The Dome's shock-absorbing walls weren't absorbing anymore.
Stormflow's lightning cloak covered his body from head to toe, arcing off his shoulders and lashing the air in white-hot branches.
Leon stood in the center of the arena barefoot, wearing the black compression shirt and track pants he'd bought with the card Cecil gave for him to use. One of many outfits. He now had a closet full of clothes that weren't formal wear, a small comfort.
The entire ensemble wasn't going to be his new superhero costume. He just needed something comfortable to wear during training sessions. He'd also taken this chance to try out the Windless Wrap. The flowing blue cloak covered his body, ending at his knees.
He looked around.
The floor was buckled and cracked in a rough circle around his position. Three of the four walls had cratered inward, the reinforced plating shattered into jagged seams, and debris littered the ground. Scorch marks traced the paths his lightning had taken.
He hadn't activated Reinforcement, Removal, or Fight Mode yet. This was just from Stormflow at near maximum output.
Getting used to my new strength might actually take the entire day.
Leon looked up at the viewing gallery. Through the reinforced glass high above, Cecil stood with both hands pressed to his temples, rubbing slow circles.
Leon raised a hand in apology.
He cast Reparo across the arena. The walls re-formed. Cracks sealed, craters filled, buckled plating straightened and clicked back into place. The floor knitted itself together beneath his feet. In seconds, the Dome looked untouched.
He pushed Stormflow into the architecture. The walls, floor, and ceiling accepted the energy and hardened, their structural integrity climbing well beyond their original specifications. His energy reserves barely noticed the expenditure.
Right. Let's have another go, shall we? Gentler this time.
-x-
Leon stepped out of the Dome's ground-level corridor twenty hours later. Lily walked beside him in small form.
"That was productive," Lily offered.
"That's one word for it." Leon rolled his right shoulder. Nothing was sore, but he was hungry. Twenty hours of sustained, high-intensity training left him famished.
Back in the suite, he cooked.
The Suite's self-replenishing kitchen gave him everything he needed, and after a full day of testing the boundaries of what his body could do, he wanted something that required precision and patience instead of brute force. He seared a pair of ribeye steaks, let them rest, roasted vegetables in the oven, and assembled two plates and a bowl.
They ate at the table. Nyx's talons clicked against the countertop as she picked at her food. Lily ate with his usual silence, seated in small form with his legs crossed.
After he cleared the plates, Leon sat on the couch and pulled up The World's status.
[Cooldown: 58 hours, 6 minutes remaining.]
About two and a half days left. Soon, he'll have a legendary buff ability in his arsenal. That alone brought a smile to his face.
The fusion of Stormflow and Reinforcement was so close. With his post-tempering body handling both buff abilities at levels he could never reach before, the fusion's potential was even more significant.
Curious, he watched the recording Cecil had sent him. The Immortal's press conference.
The footage opened on a podium in front of a building. Cameras flashed. The Immortal, in full costume, stood behind a cluster of microphones. Leon could hear the chatter of a crowd just off-frame.
The Immortal credited him by his alias and described the Midnight City operation in broad terms. His words were precise and generous, with a little dramatization. But overall, he simply laid out what happened and let the facts do the work.
Leon's chest tightened. Hearing his name praised by the Immortal on a global broadcast was surreal. This was a man he'd watched on a screen in another life, in another world, and now that same man was standing at a podium telling the planet that he had saved lives.
The entire situation was odd, but it also felt... nice.
The press conference continued with reporters asking more questions. Eventually, Immortal took the last one from a woman from something called the Superhero Fanclub Association, who asked if Wild Card was single.
Leon stared at the screen.
Immortal, I'm begging you. Please say "no comment." I don't want to want to be hounded by these people on social media.
The Immortal sighed and said, to his knowledge, yes.
You answered it... You actually answered it on international television. Just why would you answer that? Immortal, you absolute bum!
Leon rubbed his face with both hands and kept watching, though part of him wanted to stop. Thankfully, the montage of interviews took his mind off that last question immediately. Though he smiled at the compliments of the Guardians in the beninging, hearing the stories of the people affected by the vampires took all the wind out of his sail.
He'd never considered the full extent of the consequences brought by being mind-controlled and going missing for years. If it had been him in the shoes of the man who heard about his wife remarrying and having a child...
He would feel like his world had fallen apart in an instant.
The civilian footage from a high camera angle played after. It was shaky phone footage of him using Sunlight Spear and Voltaic Reinforcement before disappearing.
The lightning, the spear, and the speed painted a picture that leaned closer to "deadly vigilante" than "friendly hero." Someone watching this without context could reasonably wonder whether the person on screen was there to help or to fight the good guys.
Is that really what I look like to people?
He thought about Nolan watching this same footage over breakfast, replaying the lightning clip and saying nothing.
Yeah. I'd replay it, too.
After re-evaluating how the public would perceive him, Leon decided keeping things this way was fine. Being feared by supervillains had more benefits. His new mask added on to that should help.
He closed the recording and sat with it for a minute.
The Immortal's words had been generous and specific. It was the kind of endorsement that carried real weight because it came from someone who didn't seem the type to hand them out easily. Leon felt the warmth of that and the danger of it simultaneously. Every intelligence agency, every villain, and every interested party on the planet had seen the same clips and heard the same endorsement.
Does the gacha have an anti-intelligence gathering ability or trait? Yeah, definitely. Doubt I'll get it, though.
He checked the time. It was late. While he could likely stay awake for a week straight and feel fine, he didn't feel like doing that right now.
Hypnos' Blessing just made sleeping feel so damn good.
"I'm turning in. I'll be up in a few hours, though," he said, standing up. "You guys good over there?"
Lily nodded from the couch as he watched Godzilla: King of the Monsters with eyes half-closed. Nyx was already asleep on the cushion beside him, her head tucked under one wing.
Huh. I wonder if there are other familiar names in this world... Leon shrugged. I'll check it out after the spar with the Guardians.
Leon killed the lights and lay in the dark for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. His combined awareness of seismic sense and spatial sense didn't sleep anymore. He was learning to let it run in the background without consciously tracking every little thing. It would take time, but the body tempering had given him more than enough processing power to handle the influx of information.
His body silently hummed with Stormflow's passive circulation, the current wider and steadier after hours of practice. Enhanced by his Mythical Trait and Brand of Tzeentch, his mastery of Stormflow had improved quite a lot in one day.
Tomorrow, he'd find out if any of it was enough.
-x-
The next morning, Leon's communicator buzzed.
He was already dressed in the same black compression gear. The Windless Wrap had been altered into a blue arm sleeve fitted snugly around his entire right arm, its effects active from the moment he put it on. His new mask hugged his face.
Leon missed the Unknown Mask. He already tried looking for it on the off chance that it wasn't actually destroyed by the tribulation. An hour of searching the sea unfortunately left him empty-handed.
He picked up the communicator. "Ola."
"The Guardians are here," Cecil said. "The Dome's ready when you are."
"All seven of them?"
"All seven. Why? You want Omni-Man, too? He's a reserve member if you didn't know."
Leon's face scrunched.
"Hell no."
He pocketed the communicator and stood. Lily looked up from the couch, already in his battle form. Nyx's head popped up from a bowl of food.
He'd recently replaced and added a few of their rings and bracelets with new ones composed of the mysterious metal that was previously Rampage's armor. The metal was far more incredible than he expected, capable of storing a Legendary rank enchantment, even with complex conditions.
With the new upgrades, Lily and Nyx were now far better healers and were able to use Stormflow. But Nyx and Lily needed practice before applying it in combat. Nyx especially. Watching her crash into the wall again and again made him and the ever-stoic Lily wince.
She would eventually become a deadly avian feared by supervillains across the world, but that time would be far in the future.
At least Master Teaching could be put to use.
"It's time?" Lily asked.
Leon nodded.
-x-
Leon entered the Dome from the ground-level corridor and stepped onto the arena floor. The space opened up around him into a wide, featureless expanse of reinforced plating. The ceiling arched high overhead, and far above, the viewing area's reinforced glass panels caught the overhead lights.
Cecil was already seated up there. Lily took the armchair beside him, arms crossed, and Nyx perched on the chair's arm.
Seven people stood on the arena floor.
The Immortal saw Leon first and crossed the distance with long strides, his hand already extended.
"Wild Card," the Immortal said. His voice carried genuine warmth. "Good to see you again. I've been looking forward to this. And I see you changed your mask. It's..."
"Scary? Cecil and Lily told me. I was forced to change it because of unfortunate circumstances," Leon answered with a shrug. "I've been looking forward to this as well. You look good for a guy who spent a few hours in a sewer."
The Immortal chuckled. "Can't say the same for my costume. The smell and stains took an entire day to remove."
War Woman stepped forward next. Her golden armor caught the light, and her expression carried the same measured respect Leon remembered from Midnight City. She clasped his hand with a firm grip.
"Cecil told us you've had an upgrade since we last worked together," she said. "Though he was unusually vague about the details."
"Sounds like Cecil."
"It does." Her lips curved into a faint smile. "I suppose we'll see for ourselves."
Darkwing gave Leon a nod from a few paces back. The man never wasted words, but the nod held its own significance.
Green Ghost raised a hand. "Good to see you, Wild Card."
"You too, Green Ghost."
Martian Man offered a gentle smile and a slight bow. "I have heard nothing but good things since our last operation together. It is a pleasure."
"Likewise. And it's good to finally meet the two I missed last time." Leon turned to the remaining pair.
He had wondered why Cecil left Aquarus and Red Rush out, but he had not asked. Maybe the respective Guardians themselves would elaborate.
Red Rush stood to the side in his red, skin-tight costume. He was taller than Leon expected, compact and wiry, with sharp features and a polite smile. His hand shot out for a handshake, and the speed of the gesture sent a faint breeze across Leon's face.
"Red Rush," he introduced himself with a clear Russian accent. "I saw the news. Taking on an entire vampire army is impressive work, my friend."
"It wasn't a full army."
"Still. Impressive." Red Rush's grin widened. "I'm sorry I missed it. My wife and I had dinner plans, and she does not forgive cancellations unless it was an emergency."
Aquarus was the last, a blue fish on two legs wearing a green and white suit adorned with gold. Short, regal, with the bearing of someone accustomed to authority but none of the stiffness. He extended his webbed hand with an easy smile filled with sharp teeth.
"Aquarus . I apologize for my absence during the Midnight City debacle. Atlantean politics rarely respect my schedule."
"No need to apologize. Seems you've got your hands full down there."
"Always." Aquarus chuckled. "But I wouldn't miss this for the world. Cecil rarely arranges exercises he calls 'important.'"
Leon swept Danger Rating across all seven of them while they talked.
War Woman. Lethal.
The Immortal. Lethal.
Red Rush. Dangerous.
Green Ghost. Dangerous.
Darkwing. Moderate.
Martian Man. Moderate.
Aquarus . Moderate.
The results were more or less within his expectations in his unbuffed state. But Danger Rating measured threat relative to him, and not absolute ability. These were still the most experienced and coordinated hero team on the planet. Ratings didn't capture teamwork, and teamwork was what put Nolan in the ER.
Cecil's voice came through the Dome's speaker system. "Here's how this works. It's your full team against Wild Card. Keep attacks non-lethal, but don't treat this as a friendly spar. The exercise ends when one side concedes or I call it. Any questions?"
The Immortal looked at Leon. "Are you sure you don't want Lily down here? Seven on one is steep odds."
"I'm sure. Thanks, though."
The Immortal studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Your call."
The Guardians spread across the arena floor, settling into a loose formation with practiced ease. The Immortal took the center. War Woman flanked left. Red Rush flanked right. Darkwing faded towards the backline. Green Ghost, Martian Man, and Aquarus filled the gaps.
Leon wriggled his toes. Heir of the Void and seismic sense merged into a single, constant awareness that covered the entire Dome and beyond in every direction, though he kept his focus within the Dome and on the Guardians.
He pushed Stormflow through the Dome's surfaces like yesterday, hardening the walls and floor to handle what was coming. Stormflow's circulation intensified. White lightning wrapped around his body and sparks zapped against the arena floor.
Cecil's voice came once more. "Begin."
-x-
A/N: How well do you think Leon will do against the Guardians?