I quickly reach back for my sword and draw it.
"This time, I won't run from that beast!"
I growl, ready to fight it. Vex looks at me and shakes his head.
"No, Dante! We need to fall back and try to get to Vel. There we could get all the info we need. Besides, it's here for us. If we flee, it should follow."
Vex says as I look back to the tv. The beast holds its hand up and a massive blade forms from the gems floating behind it. Golden lightning seemingly sparks and rips from the huge weapon. It holds it straight out, then quickly lowers its body into an offensive stance. It stomps forward, crushing the pavement and breaking the glass of vehicles and buildings nearby. It thrusts its sword forward and the tv cuts off. The building shakes as a loud crackling sound explodes in the distance.
"How did that thing even get here?! Wouldn't it had to come through the portal like we did?"
Warren yells, Vex quickly looking to him.
"If that's the case, then those guards at the portal are likely all dead."
Vex replies, almost seeming concerned. I force myself to smile and stretch my arms and legs.
"I'm going to fight it. And with your help, Vex, we can easily defeat that lizard!"
I proclaim boldly, trying to get Vex to fight with me. He sighs, almost hesitant. I watch him roll his head back and forth, thinking, for several seconds. He suddenly opens his eyes and nods.
"Fine, but I need to make sure the heroes won't interfere."
He says, calmly looking around the room. Illestra laughs.
"Well, considering there's only a small number of heroes left to help, I'm not sure if they even would help. It does seem amusing and ironic, that you killed all those heroes right before a massive threat showed up."
She smiles and Vex smiles back.
"Well, if they were corrupt and cancerous to this continent, I doubt they could even help."
He says, almost mocking Illestra. Illestra growls and crosses her arms.
"Well, if you seem so sure, maybe I should inform you why you should never believe a villain."
She smiles wickedly as Vex tilts his head. She stands up and walks over to him.
"I originally said all that stuff about corruption and a cancerous system just to get you to agree to it. By how you called the shots on the rooftop, I felt like you were the leader. But you did all my work for me, all those innocents blood on your hands. That'll never wash off."
She smiles, waiting for some response from Vex. Vex stares blankly at her before widening his eyes and reaching for his blade.
"You witch! How dare you manipulate me! How could I fall for such a simple, stupid, obvious, and idiotically thought out plan! It was laid so perfectly, DAMNIT! Or something like that, I guess."
Illestra stumbles back and stares at Vex, confused.
"W-what are you saying?"
She replies slowly. Vex sighs.
"And I'm the stupid one? You really think I'd fall for a stupid story like that? I've seen a miserable society first hand, and this looks nothing like what I've seen. Corrupt? Also no, the guards and Heroes seemed to follow the rules and protect the people to the best of their abilities."
Vex sighs and scratches the back of his head. Illestra laughs nervously.
"B-but you still killed all those heroes! You covered yourself in their blood and flaunted your achievements!"
She shouts, Vex dropping his head dejectedly. He seems upset.
"You are very unintelligent. That was my blood, I just knew you would fall for my trick without any difficulties. If you would've asked for bodies as proof, that could've made things difficult. But you made my job so simple."
Illestra shakes her head.
"No! There's no way you bled that much!"
She shouts, clearly furious. Before I can speak up, Vex rips his arm off. Blood splatters against Illestra and the wall and his arm immediately heals when he drops his other arm.
"Some of the gear I possess gives me instant regeneration. Of course, I still lose the HP, but my limbs will instantly heal. It only took half of my HP to trick you."
Illestra falls back against the wall, shaking.
"T-then what h-happened to the heroes?"
Her words are shaky, clearly scared of the answer. Vex runs his fingers through his hair as his shadow twists and contorts, several heroes emerging. Vex laughs.
"[Shadow Stalk 5]. If I did my math right, I should be able to hide over sixteen-thousand people in my shadow. Now, if I needed to hide an entire nation in my shadow, I could just teleport them all into my shadow using [Shadow Stalk 10]."
I stare in awe as Vex puts his hands on his hips and smiles.
"Where as Dante doesn't know what most of his spells do, or how to fully utilize them, I do."
He moves his hand around then his stats appear in front of us.
Name: Vex
Level: 517
HP: 204,371,976
Strength: 103,422
Dexterity: 76,395
Constitution: 57,151
Intelligence: 200
Brilliance: 56,160
"I know how to use my skills and abilties, but that does come with the twenty years I was trapped in dungeons."
Illestra recoils in shock and fear, unlike the awe and amazement from my stats. She shakes and starts to draw her sword, but the heroes behind Vex quickly detain her. The two people in the chair sit up and look around. When they see heroes, they instantly vanish. I quickly walk over to Vex.
"Did you have something to do with the outposts not having any people inside?"
I ask, suspiciously staring at Vex. He nods.
"I knew you would run to each base, because you wouldn't feel confident in teleporting. You wouldn't want to get lost since you didn't know the terrain very well. It gave me plenty of time to convince the heroes to enter my shadow. And the ones who refused, I put there using minimal force."
I squint and sigh.
"And I also assume you had something to do with the event where I heard people screaming strangely?"
Vex chuckles.
"Yes, me again. You started to move faster, so I needed a few extra seconds. I used a newer spell on you. [Time Ripple]. It basically lets you replay a series of events in time several times over. I managed to stall you about ten seconds, which allowed me to set up at the main complex and finish the mission peacefully."
I sigh and place my blade on my shoulder.
"You're a real peace of work, huh? How far are you willing to go to stop me from killing?"
Vex laughs and shrugs.
"As far as it takes, I guess. But anyways."
He quickly taps his shadow, releasing several more heroes. His shadow then seemingly splits evenly into theirs.
"Now, heroes! I want you to evacuate who ever you can! I believe the upcoming fight will cause substantial damage to the entire area. Keep everyone safe to the best of your ability, as real heroes should. I've given each of you a group of over fifty heroes. To release them when you reach civilians, simply say 'Release'. The shadow will follow that order."
I see all the heroes nod and quickly leave the building, heading towards Precinct one. Vex looks to me.
"Dante, only you and I should fight. If that thing almost killed you last time in one hit, it's sure to kill any of our group besides us without trouble."
I nod and he places his hand on my shoulder.
"Oh, and Illestra?"
Vex looks down to her. She growls, struggling to get away from the hero holding her down.
"Never try to use my friends, it will backfire on you. But hey! That look of shock? That's why I played along, to see you get what's coming."
And with those words, darkness wraps around us. We teleport to the beast.