Ten Minutes Ago
Laughter echoed through the darkness.
Usak, the ancient, lowered his head to watch the two tentacles piercing through his body. It felt as if every ounce of his essence was being siphoned away, flowing steadily into Ophelia. Each pulse sent a wave of energy through him, fading away as it merged with her.
"Forgive me, Usak," Ophelia said, her voice laced with a touch of regret. "Absorbing Kasim's power isn't enough. I'm so close to perfection, but the humans might catch up at any moment. We don't have time to waste."
"I understand, Lady Ophelia," he replied softly.
A ghost of a smile appeared on Usak's lifeless face, a faint glimmer of hope in the midst of despair.
"I've always been a disappointment, I know," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm too weak to be of any use. But let me at least be your strength, just this once."
Ophelia said nothing, but her gaze softened, a flicker of something—was it appreciation?—crossing her features.
---
Ten Minutes Later
BOOM!
The ground erupted as if it had detonated from within, sending a shockwave through the air. Dust and debris soared skyward, swirling in a chaotic whirlwind. The team watched in disbelief as Usak's massive form, once towering over them, vanished.
It wasn't a gradual disintegration, nor did he crumble into dust as ancients typically did. Instead, he simply ceased to exist, as if someone had switched off a video feed.
An illusion.
"Impossible," Agent Duan exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. "It had a physical presence! How can this be…?"
A chilling laugh echoed from the empty space where Usak had just stood.
"Because I have transcended Usak, mere human. I have inherited his power, yet it is now far greater than his own. My illusions are perfected and indistinguishable from reality."
From the void, Ophelia materialized, stepping into the light, her form shimmering as if she were both there and not there. She surveyed the team, her expression one of contempt mixed with amusement.
"Earlier, when I let you track me by sound, it was merely a test—an experiment to see if I could manipulate your senses. I allowed you to hear me because I wanted you to."
Leila, hovering mid-air, halted her advance, her eyes narrowing at Ophelia. "So, it was all an illusion? And poor Usak… he's really gone?"
"Yes, he was merely a pawn in my game," Ophelia replied, a light smile gracing her lips. "I was simply experimenting with my new power, familiarizing myself with its potential. Usak ceased to exist the moment you detected my presence."
"You devoured him and Kasim," Leila stated, her tone flat. "You absorbed their power to accelerate your own evolution."
"Indeed," Ophelia replied, her smile widening as she felt her strength surge. "Thanks to their sacrifices, I am complete now."
As she spoke, her presence seemed to swell, radiating a heavy weight that pressed down on the air around them. Each team member felt it—a suffocating pressure that made breathing feel like a laborious task.
"You've done it," Leila acknowledged quietly, her voice steady. "But tell me—do you truly feel whole? Have you found what was missing? Is it… the soul?"
Ophelia's smile faltered, her demeanor growing colder.
"That's of no consequence," she said sharply, her voice like ice. The weight of her power intensified, making it hard for everyone to stand upright. "I am immortal. I will have plenty of time to ponder such trivialities later. But you? Your time is running out."
Without waiting for a response, Leila shot forward, her fiery wings flaring as she aimed a blazing assault directly at Ophelia. Flames erupted around her, bright and fierce, like arrows racing through the air.
Ophelia remained unmoved, a slight chuckle escaping her lips as she stood her ground. As the fire drew near, an invisible barrier emerged, halting the flames just short of her. Tis shield material flowed from her form, enveloping her like a protective cocoon.
When Leila's flames collided with the transparent barrier, they extinguished, leaving no trace of their destructive power. The force of the attack reverberated back, causing Leila to stagger slightly.
The rest of the team looked on in horror.
Leila's flame control had been tested extensively at the madhouse, her power likened to that of an ancient beast. They knew how destructive she could be, how easily she could lay waste to everything in her path. But here she was, striking against a foe whose defenses swallowed her might without flinching.
What was more shocking was the fact that Ophelia stood in human form, yet her defenses seemed impenetrable.
Duan, astonished, muttered, "Is this the complete ancient?"
They had heard whispers from Leila about the vast differences between incomplete and complete forms of ancients, but nothing could compare to witnessing it firsthand.
Before anyone could react further, the ground beneath Ophelia melted, and a towering pillar of flame erupted from where she stood, engulfing her in a column of fire.
But when the flames cleared, she remained untouched, encased within a shimmering, egg-like shield, her defenses intact.
Slowly, Ophelia raised her hand, fingers splayed as she aimed in Leila's direction.
In an instant, Leila felt an invisible force wrap around her, tightening like a vice.
It was the wind.
A powerful gust caught her mid-flight, seizing her in place as if being held by invisible chains.
Struggling against the grip, Leila felt the air pressing down on her wings, locking them in place. No matter how she pushed, the force was relentless, dragging her down toward the ground.
With a sudden, violent pull, she was yanked from the sky, crashing into the earth with a bone-jarring thud.
"It's ironic," Ophelia said, strolling forward, her tone oddly reflective. "In the end, it's just you and me. You've always been headstrong, never willing to bend. Your strength has always impressed me, but your overthinking has led you astray."
Leila gritted her teeth, refusing to yield. Despite the chains of air binding her, she could feel her power rising, the temperature around her skyrocketing as the ground beneath her began to melt from her heat.
"It's a shame we didn't get to fight side by side. But… huh?"
A sudden sound broke the tension—a thumping beat, a catchy pop tune blaring from the nearby fighter jet.
Everyone froze, their attention pulled toward the jet that had crashed not far away. Someone had hijacked its speaker system, blasting pop music across the battlefield.
BOOM!
The moment Ophelia turned her head, distracted, missiles screamed down from the sky, landing directly where she stood.
A red and gold blur cut through the smoke, streaking downward like a comet.
"Hey, did anyone miss me?"
Iron Man swooped in, ready to turn the tide.