I lunged at Desmond, twisting my body to avoid another one of his devastating punches. He was fast—too fast—but I wasn't about to let him overpower me. I focused all my energy into my next move, ducking low before driving my knee into his gut.
He grunted, stumbling back slightly, but the impact barely fazed him.
"Tch." Desmond wiped his mouth, cracking his neck. "Not bad. But I hope that's not all you've got."
I clenched my fists, my breathing heavy. I wasn't expecting him to go down easy, but damn—he was like a tank. My ribs ached from his earlier hit, and I knew I couldn't take too many more blows like that.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Kaito still struggling with Catalina. She was relentless, using her incredible speed to keep him from getting the key. She moved like a blur, dodging every one of his attacks while taunting him with a smirk.
We were running out of time.
I forced my focus back on Desmond just in time to see him charging at me again. I barely managed to dodge his next attack, rolling to the side as his fist slammed into the floor, cracking it.
He's strong, but he's reckless, I realized. If I can just use that against him…
I needed to end this fight—fast.
With a deep breath, I activated my ability, feeling the familiar surge of power course through me. My control over velocity wasn't just for slowing things down—it worked both ways.
I could speed things up, too.
Desmond came at me again, but this time, I was ready.
I threw myself forward, using my ability to accelerate my movement. In an instant, I closed the gap between us, catching him off guard. Before he could react, I twisted around him, landing a powerful kick to the back of his knee.
He faltered.
That was my chance.
I didn't hesitate. I focused all my energy into my next attack, grabbing his wrist and using my ability to increase the force behind my movements. In one swift motion, I twisted his arm and slammed him onto the ground with all my strength.
The impact sent a shockwave through the room.
Desmond let out a sharp gasp, the wind knocked out of him.
I stepped back, panting. "Stay down."
But of course, he didn't.
With a groan, he pushed himself up, his eyes burning with fury.
"You little—"
A gunshot rang through the air.
Everyone froze.
I turned my head just in time to see Catalina staggering backward, a shocked expression on her face. Blood seeped from her shoulder.
Kaito stood a few feet away, his gun still aimed at her. His breathing was ragged, his hands steady.
Catalina let out a bitter chuckle. "Damn… didn't think you had it in you."
She dropped the key.
Kaito didn't waste a second. He lunged forward, grabbing it before she could even think of snatching it back.
"We got it!" Kaito shouted.
I didn't even have time to process the relief before Desmond roared in frustration. "No! You bastards—"
I didn't let him finish. With my last bit of strength, I slammed my fist into his face, sending him sprawling onto the floor, unconscious.
It was over.
We had won.
Or so I thought.
Because that's when the alarms blared.
And a countdown began.
00:59… 00:58… 00:57…
The missile was still going to launch.
And we only had one minute to stop it.
---
The alarms blared like a death sentence, the red emergency lights flashing in sync with the countdown.
00:56… 00:55… 00:54…
My breath hitched.
We had the key. We had won. So why was the missile still about to launch?
Kaito frantically ran to the control panel, his fingers flying over the buttons. "There has to be a failsafe! A manual override—something!"
"We don't have time!" Bellarose shouted.
Then, in the midst of all the chaos…
I noticed something.
Someone was missing.
My blood ran cold.
No way.
I turned sharply, scanning the battlefield. Desmond was out cold. Catalina was barely staying conscious. Kaito, Bellarose, and Heesung were still fighting to stop the launch.
And then…
There.
A shadow moved in the distance.
The hooded man.
He was standing at the edge of the wreckage, completely untouched by the destruction around us. His posture was relaxed, hands tucked into his pockets as if he had been watching a show.
And the worst part?
I had no idea when he left.
I had no idea when he came back.
Like he had never been here at all.
I swallowed hard, every nerve in my body screaming at me.
He noticed me looking and smirked.
"You're quick," he mused. "Took you a little longer than I expected, though."
My fists clenched.
It all made sense now.
One of his abilities. He could disappear—not just physically, but from memory.
He had been here. The whole time.
Watching.
Waiting.
And when things started to spiral out of control, he had decided to step in.
I forced myself to breathe, my muscles coiled tight. I can't afford to fight him right now. We have less than a minute.
But I knew—he wasn't going to let me walk away.
My grip on my power tightened. I didn't know if I could handle another fight, but I had to try.
He must've seen the determination in my eyes because he tilted his head, amused. "Oh? You're still willing to fight?"
I didn't answer.
I attacked.
I lunged at him, fire erupting from my hands, but he was faster. He sidestepped easily, moving like a phantom. Before I could react, a sharp force slammed into my stomach, sending me skidding back.
The wind was knocked out of me.
He didn't give me a second to recover.
Another blow.
Another hit.
I barely dodged, barely kept up.
I was losing.
Badly.
00:40… 00:39…
I gasped, blood trickling from my lip.
He sighed, shaking his head. "Pathetic. And here I thought you'd be more of a challenge."
I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to stand.
Then—
"Permission granted."
Sora's voice echoed through my communicator.
My eyes widened.
They were allowing me full access to my abilities.
Even the ones I wasn't supposed to use.
Power surged through me, heat crackling at my fingertips. But it wasn't just fire.
A sharp blue glow flickered in my hands.
The ability I had kept hidden. The one I trained in secret when no one was looking.
A beam of pure heat, hotter than anything I had ever created before.
His smirk faltered—just slightly.
"Well, well," he murmured. "That's new."
I didn't give him a chance to recover.
I attacked.
But before I could land the final hit—
He lifted a hand.
"Wait."
I hesitated, my breathing ragged.
"I'll make you a deal," he said smoothly. His voice was calm, like he already knew the outcome.
"If you can defeat me before the timer runs out…" His eyes gleamed. "I'll help you stop the missile."
He paused, his smirk deepening.
"And for the cherry on top… maybe I'll tell you who I am."
00:25… 00:24…
I exhaled sharply.
There wasn't time to hesitate.
I locked eyes with him, my flames burning hotter than ever.
"Deal."
And then, I launched forward, putting everything I had left into this final fight.