Before noon, Diego, Nathan (Ember, Photon, and Tungsten), Blake, Alan, Carter, and Magnus converged at last.
By chance—or perhaps by fate—this marked the first time the S-Class had stood together in one place.
Brief greetings were exchanged, firm handshakes sealing silent understandings. And as they passed by a nearby hospital, two more figures emerged—
Charlie and Michael.
Freshly discharged.
They quickly caught up, the distance between them closing as if it had never existed.
Charlie and Diego locked eyes—
relief, unmistakable. And hug each other.
Diego:(Relief sigh) Thank goodness… you're alive. What—what happened to you? All these wounds…
Charlie gave a small shrug.
Charlie: It's nothing… just a minor fight.
Diego turned immediately.
Diego: Sir Nathan, could you—?
Nathan stepped forward with a calm smile.
Nathan (Tungsten): Of course. And please… no need for 'Mr.' or formalities. Just Nathan.
He placed a hand on both Charlie and Michael.
In an instant—
everything mended.
Fractured bones realigned, torn muscle restored, pain erased as though it had never existed. Injuries that should have taken months to heal vanished in a single moment.
Charlie exhaled.
Michael flexed his hand.
Whole again.
Without further delay, the group began their march.
Ahead of them—
the ancient temple.
Visible in the distance, standing silent and unmoving.
Five kilometers away.
And waiting.
On the opposite side of the city, Leona, Lynn, Christopher, Eric, Nathan (Paper and Glitch), Angela, and Augustine had also managed to regroup, about five kilometers away from the temple.
Angela: Oh hi, Leona… we managed to meet again.
Leona: Y… yeah, and also, thank you for your help a few days ago.
Angela: Nah, it was nothing. Taking that bastard down was a piece of cake.
Nathan(Paper): Ahem?
Angela:(shoves Nate aside) Anyway, are you ready to take down Old Dominion?
Leona: Y… yeah. Let's do this.
Paper Nate stared at Leona for a moment, his gaze lingering as if he had noticed something unusual.
Nathan (Paper): You're a support type, right? Guardia?
Leona: Yes, I am.
Nathan (Paper): Hmm… you seem to have quite a lot of pure energy within you.
Leona: Hm?
Nathan (Paper): Nothing. Now, let's go deal with that son of a bitch.
The group then marched forward toward the ancient temple, their determination unwavering as they prepared to face Zerathos.
Back in the Ice Box, Kael sat inside his cell with Herald. Herald was reading a book while Kael played with a tennis ball he had picked up from the court during break time.
As Herald glanced at him, he noticed something was off. Kael didn't seem like himself.
Herald: You seem troubled. Is something bothering you?
Kael:(sighs) It's nothing.
Kael continued throwing the ball against the wall, catching it, then throwing it again. The rhythm was steady—but empty.
Herald closed his book and sat at the edge of his bed.
Herald: Alright then, let's change the subject. I know your goal is to stop Boss… but what do you intend to do after that?
Kael stopped.
The ball slipped from his hand.
He leaned back against the wall.
Kael: Heh… Zerathos asked me that once too. But thinking about it now… I guess, for now, I just want to make my mother's wish come true.
A small pause.
Kael: Live in a decent place… maybe have a farm. A garden. A couple of cows… some chickens. Wake up early… feed them every morning. My mother always wanted that.
Herald: That sounds good. You know… he always tells us you were the greatest obstacle, yet the only friend he had. I can't imagine living for five centuries alone, with only one goal in mind.
Kael: Yeah…
Herald: Anyways, we have a big day coming. Better get some good sleep—don't waste your energy.
Back with Michael's group, the team moved through a crowded market. It wasn't ideal, but they had no choice if they wanted to reach the temple.
Soon enough, the crowd swallowed them.
They got separated.
No clear sense of where the others were.
The flow of people was too dense to push through—like a traffic jam that refused to move.
As Michael looked around, something caught his attention.
A large man stood in the food section, eating recklessly, stuffing himself without care. The shop owners tried to stop him, but he brushed them off, insisting he would pay for everything.
That wasn't the real problem.
His massive body was blocking the entire path.
People grew irritated. Voices rose. Some even began scolding him.
But the man had enough.
With a sudden motion, he swung his arm—
a backhand aimed at a woman nearby.
Before it could land—
Michael launched his CordBreaker, which repelled the attack.
Michael: Hey, jackass! Didn't your mother tell you it's not nice to lay your hands on a lady?
The large man slowly turned, eyes narrowing. As his gaze fell on Michael's watch, recognition flashed instantly.
He knew.
Fat man: You mortal… dare stand against me?!
As he rose to his full height, a red glow began to seep from his eyes.
Michael didn't flinch.
Michael:(Sigh) How unfortunate.
Deep beneath the temple, Zerathos sat upon his stone throne, already aware of what was unfolding.
Zerathos: Ah… as expected. Jason has finally come across them… or perhaps…they've come across him. Notorious B.I.G… fitting, isn't it? Other than myself, I know only two individuals capable of ending him. Well… it's only a matter of time.
Back in the market, as Jason stood upright, Michael realized something immediately—
he was far larger than expected.
The difference was overwhelming.
A nine-foot-two giant…
against a five-foot-eleven boy.
A true David versus Goliath.
Jason demonstrated his strength immediately—his fist slammed into the ground, cracking it apart.
Michael barely dodged in time.
He had expected brute strength.
But not speed.
Even with that massive frame, Jason moved far faster than he should have.
The impact carved a massive crater into the ground.
Debris scattered.
The shockwave rippled outward—
But just in time, Blake and Photon Nate rushed across the area, pulling civilians out of danger and minimizing the damage.
Panic spread through the crowd.
People screamed, ran, scattered in every direction.
As the civilians cleared out, the remaining heroes regrouped beside Michael, standing their ground.
Facing Jason.
Jason: Ten against one? Bring it on then… but I want a fair fight.
Michael stepped back slightly. The others exchanged glances, each waiting—
who would move first?
Carter:(Thought) Looks like no one's eager to take a hit from that oversized bastard. (Sigh) Guess I'll go.
Carter stepped forward and stood before Jason, though even he looked like a needle against a nail.
Michael: Careful. He packs quite a punch.
Carter: Thanks for the heads up—
Before he could finish, Jason's fist was already there. It slammed into Carter's face, driving his head straight into the ground with overwhelming force.
Jason: Who's next? I'll lay waste to all of you.
Carter:(Muffled) Wait—!
A second later, Carter pulled himself out of the ground, seemingly unharmed, shaking his head as if nothing had happened.
Carter: I'm fine. Now, let's try that again.
Jason immediately threw another punch. This time, Carter dodged it and countered with a punch aimed at Jason's face, but Jason didn't even flinch. In the same instant, he reached forward, trying to grab Carter with both hands.
Carter reacted quickly—slowing time around them just enough to step back and narrowly escape the grab.
But the moment the four seconds ended, Jason moved again.
Fast.
He caught Carter's leg, lifted him, and slammed him into the ground once, then again, before finally throwing him far across the area.
Blake: I got him.
Without another word, he sprinted toward the direction Carter had been thrown, calculating the distance as best as he could. Carter would land somewhere within the forest, but predicting the exact point was difficult—his elastic body made his trajectory unpredictable, capable of bouncing off surfaces and altering his fall.
To make matters worse, the forest was littered with concealed landmines, originally set to trap wild boars for hunters. They were expertly hidden, and locating each one manually would be a tedious, near-impossible task.
So Blake chose efficiency.
He activated one of his special techniques.
Discarding his gloves, he played "MONTAGEM RUGADA" by Sayfalse. The rhythm was steady—precise enough to regulate his speed while allowing electricity to build and surge through his body with controlled intensity. The dampness of the forest only amplified his advantage.
Thirteen seconds remained before Carter would hit the ground.
Blake was already in position.
He leapt off the cliff, channeling every ounce of accumulated electrical energy into his right fist. The moment he struck the wet ground, he unleashed it all—an explosive electrical energy discharged that spread across a fifty-meter radius.
In an instant, every landmine within range detonated simultaneously.
By the time Carter came crashing down, the forest floor had already been cleared.
He landed safely.
Back to Jason—Magnus was brawling with him, and far longer than anyone had expected. Using his wormholes, he redirected Jason's attacks back at him, forcing the brute to take his own force head-on.
Magnus: What's the big deal? This fatso's a total idiot.
But in an instant, Jason adapted.
He shifted his approach—breaking into a run, then a leap, then collapsing into a violent tuck-and-roll. The speed at which he spun was monstrous, a blur of mass and momentum that erased any possibility of dodging. Facing something of Jason's sheer size and velocity pushed Magnus beyond his limits.
Thinking quickly, Magnus dove into his own wormholes, slipping between space to evade the oncoming force. But even that began to fail—Jason was fast enough to anticipate his exit.
The moment Magnus reappeared, Jason was already there.
His weight came crashing down, crushing Magnus's foot and pinning him in place. Immobilized, Magnus could only watch as Jason turned back toward him—intent clear, lethal, inevitable. For a fleeting second, his life flashed before his eyes.
And then—
A streak of light.
Photon Nate blitzed in, snatching Magnus out of harm's path at the last possible moment, while Tungsten Nate stepped forward and drove a punch straight into Jason.
The impact halted him instantly.
But at a cost.
Nate's tungsten gloves shattered on contact.
Nathan (Tungsten):(Thought) Damn… even the strongest metal can't withstand this bastard's power. If this goes on, I might have to use 'that'.
Charlie: Nathan!
Tungsten Nate glanced at Charlie. No words—just a signal. She gave a slight nod.
They moved at the same time.
Both sprinted toward Jason and struck together, delivering a powerful dual uppercut that snapped upward with combined force.
Charlie: Diego! Michael!
Right on cue, Diego fired two explosive arrows, the blasts chaining into Michael's double CordBreaker, both fists crashing forward with brutal precision.
And yet—
The explosive firepower did nothing.
Jason stood there, completely unfazed, as if the attacks never happened. Then he laughed.
Jason: Hahahahaha… is that all you've got?
That was the moment it became clear—attacking one by one was useless. Even coordinated hits weren't enough. If they wanted to bring him down, they had to overwhelm him all at once.
So Nathan moved first.
Photon circled Jason at blinding speed, discharging laser vision in rapid bursts, while Tungsten Nate hardened his entire body and charged forward. He slammed into Jason with immense force, the impact creating a visible shockwave through the ground.
Jason barely moved.
Then, in one motion, he drove his fist into Nathan's back.
The strike cracked through his hardened shell, forcing the tungsten apart and sending a violent shock through his body.
Nathan staggered.
But before Jason could deliver another blow, Michael stepped in—unleashing a new move.
Cord Crusher, a completely new move he just created;
He fired a double CordBreaker within close range, then snapped both arms inward in a crushing clap-punch, the impact discombobulated Jason just enough—
enough for Charlie to move.
She blitzed in and pulled Tungsten Nathan out of danger in the same instant.
Above them, Ember Nate leapt high, forming dual fiery blades, then drove them down, impaling both into Jason's shoulders.
Jason roared in pain.
With raw fury, he grabbed both of Ember Nathan's arms and crushed them.
Ember Nate only grunted. True to his nature—the most hot-headed among the clones—he didn't retreat. Instead, he unleashed a massive surge of firepower at point-blank range.
It erupted like a bomb.
The explosion blasted Nathan away—
and for the first time, Jason bled.
Enraged, Jason slammed the ground once more. This time, the force gave way beneath them, and the entire area collapsed, dragging them down into the underground section connected to the rest of the temple.
Dust filled the air.
As it slowly settled, Diego forced himself up. The moment he looked ahead—
Jason was already there.
Towering.
Hungry.
Jason opened his mouth wide—unnaturally wide, as large as a chunk of fallen debris. Inside, there was nothing. No throat, no depth—only hollow, pitch-black emptiness, as if it led to nowhere at all.
And it was closing in on him.
Just as Diego was about to meet his end, he stopped time—escaping death by mere seconds.
Diego:(Thought) Holy shit… that was fucking close.