-Eight Years Post Saturation Completion. CONT -
TTTSSSST ZAPPPPPP
One of the Pro-Rankers had thought my guard was down while monologuing and decided to take a potshot at me, only for it to miss miserably and shoot out into the crowd, instantly evaporating a cluster of innocent people.
"Hehh, seeee…this is the proooblem with you bastards claiming to be heroes, always soooo fassst to lash out and cause Cooolateral damage." Waving my hand in a gesturing motion to the large gooey puddle of flesh chunks and blood that used to be around 30 people before the lightning attack struck, I continued my damning speech.
"Heroes, you are not, vermin you indeed are, plotting, scheming, betraying, thieving, these are alllll tasks you trashy "Heroes" have used to satiate your greed for power." With an imperceivable flick of my wrist, several palm-sized daggers erupted from my gauntlets.
Then, with an exaggerated slashing movement, multiple streaks of icy blue darted toward the remaining five targets.
SQUELCH
SQUELCH,
SQUELCH,
SQUELCH,
SQUELCH
All five found their mark before anyone could blink.
Five sickening sounds echoed through the loudspeakers as my daggers buried their way through the heads of my enemies, followed by another five thudding sounds as their corpses crashed onto the raised platform.
'Targets down, all 12 have been eliminated; Brenden, think about those present who are the worst of the worst. Don't worry about verbalizing your thoughts; I will pick them up with my Talent and move to kill them before making my escape.'
In the time it took for them to hit the ground, I sent a mental transmission to my Brother, who, even if he was surprised by how far my Talent had come, didn't show it and instead listed out another eight corrupted officials at the top of the USA-HA.
The Following few minutes were filled with chaos. With the combination of bodies dropping, talents firing off, and the mass exodus created by the crowd, the situation was rapidly getting out of my control.
And the remaining Pro-Rankers, who were already a massive thorn in my side, threw caution to the wind and, giving zero regard to the safety of the Citizens whom they had sworn to protect, began using the full extent of their strength in an attempt to take me out.
"Give it up, Xipher, you have lost. Although you have thinned our numbers to a mere 38, we are still leagues above you and that strange Talent of yours." A behemoth of a man named Sunder stated matter of factly.
And to some extent, he wasn't incorrect. I was cutting a sorry image at present; my armor had all but been eviscerated, my mask was cracked, revealing a portion of my face, and my hair was a bloody mess.
If I hadn't had the foresight to use my augmentation aura to restrain my flowing blood and mask my physical features, it wouldn't have been all that surprising if, after today, my true identity was revealed, considering DNA sequencing technology and all that jazz.
Panting heavily, I pushed one of the many buttons on what remained of my gauntlets, triggering a needle to puncture the veins on my forearms and inject a cocktail of Particles and Health potions into my bloodstream in an attempt to curb the effects of battle.
"Huff…huff…you know something, it's kind of humorous, hah," somehow managing to speak and even chuckle as I gasped for breath; my words earned frowns from all the Pro-Rankers.
"And what would that be?" Sunder retorted as he readied himself to attack; it didn't take a genius to realize I was stalling for time so that the effects of the potions I had injected could run their course.
"You claim me…huff…to be the Villain here, but look around you. While my huff…attacks…huff…were singularly targeting you bastards, yours freely flew in every direction." Straightening my back and taking a fighting stance, I continued my words, causing realization to plaster the faces of everyone present.
"The City…huff…is in shambles, the very people you once had cheering for you lay in puddles of blood, and visceral fluids smattering everything for blocks, YET I Am the bad guy. My goal today was to show the world how CORRUPT and MEANINGLESS your existence is to the general masses."
"Hehehe…and I have done a damn good job in doing so."
'Take care, little brother, little sister, I leave things in your hands.' Sending one last telepathic thought to Brenden and Emilia, I exploded in Icy Blue Light as I pushed my augmentation to its full extent, startling all the heroes present.
It was time to show the world that I was supreme, that I was not only the strongest Villain but also the strongest RANKER, and to do that, I needed to make a statement, one that would be remembered for decades.
So I did; using my Talent, I spoke a single word, one which shook the core of all those watching, be it in person or on a screen.
"KNEEL!"
BOOM!!!
The singular word was filled with primal energy, that of a superior existence. A command that couldn't be ignored or fought against, and the result was every ranker, including Brenden and Emilia, who, although not under the influence, played their role perfectly, dropping down to a single knee and bowing their heads in reverence to me.
I knew time was of the essence, and since I had taken care of the most corrupt individuals the USA-HA had to offer, my job was done.
To make matters worse, it wouldn't take long for more Pro-Rankers playing the role of reinforcements to arrive, so it was time for me to leave.
I won't bore you with the details of my escape because, honestly, things went way too perfectly. Using the intricate underground sewer and tunnel systems, I was uninhibited in my escape, and even if I was severely wounded and not in fighting shape any longer, I fled with ease.
Yet in my wake, I left a startling image, the image of the United States Heroes Association's strongest fighters kneeling before a Villain, and that image would remain in the minds of everyone for the rest of their lives…even if it would fall to the wayside thanks to a MASSIVE event that occurred not even six months later.