her eyes glittered wickedly.
-What does it feel like? Poison goes fast, boy.
Daiki leaned against the wall, breathing hard. He felt as if his blood was burning and becoming heavy.
Aoi slid in beside him, resting a hand on his back.
-Don't make me fight alone, you idiot," she whispered, forcing a smile.
-I won't... let you watch me lose," Daiki spat, forcing himself upright.
Against the wall
Vesper lunged again, this time like a legless panther. Her movements were a mix of contortion and impossible speed. Claws hissed through the air, grazing Aoi's skin by millimetres.
Aoi disappeared just in time, reappearing behind him. He tried to strike him in the back of the neck, but Vesper turned his neck unnaturally, with a nauseating crunch. He sneered mockingly and clawed at his scarf, yanking at strands.
-Aoi! -Daiki shouted, propelling himself forward.
Shiftie rolled on the ground, scraping her elbows. Vesper licked her lips, savouring the tension.
-Time is short..." she whispered, her claws moving as if she were tuning an instrument.
The contingency plan
Daiki leaned against a pillar, panting. Aoi looked up at him, her breathing just as ragged.
-That poison is killing you. -Aoi clenched his fists, trembling. I have to do it alone.
-You're not going to do it alone," Daiki growled. Her lips trembled, but her eyes remained steady.
Shiftie took a breath, looked around. Then she understood: ventilation ducts, rusted pipes, puddles of coolant... A crazy idea sparked.
-Listen to me," she said. I'll distract him. I need you to use your pulse. Burst that pipe. Daiki barely smiled.
-Shall we freeze it?
-No," Aoi denied, snapping her fingers. We burn it.
The final twist
Vesper appeared again, advancing towards her like a giant spider. Shiftie closed her eyes, disappeared, and reappeared behind him, throwing a kick that barely managed to graze his back.
-Hold still! -Vesper shouted, frustrated.
But Aoi was already luring him towards the area where Daiki, with his illuminated arm, was pointing at the rusty duct. When Vesper was just below it, BlockWave unleashed a brutal blast: the metal burst, releasing boiling steam mixed with industrial gases.
Vesper screamed as the searing cloud enveloped him. His claws tore through the air, reaching for something, but Aoi appeared above him, knee high, slamming him to the ground. The impact reverberated through the hallway.
Daiki collapsed, gasping. Aoi fell to his knees beside him, breathing as if he had run a marathon.
After the knockdown
Vesper writhed in spasms, unconscious, his skin burned by leaking steam. His claws dripped venom that evaporated at the touch of hot metal.
Aoi grabbed Daiki's hand, squeezing it. He tried to laugh, but only coughed.
-Are you still dizzy? -she asked.
-A little," he answered, between gasps. But I told you I wouldn't let you fight alone. Shiftie smiled. She stared down at her trembling, soot-stained hands.
-One down.
Daiki staggered to his feet and helped her up.
-Let's go. The others must be finishing up.
The two looked at each other, adrenaline still pulsing in their veins. They had no time for sweet words. Only to go on.
And off they went, leaving Vesper's twisted shadow behind.
Ricochet & Quiet Bloom vs. Nocturne
[Spiral Corridor - Lower Level]
The walls breathed. Each shadow lengthened and shrank, as if it had a life of its own. Haruto walked behind Yume, the boomerang spinning slowly in his fingers. He didn't
say a word, trying to listen for something, anything. But there was not a single sound. Not even his breathing.
Yume stopped suddenly. Her silhouette was silhouetted under a flickering emergency light, tinginging her hair a dull red.
-He's here," she whispered. His field of silence expanded, blocking out the sound of his own footsteps.
-I hate it when you do that," Haruto growled, his mouth moving unheard.
A brush, like a silken rustle. Behind them, a clone. Another. Three identical figures emerged from the gloom. Each walked like Nocturne, the same light-swallowing mask, the same gliding footsteps.
Haruto swung his boomerang. The clones flickered, doubled. Ten. Twelve. A dozen silhouettes surrounding them, without a single whisper.
-Taruto tensed his shoulders. How many can this fucker make?
Yume narrowed his eyes, scanning the room like a chessboard. Each clone moved the same. Same footsteps, same flicker of mask. None breathed. None stomped. All perfect.
Then he spoke, his voice an echo muffled by his own power.
-Haruto.
-What?
-Shut your eyes.
Ricochet arched an eyebrow.
-What, now?
She spun around, grabbing him by the arm. Her field of silence focused around them both, filtering out every particle of sound.
-Don't listen to her footsteps. Listen to your boomerang.
Clone game
The clones launched themselves at once. Haruto, eyes closed, felt the throb of metal. He threw the boomerang blindly. The disc spun, slicing through the air, piercing two clones. They vanished in a cloud of shadows.
Haruto smiled.
-Fakes.
-Exactly," Yume said, keeping his field steady. The real one makes noise when it breaks my silence. It's weak, but it's there.
The remaining clones moved, circling them like wolves. One lunged at Yume's back. She spun, released a small blast of vacuum: the clone dissolved.
But another appeared at Haruto's side, attempting a direct slash with a curved dagger. Haruto bowed, the blade whistling past his cheek.
-How fast is this guy?! -Ricochet snarled, backing up against a pillar.
-He's not," said Yume, her voice as calm as ice. It's just that you keep listening to what doesn't matter.
Haruto gritted his teeth. He clicked his tongue and took a deep breath.
-Okay... silence, right?
Silence vs. silence
Nocturne emerged from the cloud of clones. The real one. They could tell by the faint sound of his blade scraping against a pipe. In a world of nothingness, that cracking sound was thunder.
-Quiet Bloom..." His voice was a slimy whisper, vibrating in the marrow. Your father called you a flower. I'm going to wilt you.
Yume didn't answer. She stepped forward, the field of silence collapsing around them both. Within that ring, not even heartbeats existed.
Nocturne moved like a living shadow. Blade. Twist. Pass. Yume blocked with her forearm, feeling the metal brush against her skin. A red line opened, but he didn't bleed: the void sucked in even breath.
Haruto, outside the field, swung the boomerang with one hand, the other on the wall. Each impact of metal against stone told him where Nocturne was.
He saw an opening. He threw.
The boomerang entered the field, crossing right through Nocturne's flank. The villain swung, dodging it, but Yume was already expecting it: knee to the stomach.
The impact knocked him off the field. The sound came back like an explosion: Nocturne's groan as he fell, the whir of the boomerang bouncing off a steel plate.
Blind strategy
Nocturne rose to her feet. His mask was cracked on one side. His breathing was ragged. Her laughter was like glass breaking.
-It doesn't matter..." he gasped. Clones... will always come back. Yume shook the blood from his glove.
-Then we took down the shadow.
Haruto caught his boomerang. He turned to Yume, eyes gleaming.
-I have an idea. You catch it. I'll hit it.
She nodded. She clenched her fists, expanding her field of silence unevenly: she split it like a leaky sphere, leaving blind spots where sound escaped in threads.
Nocturne hesitated. He took a step. She felt the sound in one of the holes. He tried to use it to launch a clone, but Haruto was already behind him, following the actual vibration.
-Keep just one! -Ricochet shouted, slamming his shoulder into Nocturne's back.
The villain staggered. Illusions sputtered, blurred. The field of silence closed like a cage. Yume planted herself in front of him, her breathing calm.
-My father called me a flower," she whispered. And a flower can drown a forest too.
With a final pulse, he closed the field to a minimal point, squeezing the sound around Nocturne. The villain screamed, his mask rumbled as if cracking inside.
Haruto jumped, his boomerang illuminated by the red light of the alarms.
-Time to wither, asshole!
Clean hit to the back of the head. Nocturne collapsed, his mask in pieces.
After the knockdown
Yume drew her first uncontained breath. The echo returned, as if someone let out a long whisper. Haruto caught his boomerang before it hit the ground.
-That wasn't so bad," he said, a lopsided grin.
Yume looked down, smiled sideways. He touched his injured forearm.
-You didn't blow it, Ricochet.
-Neither did you, Quiet Bloom.
They stood like that, breathing in the debris and the gloom. Then, without further ado, they turned towards the corridor exit.
They knew that Goro, Aoi and Daiki would be waiting for them. And they knew that the real door still lay ahead.
[Catacombs - Meeting Point]
The steel labyrinth smelled of blood, sweat and burnt electricity. The echo of hurried footsteps mingled with ragged breaths and victorious gasps.
First came Bulwark, still dragging his right arm, his steel skin cracked like old porcelain. On his back, the dust from the fight against Astaroth was still flaking off with every step.
Aoi and Daiki appeared behind, holding each other up. BlockWave had a makeshift bandage tied around his forearm, still pale from the poison Vesper had injected him with. Aoi bore a scrape on her cheek, but her gaze glowed with fierce stubbornness.
Haruto and Yume were the last to round the corner, covered in dust and sweat. Ricochet had a cut on his eyebrow, and Quiet Bloom was pressing a rag over a flesh wound on his side. Still, both were smiling, breathing as if they had left a ghost behind.
They found themselves in front of a titanic door: a steel wall almost three metres high, reinforced with rivets and a biometric panel flashing red.
Goro stepped forward. He stroked the surface with his healthy hand, leaving a smear of blood mixed with metal grease.
-This is it," he grunted, not looking away. Whatever they're keeping, it's behind this. Haruto threw his boomerang into the air, catching it out of pure habit.
-And now? -He said, his voice laden with weary sarcasm. We touch it and it explodes? Yume shook his head, adjusting his crooked glasses.
-We'll open it. And we'll get it over with.
Daiki leaned a fist against the door, gauging the resistance. Aoi, beside him, took a deep breath, looking back the way they'd come.
-There's no one else left, is there?
-No..." Ricochet muttered, turning to cover his rear. Just us.
A silence fell between them. It was not the calm of victory, but that emptiness that forms before leaping into the unknown.
The new wall
Suddenly, a footstep sounded behind them. A soft echo, like a stone falling into a bottomless pit.
Everyone turned around. Aoi raised his fists, Haruto drew his boomerang, Goro adopted his steely stance, Yume stretched out his fingers to expand his field of silence.
But it wasn't a monster. Nor one of those grotesque mutants. It was a man. His silhouette emerged from the dimly lit corridor, like a wraith slipping through cracks.
Ironed grey suit, white shirt barely stained with dried blood. His dark hair was slicked back, but a couple of strands were loose on his forehead. On his left hand, a black glove dripped a thick liquid, like living ink. It was Dr. Oracle.
He was smiling, but his eyes were empty, like a broken mirror that returned only shadows.
-What a beautiful picture," he said, his voice soft, like a blade caressing a neck. The five of them together, as if they could do something.
Aoi took a step back, a shiver running up her spine.
-Oracle..." he murmured. "How did you...? Oracle shrugged, as if talking about the rain.
-I thought I'd let them have some fun. It was fun, really. Watching my most interesting pieces fall one by one. Astaroth, Vesper, Nocturne... broken toys.
Daiki gritted his teeth.
-Then get out of the way. Or you'll end up the same.
Oracle let out a soft chuckle, filled with a venom even Vesper couldn't manufacture.
-Get out of the way? -she repeated, slowly. Oh, BlockWave... This door doesn't open for pretend heroes.
He took a step towards them. From the shadow of his glove dripped a dark line that twisted like a worm made of ink.
-What's in there is... mine. The end of all that we are. The root of what is to come. You have no right to touch it.
Goro stepped forward, stepping between Oracle and the others. His voice was a metallic growl.
-We will not ask permission.
Oracle cocked her head to one side. A spark of something - anger, mockery, pure contempt - flickered in his gaze.
-Then come," she whispered, letting the shadow swirl around her. And prove to me... if you really deserve to die through that door.