The treacherous path set by the shop owner led Black not to the hoverbus, but to a desolate, sprawling plaza dominated by the ruins of an old, abandoned cathedral. The towering Gothic structure was the only thing intact in a landscape of crumbled ferroconcrete and dust.
Standing perfectly still beneath the cathedral's towering, broken rose window was Dante.
The most feared man in the world, the dictator of the Chronos Syndicate.
Dante was immaculate in his black, silver-trimmed robe, a stark contrast to the decay around them. His presence was not just physical; it was a crushing pressure that radiated outward, heavy and dreadful. The ambient noise of the city seemed to die in his presence.
"You are precisely where you belong, Black," Dante's voice was calm, yet resonated with lethal finality.
"My hunters were merely an invitation. I apologize for the rough handling, but I needed to gauge your potential before this... interview." Dante spoke, his voice smooth and deceptively calm.
Dante made no move to fight. He simply watched Black, who adjusted his stance, the tip of his Arcanatech spear glowing.
"There won't be an interview, only a reckoning," Black stated, his voice firm.
Dante smiled, a thin, almost mournful gesture. "Such predictable anger. Put the spear down. I am not here to fight you, not yet. I am here to offer you the ultimate position: My co-regent. My enforcer. My shield."
Dante took a slow step forward, the sound echoing in the desolate plaza. "I know my ways are tough. Some call them unethical, barbaric. But the world is already destroyed. Chaos reigns; it cannot get worse. Ruling with force, with absolute violence, is the only way to redeem it. Join me, Black. Your power is monumental; together, we can rebuild the he world in my image". Dante's eyes, devoid of warmth, fixed on Black. "Your so-called free will allowed this collapse. Humans had their chance, and they chose self-destruction, pollution, war, and greed. It couldn't get worse."
He gestured to the ruined city stretching into the smog-choked horizon. "I am the only one who cares about what little remains. I am going to save the world! My rule is the only way to safeguard the scraps. Join me, Black. I am offering you purpose."
Black gripped his spear, his stance firm. "The world is chaotic, yes. But I reject your offer, Dante. Even if the world is beyond self-saving, I won't fight for you or help you." Black's voice was laced with a quiet, fierce conviction. "You claim the world is beyond saving. You claim humans destroyed it. Perhaps. But since I awoke from my slumber, I've met people—my friends. They have shown me love and care; they have shown me loyalty and sacrifice. They are not perfect, but they strive to be better. I trust that there are more people like them. With time, the world would heal and become a better place. You are not a savior, Dante; you are just another tyrant afraid of giving control back to the people."
Dante's calm facade tightened, but he maintained control. "You speak of love and healing. Innocence," he scoffed. "Do you forget that the humans you claim can save the world are the very ones who destroyed it to begin with?" He took a slow step closer. "I lost people, Black. People I loved and cared about. And to avoid losing more, to avoid that crippling vulnerability, I killed every person I cared about, severing the bonds so I could be strong enough to save the world, So I wouldn't hesitate to do what is necessary to save the world."
The truth was a heavy, ugly thing. He leaned into Black's idealism. "I will make you seem like a god if you switch sides. And there is a matter of revenge. Someone took a heart from me, a crucial piece of technology, and you are the only chance I have of getting it back. Join me, and I will protect your friends. But," he paused, his gaze hardened, "I will kill the one with twin souls, He is a threat to the stability I intend to create. You join me, and your friends live. Refuse me, and they die. You all die. Help me secure the world, and I will spare your pack."
Black met his gaze, unflinching, his resolve was absolute. "There is nothing you can tell me, no promise or threat, that would make me join you." Black spoke of the truth he had witnessed. "Look at the hungry people in the streets. How has the Syndicate helped them? The diseased sectors, what aid have you sent? The scavengers who risk their lives for the city's growth are far better than you and your Syndicate combined. If you want me on your side, you would have to kill me first." If joining you is the price of life, I would rather be dead."
A chilling, short laugh escaped Dante. Then, instantaneously, his face radiated death and unbridled anger. The serene mask shattered.
"Then I will have to kill you so you can finally be on my side."
The pressure intensified, heavy and dreadful, bending the very air around them. Black adjusted his grip, ready to face the most feared man in the world. The air thickened, a heavy, dreadful pressure that made the stone beneath Black's feet groan. This was the pressure of the most feared man in the world.
The moment Dante moved, the battle began with an explosive sonic boom.
Dante was a whirlwind of controlled, brutal force. Black met him head-on, delivering a powerful knee strike that Dante deflected with an elbow block that sounded like a steel beam snapping. Black twisted away, bringing his spear up to parry a punch that carried the force of a wrecking ball, their fist met mid-air. Dante's fist against the shaft of Black's Arcanatech spear. The kinetic burst was deafening, a shockwave that shredded the remaining stained glass in the cathedral and cracked the colossal stone pillars around them.
Black's kinetic dash blurred the space between them, his spear driving for Dante's chest, but Dante met the blow with an open palm, deflecting the weapon with a resounding gong. Dante responded with a heavy, arcing kick that Black barely managed to intercept with his forearm. The force still sent him sliding dozens of feet across the stone floor, grinding a trench behind him.
They fought beyond mortal imagination. Black poured every ounce of his enhanced strength and speed into the attack. Their fists met in blurs, sending focused shockwaves across the plaza. The impact of their physical power caused the surrounding buildings to groan, crumble, and dissolve into dust with every punch and kick. Yet, the old, defiant cathedral stood strangely untouched amidst the chaos.
Black landed a desperate, kinetic blow. A short-range thrust of his spear handle that connected squarely with Dante's side. Dante staggered, coughing up blood. Black focused his power, utilizing his Space Warp ability not for travel, but for acceleration. He launched himself forward, delivering a devastating, full-power strike to Dante's jaw.
CRACK!
Dante stumbled back. He coughed violently, a spray of dark blood escaping his lips. He looked at the blood on his hand, then back at Black, and a wide, terrifying smile spread across his face.
"You're truly strong," Dante rasped, spitting the blood. "But not strong enough."
The tables instantly flipped. While Black had given his all, Dante had been holding back. Dante had been testing him. Before Dante's blood could even hit the ground, he closed the distance and barraged Black with focused punches, not just physical blows, but strikes layered with an overwhelming, dark energy. Black felt every single one. A final blow to the abdomen, he doubled over, the air exploding from his lungs, and was sent flying backward, slamming him against a thick wall. He slid down, coughing up large amounts of his own blood.
He knew he was outmatched. This was not just a fight; this was a moment to grow, to learn more, and to find the unpredictable edge needed to survive.He needed to up his game, to grow in real-time.
Dante advanced slowly, the ground cracking under his steps. He looked down at the battered hero. "Rethink your decision, Black, before I am forced to kill you entirely. It would be a lot of work for King to extract that power of yours if you are fully deceased. I don't want you dead."
Black forced himself to ask, voice ragged, "What power are you talking about?"
Dante ignored the question entirely. "Surrender."
Black spat blood onto the pavement, shook his head, spitting a mouthful of blood. Rejection.
Dante, furious, lunged for the killing strike. Black, adrenaline and survival instinct overriding his pain, shifted instantly into a defensive position. He was blocking and dodging, his movements fueled by the need for immediate, accelerated growth. He learned and adapted, predicting Dante's patterns, but it wasn't enough; Dante's sheer power still landed crushing blows. Black was growing in skill and strength mid-fight, but the gap remained vast.
Black spun, ducking under a wide, sweeping arm, only to lose his footing on the pulverized stone. Dante seized the opportunity, landing a heavy, final blow that sent Black tumbling away, his vision tunneling to a pinpric
Dante walked toward the almost unconscious Black, his voice a low, regretful monologue. "The things we could have done. The world we could have saved... together. Unfortunately, I have to end this."
Just as Dante took the last step, a sudden, unnatural cold wind whipped through the plaza. A figure materialized instantly between them: the small, ethereal form of Anthrea, She looked up at Dante, Anthrea did not flinch. She simply raised one small hand and placed a single finger on Dante's chest. The effect was immediate and catastrophic. Dante was swept away tumbling, stumbling, and flipping backward through the air for hundreds of yards, slamming into the remaining shell of a nearby building which collapsed entirely under the impact.
Anthrea lifted the unconscious Black with a gentle telekinetic pull and vanished in a silent whirlwind, leaving only the scent of ozone and dust.
Dante crawled out of the massive pile of rubble, coughing up blood, his face a mask of primal fury. He had lost Black. A hole the size of a finger was bored clean through his chest, exiting his back. His double Arcanatech heart could be briefly glimpsed, pulsing violently in the exposed cavity, protected but exposed, confirming that even the mighty Dante was not immune to the power of pure chaos.
"NO!" Dante roared, a sound of absolute defeat and rage echoing through the ruins of the shattered world he desperately tried to control.....