"This movie sucks."

River let out an offended huff and slapped Jack's arm. "A lot of people worked really hard on this movie."

"That just makes it worse." Jack snorted. "The plot barely makes any sense, and all it does is yap on and on. That actor doesn't even look like you."

Jack Larison and River Sini wouldn't exactly say that they viewed one another as friends. Their relationship was the kind in which neither of them could stand the other for very long. It was the kind of kinship that had been formed only due to how much time they had been forced to spend around one another. Constantly coming to each other's rescue was part of the job, after all.

Today had been a calm day. Zoo, Bad Timers, and the Wandering Coin seemed to be gone for good. All the other small fry villains in Oleander seemingly sensed it as well and went underground to lay low. Hope and the others had come to the mall to have fun. He had been expected to stay in the parking lot waiting for hours when he spotted River, who had come to drop her own kids off.

That was why the two of them found themselves inside a movie theater in the newly built mall, watching some cheesy action movie following the origin story of Ocean Empress. The CGI was pretty bland, and the actors weren't even remotely close to looking like the real heroes. A lot of liberties had been taken as well, making up a brand-new backstory for the hero, which was bland and typical. If it had been another movie about the Victorian or Pretty Face, the budget would have been huge. For someone like Ocean Empress, all her legacy gave her was some bland B-tier project.

"I didn't have any say on the movie." River finally said. The movie room they were in was mostly empty. They had a front-row seat. "I knew they were making the movie, obviously, and they ran some stuff by me, but I never really gave it much thought after that."

"You don't watch the movies based on you?"

"I don't really have a need to fuel my ego." The Enforcer snorted. "I know I'm not the strongest or the smartest member of the Enforcers."

Jack stared up at the screen, watching as the actor playing Ocean Empress fought some weird giant robot for the climax of the movie, saving Lillian City. "You're kind of like Snowdawn in that regard." He said after some time.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"It's a compliment." Jack shrugged. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward, watching the woman in the movie throw herself in front of a crowd of people the robot fired at. "Snowdawn is a good hero. He's a lot stronger than anyone thinks. In fact, I bet he could become a member of the Enforcers if he tried a little harder. Next time you're free, you might consider giving him a few tips. His powers are similar to yours. He's a good kid. He just needs to live long enough to see it."

"That's the same story for every hero." The robot in the movie finally collapsed, falling apart, but the damage was too much for Ocean Empress. Her eyes slowly glazed over, and she died in the arms of the crowd. "Guess I won't be getting a sequel movie..."

Jack watched the credits roll. The movie ended by killing its main character. It's something you never really see with movies based on big heroes, but Ocean Empress had never been a popular Enforcer member. "Nothing wrong with going out in a blaze of glory, right?" He questioned, standing up as he and River began to head for the exit. They didn’t even bother waiting for the post-credit scene.

"You should know. You're the one racing for an early death." The hero sighed. Jack just shrugged as they made their way out of the mall and stepped out into the parking lot. The others would likely still be hanging out and partying. Everything seemed calm and peaceful for the moment, and the sun was still high in the sky. "The Victorian told me of the offer she gave you."

River's words caused Jack to flinch for a moment. He raised an eyebrow at her and gave a smirk. "She can't keep her mouth shut, huh?"

"She's my best friend. We were team members fifteen years ago, you know. Trading secrets is what women do." River folded her arms and looked the red-haired man in the eye. "Are you going to take her up on her offer?"

"Dunno-"

"What's there to think about?!" The woman hissed. "You said it yourself. You're on death's door. You have one more fight left in you at best. Are you seriously fine with wasting it? That shard is killing you. She gave you a way out."

Jack rubbed at his chest absentmindedly as he whistled a tune. He didn't speak for several moments and just stood there. "For humans by humans." He finally said, speaking the same phrase the Victorian had said to him. "It makes me wonder where Supers fall into that category. Are we considered humans? What of the Monsters created by the Emperor or even the Lords? There's still so much we don't know about. We still don't even know who the first four Lords were or where they came from, nor do we know what the threat they fought against truly was."

"Isn't that why you should live longer? Aren't you curious about that answer?"

"I thought I was a dead man in my fight with Fairy Queen," Jack admitted. "I thought it was finally my time. All of us have a time to go, and I'll be no different. Let's be real for a second. Even if the shard was removed from me, do you think I'd live?" He grabbed his chest and felt his fingers dig into it. "It holds my power back and damages me constantly. I've had my heart melted and many of my organs torn to bits. I don't have the power to heal. It is only thanks to that golden light. Once that shard is out of me, that's it. My power is only meant for destruction. I'd still die."

"You could live longer, though. Maybe an extra year or two. Maybe even three. My daughter might even be able to heal you a bit and extend your life."

"Your daughter hates me."

"She'd still do it, though. Because you're important to Hope, that would be enough for her."

"That's manipulation-"

"Why are you so insistent on dying!"

"Because maybe I want to!" Jack yelled finally. "Maybe I'm tired. Maybe I did my best, and I can finally quit. I never wanted to do this. Someone like me should have never been a hero. I only did this for Full Monarch. My job is done. The kid doesn't need me. She hasn't for a while. What would a few more years really do for someone like me? I'm just..." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm tired."

River stared at him for a moment before she turned away and looked up at the bright blue sky above. She had always liked the daytime. The blue reminded her of the ocean, which her father had always loved. "Do you think something big is coming?" she finally asked.

"What do you mean?" Jack breathed out, quietly calming down.

"In my experience, a calming silence like this is because the world is getting ready to throw something big at us." The woman explained. "I think that this is no different. The Emperor is back. It's only a matter of time before humanity is faced with a Calamity level threat once more."

"The heroes will be ready for it."

"Will they?" She looked back at him and gave a small grin. "No heroic sacrifices, okay."

"What?"

"I'm serious—the next big battle. I don't care if it'll be your last. Just don't go dying, giving up your life in some sort of big sacrifice-like moment. If you're in trouble, I'll come and save you. Got that?" She reached out and punched him on the shoulder. "The same goes for me. I'll be counting on you. I can be reckless sometimes. If it looks like I could die, then feel free to jump in and save me."

"What brought all of this on?"

"Nothing." The woman turned away and shrugged. "Just make it a promise, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

River turned away, hiding the small smile on her lips. This was the memory that went through Ocean Empress's head as she stood on the battlefield. She breathed heavily as all the rain in the area smashed down, ramming into the Beast.

"Are Myth and Money Tree okay?" Poseidon asked, trying to push herself up. "Mom?"

Ocean Empress ignored her daughter and kept her eyes forward. A large steam cloud had formed and was quickly rising. She couldn't see the Beast, but she knew it wouldn't have been that easy. She was damaged—not as badly as Cinder or Myth, but her wounds weren't good either. Her right hand had nearly been torn off, and she had a hole through the stomach.

"Do you know where Battery is?" She asked slowly.

"He isn't with you?" Cinder groaned.

Ocean Empress kneeled down next to the girl and used her power to heal the gut wound as best she could. It was a massive gash. One that would have killed a human in seconds. Even a Lord wouldn't be able to live long with such a wound. She filled it with ice and helped Cinder up. "Can you stand, Lily?"

"No." Poseidon shook her head and winced. "My spine was-"

"Use your power."

"R- Right." Poseidon was clearly in pain, but she managed to shakily lift herself up with water. It wrapped around her, and she lowered her body's gravity, allowing her to awkwardly float up a bit while her legs dangled down below her uselessly. "What do we do now-"

White light exploded out of the steam cloud as a beam of energy was blasted in Cinder's direction. Ocean Empress dropped the girl and threw her arm out, creating a barrier of ice to shield herself. The energy broke past most of it and clipped her shoulder, tearing a chunk out of it and causing the woman to drop to her knees and gasp as her good arm dangled at her side uselessly.

The Beast came flying out of the dust cloud and swung out with his fist but was stopped by Fable, who came crashing down onto the monster with another massive spear. The weapon shattered on the energy-like skin that coated the monster, but it did manage to get its attention. It swung around and smashed a fist directly into the man's face, nearly snapping his neck and sending him flying back.

As Fable flew back, his weapon changed and twisted, becoming a long golden ribbon that wrapped around the arm of the Beast and dragged it after the flying Fable. Following close by was a woman in what looked like ancient armor, brandishing a spear, War God. The woman jabbed at the Beast, jumping back as an arm slapped at where she was. As Fable dragged the Beast, War God leapt in again, this time with a sword and shield, leaving shallow cuts. As Fable’s momentum slowed, War God sped up, rapidly switching weapons with her ability, taking on the abilities and aspects of different ancient gods of war.

Ocean Empress took a moment to catch her breath and looked back at the bridges that were starting to thin out with people. "Poseidon, you need to get across the bridge. Cinder, you'll stay here with me." She groaned. "We failed at stalling this thing and screwed up. It's over now. All we can do is fight it until it gives up and keep it here."

"Why are you asking Cinder to stay here? And why won't you and the others come as well? It won't leave the city, right?" Poseidon asked.

"Normally, no, but..."

"It's after something, right?" Cinder spoke up. "It's after me." Ocean Empress didn't look down at the girl.

"I'm sorry, Cinder. The Beast has been acting differently ever since it got here. Boy Genius informed me it's been making a beeline for you. If you go across the bridge, there is a chance the Beast could break its rule and cross over and endanger more people."

"You're asking me to stay here and die?"

"...Yes."

"You can't be serious, mom!" Poseidon yelled.

"I'm not saying we give up." Ocean Empress shook her head. "It isn't over yet. If we can damage it a bit more and hurt it, the thing might finally leave. In the past, it always left once it took too much damage and couldn't maintain its form. Two years ago, we managed to defeat it, and we can do it again."

"Two years ago, we had Grampa and Legend," Poseidon argued.

"Just go across the bridge-"

"Not without you. If Hope is staying, then so am I. We already lost the Victorian-"

"The Victorian isn't dead." Ocean Empress spat out. "I used my powers on the water and felt four people crash into it. They're all still alive but badly injured."

"Four?" Cinder asked. "Max Lightning and Victorian are down there. Whisper jumped in, too. Who's the fourth?"

"Snowdawn."

"He's alive!"

"For now, yeah-"

Fable flew past them, ramming head-first into one of the nearby buildings. "Brother!" Myth called out. He was back in his human form and only managed to stand thanks to Money Tree, who kept him supported. At the end of the street, the Beast was already back, throwing a limp War God into a building, and began to charge toward them once more. Fable was down and barely breathing, and both Myth and Money Tree were in no condition to fight either.

Ocean Empress tried to move her left arm, but the muscles in it had been damaged far too much. She froze what was left of her right hand, forcing a sword of ice to appear in it and creating frozen fingers that could hold it. "You'll die if you fight it, Mom!" Poseidon cried out, but Ocean Empress ignored her daughter and blasted forward on a stream of water. She swung her sword out, meeting the Beast's fist head-on.

Her blade shattered instantly, and the fist flew toward her face, ready to rip her head clean off. A hand appeared in front of her face, blocking the attack and holding the Beast back. She fell back and stared up with wide eyes as the Victorian shoved the alien back with all her power.

The woman was still covered in her strange black shadowy mode, with hundreds of golden stars all across her, like a galaxy that had taken on the shape of a human. The attack she had taken from the Beast had been a full-power blow. It had hit her with everything it had from the start, and it clearly had done damage. Cracks ran along her form, seeping out with a golden light. The world's strongest woman spat out a broken tooth and rammed her fist forward, smashing it into the gut of the Beast.

Ocean Empress and Money Tree barely had time to form a series of barriers, but neither was enough. The punch from the Victorian was one of her strongest yet, one that caused a literal explosion and blew out a massive gust of wind so strong it shattered most of the ice bridge and damaged the metal bridge. The only thing that stopped the entire bridge from falling apart was the metal Oxide had coated it in, though as to where the girl in metal had gone, no one knew as she had seemingly vanished once all the fighting began.

A large crater was formed into the ground, and Ocean Empress felt herself be blasted back as her barrier shattered. The Beast stood its ground, but the force of the punch forced it to stagger for a second. Any building left standing around them came crashing down, shooting up a large wave of dust as debris rained from the sky. Once more, all of Oleander sank down a bit, getting deeper into the ocean.

And all of that had just been from one punch.

A few moments earlier...

Whisper felt herself sink down into the water and shivered as the cold hit her. Her gear was heavy, and it was hard to move in. The water wasn't as deep as she had expected. It went down far but had been blocked from going any deeper by the shore of the city that had been placed down. The waters also weren't that dark. This was because the black void was filled with a golden light.

The heroes rested at the bottom of the river. The Victorian and Max Lightning. She swam down deeper and felt the pressure change as she suddenly dropped the water around her fading. She dropped and landed on sand, which caused her to groan a bit.

Max Lightning had created a pocket of air, forming a large open space at the bottom, holding the water back. He kneeled down next to his ex-wife and put his hands over her chest, trying to wake her up. Lightning seeped out, shocking the woman.

"Dad?" She quickly sat up, staring at her father as he tried his best to get the number one hero back on her feet.

"That bastard cheated." Max Lightning grunted. "It might have only looked like one punch to everyone else, but it was so much more. That thing is like all four Lords rolled up together. It used the sheer overwhelming power a Lord of Sun has and compressed it all down into its fist, then it used the sheer speed of a Lord of the Sky to move at blinding speeds, then used the control over gravity the Lord of Sea has to increase its striking power and hit her with everything it had. Did you see it?"

"N- No?"

"It damaged its body. The other reason the other heroes aren't dead is because it took one hell of a beating doing that to itself." Max Lightning spat out. "If we can get her back up, maybe we can win!"

"You need to stop, Dad." He whipped his head around toward her and stared. She bit her lip and did her best to hold back a sob. He hadn't even realized it yet. "You're dying." His costume was gone. His flesh had turned into a nasty black and white fire danced across his flesh, slowly breaking part of him away. He was disintegrating from the attack he took. "Your body is barely holding back the damage. If you don't stop, you'll die."

The man stared at her for a moment, then snorted. More flakes of his skin gradually crumbled away, and by now, his left leg was gone. "Who cares-"

"I do!"

"You're my kid. You have to." He stared down at the woman in front of him. Even half dead, she was beautiful. "I never wanted to be a hero."

"Yeah, I can tell! You spend all your days pretending to be homeless!"

"I was born with this cursed title. The role of a Lord never suited me. I never wanted it. Yet I gained it. Fate can be tricky, can't it? Sometimes I think it's a real person. Someone is watching us from beyond the veil of this damn story we've found ourselves in, and they do their best to punish us. Why did you become a hero?" He asked. Lightning twisted around his hands, and he placed them on the Victorian's chest, shocking her once more.

"I just... I don't know! You seriously had to decide to be a dad now?"

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"I think being a hero suits you." Max Lightning stated. "I think it suits her as well. It always did. I know she never cared for me. I was never on her mind. I was just a means to an end—a way to create the next Victorian. When you were born, I had decided no matter what, I wasn't going to have another kid. You would be my only one. You were perfect."

"You say that, but not once did you spend any time with me!" She yelled out. "Her, I get! She's barely human! But you! Why did you leave me!"

"I was scared at how easy it would be."

"What would be?"

"To give it all up to you."

"What do you mean-"

"I'm weak. I'm pathetic. I can hardly be called a hero or a father." Max Lightning rammed his hands down once more. "I always knew this day would come. I knew that something like this would happen. Yet, not once did I try to change that story. I let it all play out. I thought that it would be better this way. Or maybe I did give up. Maybe I lost a long time ago. Even with the power to see the future, I seem to find myself regretting my choices constantly."

His lightning seeped over the Victorian's chest, and she gasped, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment, the world's strongest woman stared up at her husband, and then slowly, her eyes drifted over to Whisper.

"Win, Jill. Please win-"

The Victorian was gone. Before Max Lightning could even speak, she took off, flying out of the air barrier and leaving the waters, lifting up. The crack in the barrier caused all the water to flood in, and Max Lightning closed his eyes.

Whisper gasped, feeling her lungs fill with water. She managed to hook an arm under her father and tried to swim up, but it was too much. He was too heavy. She could barely lift herself up, much less him. She was just about to give up when the weight suddenly lessened. Another arm hooked around Max Lightning's waist and began to lift him up. She swam up along with the other person, and they broke above the surface of the water. She took several gasps of air, and they floated over to a square pillar that poked out of the water that connected to the bride above.

It was wide enough for them to climb onto it and out of the ocean. They climbed up and gently rested her father on the ground. She finally saw who had helped her.

"Oxide?"

The metal girl was breathing heavily, catching her breath. She had taken off most of her metal costume and only wore enough to cover her modesty, allowing her to swim—sort of like a metal bikini. "I saw Snowdawn was sent flying into the water." The girl explained. "I jumped in to find him, but I think the current swept him away. We need to look for him-"

Max Lightning threw up a glob of blood and screamed out in pain as more of his body began to break away. The fire wasn't on him anymore, but it had seemingly been similar to an attack from a Lord of Life, and his cells were literally unbinding and turning to dust.

"Dad!" Whisper took his hand and squeezed down, but he didn't meet her eyes. "Please don't die! I don't want to lose you-"

"Finally." The man managed to give the faintest hint of a smile as he stared up at the sky above. "My story is finally over." He crumbled, falling apart and becoming something similar to dust. "It's your turn now, Lois."

"Dad!"

Oxide looked away as the wind carried what was left of Max Lightning away. "I—I'm sorry for your loss." She waited for Whisper to respond, but the girl never did. "Whisper?" She looked up and found Whisper's eyes transfixed on the sky above, staring at something.

"What is that?"

"What is it? I don't see anything?" Oxide stared up, but nothing was up there.

Whisper gasped and began to shake. Colors flooded her mind, and she felt like her head was about to explode. The paths came flooding back to her, but there were millions of them now. Then she saw it—a large black cloud, twisting and being formed of billions of paths.

'I guess you're my new vessel now.' Somewhere deep within the Enforcer tower, a metal Pod began to glow with a faint blue light. ‘You can call me the Loudest Thunder. It’s good to meet you, Lois.’

The Loudest Thunder had a new body. A new Lord of the Sky had just been born.

Whisper blacked out...

Back up top, more of the bridge began to shatter and fall apart as the Beast swung out at the Victorian. Water surged out of its wrist, appearing out of thin air. They were like thin razor lines slicing out. The woman took to the sky, causing the attack to fly past her and split the clouds in the distance in two.

"Victorian!" The voice of Boy Genius exploded out of her earpiece.

"A bit busy!" The woman cried out. Part of her side was sliced into by the Beast, and she kicked out, ripping part of the ground up and shooting it high into the air. She rammed her fist into its stomach and blasted it into the street as hard as she could, collapsing the block and sending it down into the sewers below.

"We have a bit of an issue!" Boy Genius called out.

"Yeah! I’m fucking fighting it right now!"

"Not that!"

"Then what the hell could it be!" White lines exploded from the ground and wrapped around her. The Beast dragged her down, bringing her closer to it and smashing her through more of the road as she crashed into the sewers where it was.

"Uriel is escaping!"

The Beast fired out a wave of white energy, setting the entire sewer on fire and burning the ground beneath the city. The Victorian threw her hands out in front of her, trying to block the attack. The energy flew over the blackness that covered her skin and began to burn it, blasting her back into the air and sending her out of the sewer and back onto the surface above.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"If he's coming out, then that means Lucifer called him! If Lucifer is calling for him, then the Immortals are meeting back up! If the Immortals are meeting back up, then that means the Murder Games are starting early!"

"Are you saying we're about to have two Calamity level threats-"

The Beast was on her in an instant, grabbing her by the face and ramming its fist into her. Another shock wave was sent out, and a blast of fire crackled in all directions. She felt her eyes roll back, and she gasped, but it didn't stop, hitting her again just as hard. From behind it, Ocean Empress came down, swinging her ice sword out and clipping the Beast on the back. It did no damage but did manage to piss it off.

"Ocean Empress!"

The Beast twisted around and swung out with its hand. White fire blasted out of its elbow, boosting it forward like a jet engine. The Enforcer tried to block it with a shard of ice, but it wasn't enough. The hand broke through it, and the fingers dug across her stomach, splitting it open and nearly tearing the woman in two. The Victorian let out a cry, but the Beast didn't stop there and kept spinning, ramming its hand into her hand and shooting out a beam of energy that blasted her back.

Both Ocean Empress and the Victorian were sent flying in opposite directions. The Calamity was about to fire again, but a beam of hot flames smashed into the back of its head. It turned and glared down the street where its target stood. The clash from the battle had torn up that entire portion of the city.

Hope watched as the place she grew up in crumbled around her. It wasn't just this block but everywhere. The bridge connecting to Lillian had finally snapped, and the people who were trapped on it plummeted down into the waters below. Oxide did her best to save as many as she could, catching them with metal bowl-looking things. There were more, though—people who had been trapped further into the city. Pools of lava bubbled out of cracks in the ground, and most of the buildings had fallen over.

Oleander was becoming a dirt lot.

Heroes were either dead or busy trying to save themselves. Hero Branch members were dying, falling into holes in the ground, or being crushed by the collapsing buildings around them. All of it had been caused by this monster. It had been less than an hour, and yet how many thousands were dead now?

And all of it was because she called this place home.

"You want me." She could barely stand. The ice that Ocean Empress had used to block off the hole in her side was coming undone, and red soaked down her outfit. "I'm right here."

The entire ground had become uneven, as if hundreds of earthquakes had gone off at the same time. White butterfly-looking wings grew out of the creature's back as it took to the air once more. It floated off of the floor and slowly glided towards her. It got twenty meters away and held its hand out. The energy began to bubble out. The white flames that danced across its body grew larger. It was like a star getting ready to implode.

She closed her eyes right as the beam fired out. She prayed it would leave after this.

An avalanche of diamonds slammed into the monster's wrist, causing it to jerk a bit and twist. The attack barely went off course, but it was just enough. The attack flew past her and went high into the air, flying its way out of this planet and blowing a hole through another planet in the solar system.

Money Tree stood on top of the roof of a nearby building, his hand outstretched. The Beast went to blast him but stopped as something flew past him. Myth wrapped his arm around Hope's waist, picked her up, and took off running. He had changed into his lion form and staggered, barely able to walk on two legs. His other limb was still missing, and his good arm picked her up as he ran as fast as he could. His guts were hanging out, and even she could tell he was going to die if he attempted this.

"What are you doing?!" She yelled out, horrified.

"Stopping you from killing yourself." Myth grunted out.

The Beast ignored Money Tree and went to fire on the two of them as they fled, but the Sub Enforcer leader caused another wave of riches to smash into the alien. It didn't so much as budge it, but it did cause the Beast to fire at him out of frustration. Right before the attack could hit him, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and he was lifted up by BB, who was still in her giant form. She was burned and barely clinging to consciousness, but she managed to get them out of the way just in time.

Hope rested on Myth's back as she watched the Beast be rammed into by the Victorian, who flew back at top speeds, smashing it through more debris. "Everyone's still fighting?"

"Of course they are! Did you seriously think we'd just give up and let you die?" Myth growled out.

"I doubt the Victorian is doing this to protect me. She's just mad."

"Maybe. But I'm not giving up. We can beat this thing!"

"How?"

"I don't know! Still, don't just die. Even if this thing does kill you, there's no telling that'll cause it to just give up and flee. You're the Lord of the Sun, aren't you? That means you can beat him! Full Monarch did."

"I'm not Full Monarch-"

"That's right. You're better! You're a member of Team Pantheon, and we don't lose!"

"You need to stop, Myth." She dug her fingers into his fur. "You're pushing yourself too far."

"I'm fine-"

"Your guts are hanging out."

"A lot of monsters can survive from something like this. As long as I stay transformed, I can take a beating like this. You're the one who had an entire section of their stomach destroyed. Just rest."

"But-"

"Please. I don't want anyone else to die."

'Would you like for me to help?'

"What did you say?" She asked.

"I said I don't want you to die!"

"No. After that?"

"I didn't say anything after that."

"Oh?"

The Victorian flew into the air, being chased by the Beast. She had tried leading it away, but the thing was stubborn and wouldn't get too far from the city. Thankfully, it hadn't tried to use any of its time-based powers or anything like that. It mainly stuck to using that white light, but that wasn't all it could do. Lightning would still rain down, blades of water would flow out, and its body would twist and change as needed, forming wings and patching itself back up.

Fire, water, wind, and even control over its life and the ground it walked on as if the four Lords had made some sick perversion of a Super. She had no idea how Full Monarch was able to stop this thing so many times.

"If the Emperor can beat you, then so can I." The Victorian hissed, firing out a massive beam of golden sunlight that flew past the Beast and into space, cutting into part of the moon above and ripping it off. "Up here, I don't have to hold back either!"

Now that they were above the city, she was free to hit this thing as hard as she could and let the shock waves go out however they needed to. Their clash had already reduced most of Oleander to ruins. Drones that Boy Genius had sent were constantly falling from the sky, attempting to save whoever was left, but thankfully, over half the city had managed to escape through the bridge before it collapsed.

Down below, Ms. Laps watched the battle in the sky as she moved more of the debris out of the way. "And they wonder why we try to keep her on a leash."

"I found him, Ms. Laps!" Buzzing filled the air as both Wasp Nest and Dust Cloud reformed together from beneath a series of rubble. They had come back to help but had been put to work by the Hero Branch leader. The ground broke a bit as Wasp Nest pulled himself out of the ground, carrying someone on his back. "He's in pretty bad shape."

"Why did you have us saving some half-dead hero?" Dust Cloud asked. "We could have been better spent helping others."

"That half-dead hero might be the secret weapon we need to beat that thing." Laps spat out, taking the body of Battery off of Wasp Nest's back.

"Seriously? Battery is that strong?" Wasp Nest asked, raising an eyebrow. He stared down at the hero. "Sorry, but I'm not seeing it."

He was kind of shocked at the fact that Battery was still alive. The man's body had been crushed and badly burned when the Beast had stopped time. His limbs and legs were all twisted, and he was gushing up blood. The damage he took was more than enough to down even a Lord, yet somehow, the man was not only alive but awake.

Battery's breathing came out as a series of gasps, and his eyes were wide as he shook, spitting up more blood. The damage to his arms and legs was too much for him to walk or fight, and the golden glow in his chest had grown so much that dozens of cracks were seeping out as golden fire seemed to hungrily eat away at him. That didn't stop Laps from putting her full trust in him, though.

The woman kneeled down and was drenched in the man's blood, which gushed out of him like an ocean. "I was there! I saw it all happen!" She growled out. "I know you're stronger than this! You're the strongest! You were a billion times stronger than this back when you fought Full Monarch! What happened to that power? Where is it? The strength that killed the previous number-one hero! Where is the weapon that the Emperor hand-picked for his sick goal? Get up!"

Battery gurgled on more of his blood, and it was hard to tell if he even knew what was going on. In his mind, he wasn't on the battlefield. It was all coming to an end. He could feel it. His heart wasn't beating anymore. No one could blame him. He was dead already. He didn't need to try anything. He did enough. He could just close his eyes and drift off. It was time—no need to fight it.

He was back on that beach. They had only gotten to go there once, yet this was always the place he found himself going back to. It hadn't even been a real place. She was in the distance. Light smothered her, but he saw it. Knee deep in the ocean. He just needed to sleep. Hell Hound was right there. Her hand held toward him.

All he had to do was die.

"Get up!" Laps’ voice was barely registering to him. "You want to die so badly? Fine! Then do it, taking that monster down."

"I can't beat it." He spat up more of his blood as the memory and reality danced together. "I wouldn't be enough."

"I don't care! At least try! You promised Full Monarch, didn't you?!"

"I'm a villain. Is it so shocking that I'd lie?"

"Please." The woman said, gripping his shoulders. "Please, for just a little longer. Please be a hero. Save me." Those words registered in his mind for some reason. Someone else had asked him to save them also, right? He stared at his wife, but the form seemed to flicker and change. Ocean Empress stared back at him.

“Save me.”

The image of the beach slowly faded. Just a little bit longer. He just needed to do his job for a few more minutes... "My belt." He gasped out.

Wasp Nest dropped to his knees and reached out, going through Battery's belt. He felt something attached to one of the notches and pulled out a jar of black liquid. It was cracked, and over half the jar was missing, but he knew what it was instantly. A drug manufactured by the Wandering Coin. He didn't know what it was or what it did, but that didn't matter. The lid had been shattered, and more of it gushed out.

He pried Battery's mouth open, placed the jar to the man's lips, and dunked it down. Dust Cloud paced around, biting his lip. "My entire team is dead, aren't they?" He stated. He turned away and stared up at the Beast. "This better work."

Battery felt the liquid drip down his throat along with shards of glass, and he sighed. A snapping around went through his body, and he felt the hands of death rapidly being pushed away as his bones snapped back in place.

Just a little bit longer.

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Down below, Poseidon managed to crawl her way over to her mom. "Mom! Are you okay?" Ocean Empress was on her back, struggling to breathe. Her stomach had been torn open just like Myth's, and she was badly burned. Unlike the Pantheon leader, though, she didn't have a monster form that could inherit the damage. "Oh God!" She wrapped her arms around the woman, holding her up.

Ocean Empress stared up at her daughter, who was coughing up some blood. The woman tried to reach out, but both her arms no longer worked, and she couldn't feel either of her legs anymore.

"Stay with me, Mom! I'll get you out of here and to a healer!"

'This is your fault.'

"What?" Poseidon stared down at her mother and realized that the woman hadn't spoken. In fact, Ocean Empress couldn't speak. The Enforcer's throat had been almost completely crushed. "Who... Who said that-"

'You could have stopped this.'

"Who are you!" Poseidon whipped her head around, but she was alone.

'You could have saved them. Saved them all. But you didn't. You didn't let me have control. Just let go. I beat this thing once already. Two years ago. Let the Tallest Wave back in-'

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Poseidon stared down at her hands, watching as black blood dripped out of her nails. Her vision darkened as the blood began to drip down her face, and the pounding in her chest grew worse. She could feel her legs again, but something was off. It was like they merged and twisted. She felt tendrils wrapping around her, and her stomach began to ache. "Stop it, stop-"

'This is my body! I made you! You are mine! Give it back!'

"Somebody help!" Poseidon cried out, clutching onto her mother. "Sky... Please-"

A loud roar broke her out of her stupor. From up above, the Victorian was blasted down into the sea, slamming through the bridge. White energy flowed out of the Beast's hand, which it held out, launching the attack down. Poseidon felt a chill go up her spine as she realized the attack was falling right toward her and her mother. Poseidon squeezed her eyes shut and threw herself over her mother.

The attack never reached her.

A blue light streamed out as the beam was sliced in half, flying into the ocean and exploding, sending out a large hail of water that rained down. Poseidon looked up, her eyes settling on the back of a red costume. Battery breathed heavily, gripping onto a glowing blue sword made of energy.

His arms and legs had been snapped back into place, and the blue energy crackled down his arm. From up above, the Beast glared down in the direction of Battery, who stared back up at it. "It's still not enough." Battery gasped out, and his sword dropped to the ground. The energy swirled around his hand, and he rammed it into his own chest.

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Poseidon flinched back, her eyes going wide. Battery spat up some blood but ignored the pain and tugged. He literally ripped his heart out of his chest, the blood flowing down his body. "What are you doing?" She said in horror. He crushed the organ, and something fell to the ground. A small golden shard of metal... Poseidon stared down at it in horror.

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More energy erupted out of Battery, but it was different. It was wrong. Darker in nature. The blue quickly faded away, and it started from his fingertips and worked its way out. Pitch black. Shadowy lightning that zapped out wildly in all directions. Dark energy. A damned power that brought an end to Full Monarch.

“That shard was holding my power back.”

“Y- Your heart, though?” Poseidon gulped.

The Beast slowly came to land back on the ground dozens of meters away from Battery and eyed the creature up, reevaluating its plan of attack.

He had until his body gave out. With no heart, it was only a matter of time. He had become a dead man walking. In return, though, his power was back. His full power. That shard had held back so much of what he truly was. Cursed in nature, black lightning danced over his suit as Battery finally let out a sigh.

"Battery! You can save my mom, right?!" Poseidon was still behind the man and stared up at him with pleading eyes. "You have the Victorian's golden light, you can-"

A black tendril of energy whipped out from Battery’s back, smacking Poseidon across the face and sending her flying back and tumbling down in the waters below. It happened just in time. She was out of danger right as the Beast charged. Its speed rapidly increased as gravity twisted and dropped around it and its wings expanded. It appeared in front of Battery and swung out with everything it had, but its attack never landed. For the first time since it unleashed its full power, one of its physical strikes missed. The arm rammed into the ground, destroying the spot Battery and Ocean Empress had been at.

The Beast growled and turned about to strike but was suddenly rammed into from behind by the Victorian. The two went flying off engaged in a series of strength plays.

Battery appeared on the other end of the street clutching Ocean Empress in his arms. She stared up at him weakly, with more blood dripping down her body. "You managed to save me." She spoke in a weak tone barely above a whisper.

"Save you... Yeah, right..."

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" The woman asked quietly.

Most of Battery's face was covered by a mask. It blocked off his eyes, and his lower mouth stayed numbed as he stared at the Beast, not showing any emotion.

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Finally, he spoke. "I can't use the golden light. It finally burned out. This form, this power I have now, isn't one for saving people. All it is good for is total destruction. My gift. The weapon molded in the image of the Emperor to slay Full Monarch. I can't do anything for you other than this." The black lightning seeped out and coated the hero he held with his power of destruction, destroying her nerves and ending any of the pain she might have been in. "This is all I can do."

Ocean Empress let out a weak sigh. Her body was light. It had lost a lot of blood. The pain was gone, though. She was numb. Numb and cold. She stared back up at the man who held her. Jack Larison. "You ripped your heart out."

"Yeah."

"What happened to no more sacrifices?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Ocean Empress let out a weak laugh. "I guess we're both liars, aren't we?"

"Yeah... I guess we are." He cracked a smile.

Her eyes began to flutter and close. "Battery?"

"Yeah?"

"Jack..."

"Yeah..."

"Do you... Nah... Never mind... No use asking such a silly question now."

"It's okay. I already know the question. The answer is yes. If I could have done it all over again. If we could have maybe spent a little more time talking. Yes. I would have liked a life like that."

She slowly smiled as her eyes closed. "That's a good answer for a change."

"I'm sorry. There isn't anything I can do."

"What are you talking about... You did enough. Could you... Could you make sure Lily and Sky are..."

"Of course not, dumbass. I'm about to die too."

"Oh right..." She let out one last breath. "Guess I forgot."

Jack. Do you think that maybe if we talked more, if we spent more time together, maybe something could have happened? Could we have gotten a good ending?

All of this, of course, went unsaid.

Battery, Alpha, or maybe it was just Jack Larison, finally looked down. River Sini's eyes no longer held life, and the color had left her face. It hadn't been some big sacrificial moment. Such a thing wasn't possible in a situation like this. It was just a tragic and slow end. He hadn't been able to save her. He hadn't been fast enough. He failed once more. The hero that did her best, the mortal among Gods. Ocean Empress was dead. A scream broke through the air, drowning out the popping sounds of Battery's energy. It took him a moment to realize it was the daughter. Poseidon was screaming. Loud and wailing like a siren. Her entire body was shaking and twitching, and the gravity around her began to bend and twist, changing. She had somehow crawled out of the water and made it back up onto the street, staring at him.

He could feel it. Her power was starting to go out of control. She snapped. Pretty soon she wouldn't be the one in the driver's seat.

Battery softly placed Ocean Empress down on the ground, then in an instant he appeared in front of Poseidon, ramming a fist into her face. Once more, she was launched into the waters down below. "Just go and get out of here. I’m not going to let you join your mother. Live, Poseidon." Battery pulled the energy back in and shook his head. "You shouldn't use a power like that anyway-"

Everything around him exploded, and a field of white seeped out as the Victorian rammed into the ground a few meters away from him. She was followed shortly by the Beast, who slammed down into her, pushing her further into the street. Jack looked up and met the eyes of the Calamity. He felt the Beast come at him. In his distracted mind, he had almost forgotten about it.

He looked up just in time to see its fist flying toward his face.

It was up to him now. He wasn't the hero that would kill the Beast. Instead, he decided he would be the monster that dragged it to hell.

"I'll see you soon, Ocean Empress, and Hell Hound."