“This should about do it,” Dan arched in for a final punch against the enraged Juggernaut, set to position him far from the sun. The instant before his blow landed, a wave of crimson force rippled from under the man’s skin. “Hmmm?”
The rampage of energy pushed him back and stabilised the Juggernaut’s course. Cain Marko no longer looked out from behind the Juggernaut’s red lit eyes. Instead, Dan locked his gaze to something else, a destructive and ancient being.
“Who dares to disrespect Cyttorak’s chosen with such underhanded tactics?” A wave of his massive hands brought Juggernaut to a halt, surrounded by a crimson aura. He squinted at Dan, head tilted in confusion. “A fledgling god? No… you have no divine energy, no realm to empower you.”
“Greetings, Lord of Oblivion,” Dan bowed his head in a short gesture of respect. Cyttorak was a multiversal being, ancient and proud. “I am known as Superman… your avatar here was being an impolite house guest, so I brought him into space to cool off.”
“Superman…” Cyttorak snorted with Juggernaut’s lips as he released a second wave of force. “You are certainly powerful, for a mortal. As penance for your disrespect, why not become my avatar?”
Dan raised an eyebrow at the demonic god’s words. Cyttorak wasn’t necessarily evil, more chaotic neutral, like himself. Even so, he had no desire to become an avatar for someone else's power.
“Sorry, but I’ll have to pass on that,” Dan shook his head, wary as the Juggernaut drifted closer. Even when empowered by Cyttorak, the oversized fellow should be at a disadvantage in speed. “But I can help your current avatar get his act together, if you’d like?”
“You would refuse?” Ruby light flashed, deep within the Juggernaut’s eyes. “Curiouser and curiouser… we shall see if your offering holds merit, mortal godling.”
Cyttorack punched out, a crimson fist that splintered the space between them. Dan ground his teeth, body twisted to the side. His biofield shoved aside the demon gods aura, a feat that tested its limits.
Dan pulled on the depths of his ki, joined by venom as his body was wreathed in midnight-blue flame. His fists lashed out, two blows that cracked the unstable space further. Juggernaut spun, driven back towards the sun.
“Let’s take this into my territory,” Dan accelerated beyond the limits of light, into the monochrome grey that reigned over all at FTL speeds. He led his charge with a vicious knee that drove Cyttorack’s avatar into the plasma of Sol. “Let’s see how well you deal with this…”
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Fists extended, Dan speared into the starfire after the Juggernaut’s crimson glow. Solar energy poured into his body, pulled in by his biofield and converted to boost his speed. His knuckles slammed into the small of his opponent's back, a solar ejection that catapulted the big man out the other side of the sun.
“Very impressive!” Cyttorack roared with laughter as an explosion of ruby light halted his progress away from the star. He stomped his feet and launched himself toward Dan, his speed far beyond the boundaries of light. “Let’s see how you deal with a bit of real strength!”
Dan’s world filled with a crimson fist, an all consuming wall of blood-toned force. It hammered at his biofield, more power than expected. No time to dodge, his arms crossed over his chest and accepted the blow.
Stars exploded behind his eyes, defences collapsed against his body as the heavens spun around him. A red fire chased after him, Juggernaut in a full-on charge. Mad joy filled his ruby eyes as each step closed the distance between them.
“Still alive? Truly amazing!” The shadow of Cyttorak behind Juggernaut’s eyes cackled with raucous laughter. “Your durability approaches that of a True-God, but you rely only on yourself…”
Dan let a line of blue fire lance from his eyes, a distraction that let him slip behind the demonic avatar’s charge. He pulled on the depths of his solar reserves, more than he’d ever touched on before, and lashed out with a vicious kick to Juggernaut’s temple.
Juggernaut staggered, face twisted in a look of shock as a wave of light spilled from Dan’s skin. He turned, eyes narrowed as he raised a hand against the glare. The red of Cyttorak flared, nearly overshadowed by a newborn luminance.
Blue-white shone through the near-black flames of Dan’s aura, bright stars that erupted to novas. He poured all his energy, both ki and the power of the sun, into the biofield that infused his every cell. It rushed through him, body and mind, focused into a single fist.
“We will meet again, mortal god,” Cyttorak smiled as he punched out to meet Dan’s attack. “Grow stronger, challenge this avatar of mine to improve himself. When he is skilled enough, we shall have a true battle of the ages!”
Their fists met, an explosion that birthed a temporary sun. Perfect in every detail, the star radiated silver light into the void. It hung for a moment, an idyllic picture that erupted in a violent tide of flame.
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“Who are you?” Charles forced himself to his feet, powers unresponsive as he tried to reach out to the wrathful girl’s mind. “What have you done to my school?”
“Your school… your precious students,” the little girl snorted as her body stretched and reformed. The hair fell from her head, clothes replaced by an oversized, tan-brown business suit. “You care so much for others, but you cast your own blood to the side like trash!”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t…”
“I’ll MAKE you remember!” Madness crossed the woman’s face, entwined with rage and hate. A tide of memories flooded his mind, accompanied by her laughter as he dropped to his knees.“You tried to kill me before we were even born… brother. Your pure-hearted spirit judged me evil and carved me from our mother’s belly like a cancer.”
“No… I would never,” Charles flinched as she… Cassandra Nova… pulled out the deepest of his own memory. Long buried and forgotten, they mirrored her own but from his perspective. “No…”
“YES!” Nova snarled as she took hold of his throat and lifted him into the air. Vision’s filled the darkness around them, flashes of misery and despair. “Our Mother flushed me to the sewers before she could ever know my face… and now I’ll strip you of your powers and take your beloved students…”
“I’m afraid not,” golden light erupted from the shadows, a young man wreathed in runic script. He floated forward and calmed the chaos of Nova’s visions with his passage. “The students are safe and your allies have been apprehended… now withdraw yourself from Charles’ mind, or I’ll force you out!”