Chương 148: 147: New York In Shambles

Clock crashed into the street below. The impact cratered the asphalt, sending shockwaves through the surrounding blocks. Ouro emerged from the rubble a moment later, her dark skin covered in dust, her fangs bared as she helped him to his feet. Her body suddenly convulsed. Bones shifted beneath her skin as her form began to twist and elongate, the serpentine shape beneath her human appearance threatening to emerge. Clock caught her arm.

"Don't," he said, his violet eyes fixed on the sky.

"Not here. Not now. We need to focus on the other Calamities. Korhess can handle this one." Ouro's convulsions subsided, and she released a frustrated hiss.

"You're no fun."

"I'm alive."

"I am too." Her grin returned. Clock did not smile. His gaze remained fixed on the creature tearing the city apart.

"Seven of you," he said, his voice carrying across the battlefield.

"Go. Help the other cities. The Nightmares are everywhere. People are dying." Victor stared at him.

"Are you talking to us?"

"Seven of you. I said split up. Go to the places that need you most. The other Calamities are out there, and they're just as dangerous. Someone needs to stop them."

"And the rest of us?" Linh asked.

"Five of you stay here. You help us fight Apotheosis." The prototypes exchanged glances. Nobody moved. Their eyes drifted toward Korhess. She was still fighting Apotheosis above them, her emerald flames illuminating the ruined skyline as her spear traced burning wounds across the creature's body. Every movement carried the weight of decades of experience, and every incantation made the air itself seem to tremble. The prototypes had heard stories about her. Standing beneath her now, those stories felt understated.

Even Victor lowered his voice.

"Who decides who stays?" Cass asked. Clock's violet eyes swept across them.

"You do." Victor straightened.

"I'll stay." Naomi nodded.

"Me too."

"Me three," Mateo said. Cass sighed.

"Fine. I'll stay."

"I'm staying too," Miriam said.

"Someone needs to keep you idiots alive." Clock looked at the five of them for several seconds.

"Good. The rest of you, go." Mateo frowned. He glanced toward the distant skyline, then back at Clock.

"Hold on. You can't just tell us what to do." Clock turned toward him. Mateo barely had time to register the movement. Clock flew toward the group. A pulse of violet psychic energy flashed through the air. Mateo froze. His muscles locked. His thoughts stalled beneath the sudden pressure crushing against his mind, leaving him completely incapable of reacting. Clock's fist drove into his jaw. BOOM! Mateo shot upward like a missile.

The force of the punch sent him screaming through the clouds, his body becoming a shrinking speck against the sky. Silence settled over the remaining prototypes. Clock hovered before them.

"Anyone else?" All heads shook immediately.

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"We're good."

"Very good," Clock said. The seven prototypes launched toward the other cities without another complaint. Several seconds passed before Mateo came falling back through the clouds. He struck the street hard enough to crater the asphalt. Dust billowed around him. Mateo climbed out of the crater, rubbing his jaw as he glared upward.

"You could've just asked." Nobody answered. He grumbled beneath his breath and flew after the others. Clock turned back toward the battlefield.

"The Nightmares are everywhere, and Ouro's snakes are already fighting them. Find them. Fight alongside them. Protect the civilians. Do whatever it takes." His gaze shifted toward Korhess. She remained locked in combat with Apotheosis, her flames burning against the creature's crimson-indigo hide.

"Korhess can't do this alone," Clock said.

"But together? We might have a chance." The remaining five prototypes nodded. They descended toward the battlefield. Apotheosis's head turned toward them. Its glassy eyes fixed on the new arrivals, and something resembling amusement flickered across its inhuman face.

"More... insects."

"We are not insects," Victor said, his voice carrying a note of defiance. Apotheosis tilted its head.

"You are less than insects. Insects at least possess a purpose." Victor's expression hardened.

"We'll see about that." Korhess's voice drifted down from above.

"Be careful. This creature is beyond anything thou hast faced."

"We know," Naomi said.

"We've faced worse." Korhess's ears twitched.

"Have you?" Naomi's confidence faltered. Mateo cleared his throat as he rejoined them.

"We fought Mango," he said.

"When she transformed. It was... bad. Very bad." Korhess's expression shifted.

"Mango, the Antartic experiment?"

"Yes."

"And you survived?"

"Barely." A faint smile touched Korhess's lips.

"Then thou hast some experience fighting things stronger than yourselves. Use it. You will need every advantage." The five prototypes exchanged glances. Their earlier confidence had diminished considerably. Korhess was not merely someone they respected. She was someone they were acutely aware they should not disappoint. Even Mateo, who had spent the last several minutes making jokes about her appearance, stood a little straighter beneath her gaze. Victor cleared his throat.

"You're going to fight alongside us?"

"I have been fighting alongside you for the past hour," Korhess said.

"You simply did not notice." She raised her spear. Fire erupted around it, illuminating her antlers and casting the ruined city in green light. The prototypes instinctively tightened their stances.

"Now," she said, her voice carrying a note of command.

"Let us finish this." Apotheosis watched them approach. Its tail dragged across the rubble, crushing concrete beneath its weight. The prototypes swallowed their nerves. Whatever confidence they had possessed before arriving in New York had been stripped away by the sight of Korhess fighting alone and by the creature standing before them. Still, they raised their fists. Below them, the city burned. In the distance, the other Calamities continued their rampage. The war had only just begun.

— The city had become a graveyard. Skyscrapers leaned at impossible angles, their shattered windows reflecting the hellish glow of fires burning unchecked through the streets. Smoke poured from twisted steel frames, while overturned cars lay scattered across avenues buried beneath concrete, glass, and steel. Fires burned inside buildings that had lost entire floors, and ruptured water mains flooded intersections with dark, steaming rivers.

The air was thick with ash, dust, and the metallic tang of blood, while distant screams echoed between the ruins. Yet people were still watching. Those who had survived the first waves of destruction had gathered wherever shelter remained. Families crowded into subway stations, basements, parking structures, churches, and the lower floors of buildings that had somehow remained standing. Some watched through cracked windows.

Others stood on rooftops despite the danger, staring toward the enormous creature occupying the heart of Manhattan. Phones were held aloft everywhere. Drones filled the sky. Some belonged to emergency services. Others had been launched by civilians desperate to understand what was happening. Several had been modified with cameras and signal boosters, their operators hiding underground while streaming everything they captured across the internet. One livestream had already accumulated millions of viewers.

In the distance, Apotheosis roared as the prototypes attacked from every direction. THOOM! THUD! KRAK! Naomi's black ice shards flew toward it like artillery as she darted through the air, narrowly avoiding the shockwaves of its punches, each impact shredding the air with concussive booms. Victor, the fastest among them, took the greatest risk, darting in close enough to hammer his fists into Apotheosis's ribs before retreating before its claws could catch him.

When even that accomplished little, he resorted to tearing boulders from the ruined streets and hurling them at the creature with enough force to turn them into missiles. Miriam's emerald flames flashed across Apotheosis's back, forcing it to turn, while Cass darted through the openings created by its shifting attention and struck wherever its defenses faltered. Mateo moved constantly between them, deliberately drawing Apotheosis's claws away from the others whenever he could.

Whenever an opening appeared, he cupped his hands around his mouth and unleashed a scream. WOOOOOOOOOM! Impossible sonic waves struck Apotheosis, vaporizing asphalt and buckling the air around its body. The creature recoiled. Mateo grinned.

"Got you!" Apotheosis screamed back. GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! The returning shockwave tore across the street. Mateo barely threw himself aside before the force reduced everything in its path to fragments.

"Okay!" he shouted, scrambling upright.

"I'm never doing that again!"

"You'd better not!" Victor yelled.

"You made it angry!"

"I noticed!" They could not defeat it. They could distract it. For now, that was enough.... Away from the main clash, beneath the shadow of a half-collapsed building, Clock stood with Ouro and Korhess. The battle raged behind them. Korhess's ears twitched at every explosion, her spear resting in one hand while emerald flames flickered around its blade. Clock looked toward the battlefield, then back at her.

"I have to go." Korhess's gaze settled upon him.

"To where?"

"Other places. There are people who need help, and Ouro and I can't stay here forever." He glanced toward the battle.

"I'm nearly out of Gloom already. I should've been able to do more." His voice softened.

"I'm sorry." Korhess shook her head.

"Thou hast naught for which to apologize. Thou hast already given more than most would dare." Clock looked down for a moment.

"I still don't like leaving you here."

"I shall survive."

"You'd better." Korhess blinked. Clock rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly seeming far less certain than he had while fighting.

"Because we still have plans."

"Plans?"

"Coffee." Her ears lifted. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"And a holiday." Korhess stared at him.

"All three of us," Clock continued.

"You, me, and Ouro. We're getting coffee somewhere that isn't on fire, and then we're going on holiday somewhere where nothing is trying to kill us." A faint smile touched Korhess's lips.

"That sounds agreeable."

"So don't die."

"I shall endeavour not to."

"Good." Clock fidgeted, his fingers shifting against his gloves. He looked at Ouro, then at Korhess, before looking away again, as though he were struggling with an internal battle far more difficult than anything Apotheosis had thrown at him. Finally, he stepped forward. Korhess barely had time to react before he pulled her into a hug. Her eyes widened. His did too, as though he had only realized what he was doing after he had already done it. Neither moved.

For several breaths, the chaos surrounding them seemed impossibly distant. Korhess's arms slowly rose and settled around him, her hands tightening against his back. It was the first time anyone had ever hugged her. She did not understand the unfamiliar warmth spreading through her chest or the strange sense of safety that came with being held, but she found herself sinking deeper into his arms anyway. Her tail betrayed her immediately. It began wagging. Once. Twice. Then faster.

Korhess's cheeks reddened when she realized what was happening. She quickly reached behind herself, trying to catch it and force it still. Clock noticed. He gently caught her wrist.

"Don't." She looked at him. He lowered her hand and took hold of her tail instead, his fingers moving carefully through the fur.

"I like it." Korhess's heart fluttered. The motion sent shivers along her spine, her tail far more sensitive to his touch than she had anticipated. Her ears lowered in embarrassment as she looked away, unable to hide the small smile spreading across her face. Ouro watched them for a moment before stepping closer. She wrapped herself around both of them. The three stood together beneath the ruined building while the city shook around them.

Korhess's tail continued wagging behind her, betraying her despite every effort to preserve her dignity. The sight drew a quiet laugh from Clock.

"Definitely keeping that."

"You shall not speak of this," Korhess murmured, her cheeks warming.

"I'm absolutely speaking about this."

"Clock."

"I'm joking." Ouro's gaze drifted toward Korhess's traitorous tail, her eyes narrowing with quiet mischief. Before Korhess could notice, Ouro reached out and gently brushed her fingers through the fur. Korhess shuddered from ears to hooves. Her ears shot upright.

"Ouro." Ouro stroked the tail again. Korhess's legs trembled beneath her.

"Do not touch it in such a manner." Ouro's mouth curled into a knowing smile.

"I know." Korhess stared at her.

"That is precisely why I am touching it." Another shiver passed through Korhess, and her tail wagged with even greater betrayal.

"Thou art a mischievous little creature." Ouro laughed softly and continued to toy with the fur. Clock watched them with growing amusement.

"I'm learning a lot today." Korhess's head snapped toward him.

"Thou shalt learn nothing."

"I already learned that your tail is ticklish."

"It is not ticklish." Ouro stroked it again. Korhess's knees nearly buckled. Clock raised an eyebrow.

"Right." Korhess's cheeks burned hotter.

"I said nothing." The three remained beneath the ruined building, surrounded by smoke, fire, and the distant thunder of battle. Yet amid all that ruin, Korhess found herself strangely reluctant to part from them. Her arms tightened around Clock, her fingers curling slightly into his clothing as though she could hold the moment in place by sheer will.

She had spent so long believing herself a solitary tree, rooted against every storm, that she had forgotten what it meant to lean against another without fear of falling. Ouro noticed.

"We can hug as much as we want after we kill all the monsters." Korhess looked toward her.

"After?"

"After." Ouro smiled.

"We'll have plenty of time then." Korhess's expression softened.

"Very well. Then let us leave this little branch of our lives unfinished until we return." They remained together for several breaths before finally separating. The warmth left Korhess's arms reluctantly. Clock looked at her.

"Don't die." Korhess held his gaze.

"Nor thou. We have yet to see what fruit these plans of ours shall bear." Ouro looked between them.

"Both of you. Don't die." Clock nodded. Korhess nodded. Their eyes met again. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss them both. The thought arrived suddenly and completely, but the ruined city, the screaming creature, and the battle raging only a short distance away made the timing feel almost absurd. Not here. Not now. Clock stepped backward, but instead of walking away, he paused and glanced down at the guitar in his hands. A faint pulse of Gloom travelled through its body. The guitar slipped from his grip.

It floated. Korhess's ears lifted. Ouro tilted her head. The instrument rose beneath Clock's feet, hovering a few inches above the ruined street. He stepped onto it and balanced effortlessly, one foot in front of the other as though he were standing on a surfboard. Korhess stared.

"Didst thou not say thy Gloom was nearly exhausted?" Clock looked down at the guitar.

"Yeah." Ouro blinked.

"Then how are you flying?" Clock shrugged.

"I can use the guitar to fly even when I'm out of Gloom. It still works." Korhess's brows lifted.

"So thy weapon possesseth its own reserve?"

"Something like that." He reached beneath his coat and pulled out a scarf. It unfurled between his hands, initially grey before its fabric darkened, shifting into a deep black. Ouro's eyes widened.

"That too?"

"Yep." He held it up.

"Another thing I made with Gloom. It's important to me." Korhess regarded the scarf thoughtfully.

"Like Butter's beanie?" Clock nodded.

"Exactly. Hers is her beanie. This is mine." The scarf fluttered in the hot wind before settling around his shoulders. Ouro smiled. Clock then crouched over the guitar and began twisting several small controls near its neck. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. The head of the instrument shifted. Metal moved beneath metal. The shape lengthened, sharpened, and curved until the edge resembled a vicious crescent. Another adjustment changed it again, the blade becoming broader and heavier, its edge serrated like a saw.

Korhess leaned closer.

"What manner of instrument is that?"

"It isn't just an instrument." Clock twisted another control. KRRR - CLICK. The blade became long and straight.

"Axe." Another adjustment. CHK-CHK. A broad, heavy cleaver formed along the head.

"Cleaver." Another twist. The weapon transformed again.

"Different sword." Ouro stared.

"You built all of that?"

"Yeah." Korhess's eyes narrowed with genuine fascination.

"Thou hast fashioned a weapon capable of changing its form."

"Pretty much." She studied the guitar with newfound interest.

"Remarkable." Clock smiled faintly.

"I thought so too." His expression soon faded. He looked toward the battlefield.

"I just…" He hesitated.

"I don't know where Butter is." Korhess's expression softened.

"Thou canst not solve every uncertainty at once." Clock looked at her.

"Focus upon what lieth before thee," she continued.

"One battle. One step. Then the next." Clock stared toward the distant explosions. Apotheosis roared somewhere beyond the ruins. He nodded.

"Step by step."

"Precisely." Clock straightened. He shifted his feet on the floating guitar until his balance settled perfectly, his posture resembling a surfer riding an invisible wave. Ouro climbed onto the guitar behind him. Clock immediately caught her and lifted her into his arms. She wrapped herself around him, holding tightly as the instrument rose higher. Korhess watched them. Clock raised one hand.

"See you after this." Ouro waved. Korhess lifted her spear slightly.

"Return alive." Clock grinned.

"We will." The guitar tilted forward. WHOOOOOSH! Clock and Ouro shot between the ruined buildings, the black scarf streaming behind him as the guitar carried them into the smoke-filled sky. Korhess watched until they disappeared. Her ears remained raised. Then she turned toward the battlefield. Apotheosis roared. GRAAAAAAAAAH! Korhess's grip tightened around her spear. Her emerald flames surged higher.

"Very well." She stepped toward the devastation.

"Let us finish this." — The camera shook violently as the drone climbed above the ruins.

"Oh my God…" The person operating it sounded barely able to breathe. The camera turned. Apotheosis stood at the centre of the devastation. The creature's colossal crimson-indigo body towered above the surrounding skyscrapers like a living monument to destruction. Its scales gleamed beneath the fires, each movement sending tremors through the streets.

Glassy eyes swept across the battlefield with cold, predatory intelligence, tracking every movement, every threat, every insignificant insect that dared to challenge it. The chat beneath the livestream exploded. WHAT IS THAT? IS THAT THING IN MANHATTAN? OH GOD, IT'S REAL. GET OUT OF NEW YORK. THERE ARE PEOPLE STILL THERE. WHO ARE THE PEOPLE FIGHTING IT? ARE THEY FLYING?! WAIT, LOOK AT THAT ONE! THEY'RE ALL FLYING! THEY LOOK SHREDDED. ALL OF THEM ARE FIGHTING THAT THING?! I HOPE THEY WIN.

The comments multiplied faster than anyone could read them. WHO IS THE ANTELOPE WOMAN? SHE HAS ANTLERS! AND HOOVES! THAT'S NOT A HUMAN WOMAN! LOOK AT HER SPEAR! WHERE HAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE BEEN HIDING?! THERE'S NO WAY WE'VE BEEN LIVING ON EARTH WITH THINGS LIKE THIS. ARE THEY ALIENS? DID THEY COME HERE TO FIGHT THIS THING? GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTS? THERE'S NO WAY THE GOVERNMENT DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS. HOW MANY OF THEM ARE THERE? WHAT THE HELL HAVE WE BEEN LIVING WITH?

A new wave of comments appeared as another camera drone caught the prototypes moving through the smoke. THOSE GUYS ARE FLYING TOO! LOOK AT THEIR BODIES! THEY LOOK LIKE SUPERHEROES! THEY'RE ACTUALLY FIGHTING IT! IS THAT A FIRE WOMAN? BLACK ICE?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Someone typed: WAIT. IF THESE THINGS ARE REAL, DOES THAT MEAN THE OTHER ONES ARE REAL TOO? Another replied almost immediately. GHOST GIRL? PURPLE FLAMES? GOTH FELINE? THE BIRD SPIRITS TOO? The chat erupted again. NO WAY. GHOST GIRL IS REAL?

I SAW THOSE VIDEOS YEARS AGO. I THOUGHT THEY WERE FAKE. MATTER OF FACT, WHERE'S GOTH FELINE? SHE COULD CLEAR EVERYTHING. I WANT TO SEE GHOST GIRL. I HOPE SHE ISN'T DEAD. GHOST GIRL DOESN'T DIE. ISN'T SHE ALREADY A GHOST? THAT DOESN'T MEAN SHE CAN'T DIE AGAIN. SHUT UP. WHERE ARE THE BIRD SPIRITS? IF ALL OF THIS IS REAL, THEN EVERYONE WE THOUGHT WAS A MYTH WAS REAL. A mother watched the footage from the basement of a hospital, her son pressed tightly against her side.

"Is that here?" he whispered. She stared at the screen.

"Yes."

"Are we safe?" Her mouth opened. No answer came. Across the city, emergency broadcasts continued urging civilians to remain underground, yet thousands had already abandoned designated shelters simply to see what was happening. Some prayed. Some cried. Some desperately called relatives trapped elsewhere in the city. Others simply stared. A man stood on the roof of a damaged apartment building, filming the battlefield with his phone.

"Holy shit," he whispered.

"They're fighting it." His friend grabbed his shoulder.

"Get down."

"I need to see."

"You need to live." Another explosion illuminated the skyline. BOOOOOOM! Both men flinched.

"Jesus…" The camera drone swung upward just as something descended through the smoke. Korhess. Emerald flames blazed around her antlers like a crown of living fire, while her spear burned so intensely that the air warped around its tip. She had kept those flames alive for almost an hour, not to burn Apotheosis's flesh, but to cauterize every wound she inflicted and prevent its Apis from spilling outward to create more Nightmares. The livestream caught her descent perfectly.

Millions watched the antlered woman drift through the smoke. For several seconds, the chat seemed to lose its mind. THAT'S THE ANTELOPE WOMAN. SHE HAS HOOVES. SHE HAS ACTUAL HOOVES. LOOK AT THE ANTLERS. SHE'S BEAUTIFUL. SHE'S FIGHTING THAT THING ALONE?! NO, LOOK, THE OTHERS ARE COMING! Victor shot through the smoke. Naomi followed on a trail of black ice. Cass flew between the ruined buildings. Miriam descended in a burst of emerald fire. Mateo landed hard enough to crack the street. The chat erupted once more.

THERE ARE MORE OF THEM! THEY'RE ALL FIGHTING IT! WHAT ARE THEY?! I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY ARE, I HOPE THEY WIN. A little farther down the street, an elderly man stared at the screen on his phone.

"They were here all along," he whispered. His wife looked at him.

"What?" He swallowed.

"All these years, all those stories, all those things people said they saw…" On the screen, Korhess raised her burning spear toward Apotheosis. The old man stared in silence.

"We really weren't alone." Korhess understood the creature now. It was not merely strong. It was a factory. A living engine of destruction that produced armies from its own flesh. Each drop of blood could become another soldier. Each wound could become another wave of horrors. She could not allow it to bleed.

"By root and branch," she murmured, her voice carrying through the ruined streets, "thou shalt not birth thy spawn this day." Her spear flashed toward Apotheosis's throat. The creature twisted aside, its elongated body folding through an impossible angle as it evaded the strike. WHOOOOM! Its tail swept toward her like a crimson scythe, obliterating the upper floors of a nearby building. KRAAASH! Concrete and glass rained across the street. Thousands watching the livestream screamed simultaneously.

"MOVE!"

"She's dead!"

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Korhess dropped beneath the sweeping tail, her hooves scraping across the rubble as she rolled beneath it and rose in the same motion. Her spear carved across Apotheosis's flank. SHRRRAAAK! Emerald fire seared through its scales. The wound charred instantly. Apotheosis hissed. The sound was so enormous that nearby windows shattered. Korhess remained perfectly still amid the falling glass.

"Persistent."

"Always," Korhess replied. A drone operator zoomed closer.

"Look at her," he whispered.

"She's not even afraid." The camera briefly caught her face. Her expression was calm. Almost serene. The operator swallowed.

"Whoever she is…" He looked toward the colossal creature towering over the city.

"… I'm glad she's here." Five more figures descended through the smoke. Victor Hale landed first, his bronze skin gleaming beneath the ash-filled sky. His short black curls were matted with sweat, and his broad shoulders remained tense as he assessed the creature before them. Naomi Eze touched down beside him, her shaved head catching the firelight, a single braid trailing behind her. Her amber eyes remained fixed on Apotheosis.

Mateo Ruiz landed atop a collapsed building, his crooked nose wrinkling as he surveyed the devastation.

"This thing is massive." Cass Vega hovered nearby, her golden eyes scanning Apotheosis's enormous form.

"It's also fast. Faster than anything we've faced." Miriam Holt landed beside her, dark skin dusted with ash, her honey-brown eyes burning with determination.

"Then we don't give it a chance to move." Across the city, people watched the five prototypes arrive. A firefighter lowered his radio.

"Who the hell are they?" His partner stared at the screen.

"I don't know."

"They're fighting with her?"

"Looks like it." A woman nearby began crying.

"Please," she whispered.

"Please let them win." Korhess raised her spear.

"I shall lead. Thou shalt create openings. Engage it directly not, for thou wilt not survive." Victor's jaw tightened.

"We've fought things stronger than us before." Korhess's ears twitched.

"Then thou knowest that strength alone is meaningless. Strategy matters. Patience matters. Most of all, thou must trust me." She lowered her spear.

"Now." Victor vanished forward. Naomi followed. Mateo launched himself from the ruined tower. Cass accelerated through the smoke. Miriam charged beneath them. Korhess moved last. For the people watching from the ruins, the battlefield suddenly became a blur of impossible movement. BOOM! KRAK! SHRRRRAK! The five prototypes struck from different directions as Korhess drove her burning spear toward Apotheosis's exposed flank. The creature roared. The entire city shook.

Thousands of people screamed as the windows around them rattled. The livestream cameras trembled in the sky. Yet none of the fighters retreated. Across the ruined streets of New York, beneath a sky stained orange by fire and smoke, humanity watched six figures challenge something that looked powerful enough to destroy the world. Victor's body blurred across the battlefield, every muscle committed to a single devastating blow. His fist drove into Apotheosis's ribs. THOOOOOM!

The impact sent shockwaves through the street. Windows shattered outward. Cars flipped end over end. The asphalt buckled beneath their feet. Apotheosis did not move. Its enormous head turned slowly toward Victor.

"Strong." Its glassy eyes narrowed.

"But not strong enough." Its tail lashed out. Victor barely escaped, throwing himself sideways as the colossal limb carved a trench through the rubble. The shockwave alone flayed his skin and sent him tumbling across the street. Victor barely escaped, throwing himself sideways as the colossal limb carved a trench through the rubble. The shockwave alone flayed his skin and sent him tumbling across the street. Apotheosis was already there. Its arm snapped forward. BOOOOOM!

Victor disappeared through the wall of a nearby building. The structure shuddered as his body tore through several rooms before crashing into the street beyond.

"Victor!" Naomi shouted.

"I'm fine!" Victor forced himself upright. His legs buckled. He collapsed again. Half his body was broken from a single strike, fractured bones piercing into his organs as his regeneration desperately struggled to repair the damage. He coughed blood and tried to move, but his body refused. The livestream camera caught him lying motionless amid the rubble. The chat exploded. IS HE DEAD? THAT THING JUST ONE-SHOT HIM GET THEM OUT OF THERE! WHY ARE THEY STILL FIGHTING IT?!

THAT MONSTER IS INSANE HE HIT IT AND IT DIDN'T EVEN MOVE Mateo stared at Apotheosis.

"That thing is stronger than us."

"We know," Cass replied. She launched herself into the air. Her body twisted through a sequence of impossible angles as she drove her fist toward Apotheosis's skull. Her ability held every bone, tendon, and joint precisely where she commanded, allowing her to force her body through movements that should have torn her apart. Her fist connected. CRAAAAACK! Apotheosis's head did not move an inch. The recoil traveled straight through Cass. Her bones vibrated violently. She gasped.

Before she could recover, Apotheosis reached up and caught her around the waist. Cass's eyes widened.

"Shit…" The creature squeezed. KRRRK! Her spine snapped beneath the pressure. Apotheosis hurled her away. Cass smashed through one building, then another, before crashing into the street hard enough to crater the asphalt.

"Cass!" Miriam screamed. Across the livestream, people recoiled from their screens. SHE JUST GOT FOLDED WHAT THE FUCK THEY CAN'T BEAT IT RUN! Miriam raised both hands. Emerald fire erupted from her palms and washed over Apotheosis, engulfing its colossal frame. The creature took a step backward. Its eyes narrowed.

"Your fire is merely heat." The flames crawled across its scales. Apotheosis barely seemed bothered.

"I mistook it for the selective flames of the deer." Its mouth opened.

"Die." SHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! A torrent of boiling water erupted from its throat. Miriam was struck head-on. The blast hurled her backward through a collapsed storefront. Her skin blistered almost instantly, muscle burning beneath the force of the torrent. This was no ordinary water. Apis saturated every droplet, making the stream catastrophically hot, hotter than any star, its energy violent enough to burn through matter at a level the human mind could not comprehend. Miriam screamed. Korhess moved.

Her spear flashed through the smoke and carved across Apotheosis's chest. Emerald-gold flames erupted along the wound. The creature recoiled.

"You are becoming tiresome."

"And thou art becoming predictable." Korhess drove her hoof into its jaw. THOOOOOM! Apotheosis's head snapped sideways. Blood sprayed across the street. The emerald flames consumed every droplet before it could touch the ground. Korhess did not allow herself to stop chanting.

"By root and branch, be sealed. By leaf and vein, be stilled. Let thy blood remember not the path by which it came."

"NOW!" Korhess shouted. Naomi's black ice erupted beneath Apotheosis's feet. KRAK-KRAK-KRAK! Layers of impossible cold climbed over its legs, locking them in place. Mateo charged through the opening. His fist slammed into Apotheosis's stomach. THOOM! Miriam, barely recovered, forced herself upright and unleashed another wave of emerald fire. Victor dropped from above. His broken body became a weapon. He used his own momentum like a slingshot, driving his heel into Apotheosis's skull. BOOOOM!

Cass appeared at its flank. Her body was still damaged, her spine held together only by her ability, yet she forced both fists into its ribs. DOOM! DOOM! She locked her own vertebrae into place before the recoil could tear her apart. Apotheosis staggered. Barely. But it staggered. Cass's golden Fix Points blinked into existence around its limbs.

"Fix!" The points locked into place. Apotheosis froze. One heartbeat. That was all they needed. Korhess drove her spear through its thigh. SHNK! Emerald flames immediately consumed the wound. Apotheosis roared. Its claws lashed toward her. Korhess twisted away from the worst of the strike, but one claw caught her across the side. KRAAASH! She was hurled through a collapsing apartment building. The impact tore through several floors.

The subsequent shockwave ripped across the city, carving mile-long scars through streets and buildings. The livestream drone violently tilted. The chat went almost completely incoherent. SHE GOT HIT ANTELOPE WOMAN! THAT THING JUST THREW HER THROUGH A BUILDING WHY IS NOBODY HELPING THEM?! WHO THE FUCK IS GONNA HELP THEM?! THERE ARE PEOPLE STILL TRAPPED HERE GOD PLEASE Korhess emerged from the rubble. Blood ran down her side. Her antlers still burned. Her spear remained in her hand. She inhaled slowly.

The chant never stopped.

"By root and branch…" Her flames continued burning through Apotheosis's wounds.

"…by blood and bone…" The Apis within its body churned violently, desperate to escape through every opening she created. Korhess forced it back.

"… let no seed take root." Her eyes narrowed. She understood the problem. She could land the final blow. She knew exactly where to strike. But Apotheosis was still too healthy, too focused, and far too volatile. If she attempted the technique now, it would fail. Worse, getting close enough to establish the necessary preparation would give the creature an opportunity to seize her. And if Apotheosis caught her, it could force its Apis directly into her body. She needed it distracted. Injured. Angry.

She needed its attention divided between too many enemies to notice what she was preparing. Most importantly, she needed to keep its Apis from becoming unstable. So she kept chanting. She kept the emerald flames burning. She kept Apotheosis from spilling its blood. Victor staggered back onto his feet.

"Korhess!" She looked over her shoulder. Her expression remained calm despite the blood soaking her side.

"Worry not." Her spear tightened in her grip.

"Thy part is not yet ended." Behind her, Apotheosis tore through Naomi's ice. KRRRRAAAAK! The entire street trembled. Korhess turned back toward it. Her antlers blazed brighter. The battle continued. —