The moment time resumed, Photon Nate moved. In a blur, he sped across the battlefield, healing his allies' wounds almost instantly. Within seconds, they were back on their feet—ready to fight again.
Now, Photon Nate took the lead.
He formed a light saber—pure energy condensed into a two-meter-long blade, bright and razor-sharp. Without hesitation, he blitzed toward Jason, slashing at his body with relentless speed.
But it was useless.
It was like cutting stone with a blade.
Even the intense heat of the light saber failed to pierce Jason's skin. The realization spread quickly—something was wrong.
Even Nathan's(Ember) fiery blades, which had worked before, could no longer penetrate him.
Some began to think the impossible—
that Jason was invincible.
But the truth was far worse.
Zerathos had altered the cause and effect of Jason's skin itself, ensuring their attacks would fail just long enough to serve his purpose.
Above, Alan watched the battle unfold from the edge.
Blake arrived beside him—but Carter was nowhere in sight.
Blake: Where's the others?
Alan: Down there. Where's Carter?
Blake: Got shards of landmines stuck in his body, so I ditched him at a hospital and came back.
Alan: Oh… help me get down.
Blake didn't hesitate. He grabbed Alan and sped down, landing beside the others.
Within seconds, they surrounded Jason—but no one dared to make the first move.
Alan: Want me to help?
Nathan (Ember): Tch, what can you possibly do to defeat that—
Alan: I can do that.
Everyone fell silent.
Nathan (Ember): Cut the bullshit. We can't even cut his skin—
Alan: I'm not talking about cutting his skin. I'm talking about ending him here and now.
Jason: Hah! You? Ending me? You're just a little man.
Alan: So was David when he faced Goliath. But the result is undeniable—even the mighty can fall.
For a brief moment—
stillness.
Then Jason moved.
He leapt.
Even the impact of his landing sent a violent tremor through the ground, throwing everyone off balance and disrupting their footing. Seizing the opening, Jason lunged forward, aiming straight for Alan—intent on devouring him whole.
But Alan didn't panic.
He snapped his fingers—once, twice.
And in that instant, he slipped past the attack, evading Jason with unnatural precision.
From the side, Diego saw it happened, and even he was shocked.
Diego:(Thought) That guy just created a… By snapping his fingers, he…
Nathan (Photon): CosmicWeaver, as his codename suggests, he does have a phenomenal ability—to create black holes. No wonder he was placed at the third.
Alan:(Cracksfingers) Alright, let's get this over with.
Jason rushed at Alan, moving with overwhelming force, aiming to grab him—but Alan countered instantly. With a subtle snap, a black hole formed behind Jason, its pull dragging him backward and cancelling the attack mid-motion.
Jason adjusted.
Brute force wouldn't work.
So he changed pace—again.
He launched forward, tucking and rolling into a crushing impact, carrying the same monstrous force that shattered Nathan's tungsten. The ground trembled beneath him as he closed in.
But Alan didn't retreat.
Right before impact—he moved.
A sharp snap of his left fingers—
And a sphere of white mass materialized beside Jason.
It exploded outward.
The force slammed into Jason, shifting his entire position instantly, breaking his momentum and throwing off his trajectory.
Magnus: Even white hole?!
The battlefield paused for a heartbeat.
Because now—
they understood.
This wasn't just control over destruction.
This was control over creation.
———————————————————
A black hole is a space region with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. It swallows everything past it's boundary, erasing it completely. A white hole is its opposite—it expels matter and energy outward, allowing nothing to enter. Together, they represent destruction and creation: the power to consume, and the power to release and repel.
———————————————————
Michael: Wait, if you create black hole or white hole, why isn't us or earth affected?
Alan: Relax, I have complete control over them. I can specify which and where they can affect.
From the rubble, Jason began to rise again.
Charlie: Ugh… Does this asshole ever give up?
There was no hesitation in him—only rage. His body twisted, then he tucked and rolled away, building speed almost instantly.
Alan: Hmm… That's what I thought.
But before anyone could react, Jason had already repositioned. In a blur, he crashed through the wall behind Alan and drove him straight into it. The impact shattered stone and sent debris flying.
Alan wasn't dead—but he was down, wheezing, his body refusing to cooperate.
Jason turned, then rolled back again, faster this time, aiming to finish it in one decisive strike.
Right before impact, Nathan (Tungsten) and Charlie stepped in. Their movements were perfectly synced—two fists rising at once, delivering a clean dual uppercut, the combination of their phenomenal strength sent Jason rolling backward.
For a brief moment, it worked.
But Jason didn't stop. He continued rolling violently, smashing through walls and tearing across the battlefield like a runaway force. The ground cracked, structures broke apart, and anyone lacking speed couldn't keep up.
Nathan (Ember) and Magnus were caught in the path of destruction—both now needing to be saved before Jason reached them.
Assessing the situation, speedsters like Blake and Nathan (Photon) work to get everyone to safety, while the others like Nathan (Tungsten), Charlie, and Michael protected the weaker ones.
Jason was getting faster by the second—faster and faster—until he surpassed even the speed of sound itself. Before anyone could react, the ceiling came crashing down on them. The stronger ones moved instantly, shielding the weaker ones from the falling debris.
But before the rubble could bury them—
Alan snapped his right fingers twice.
The debris was pulled into a black hole and erased, leaving nothing behind.
He stood there, battered—blood running down from his head, his body barely holding together, broken ribs making every breath heavier.
Alan: Time to end this motherfucker
And this time—
he meant it.
Without hesitation, he summoned a black hole behind Jason. The force disrupted Jason's rolling motion, pulling him out of it. Jason immediately reacted, dropping low and gripping the ground, digging his fingers into the surface as he resisted the pull, his body straining against the overwhelming force trying to drag him in.
Nathan (Tungsten): Alan, stop!
Alan: Why? What does this good-for-nothing fatso deserved to be spared?!
Nathan (Tungsten): We are not killers like them.
Alan didn't even hesitate.
Alan: Then it is one less killer in this world. Trust me, it'll be an improvement.
The pull intensified.
The ground beneath Jason cracked.
And for the first time—
it actually looked like he might lose.
As seconds passed, Jason's grip began to loosen, and the spatial process behind him started collapsing.
Nathan (Tungsten) finally grabbed Allan's collar and commanded him to stop, but Allan coldly replied—
No.
Nate released his hold and aimed his palm at Allan, ready to fire his tungsten shard.
Nathan (Tungsten): Last chance, stop.
Alan: Or what? Kill me? Even if you did, my black hole won't stop until that fat fucker is dead.
Nathan moved first.
He clenched his fist and drove a punch straight into Allan, forcing him down to the ground. Again and again, he struck—relentless, precise—until Alan was pinned.
But before he could go further—
Charlie and Michael stepped in and held Nathan back.
Firm.
Unyielding.
Not to protect Alan—
but to stop Nathan from crossing the line.
Alan reacted immediately, summoning a white hole between them, forcing space open and pushing Nathan away from him.
At the same time—
Jason's resistance broke.
He finally lost his grip and was dragged into the black hole. In an instant, it collapsed, sealing itself shut as if he had never existed.
Silence.
Nathan (Tungsten) didn't waste a second.
He broke free from Charlie's and Michael's hold and rushed forward, grab Alan's collar while the others regrouped, tension still thick in the air.
Nathan (Tungsten): Why did you do that?! Our job is to capture them, not kill them. It's a simple fucking concept.
Alan: Oh, fuck you and your fucking concept. What difference does it make? They'll be released again and commit the same crime over and over again.
Nathan (Tungsten): You don't know that!
Alan:(Sharpinhale) I'm the only one who knows it. Have your family or any relatives been murdered? What'd you do if the killer is set free? Hmm? Won't you end him as well, so no more deaths will occur? You won't, will you? Because you're a fucking pussy, and I am not.
The air turned heavy.
Not just anger—
something deeper.
Nathan (Tungsten): Then you're no hero, you're just an unstable prick who pretend to be a hero. But tell you what? You're not! So either you turn yourself in for murder or expel what remains of him so we can move on.
No one moved.
No one interrupted.
Michael: Wait, are you gonna let him go?
Nathan (Ember): No, I'm making an excuse for the sake of the reputation of heroes.
A pause.
Then—
Nathan (Tungsten) slowly put Alan down.
Not as forgiveness.
Not as acceptance.
Just… necessity.
Magnus: I know this doesn't sound right, but… to think that we're this close, we can't risk being short-handed.
The battlefield didn't quiet.
It just shifted—
from violence…
to something far more dangerous.
Nathan (Photon): He's right. Not knowing how strong Zerathos and facing him? We're gonna need all the destructive capabilities we have to defeat him.
Charlie: And if we fail…
Blake: Then we'll die trying.
Nathan (Ember): We're at the belly of the beast now. Backing down is not an option, and the fate of the world rests in our hands.
The words didn't inspire comfort—
only resolve.
Diego: Uh… guys? I think I found the way under the temple.
All eyes turned to him.
He pointed toward a narrow path, half-buried and shadowed, leading down into the alien structure's core. Without hesitation, they moved together, stepping into the unknown.
But something was wrong.
Subtle.
Invisible.
And utterly terrifying.
Unbeknownst to them, their movements had been slowed a thousandfold—an unseen distortion woven by Zerathos' Absolute Causality Manipulation. Under his control, the natural link between thought and action had been twisted, the chain of cause and effect rewritten at its root.
To them—
everything felt normal.
Their minds processed, their eyes perceived, their bodies obeyed.
Or so they believed.
In reality, every action lagged behind intention by an immeasurable margin, their bodies reacting a thousand times slower than their thoughts.
They walked forward—
thinking they were ready.
But to Zerathos—
they were already too late.