Connor Kent. White bodysuit stretched tight over corded muscle. Crimson S gleamed like a blade in the dim light. His posture was low, predatory, almost hunched, as if he was coiled to spring. Every line of his body screamed aggression. His eyes burned with controlled feral fury.
"You're not leaving with her," Connor growled, voice low, animalistic, trembling with restrained rage.
"We're not here to fight," Zane said calmly, keeping Serling behind him.
Artemis shot him a sharp glance. Don't escalate, her eyes said, but Zane knew they didn't have the luxury of retreat.
Connor lunged.
CRACK!
A chunk of wall exploded where his fist collided, concrete dust falling like rain. Zane rolled sideways instinctively, narrowly avoiding the full brunt of the blow. Serling stumbled back, pressing herself against a dented metal cart for support.
Artemis' heart raced.… shebhad seen metas before..and knew they were bad news.
Especially one that was out of control like this one seems to be, he was pure rage, a living weapon Cadmus had sharpened to lethal precision.
Zane's Chronos Seed flared inside him. He felt it coil and pulse, almost like a heartbeat in tune with his own. He willed the transformation into life.
Purple energy coiled beneath his skin, muscles elongating and shifting, sinew realigning into corded, optimized forms. Reflexes sharpened. Every tendon, every fiber felt like it was under absolute command. His body twisted into Echo Form—engineered for pure combat, survival, and domination.
Artemis' jaw dropped, staring at Zanes hulking figure in pure shock, "Zane… what… what is that?"
Serling gripped her clothes, eyes wide. "He's… he's not human anymore."
Connor didn't wait. He charged again.
WHOOSH!
Speed blurred Zane's figure as he dashed forward, leaving purple afterimages in the wet alley. He intercepted Connor mid-leap, twisting his opponent's momentum into a pillar of concrete. Sparks flew as their bodies collided, showering the surroundings with debris.
Artemis and Serling ducked instinctively. Artemis whispered under her breath, "I've never… I've never seen him move like that. What the hell is going on!?"
Serling's voice trembled, "And I… I've read about metas. But this, this doesnt make any sense...he didnt show any signs of it..."
CRASH!
Connor slammed his fist into the ground, shattering asphalt beneath him. Zane rolled with the force, letting his Echo Form soften the blow through muscle control, then countered with a strike to Connor's ribs that sent the half-kryptonian sliding back.
The alley became a battlefield. Trash cans were thrown aside, dumpsters dented, walls cracked. Neon lights shattered, rain splashing over twisted metal. Each strike reverberated like a cannon, every movement calculated.
Zane pivoted, driving Connor into a dumpster. Sparks flew from twisted metal, and the smell of scorched wiring filled the air. Artemis pressed herself against the side wall, awestruck. "He's… he's controlling the fight… not just surviving it," she whispered.
Serling nodded, wide-eyed. "Every muscle… he's… he's puppeteering himself."
She knew Zane wasnt a bad fighter in hand to hand, he could even beat her. But he clearly always relied on his weird sense to dodge and then attack.
He never showed suck skill before! He was like a whole new person!
Connor roared, lunging again with reckless ferocity. Zane let the first blow slide past, his body relaxing at the precise moment of impact, then tensing to redirect Connor's momentum into a nearby wall. Concrete shattered under the strike, sending dust and rubble across the alley.
Artemis' heart raced as she watched him move, the calculated grace of his Echo Form contrasted against Connor's wild, rage-driven swings. She almost couldn't breathe, caught between fear and awe.
BANG!
Connor's fist collided with a steel railing, bending it like tinfoil. Zane stepped into the next strike, absorbing part of the force with precise tension control, then delivered a knee into Connor's midsection, spinning him into a fire escape. The metal groaned under the weight.
Zane didn't pause. He was analyzing, adapting, calculating. Every movement from Connor—every twist, lunge, and charge—was met with a counter that used his opponent's momentum against him. He let muscle groups relax or contract in perfect timing, a living instrument of combat.
Artemis whispered, "He's… he's taking him apart without breaking a sweat."
Serling shivered, pressing herself behind a pile of debris. "I… I can't… I've never seen someone like this."
Connor's fury only intensified. He smashed a nearby lamppost aside and used the momentum to spring forward, hurling Zane into a parked car. The metal buckled under the impact, tires shredding. Zane absorbed some of the force, his body readjusting mid-roll, then snapped a kick to Connor's chest, sending him crashing into a concrete wall.
THUD!
The alley was unrecognizable. Neon signs shattered, bricks tumbled, sparks flew from every exposed wire. Rainwater steamed where it hit electrical sources.
Zane's movements became even more surgical. Each strike, each pivot, each block was calculated to redirect Connor's feral energy into the environment. Trash bins became shields, walls became leverage, debris became projectiles. He was no longer just surviving—he was dominating the fight, suppressing a half-kryptonian brute with sheer precision and skill.
Artemis' eyes widened. "He's… he's in complete control, dominating the fight."
She could help but think of that man she hated, how he always seems to dominate every time they fought in the past.
Serling couldn't tear her eyes away. "And… he's enjoying it. Somehow, he's enjoying it."
Connor roared again, swinging both fists wildly. Zane pivoted, letting the first swing slide through his guard, then struck the jaw and ribs in a seamless combination. Connor staggered back but wasn't down. The raw, feral strength still pushed him forward.
CRUNCH!
A building façade partially collapsed from the side impact, bricks raining down. Zane used the debris to vault, hitting Connor mid-charge with a spinning elbow. Sparks from crushed neon signs rained around them.
The fight spilled into the street. Cars were crushed, pavement cracked, streetlights toppled. Rain and debris mixed in a storm of chaos around Artemis and Serling. Artemis' mind raced. I've seen destruction before… but nothing like this. Not even the aftermath of Desmond's fight.
Serling whispered, voice shaking, "He's… he's leveling the entire street just to hold him off."
Zane gritted his teeth. 'Gotta finish this. Can't let him hurt them.He drove Connor into a demolished storefront, twisting the half-kryptonian's momentum to smash through reinforced glass and metal. Sparks flew, concrete cracked, and the structure groaned as if it might collapse entirely.
Connor recovered quickly, but Zane's body was faster, sharper. Muscle groups relaxed or tensed on instinct, letting him absorb impact, redirect force, and strike again in a controlled, precise sequence.
BOOM!
A parked van crumpled as Connor slammed into it, metal screaming. Zane used the impact to launch Connor into a series of collisions with street signs, lampposts, and abandoned cars. Each strike, each collision, each crash was orchestrated to minimize collateral damage to Artemis and Serling while maximizing suppression of Connor's rage.
Artemis stumbled back, breathing shallow, watching the chaos. "We should propably get out of here, before the league show up.
Serling's eyes were wide, fixed on Zane's glowing form. "I think your right....lets get going."
The two raccons voiced in agreement, clearly scared out of their minds at the chaos.
Connor lunged one last time, roaring with raw fury. Zane met him mid-air, letting the first wild strike pass through his softened muscle, then countering with a spinning strike to the head and ribs. Connor slammed into the pavement with a CRACK, rolling forward, dazed.
Zane stepped back, muscles relaxing as the Echo Form pulsed faintly. Around them, the street was unrecognizable: shattered concrete, twisted metal, shattered neon, overturned cars, and rain-soaked debris everywhere.
Zane exhaled slowly, scanning the alley and street. Connor was down… but not defeated. Feral rage still burned in his eyes. Purple energy coiled faintly around Zane as he muttered under his breath, "Yeah… that was just the warm-up."
The rain fell harder now, mixing with dust, sparks, and steam. Artemis and Serling already made it to the car. Ready to retreat.
...
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