"Fine," Peter said at last. "But don't hold it against me when I knock some sense into you."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Stan chuckled.
After Stan made his statement, Peter didn't say a word. He simply raised his left palm and pointed it at Stan. Alex, who was standing beside Stan, realized what was coming and knew he had to move. Without hesitation, he quickly stepped aside, giving them space.
At that very moment, a yellow beam of energy shot out from Peter's palm, heading straight towards Stan. Although Alex was new to the world of Paragons, he recognized the energy as qi. But the sheer amount of it was beyond anything he had imagined before.
Meanwhile, Stan saw the beam coming, but he didn't panic. With a calm step to the side, he dodged the energy effortlessly. The beam flew past him, hitting the door behind him, which instantly shattered, the door knocked off its hinges and sent flying across the room.
"What's wrong with you?" Stan said, his voice serious, though there was a hint of frustration. "That was an attack, right? I told you to use everything you've got. I know you can do better than that."
Peter, still standing with his palm raised, sighed and lowered his hand. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Stan. Are you sure you need this? You're not like you used to be."
Alex, watching from the side, couldn't believe what he had just seen. That attack from Peter—although it wasn't even a full-powered one—had sent chills down his spine. He shuddered at the thought of how powerful Peter was.
'If that hit me… I wouldn't stand a chance, Alex thought,' feeling a cold sweat run down his back.
The force behind the beam was terrifying.
As Alex glanced around, he noticed everyone else in the room was also moving to the sides, creating space. It seemed like they all knew something Alex was just starting to understand. Things were about to escalate.
Just then, from the direction of the broken door, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the room. Several people rushed in, their faces serious and full of concern.
"What's going on here?" Caspian demanded as he entered the room. He wasn't alone—Theron and Cressida had arrived with him, followed closely by the three teenagers, Tamsin, Merrick, and Gwen. Their eyes widened at the sight of the broken door and the tension in the room.
Stan didn't hesitate to respond. "I think Stan's lost a few screws," Peter said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "He just suddenly demanded I fight him."
Stan crossed his arms, clearly unfazed by Peter's comment. He looked around at the newcomers, not showing any sign of stopping. "I didn't ask for a discussion. I asked for a fight," he said firmly, turning his gaze back to Peter.
"Not just you—all of you. Fight now and use everything you've got," Stan commanded. His eyes began to glow faintly with a mixture of red and gold light, signaling he was serious.
"This is getting serious," Cressida muttered, glancing around at the others. "But do we really need to use our bloodline powers too?"
"Maybe you can leave that out," Stan replied, his tone calm but firm. "But use anything else you've got."
Cressida sighed, shaking her head slightly. "At least this proves the guy's completely lost it," she remarked, lowering her hands as though readying herself for battle. Her other hand followed, indicating she wasn't taking the situation lightly anymore. It was clear at this point that talking Stan out of this madness wasn't going to work. Stan had already used his influence over them, and they knew they had no choice but to follow his demand.
Meanwhile, Alex, who had been standing to the side watching all of this unfold, suddenly felt someone grab him. He was yanked away from the battle area and dragged towards the safety of where the other faction members were. The one pulling him was none other than Gwen.
"You must be either crazy or really brave to stand there watching them about to fight like that," Gwen said, giving Alex a quick, stern glance. Soon, they arrived near the others, and Alex noticed something strange. A transparent barrier surrounded them, but it was so faint that it could only be seen when standing up close.
"This barrier will stop any stray attacks from reaching us," Gwen explained. Inside the barrier, Tamsin and Merrick were already waiting, having moved there earlier. Fortunately for the three of them, Stan hadn't directed his influence towards them, which meant they still had their own free will to decide whether to join the fight or stay back.
As Alex looked around, he saw that the others—those preparing to battle—had already finished gathering their powers. Each of their hands glowed with a soft yellow light, charging up the energy needed for their attacks.
"What's that yellow energy?" Alex asked, watching the bright glow. He recognized it as qi, having felt it before, but he had no idea it could be used in such a way.
"That's qi projection," Gwen answered, almost as if she had taken on the role of a guide for him. "When you reach stage five of your evolution, you'll be able to do something like that, though not at the level they're doing it."
Alex had nothing more to say. He simply stayed quiet and kept his eyes on the battle about to unfold.
In the meantime, the four standing against Stan had finished charging their attacks. Peter, ever the bold one, was the first to make a move. He dashed forward, leading the others behind him as they all followed his charge.
But Peter wasn't aiming to hit with a physical attack just yet. Instead, he used the momentum from his short sprint to gather speed before swinging his arm out, directing the energy towards Stan. The others moved in sync, ready to follow through.
"Lock!" Peter shouted, his voice echoing through the room.
The others followed his lead, swinging their hands as energy surged from their palms. "Lock!" they shouted in unison, sending beams of power straight at Stan.
Stan stood still, watching their coordinated attack. 'I see, they're using the Lock technique,' he thought, a faint smile crossing his lips. 'Well, I wasn't planning to dodge this anyway.'
Raising his foot slowly, Stan slammed it down hard onto the ground. The impact shook the entire floor, sending vibrations through the room. The force of the stomp caused a deep rumble that reverberated around them, but none of the others understood why Stan would do such a thing at this moment. The beams of energy shot toward him, faster than ever, and in an instant, they struck Stan directly.
All four beams hit him at almost the same time. The collision of the energy blasts created an intense white light that engulfed the entire room, blinding everyone present.
"What... What have we done?" Cressida's voice trembled, catching in her throat.
"I... I don't think Stan would be stupid enough to make us do this without having something up his sleeve," Caspian replied, though uncertainty flickered in his voice.
"You know he's made a lot of stupid decisions in the past," Theron added, glancing nervously at the blinding light. His tone was doubtful, but there was a trace of concern in his words.
Peter, on the other hand, remained silent. His eyes stayed fixed on the light, his expression unreadable. He didn't join in the conversation. Instead, he observed, watching closely, as if trying to make sense of the situation.
The brightness was overwhelming, almost unbearable for a normal person. It was blinding, powerful enough to cause permanent damage, but Peter and the others were far from normal. Although the brightness hurt their eyes, it couldn't physically harm them. Still, they couldn't see through it—there was no telling what was happening on the other side.
"You guys are forgetting something," Peter finally spoke, breaking his silence. His tone was calm, yet there was an underlying urgency. "The detonation. It hasn't happened. Something's off."
Normally, when they unleashed a qi blast, once it hit the target, it would trigger a massive explosion—a devastating force capable of obliterating anything in its path. With all four of them using their qi blasts at once, the result should've been catastrophic, but no such explosion occurred.
Just as Peter finished voicing his thoughts, the light began to fade. Slowly, it shrank in size, dimming until the room was no longer blindingly bright. As the light receded, a figure started to take shape. On the far end of the room, Stan stood tall, his body unscathed.
There wasn't a single scratch on him. His skin remained intact, his clothes untouched. The only noticeable change was the thick veins that bulged across his arms and forehead, pulsing with energy. They throbbed visibly for a few moments, then gradually disappeared, retreating beneath his skin as if they had never been there.
"That was a lot of qi to consume all at once," Stan stated, his voice steady despite the immense energy he'd just absorbed.
The four fighters stood there, completely shocked. Their eyes widened in disbelief, but they weren't the only ones. Gasps could be heard from the sidelines as others witnessed what had just happened. Those who knew about Stan's condition were even more shocked, struggling to understand how he managed such a feat.
Gwen, her brow furrowed in confusion, turned to Alex. "What happened to Stan when the two of you went out today?" she asked, her tone sharp as she tried to squeeze some information out of him.
"Uh... we made a few discoveries today, I guess," Alex replied nervously, feeling the pressure mounting under Gwen's intense stare. He shifted awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
Before Gwen could press him any further, a commotion outside the barrier caught her attention, giving Alex a moment of relief. The sound was loud enough to momentarily distract everyone.
Back inside, none of the others said a word. They were too stunned, their minds racing, trying to process what had just unfolded before them. Stan stood at the center of it all, calm and collected, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
Finally, Peter found his voice, though it came out in a shaky breath. "What... what happened to you?" he asked, voicing the question everyone had been thinking.
Stan turned his gaze toward Peter, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "What happened to me? Let's just say Alex and I made a few discoveries today," he replied cryptically. "Now," he continued, his voice growing more serious, "let's pick up where we left off. Only this time, it's my turn to strike."
Without warning, Stan slammed his foot down onto the ground again, the impact sending a low rumble through the room. The sheer force of it caused the floor to tremble underfoot, but the four quickly gathered themselves, preparing for what was about to come next.
They could sense it—something had changed. Somehow, Stan had regained abilities he was once only capable of performing, but now they seemed even more advanced.