Valentine watched in desperation as Jack lay unconscious on the ground.
The creature was closing in. A footless black silhouette glided across the room, heading straight for its prey…
"Jack… open your eyes, please!" she cried out, her face twisted with grief. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she watched the creature approach.
The entity raised its right hand and extended a single finger, pointing directly at Valentine.
"Panraka zu zuna Direc," it rasped, raising its voice and baring a terrifying grin.
…
Directed Air Palm.
…
Valentine and Alicia froze in shock, unable to react. Their breathing grew heavier and sharper by the second.
"Jack… I need you. I'm scared," she whispered, leaning close to him.
Silence blanketed the room once more. The attack was fractions of a second away from tearing through Valentine's stomach. Both girls closed their eyes.
Hearing her plea, Jack snapped awake and dragged himself forward in a flash. He
thrust his right hand straight toward Valentine's stomach—intercepting the attack. The creature's blast deflected violently toward the ceiling, tearing through the concrete and… severing Jack's entire hand.
Immediately after, a sudden burst of air pressure kept Jack's severed hand levitating for a brief second before launching it straight back at the creature.
"AHHHHHH! Damn it… you bastard!" Jack screamed, gripping his mangled right wrist tightly.
He had forgotten just how agonizingly painful it was to lose a limb or take damage while in his normal state.
"JACK!" Valentine shrieked frantically, dropping her head down to look straight into his eyes.
Jack took slow, measured breaths, forcing his body temperature to rise until his veins bulged against his skin.
His hand began to slowly regenerate, though he remained pinned to the ground.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," he muttered, his voice dropping as he looked back up at her.
Valentine was utterly paralyzed, her expression a mix of revulsion and sheer terror. "Jack… that creature… it's eating your arm."
Jack snapped his gaze back to the monster.
"You miserable piece of trash. I bet it tastes delicious, doesn't it?" he snapped. He forced himself up, stepping in front of the girls to shield them, glaring at the beast with pure rage.
The black silhouette, floating steadily in mid-air, drifted closer, stepping out from the deep shadows. It raised its head to face them, sending a collective shiver down their spines as its true form was revealed.
It was a fleshless, bare skull, using its tongue to wipe blood from its teeth. It grinned. Its body was entirely pitch-black and somewhat robust, yet devoid of any actual physical, human traits.
Talk about a bizarre mutation. What kind of creature is this?... Maybe it's one of those listed between pages seven and eight of the SAB-XM20 secret files.*
I have zero intel on this type, let alone its abilities. This fight is going to be just as bad as Arachne—if not worse. Jack took a sharp breath in and exhaled slowly.
As his body locked into combat mode, his severed wrist stopped bleeding. "Ahhh… no choice then. No time to be surprised."
"It's time to fight."
"Tempo!" he muttered, stepping his right foot forward and lowering his stance without breaking eye contact, extending his wounded arm out front.
Time froze. Jack was ready to blitz forward, but within two seconds, time shattered like glass. His brain couldn't even process what had just happened.
He tried again from a different angle, but it failed instantly.
Damn it, it's not working.
In the background, the creature remained in the exact same spot, unmoving, wearing that same horrifying grin. It knew Jack's ability was useless against it.
Chunks of concrete began to rain down from the ceiling in all directions until a massive section broke loose, plunging right toward Valentine and Alicia.
They looked up, trying to react, but there was no time. Both fell backward onto the ground and closed their eyes.
Jack surged forward, channeling electricity and high-frequency vibrations. He intercepted the giant concrete block, combining fire and vibrations to pulverize it into dust.
But his enemy didn't waste a second.
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!" it roared. Its expression turned dead serious as it extended both skeletal palms forward, unleashing two massive shockwaves of compressed air straight at the girls… grinning maliciously as it did.
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
Jack dropped to the ground in front of them, throwing his arms wide open to take the full brunt of both attacks with his own body.
He immediately fell to his knees, coughing up blood twice.
"JACK! Nooo!" Valentine screamed in terror, tears welling up and spilling over.
"I'm fine, don't worry," he said, his voice straining as he forced himself back onto his feet.
Alicia still couldn't find her voice. She began to hyperventilate rapidly until her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
"JACK! Alicia passed out!" Valentine cried, her voice cracking with panic as she rushed to check on her.
Damn it, just what I needed… I have to draw this thing away from them!... But I can't reach it. If I leave their side, this bastard will kill them instantly.
"Valentine. Listen to me very carefully."
"But first, you need to calm down a bit, or we're both dead. Understand?" Jack whispered, his face grim.
"I'm listening, Jack. What do you want me to do?" she replied, forcing her voice down as she tried to master her panic.
"Awaken your ability and crush this entire place right where that beast is standing."
"Jack… but I don't even know how my ability works!" she cried, panicking all over again.
"Don't lose it… you have to do it or we die. Think of whatever triggers it while I take its hits, understood?" he muttered, his eyes glued to the enemy.
The beast launched a second assault. "Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm. …
Then a third.
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
Jack coated his entire body in electricity, but the force slammed him to his knees again. He coughed up blood three more times.
Damn it, this hurts. But I can't fall here.
He stood up yet again.
"I can do this all day, you bastard!" he roared with every ounce of strength he had left, his face a mask of pure fury.
"JACK! I can't stand watching you get hurt like this!" Valentine screamed, breaking down inside.
"AH. AH. AH… Rhan zu chars nets!" the creature mocked, its tone oozing derision. "Don't cry, Valentine… you have to do it."
"I believe in you," Jack gasped, his breathing dangerously ragged.
…
AH. AH. AH… How weak you children are!
…
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
Jack crashed to his knees for a third time, hacking up pools of blood before dragging himself back up.
"Come on, my grandmother hits harder than that!" he barked, dropping his center of gravity toward the enemy and flashing a defiant smirk.
I have to do it. If I don't, Jack is going to die, and I won't let that happen.
Concentrate, Valentine.
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
Valentine closed her eyes, took a slow breath in, and let it out through her mouth as she pressed her hands against the floor. The temperature in the room plummeted
below freezing. Her veins began to bulge.
Jack felt an unnatural, freezing drop in his body temperature; his blood pressure spiked downward instantly. He froze in shock, paralyzed, while the creature ahead went completely rigid.
Seconds later, the ceiling above the beast began to tear apart, burying it under an
impossible avalanche of debris and sand. Immediately after, the ground beneath the monster collapsed—sending it plunging four stories down into the deepest abyss of the underground.
Jack stood speechless, watching the afternoon sun pierce through the newly made chasm of the ruined mall.
…
Note to self: Dear God, remind me never to make her angry.
…
Jack stood up, turned around, and looked at Valentine with a smirk, holding his
bruised stomach with his left hand. Valentine raised her head and smiled back. But then…
A bizarre shockwave of air shot up from the depths of the chasm, wrapping around Jack's left foot and dragging him downward. Jack fought against the pull, but it was too strong. He slammed onto the floor, gashing his head, before sliding over the edge into the massive crater Valentine had just created.
"JACK! Nooooo!" she screamed, lunging forward to catch him, but her fingers brushed empty air. All she could do was watch him vanish into the pitch-black depths.
"Don't worry, I'll be back!" Jack yelled out as he fell, his forehead coated in blood.
"I'll be… waiting for you!" she shouted back, her voice echoing as tears poured down her face, a crushing weight tightening in her chest.
*Please, come back to me.
…..
"Ah… damn it. I don't even know how long I've been out," Jack groaned, his voice weak as he pushed himself up from the floor, clutching his forehead and his stomach wound.
"Alright, both wounds have closed up."
"But my right hand still isn't regenerating properly… I'm still missing my fingers," he muttered, limping toward two tunnels splitting off in different directions.
"Great… back in a sewer again."
"I'll take the right one, in honor of my missing arm." Jack stepped into the right tunnel with extreme caution.
…..
"Ah… damn it. I don't even know how long I've been out," Jack groaned, his voice weak as he pushed himself up from the floor, clutching his forehead and his stomach wound.
"Alright, both wounds have closed up."
"But my right hand still isn't regenerating properly… I'm still missing my fingers," he muttered, limping toward two tunnels splitting off in different directions.
"Great… back in a sewer again."
"I'll take the right one, in honor of my missing arm.""Wait… WHAT?!"
"I just lived this exact same moment."
"Alright, left side it is."
Jack stepped into the left tunnel with extreme caution. As he reached the end of the tunnel:
"Thankho!"
…
Tempo!
…
No way… I can't move.
"Panraka zu zuna Direc—" The creature unleashed a shockwave straight into Jack's chest.
"Thankho!... rhedic!"
…
Tempo!... Deactivated!
…
Jack crashed to the floor, spitting blood.
Seconds later, he scrambled up and dove behind a pile of boulders next to him. The tight space offered almost zero room to maneuver.
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
"You bastard, I still can't get close… what am I supposed to do?" he whispered, racking his brain for a counterattack.
I've got nothing. I don't have a single ranged attack.
The area fell into a dead silence. Jack peeked his head out slightly to spot the creature's location.
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
A blast of air grazed Jack's head, slicing off a few strands of his hair.
"Damn it, you almost took my head off!" he yelled, trying to figure out how to close the gap with the beast hunting him.
Phew, that was close. A few inches more and we'd be bald.
Glancing to his left, he noticed a heavily damaged structural pillar, and right next to it, a door leading somewhere else.
A wicked smile crossed his face.
"Alright, baldy… time to bring this place down," he whispered, channeling electricity and vibrations into his left hand and loading power into his legs to spring toward the fractured pillar.
He threw himself with everything he had against the column. The moment he struck it, the entire structure began to cave in.
Rebar and light fixtures crashed to the ground as the earth shook violently without pause…
Jack dove into the corridor, landing flat on his face.
"OUCH! You've got to be kidding me!" he groaned aloud, sitting up for a moment to rest and rubbing his sore face.
"What is Valentine doing right now?"
"I don't know how long it'll take me to get out of here."
No time to worry about that now. I need to get out of here at all costs.
He stood up slowly, leaning against a wall for support, leaving a smear of blood from his forehead wound.
The overwhelming stench of a rotting dead rat made the air unbreathable. He had to cover his nose. A few meters away, a red light flickered out of the darkness, displaying a single word: *"Exit."*
"OUCH! You've got to be kidding me!" he groaned aloud, sitting up for a moment to rest and rubbing his sore face.
"What is Valentine doing right now?"
"I don't know how long it'll take me to get out of here."
No time to worry about that now. I need to get out of here at all costs.
He stood up slowly, leaning against a wall for support, leaving a smear of blood from his forehead wound.
The overwhelming stench of a rotting dead rat made the air unbreathable. He choked back vomit, covering his nose as he stared at a red light flickering a few meters away, displaying a single word: *"Exit."*
"Again. The exact same thing is happening."
"It's an infinite loop… and the scariest part is, I feel double the pain."
This is going to be a massive problem if I take too long.
He forced himself up and marched straight down the tunnel to the end.
"Thankho!"
…
Tempo!
…
Not again. I can't move.
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
"Panraka zu zuna Direct Than!"
…
Double Directed Air Palm.
…
"Thankho!... rhedic!"
…
Tempo!... Deactivated!
…
Jack hit the ground again.
"You piece of trash… again… right in the chest," he muttered, his breathing erratic as he coughed up blood twice. His gaze grew distant, and small droplets of blood began to seep through his clothes.