Chapter 41 – "Cosplay and Chaos"
King Shark hit the floor of the A.R.G.U.S. containment chamber with a thunderous thud, unconscious and drooling saltwater. Barry stood over him, breathing hard, wiping a smear of blood from his lip.
The agents stared in awe. No one said it aloud, but they all knew—Barry hadn't taken the beast down.
Someone else had.
Barry gave a tired wave and blurred out of sight, racing back toward STAR Labs.
---
Dante arrived seconds earlier, the wind still clinging to his suit like a red mist. He stepped into the Cortex and exhaled, shaking his head.
"Man," he muttered. "I feel like I'm cosplaying some anime character."
Cisco turned from his console, eyeing the sleek suit Dante wore—red and black, sleek and aggressive, sharp at the shoulders with glowing vein-like lines running through the arms.
"Yeah," Cisco said, "like that's even possible. There's no anime character crazy enough to be you, my friend."
Ronnie laughed softly from his seat by the wall. Caitlin smiled, arms folded, clearly amused.
"Seriously," Cisco continued. "You walked in here looking like hellfire wrapped in leather and sarcasm. That's not cosplay. That's trauma wrapped in style."
Dante cracked his neck.
Then the air shifted.
One moment he was lounging near the railing, the next—he was standing right in front of Cisco.
No one saw him move.
His eyes were glowing like embers in a dying fire, and the energy radiating from his body made the lights flicker.
Dante leaned in slightly, his voice suddenly low, deadly.
"…What did you say?"
Cisco froze.
Everyone did.
It was like a pressure wave filled the room. Ronnie sat upright. Caitlin instinctively took a step back.
Dante stared at Cisco without blinking.
And then—he smiled.
A wicked, amused, almost teasing grin.
"Look at your face," Dante said with a low chuckle. "You thought I was about to kill you."
Cisco exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Have you seen your face, man? You look like death wearing a sarcastic hoodie."
"Aw," Dante said, smirking. "Thank you very much."
He turned away, already moving toward the exit.
"Dante, wait—!" Cisco started, but the red blur was already gone.
A gust of wind shook the papers on the desk.
"That wasn't a thank you!" Cisco shouted after him. "That was a threatening compliment, you evil-looking red lightning!"
Ronnie and Caitlin couldn't hold it anymore—they both burst out laughing.
Caitlin leaned against the desk, chuckling into her hand. "You have to admit, he's got style."
Ronnie grinned. "And timing. The guy's like a walking horror movie with a sense of humor."
Cisco rolled his eyes, half-smiling. "We really let that guy fight supervillains for us? Like… on purpose?"
---
Minutes Later – Central City Rooftops
Dante stood on the edge of a rooftop, overlooking the city. His new suit shimmered under the moonlight, glowing faintly like coiled energy.
He lit a cigarette.
In the silence of the city night, he let the smoke drift upward. The lights of Central City pulsed below—cars, streetlamps, people trying to sleep without realizing just how close they had come to death.
King Shark. Zoom. Earth-2.
And him.
Dante.
He closed his eyes, feeling the quiet hum of energy ripple under his skin. Since the suit, it felt more... focused. Like the wildness inside him finally had a skin to contain it.
He exhaled.
"This world's getting weirder," he muttered.
---
Back at STAR Labs
Cisco was still pacing, grumbling. "Seriously. He scares me. And I like danger."
Caitlin sat at the console, trying not to laugh again. "He's just messing with you."
"Oh, I know," Cisco said. "That's the problem! He's got that 'I could kill you, but instead I'll just scare the life out of you for fun' energy. That's worse!"
Ronnie chuckled. "You should've seen your face, though. I think your soul tried to leave."
"Shut up."
. "So… we're all just ignoring that Dante is, like, ten times scarier than any metahuman we've fought?"
"He's on our side," Caitlin said gently.
"For now," Cisco muttered.
Barry raised a brow. "He did save my life."
"Exactly," Caitlin said. "He might be intense, but he's loyal."
"Terrifyingly loyal," Cisco said. "Like a Rottweiler that's also part volcano."
Barry chuckled and sat down beside them. "He's a good guy. Just… dramatic."
Ronnie leaned back. "He's like a myth—burns bright, disappears fast, leaves you wondering if you just imagined him."
Cisco sighed. "Well, remind me not to make any anime jokes again."
Caitlin nudged him playfully. "Or do. They clearly work."
They all laughed again, the tension slowly easing out of the room.
---
Downtown – Night
Dante walked along a quiet sidewalk now, no longer running, just walking—still in the suit, cigarette between his lips. The city seemed calmer in the dark. Quieter. Honest.
He passed by a couple arguing on a stoop, a man sweeping the entrance to a diner, a group of teens skating past in laughter.
He wasn't a hero. He knew that.
But sometimes… sometimes people needed someone who wasn't one.
He flicked the cigarette away and looked up at the sky.
"I need a drink," he said to no one.
Then vanished in a blur.
---
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