------
Episode 3 part 2: Will Ember City survive the night ?
-----
The ground trembled under the pressure blasting out of Cloaked 2. Cracks split wider across the street. Loose stones bounced and rolled. The crushed bus beside him groaned, its frame bending inward before snapping apart. Metal panels tore free and spun end over end before crashing into nearby buildings.
Cloaked 2 tilted his head slowly. Black aura flared around him, thick and suffocating, pushing dust away from his boots in widening rings.
Cloaked 2 "Don't get cocky just 'cause you tagged me once."
The pavement under his feet sank half an inch.
A few meters away, Megalodon floated above the rubble. His shadow stretched across the broken street and over an overturned car. Smoke rolled off his armor in thin streams. His fingers opened and closed once.
Megalodon "Fine. Let's fight, shall we?"
Oblivion's laugh sliced through the chaos. Loud. Sharp. He stood on a tilted slab of concrete, boots balanced at the edge. One hand lifted lazily, chaotic energy crawling over his fingers and snapping between his knuckles.
Oblivion "It's not personal. You've played your part. The plan's over. Now it's time for you to die."
Black Mentis adjusted his footing. His boots ground against loose gravel. His shoulders tightened. Blood ran down his ribs and dripped from the edge of his cracked armor, tapping onto the pavement below. His chest rose unevenly but he did not step back.
Black Mentis "I'll beat some sense into you. You need to snap out of it, Moonlight."
Oblivion vanished from the slab.
He reappeared mid swing, fist driving toward Mentis' jaw.
Black Mentis turned his head just enough. The punch skimmed past his cheek, grazing skin. He grabbed Oblivion's shoulder hard, fingers digging in. His boots pivoted sharply, grinding against asphalt. He twisted his hips and dragged Oblivion off balance, stepping behind him in one fluid motion.
His heel slammed into Oblivion's ribs.
THUD.
Oblivion shot upward. He twisted in the air, spine bending as he flipped and dropped back down. Both feet struck the street. The asphalt collapsed under the impact, caving into a shallow crater.
Black Mentis bent forward, hands braced on his thighs. Blood dripped from his mouth and splashed between his boots. His breathing came heavy and uneven. He forced himself upright again.
Cloaked 2 rushed Megalodon, boots cracking pavement with each step.
Cloaked 2 "Oblivion! Stop screwing around! End that guy already. Follow the boss's orders."
Oblivion scratched the back of his head, rolling his neck once as if annoyed by the noise.
Oblivion "Yeah, yeah. Relax. I just wanted to test him. Wanted to see how I stack up to the big guy over there."
He nodded toward Mentis without looking away.
Oblivion "Still good at hand to hand. Even while you're fucked up like that. Kinda impressive."
Cloaked 2 drove his fist into the air.
The space behind Megalodon split open.
Multiple portals snapped into existence in a wide arc. Each one spat out a fist at a different angle.
Punches tore through the air.
Megalodon shifted his head slightly. One fist missed his temple by inches. Another grazed one of his shoulders. He leaned back just enough for the rest to cut past him.
He disappeared.
In the next breath he stood nose to nose with Cloaked 2.
Megalodon's eyes narrowed.
He drove a punch straight at his face.
His fist passed through Cloaked 2 like smoke.
Megalodon blinked once.
Megalodon "…What?"
Cloaked 2's grin widened.
He pressed his palm flat against Megalodon's face.
"Destroy.'
Energy swelled instantly.
BOOM.
A black explosion detonated point blank.
Megalodon's head burst apart. Bone fragments shot outward. Flesh tore in wet strands. Thick black blood sprayed across the pavement, splattering over broken windshields and pooling between cracks in the road. Chunks of skull clattered across metal debris.
His body flew backward and crashed hard into the ground, rolling once before coming to a stop. Headless.
Cloaked 2 lowered his hand, black residue dripping from his fingers.
Cloaked 2 "You're no king. The only one who deserves that title is our master."
Black Mentis stared, chest tightening.
Black Mentis "Seriously? He managed to take him down with one attack?"
Oblivion lunged forward.
Oblivion "Eyes on ME."
Mentis barely raised both arms in time.
The impact slammed into his guard. His forearms shook violently. Numbness shot up to his shoulders. He slid backward, boots carving twin trenches through shattered asphalt. Broken glass crunched beneath his heels.
Mentis thrust both hands downward.
The ground split open.
Jagged stone spikes erupted upward toward Oblivion.
Oblivion lifted one hand casually.
Invisible panels shimmered into place in front of him. Each spike smashed into them with sharp cracks. Stone shattered into fragments that rained down across the street.
Oblivion "That crap doesn't work on me, old man. You should know that."
The street rumbled again.
Cloaked 2 turned his head slightly.
Cloaked 2 "…That was too easy."
A wet tearing sound rolled across the battlefield.
Muscles stretched. Then bone reformed.
Megalodon's head rebuilt itself. Skull sealed. Skin pulled tight. One eye opened, then the others, glowing red as black blood ran down his neck and dripped off his chin.
He rose slowly to his feet. His neck rolled once as if resetting.
Megalodon "Is that supposed to hurt? Come child. Show me what you can actually do."
Cloaked 2 exhaled through his nose.
Cloaked 2 "Tsk. Great. You're annoying as hell. Is your immortality special or somethin?"
He lifted his hand again.
Megalodon flash stepped.
Dozens of afterimages burst outward in all directions. Each one rushed Cloaked 2 from a different angle, feet striking pavement in rapid succession.
Cloaked 2 crossed his arms. Layered shields formed around him, stacking one over another. He summoned his own illusion army. Copies of himself spread outward, matching Megalodon's speed.
They shattered instantly.
The afterimages were torn apart.
Megalodon's real body slid straight through Cloaked 2 again.
Cloaked 2 smirked.
Cloaked 2 "You did all that just to go through m—"
His words cut off.
Six heavy strikes landed in a fraction of a second.
One crushed into his jaw.
Another hammered into his ribs.
Two drove into his torso.
One snapped his head sideways.
The last buried into his side.
CRACK. THUD. CRUNCH.
Blood burst from his mouth. His body flew backward, tumbling over rubble, smashing through a streetlight before slamming into the side of a half collapsed building.
Megalodon lowered his fist.
Megalodon "Knowledge is power. I know you hide your physical body in multiple dimensions. I'm not born yesterday, child."
Mentis rushed him without any hesitation.
His boots slammed against broken pavement as he closed the distance. His fists came fast, one after another, driving toward Oblivion's head and ribs.
Oblivion raised his forearms and absorbed the first two hits. The third he deflected with a sharp twist of his wrist. The fourth he slipped under, shoulder rolling forward as Mentis' knuckles grazed the edge of his hood.
Oblivion stepped inside his guard.
His elbow jammed into Mentis' ribs.
THUD.
Mentis' body folded slightly. Before he could recover, Oblivion drove a fist straight into his stomach.
CRACK.
The air left Mentis' lungs in a broken gasp. Blood sprayed from his mouth and spattered across Oblivion's sleeve. His knees buckled and he stumbled forward, barely catching himself.
Oblivion grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head down hard. Mentis' neck strained. His boots scraped uselessly against gravel as Oblivion forced him lower.
Energy gathered in Oblivion's free hand.
A dense sphere formed point blank against Mentis' abdomen. It hummed violently, pushing against his armor, crushing cracked plates inward. The ground beneath them began to fracture from the pressure alone.
Oblivion leaned close, voice low.
Oblivion "It's over."
He released it.
The energy slammed into Mentis' stomach and kept pushing. It did not explode immediately. It drove him backward across the street, boots carving trenches through asphalt. His back hit the ground hard and he slid, the sphere still grinding into him, forcing him down.
His hands shot forward, trying to hold it back. His forearms trembled violently. The energy burned into his armor, metal glowing faintly red.
Black Mentis "Sh shit… shit… I– d- don't have enough power to push it…!"
The sphere surged again.
Concrete beneath his back cracked and caved inward. Dust burst up around his shoulders. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth and down his neck.
He strained harder. His fingers dug into the energy surface, skin splitting from the pressure. The sphere forced closer to his chest.
Then—
A hand slammed into it from the side.
The energy shifted direction instantly.
Megalodon stood there, arm extended, palm cutting across the sphere with brutal force.
The blast ripped sideways, tearing free from Mentis' body.
It shot past him and smashed into a collapsed building.
BOOM.
The explosion swallowed the structure. Floors collapsed inward. Windows shattered outward in a storm of glass. A shockwave rolled down the street, flipping a burned out car onto its roof and sending debris spinning through the air.
The pressure wave hit Mentis and Megalodon both. Mentis rolled onto his side, coughing, clutching his stomach. Megalodon did not move.
Dust and concrete powder rained down around them.
Mentis pushed himself up to one knee, one hand pressed against his bleeding side. His breathing came rough and uneven.
Black Mentis "Why… why the hell did you help me?"
Megalodon stepped beside him. He did not look at him at first. His gaze stayed on Oblivion in the distance.
Megalodon "My fight isn't with you. Not anymore."
He finally turned his head slightly.
Megalodon "I need to show you the truth."
He extended his hand toward Mentis.
Mentis hesitated for a fraction of a second, then stared at the open palm.
A pulse of dark energy spread outward from Megalodon's hand and washed over Mentis' body.
It crawled across his armor first. Cracked plates sealed. Splintered metal fused back together. The red glow faded.
The energy sank into his skin.
Cuts along his ribs closed visibly. Torn flesh tightened and sealed. The deep bruise around his stomach flattened. Blood dried and flaked away from his chin.
Mentis sucked in a full breath for the first time since the blast hit him.
His spine straightened slowly. His shoulders rolled back as strength returned to his limbs. The tremor in his hands eased.
He flexed his fingers once.
The pain was gone.
Across the street, rubble shifted as flames licked up the side of the ruined building.
Oblivion stood through the settling dust, head slightly lowered, watching them.
Silence stretched between the three of them.
The night air felt heavier.
------