[Underground corridor - In front of the steel door]
The echo of their breaths seemed to swallow all the oxygen. The mansion shook with every creak of the rafters, as if sensing what was about to happen.
Haruto twirled his boomerang in his hand, his jaw tensed. Aoi's fists were clenched until her knuckles paled, her scarf billowing in the slight wind that crept through some crack in the structure.
Goro took a step forward. The ground vibrated under his steely weight. Daiki took a deep breath, flexing fingers numb from the earlier fight. Yume, in the centre, adjusted his cracked glasses, his eyes reflecting Dr Oracle's silhouette like a spectre.
Oracle said nothing at first. He only raised a hand. From his arm, liquid shadow
sprouted, forming a fan of black needles that floated in the air like a swarm.
-Five pieces..." His voice dripped with venom, calm and absolute power. Let's see if they fit together before we break them.
Without another signal, he threw the needles.
The first shock
The first Shadow Needles flew like bullets. Goro stepped forward, stiffening his arm like a shield. Each needle that touched its metallic surface dug in and melted, leaving sizzling black marks.
-Get back! -Goro roared.
Haruto leapt over his shoulder, using the steel arm as a platform. He launched his boomerang, slicing two needles in mid-trajectory. The weapon spun, came back, but Oracle had already formed others.
Yume took a deep breath, expanded his field of silence to the right, catching part of the swarm and letting it vibrate uselessly. Aoi took advantage: she vanished, reappeared behind Oracle and unleashed a knee to her side.
But Oracle was smoke. She slid, spun, and from the shadow beneath her foot another spear shot out, grazing Aoi's leg. Shiftie rolled on the ground, cursing.
The game of environment
Daiki slammed a pipe into the ceiling, releasing a cloud of steam that momentarily deflected the needles.
-Cover the flank! -he shouted.
Ricochet, now back, threw the boomerang again, this time aiming for Oracle's wrist. Sparks flew as they collided. One of the needles deflected, slamming into a wall and melting a patch of concrete.
Oracle took a step back, her smirk intact.
-They improvise well. -He stretched his free hand toward the ceiling. Veins of shadow climbed, branched out like black roots. But they can't stop the growth.
Suddenly, pipes, columns, even fragments of wall became makeshift spears. Like dark fingers sprouting from stone. The shadows dripped, twisting to close off all paths.
Teamwork
Goro planted himself in the middle of the corridor, holding a column that was about to fall on them.
-Now, Ricochet! Yume!
Yume understood. He closed his eyes, expanded his silence right around Oracle, leaving a void where nothing could escape. Haruto, taking advantage of the gap, swung the boomerang with extra force, using a calculated ricochet: it hit a pipe, then the base of the shadow root Oracle had erected.
The structure creaked. Half the needles shattered like brittle ice. Daiki leapt to the side, slammed his pulse into the ground: a shockwave opened a clearing between the spears, just enough for Aoi to slip through at top speed.
Aoi appeared right in front of Oracle, a fist straight at her mask. The blow struck, splitting a line across his forehead. Oracle stepped back, touching the crack as if it were a fascinating mistake.
-Beautiful," he whispered, his pupils dilated. Really, beautiful toys.
Fatigue building up
But the shadow wouldn't stop. Every cut, every gap they opened, Oracle rebuilt it as if weaving a living web. Her breathing didn't even flutter.
Goro took a direct spear to his left shoulder: the shadow melted over his steel skin, leaving a sizzling burn.
-Damn you...! -he spat, yanking it away.
Haruto gasped, covering himself with his boomerang as if it were a shield. Aoi had a bleeding scratch on her cheek, but she kept her eyes on Oracle. Yume kept the field of silence open, but her hand was beginning to tremble.
Daiki noticed his pulse weakening. He looked around, his throat dry.
-We can't go on like this," he growled.
Yume took a deep breath, holding her power a little longer.
-We can't give up either.
A crack in the crack
For a moment, Oracle paused. He looked at the ceiling, gauged the vibrations in the walls.
-I can't let them destroy everything... not here. Not this close to the root.
From his shadow, a spiral of needles shot out into a side wall. The impact burst a gaping crack that opened like a mouth of concrete and pipes. A beam of nightlight poured through the fissure.
Oracle looked at them, as if granting them a courtesy.
-Up you go, then. Scream all you want. Bleed as much as you can. -He smiled, and a new spear formed in his arm. But you will not go through that door.
Goro roared, shouldering the wounded shoulder. Haruto grabbed Aoi's hand to propel her into the crevice. Daiki unleashed a shock pulse that shook the wall, enlarging it.
One by one, they escaped through the gap opened by Oracle. The cold night air burned their lungs. In the chaos of the escape, Yume turned to see one last time: Oracle was following them, unhurried, covered in shadows that throbbed like a black heart.
The ascent
They came to the surface: an open courtyard, wide as a crater, covered with concrete debris and broken columns. Pipe fragments protruded from the ground, forming twisted shadows in the moonlight.
The only light was that of the silent red orb that hung in the sky, casting a grim glow over the five of them, covered in dust, with open wounds and slashed breaths.
Oracle emerged from the crack like a fluid of living ink, crawling along the wall before standing tall in the middle of the courtyard. Her laughter was lost in the icy night wind.
-Up," she whispered, her voice stretched out like an echo. This is where we end.
And in that silence with no sirens, no witnesses, no help... the five knew they were still a long, long way from winning.
[Outside - Open courtyard, under the red moon]
The icy wind swept the dust and dried blood that clung to the edges of their wounds. The sky felt crushing, too wide, too muted. The five of them were barely regrouping, surrounding Oracle in an uneven semicircle.
Dr. Oracle stood upright, his silhouette outlined by the moon like a scarecrow of liquid shadows. A black crack hung from his arm, the Shadow Spires hovering around him like blades orbiting a dead planet.
-How silent," he whispered, his voice creeping through the cracks in the ground. Heroes usually scream the loudest before they die.
Goro spat out a trickle of blood, resting a steel arm against his open side.
-Shut the hell up!
Daiki stepped forward, though his right leg trembled with each step. He raised his hand, pulse waves crackling, weak, unsteady.
-It doesn't matter... how many needles you have. -He smiled, the corner of his mouth cracking. We're going to take you down.
Oracle cocked her head, amused.
-Knock me down? If they can barely hold on.
Hopeless lunge
Without warning, Oracle flicked her wrist. Shadow Needles darted like darts. Haruto lunged forward, throwing his boomerang: he sliced three needles before one grazed his side, ripping open his jacket and leaving a fiery furrow.
Aoi vanished and appeared behind Oracle, looking for a blind spot. She kicked him in the back, but Oracle spun like a contortionist, throwing a jet of shadow that scraped his shoulder. Shiftie rolled on the ground, biting her lip to keep from screaming.
Yume, with her field of silence, tried to catch every projectile she could, but she was so exhausted that the ripples shattered like bubbles as they hit the living darkness.
Goro roared and charged, charging Oracle like a steel bull. For a moment, he pushed him several metres, slamming him into a crumbling wall. The impact caused part of the wall to collapse.
But Oracle slid out of the rubble, disembodied. His left arm split into multiple strands of shadow that shot out like whips, striking Goro and knocking him back to his knees.
Last threads of strength
Aoi gasped, knees scraping, dirty scarf clinging to her neck.
-We can't..." she whispered, barely audible to Daiki, who stood by her side. Daiki squeezed his shoulder.
-Don't say that. He's not going to beat us. -He looked at Goro, who was rising once more, bleeding from the corner of his lips.
Ricochet moved closer to Yume, covering her as she extended her field of silence again.
-Tell me you can still..." he murmured. Yume nodded, her breath a ragged trickle.
-A little longer.
Oracle watched them like a disappointed parent. His shadow snaked across the floor, searching for crevices, feeding on every nook and cranny.
-They disappoint me. -He raised his hand, the Shadow Needles spiralling, all pointing at their chests, heads, throats. I thought they'd be more interesting.
The five of them looked at each other. Aoi breathed, her lips trembled as if she was about to say goodbye. Haruto swallowed, his boomerang at the ready though he knew it would fall short.
Goro planted himself in front of everyone, stretching out his arms, his body a wall of split metal.
Oracle sighed.
-Die.
The cold of salvation
The needles shot out. A roar of shadows. A hiss that cut through the night. But a new sound overlapped: crunching, like glass cracking under boots.
Suddenly, a white mist rose from nowhere. Needles paused in the air, one by one coating themselves in frost, bluish cracks that crackled like reverse fire.
Oracle frowned.
-What?
The ice exploded. The Spires fractured, shattered into shards of frozen obsidian. A blast of icy air swept across the courtyard, pushing dust, shadows and even drops of blood.
All five felt their lungs fill with an almost sweet chill.
Out of the mist, a silhouette walked. Tall, erect, each step leaving a trail of frost that devoured the cracks in the ground.
A hero. His costume was white with steel blue trim, decorated with filaments that resembled crystal veins. His eyes, reflecting the moon, looked like two shards of ice.
He stopped in front of Oracle, standing like a wall.
-Five unlicensed... fighting against this. -His voice was low, steady, like the creaking of a glacier. I don't know if they're idiots...or heroes.
Blizzard, Z Rank #7
Aoi opened her mouth, trembling.
-Who...?
The man didn't even turn towards them. He raised a hand. From the air, moisture condensed like white mist, forming a spear of ice as sharp as a diamond. He threw it without warning. Oracle was forced to vanish part of his shadow to dodge it, leaving a gap that cracked like porcelain cracking.
The hero finally spoke, his voice clear as an edge. I am Blizzard, Z-Rank number seven.
Ricochet swallowed, his knees almost giving way.
-Blizzard... really...? -Haruto muttered. He's one of the big ten.
Blizzard didn't answer. He only flicked his wrist. A circle of frost opened up under the five of them, forming a wall of ice that blocked the next blast of Oracle needles.
-How did you... find us? -Yume said, her voice barely a whisper. Blizzard gave a brief, almost imperceptible smile.
-While patrolling... I saw a pigeon disappear and reappear. Never a good sign. -His cold stare pierced Oracle like a stake. So I came to see what rot was writhing beneath the city.
The new team
Oracle took a step back, watching as the ice began to cover some of her shadows, crystallizing them. He gritted his teeth.
-A Z-rank," he muttered. How annoying.
Goro breathed, feeling his back against the icy barrier. He turned to Blizzard, his voice hoarse:
-If you're going to arrest us, do it later.
Blizzard looked down at him. For a second, his eyes seemed to smile.
-Let's survive first. Then we'll see.
The five of them stood behind the wall. Shiftie touched the ice, surprised that it didn't melt in her heat. Ricochet swung his boomerang, regaining the sparkle in his eyes.
BlockWave flexed his fists. Quiet Bloom expanded his field of silence, enveloping them all, shielding their steps.
Oracle spat something dark and sticky. Her silhouette grew larger, the shadow swirling around her like a tornado of living ink.
-Six against one? -he muttered. Perfect!
Blizzard stepped forward, extending his palm to the ground. Ice poured out like a tidal wave, forming stakes, blades and makeshift bridges to close every gap.
-Not a step back," he commanded, without raising his voice. Goro nodded, his steel fist pounding the ice like a war drum.
-NOT A STEP BACK!
Haruto shouted, hurling his boomerang into the black void.
-GO!
The icy wind mixed with the red moon and liquid shadows turned the courtyard into a battlefield. Six silhouettes against one monster.
The night held its breath.