CHAPTER 40: LIGHTHOUSE.
Alix gazed at the old lighthouse in the city.
The lighthouse was on the coast, in a secluded area of the city and this area had never been changed, which meant that it was slightly deserted.
The docks were far from this area and to go to the lighthouse; it was necessary to walk along a cliff on the edge of which was the lighthouse.
The sun was overhead, giving the impression that today was going to be a pleasant day, and the sea lapping calmly against the shore added to that feeling.
However, Alix was nervous.
“Are the alarms set up? What’s the situation like? What happened to those who went after Donovan?”
The voice of Pamela, the Dark Sorceress, rang out loudly as she questioned her subordinates.
Alix who turned around noticed that in this open area were about ten red codes from around the city and even several who came from another city.
The Cunning Lightning could shoot lightning from his hand, the heinous Executioner wielding a gigantic axe, the Assailant wearing full Servo Armor were the ones that stood out the most.
Superheroes highly known in the city and the other Code Reds were similar, each with a background that surpassed her and Alix with all of them by her side could not feel safe.
“The Tiger Warrior went to stop him with several superheroes. We haven’t heard back,” Cunning Lightning replied.
He was a grown man in a tight golden costume with a lightning bolt on his chest that glowed and while his answer carried assurance, Pamela, who was wearing a tight tunic, frowned.
“And what the fuck are you waiting for to find out what’s going on?” questioned Pamela aloud.
That she would so openly insult another superhero who was code red showed how tense she was and Alix swallowed hard and then sighed in relief as she sensed the presence coming from the tower.
The City Sun flew with Prophet Melissa at his side after exiting the tower and approached them.
“I have already warned the servants of the tower administrator,” Nathaniel advised calmly.
Melissa was also more relaxed now that they warned the person guarding the tower... A Dawn Goddess.
Alix didn’t know who it was, but any of those gods were terrifyingly powerful, similar to her master, and the best part was that they openly helped the world.
“That’s good...”
“This is bad.” The Assailant said loudly and moving his finger to the servo armor’s wristband projected an image for everyone.
The servo armor was thick, leading to the man being six feet tall and looking like some kind of war robot, and being connected to the security system allowed him to project the recordings from the cameras.
First, they saw the Tiger Warrior surrounding Donovan, whose eyes were purple, and suddenly all the authorities let him go after being controlled.
Without waiting for them to react, the Assailant showed the situation in a bunker and there they saw that people were still working, but with purple eyes and then another bunker and another... Until he practically projected the same scenario in different parts of the city.
Whether it was authorities, civilians, superheroes and even some criminals looking to take advantage of this moment to steal were controlled and the biggest problem was that they continued as if nothing.
They reported to their superiors that nothing was happening and their superiors were controlled and sent reports here that everything was in control.
“He’s holding the entire city hostage...” Melissa muttered under her breath.
The tension rose instantly and in the surprise there was also fear that it was all happening so fast.
“Activate maximum security.” Nathaniel ordered as he touched his ear to send the message.
He was communicating with the Lab and the Synthetic Doctor, who were the ones controlling the last defenses of the city, and he did so with a tense tone, assuming the worst.
However, the worst did not happen.
“The security center has not been affected.”
The answer came from the Synthetic Doctor and immediately the huge buildings of the city released space waves that moved together, forming a dome that enclosed the entire gigantic city and its surroundings.
Then that dome flickered several times until it went out again and although visually nothing happened, Alix felt the calm and tranquility.
The water stopped hitting the shore, and the sea stopped, giving the impression that time had stopped, but what really happened was a sealing of impressive magnitude.
The last defense of security in case of greater dangers was to copy the reality of the city and sealed everyone inside this space, thus preventing battles from destroying the real city and hurting the innocent.
It also sealed people to prevent them from contacting the outside or causing any harm.
“The authorities and all those who have been controlled are still working under the mental influence of the transcendental. I do not know if whoever controls them can harm them.”
The Synthetic Doctor’s voice came over the comm system again and Alix, who heard the voice in her earpiece, swallowed hard.
That the Synthetic Doctor was so sincere at times was too counterproductive, and she noticed morale waning.
They were superheroes and if the city was taken hostage; they were between a rock and a hard place... Could they call themselves superheroes if they failed to defend the city they were supposed to protect?
“Send a plea for help to the Traveler. She is the most powerful psychic I know. Also ask the other cities and the government for help,” Nathaniel said and without hesitation, he added. “And if you can send a message to the Investigator and ask him for help.”
The Traveler was known as a powerful psychic and from what Alix had heard, that woman could travel all over the world and even between worlds and at this moment that they were facing a mental being she was the perfect superheroine for the occasion.
However, it was also necessary to look for other sources of support and the government or authorities in other cities could be of help and the only problem was how long they would be delayed in sending reinforcements.
Each city had its supervillains who were waiting to move and if the authorities left the city carelessly, they could suffer when they returned.
So the last option was to bother the Investigator, who was the closest and most powerful person.
“The Investigator is not answering messages since this morning.”
The synthetic doctor’s response was not helpful and the expressions of the people listening changed.
Melissa looked pale and tense, Pamela was frowning, and the others also looked serious.
“Two cars approaching,” mentioned the Assailant pulling out a gigantic assault rifle.
It was a thick, large rifle and even though Alix knew it was powerful, today she felt it would be useless.
Was she being too pessimistic? Perhaps, but the Tiger Warrior was someone with the strength of a Code Red and an experienced superhero and ended up being controlled as if he were a lowly minion.
“Go to your positions and stay calm. The barrier will protect the people of the city. We have to stop the Transcendental,” Nathaniel said, raising his voice and releasing a certain glow, he announced. “We have great superheroes and me and the Goddess of Dawn will stop the Transcendental.”
The man’s voice was strong and loud, full of confidence and power that made Alix take a deep breath before smiling at her master.
Her master was right and while the Transcendental was considered a Code Black, they had the City Sun and also inside the tower was the Goddess of Dawn.
Two individuals who could stand up to the Black Codes.
Those who heard the orders nodded and moved, with the Cunning Ray and the Executioner taking the lead, while the Assailant acted as a backup with the others.
The other Code Reds distanced themselves by hiding in the sky with artifacts and moving into the water for cover and even burying themselves underground, preparing the ambush.
“I’ll cover your back, Dark Sorceress,” Cunning Lightning said, revealing a smile on his face.
He wore a mask and looked like a handsome guy, but Pamela frowned in disgust.
“Surely to look at my ass,” Pamela replied and pointing to the two cars, added. “Now concentrate or I’ll turn you into a toad that no princess would like to kiss.”
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Alix ignored what the response from the person in charge of the Hero Society and simply concentrated on the approaching cars.
The rumors of Pamela being ‘direct’ when tense were no joke... Alix moved to Melissa’s side to protect her.
“If anything happens, activate the artifacts and leave. I’ll protect you.” Alix murmured to Melissa in a low voice.
The Prophet had decided to come on her own and she could be of help in preventing dangerous situations, but she wasn’t a super too physically strong.
“I know. I’ll try to see what they’re planning.” Melissa replied calmly.
She would try to see into the future to get ahead in case the Transcendental and his people were planning something dangerous.
Alix simply nodded and turned her attention to the cars approaching down the street.
Armored cars with tinted windows and protective barriers... From the second car, three people got out.
The first one was the driver, who was a muscular and stocky woman with black hair who got out seriously when she felt so many eyes on her.
Monique the Three Eyed Woman... Such was the title the authorities gave her and she was a surprise to many, as the woman had a history as a petty minion and to Alix she was weak.
Then under Zaid the Silent, a man who had also been a small time minion with a basic criminal record in the past.
Finally, down came a large-breasted woman who, unlike her companions, who were serious, gave a smile when she saw that they were being watched.
Sanya the Smiling, she was a small time minion, but from what they had heard she was someone extremely dangerous.
All three wore tight purple suits with a white tie and white buttons that shone like pearls and they were the three supervillains who, during the last few days since the Transcendental’s rise, were showing themselves most frequently.
Minions who during the reign of the Great Monkey were regarded as petty criminals, now they were the three supervillains who got their own titles.
“...”
The three did not seem intimidated by the people watching them, but Alix could sense fear from them and concern.
The reason was that all three were weak... They would be considered code green or perhaps a weak code orange.
Supervillains who were caught by the neighborhood superheroes and, even though they were so weak, they did not show extreme panic and the reason was those who descended from the main car.
First down came that one from the driver’s seat and Alix swallowed immediately at the sight of the humanoid creature that had just alighted.
A gray-skinned, hairless, humanoid creature with a mouth full of black teeth and a hollow nose.
The eyes were glued shut, but Alix felt that creature glance at those hiding and shake his head, watching everyone until he made his way to the back seat and opened the door.
“Here we are, young master,” said the creature as it spoke in a squeaky voice.
The squeaky voice was creepy, giving the impression that someone was scratching at the blackboard with their fingernails and such a sound sent a shiver down Alix’s spine.
Who was that creature?
The Transcendental had two supervillains nearby as far as they found out, and one was Donovan and the other was an unknown man.
Was the creature the unknown man?
Without her answer being answered, Alix noticed Donovan getting out of the car in the purple trench coat he was seen in lately and she swallowed as she noticed the purple eyes glowing like headlights.
It wasn’t Donovan who controlled the body... He was the transcendental and Alix noticed how that being turned to look at the tense supervillains.
“Where is the golden girl?” The being asked and adjusting the trench coat, muttered. “The boy is worried about her.”
The voice was calm, as if being surrounded by several Code Reds was nothing and just like the first time, it completely ignored the City Sun.
Arrogance or confidence? Alix entered a state of combat and wariness ready for anything and reacted that way because of the tension in the air.
Then she noticed from a distance a golden line approaching at a speed she could barely catch and when she was a hundred meters away, someone reacted.
*Bang*
The Assailant raised the rifle and fired at the gold line and the bullet as it exited the rifle turned into water that drenched the back of Pamela, who had been in front of him.
“Motherfucker...”
Pamela shivered, perhaps because it was ice water, and turned around giving a murderous look to the Assailant who immediately raised the gun.
“That wasn’t my intention,” the man muttered in a shaky voice.
Nathaniel signaled for them to focus on their opponents and Pamela, after muttering threats under her breath, shot a hateful glare at the transcendental.
The golden line that up close looked like a flash came even closer and then stopped next to the transcendental.
An extremely fast speedster with a golden hair wearing a tight-fitting suit with golden scales that when reflected by the sun shone with a purple hue.
The mask she wore covered her eyes, but also distorted her face completely, covering her identity.
The Transcendental had a speedster supervillainess.
“I’m here, young master. And I didn’t need to stop the bullet. I wanted to try to dodge it. I also finished with my work and checked the city, it seems that space wave sealed everything. I went to the edge and couldn’t escape. I hit a barrier and it hurt. So I went back and checked everything again. Apparently, there is no one left. Anyway, it feels too tense in here. Is it because there are so many famous people? When this is all over, I’d like some autographs.”
Alix, who had been tense, blinked as she listened to the woman speak rapidly on various topics and blinked back again as she noticed that the tension was easily broken.
“If you want, you can get the autographs later. Just don’t be reckless, the boy will be sad if something happens to you,” said the transcendental as he approached them.
Alix sensed the blush of the ‘Golden Girl’ and felt that everything was too strange, but she didn’t get carried away by the rhythm of her enemy’s conversation and concentrated on Donovan’s body.
That man moved closer towards them, while at his back the supervillain minions that previously felt weak were beginning to increase in threat as the eyes of each of them glowed purple.
They were increasing in strength in front of them and went from weak supervillains to shiver-inducing Code Reds.
Golden Girl also got a purple color in her eyes and the way she was smiling was clear that she received some improvement... An already fast speedster seemed to become even faster.
Unfortunately, this was not the time to ask how he managed to strengthen them and it was Nathaniel who took a step forward until he was twenty meters away from the transcendental.
“I guess they won’t let me into the tower,” the man muttered and smiled arrogantly as his purple eyes flicked between them.
Alix was one of those who received the look and when her eyes connected with Donovan’s purple eyes, her mind was hit by a sea and her surroundings were completely distorted.
She felt like she fell into a sea of mental strength and like a castaway, she was hit by the waves trying to drown her and despair surged back, but this time it wasn’t like the last time.
“HA!”
Screaming madly, the wave of her voice expelled the sea, and she opened her eyes again, noticing the ground and saw how a crater had formed under her feet.
Looking to her side, she distinguished that the Cunning Lightning was the first to fall and next to it was the Executioner kneeling just as she was, resisting the mental force that was trying to crush his will.
Pamela was also hit and was letting black smoke out of her nostrils as she closed her eyes, but they were the only ones putting up resistance.
Prophet Melissa was completely controlled and was just like the other superheroes who came out of their hiding places with eyes glowing purple and were walking away from this place.
“Enough!”
Alix heard her master’s voice and felt the heat rise up, burning away the mental force that sought to control her and that help, along with the mental defense artifacts the authorities had given her, helped fend off the control.
However, the other superheroes far away could not be recovered as they flew fleeing into the distance.
“Oh, a sun that can burn the mind. Though remarkable, it is not enough. You and that magical being may be able to prevail, but the others won’t,” said the transcendental and looking at them earnestly, he announced. “I will say it once. Get out of my way and let me enter the tower and free that one just like me or I will have to destroy you all. Even if I have to extinguish a radiant and angry sun.”
Along with those words, the man gave her a look and Alix knew... She was a hindrance to her master.
The bracelet she wore as an artifact that everyone had to protect themselves from mental attacks was broken, and the only reason she was holding out was that this being didn’t go with everything.
The only one that could not be affected was the City Sun, which was capable of burning the very mental force that sought to control him.
“Master, we have to avoid...”
“Go ahead. You can go in.” Nathaniel said before she said she was willing to do anything to prevent the transcendental from entering the tower.
“Sir, if they come in...”
Prophet Melissa, who had escaped with the help of Pamela and her magic, tried to speak while pale, but Nathaniel turned to watch her.
“Assailant take Prophet Melissa away,” Nathaniel said and noticing Melissa was about to retort, he ordered. “Trust me.”
Her master had a plan... Such an idea was what he was signaling and the Prophet, after looking at him for a second, bit her lips and nodded, disappearing along with the Assailant.
Nathaniel then signaled for them to move aside and both the Cunning Lightning and the Executioner, as well as she and Pamela, gave way so that the Transcendental could pass.
The Transcendental in Donovan’s body watched them and then his eyes flashed, gathering the mental force in front of him.
If at first the mental force was formless, after a moment it turned purple and condensed into a purple figure that after solidifying became whitish in color.
The figure was of a two-year-old boy with purple eyes and a white figure and whose most visible features were the confident smile on his face and the purple eyes that revealed seriousness and coldness.
That small figure walked among them on his own and as he passed near them, Alix felt him smile at them as if he knew what his master was looking for.
She tensed, but it wasn’t necessary as the Transcendental flew past them and flew into the tower, arriving at the entrance.
The small figure put her hand on the door and suddenly a huge crack opened in the lighthouse, drawing in everything around, but the figure, instead of being swallowed, turned calmly.
“I’ll take a minion,” said the figure, waving his hand to fetch the three eyed woman and then looking at the creature, he added. “Take care of the rest, babysitter.”
Along with those words, they were both swallowed whole.
The rift immediately closed and the presence of the transcendental disappeared completely, entering the Tower... The domain of the Dawn Goddess who ruled a dangerous prison.
“It’s not ne...”
“GRAAA!”
As the creature the figure had glared at was about to speak, her master lashed out with a punch as fire covered it completely and the creature responded by punching back.
*BOOM*
The cars flew as did the minions, and Alix had to stomp hard on the ground to avoid being ejected by the shockwave of the crash and she opened her eyes wide.
Her master, who was covered in fire that was melting the ground and disintegrating the earth, also burned the humanoid creature’s fist and part of the face, revealing bones and organs, but then could burn no more.
The creature’s skull turned black, the flesh rapidly regenerated and scales appeared all over the creature’s body, transforming it into a scaly skinned aberration.
Muscles surged, and the creature regenerated, using the fire and heat of the City Sun as nourishment, and the two clashed fists again.
*BOOM*
This time Alix flew backwards and stopped its flight, noticing how a crater was formed by the impact, but the creature was not burned nor did it recoil from the blow.
It kept mutating, improving and adapting to the fire and the power of the City Sun, all while keeping its eyes closed.
“I don’t want to do this...” murmured the creature as it stepped back and opening eyes that showed deep abysmal darkness, it revealed. “But I won’t let you interrupt the young master.”
The screeching voice was chilling and Alix entered a state of combat that caused all her muscles to tense and veins to appear on her body.
The creature revealed his Code Black aura and the Fearless City Sun charged forward, driving the creature to crash into a building over two kilometers away.
Seeing Pamela unleash her magic to attack the Nightmare Donovan and the Cunning Lightning and the Executioner attack Zaid the Silent and Sanya the Smiling, Alix went to the golden girl who was taking pictures of everyone.
*BOOM*
Alix threw the punch with all her might and the shockwave of her force destroyed over three hundred meters of the street, but missed the person she was looking to hurt and the woman appeared next to her with a phone in her hand.
“Selfie?” the woman asked, pulling out the picture making a peace sign.
Alix blinked stupidly at the camera flash and then looked at the woman taking distance back, moving quickly.
An extremely fast speedster... Alix, instead of being nervous, smiled.
“I think the photo brought out the worst in me. We’ll take another picture later... When you’re handcuffed and in prison,” Alix muttered, stomping her feet on the ground as her body’s strength increased.
Golden Girl, hearing her first startled at her mumbling and then smiled.
“Sure, if you catch me.”
Alix, hearing Golden Girl’s response, pounced on her opponent.