A quiet morning.
The alarm rings.
Stephen wakes up.
Stephen sits up on the bed, takes a deep breath. He holds his head for a moment, thinking about everything that has happened to him. It's already 10 o'clock. Stephen looks at the time—
Stephen: Oh shit!
Stephen quickly gets ready and rushes to his job. He reaches there and walks toward his team.
Mark notices him and says, "Look at this, guys. The dwarf is late again today."
Stephen: Sorry. It won't happen again.
Stephen goes and sits beside Armin.
Armin: Are you okay? You look exhausted. You've got really dark circles too.
Stephen: Yeah… I've had a headache. After yesterday's Citadel Ground incident, I got scared. Couldn't sleep properly. By the way, what is this tall idiot (Mark) doing?
Armin: He's doing protein folding, but—
Mark: Damn it! Why is this not working? I did everything right. Followed the textbook protocol, kept the temperature fixed, maintained the pH—still no flexibility at all!
Stephen: Should I try?
Mark: What? You? Hahahaha. You should just stay a dumbass.
Stephen stands up seriously, pushes Mark aside and says, "Let me do it this time."
Mark: Fine, go ahead. But don't mess it up. If you succeed, you become the team captain. If you fail, you'll do 100 sit-ups holding your ears.
Stephen: You're trying to control the enzyme, but the problem isn't the enzyme. It's the environment.
Stephen slightly adjusts the pH of the buffer solution. He changes the temperature step by step. Adds a stabilizing agent. Suddenly, the enzyme activates. The data spikes. The graph shifts. The machine starts beeping.
Everyone goes silent after seeing this. Mark's face drops. He's completely humiliated.
Stephen: Come on then. Make me the captain.
Mark snaps in anger, "Make you the captain? You fucking idiot. Doing one experiment right doesn't make you special. You should've died with that puppy of yours. Good thing your house got destroyed. Poor bastard."
Stephen says nothing. He just gives Mark a cold death stare.
Mark: What? Why the fuck are you staring at me like that? You gonna hit me? You don't even have the guts.
Stephen walks toward Mark in rage. Mark raises his hand. Stephen kicks Mark straight in the balls—"KRRAKKK." Mark bends over in pain. Then Stephen punches him with full force, knocking him flat onto the ground.
The boss finds out about the incident.
Boss: Stephen! What the hell is this behavior? I'm suspending you for one week, effective immediately.
Stephen angrily grabs his bag.
Armin: You were right to hit him, but… I never thought you would actually beat Mark.
Stephen: My mind is messed up.
Armin: Okay…
Stephen steps outside. He remembers that Victor had called him to talk. Stephen reaches the stadium. He looks around for Victor. After finding him, Stephen walks over and sits beside him.
Stephen: Why are you sitting here so secretly?
Victor: What happened? Why are you so angry today? Did Tank come into your dreams or something? (says with a side smile)
Stephen: What did you want to tell me? What do you want from me?
Victor: So you don't like bullshit. You go straight to the point. Alright, fine. I'll tell you. Actually… I want to kill Sonic.
Stephen: And what do you need from me?
Victor: Because you'll help me kill him. By making a serum.
Stephen: A serum? I can't make that.
Victor: Then how did you make one for Tank?
Stephen: Listen. Every supe's body works differently. It was pure luck that Tank's biology wasn't complicated, that's why I managed it. And anyway, that serum was temporary. As for Mr. Sonic—his body functioning is far more complex. I can't do it.
Victor: Look, kid. You will make it. And it won't be a permanent serum. Otherwise, I'll tell everyone about Tank. And you'll help me inject the serum into him.
Stephen: You won't listen, will you? Fine. I'll try—but only for Mr. Sonic. Mr. Sonic will be the last one. After that, you leave me alone. You go your way, I go mine.
Victor: Fine. Deal.
Stephen: Why do you want to kill Mr. Sonic anyway?
Victor: His real name is Alex. And I don't actually want to kill him. I just want to take away his powers—so he stops being a supe and becomes a normal human like us. Once the power is gone, he'll be weak. And then he'll suffer for the rest of his life.
Stephen: If you wanted to hurt Alex, why did you plan to kill Tank?
Victor: So that Alex would lose his brother. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to cry. I thought killing Tank would weaken Alex. But that bastard was smiling during the speech. It didn't affect him at all. They're all the same. Tank, Alex, and Mighty Guy have been childhood friends.
Stephen: But then why were you talking about destroying Super Five?
Victor: Because once Alex is dealt with, Super Five will come after us. They won't let us live. Actually, we'll have to wipe out all of Citadel along with Super Five. But don't worry—after Alex is done, I'll let you go.
Stephen: So what's your history with Alex?
Victor: When I was thirteen—
"BANG!"
Suddenly, the sound of massive destruction echoes. Chaos erupts. People start screaming and running for their lives. Everyone tries to hide. Stephen and Victor see three men wreaking havoc everywhere—destroying and setting everything on fire. All three of them are wearing identical outfits: red, army-style suits.They're killing people effortlessly. Their combat skills are insane. They're supes too. Stephen and Victor run to save themselves.
One of the three men lifts a massive pillar and throws it toward a girl. The pillar hits the girl's head—but the moment it makes contact, it transforms into a swarm of butterflies. Everyone freezes in confusion. The girl escapes. Even the three men look confused.
Suddenly, Fantastic Guy lands on the ground.
Fantastic Guy: Calm down, kids. What do you gain by killing the weak? Why don't you fight me instead?
Victor and Stephen watch everything silently… from hiding.
Man 1: Who is this magician?
Man 2: He's a member of Super Five.
Man 3: That's exactly why we're here.
Fantastic Guy: Before fighting any villain, I always ask one thing—what's the reason behind your destruction? So tell me, why are you doing all this?
Man 3: To lure out Mighty Guy. We're going to kill him.
Fantastic Guy: If you want to kill Mighty Guy, then you'll have to fight me first.
A heavy silence takes over the area.
The air suddenly starts blowing violently.
The three men step into their stances.
Suddenly—
FWOOOOSH!
Man 2 uses the wind, his body shooting forward at insane speed.
He throws a punch straight at Fantastic Guy.
BOOM—!
The punch connects.
For a split second.
Then—
SHHHK—
Fantastic Guy disappears.
Only his clothes lie on the ground…
and his hat, resting silently.
The three men freeze.
Shock hits them all at once.
"Where did he go?!"
A voice echoes from behind them.
Fantastic Guy:"Looking for me?""Hahaha… I saw that punch coming from two miles away."
SPLASH—TAT-TAT-TAT!
Man 1 snaps his hands forward.
Sharp water bullets shoot toward Fantastic Guy.
Fantastic Guy moves.
He dodges them smoothly, effortlessly—
his body flowing between the attacks.
At the same moment—
FWOOOOSH—BOOOOM!
Man 3 rises into the air, flames forming in his hands.
He compresses them into a fire bomb and hurls it down.
Fantastic Guy keeps dodging the water bullets.
While moving, he calmly raises his hat—
FSSSH—
The fire bomb gets absorbed into the hat.
He places the hat back on his head.
Suddenly—
WHOOM—!
Man 2 uses his air power again, pushing himself forward at extreme speed.
He throws another punch.
Fantastic Guy shifts his body.
The punch misses.
WHAM—!
A clean spinning back kick slams into Man 2's face.
Man 2 is sent flying backward.
He crashes to the ground.
Blood starts dripping from his face.
Man 1 and Man 3 rush toward Man 2.
Fantastic Guy stands still.
One hand inside his pocket.
Completely relaxed.
Fantastic Guy:"Is that all you've got? You guys are noobs."
Man 1 : "If we want to defeat him… we attack together."
FWOOOSH—!
Man 1, Man 2, and Man 3 burst into motion at the same time.
They surround Fantastic Guy from three sides, power surging through their bodies.
Fantastic Guy stands still.
One hand inside his pocket.
Only his eyes move, calmly tracking them.
BOOOOM—!
All three attack at once.
Man 1 hurls water forward.
Man 3 launches fire.
Man 2 releases a crushing blast of air.
Fantastic Guy instantly drops his hat onto the ground—
SHHKK—!
—and vanishes, sprinting away at blinding speed.
The three men freeze.
Their eyes go wide.
KABOOOOM—!
The hat explodes.
A violent blast rips through the air.
The three men throw themselves back, barely saving their lives.
Fantastic Guy : "Uno reverse, fireman."
They don't stop.
Now all three begin attacking continuously.
SPLASH—TAT-TAT!
Man 1 fires rapid water bullets from his hands.
Fantastic Guy darts left and right, dodging while running.
FWOOSH—!
Man 3 rushes in from behind, firing flame bullets.
Fantastic Guy leaps up—
The flames pass beneath him.
SHRRRKK—!
Man 2 swings both arms violently, compressing the air.
Sharp air slashers tear toward Fantastic Guy.
He slips through them effortlessly.
Again.
And again.
And again.
They keep attacking.
Fantastic Guy keeps dodging.
Man 1 finally snaps.
Man 1 (shouting) : "What the hell is happening?! What is he even doing?!"
Fantastic Guy moves so smoothly, so effortlessly,
that while dodging—
he starts moonwalking.
He stops.
Fantastic Guy:"Enough playing. Let's end this."
His hat returns to his hand.
SHHHKK—!
He throws it.
The blade slices through—
Man 3's both hands.
Then Man 2's both hands.
Then Man 1's both hands.
The hat curves back—
and lands perfectly in Fantastic Guy's hand.
AAAAAAGH—!!!
All three scream in pain.
They stagger back, gasping, breathing hard, bodies shaking.
The air falls silent again.
Man 1 (breathing hard) : "There's only one way left now."
The three men force their remaining energy out through their severed arms.
WHOOOOOM—!
Air, water, and fire twist together, compressing—
forming a massive unstable bomb, roaring violently.
Fantastic Guy (calm, almost amused):"So cutting off your hands wasn't enough. Looks like I've only got one option too."
SHK—SHK—SHK—
Fantastic Guy pulls out playing cards.
His wrist flicks.
FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—!
Three cards slice through the air at insane speed.
SHRRKK—!
Each card cuts straight through both eyes of all three men.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Their screams tear through the battlefield.
The bomb destabilizes—
FWOOOSH—!
—and vanishes before it can form.
No mercy.
Fantastic Guy moves again.
FWIP—!
A single card flies.
It slices clean through Man 3's legs.
THUD—!
Man 3 crashes down onto his knees.
WHOOSH—!
Fantastic Guy sprints forward.
He reaches Man 3's side—
spins—
another card flashes—
SHRRKK—!
Man 3's throat is slit mid-spin.
His body collapses.
Fantastic Guy doesn't stop.
He drops low—
SHHHK—!
slides on his knees toward Man 1.
Two cards appear in his hands.
SLASH—!
First—Man 1's groin.
Before the scream finishes—
Fantastic Guy stands—
spins—
SHRRRRK—!
Man 1's head is severed, flying free.
The body drops.
Now only Man 2 remains.
Fantastic Guy steps toward him.
A card flashes—
aimed straight down the center of his head.
Man 2 reacts on instinct—
twists—
dodges—
and counters with a spinning kick.
Fantastic Guy drops low—
the kick slices above him—
He grabs Man 2's leg—
BOOOM—!
and hurls him toward the boundary wall.
Mid-throw—
FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—!
Ten cards fly at once.
THUD—SHRRKK—!
The cards pierce Man 2's body—arms, legs, torso—
driving him into the wall itself.
His body hangs there, pinned.
Silence.
The wind stops.
The air becomes still.
Blood spreads across the ground.
The battlefield is quiet again.
Fantastic Guy walks toward Man 2.
He stops right in front of him.
Man 2 (weak laugh, broken ) : "Something big is coming. A storm is on its way.Dead bodies will be everywhere.This was just the beginning.We won't stop.The people you protect...one day, they'll kill you themselves."
Fantastic Guy (tilting his head):"Ooh, interesting.So tell me—who exactly are you people?"
Man 2 (blood in his mouth, smiling):"Just remember one name—
We are the Reapers."
Fantastic Guy (softly):"Alright, friend. Rest in peace."
FWIP—!
Fantastic Guy pulls out one last card.
SHRRKK—!
He drives it straight into the center of Man 2's forehead.
Man 2 goes limp.
His body remains hanging on the wall, lifeless.
Silence.
For a few seconds—
nothing.
Then—
whispers.
Low. Afraid.
People slowly start stepping out of hiding.
The whispers grow louder.
Voices overlap.
Footsteps rush in.
The crowd surrounds Fantastic Guy.
"You saved us!"
"You're incredible!"
"You're our hero!"
The ground fills with people again.
Fantastic Guy (grinning):"I'm Fantastic. Heh heh."
From a distance—
Stephen and Victor watch everything.
Victor:"This guy is something else." If anyone can shake the world...it's him."
Stephen (exhaling):"I was really scared back there."
Stephen and Victor keep staring at Fantastic Guy from where they're hidden.
Fantastic Guy keeps laughing, thanking everyone.
He looks around—
and suddenly notices two men.
Both are staring straight at him.
Fantastic Guy's smile fades slightly.
His eyebrows knit together in confusion.
Stephen quickly looks away.
But Victor keeps staring—cold and serious.
Children run up to Fantastic Guy.
His attention shifts.
Crowds ask for photos, autographs.
A moment later—
Fantastic Guy looks back in that direction.
They're gone.
Fantastic Guy thinks to himself-
"Who were they?"