"Yeah. That's it. That's my father's power. Cinder has become a true Lord of the Sun."
"That stupid bitch just had to run her mouth." Dean Ward pinched the bridge of his nose as the recording of the Beast fight played back the sentence that had taken the world by storm. "She not only showed her incompetence in failing to save the city, but she practically ruined any chance we had at keeping the fact we had the next Lord of Sun secret."
"It's worse than that." A voice spoke up, coming through the speakers on his computer. "We didn't even know we had the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos in our possession. The Enforcers decided to keep that little trump card secret from us. Who knows what other information they could be keeping secret from the Hero Branch? Director Laps should be fired and thrown into the darkest cell we have! She is guilty of treason!"
It had all started after the battle with the Beast. Every time the Beast was defeated and killed, something would always show up afterwards—a new threat that could bring humanity to its ruins. They had all been expecting a giant monster or some great disaster. Instead, the thing that was on the brink of wiping out the Hero Branch was a recording.
Alice Ward, his very own sister-in-law, had survived the Beast attacks. He hadn't bothered trying to get his brother or sister out of Oleander. He had hoped they would have perished in the attacks, and he could use that 'grief' to increase his ranking and popularity. It would seem, however, that just as he failed to see through the hero Paragon's will, he also failed to see just how far Alice would go. The woman had recorded parts of the battle on her phone. That single recording was now coming back to bite them all in the ass.
It showed off a golden girl cloaked in fire. She wasn't as grand as Full Monarch had been, but everyone could tell that it was the same. She then went on to beat the Beast single-handedly. At least, they presumed, as the actual battle hadn't been filmed. Only the part where the golden girl that went by the name of Cinder was throwing the Beast around with godlike strength. During this attack, the Victorian decided to open her mouth and claim that they were seeing the Lord of the Sun.
"It's quite the tricky situation, isn't it." Ward took a drag on a cigar he had and breathed out a large cloud of smoke. His office was a mess with papers scattered about, and shelves were knocked over from when he took his anger out on everything he could get his hands on. On his desk, his computer showed off the image of another man in a suit who served as Daisy's Hero Branch head. The man's name was Arvin Ros, head of the Ros family. "No one has seen Laps since the attacks. She could be dead." Ward sighed.
"Good! I hope that bitch is rotting in hell!" Ros screamed out.
Ward slumped down in his chair and looked back at the screen, watching the recording of the Victorian's words once more. Everyone had put their hope into that woman. They were all expecting her to be able to do more. Two years ago, the world suffered a Beast attack that resulted in the death of Legend and the birth of a new Calamity. The Victorian hadn't yet existed. Not fully, anyway. Her power hadn't been that golden light; the world knows her for now. Instead, it had been something harsher. After the Beast's attack, she showed up, claiming to possess her father's power. She had fooled them all by showing off grand feats and actually got them all to put their trust in her back that she could keep them safe from the next Beast attack. Yet when it finally did come, she failed to stop it and instead had to have a teenager step up—something the general public noticed as well. Not just that, but Boy Genius's recordings had shown some hero known as Battery to be the actual hero that kept the city safe. Battery had gone toe-to-toe with the Beast all alone, doing what the Victorian couldn't.
"So, what do we do now?" Ward questioned.
"We need to give a statement on the state of Oleander and what will happen to it." The leader of Daisy responded. "For the first time in a Beast attack, the city doesn't show any signs of radiation or total destruction, thanks to the hero Battery absorbing it all in his battle with the Beast. We have him to thank for the people of Oleander not dying from radiation sickness. It's hard to believe a guy like that was also under our noses." Ros mused.
"What of the state of the city?"
"The damage is bad, but if we can figure out the costs, it could be possible to possibly rebuild part of it. It would, at the very least, be a place we could store Lillian's increased civilians." Ros explained.
"The public will want to know what happened to that hero. Cinder, I think, is her name. What do we tell them?" Ward asked.
"The heroes have confirmed that her body was too damaged to save." Daisy's head said, letting out a heavy sigh. "She sadly died."
"That means we have to find the Lord all over again?" Ward never liked the Lords or even the new heroes, but even he felt a bit of emotion at the death of Cinder. Nothing as complex as sorrow; instead, it was annoyance. Another useless bitch as far as he was concerned. Just like the Victorian, Cinder had bitten them all in the ass.
"That's right. The general public doesn't know about the existence of pods, nor do they really understand how the titles of Lords are passed down. At the moment, we need to use this as our chance to look for the Pod."
"The bad guys will be out looking for it as well." Ward winced. "A few of them know about that. Especially someone like the Emperor."
"They would look for the pod if they thought she was dead. What if they think she's still alive though? They'd have no reason then, right?"
"What are you trying to say?"
Daisy's leader gave a slight smirk. "I have a plan in mind. See, it could be bad if the public found out we allowed another Lord of the Sun to pass away. Especially as we all know, the Beast isn't truly gone. It will return one day. We haven't even gotten into the discussion of the Emperor's return. If the people discover that the Lord of the Sun has died, if the villains see this as their chance, then we've already lost this war before it's even begun."
"So, you're going to hide the fact that Cinder died? Won't people figure out she's dead when she fails to show up..."
"Leave that all to me. For now, we should discuss the state of the Enforcers. They've requested to have three heroes placed on their team and plan on holding a meeting soon. They want to be shown off to the public as a way to save some face. A few of them did well in the fight with the Beast, so I suppose this is a way to make themselves look better for when it shows up next time."
"Who did they have in mind as their new members?" Ward questioned.
"The first was that new hero, Battery." The screen of Ward's computer changed, showing off the hero in red. "He fought alongside the Victorian, and the two of them were able to almost defeat the Beast before it healed. Some people had managed to record him in the fight, and if not for the fact that the Lord of the Sun had appeared, he'd no doubt be the main topic of discussion. His power could be useful for combating the Organization whenever they make their move. Many civilians have also requested he be sent an invitation."
"I've never even heard of him, and yet he's mister popular all of a sudden?"
"Besides the incident with Cinder, his battle was the one that was viewed the most." Ros explained. "Boy Genius's drone recorded the entire fight when he attempted to solo the Beast. It was quite the moral boast. I could hear the cheering even from my city. The whole world had its eyes on dear Battery for a moment there."
Ward nodded and rubbed his chin. "I see. I have no objections if the other directors don't. Just as long as he stays in his place and follows my orders. What of the others, though? We lost two spots after all, and we still had that position open from Old Dog's death."
"The second hero they've requested to join the team is a new one. She's decided to call herself Lightning Empress. The Victorian has requested we allow her to join. At the moment, it'd be best to let her on due to her powers, as well as the fact that it could keep the Victorian happy."
"Well, who is she?" Ward demanded.
"The newest Lord of the Sky and Weather. Daughter of the Victorian."
Ward rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. The mother can have her baby if she wants. What of the last member?"
"Poseidon-"
"No." Ward cut his fellow director off. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "Poseidon will not be joining the Enforcers."
"May I ask why? She's a Lord, and has been promised the spot for over a year now. Her mother is also no longer with us, so she'd be the most logical replacement, wouldn't she?"
"I want to teach that little bitch a lesson." Ward spat out. "Paragon refused to play the game by my rule. She ran off. She doesn't want to play ball? Well, then, she can suffer the consequences. I don't want Poseidon on the Enforcers. In fact, I don't want Poseidon on any team. Have you decided what you're doing with Ocean Empress's old team?"
"Team Reservoir unfortunately lost all of its members other than the heroes Poseidon and Paragon. Paragon has been MIA and hasn't stepped foot into Lillian since the Beast incident but has been spotted in Oleander. The team itself has had dozens of heroes from around the world request to join it. Many people looked up to Ocean Empress and wanted to honor her by making sure the team she built lived on. Ocean Empress stated in her will that the team was to be passed down either to her husband, her grandfather, or Poseidon when Poseidon came of age. Poseidon recently turned eighteen, so the team will be handed over to her-"
"Go ahead and just give it to me." Ward cut his partner off once more. "Put out some statement about how Poseidon is experiencing too much grief and mental issues to lead the team. Remove her sponsors as well."
"Are you sure this is wise? You could gain the wrath of a Lord if you don't stop before it's too late."
"The Lords aren't gods. They're just Supers with big egos. Mankind must still rule over them, or else we've already lost. I won't tolerate Paragon refusing me again. I'm sure she'll come to her senses when she learns what's happening to her sister. Until then, her sister can take the punishment for Paragon's arrogance."
"Okay... Don't say I didn't warn you. Just so you know, I think this is a bad idea."
"I don't care." Ward stomped his foot down and gave a smirk. "For humans built by humans. Not Supers, not Monsters, not Lords. Humans. That is the world I will create. All of them are just tools. I'll follow in my father's footsteps and do what he couldn't. This is still our planet."
***
An explosion ripped through the air, followed seconds later by a loud screeching sound. "Stay the hell away from me, you scary bastard!"
Up in the skies above the ruins of Oleander City, a large mantaray the size of a small bus flew through the air as if it were swimming. On the back of the majestic beast, a man in a labcoat stood throwing several bottles of black liquid at the thing that was rapidly chasing him down. Everything the bottles hit suddenly expanded and grew as the glass in them shattered.
His name was Doctor Growth, a low-level solo villain who could make matter grow bigger thanks to the potions that he created. He had always remained in the shadows of Oleander, not doing anything grand due to the massive villain groups that lived in it, such as Zoo or the Bad Timers. Now that those groups were gone, it was his time to shine. At least that's what he thought.
Sadly for Doctor Growth, he had gained the wrath of Oleander's strongest protector. A hero who hadn't once stopped since the battle with the Beast ended. A hero who had taken the whole world by storm.
"Fly my Giant!" Doctor Growth cried out with tears in his eyes. "Fly!"
"You call that a Giant…" A spark of black energy seeped through the air, and it formed itself, taking shape into a massive serpent-like dragon that flew through the air at insane speeds. The dragon was massive, and the people in the city stared up at it in awe. A lone figure stood on its head. A hero dressed in a red costume. Battery stared into the eyes of Doctor Growth. His eyes flickered from blue to black, then back to blue. "Lucky. Eat." Battery said in a cool tone.
Doctor Growth let out a loud scream and wet his pants as the flying dragon reached him and his own large beast. The Giant construct was so large that its maw was able to snap open, and in an instant it swallowed Doctor Growth and the mantaray whole in one single gulp.
Battery stood on the head of his Giant and stared down at what was left of Oleander with a cold look. Then slowly his creature faded away, dissolving into nothing. Doctor Growth vanished with it… And the people cheered.
"I'm in front of the Oleander bridge that connects itself to Lillian! As you can see, even after two months have passed, the bridge still hasn't been fully repaired!" Alice announced, standing in front of her phone.
Her friend June gave her a thumbs-up as he recorded the whole thing. After the incident with the Beast, Alice blew up in popularity online. She was making more money off of donations than she ever had earned from her reporting job. Oleander was left in pretty bad shape even months later, and people seemed to have a strange and twisted fascination with wanting to see the ruins of what was once a grand city. The sky was filled with dozens of Boy Genius's drones as well as Hero Branch drones that scanned the city.
"As you can see, there are still thousands of people stuck in the city!" Alice announced, gesturing off to the side where many crowds had formed, all under tents or other things they had been given. "The Hero Branch in the beginning tried making an effort of getting people off this lot, but once the final member of the 'rich' district was removed and carried to Oleander, they seemed to have slowed that process down by a lot. I wonder why!"
The bridge that connected Oleander to Lillian was gradually being rebuilt. The Lillian Cleanup Squad, as well as the Oleander Cleanup Squad, had come together and were slowly but surely putting it back up piece by piece on the side of Lillian. It would still be at least another month or two, though, before the bridge was fully restored. Because of the bridge being out, there wasn't any way for Oleander to get much help. It was mostly a sea-locked city. People had tried to get into the city through boats, but during a disaster like this, the villains thrived and rose up, taking over the beaches of Oleander and raiding any ship that came, stealing all the supplies. On top of that, there were so many ruined ships in the dock of Oleander, and the beach was in such bad condition filled with so much trash that it was impossible for ships to go that route.
Most of Oleander was in bad condition as well. During the Beast attack, every building that was above the Beast's height had been torn down when it fired a thin laser beam out. Most of the city hadn't been able to get out of the city in time when the bridge was destroyed, so now the people stuck in the city had no homes nor any means of food since the villains picked off most of the supplies.
That mainly just left small supply crates that would be dropped off every now and then through air that the people had to make do with. The Oleander Hero Branch was doing its best to hold everything together, but it was falling apart. Oleander had lost its Enforcer member before the battle began, and several lone heroes had also died. Only the Oleander Sub Enforcer team remained. They had to work so hard because there were still people that were living in Oleander. The Sub Enforcers were also the only group left, as Pantheon had vanished off the face of the Earth.
Not everyone had been able to make it out of the city during the attack. And not everyone who did escape wanted to remain in Lillian. It wasn't like it used to be, but Oleander had some people that were scattered throughout the destroyed city. Many of the people who were homeless and living on the streets were doing well in this new environment, while those who had been stuck were making the best of a bad situation. Dozens of tents had been dropped off, and the Hero Branch and other Supers were still making efforts to get supplies into Oleander. It wasn't much, but the city was somehow clinging to the last of its life.
Alleyways were filled with debris, buildings had been torn down, fires spread to several areas, and the streets were filled with hundreds of pits that dropped down to the sewers, which were flooded and destroyed. There were only a few spots where a person could have any power, and if not for Boy Genius's drones, there wouldn't be any internet at all.
The people were surviving, though. They had all been forced to come together. Many of them were also inspired by something... Something that was slowly but surely also trying to fix the series up. "Crime has, of course, gone up in this situation," Alice explained to her large audience. "Many villains flock to this area, and some people claim they've spotted Green Wolf or Demonica sneaking around. It isn't just Supers, though. Thrill seekers, or troublemakers, have also been popping up lately. People that all think they can get away with anything in our city. Well, let me tell you, so long as we have the Thunder Giants, Oleander is in good hands!" She announced, pointing to a series of large figures.
They weren't as big as they had been in the fight with the Beast, but there were dozens of them now. Each stood at nearly forty feet in height and were forged out of crackling black energy. They didn't carry weapons and instead walked around with heavy-looking tools. The very same tools the Cleanup Squad typically used. It was as if the Giants had been part of such a workforce before, as they had been steadily clearing the streets of rubble and debris, setting up planks and bridges over the holes in the street, and were even rebuilding the bridge on their side of the city to connect it to Lillian's half much sooner.
None of them bothered the civilians stepping around them or ignoring them as they worked and worked and worked, never once stopping. For nearly two months straight, they had worked and had managed to fix up a single city block, allowing tents and other structures to be set up near the destroyed buildings. They also kept the city safe. All it would take was a single person committing a crime in front of one of these Giant workers for them to call the real warrior over. Seated on the ruins of a destroyed building, using it like a chair, was a fifty-meter-tall black armored warrior who had their sword stabbed into the ground next to them. They didn't move an inch, their eyes just constantly scanning out and watching the civilians, making sure no harm would come to any of them.
This was all thanks to a single hero—a hero the public had seen countless times now. The drones followed him everywhere he went, streaming him to the world. He never ate, he never slept, and he never even used the bathroom. Again and again, he would simply show up and crush whatever even attempted to harm his city. Battery had quickly become a hero everyone looked up to. A mighty protector that saved his people.
Right?
"Teacher! I brought you some food!" A voice announced loudly. Purrfect stood on the edge of his building holding a large plate of random chips she had taken from a destroyed vending machine, as well as some soda. "You haven't had anything to eat or drink in days, right! Here!"
"I told you I don't need to consume food or water to survive. And for the last time, stop calling me teacher." Battery stood at the edge of his building and stared down at his city, his eyes darting back and forth. Doctor Growth had been the tenth villain he had stopped. The others had also been swallowed whole by one of his Giants. Despite how strong he was, villains didn't seem to learn and kept trying to sneak past him or beat him. None even came close.
"Next time you go out to patrol, can I come with you, teacher?" Purrfect asked, biting into a chip as she opened one of the bags.
Battery ignored her question, and instead he began to stretch, feeling his joints pop. All around him, several drones flew and stared at him. They weren't the kind that could ask questions, but they still kept him ticked off. They were always recording every action he was doing and wouldn't leave him alone. It was weird having so many eyes stuck to him. Fifteen years ago, the heroes didn't have to worry about that. He wondered how Full Monarch would react to this new age.
Battery shook his head and squashed the memory of Full Monarch. He didn't know why, but he had been thinking of the man a lot more recently. He tried to clear his mind and focused on his stretching. Purrfect placed the plate down and began to mimic him doing the same stretches. "Purrfect, why are you still here?"
Purrfect was a young hero. She sort of reminded him of Snowdawn or Poseidon. The girl was seventeen and wore a yellow cat-looking outfit complete with cat ears and a tail that actually wiggled back and forth. She had whitish blonde hair that she had tied back a bit. She placed her hands on her hips, giving a sly grin. "Impressed with how good I am at toughing things out, teach?" She questioned. "I was part of the Daisy Sub Enforcers, but well... Most of my team... Anyway, Dust Cloud decided he didn't want to be a hero anymore and gave up, and since our team leader is no longer with us either, the director of the Hero Branch decided to just replace the entire team with new heroes, so I sort of got fired since I didn't do much in the Beast fight." The girl said sheepishly.
"They fired you? I shouldn't be surprised. You are basically glorified cannon fodder."
Purrfect blinked and gritted her teeth, doing her best to keep up her cheery demeanor. "Yep, fired! So now my only other choice is to either become a solo hero and hope I can get some sponsors or join up with a big-shot hero that will let me join their team!"
"You'd best not think of joining me; I don't have time for scraps. My last weapon broke before I could properly use her. I'm a fool for thinking I could rely on any other power besides my own." Battery stated in a blunt tone. For some reason, his harsh words and uncaring nature made the people watching him through the drones fangirl over him more and increased his popularity. He didn't really look the part of a hero at the moment. He had managed to get his mask back, which he wore, but several parts of his costume had been torn away, showing off his flesh beneath. He had a hole in the chest piece of his suit, as well as one that went from his back to his stomach from where the Beast had punched a hole in him. His body had been healed and fully restored thanks to him being a Ruler and the gift they all got, but his outfit sadly hadn't been part of that exchange. He had gotten a lot of his muscles back from working out and training so that honed and enhanced hero body was mostly on display for the drones.
"I'm joining you, and I won't take no for an answer!" Purrfect announced, folding her arms and giving a sly smirk. "I saw you in action, Teacher! You're totally cool and stupid strong. If I can get even a mile close to how strong you are, I don't ever have to worry again. You got to hold Ocean Empress in your arms and hear her-" A black hand appeared above Purrfect, dropping from the sky and splattering her as well as all the drones across the roof.
Silence hung around Battery as his hand shoved Purrfect's corpse through the building and tore down some of it. All the drones around him had also been crushed, leaving him in total silence-
"Hey, what was that for?" Purrfect asked, annoyed, suddenly appearing on top of the black hand. "Oh, I get it. You wanted to see how my extra-life power works, right? Well, fear not, Teacher, I'll explain it to you! I have nine lives, just like a cat! If I lose any lives, I have to take a few days to recharge them! It takes one day to charge a life back up, and I can only hold nine!"
"So, you can die eight more times?"
"Yep-" Another hand appeared above her, crushing her once more. "Why!" She whined, appearing next to him. "What did I do that time?"
"Don't ever mention Ocean Empress ever again." Battery gruffly laid down and stared back up at the sky above. "Now get going before I take any more of your lives. I'm not building a team right now."
"Ha! You said right now!" Purrfect announced puffing her chest out. "That means you do plan on starting a team eventually, right! All Enforcers have their own team after all!"
"I might not even be part of the Enforcers. They might ask for me to be wiped out any day now."
Purrfect pouted a bit but silently dropped down in a sitting position next to him. "You waiting for your old sidekick, teach? That Cinder girl?"
"No. She failed. She could have been the next Full Monarch, but she went and blew herself up for a bunch of nobodies. If she somehow came back to life, I wouldn't even spare the energy to think about her." Despite the words, a flicker of emotion crossed Battery's eyes, unnoticed by Purrfect. Before long, though, dark lightning flickered underneath his skin, and the hint of emotion was dragged back under a bored demeanor. "Do you know what a Ruler is, Purrfect?" Battery asked, suddenly changing the subject.
"Huh? Well duh. Like a person who is a king or something?"
"Not that kind of Ruler. Have you ever heard a voice in your head? Maybe someone who tells you to do something?"
"Are you asking if I'm crazy? I'm not? I don't think?" She grabbed her head, her eyes going wide. "Is this a test? Am I crazy? Oh God, none of this is real, and it's all a dream, isn't it!"
Battery kept staring up at the sky and closed his eyes. "I just find it odd, is all. Escaping death all the time is a trait shared by Rulers. Yet you have it as well. Demonica has fire powers despite that being the ability of the Lord of the Sun, and all Lords have battle modes, while many Supers can also transform. It makes me wonder just what makes Rulers, Lords, and Supers so different." Then again, he knew that already. Lords and Rulers weren't alone. They existed alongside someone else that was found within them... "So," he called out. "What are you doing here?"
"I already told you, teach-"
"Not you."
Purrfect cocked her head in confusion before she suddenly felt her body turn sluggish. It was almost as if everything was moving in slow motion. She stood up as fast as she could, but it was painfully slow, and she managed to turn her head, spotting that they weren't alone anymore. Someone else stood on the building with them. Lady Time always stood out like a sore thumb. She wore an elegant white dress with a skirt and a long cape. Her hair flowed down her back, and many golden pocket watches wrapped around her, one of which even formed an eyepatch. Thanks to a mix of the Victorian's golden light and Paragon's healing, she had basically been fully restored.
In her hand, she held her two swords. One able to slow things down, and the other able to speed things up. Her good eye stared down at Battery, who didn't seem to have been slowed down in the slightest. He stood up lazily, moving his arms back and forth as if he were getting ready for a fight. "What do you need?" He asked calmly. Despite that, his power flickered around him. Crackles of energy went from blue to black, switching back and forth so fast it caused her head to spin a bit as she tried to keep up with it. Off to the side, Purrfect looked slowly between Battery and Lady Time, her smile fading to a look of concern.
"You need to come with me." Lady Time stated.
"I'm not interested in sleeping with you if that's what this is about." Battery said, waving her off.
"W- Why would you think it had anything to do with that?" Lady Time asked, baffled.
"Aren't you, Mister Man, and the Victorian in some weird, kinky relationship?"
"Who the hell told you that?"
"Ocean Empress."
Lady Time stomped her foot down a bit and exhaled. "What I do is none of your business! You've been asked to go to the Enforcer tower in Rose City." She explained. "We're having a meeting. An Enforcer meeting."
"So, does this mean I made it on your little team?"
"That's what we're going to discuss."
Battery gave a slight nod and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then. Let's get this over with. Purrfect, don't get in the way of my Giants while I'm gone."
"Alrighty, Teacher!"
"I'm not your- Forget it. I don't care."
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Oleander near the Wastelands, where she had fought the Emperor in her battle, the Victorian let out a heavy sigh as her sword stabbed down into the ground.
Sweat dripped from her face, and her muscles ached. Her costume was torn, and she still hadn't gotten it fixed after her battle with the Beast. The world had been wondering where she had been for these past two months. All around her was destruction. She had torn the Wastelands to bits, shattering the ground and mountains around her, a river of blood staining the ground as thousands of the giant worms lay slain at her feet.
"It's still not enough." She angrily picked her golden sword up, staring at her dirty reflection in it. "I'm still not as strong as I need to be. As strong as I used to be. I just can't live up to him."
"Victorian..." A voice drew her gaze away, and she found a small drone floating next to her. One of Boy Genius's. His voice came out of it in a faint hum. "We're meeting at the tower."
"Understood." She wiped some of the sweat away and slowly floated into the air. Millions of craters scattered the field around her, going deep into the ground. "I'll be there soon."
"You should clean yourself up first," Boy Genius said. "We don't want the new members to get the wrong idea."
"Right." She looked back up at the sky. "And you still haven't found any traces of her?"
"No, ma'am."
"I see." Her sword quickly faded and vanished. "I know this can't be the ending. How much longer are you going to make us all wait, Hope Lauren?"