Crowds packed the streets around the skyscraper, shouting and pointing upward as fragments of concrete occasionally crumbled loose. Each falling chunk was obliterated midair by the surrounding heroes before it could hit the ground.
None of them knew that inside, General Titan was drenched in sweat, trading blows with a man whose back had sprouted writhing tentacles and whose torso was now coated in reptilian scales.
Like so many others, the man had fallen victim to Ability Loss of Control. The Federation still had no solid explanation for what triggered it; all they knew was that once someone's ability spiraled out of control, their body slowly transformed—until they became a monster.
Outside, Shinobi and Allen observed the building.
"How much longer is Titan going to take?"
Allen was wearing a compact blue combat suit reinforced with plates of silver armor along key areas. A simple mask covered only the region around his eyes and temples.
The Federation hadn't assigned him a hero name yet, though Allen hardly cared. Even so, he preferred relying on his Knight Styles. He simply had no intention of revealing all his trump cards to the Federation—not yet.
"Allen wants to know if everyone has been evacuated," Shinobi relayed mechanically.
"Should I go help him?"
Shinobi shot Allen a sidelong glance.
"You're still in your trial period. Sending you into a fight against a Lost-Control case would be reckless. Not to mention the sanctions the team would receive if the Federation found out."
Allen sighed and nodded, though inwardly Shinobi felt a wave of relief.
Truthfully, Allen had never planned to join any hero team—but Shinobi and Titan believed they'd managed to persuade him. In reality, Allen simply wanted information about the Federation. Joining a team or not was irrelevant.
"How much time do we have?" Shinobi asked a nearby officer.
"Under five minutes, Shinobi. If General Titan doesn't subdue the Lost-Control case, we'll have to bring the building down."
Shinobi clenched his fists. If a single minute remained, he'd be forced to send Allen inside—even though he wanted to reserve Allen's strength for dealing with monsters.
He scanned the area, suddenly noticing something off. Approaching two heroes, he asked:
"Where's the rookie?"
"S-sorry, Chief Shinobi! As soon as we told the newbie someone hadn't evacuated, he rushed straight into the building!"
Shinobi couldn't form words. Had he not known Allen's true strength, he would have already assumed him dead. Looking up, he caught sight of Allen kicking the doors inward with explosive force.
---
Inside, Allen needed only a single kick to shatter the metal restraints of the doorway, splintering half the frame.
In his right hand, he held a green gemstone emitting a soft, verdant glow. Within seconds, a gentle cyclone of wind formed around him, and he vanished from the entrance.
Everything happened at extreme speed—from reaching the 24th floor and lifting a civilian into his arms to arriving at the 59th, where Titan and the Lost-Control case were battling.
Once he halted, Allen looked down to see the person he'd rescued was an unconscious woman. He gently propped her against the wall, then turned a steely gaze toward the creature.
"What the hell are you doing here, Alle—?!"
Before Titan could finish, a tentacle slammed into him, hurling him straight through the window in a shower of glass.
The Lost-Control case's face no longer resembled anything human: its mouth split like a crab's, its scaled skin glistened sickeningly. Allen felt a wave of nausea rise in his throat.
"I dislike raising a hand against a human… or what used to be one. But there are things I will not forgive."
Allen summoned the Staff and held the Emotion Prism in his left hand, a red stone in the right.
"Style Change."
The prism absorbed the ruby, and as Allen fitted it into the staff, flames engulfed his body. When they died down, he stood clad in the crimson suit.
"Passion Knight Style."
The creature lashed a tentacle at him, but before it could touch him, the limb ignited—its charred stench flooding the room.
"Weapon of Fiery Passion."
The staff in Allen's right hand burst into flame and reshaped itself into a massive double-headed axe.
"In your next life, remember a knight's code: one must never harm a lady."
Raising the blazing axe overhead, Allen stared at the creature writhing from the unbearable heat.
"Minor Star Burning Slash."
He cut downward in a vertical arc, then followed with a horizontal strike—each slash releasing a scorching wave that tore clean through the floor structure.
When he finished, Allen panted, the red armor dissolving into white. He let the axe fall back into staff form and braced himself on his knees.
"I still can't maintain it continuously… but the Knight Style is more than enough to get her out safely."
The building shuddered violently; Allen staggered, nearly losing his footing.
He scooped the woman into his arms and leapt through the shattered window, holding her tightly.
He crashed into the ground with tremendous force—moments before the Lost-Control case exploded on the 59th floor, delivering the final blow that toppled the skyscraper.
Allen tried to move but couldn't. Though the Prism's power had reinforced his legs enough to keep them from disintegrating, the bones inside had been pulverized. He felt no pain—yet. But once the adrenaline faded, he would feel every fragment stabbing into muscle.
As Shinobi approached, Allen let out a relieved sigh.
"Help me up. I think I've got fractures in both legs."
Shinobi stared at him for a moment—then flicked a needle into Allen's chest, knocking him unconscious. He activated his comm.
"Titan. I need two ambulances."