Twilight's eyes brimmed with frustration as her attack fizzled mid-air, shattered by the orbit. She slammed her fists into the ground, her voice cracking.
"Fuck… fuck! Shit, I almost had it!"
A hand rested gently on her trembling shoulder. Sky leaned in, eyes wide with admiration.
"Twilight… that was incredible. I never thought you had such a powerful attack in you."
She shook her head, teeth gritted.
"I messed up. The attack didn't land."
From the shadows, Butcher's gravelly voice cut in, steady and sharp.
"Yeah, it didn't. But you forced him to show fear." His eyes narrowed toward Demon. "I saw his face. He panicked. Lost his cool. For the first time—he showed desperation."
Bangalore – The City in Chaos
Sirens wailed as civilians scrambled for cover. Local heroes rushed to evacuate families, guiding children by the hand while others dragged wounded from the debris. On phones and giant screens, Twilight's failed strike was being replayed again and again.
Social media drowned in commentary:
"No way… Ascenders High has students like that?"
"That girl's potential is unreal—she could hit the Top 15 someday!"
"Nah, Bunny's the real deal. I'd bet she's a future Top 10."
Zoe's livestream exploded with arguments and theories. She sat back in her chair, a bitter smile tugging at her lips as she watched the flood of comments.
"They're all talking about Ascender's brats… but what about him?" Her gaze locked on Demon on her monitor. "That guy's insane. Smart. Reads the battlefield like no one I've ever seen. Why isn't he in any database? No criminal record. No affiliations. Who the hell is he? What's his endgame?"
She ruffled her hair until it was a messy halo. "Shit, why am I even wrapping my head around this?" Still, her eyes refused to leave his figure on the screen.
Demon and Betty
On the battlefield, Demon exhaled sharply into his comms.
"Betty, that was too damn close. We need to be more careful."
Her voice answered after a sigh, calculating and calm.
"You're right, boss man. If that attack had connected… no, half the city would've been flattened."
Demon tilted his head back, staring at the sky where Twilight's power had scarred the clouds.
"Do you think she even realizes how dangerous that was?"
Betty chuckled darkly.
"I don't care. What mattered was seeing the fear in your eyes. Damn, that was entertaining. But we need to move—things are spinning out of control."
Demon pushed himself to his feet, brushing dust off his hoodie. His voice was steady now.
"Fine. Keep the techs coming. I'll call when I need the energy booster."
He steadied his breath.
"…Let's wrap this up quickly."
But before he could act, a new voice rippled through the air. Feminine. Unfamiliar.
"Yh, you're right."
Then—
A shriek. A sound so sharp it shattered his comms into splinters. Demon clutched his head, pain exploding in his ears as the world rang.
"Sweet Christ—what the—?!" He stumbled, eyes darting.
Lexy. The other heroes. And then, from the direction of the scream—Wild Scream herself.
---
The Confrontation
Demon's thoughts scattered. Shit, my comms are fried. No Betty, no tech drops. And now the heroes are cornering me. This is going south, fast. Think, Lawrence. Think.
Lexy's voice cut through the chaos, stern as a judge.
"You're under arrest—for Lagos, for CODE, for the destruction of government property. And terrorism. At this point, resistance means your death."
Demon smirked through his pain.
"Wow. Took you long enough. You had to wait until now? After I already broke your precious students?"
Lexy snapped, "Shut up, boy!"
He tilted his head, voice sharp.
"Not my business, huh? But isn't it their business to know what kept you? Or does your silence belong to them too?"
Her fists clenched. "We were following orders—"
"Orders?" Demon barked out a laugh, stepping forward, arms spread. "That's your excuse? Orders are why you sat back while I slaughtered students? Orders are why a pro hero is dead?"
The livestream froze. Viewers typed furiously.
"Wait—what? A pro is dead?!"
"No way, he's bluffing."
"But… why didn't we see any pros until now?"
Lexy trembled with rage. "One more word out of you and I'll end you!"
He stared her down, calm and unwavering.
"So protocol mattered more than their lives. This wasn't training. This was a battlefield."
His words pierced deeper than her cards ever could. Students glanced between each other, desperate for an answer.
Sophia finally stepped forward, her voice unsteady.
"Y-you had a reason, right? That's why you didn't come sooner?"
But the pro beside her shook his head, guilt flooding his eyes.
"We just… watched. I'm sorry. We couldn't break protocol."
Lexy cursed under her breath, damning President Verek. Tears welled in her eyes as she bowed deeply to the students.
"I'm sorry. We all are. We forgot what it means to be heroes. Please… forgive us."
The students, hesitant but sincere, nodded.
"It's okay, ma'am. We understand."
Lexy smiled weakly through her tears.
"…Then now, it's our turn to protect you."
But when she turned back—Demon was gone.
"Bloody hell…" Bunny muttered, eyes narrowing. "Where the fuck's he slipped off to now?"
Demon on the Run
"Over there!" a hero shouted.
A trail of dust marked Demon sprinting across the ruined street.
Sweat dripped from his chin as he muttered between breaths, a grin breaking through the exhaustion.
"Do they really think I'll stand still and let them regroup? Heh… I'm Lawrence. Freaking. Demon. I don't play like that."
Suddenly—wind brushed his side. He turned—
Bunny. Running beside him, her grin wild.
"What the fuck—?! How the hell did you catch up?!"
She giggled like a schoolgirl, but her words dripped obsession.
"With the love I've got for you, nothing's impossible, luv."
His jaw clenched.
"That doesn't make any sense!!"
His instincts screamed—he ducked his head just in time, a silver card slicing through the air where his skull had been. It embedded itself into the concrete with enough force to cleave steel. Demon spun back mid-run.
Lexy. Twenty feet behind. Eyes blazing, another card ready in her hand.
"These aren't no party tricks!" Demon shouted, ducking left as another card whistled past.
Lexy's lips curled into a grin. "I'll cut that tongue out of your mouth, you little bastard!"
Bunny lunged, arms outstretched, her voice low and sultry: "Quit runnin' and let me hold ya, love."
Demon dropped into a slide beneath her grasp, dust scattering, then popped back up in stride. "The hell is wrong with you?!"
But the real danger wasn't just her. The ground shook. The air heated. The rest of the heroes were on his tail now—Sage charging green energy, Butcher's blade glinting red in the moonlight, Twilight readying her bow from a rooftop.
"Shit—" Demon muttered, throwing himself forward just as Butcher's blade carved the air where his neck had been. He rolled, sprang to his feet, and his gloves hummed, teleporting twin grenades into his palms.
He tossed them wide to his flanks. The heroes skidded to a halt—too late.
BOOOOM!
The twin detonations tore through the street, flames licking at the sky. Demon laughed wildly, sprinting through the smoke. "Yeahhh, burn, you bastards!"
But from the firestorm, Sage burst forth, wrapped in a burning aura, Lexy and Bunny close at his sides.
"Aaahhh, come on!!" Demon screamed, yanking another device from his glove. A small sphere burst open midair, creating a circular spring-field. He leapt into it, and it launched him skyward like a cannon.
"Not today!" Sage roared, launching after him with a green flare from his palms. He closed the gap in an instant, hand reaching to crush Demon's throat.
Demon twisted midair, tossing another sphere downward. It burst, giving him a second launch just as Sage's hand grazed his jacket.
Sage snarled, unleashing a barrage of green blasts that lit up the night sky. Demon bounced, dodged, ricocheted between spheres—until his gloves flickered red.
Out of charges.
Demon's eyes widened. "Shit… I'm tapped out—!"
Sage grinned, the glow in his palms burning brighter. "Got you now, brat."
"Betty! Something—NOW!" Demon roared.
A rift tore open beside him.
Out popped… a puppy.
"…What the actual fuck?!" Sage shouted midair, nearly losing balance.
But Demon's face lit up. "Betty, you're the best!"
"Damn right," Betty's voice chimed faintly through the failing comms.
Demon kissed the puppy's forehead, then hurled it downward. The heroes below gasped.
"Wait… did he just throw a dog?!" Sky shouted.
"I saw it too—what the hell is this kid doing?!" another hero stammered.
The puppy tumbled—five feet from the ground.
"DEVOUR!" Demon roared.
The pup's body warped, splitting and stretching. Flesh twisted, bones cracked, shadows oozed like tar. The small dog erupted into a hulking three-headed Slay Beast, each maw dripping with venomous fire.
The heroes on the ground recoiled in horror.
"You bastard!" Sage screamed. "You realize what you've unleashed?!"
Demon, still falling, spread his arms wide, his voice calm, confident. "Yeah… I do."
Sage's rage broke. His body glowed, his voice tearing through the sky. "I'll kill you, you stupid brat!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
His power spiked, green light overwhelming his frame as it gathered into a colossal blast.
"Carnage! RAAAAAAAAH!" Demon commanded, pointing down.
The Slay Beast obeyed instantly. Two heads tilted skyward, energy burning in their throats, while the third head snapped up and bit down on Demon mid-fall, locking him in place.
Twin beams of destructive light ripped from its jaws, colliding with Sage's attack.
KRSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
The sky exploded.
The beam clash tore the heavens apart, green fury against crimson fire. The shockwave cracked glass across the city, sending millions into stunned silence. Reporters dropped their cameras. Civilians dropped to their knees. Zoe's drones were ripped from the sky, her broadcast collapsing into static.