The High Ends at the highest floor, which includes Lucian, are seen, sitting and watching the situation from the second to the last floor. Almost as if they were not concerned about what's going on. Except for Daniel who is still troubled.
He was paying close attention to the CCTV camera footage — and yet, he doesn't seem to be getting what is going on.
Lucien on the other hand, who is paying firm attention to both the footage and Daniel. He decided to address this.
"Daniel " he called out his name, which caught the attention of other High Ends in the room. He then continued " what have you noticed in this footage" he asked in a cordial tone.
" The adversary is quite sagacious in terms of battle, that much I could tell. Which is quite obvious. But what I still don't understand is why he refused to show himself " Daniel respond while looking at the footage
There was a dead silence which was always interrupted by the audio of the footage, everyone in the room seemed to fear Lucian despite his idyllic personality, and at the same time, he seemed to be the erudite in the room. Then he stood up from his seat, in his full height, six feet tall, his dark curly hair brushed over his shoulder.
His presence commands authority, an incisive symbol of authority.
" Well, you have a candid opinion — that, I'll give you. You want to know what I've noticed so far? " He asked in a flat voice as he also continued to stare at the screen. There was a dead silence in the room after he asked his questions, he took the silence as a yes.
" Our recondite friend here is quite a skilled combatant, he doesn't have invisibility, he is just moving faster than what any eye can see…" he stated as he moved away from his seat silently.
This remark got everyone in shock. Especially Daniel, wondering how someone could move at such an incredible speed, that even a High End like them couldn't see the movement.
" Despite that, this battle is a little bit prosaic " Lucian continues to highlight his observation about the battle.
" What… do you mean prosaic, he clearly took out one of the highest ranked Ends in a few hours" one of the high table High End. A man in a grey suit, grey hair mixed with black ones, named Ethan. His face is a little bit wrinkled with a goatee that stretches across his pale face.
" If we are to rank this being based on his power level, he'll be ranked roughly around a Celestial End level, I'm happy to tell you that the figure in this footage is just an astral projection of the real entity" Lucian demystify the hidden information about the footage before them.
" Could that mean he is your superior? " Daniel asked in a flat tremulous tone.
One could sense a sinister grin on his face, then he sank back into his seat.
" That is something we don't know yet, I'm looking forward to that"
" I guess that explains the reason why he was able to take out some of the highest ranked High End" another member of the high table added, Clifford, a man in his late 80s looking slim and ancient, with bald head.
" Do you think he has something to do with the Sojourner that Fin brought in?" Daniel asked, looking at Clifford.
" Oh, that's right, The Sojourner. Could he be the astral projection of the Sojourner" Clifford exclaimed.
There was a dead silence in the room. The conundrum brought a dead calmness. It was all like a cemetery serenity.
" No, he is not. I've seen the level of the Sojourner's power, ability, even limits. This adversary's abilities are zenith compared to the Sojourner's." Lucian clarified once again, but one could tell the difference in his tone, it sounds more serious and concerned.
" The Sojourner could probably be a coadjutant to this new nemesis of ours." Ethan added, facing Lucian, with a facial expression that expects response.
" Probably, or… " Just before he gives response to Ethan's opinion, he notices something in the footage, the battle has stopped " could it be that he has left?" Lucian frowns his face in a puzzled manner while he murmurs to himself.
…
Fin stood alone before the vast military armada. Nuclear missiles streaked toward him. He dodged some, incinerating others mid-air with blasts of thermal power. He knew he could only survive a few direct hits, so he used his superior speed to evade, refusing to be cornered.
He charged at an armor tank. He raised the armor tank with the aid of his two hands and overturned it. He turned back, launched a blast from his hand at a military vehicle, and the ensuing explosion caused the others to hesitate before advancing.
" His agility is giving him an unfathomable advantage, we have to limit his mobility — at the same time find a way to improve our defense" Dexter's voice was calm in the control room, his gaze locked on the screen where the battlefield unfolded like a storm of metal and fire.
While on the battlefield, Andrew is seen in one of the military vehicles, with a shotgun in his hand.
" Permission to use Code4 tactic sir !" Andrew asked, shouting over the noise of the vicinity.
Dexter is seen standing still as he processes different options that could have a devastating impact if it ends up being a fiasco.
" Permission granted" Dexter responded with a flat voice.
The moment Andrew got the word he was expecting, he made a hand signal at the armor tanks behind him.
And in that instant, the armor tanks stopped launching missiles and bombs. They waited for a while, Fin was standing there, wondering what's going on.
Caught in mid-air, he was sitting duck. The sonic blast hit him out of the blue. No bomb, no missile—this was a scalpel of light with the wallop of a sledgehammer; a laser shot whose destruction left ordinary missiles in the dust.
He was sent miles away from the scene, crashing into some dilapidated buildings, he was laying there, left in awe of what just happened. "This wasn't a missile attack" then what is it? He thought of this again.
While thinking of this new shot he just got hit with, he noticed a liquid substance that ran across his cheek, through his nose.
He put his hand there to see what it was, then he discovered that it was " Blood? How is this even possible… huh ! " He groans in pain.
A severe pain hits him from the chest, he could barely stand up. Looking at his chest, he noticed a large bruise on his chest. The impact of the shot.
Whatever this new weapon they are launching seems to be packing a real punch.
" I can't let this happen again, if not, I'm as good as dead" Fin panicked as he tried to stand back on his feet. Then he noticed a roaring sound that was heading towards him.
He lifted up his head to the sky and he saw myriads of blast in different colors. Laser shot of different colors, different destruction capacity.
" Now that's not good" Fin said in a flat worried voice then his body began to emit a yellow aura.
He levitated to the mid air and launched towards the opposite direction, trying to outrun the laser burning deluge.
While the whole military men watches this from afar. Andrew has a cold expression on his face.
" You are half the man you once were, Fin, this attack would have been a walk in the park if you were in your prime. But like I said, you are a shadow of your former self" Andrew mumbles in a silent tone his eyes fixed at Fin, who's trying to avoid getting hit by the laser shots.
To be continued…