Folorunsho huffed as he finally arrived at the 75th floor. The staircase was littered with the unconscious bodies of the Ebon Shroud. His ascent was difficult due to their numbers. Fortunately, he had not run into that one Shroud member who had beaten him the other time. With his strength slightly regained, Folorunsho opened the entrance and walked onto the floor.
The entire floor was empty aside from a few columns holding up the floor above. The orange light of the sunset bled into the room, illuminating the bomb at the end of the room and the man who stood before it. Umbra's face was hidden behind the identifying black hood and a pair of tinted sunglasses. Hanging from his waist was a scabbard with its edges lined with steel.
"I have been expecting you," Umbra said as Folorunsho drew closer to him. "Mind if we share a word first, before anything else?"
Folorunsho took a glance at the timer on the bomb. There were 15 minutes left on it.
"Sure," He shrugged.
Umbra gestured for Folorunsho to come with him. The two approached the window and looked down at Shandel. Several police vehicles surrounded the building both on the ground and in the sky. A small crowd had gathered behind a barricade set up by the police, with several people trying to get a glimpse of what was going on in the building. One young girl began pointing up at the two, prompting others to start taking pictures of them.
"You're probably wondering why we're doing this," Umbra began.
"Not really," Folorunsho replied.
"It is for those below us," The hooded figure continued. "The people of Pedtro, cursed to look to the skies, unable to do anything but pray to withstand the storm to come,"
Umbra turned to face Folorunsho.
"Does it not bother you that the trust of billions of people is being betrayed by those they have vested power in?" He asked. "You saw it in Meiden. Compared to its 'leader', the city, her people, her children! They have all been left to starve while one man builds his wealth on a mountain of corpses!"
The hooded man stretched out a hand.
"You seem to be a reasonable person, Folorunsho, and I do not wish to fight you. This does not have to happen. You can come under the shroud and help me rid this planet of all of its scum, starting here,"
Folorunsho stood there in silence. A small smile began to crack on his face as he tried to stifle a giggle. He inevitably let loose a loud laughter that echoed throughout the 75th floor. His laugh went on for a while until he was almost rolling on the ground and wheezing for breath.
"Oh my god!" He gasped. "That was hilarious!"
After catching his breath, Folorunsho regained his composure and got back on his feet. He looked at Umbra with a wide smile on his face.
"You clearly have me mixed up with someone else because you are under the impression that I give a fuck,"
"There are only two things that I care about on this planet, and one feeds into the other," Folorunsho raised a finger. "The first is money. If you had offered me a sizeable amount of it instead of pandering to my humanity, I would've definitely considered your offer. That is if it didn't put the second thing I care about at risk,"
He raised a second finger.
"Myself," He said. "I earn money for myself, I fight for myself, I kill for myself and I sure as hell live for myself. Even if you had offered me all the money on this god-forsaken rock you love so much, I still would have said no because your deal definitely didn't come with an escape for the building when it goes sky high. So, nice speech and all, but I'm going to need you to draw that sword and fight me,"
Umbra stood there in silence. Despite all his hoping and wanting, he knew it would come to this. He should have not expected a freelancer to serve any other master besides money or himself. Even Adira was the same, only having joined the Ebon Shroud for the sake of proving his Revel Art, despite being paid a hefty sum in addition. Umbra reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device.
"This remote can be used to disarm the bombs in the Helix Centre," He said. "That is the easiest way to take out the bomb,"
Umbra proceeded to crush the device in his hand. He threw the mangled pieces of the remote to the ground.
"This will not be an easy fight,"
The hooded man took his scabbard off his waist and unsheathed his blade. However, the was no blade to be unsheathed. All Umbra's hand was a black ornate handle. Folorunsho watched as a blue ball of energy ignited in his chest. Revel flowed from the ball down to his arms and into the hilt. A burst of blue energy began to pour out from the hilt. The energy continued spilling out until it moulded itself in the shape of a blade. Umbra swung the blade, causing it to sing as it heated the air it cut through. The man took a high stance, beckoning for Folorunsho to come forth.
Folorunsho took a stance of his own, his legs widened and his arms raised. His Revel enveloped him like a faint blue fire as he reinforced his body with the energy of the universe. The bomb had 12 minutes left on it. Even though he felt there was more than enough time to defeat Umbra and deactivate the bomb, it did not mean that the fight was going to be an easy one. He smiled in assurance, or was it overconfidence? whichever was the case, he was not about to lose here.
"Let's dance," Folorunsho smiled. He charged at Umbra, his fists brimming with the power of Revel.