242 LOOKING FOR KRYPTONITE
The entrance to the subway exploded as a damaged warship slammed into the central access tunnel.
Steel buckled. Concrete collapsed.
Flames and debris poured down into the station as the ship wedged itself into the opening.
Almost instantly, the hatches burst open.
Mecha-equipped soldiers poured out, thrusters flaring as they landed hard on the broken platform. They were followed by auto-cannon drones, their barrels spinning as targeting systems locked on.
The warship wasn't a destroyer—it was a troop transport….
…And it had just unloaded its entire payload straight into the subway.
"Damn it!" Gamboge shouted. "Those bastards destroyed the entrance! Anyone still outside won't be able to get in now!"
"Forget the civilians outside," Mortuum said coldly. "We hold the entrance long enough for everyone already in the basement to be evacuated. We can't save everyone."
"These soldiers are nothing," Celadon scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "But the drones and auto-cannons… those are trickier."
He grimaced. "We're still not used to fighting without Argent."
"We can't rely on Argent forever," Isabelline said firmly. "We need to learn to fight without him."
"Hide behind our meta soldiers… don't take the initiative. We are psychics not fighters", Celadon said.
As the enemy's mecha soldiers raised their weapons, something unexpected happened.
They opened fire—not on the psychics—but on the drones.
Energy bolts ripped into auto-cannons and flying machines as several soldiers suddenly turned on their own allies. The psychics had seized control of their minds, forcing the humans to attack the AI units.
The defending metas and androids of Liberty City added fire… stopping the enemy's entrance into the subway basement.
For a moment, it worked.
But it wasn't enough.
The controlled soldiers and Liberty city's forces were quickly overwhelmed. Their weapons barely slowed the machines, and one by one they were cut down or disabled.
"Damn it," Mortuum growled. "There are too many of them. We cant stop this for very long."
The defense of the subway entrance was failing.
The enemy adjusted their targeting priorities, and they turned toward the psychics.
"They're coming after us," Gamboge warned.
"We're not helpless without a Quantum Mind.. you know," Isabelline said calmly.
And then—
Something leapt from the shadows.
Figures burst from the walls and ceilings, launching themselves onto the drones and auto-cannons. They wrapped their bodies around metal limbs and weapon barrels, tearing into circuitry with claws and corroding metals.
These weren't humans.
They were Corrosivers.
Sienna hadn't left the subway undefended.
Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of Corrosivers had been hidden within the structure itself, dormant and waiting.
The machines stood no chance.
Auto-cannons were torn apart mid-fire. Drones crashed to the ground as undead bodies swarmed them, ripping and dissolving metal with relentless fury.
Even when destroyed, the Corrosivers kept moving, crawling and attacking until nothing functional remained.
When they were done, they moved to the soldiers still mind controlled by the psychics, dealing with them once and for all.
Within minutes, the battlefield fell silent.
The entrance was secured.
But outside?
Suddenly, Isabelline stiffened.
"I can feel it," she said quietly. "There is a powerful presence outside the station… and it is up against Black Halo. We need to go up and stop it."
"That's not our mission," Gamboge replied. "We defend the entrance until evacuation is complete. Then we leave this cursed city."
"Black Halois in danger," Isabelline said. "We must help. Sienna would insist."
The group hesitated.
Finally, Mortuum stepped forward. "I'll go."
They all turned to him.
"You all go back down to the platform…. It's only a meta human. I can deal with him alone," Mortuum continued. "If I don't return in time, leave without me."
Isabelline nodded. "Save the boy and retreat. There's no reason to stay for the kill."
With that, Mortuum turned. Together with what was left of the Liberty city forces they ascended toward the ruined entrance, the echoes of distant destruction rumbling above.
The others returned to the platform below, where Sienna and Queen Erythos were nearly finished gathering the remaining survivors.
Above them, the real battle awaited.
------
This was the most dangerous battle Damen had ever fought.
Even against the Shadows of Alien Gods in the alien world, he had never been this unprepared.
"Damn it… this Super Soldier is absurd," Damen growled. "And he's not even S-Rank yet."
Sorrow's body was like an invincible tank.
Through sheer obsession with Strength alone, he had developed innate armor nearly twice as powerful as Damen's.
Fighting him at close range was pure disadvantage.
And yet—close combat had always been Damen's greatest strength.
Now he was facing an enemy he couldn't fight up close.
"Think. I have to think", Damen forced himself.
Matching Sorrow blow for blow was impossible.
"What about ranged attacks? Halo's Judgment?"
He dismissed the idea almost immediately. He had already tried—his plasma hadn't even scratched Sorrow's armor.
Then realization struck.
"Last time, I had too many cores active…
The power was spread too thin."
If he focused Halo's Judgment at maximum intensity, concentrating all output into a single strike, it might work.
But the drawback was severe.
To do that, he would have to deactivate most of his supporting cores—his Mind Core, his Blood Core.
Without the Mind Core's autonomous combat, he couldn't keep up with Sorrow's speed.
Without the Blood Core, he wouldn't have the energy to survive prolonged combat.
He couldn't afford to lose either.
Before he could finalize his plan, Sorrow lunged again.
Only the Mind Core's autonomous control allowed Damen to evade the strike, and even then, the shockwave tore through his armor, dealing unavoidable damage.
"I'm going to lose if this keeps up…" Damen hissed.
"You are no match for me, villain," Sorrow taunted, his voice thick with amusement. "It is only a matter of time before I crush your skull."
In Damen's mind, the truth became clear.
He had one chance.
One perfectly timed, fully concentrated blow.
But right now—he had no opening.
"This is taking far too long," Sorrow said coldly. "Witness my signature move."
He clenched his fist.
"Impact of Stress."
The air around them warped.
Pressure flooded the space, compressing everything within range. Power gathered around Sorrow's fist, distorting gravity itself.
Damen felt his body tighten, his movements slowed as invisible weight crushed down on him.
His systems screamed warnings.
"I can't dodge—!"
"How did he do this?" Damen gritted his teeth. "He's slowing me down…"
"This technique was created for pests like you," Sorrow said, stepping forward. "Those who rely on speed. Once I lock onto a target…there is no escape."
"Damn it… he's like Superman in the old comics," Damen cursed. "How am I supposed to fight something like that?"
A desperate thought crossed his mind.
"If only I could use a psychic attack…"
Despite his high Psychic Rank, Damen had never learned an actual psychic ability.
"Yes," Sorrow laughed. "For pests like you… I am Superman."
"There must be a weakness", Damen thought frantically. "Even Superman has Kryptonite…"
He searched his mind, running through every possibility.
There was Nothing.
Then Sorrow's fist descended.
This strike would shatter what remained of his armor—and likely end his life.
"Is this… the end?" Damen wondered.
Then—a voice rang out.
"Are you looking for Kryptonite, boy?"
------