The skyscrapers were nothing but charred skeletons now.
Two panting figures stood against a shadow dominating the horizon: a flesh giant with eyes blazing like suns.
A man with hair crackling with static electricity clenched his fists. Arcs of current danced around his arms, carving blue scars through the air. Beside him, a hulking, shirtless man heaved heavy breaths. His bloodied hands trembled with exhaustion.
"He's regenerating too fast…" the shirtless man growled, wiping blood from his split lip.
The giant, ten meters tall, let out a roar. Its grayish skin, patched with organic steel plates, was already knitting itself back together after their last attack. A gash across its chest sealed shut with a wet snap.
The giant charged, pulverizing the asphalt under its feet.
The spiky-haired man leapt first, arms outstretched. A bolt of lightning shot from his palms, slamming into the giant's face. The air sizzled, thick with the stench of burnt flesh. The giant staggered, blinded, but its hands swiped wildly ahead. Kael dodged by a hair, rolling to the side.
"Now, Jarek!"
The shirtless man launched forward like a cannonball. His fist sank into the giant's sternum with a dull crack. The creature's ribs gave way, spraying shards of blackened bone. Jarek roared, ignoring his own pain, and plunged his hand into the gaping wound.
"I've got him!"
But the giant didn't scream. It laughed.
A slimy tentacle erupted from the wound, coiling around Jarek's arm. Before he could react, the giant hurled him into a wall. Concrete exploded on impact.
"JAREK!"
The spiky-haired man unleashed a storm of lightning, hammering the giant again and again. Bolts streaked across its skin, leaving black marks that faded in seconds. The monster turned its head toward him slowly, unbothered.
"You… are… weak," it rumbled in a cavernous voice.
The spiky-haired man stumbled back, breathless. His energy was nearly tapped out. He felt the asphalt quake underfoot. 'Too slow… It's adapting.'
The giant raised a massive arm, morphing into a shapeless club. The spiky-haired man tried to jump, but his legs buckled. The mass crashed down.
The impact flung Kael twenty meters. He hit the ground sliding, his body sparking with uncontrollable discharges. His vision blurred. Blood trickled from his ears.
"No…" Jarek muttered, dragging himself up.
The giant grabbed the spiky-haired man with one hand, hoisting him like a ragdoll. Monstrous fingers tightened slowly around his chest.
"Stop!" Jarek roared, charging in a blind fury.
Too late.
A sickening crunch split the air. The spiky-haired man let out a choked scream, eyes bulging, before his body was crushed into bloody pulp. The giant tossed the remains aside with contempt, like a kid chucking a broken toy.
Something snapped in Jarek, like a dam giving way. He stopped thinking. Stopped feeling pain. Just raw, animal rage.
He lunged at the giant, fists flying. His blows pounded the creature with inhuman force. Each hit shook the ground. The giant stumbled back, caught off guard by the sudden ferocity.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" Jarek screamed, eyes bloodshot.
He grabbed a chunk of torn wall and smashed it into the giant's skull. The creature dropped to one knee, a crack splitting its armor. Jarek saw the opening, aimed—
And the giant struck back.
A hand as wide as a gate slammed down. Jarek tried to block, but his left arm snapped with a sharp crack. Pain stabbed through him like a blade. He fell to his knees, the stump of his left arm gushing blood onto the ground.
The giant stood tall again, the crack already sealing shut.
"Pathetic," it growled.
Jarek's breaths came in gasps. The ground felt cold against his cheek. In the distance, he saw his partner's remains. 'Sorry…'
The titan raised a foot over him, ready to squash his head like ripe fruit.
A hum cut through the air.
A blazing energy blade shot out from behind Jarek.
The glowing sword pierced the monster clean through.
A deep rumble shook the creature, red sparks bursting where the blade hit its scaly skin. A wild burst of light and color erupted from the giant, as if it were breaking apart. It shuddered violently, limbs twisting in chaotic spasms.
Then, with one final bellow of agony, it disintegrated entirely, leaving only a cloud of smoke and ash.
Jarek, stunned, turned to see a man walking toward him slowly.
Silver hair swept back, revealing an angular, chiseled face with pale, smooth skin. A pristine military uniform, its shoulder insignias proudly displaying a high rank. His piercing eyes were a deep red, captivating and mysterious.
Jarek stared at him in awe.
The man reached his side.
"You fought well," he said. Then, placing a hand on Jarek's shoulder, he added calmly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "I'll take it from here."
Jarek wheezed, his face pressed against the cold asphalt. Blood from his severed left arm pooled stickily around him. With a Herculean effort, he lifted his head toward the stranger.
The insignias on the uniform glinted in the firelight—a hawk pierced by a lightning bolt, the symbol of the Senkai Elite Force.
'Those bastards…'
Rage burned hotter than the pain in his veins. He remembered the rumors—elite units sent to "observe," refusing to step in until civilians were evacuated, until protocol was followed.
"You…" Jarek snarled, spitting out a chunk of tooth. His voice was raw, shredded. "You were here the whole time, huh? Watching us die like rats?"
The silver-haired man clasped his hands behind his back. His red eyes studied Jarek with clinical curiosity.
"Protocol demanded—"
A harsh laugh cut him off. Jarek dragged himself up on one elbow, muscles quaking like a dying beast's.
"Protocol?" he bellowed, jabbing his good arm toward the shredded flesh hanging off a power pole. "Kael was a father, you asshole! He was supposed to go home tomorrow!"
The memory flashed—Kael showing off a photo of a six-year-old girl, grinning sheepishly. "She wants me to bring her a gift. Think a teddy bear'll do?"
The wind carried ash. The Senkai man didn't even blink.
"Sacrifices are necessary for—"
A spray of debris grazed his face. Jarek had lunged, despite his wrecked body, roaring like a cornered animal.
"SACRIFICE YOUR MOM!"
He swung a staggering right hook. The stranger dodged effortlessly, a whiff of ozone trailing his move. His palm pressed against Jarek's forehead, and then—
Pain.
A jolt of electricity surged through Jarek, pinning him to the ground. He convulsed, jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth, as the man crouched beside him.
"We're not gods. Even the strongest man has to pick his fights."
"PICK?!" Jarek's roar rattled a standing wall. Blood-streaked tears mixed with sweat. "My brother's dead! We fought in your place! And you talk about picking?"
A silence fell. The stranger locked eyes with Jarek.
"You think rage makes you strong?" he murmured, tilting his head. "Look at yourself."
With a slow gesture, he pointed to Kael's corpse, then Jarek's mangled arm. "You're feeding off your own pain. It's a fire that only burns you."
Jarek wanted to scream, to deny it, but the words died in his throat. The man pressed a finger to his forehead.
"You survived, that's all," the man whispered, unrelenting. "But surviving isn't living, Jarek."
Jarek trembled. Not from rage. From shame.
"How… do you know my name…?"
The stranger's lips curved into a faint smile. He stood. "Watch. And learn."
"Who… are you?" Jarek rasped.
The silver-haired man turned away without a word. Then he began to float, so lightly his feet barely brushed the ground. Before rising higher, he dropped his final words: "A hero…"