On a roof near the battered parking lot…
A soldier groaned as he sat up, clutching his head. He looked around, confused by his position on the floor.
"I… fell asleep?" He muttered, then his eyes landed on two of his comrades still unconscious beside him.
He closed his eyes, then replayed the last moments he remembered before his blackout.
Once he remembered everything, he sprang to his feet, grabbed his discarded gun, and returned to his vantage point, aiming at the parking lot below-- but he frowned in confusion once he only found all his other comrades unconscious across the lot, just like he was.
With their target nowhere in sight.
"Where did—"
A sudden shockwave cut him off.
He looked up just in time to see a streak of blue and yellow-blue light collide in the air. The resulting shockwave swept across the wind instantly, shattering glass windows with its deafening roar.
The lights vanished--
He looked around, searching--
Just as they reappeared near the ground and clashed again. Another shock-wave carved the concrete like a concussive blast--then they vanished again.
They then reappeared again, this time right in front of him. The resulting shock-wave and wind slammed into him before he could even react, sending his gun flying out of reach while he collapsed backwards.
He scrambled upright, staring in disbelief at the now gouged concrete, as if a monster had taken a bite of the building he was standing on.
Then, he flinched as the two light streaks clashed repeatedly, vanishing and reappearing in random locations in rapid succession, destroying everything they touched with their colliding shockwave and mana.
"W-w-wh-what… is this?" He mumbled as he stared at the destructive visual distortions bathing the parking lot, knowing full well that those two lights were actually mages--moving faster than the eye could follow.
Meanwhile, within that blue light, Dom zipped through the air, breathing heavily, blue eyes locked on the other light, Aera rapidly approaching him.
With a grunt, he twisted, and she did the same, both swinging their feet at each other.
Their kicks collided midair, releasing another earth-shattering shockwave amplified by their clashing mana. They locked eyes briefly, Dom's determined gaze versus her calm, focused eyes, before the impact finally sprang them apart.
Dom's body spun as it soared through the air, then he kicked the air behind him, the resulting recoil stopping his momentum. "I didn't think you'd use my moves against me," He called out, using quick, subtle kicks to keep himself afloat.
Using the same trick, Aera replied, "After we heard about you in the North, I was trained to emulate your abilities."
The spectating soldier gasped, staring at the two mages having a casual conversation--despite being suspended several feet in the air. A height that would kill any ordinary human should they fall.
Dom raised a brow at her. "Seriously? I worked hard to make those spells." He commented.
"And I worked hard to copy them." She said as she pulled her legs up and pushed off the air behind her, launching her body at him like a missile.
Dom maintained his altitude and threw two rapid punches, sending two focused wind bursts like fired bullets.
But with quick kicks, she veered upward, easily avoiding them, then swung a foot, creating a wide wind burst aimed at him.
He kicked away, dodging the invisible attack, then flinched as he sensed her now behind him.
With gritted teeth, he turned and guards instinctively against her bone-crushing kick.
The force shot him into the floor, creating a deep crater as debris and dust exploded around him.
Then she promptly dropped onto the same spot like a bomb, deepening the destruction and creating a second explosion.
The dust cloud obscured the lone soldier watching from the broken roof--which promptly cleared up from another shockwave as Dom's fist collided with Aera's leg.
That Dominance spell took out most of my reserve. I'm running on fumes here. Dom thought, weaving just in time to evade a wind-displacing kick that brushed his cheek. Not sure how much longer I can last.
He evaded a few more kicks, then deflected the final one into the ground. He quickly followed up with a punch, but she caught it with her palm and spun, yanking him away.
He quickly regained his stance and turned, just in time to block a spin-kick to the chest.
He grunted as the force sent him skidding across the floor, before tripping on one of the mana beasts he defeated earlier. "Fu-"
A quick kick to the jaw cut him off, but Dom ignored the pain as he immediately took his stance and retaliated with a left hook.
With terrifying precision, Aera suddenly dropped into a graceful leg split, evading his swing. Before he could recover, she planted her hands and performed a low sweep that took out both his legs.
"Shit," Dom muttered, tumbling just as she spun low, her movement similar to an acrobatic break-dancer as she aimed another kick at his face.
A sudden thud echoed.
Her eyes slightly widened as Dom caught her leg with his own, blocking her strike in a low-hand stance that mimicked hers.
With a smirk, he adjusted his hand placements and swung her leg away while shoving his other foot towards her face.
But Aera recovered quickly, deflecting his foot upwards and leaving him open for a sudden drop-kick to the chest.
Dom groaned, rolling across the floor from the impact while Aera flipped onto her feet and chased after him. He sprang to his feet and raised his arm for a punch, only for her knee to suddenly smash into his gut, forcing him to double over.
She then quickly followed up with a spin-kick into his jaw.
The resulting shockwave shattered more windows as Dom's body whistled across the lot and smashed through a building wall, debris and concrete collapsing onto his battered form.
The sound woke some of the still unconscious soldiers, who shook their groggy heads as they tried to orient themselves.
Those who had already woken up stared in awe at the clearly one-sided battle before them. Some even cheered, encouraging their powerful agent to defeat this rebellious escapee.
Obviously, Aera ignored them. Her razor-sharp eyes remained focused on her objective. She scanned the wreckage for movement--then narrowed her eyes once the sound of laughter echoed from the broken building.
A familiar hand grabbed the outer edge of the hole. "Damn," Dom chuckled, pulling himself out of the hole, which promptly collapsed behind him along with the rest of the building, like a broken sandcastle. "That fucking hurt."
Aera relaxed her stance slightly once she noticed his unsteady gait. "I'm only doing this because you're being stubborn," She said calmly.
"No shit," Dom muttered, spitting out a smear of blood and wiping his lips.
She released her mana again, the cold sensation washing over his already battered body.
She's no joke, He thought as he ripped the last fragments of his top off, revealing his new bruises. Even though she's completely beating my ass, I can tell she's still holding back.
He stumbled to a knee, coughing into his hand as he tried to catch his breath. It's the same. He gritted his teeth as he stared at the bloodstains on his palm--remembering the last time he felt this overwhelming inferiority.
His battle at Lupus--with the Monarch successor: Xavier--each blow felt like a mountain, and the sheer force of the mana left him immobile. Even though the gap in power is smaller compared to back then, that feeling was still the same.
Aera noticed his frown. "Are you finally ready to surrender?" She asked.
Dom quickly covered it with a confident smirk. "Hell no." He said, wiping his palm against his torn pants as he pushed himself back on his feet.
"I see," Aera muttered, bouncing on her feet for a moment, then dashed toward him, her body whistling as she closed the gap in an instant.
You know… He thought, blocking her sudden kick. I'm getting really tired of people underestimating me.
His feet skidded across the floor, driven by the momentum of her attack while his mind flashed back to Lupus again--to that irritating smugness on Xavier's face.
Dom's eyes suddenly glowed brightly, mana firing out of his body as he stomped into the ground, anchoring his feet and halting his momentum.
Aera narrowed her gaze at the now determined expression on his face.
I'm not the same guy I was back then!
With a grunt, he suddenly burst forward, each step crushing the floor beneath him as he closed the gap between them in a flash.
Aera dropped into a low stance as Dom drew his arm back.
I'll make you regret not taking me seriously!
His fist became a blur as he struck, and Aera blocked with her leg.
The collision shattered the ground beneath them and sent a massive wind blast hurtling toward the nearest soldiers, tossing them across the lot like scattering leaves in a hurricane.
With a simultaneous stomp of their feet, their weight anchored to the crumbled floor, Dom and Aera began exchanging blows.
His punches came so fast they left afterimages--ghostly copies of his fists hanging in the air as the real ones kept firing forward. But Aera effortlessly countered all of them with precise leg strikes.
Don't give her time to react!
The ghostly echoes of his fists thickened in the air as he suddenly accelerated, the afterimage piling together until it seemed like a storm of hands was crashing down instead of just two.
Don't let her get serious.
Sensing the pressure building onto her, she suddenly deflected his next punch with her knee, that stuck his jaw with a backhand.
Blood spewed out of Dom's mouth, his head thrown back… but with a determined stomp, he regained his stance and continued his barrage with even greater ferocity.
She matched his brute force, countering his punches and landing a few of her own.
Yet despite her blows and his body already teetering on the edge of exhaustion, Dom's strikes only grew more aggressive. Each punch sent subtle shock-waves through the air, the very earth trembling beneath them.
Eventually, Aera's attacks slowed, and she found herself on the defensive.
As Dom continued to hammer her with rapid strikes, her supporting foot slid back, struggling under the relentless pressure. She tried to regroup, but Dom stomped down on her foot, pinning her as he raised his fist again.
Don't let her catch her breath. Push her.
The glow in Dom's eyes was blinding. Mana oozed from his right fist, veins pulsing along his arm as he struck again.
With her legs now compromised, Aera was forced to block with her arms instead. A weak groan escaped her lips as her body shook under the force of his punch.
Keep going. Don't stop.
Dom's next punch landed with even greater force, followed immediately by another, then another, and another-- each strike a blur of relentless power.
Until your mana runs out and you can't move anymore…
Unlike her monstrously strong legs, Aera struggled to keep up with the escalating onslaught with her arms alone. Her defenses began to falter under the sheer velocity and strength of his blows until finally, Dom broke through.
His fist connected solidly with her cheek. The impact snapped her head back, and a sharp grunt escaped her lips.
Keep punching, Dominic!!!
He let out a war cry as he quickly followed up with a hook that struck her chest, forcing her to hunch over, then a second jab to the cheek, then an uppercut to the gut.
The soldiers watched in shock and awe as Dom's relentless flurry overwhelmed Aera completely, every punch heavier than the last until finally, her stoic expression vanished.
Her eyes glowed with rage as she suddenly ducked, evading Dom's next strike, then shoved him away, freeing her trapped foot.
Dom quickly recovered and threw another punch, only for a rapid up-kick to his lower jaw to stop him. The blow struck like a fired rifle; his vision instantly went black for a moment as the shock reverberated through him.
He could sense the cold embrace of unconsciousness already consuming his mind, but he forced it back with sheer will and seized her lifted leg.
Before she could react, Dom spun and flung her into the air like a slingshot. She quickly stopped herself mid-flight, but she was already over fifty feet above the ground when a blur surged past her form.
Instinctively, she twisted and swung her right foot directly into Dom's side. The impact rattled his body; an audible crack from what could only be his rib echoed, but he pushed through it with a determined shout.
He shoved her leg aside and immediately rammed both his feet into her exposed gut.
A pained grunt escaped her, and a massive shock-wave erupted from the impact, shattering every glass window across a city block.
Aera's body plummeted instantly to the ground, the collision akin to a mortar shot. The resulting explosion rattled the entire parking lot.
The soldiers barely managed to guard themselves as Dom suddenly shot down into the spot Aera crashed into as a flash of blue light, creating a second explosion even before the first had settled yet.
The combined effect cracked the concrete floor like an egg. Fissures spider-webbed in all directions from the point of impact, some of them so deep that a few soldiers fell into them as they attempted to escape the wave of dust and debris barreling towards them.
It was only after about thirty seconds that the destruction settled.
The shaken soldiers began picking themselves up, some helping those trapped in the fissures or covered in debris.
One, in particular, just remained on his knees, eyes wide in shock as he stared at the massive plume of dust hanging over the large crater in front of him. "Who is this guy?" He muttered, clutching his injured arm as he tried to see through the haze.
Meanwhile, at the epicenter, Dom knelt; his body was drenched in sweat, and his breathing was fast and deep. His glowing eyes remained wide, the lingering effects of adrenaline dilating his pupils.
But despite the awe-inspiring strength he had just unleashed, he gritted his teeth, frustrated as he stared at his right fist lodged in the floor with his opponent nowhere to be found.
"Wooo. That was close," A deep voice said.
Dom slowly turned and spotted two figures on the crater's edge. As the dust began to clear, recognition flashed through his gaze.
One of the two was Aera, now resting on a knee, a hand pressed against her gut, while she caught her breath. The second was a Scout, judging by his outfit, the dark-skinned man he recognized from the alley that day--the one that somehow managed to neutralize Roy, a Monarch successor so easily.
As Dom withdrew his fist from the floor, the unnamed Scout calmly stared, analyzing his still strong stance.
"So that's the exceptional physical strength of the Rebel Captain in full effect, huh." The Scout said as he rubbed his bearded chin. "He truly is like a war god." His gaze then drifted to Aera, who coughed beside him. "I don't think I've ever seen you lose before, Aera."
Aera pulled down her mask and spat some blood on the floor. "I'm sorry," She replied stiffly as he covered her face again.
Dom clicked his tongue.
Lose? Don't give me that,
He turned fully to face them--his eyes locked on Aera's body.
Despite the hundreds of punches and kicks, she only had a few visible bruises-- all of which began to release steam as they visibly healed.
That must be her innate regeneration attribute Ivan talked about. He thought as she calmly stood--her body instinctively undoing the little damage he had inflicted on her.
"It's fine," The Scout said to her, then turned to Dom. His ash colored eyes observed the now faint blue aura surrounding Dom's body. "At least you got him to tire himself out. He's almost out of mana."
Dom frowned, his clenched fists trembling slightly-- a subtle sign of his complete physical and magical exhaustion. As they calmly slid down the crater walls, his gaze fixed on the Scout.
This guy…
As they reached the base, the Scout noticed Aera stumble slightly, steam rising from her still-healing wounds. "Damn. You didn't hold back at all, did you?" He chuckled as he stared at Dom. "She's a young, beautiful lady, you know?"
"An enemy's an enemy," Dom said bluntly, wiping the sweat from his cheek. "I don't care what gender they are."
The Scout grinned. "Spoken like a true brute." He said, then glanced at Aera. "Well, I for one can't stand the idea of hitting a woman, friend or foe."
Dom smirked, teasingly. "Aren't you a gentleman?" He replied.
"Why, thank you," The Scout said, laughing warmly.
Despite the Scout's friendly demeanor, Dom couldn't shake the dangerous sensation his instincts picked up around him.
What did he do? Dom thought, eyes glancing to the cracked hole behind him--the spot where Aera should have been, only for her to appear outside the crater.
He glanced at his feet, noticing the footprint he made on the dusty floor, and yet there were no other footsteps around him. Which meant she never ran out or jumped away; neither did the Scout come in to drag her away.
It was almost as if she teleported from that spot to safety. A feat completely impossible for her. Which meant--
Dom then directed his attention to the Scout, a deep glare in his eyes. It was just like Mr Roy. How did he do it? A teleportation spell? He thought as the two Scouts stopped some distance from him.
Then, the heavy sounds of boots clattering around them.
Dom looked up and clicked his tongue at the dozens of soldiers, most of whom seemed to be reinforcements, now aimed their weapons at him from all angles around the crater.
His body stiffened at their sheer number--easily surpassing a hundred armed troops.
"But I am impressed," The Scout said, drawing his attention. "Not only did you create the first successful breakout in this facility's history, but you also managed to beat several of our soldiers and three Scouts single-handedly."
Aera's brows furrowed slightly.
The Scout's smile widened as he surveyed the uneven terrain around them and the soldiers stationed above.
"You even got the Division to mobilize a whole freaking army to stop you. Looks like Doc was right to assign you as our highest priority." He turned to Dom with a smirk. "You should be proud that you made it this far."
Dom narrowed his eyes but remained silent.
"But…" The Scout muttered, his expression now strangely serious. "…why go through all this?"
"All what?" Dom asked.
The Scout folded his arms, eyes hardened on Dom. "Judging by how things played out, our surveillance only noticed your plan because you tried to free the other subjects. If you and Noah had gone alone, you'd be long gone before we even noticed."
He gestured casually.
"Now, the other subjects you worked so hard for are probably already free… while you're here, fighting a losing battle alone."
Dom clenched his fists, lips sealed in silence.
"So tell me," The Scout said, gesturing to the army surrounding him, trained men and women prepared to put him down at all costs. "… was freeing those subjects and dooming yourself really worth it?"
Dom looked around, taking in the determined, focused stares from the soldiers, some cocking their guns in intimidation.
But Dom smirked, not at his situation but at the idea that Noah and the others are free. "Yeah." He said, turning his gaze back to the Scout. "It was."
The Scout's expression darkened, as if angered by Dom's response. "You realize there are more facilities like this throughout the North, with hundreds of test subjects all trapped like them, right?" He asked.
Dom frowned, his gaze lowered to his feet. "I figured that out," He said, tightening his fists. "Right now, I don't have the power or influence to save them. I don't even know where to start looking."
The Scout's expression softened. "At least you understand that." He muttered.
"That's why…" Dom said, his smile rekindled as he looked up. "That's why I saved the ones I could."
The Scout scoffed. "All you did was save a small fraction. If you think that's enough to--"
"It's a start," Dom interrupted confidently, fists tightening with determination. "I can't save the others now. But once I get back to the South and rack enough power to a big-shot mage, I'll come back. Not just for them…" He glanced at Aera. "…for all of you."
Aera simply stared, unmoved by his words, but the Scout's eyes widened slightly as he processed Dom's words.
Then, he laughed, half-mockingly while the other half, hopeful…
Eventually, he stopped, then gave Dom a menacing smile.
"You're serious, aren't you?" He asked as he straightened, a hand kept on his hip. "Alright then…"
He gestured at the soldiers who already shifted; the sounds of gun clicking, blades grinding, and spells activating echoed through the air, adding more tension to the already heavy exhaustion on Dom's body.
"If you can still somehow escape this…" The Scout said, an ashy glow in his eyes as his smirk widened. "I'll believe you."