[Day 17, 7 days left]
Blake: Still can't believe this city was rebuilt decades ago, and now it stands advanced—just like any developed city. What's your opinion about it, Alan?
Alan: Z City was never rebuilt, from what I've heard. This might be an illusion.
Blake: Potentially, yes.(Thought) He's not wrong, though. I've never heard of this city being rebuilt, nor any news about it. And yet… here it stands.
It was already their second day in the city.
Yesterday, early in the morning, they had received a message from WHA. Most of the S-Class heroes had been deployed elsewhere—except Frostbite, Queen Bee, Sting, and Riftwalker, who was still recovering from his injuries. The rest, including Blake and Alan, were assigned to remain in Z City with a single objective:
Defeat Zerathos.
Blake and Alan had been paired together and dropped in the northeastern sector of the city via a WHA aircraft after nearly five hours of planning and discussion.
The only lead they were given—
A single image.
An ancient Aztec structure. A temple.
Presumed to be the enemy's lair.
And even now…
They had nothing.
No trail.
No signal.
No certainty.
Only a city that should not exist.
After hours of wandering in search of any lead, hunger finally caught up with them. The sun had climbed to its peak, and with no progress to show for their efforts, they decided to stop at a nearby restaurant before continuing.
The place was called Diner's Hut.
As expected, it was small—barely six tables inside—but it served decent food. Most seats were already occupied, yet luck favored them. One table remained, occupied by a single customer.
A man in a cloak.
He quietly ate momos with lassi, his presence oddly composed amidst the chatter of the room.
Blake and Alan took the seats opposite him and placed their orders—rice with double egg-top for Blake, and a burger with a milkshake for Alan.
Blake's eyes lingered on the stranger.
A six-foot staff rested beside him.
His face remained hidden beneath the cloak.
Something about him felt… deliberate.
Not accidental.
Stranger: Been a while since we saw each other, BlueVoid.
Blake:(still eating) And who are you supposed to be?
Stranger: Oh, come on. You can't tell who I am, even from my voice?
Blake: I'm just messin' around. Long time no see, Jordan.
The stranger let out a quiet chuckle and removed his cloak.
Jordan smiled.
Jordan: When was the last time we've met?
Blake: Hmm… Hard to say. I think it was the Graduation Day.
Jordan: Yeah, time really does fly. And now you're among S Class heroes. That's good for you.
Blake: Appreciated. And I can also see that you're among the Superior Dark Knights. Got a codename?
Jordan: DopeTrack. Fastest among our crew. Say, want a rematch?
Blake: In what?
Jordan: I'm betting on everything this time. There's an open field, 2.7 km west from here. Come alone—and if you win, I'll tell you our lair's location.
Without another word, Jordan picked up his staff, paid for the food, and vanished in an instant—like a streak of motion that never lingered long enough to be seen.
Blake:(Sigh) Really hoped he wasn't a speedster. Oh well, pay for the food please.
Alan: Then you'll treat me if you win.
Blake wasted no time. He finished his meal quickly and dashed toward the location Jordan had mentioned.
The city blurred past him.
Wind split around his movement.
And in no time—
He arrived.
Jordan stood alone in an open field, facing a distant mountain, unmoving—as if he had been waiting long before Blake even started running.
Blake slowed to a halt, stopping about twenty meters behind him.
Silence settled between them.
Jordan: Does this place remind you of somewhere?
Blake: "
Hmm… Can't say for sure, but it does look like a place I've seen before… the school ground.
Jordan: I see that you still remembered.
Blake: Why won't I? It was the place where we fought to determine who was no.1.
Jordan:(Turns back) Neither of us won at that time. But now—(Spinsstaff)—time to find out who really was no.1.
Blake forms a twinblade, electricity crackling and coiling along its edges.
Blake: About damn time.
They move at the same instant.
No hesitation.
No warning.
Steel meets energy—
and the impact fractures the air, sending ripples of shock through the ground beneath them.
Their strength and speed cancel each other out, perfectly balanced—forcing the fight into something sharper, more deliberate.
Strategic.
Measured.
Deadly.
Blake presses forward with rapid, piercing thrusts and spinning strikes, each attack flowing into the next like a storm that refuses to settle.
Jordan holds firm.
He blocks, redirects, and counters—his movements precise, almost effortless. When an opening appears, he strikes back with clean, punishing kicks.
Blake realizes it.
Brute force won't break this.
Not him.
So he changes.
As Jordan blocks another strike—
Blake shifts his grip and instantly forms an electric chain, the current snapping outward and locking onto Jordan's staff.
In a single motion, he yanks—
Dragging Jordan forward.
A punch follows—
Fast.
Direct.
Brutal.
But Jordan reacts just as quickly.
A sharp kick crashes into Blake at the same moment—
Impact.
Both of them are thrown back, sliding across the ground as the force of the exchange tears the space between them apart.
Blake: As expected, this won't be an easy fight, nor will it be a quick one. Change of tactics, then.
Blake finally slips on his headphones.
A single tap—
WAKE UP! by MoonDeity.
The beat drops.
And so does the restraint.
Blake bursts into motion, circling Jordan at blistering speed, his footsteps syncing with the rhythm as he unleashes a barrage of consecutive punches from every angle.
Relentless.
Unpredictable.
Overwhelming.
Jordan is forced into a tight spot—blocking everything becomes impossible.
Jordan:(Thought) Such speed! I can't keep track of him. I have to do something, and fast… The mountain. Time to fight more seriously.
In an instant—
Jordan leaps high, breaking out of the circle.
Mid-air, his staff splits—
Two batons.
Blake: Dual wielding? This is gonna be fun.
Blake responds immediately, shaping twin katanas from crackling electricity.
No pause.
No hesitation.
They clash again.
Steel against energy—
slash after slash—
parry after parry—
Their movements blur beyond perception, too fast for any normal eye to follow, too precise for a single mistake.
Then—
Jordan shifts.
He vanishes—
Reappearing farther ahead—
Then again—
And again—
Each movement snapping him forward toward the mountain at impossible speed.
Blake:(Thought) So that is the secret of his speed—hopping at the speed of light. Why choose the mountain? Guess he already figure out my downfall in running. I can't make sharp turns—and on top of that, mountains are slippery. But I've got no choice if I want the location.
Blake follows.
He switches his music.
The rhythm slows.
Running Out of Roses by Alan Walker and Jamie Miller.
His movement changes with it—
Less explosive.
More controlled.
Precise.
He enters the mountain.
The terrain shifts instantly.
Wet ground. Uneven footing. Dense trees cutting visibility.
Both of them blaze through the forest, darting across rocks and slicing through the terrain like wild cheetahs chasing one another.
But Blake is forced to slow down.
Every step risks slipping.
Every turn costs momentum.
And Jordan?
Unaffected.
His footing remains perfect—his movements clean and unhindered.
Specialized shoes gripping the terrain effortlessly, even under the damp weight of the monsoon-soaked ground.
Jordan: What's wrong? You didn't come prepared, are you? Tsk, same as always; you only trust your guts.
Blake: …
No reply.
But his silence isn't weakness—
It's calculation.
Jordan doesn't wait.
He lunges forward—
Batons flashing—
A storm of rapid strikes unleashed without pause.
At his current state, Blake can only defend.
Each block comes harder than the last.
Each step pushes him further back.
And in that moment—
He understands.
What it feels like…
To be on the losing side of control.
Blake feels the strain building across his body, bruises spreading from Jordan's relentless attacks, yet he endures the pain and keeps moving forward without slowing.
Jordan, too, is reaching his limit. His breathing grows heavier as he finally pauses for a moment, leaning against a nearby tree.
Jordan: You're still tough like before too, motherfucker. How about you join our side? Both of us would be unstoppable. So, what do you say?
Blake remains silent.
His eyes shift—not to Jordan, but to the surroundings. The exposed roots beneath the tree. The rain-soaked ground. Water pooling into the soil.
And in that instant—
Everything aligns.
Blake: How about you eat this!
Electricity erupts from his right hand, forming at an insane speed before he slams it onto the wet root. The current surges through the tree and spreads rapidly across the soaked ground, transferring high voltage directly toward Jordan.
The wet soil, saturated with rain and minerals, acts as a perfect conductor, while the exposed roots carry the current like veins—turning the entire tree into a lethal circuit.
The exposed roots, swollen with moisture, connected directly to the soil, forming a perfect pathway for the current to surge upward as Blake discharged his electricity.
Blake: You should have given more attention in our physics class, Jordan.
But to Blake's shock, Jordan's body began vibrating—and the current simply stopped reaching him.
In the next instant, he vanished, reappearing a short distance away as the tree behind him exploded from electrical overload.
Blake: He… phase?
———————————————————
Phasing is the ability to shift through solid matter by altering one's molecular structure, rendering the body intangible. When activated, the user becomes partially or fully incorporeal, allowing them to pass through objects, structures, or any physical medium without obstruction.
At its core, the process involves manipulating atomic alignment so that the body no longer interacts with surrounding matter—slipping through it as though it does not exist.
———————————————————
Jordan: Slick trick you got there. Almost made me jump, but… bad choice.
Sensing Jordan was about to pursue, Blake discharged a surge of electricity into the ground, launching himself downhill. Jordan followed instantly, hopping after him at blistering speed.
Just before hitting the ground, Blake created chains of electricity and swung downward using nearby branches. Jordan was already closing in.
Blake landed and broke into a sprint—
Jordan nearly on him.
He switched his music to 'Otonoke' by Creepy Nuts, steadying his rhythm—balancing speed with precise control.
Blake: So he can phase… that's a trouble now. As far as I know, phasing allows the user to go through solid objects like a ghost, which means my electricity would be useless. But now that I think… if he'd have a weakness, I'm starting to wonder why did he shift his position while phasing as he was practically invincible. This could only mean one thing—and to test that theory, there's one place I can think of.
Jordan chased Blake across the continent without pause, convinced that after witnessing his phasing ability, Blake had already accepted defeat.
Jordan: Hahaha, running away now, are we? Surrendering is not defeat, my friend. But you're just… no match for me, Blue Void.
Blake:(Thought) Good, Dope Track has fallen for Plan A. Now, to Plan B.
Soon enough, they reached the Grand Canyon—one of nature's most awe-inspiring masterpieces, carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, in northern part of B City on the second continent, neighbouring N and H Cities.
They stopped at a peak, the vast expanse stretching endlessly before them.
Blake: I wanna at least visit this place first before we fight.
Jordan: Not a bad place to pick. But why here?
Blake: Do you really believe that… what you and your fellow Dark Knights are doing is the right thing?
Jordan: …We believe in our boss.(Readybatons) If that's what you're asking.
Blake forms dual-wielding thunder bolts and settles into his fighting stance.
Blake: Then, we'll stop him.
Tourists and visitors at the Grand Canyon noticed flashes of light in the distance, mistaking them for fireworks.
But in truth, those bursts came from rapid slashes and parries—the clash between Blake and Jordan.
At one point, Jordan deflected one of Blake's lightning bolts, then instantly reattached his batons into a staff and struck Blake across the face.
Blake retaliated just as fast—binding Jordan with electric chains and driving a lightning-charged punch into him, staggering him backward.
Blake: Please, let's not do this.
Jordan panted, but forced himself back up, ready to continue the fight. Blake sighed—failing to convince him—and resolved to carry Plan B through to the end.
Jordan: Where have the prideful Blake I know gone?
Blake gave no reply. Instead, he turned and sprinted toward Horseshoe Bend—one of the most iconic and breathtaking views of the Colorado River, carved into Navajo sandstone.
As its name suggests, the river curves sharply around the promontory.
Blake chose a direct route along the bend, sprinting forward as Jordan gave chase.
Jordan: That path is bend, meaning that I can phase through this big ass rock and surprise attack him. But how big is this mountain?
As Blake turned along the curve, Jordan saw his chance.
With no better option, he phased straight through the promontory—committing to a single, decisive hop.
For a moment, he was certain it would work.
But then—
His phasing stopped.
Right before he could fully pass through.
His head, arms, and chest stuck outside the rock.
Blake approached him.
Blake: As I thought, you can phase only for a very limited duration.
Jordan: Now what are you waiting for? Finish the job!
Blake raised his fist, lightning gathering into a knuckle.
Jordan closed his eyes, bracing for the end.
But instead of pain, he heard a faint click—and felt something clamp around his wrist.
When he opened his eyes, a nullifying band had locked into place.
Without hesitation, Blake turned and unleashed a barrage into the rock—shattering it enough to free him.
Jordan: Why?
Blake: The person who I once was died. And I know there will always be someone better than me or you.
Silence lingered between them.
After a short, awkward pause, Jordan handed him a piece of paper.
Blake: What's this?
Jordan: We made a deal, and I'm fulfilling it.
Blake took the paper and realized it contained the coordinates of the temple they had been searching for. He thanked Jordan and called for CTP. A wormhole appeared, and Jordan prepared to step in.
Blake: Just so you know, being no.1 is a lonely bussiness. I realised it too late.
Jordan: I'll remember that. You'll visit me, will you?
Blake:(Nods) Sure thing.
They shook hands—a quiet sign of peace and mutual understanding—before Jordan turned and left.
Now that their destination was clear, Blake decided to return to Alan, playing Bang Bang by K'NAAN and Adam Levine as he ran.
For the first time in a long while, the thought of being number one no longer crossed his mind.