The mercenaries arrived in vehicles and took up position outside the warehouse from the rear.
Today, it is very common for companies to choose automation to make their operations more efficient. This is the case here: large boxes filled with products were moved by a giant clamp on the ceiling, controlled by artificial intelligence. It was certainly a novel method but very expensive to install. However, let's not forget that the legitimate business was just a front, and it didn't matter if they made a profit.
The real benefit of this was the reduction in necessary staff and, consequently, the risk of information leaks. On the other hand, being a place reliant on autonomous technology required increased surveillance to prevent failures.
As a result, the mercenaries/traffickers knew in advance that they had three supers attacking one of their import and export points for "products."
Drugs, weapons, and even people were just products to them...
The mercenaries took their positions. Their enemies might be monsters, but they were not mere gangsters. Their training abroad, provided by army and navy deserters who had grown tired of low pay while risking their lives in the most dangerous places in the world.
They pushed them to their limits. Each mercenary present was trained to the extreme. Even so, facing a monster caused fear, and some of them couldn't handle it without a little help from some "white powder."
...
Allen faced dozens of weapons...
His gaze was silent and doubtful. Allen didn't understand why. Part of him simply wanted to kill them all, but he hesitated to do something so unpleasant. Perhaps it was his current attire; somehow, it would feel wrong for his cape to be stained with blood.
No, Allen had already had this debate, and the answer was obvious: facing such people without dirtying your hands is almost a miracle. Beings like Doomsday or Darkseid will stab you if you show them the slightest weakness or hesitate for an instant, there are no second chances.
Superman – Don't worry, it's okay to be angry... If there is a moment that justifies it, it is this one…
Clark was right... It was certainly okay to be angry... it was a very common sentiment and he now shared it with all his viewers.
...
"FIRE!"
The mercenaries didn't wait for Allen to finish thinking and shot at him. An unrelenting barrage of bullets from all directions attacked Allen.
Allen stood still, silent.
The armor-piercing bullets hit him constantly all over his body, but they caused no scratches on him or his clothing.
It was an impossible sight, but the mercenaries did not stop firing. One of them aimed an anti-materiel rifles directly at Allen's face.
"Monster! These are depleted uranium bullets! Resist them if you can!"
The bullet, capable of penetrating the armor of a battleship, moved in slow motion toward an Allen who continued with a distant gaze.
At the last moment, Allen moved his hand and caught the enormous bullet. His faintly golden eyes then locked onto the mercenaries.
"I've made up my mind… I won't hold back."
Allen threw the projectile back with force equal to the initial shot. It struck a truck and caused it to explode, sending several mercenaries flying.
Allen vanished...
"What?!"
One of the mercenaries was grabbed by the face. Without any mercy or hesitation, Allen crashed it into a wall, breaking it in the process.
Allen reappeared on top of another mercenary and crushed him with his foot, burying him in the ground.
"Mons-!!!"
Then he appeared next to another, using his hand to crush his rifle before hitting him in the stomach, sending him flying through a Hummer.
"Urgh!!"
Allen vanished again and grabbed another mercenary by the neck, throwing him into another.
"NOOOO!!"
"AAHHH!!"
Both crashing through the warehouse and breaking a wall.
Without mercy...
Without restraint...
Without caring about anyone's life...
...
The chat was stunned. They knew Allen well enough to realize he was struggling with the decision to kill all the mercenaries.
In the end Allen did?
Most of the Chat would have agreed with him, while others were worried about Allen killing so many people.
In the end, Allen's response surprised everyone, but there was one detail that some people noticed.
Gwen – Wait… isn't this a bit strange?
Diana – There's no blood…
Kara – That's true!!
Superman – I feel a bit envious…
Ruby – What's happening?! I don't understand!
Superman – Allen chose not to contain his rage, but at the same time, he avoids killing everyone…
Gilgamesh – Allen is using his powers to minimize the damage to his opponents…
McDragon – I don't understand!
Atena – *Cough* I'll explain. Allen can protect others by using his powers as a shield, right?
Hulk – Yes?
Atena – Well, that's what he's doing to his enemies. He uses a shield before hitting them or slamming them against something. This way, he controls the damage his enemies suffer so they don't die.
McDragon – Wait! Isn't that stupid?... then he's just destroying the place.
Rick – Idiot, reducing damage is not blocking it. The people Allen hit were severely injured with broken bones and internal bleeding but not to the level of becoming a bloody pulp, which would happen if he hit them without that shield in between!
Felicia – I get it now… but is it really necessary? Can't he just hold back a bit…
Superman – No… there are moments when you're so angry that you just want to let it all out… but you can't do that. You can never do that… that's why I envy him. Allen found a way to release his rage without destroying the world, haha.
...
Allen floated in the sky, holding a Jeep, and then threw it at another Jeep. The vehicles exploded, engulfing several mercenaries in flames.
"Gyaahhh!!!"
"Water!!! Water!!!"
A mercenary pulled out a rocket launcher, skillfully aimed, and fired.
Allen grabbed the rocket and handed it back to him, the man was hit and engulfed in an explosion.
"AAAHHHHHGG!"
His screams were heard all over the place as he suffered first and second degree burns. Of course, he was supposed to die from that explosion, but Allen also controlled the damage from that explosion.
No one had died yet but... After hearing the agonized screams of the mercenaries his viewers wondered if it was more merciful to simply kill them.
Screams of pain were heard everywhere: broken bones, metal fragments embedded in abdomens and chests, damaged organs. The scene was a devastating image of destruction, fire, and flames. However, it shouldn't have been like this. There should have been a river of blood and entrails and total silence.
Allen's gaze was silent but remained clean. He had unleashed his fury while avoiding becoming a monster, right?
Allen landed slowly. Annie and Kimiko appeared at the warehouse entrance, but Allen raised his hand to stop them.
"Will you go out on your own or should I go myself?" Allen said in a contemptuous tone.
A vehicle was thrown at Allen, who stopped it without moving and pushed it aside.
"What have you done?!" said a man.
Allen and Annie recognized who had shouted upon seeing him.
With an orange appearance, devoid of hair or body hair, with a bare torso and a red cape, a well-known superhero appeared.
He was Jack the Jupiter, the former member expelled from the Seven.
"I figured if these people were working in New York, they must have ties to Vought… but I didn't think it was you." Allen declared, narrowing his eyes.
"HAHAHA, Mercenaries linked to Vought?! Do you think Vought needs to deal with mercenaries to make money?!" Jack laughed uproariously, his eyes showing fury. "This is a personal matter, necessary after my bonus was reduced."
It was true that Vought wasn't lacking in money; their only problem was power. Being a company, they had limited political influence, which is why they wanted Congress to pass a law allowing supers in the military.
"You bastard, you did this!" Starlight shouted from the entrance.
"Hm?¿Starlight? It's true you left the Seven and betrayed Vought! I knew that idiot and coward Deep was just talking nonsense!"
"Traitor? You should know what Vought does, just a bunch of liars who only take money from people who choose to believe in them!!"
"Yeah, they do, they all do." Jack smirked "Vought does it, Homelander does it, the Seven does it and all the supers do it...of course you do it too."
"No!" Annie tried to deny it strongly.
"No? Do you think all the support you received from Vought was paid for by the government?!"
"You're wrong, I... I..."
Annie hadn't expected such a blunt response from Jack the Jupiter.
Annie opened her mouth but couldn't continue speaking. Jack's indifferent and contemptuous attitude made her face a harsh reality. Most supers are aware of the truth and accept it willingly. Annie had hoped that Vought was to blame and was deceiving the supers or at least the majority.
"You're so stupid!" Jack's voice was filled with resentment and disgust toward Annie for no apparent reason. "You pretty blonde, they literally gave you a spot in the Seven, a spot everyone desires and you wasted it?!"
Allen appeared in front of Jack the Jupiter and punched him in the face, breaking a couple of his teeth.
"Ahhh!"
"That's enough..."
"You…" Jack glared at Allen with anger but also a bit of fear, as he had heard of Allen's capabilities. However, when Jack's eyes met Allen's gaze, a massive amount of rage flared up within him. This rage was enough to extinguish Jack the Jupiter's fear.
"What's with that look?" Jack's face contorted with intense anger. "Don't look at me like that!"
"I told you to shut up..."
"Huh?!... I see... so that's it... you're just like those bastards… They kicked me out mercilessly even after we had known each other for so many years…"
Jack the Jupiter had been expelled from the Seven, and it was well-known. After all, being replaced is tough for anyone.
"Do you also think I'm pathetic for doing something like this to get funds?! Carpo!"
Jack was enveloped in an aura of energy, while all the basic abilities of supers, such as super strength and super endurance, as well as basic skills like reflexes and kinetic vision, increased disproportionately.
Superman – "It's like Shazam…"
Diana – "It's also like a degenerated version of J'onn J'onzz…"
"Do you know what it means to be in the Seven?!" Jack grabbed a truck and jumped with it, then crushed Allen. "It means the public will love you even if you're unknown!!"
Allen broke the truck and grabbed Jack by the neck. He then punched him in the stomach, making him spit blood, but Jack only smiled.
"Urgh!!... hehe... It means fame, glory, and lots of money... guhk... It means contracts with famous brands that will fight over you just to have a photo with their products!!!.."
Jack hit Allen's arm and freed himself. Allen kicked him, sending Jack flying from the loading and unloading area into the street, where he ended up hitting a streetlight and falling to the ground.
There weren't many vehicles in this part of Queens but it was odd not to see any, Allen thought it might be that the police had already closed the area.
Jack remained on the ground mumbling but Allen and the Chat could hear him clearly. "However… being expelled means you automatically lose ninety-nine percent of the sponsorship... no more movies, no more TV series..."
Jack stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at Allen angrily.
"No more unlimited credit cards! no more memberships to exclusive clubs! Nothing!!"
Allen walked out of the parking lot. … For something like that, you work with these people?... I don't understand"
"For something like that, you say…" Jack's eyes filled with blood. "CAARPO!!"
Jack reactivated his powers without losing the previous aura.
Felicia – "I didn't know he could do that!"
Aizen – "As far as I understand, the supers in that world live in excess and hedonism. It would be hard to find one who has truly reached their full potential if they never sought to be strong in the first place."
Jack flew out and charged at Allen, but Allen stopped him in mid-air without moving from his spot. A small shockwave separated the surrounding air. Allen was surprised; Jack had become stronger.
"You'll never understand!!"
Allen punched Jack's face, making him bleed from his nose, but he kept insisting.
"With that face!"
Allen delivered a knee to Jack's abdomen, causing him to spit blood again, but Jack the Jupiter did not back off.
"Urgh!! With those eyes!! With that body!! CARPO!!"
Jack used his powers for the third consecutive time, stacking them. His aura increased further, and this time he managed to push Allen back.
"...!"
One of Allen's hands glowed, and he fired a burst of energy that burned one of Jack's arms, but Jack still managed to hit Allen's face.
"I was stronger than Translucent!! I was more useful than that idiot who can't even fly!!"
Jack began hitting repeatedly, but Allen blocked with his forearms.
"But none of that mattered." Jack headbutted Allen with the sound of a breaking skull. However, it was Jack himself who ended up injured.
"IT DIDN'T MATTER BECAUSE I'M ORANGE!"
Jack grabbed Allen's arm and threw him through a building. Allen emerged on the other side, and before he could fall, Jack appeared above him.
"BECAUSE I'M UGLY!!" Jack descended with his fists clenched and rammed into Allen. Both crashed into the street, creating a crater.
"BECAUSE MY NOSE IS LIKE A PIG'S!!!"
Jack pounded Allen on the ground repeatedly. Until a concentrated energy laser shot through his abdomen.
"Ahhh!!!" Jack screamed in pain.
Allen grabbed Jack's face, and Jack realized that Allen had only a few scratches. Even after using his powers stacked three times, he hadn't managed to inflict a serious wound.
'What are you?'
"After hearing all your arguments… I can only tell you," Allen said with a frown and an annoyed look, "that I don't understand."
"You!!" Jack enraged grabbed Allen's arm, trying to free himself, but Allen wouldn't let him. Instead, he flew with him and dropped him back in the warehouse, letting him fall into the loading and unloading area.
Annie and Kimiko stood alert as the fight returned to this place.
"GAHH!!" Jack crashed to the ground face down. He felt his organs twist.
"Damn it!" He tried to get up, but Allen stomped on his back. "Gaaahhh!! I'll kill you!!"
Allen ignored the threats and grabbed Jack's head and face, forcing him to look forward. Behind Kimiko and Annie were all the women who had been captured earlier, all of whom had a look of fear.
Allen slammed Jack's face into the ground.
"It's true what you said... I don't understand… I don't understand why a swimsuit commercial is worth more than the lives of fifteen women…"
He did it again, and this time Jack's jaw broke.
"I don't understand why a movie is more important than all the broken families you and your friends caused"
Allen hit him once more, this time it was so hard that it shook the ground and created large cracks in all directions. One of Jack's eyes began to bleed and several bones in his skull were broken.
"More than anything," Allen closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, they were completely golden. "I can't understand how two more zeros in your bank account can compare to losing all your rights!"
Jack saw Allen's fist enveloped in energy if he received that he would be dead. Jack understood for the first time what kind of monster he was fighting. However, his rage and courage made him keep trying to fight.
"Cor...po!"
In a last attempt to resist, Jack used his superpower for the fourth time and felt as if his head was burning, his ears were also bleeding, but he didn't care.
"Ah...ahhh!"
Jack used his power to the maximum to hit Allen in the stomach from the ground. Jack succeeded, made him move away, and got up immediately but... it wasn't enough.
Allen buried his fist into Jack, damaging several organs. Allen hit Jack several times, each time the aura around him disappearing a little more.
"A life without being able to see your family again!! Filled with humiliation and abuse, where death is the only hope!!"
Jack felt each punch taking away his life, each blow breaking something irreparable, each strike pushing him toward the abyss like the Grim Reaper's scythe.
'What...is this monster...why is he so mad at me...is it because of those women...they're just a bunch of bitches...sh...da'.
It was absurd how ridiculously strong his enemy was, he didn't even seem like a super!
Allen stopped his attack as Jack teetered between life and death.
"Tell me, Jack, can I understand you? Your whole story tried to sound like your life was a tragedy... But to me, it seemed like the tantrum of a shallow, vain, self-centered child who just wants to be above everyone else no matter what... Tell me, Jack, can I understand you?"
"Uhhh!!" Due to his jaw being crushed, Jack couldn't speak, but his remaining eye reflected an attempt at resentment toward Allen. 'Don't look at me with pity!! Don't look at me like I'm an idiot!! Don't look down on me!! I am Jack the Jupiter!!'
"Do you know what's the saddest thing of all?" Allen threw Jack into the sky. "That there are people who admire you. After all, there's a reason you made it into the Seven. They don't care about your appearance because that doesn't matter to be a superhero… but you never looked at them, did you?"
Jack saw Allen's hand enveloping with golden energy again, and he felt fear like never before. He didn't even get to hear Allen's words.
"CARP–!"
"Goodbye…"
A blast of energy engulfed Jack, who began to disappear slowly. The pillar of light rose into the sky before vanishing, leaving a clear sky behind.
Allen observed Jack's essence from beginning to end and saw not a trace of remorse in Jack, not a single hint that could make him change. It was a harsh truth, but just as there are people capable of change like A-Train, there are those who simply choose to be this way until the end.
BUT!
Jack the Jupiter, being a degenerated version with all his flaws, managed to trade blows with Allen Walker, without fear, without fleeing, without begging for his life!
Superman – "As a person, he left much to be desired…"
Thor – "As a warrior, he was more than worthy!"
Gilgamesh – "He withstood more than many gods against my champion!"
Artoria – "Perhaps you carry unforgivable sins on your back…"
TheEmperor – "But still, rest in peace… you earned it."
"At least I will keep the memory of you being a great opponent… Jack The Jupiter"
Allen turned to head towards the astonished girls who had just witnessed the fight.
===
A/N: In the TV series they eliminated Jack The Jupiter and replaced him with Translucent because they didn't like him.