Chapter 238 – Floor 42: Part 5

  Lumina watched the fight between Mathew and Mercy with terror and awe from down the street of the construction site while Blitz and Gale recovered enough to stand next to her. Their costumes were ragged and blood-covered, showing lingering evidence of their rough treatment at the hands of the Villains despite their injuries gradually disappearing.

  They had barely left the building when the ground shook, and the ceiling began to collapse behind them. A cloud of dust billowed into the air, obscuring the structure from sight as they fled to safety.

  But it hadn’t been long before the dust cleared, replaced with great plumes of fire from explosions. The construction site was obliterated nearly instantly as multicoloured energies clashed. Pillars of light shot into the sky, the pavement in the streets cracked, and people all around began to flee.

  The initial clash that had levelled the structure holding them intensified into a conflict beyond anything Lumina had ever seen. It was a breathtaking storm of colour as blinding, incandescent light erupted from the concrete and steel ruins. Mana collided in mid-air above the site in a volatile explosion of blue and crimson.

  The energy crackled and pulsed, twisting in jagged arcs before forming a massive vortex of swirling magic. Bolts of lightning, tinged in silver and violet, lashed out wildly in every direction. They scorched the ground and shattered the windows of the surrounding buildings as they gouged their way through their exteriors.

  The air around Lumina warped and trembled, and even from her current distance, she could feel it become thick with a tangible pressure that made it hard to breathe. Each wave of force sent shockwaves through the area, causing the ground to rumble and cracks to spread across the pavement.

  Within this maelstrom, radiant shards of energy erupted in every direction, piercing the air like shards of glass and dissipating into trails of light. The sky above had darkened to a foreboding purple, casting a shadow over the entire city as the clash within the ruins reached a fever pitch.

  Lumina knew that this fight was drawing attention, and the Hero League would be sending Blaze and most of the other Class ‘A’ Heroes to assist. But after seeing what Mathew was capable of, she didn’t think any of them stood a chance of surviving if they got involved.

  If Mercy was strong enough for Mathew to unleash more power than Lumina had ever thought possible for a single person to be capable of, what could Blaze do? She had seen Blaze fight, and a single one of the fiery pillars that were currently touching the clouds above them would have been more than the Class ‘S’ could handle.

  A violent explosion rocked the vortex in front of her, and a fresh cloud of dust, debris and smoke rose to block her sight. The clashing energies died down for a moment, with the crimson light overcoming all the other colours to dominate her vision.

  “Mathew.” She whispered, thinking that her friend had lost or was in trouble when a terrifying roar sounded out. Bestial and monstrous, it drowned out the sound of destruction, and Lumina unconsciously took a step back and cowered behind the car she was using to protect herself from the wind the battle was creating.

  As Lumina watched, a dragon-like creature burst upward from the smoke and dust, slicing through the thick haze with terrifying speed and leaving a trail of debris behind it. Its lean, muscular body gleamed a dark reddish brown in the light.

  Its vast, leathery wings unfurled to stretch across the sky to hold itself aloft. Sharp, talon-tipped legs were tucked close to its body while a long, spiked tail whipped through the air below it.

  Standing on top of the creature was Mathew, his clothes ragged and ruined. He was covered in wounds, and Lumina saw that he was breathing heavily. As strange as it was to see him riding a giant, flying lizard monster, it was what Mathew was holding in his right hand that drew her attention.

  He was holding a sword, a strange weapon that was as long as he was tall, with a broad blade that was rusty and old, a flat end that lacked a point. Of all the oddities Lumina had seen while being around Mathew, this was the weirdest.

  She was about to call out to him or use her powers to draw his attention when something else emerged from the dust of the former construction site. Lumina’s mouth closed so quickly that she nearly bit her tongue, and her every instinct screamed at her to run away as quickly as possible.

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  A demon rose from the remains of the construction site. Noiselessly, like a shadow-given shape, its dark form expanded. It emerged slowly, pushing aside the debris and broken beams as though they weighed nothing. Each of its movements exuded a terrible, supernatural strength as it grew in height.

  Its skin was a deep, smouldering black that was shot through with veins of molten red that pulsed like lava and cast a glow on the wreckage around it. Thick, twisted horns jutted from its skull, curling upward and back like a crown. Its eyes burned bright orange as it scanned its surroundings with malevolence.

  As it straightened to its full height, ash and dust cascaded from its massive shoulders, and the remnants of the building it had destroyed fell away to reveal its immense, muscular and feminine frame. Wicked claws extended from its hands, and its mouth opened slightly to reveal rows of jagged, serrated teeth.

  With a slow, rumbling breath, it drew in the smoke, dust and burning embers before letting out a scream filled with rage, malice and a primal need for violence. Lumina covered her ears with her hands and trembled in fear at the sound.

  “Mathew…” The demon growled as its scream died off. Lumina shuddered as she recognized that voice. It was from the young woman, Mercy. What had happened in her fight with Mathew that she could turn into a monster?

  Lumina was seeing something that wasn’t normal. That Mercy possessed abilities beyond what a Villain should be capable of. Her eyes looked away from the demon to find Mathew staring down from atop the flying creature he had summoned.

  Would Mathew be able to stop her?

  She had seen Mathew do things that a Hero, even an ‘S’ Class like Blaze, shouldn’t be capable of. He pulled objects out of thin air, captured Villains or stopped them in their tracks with a single word. He could even blot the sun out of the sky.

  But Lumina couldn’t help but doubt he was capable of stopping a demon. Even now, he looked like he was running on fumes. He was out of breath, covered in blood and wasn’t exactly ‘Heroic.’ Meanwhile, the demon that Mercy had become was unharmed and still eager for blood.

  Just as the battle between Mathew and Mercy was about to begin again, a sudden, searing pillar of light descended onto the street next to Lumina and flooded the street with an intense, golden glow. The air rippled with heat as flames spiralled down in a controlled whirlwind that parted the smoke and dust around them.

  A figure emerged from within the blazing vortex, descending from the sky with fiery wings that unfurled to reveal a scarlet and gold costume and bright red hair. This radiant, powerful presence commanded everyone’s attention and was regarded by the city as one of the strongest Heroes in America.

  Blaze had arrived.

  The temperature increased as Blaze touched down on the street next to Lumina. His heroic silhouette was framed by crackling flames that danced along his uniform, enhancing the effect. His expression was calm and confident, and, at that moment, he looked every bit like the legendary Hero everyone knew him to be.

  He radiated power and an unshakable resolve as he assessed the situation. Lumina could see that other Heroes were arriving but were keeping their distance for the moment. She was sure that recordings of Blaze were being shown on every television and cell phone in the city.

  Blaze took a step forward, the flames around him rising in a brilliant arc. Lumina noticed that he made sure to keep his body slightly turned so that anyone spectating could see his ‘good side.’

  “I am Blaze, Class ‘S’ Hero and the scourge of every Villain who’s dared cross my path! You and your so-called ‘League of Villains’ have been lucky so far, hiding in the shadows and building your reputation on the fear of others. But now you face a real force, a fire that will burn every last trace of your existence from this world!” Blaze declared with his fist clenched in front of him.

  “Blaze, wait-” Lumina tried to intervene, but Blaze was still caught up in his speech. Mathew turned his attention away from Mercy to look at the fiery Hero down below. After a moment, Mercy did the same. A devious smile drew up the corner of her lips and revealed her sharp teeth while her eyes filled with amusement at the grandiose statement.

  “I will give you a single opportunity to surrender! Cease this rampage and return to your normal form before I force you to submit! Justice demands that you pay for the harm you have done!” Blaze finished. The fire around him flared in intensity as he did so.

  It quickly faded as the demonic Mercy flicked her finger casually toward the Class ‘S’ Hero. It seemed as if Blaze would speak to continue his demands for her surrender when he paused. His eyes bulged in his head, and the veins on his face and neck protruded.

  The bright red and orange fire around him darkened and faded, snuffing out like a candle without oxygen. He let out a small gasp, half choke and half sob, before stumbling forward. Lumina watched as a black mist curled around him for a moment, swirling close to his body.

  He seemed to deflate as the black energy touched him. The moisture in his body was drawn out in an instant; bright red blood joined with the black mist to form a cloud. Blaze turned from a vibrant and healthy man into a corpse, one dry and desiccated, in an instant.

  When his body hit the ground, it crumbled to dust and blew away.

  The cloud of blood and black energy churned and swirled, squeezing and compressing until only a single drop of concentrated liquid remained, hovering above the street. With another flick of her clawed finger, the demonic Mercy directed the drop of blood toward her.

  Opening her mouth, the blood fell onto her tongue. Smiling, Mercy purred with delight at tasting the treat.

  “These Locals, Mathew. At least they are good for something.”