"-time distortion has been detected. I repeat, a time distortion has been detected. I repeat-"


    "Son of a bitch!" His gaming device shattered against the wall of his office room as he threw it as hard as he could. "That isn''t fair! It''s cheating! Since when can it stop time?"


    "The important thing is that time restarted." A mechanical voice hummed around the room. "Would you like me to inform you of the total damages, sir?"


    Boy Genius slumped down in his chair as his eyes stared at the screen. He lost another drone. A few more million dollars down the drain. It was so frustrating. He was supposed to be the second-strongest Super in the world, just after the Victorian. He always knew that the day would come when he would be surpassed. The Four Lords were set to return any day. Still, for it to be to this extent...


    "Why didn''t we know that the Beast could stop time?" Boy Genius asked after a moment. His office was a mess. He had knocked his desk over and thrown all his stuff out of anger. He thought it had been a clever idea to stay on the other side of the planet in his fortress away from the Beast, but now here he was, watching heroes die as they gave it their all. It made him feel gross.


    "The only two Supers who have engaged the Beast and pushed it so far were Full Monarch and the Emperor." The voice of Beta explained, humming through the office room. "Full Monarch could hardly be called a human and stopped speaking to his fellow man around the time the Beast arrived. As for the Emperor... Well, it is pretty clear why he wouldn''t let us in on this secret."


    "It doesn''t make any sense, though." Boy Genius wiped some of the blood away from his mouth. He had bitten through his lower lip a while ago. "If the Beast could stop time, why didn''t it do it in the last battle it appeared in? And why hasn''t anyone detected it?"


    "Time-based powers don''t work on those who have powers that surpass the limits of humanity that were placed on us by our creator." Beta explained. "Two years ago, you weren''t around. That means there wasn''t a Super smart enough or good enough to create something that could catch onto time-based distortions. The Victorian also likely wasn''t strong enough to negate such a power yet. After all, she didn''t truly become the world''s strongest woman until she defeated Poseidon during the Lord of the Sea''s first rampage after the incident with Legend."


    "No, that''s wrong. Lady Time and Max Lightning should have been able to inform us of something like this. No records ever show the Beast using such a power." Boy Genius folded his arms and stared at his monitor, watching as his fellow heroes slowly began to get back up. "That means two things. Either we''re pushing the Beast so far that it is using more power than it ever used on the likes of Full Monarch or the Emperor, which I doubt. Or…"


    "The Beast must be desperate to achieve a goal," Beta finished. "Who knows, though?" The robot gave a sigh that echoed throughout the room he was speaking through. "The Beast has always been bizarre. Every year, it is always a little different than the last. It makes me wonder if it''s even the same one each time. That body isn''t even its own. It''s just another robotic suit, similar to you."


    Boy Genius snorted. "Yeah. Some suit. That thing might as well be the greatest mental-based user in the entire universe. Its suit took down all my good drones like it was nothing and killed half our team. Speaking of which..." He trailed off faintly. "What are the total casualties so far?"


    "No Enforcers dead yet. So far, though, the heroes known as Bad Wolf, Hydro Cannon, Sea Monkey, Brobot, Slinger, Vampirica, and Bolt have perished. My own body has also been destroyed, though luckily, I managed to download all my data into your ship. The hero, Battery, is presumed dead. The heroes, Ocean Empress, Myth, and Lady Time, are too injured to battle. There are others among this list, but my data indicates they are fodder and expendable, thus not worth mentioning. Currently, the Beast is engaged with the Victorian near the bridge connecting to Lillian. It wandered over there while time was stopped."


    "I see. If this continues, I may need to send your real body out onto the battlefield, Beta."


    "Is that really wise? After all, Oleander would be wiped off the map if I were to actually deploy. Also, it is just us. You don''t need to call me Beta. You can use my real name."


    Boy Genius stood up and walked to one of the walls in his office. There was something he kept here in Nightshade. Something none of the other Enforcers knew about... The wall unfolded smoothly and opened up, allowing him to step into a secret room. All scientists, especially those with Mental powers, had a secret lab, and he was no different. The room was large and cold enough that his breathing became visible. There were many wires scattered about, and in the very back, a large glass container resided. One filled with a dark black liquid that had what might as well have been a corpse floating inside of it.


    "Whoa, hang on, sir! You''re not actually really thinking of sending me out? No way. The Beast would still destroy me, and if that thing dies, I''m gone for good."


    "If we don''t send it out against the Beast, then when should I use it?" Boy Genius placed his hand on the container, staring at the human body that floated inside—a human body with dark skin that balled itself up.


    "I was created for the Immortals. Not this. Next time Lucifer pops his head up, you can send me out. If you throw me out now, though, I''ll be too unstable and fall apart. I can build another drone body and use that instead. We should focus on the others. They''re still in danger."


    "Maybe you''re right." Boy Genius turned away from the container. "Sleep tight in that case. Your day will come."


    A loud buzzing sound suddenly rang out from the next room, and the child felt his eyes go wide. He turned and ran, letting out a loud curse.


    “What’s happening?” The voice of Beta questioned.


    Boy Genius stopped and stared down at one of his monitors, smashing his fist down. “Shit! That fucker would pick now to make a move!”


    “Who? What’s going on?”


    “An escape attempt.” Boy Genius spat out. “Someone is breaking out of my prison!”


    ***


    Myth felt himself collapse forward as his legs gave out. Before he hit the ground, an arm managed to wrap around his waist. "Are you okay, Myth?" He felt a coldness spread out across him, and he managed to open his eyes a bit. "Stay with me! We''ll get you to a Super that can heal! Someone has to be around, still!"


    Ocean Empress supported him and used her command over ice to freeze his wounds and slow the bleeding the best she could. It wasn''t much, though. His guts were literally hanging out. He suffered from an intense stomach wound, a missing limb, one of his legs was broken, a chunk of his face had been cut into, and his eye was hanging out.


    "Octavius." Another arm grabbed him and helped support him. Fable stared down at his older brother, tears streaming out of the giant''s face. "I told you not to come! Why would you do something so reckless?!"


    "Sorry, Osvaldo. I thought I was stronger-" Blood sprayed out of Myth''s mouth as he began to vomit.


    "Don''t talk." Ocean Empress wrapped him up in more of her water, trying to support him and keep his blood flowing. "I''ll get you to my daughter or something."


    "I''ll take you both." Fable straightened his lion coat and picked the two heroes up with a single arm, wrapping it around both of them. "She''s in Lillian, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "Then I''ll head that way."


    "Wait-" A voice tried to stop Fable, but it was too late. The man''s cloak changed and shifted, and a pair of long feathered wings and wax grew out of his back, allowing the hero to take off into the air and fly. "Damn it." Mister Man cursed as he watched the three heroes leave.


    "Why are you stopping them? They need to get that Myth guy to a hero, stat." Drake asked. He supported his older sister, Wyvern, who was walking with a limp.


    "Think for a second, dumbass." Mister Man looked around for where his cowboy hat was, but he couldn''t find it. The damn thing had likely been burned to ash in all the fighting. "We''re not where we were a moment ago."


    "I assume that is thanks to Lady Time." Wyvern tried to give a shrug but winced a bit and leaned on her brother more. Her eyes scanned the crowd of heroes. Max Lightning, Victorian, and Lady Time were no longer here. All that remained were herself, her brother Drake, Mister Man, Duplicity, Fisherman, Roulette, Doctor Kraken, and Lancelot. Boy Genius hadn''t sent another drone yet, and Beta would take a while to build a new body. All of them weren''t in the middle of the road, which was now coated in a thick layer of lava that ate away at the dead heroes, burning them down to ash. Instead, they now all stood on the tops of knocked-over buildings. "I''m betting Lady Time used her power and moved us all out of the lava the Beast created, saving us."


    "That''s the issue." Mister Man growled. "Where the hell is the Beast?"


    "Now that you mention it, I noticed it got pretty silent." Fisherman shrugged, or at least did his best to shrug with one arm. He wasn''t too worried, though. He had a mild healing factor, and the limb would come back eventually.


    Lancelot stabbed his sword into the building that he was on and frowned. "I''m a member of Fable''s team. I''m one of the only members besides Fable that can fight the Beast on his personal squad. If the Beast isn''t here, then it likely went after the place with the largest crowd. I fear other members of my team will be there, and they won''t be able to hold out for long."


    "It''s likely the direction Fable just flew off toward." Mister Man cursed. "Drake, you''re a flier. Go after them and try to warn them."


    "What about my sister-"


    "Just leave me," Wyvern said, shaking her head.


    "No way! We already lost big bro! I can''t lose you either." Drake argued.


    "Your brother was Silver Dragon, right?" Mister Man asked. "I heard he died to Green Wolf. If a nobody like that can kill your brother, then he would have been worthless in this fight-" A scaled tail blasted out of Drake''s back and whipped around toward Mister Man''s head. It phased right through as if the hero wasn''t even there. Mister Man brought his gun up and placed it to Drake''s forehead, ready to pull the trigger. “You want to try attacking me again, you little bastard? You shouldn’t even be here. You’re not even old enough to drink, get your sorry ass out of here before I blow those useless brains of yours out!”


    "Stop it!" Wyvern yelled. "What the hell are you two doing? We can''t fight during a time like this! Are you both stupid? Drake, go after Fable. I''ll be fine. I''m stronger than you, anyway."


    Drake gritted his teeth but grimly nodded his head. "Fine. Stay safe." He placed his sister on the roof, and a pair of giant wings stabbed out of his back. He crouched down and then took off into the air, flying at his top speed in the direction of Fable and the others.


    The other heroes all shuffled nervously as Mister Man twirled his gun and placed it back into his holster. "Why''d you antagonize him?" Wyvern shot a look toward her team member and glared at the cowboy.


    "I don''t like him, and I sure as hell don''t like you." Mister Man shrugged.


    "Why?"


    "Same reason as the Victorian." He stared down at her, meeting her eyes. "You''re a monster. Created by the Emperor. Now that he''s back, who knows what side your kind will pick once he starts his rampage again?"


    "The Emperor is back?" Doctor Kraken asked, his tendrils twitching.


    "Whoops. Guess I let the cat out of the bag." Mister Man shrugged uncaringly and turned away. "It doesn''t matter right now. We need to find a way down and hurry to the others. If you can still fight, I expect you to follow me. If not, then you might as well take a dip in the lava and save me from putting a bullet in you. I don''t need some worthless cowards with me."


    "You''re a jerk." Wyvern spat.


    "I''m still alive. Unlike the others."


    He looked like he was about to say more, but a loud noise cut him off. It was a rumble. One that came in the opposite direction of where the Beast had headed. It caused a shake to echo out across the city block, and the building they were on began to give way and started to cave. They had to struggle to keep their footing, and Fisherman nearly fell off but managed to get his hook into the edge of the wall and hang on with one arm as everything began to tip.


    At the edge of the block they were on, a loud hum echoed out. In the past, it would take the Beast months to show up. This was because the monster would launch itself from Mars and float in space, directing itself to Earth. Today was different, though. Today, the Beast hadn''t come alone. Another threat had come with it—one straight out of this world.


    The UFO began to rise, knocking over more buildings and casting a massive shadow. Mechanical clicks emitted from it, and part of the thing began to unfold. What looked like a large barrel twisted out of it. At least that was Doctor Kraken''s final thought before a red beam of energy blew his head to bits, killing him instantly. Another beam pierced through a red and gold robot, Red Robo, sending them flying back into an abandoned food stand. As the robotic hero lay in the wreckage, their chest hissed and opened, Street Magician stumbling out, clutching a reddening patch in their magician outfit.


    "You''re fucking kidding me! The ship is fighting us, now!" Mister Man yelled out.


    "What, you thought we''d actually get a break?" Lancelot swung his blade, blocking one of the beams of energy as the ship began to fly toward them. "Heads up! Here it comes!"


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, things were going about as bad, all things considered. Water rained down, but the wind barriers around everyone kept most of them safe. That was until the water came together and turned into ice. Cinder threw herself in front of Snowdawn and sent a blast of fire out, but whatever this ice was, it didn''t care. The thing didn''t even begin to melt and came at her.


    Purrfect jumped up, large claws stabbing out of her hands. She sliced into the ice, breaking it to bits, before softly landing on her feet and giving a thumbs-up.


    "Damn," Cinder muttered. "I''m in my golden form and didn''t even put a dent in that ice. How sharp are those claws? I wish we had someone like her on the team." She shook her head and turned back to her friend. "How are you doing, Snow?"


    "I''m alive." Snowdawn gave a weak chuckle and managed to push himself up. His ice didn''t coat his body, and he was able to be seen by all the civilians, but he didn''t really care all that much. "The fight came straight to us. Get ready."


    Thiefer quickly made his way over to where Max Lightning was. "I''ll take some of the pain away."


    "Can you manage?"


    "No. I''ll likely die, but it''ll get her back on her feet." Thierfer shrugged. He had the ability to steal pain from others, taking it onto himself. He hadn''t been blessed with a strong healing power like Paragon. Still, he had somehow avoided death this entire time.


    "D- Don''t take all of it." Lady Time groaned. "I- I can live without the arm. J- Just restore my organs as best you can. Don''t overdo yourself, though."


    Thiefer gave a slight grin. "We need people like you. Heroes." He placed his hand on Lady Time, and a flash of purple light blinked around them. The man instantly fell back, screaming. Lady Time sat up, fully healed. Her arm was back, and all the damage she had taken vanished. Thiefer, on the other hand, squirmed and spasmed as blood flowed down his shoulder, which was missing an arm now, and several of his organs exploded as a hole formed into his gut.


    Cinder stepped back, her face paling, and Purrfect cast her eyes away from the dying man. "Sorry, Thiefer. You did better than most." The cat girl said. "Most can''t dream of making it through three Calamities. You were amazing."


    Cinder shook her head. "You can save him, right?" She shot a look at the Victorian. "There has to be something? You have healing powers! Use them."


    The Victorian didn''t bother to look back at her. The number-one hero kept her eyes focused on the ocean, seemingly waiting for her prey. The Beast hadn''t instantly come up and seemed to be feeling them out. "I can''t heal in this state." The woman finally said. "This mode is only fit for total annihilation of my foes. It has no healing properties within it."


    "Then change back!"


    "It''ll take too long to transform back into this mode. It isn''t something I can just do. It takes a great deal of effort. I''m not a Lord. I''m not blessed with some free power-up like you guys. Mine takes effort."


    "So then he just dies!"


    The Victorian finally looked back and glanced down at the shaking man. "Thiefer. Do you want me to save you or avenge you?"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Thiefer''s body shook, and he vomited up more blood. He wasn''t like Lady Time. He couldn''t survive as long as the damage was this severe. "K- Kill it. Kill that monster. P- Ple-" He drifted off and stopped twitching.


    "There you have it." The woman turned back around.


    Cinder felt blood trickle down her chin as she bit her lip. Quietly, she crouched down and closed the man''s eyes. She didn''t need to check for a pulse. "I''m sorry."


    "Are you mad?" Max Lightning asked her. "You are right. That''s good. Use that anger. Target it at the thing causing this. We don''t have time to keep you safe and the civilians this close to the danger zone. Make yourself useful and help the others. It''s about to start any second now. If you''re a hero, then put aside this single death and go save lives. You still have a family to see, after all."


    "Right..." She and Purrfect gently picked Snowdawn up and supported the teen, taking him to where the other heroes were.


    Surprisingly, widespread panic hadn''t broken out. This was thanks to Boss. He held his megaphone up and yelled through it, giving out calming words that had some sort of effect on the people. He had split the crowd up. Since the Beast was here, there was no use in trying to get everyone across the bridge. Instead, he tried to get the people on the bridge to move forward and get to Lillian, while those who hadn''t made it on yet used his powers to get them to head further into Oleander. There might have been puddles of lava everywhere, but it was somehow far safer than this place now that the Beast was here. A few Hero Branch soldiers were helping to guide the crowd as well.


    Metal Ronin and Techcoat seemed to be checking each other''s armor out, making last-second adjustments. Whisper stayed near the back, knowing she''d be pretty useless for this fight, and instead helped Boss with the crowd. Poseidon and Wasp Nest hugged each other for what could be the last time while Dust Cloud reformed on the building that had been destroyed and tried to move some of the rubble. Oxide moved over to help him.


    Lastly, that left just Money Tree and BB. "Should we get out of here?" BB asked, tugging on the hero''s sleeve.


    "And leave all these people to die?"


    "It controls wind and has fire, so both our powers are pretty much useless," BB said flatly. "What good can we actually do? I''m just trying to be logical."


    "I don''t know. You can go all big and help get these people across the bridge," Money Tree shrugged, half smiling.


    "I''m just... I don''t want to lose you." BB said quietly. "Myth might already be..."


    "Myth is fine." Money Tree placed his hand on the girl''s head and smiled. "Sera, you know he''s strong. Not as strong as me, though." He winked. "It''ll be okay. The Victorian is here. Let''s put our hope in her. She''ll save us all. She''ll save this planet."


    Over with Oxide and Dust Cloud, the hero came back together after he finished checking out the caved-in building. "Hey, a hero is trapped in here!" the hero yelled out. "He''s still alive but badly injured. One in red."


    Cinder turned with wide eyes. "One in red?" Her thoughts stopped as a loud splash came from the waters below.


    One of the Hero Branch members brushed some of her hair back and readied her gun. "Ms. Laps, you don''t need to be on the front lines-" Her soldier was silenced as the middle-aged woman raised her hand. She was dressed in full body armor just like the rest of them and held a large gun that looked more like a laser cannon from a video game that Techcoat had given her.


    "If kids are going to be on the battlefield, then so will I. My life isn''t any more important than any hero here."


    "You''re the head of Oleander''s Hero Branch, though! Ma''am, if anything happens to you, then-"


    "Save it. Here he comes." The woman called out.


    More water splashed down, but none of it froze or boiled. Instead, something else dropped from the sky. The Beast landed twenty feet away from them. It was missing a hand, a foot, had a hole all the way through its head, and its gut had been split open, allowing wires and vines to spill out along with some black liquid. It smelled like oil and was flammable to an extent, though the Beast''s own fire didn''t set it off. It was almost like it was some sort of machine or something. Large cracks ran along its body, and it began to get larger and twist a bit.


    Slowly, the Beast''s good hand reached up, and it grabbed its head. Metal on metal screamed out as it crushed its own skull and pulled, ripping its head clean off and spilling more of that black oil out. The Victorian gave the faintest hint of a smile. "Looks like you finally decided to stop using that suit and face us for real. You haven''t used your real body in years. My father was the last being that forced you out of that suit. Guess that means we''ve really pissed you off."


    "That was just a suit?" Snowdawn felt his heart drop, and he pulled himself off of Purrfect and Cinder. "You''re kidding me, right?"


    A hand grotesquely rose out of the neck of the Beast. Or, actually, it grew out of the shell the true Beast had been in. An intense heat filled the air, and light blasted out in all directions. Cinder did her best, but it was hard to even look at this thing as its real body pulled itself out. It stood on the neck of the machine it had controlled and looked down at its hands. She gasped as she fully took it in.


    The thing was still tall. Around the size of Fable now, or maybe a little taller, falling just shy of twelve feet. It was as if a star had come to life. It was an endless white, one from which no color escaped. Flames that burned so hot that they could take anything in this universe on. White-hot was the very definition of this thing. It was still in the vague shape of a human, though with how bright it was, she couldn''t tell if it had a face or even what gender it truly was, if it even had one.


    Whatever the case, she knew that this was it. This was the thing that pushed Full Monarch and the Emperor to the breaking point. The thing that made those two the best of the best. Humanity''s ultimate test. The thing they would have to overcome if they wished to keep on living.


    Then it was gone.


    The Victorian''s head whipped around her neck, nearly snapping as the creature appeared in front of her and hit her with the same punch she had delivered to it. The woman''s body flew back and smashed directly through the ice bridge and part of the metal bridge. Boss quit yelling as he fell back, and his power wore off, causing everyone who had been in his trance to snap out of it.


    Screams came out instantly, and dozens of people began to fall off the large hole that had been formed on the bridge. The Beast took note of them, and an orb of intense fire formed above it, blasting out. Max Lightning threw himself in front of the attack and screamed as the fire blasted through him and carried him to the bridge, exploding in a massive blast that outright killed several people and threw many of them back.


    Poseidon managed to transform into her Lord form, her hair turning blue, and she withstood the blast, being the hero closest to it along with Boss. Boss was reduced to ash instantly, and Poseidon felt herself being thrown back. BB transformed her body into her large form and threw herself around Money Tree, tanking most of the blast. As for the rest of them, the shock wave still hit them and knocked them off their feet.


    Cinder wrapped herself around Snowdawn and Purrfect, keeping them safe, and she withstood the shock wave. But her ears rang out, and she felt her heart sink. They hadn''t pushed it this far because they were strong. The Victorian had assumed they stood a chance because they were able to at least keep up with the suit it had been in. The woman had figured that by it coming out, it meant that it acknowledged their strength. That was wrong, though. Cinder only realized it too late.


    They just pissed it off.


    "B- Boss!" Dust Cloud screamed out.


    "You bastard!" Techcoat blasted forward at top speed, raising a sword that formed out of his arms.


    "No!" Purrfect tried, but it was too late.


    Lady Time tried to save the kid and swung her swords out, but the Beast was too fast. It had been relatively slow before, like an iron tank that wouldn''t stay down. Now, though, none of them could even see the abomination move. In a single second, Techcoat was split in half, and Lady Time had her face grabbed, the white-hot flames eating away at her as the monster rammed her down onto the floor next to Thiefer’s corpse.


    Hope managed to shakily stand back up along with Snowdawn and Purrfect. Her arms hung at her sides, and she just stared numbly at the creature. Gunfire rang out as the Hero Branch opened fire. Ms. Laps even lifted her big gun up and fired, but it didn''t even stagger the Beast. It waved its hand lazily, and a giant blast of white energy whipped out, slicing into the men. It would have cleaved Laps in two, but she was tackled by Metal Ronin. He wasn''t so lucky, though, and the whip tore his arm clean off, causing him to scream.


    A pair of bright red dragons swooped forward, flanked by a deep crimson dragon the size of a bus. The hero, Draco in his dragon form, reared his head back, a bright light forming in his jaws as the two red dragons breathed jets of flame at the Beast. Before Draco could unleash his attack, the Beast swung upward, splattering the dragons instantly and sending Draco flying into the sky so fast that a sonic boom rang out.


    Wasp Nest and Dust Cloud reformed further down the block, both boys shaking, and Dust Cloud threw up as the stress got to him. A single attack could wipe them both out, even with their ability to escape death, and now half his team was dead. Oxide hadn''t been caught in the blast and was using her power to keep the supports of the bridge from snapping, but it was pointless. One more attack from the Beast would end it all.


    Whisper collapsed to her knees, looking down at the water where her mother and dad had been blasted. "Victorian. Max Lightning. Mom! Dad! Please! Save us!"


    It hadn''t even been ten seconds yet...


    Less than ten seconds, and they already lost.


    The Beast struck out this time, aiming at its true target. Hope saw the finger point at her, and she tried to get her body to budge, but it didn''t want to move. A beam of white-hot energy was launched in her direction, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Purrfect grabbed her and tried to shove her out of the way, but it was too late. The attack was inches away.


    Then...


    Everything stopped.


    "You know. I think I figured it would end this way." All color faded. The Beast cocked its head to the side as time stopped. It hadn''t been the one to do this. Its attack was frozen in the air right before it could hit the Lord of the Sun. Snowdawn sighed and gave a saddened smile. "Please, Hope. Just... Man. This is so dumb." He pushed her out of the way. "I don''t even have any final last words that sound well planned. I suck." And then time restarted.


    All Armin saw was pitch white as the blast overtook him, and Cinder and Purrfect were shoved out of the way at the last second.


    Cinder felt herself hit the ground as the beam flew past her, burning so hot that it caused her to wince and Purrfect to scream. She felt Purrfect''s arms around her as well as another that gripped her. "Thanks for the save, Armin." She waited for the boy to respond or even give a joke in a situation like this, but it never came. "Armin." She looked down, only to find a severed arm that gripped onto her wrist, slowly burning away as the white flame ate it. "A... Armin?"


    "Cinder, look out!" Purrfect screamed.


    She turned back just in time. The Beast swung, and she brought her shield up. Its fist rammed into it, cracked, and dented the object, caving most of it in and sending her flying back. Purrfect jumped up and stabbed out with her claws, but they didn''t even touch the Beast. The monster was behind her and kicked out, blowing her to bits. Or at least it thought it did, but seconds later, Purrfect appeared behind it once more.


    "Sorry. You''ll have to try harder than that to kill me. Didn''t anyone tell you cats got nine lives!"


    Cinder rolled across the ground, feeling several of her bones snap and break. This wasn''t like being hit by the Emperor. That had hurt. It hurt so bad that she knew she had been taken out of the fight just by a single attack. This was so much worse, though. She thought she was dead. When the fall finally stopped and her senses came back, she felt herself being shaken.


    "You have to get up!" Whisper screamed. "Please, Cinder, stand up! You need to get into the water and find mom or-"


    "A- Armin? Is Armin okay?"


    "Cinder, you have to stand! Get up, Hope!"


    Her head hurt. The gray sky above began to rain mournfully down onto the battlefield. Screams were all around them as people ran. This was a Calamity. A nightmare come to life. They stood no chance of winning.


    ''Would you like me to help you?''


    "What did you say?" Her eyes slowly focused back on Whisper as the throbbing in her head died down a bit.


    "I said get up!" She felt herself being picked up by the girl and she wobbled slightly. One hit had done that. The severed arm that gripped onto her softly dropped to the floor as the fire finished eating it away, and Armin’s ash was carried off. "We have to get into the water and find Mom or Dad!" Whisper said. "They can beat it if they team up or something! They can-"


    "We''re going to die." Hope felt part of her shield break away, and she stared down at the ground. The shield Mr. Larison made her had snapped in two. "It''s going to kill us."


    Whisper slapped her, but she didn’t feel it. "Don''t talk like that! What happened to the bubbly, bright girl!"


    She wasn''t the only one in such a hopeless situation. Many of the Hero Branch members were dead. Oxide was using her powers to hold the bridge up, but she was struggling and shaking. Money Tree was numbly shaking a fourteen-foot-tall BB who was severely burned, trying to get her to wake up. Wasp Nest and Dust Cloud had taken to escorting the crowd the best they could, leading them across the ice bridge, but many people fell to the waters below. Ms. Laps was also working. She was in that destroyed building, clearing the rubble and looking for something beneath it. Or maybe someone...


    Purrfect managed to get the Beast''s attention fully on her by some pure chance of luck. The girl danced around it as fast as she could and struck out with her claws, but she didn''t even manage to hit the creature a single time. Meanwhile, it killed her once, twice, three times, and counting. Hope was guessing the girl only had so many extra lives to waste. The girl was doing her best to get the Beast as far away as she could with her remaining life and disappeared behind a series of buildings.


    Whisper shook Hope, but the girl barely responded. "Fine, then! Screw you. I''ll save her myself!" Whisper let go and took off, jumping down into the waters below to look for her parents.


    Hope tried to reach out to her, but her hand missed. She stared down at the fire, watching it flicker on and off around her palm. "Did you seriously give up so easily?" A voice asked. She turned and found Poseidon standing next to her now.


    "What-"


    Poseidon walked forward and headbutted Hope as hard as she could, knocking Hope to the ground. "Get up!" Poseidon grabbed the hero by the front of her suit and dragged her over to the bridge, where people were fleeing. "You''re a Lord, for God''s sake. So what if we''re going to lose? So what if we''re going to die? So what if that thing beats us? That doesn''t matter. Do you know why? Because we''re superheroes! Superheroes have heroes in the name, you know!"


    "What are you trying to say?"


    "Isn''t that obvious? We do our job! This isn''t the first time you''ve been in a do-or-die situation. How many times have you tried to sacrifice yourself to save people? You''ve done reckless things for other people since the start! Oh, but just because this time you''re up against a wall that you can''t stop means you give up and don''t even try? No! This shouldn''t be any different! You were willing to die for my sister in the battle with Wish! You should be just fine with dying for these people as well, then, right? Or is the fact you want to screw my sister the only reason you were willing to give your life up?!"


    Hope followed where Poseidon was pointing and saw all the civilians that were still stuck on the bridge. All of them had ditched their cars due to how many holes were in the bridge and were climbing across one another, running for Lillian, where it was safe. There were so many people across the bridge who looked like tiny dots in the distance. Men, women, and children. All fighting to live. All doing everything they could to survive.


    She was going to die. She was sure of that fact. She didn''t know why, but the Beast wanted her. Maybe it had something to do with her being a Lord, though it seemed to mostly ignore the others. Either way, it didn''t matter. Poseidon was right. If she was going to die either way, then what was the point in just standing there and doing nothing?


    At least by fighting, she could offer two or three more people a couple more seconds to escape to Lillian.


    "Sorry, Poseidon." She wiped some of the blood away from her face and felt her muscles and bones ease back into place. "I can be dumb, sometimes."


    "Yeah, I sort of knew that already."


    She managed to focus her breathing slowly. She could still feel the spot where Armin had gripped her wrist. He''d be yelling at her to run about now. To flee. Yet he was the kind of guy who would stay behind himself. He was basically her older brother. She knew exactly the kind of thing he’d be doing right now. She didn''t know if Myth or Battery were still alive. All she knew was that this was her choice. She was going to be Cinder in this moment. She was going to be a hero.


    "I''m sorry, Mom. I''m so sorry." She wiped her tears away.


    “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have minded it.”


    “What?” She looked back at Poseidon.


    “You and my sister.” Poseidon sighed. “I wouldn’t have really minded if you and her…”


    “Are you giving me your blessing to date your sister in a time like this?” Cinder snorted.


    “Yeah. It’s kind of dumb. If we make it out of this alive, though, I expect you to actually do the right thing and give Sky the greatest date ever.” Poseidon pointed her trident out.


    “I’ll try.”


    “You’re not allowed to have sex with her, though! You’re both too young for that!”


    “Can we just focus on the Beast…”


    A roaring inferno raged across Oleander, tearing down everything in its path, be it building or person.


    The sound of battle cries, cursing, and screams almost seemed louder than the rumble of collapsing buildings or the roar of the invading Beast, which went out of its way to attack anything that moved.


    Children wailed in their parents’ arms as they were carried across the last bridge that stood, the only way left out of the city.


    Cinder did her best not to groan. The Beast had hit her only a single time, and yet she was sure this was the worst pain she had ever felt in her short life. She quietly fastened the straps to the silver shield that hung on her arm.


    “You, okay?” Poseidon''s voice almost caused her to jump.


    Cinder nodded her head. “Yeah, I’m fine.” As far as she knew, it was just her and Poseidon that were left standing. The others were in no condition to fight this thing.


    “Good. Because here he comes.” The water twisted and formed, rising out of the river beneath the bridge they guarded. It developed into a large trident, which Poseidon gripped tight enough to turn her knuckles white.


    Cinder felt part of her life leave her when she finally saw the Beast again. That meant that Purrfect was likely... It approached with slow, steady strides, taking its time. That godlike speed it had shown earlier wasn''t present.


    “We have to win,” Poseidon stated, pointing her trident forward.


    Cinder nodded and gripped her shield tighter. Smoke rose from her skin, and her costume ignited as she became a blazing inferno, much like the Beast. “Then I guess we’ll win.”


    And with that, their battle began!


    Then, it was over in an instant.


    Poseidon tried to increase the gravity of the Beast, forcing her full force onto the thing, only to have it flip and return back at her, causing her eyes to go wide. She was rammed into the ground by a powerful, unseen force, causing her to spit up black blood and kneel. Cinder blasted herself forward as fast as she could, the fire twisting around her arm.


    White wings forged of fire formed out of the Beast''s back in the shape of a butterfly, and it flew up, dodging her strike. She tried to turn but wasn''t fast enough, and the creature flew past her, holding its hand out. It landed behind her, and she felt her fire go out instantly. She felt her throat fill with blood, and silently, she looked down. An entire chunk of her side was gone now. Several of her organs had been destroyed or burned away. A wound like this wasn''t survivable. She was basically a dead girl walking already.


    "Hope!" Poseidon tried to stand, but the gravity around her grew more assertive, cracking the ground and shoving her into it.


    Cinder shakily dropped to her knees, grabbing at her gut wound. She couldn''t even attempt to stop the blood loss. It all came pouring out. The only reason she didn''t black out or die instantly was the fact that she was a Super. She slowly looked up at the Beast as it stared down at her. Her eyes burned just looking at the thing, but she didn''t stop. It cocked its head to the side and reached out toward her.


    She opened her mouth and fired out a beam of fire with everything she had. The attack slammed into the Beast''s stomach, pushing it back and causing it to drop to its knees. The enhanced gravity around Poseidon vanished, and the girl fired forward with everything she had, swinging out with her weapon. The wings on the Beast grew more prominent, and it used them to fly up in the air once more, just like a butterfly. Poseidon threw her trident at it, but the thing batted it away and fired out a thin beam of white light that shot a hole through the girl''s stomach and downed her instantly.


    Serenely, the Beast came back down, landing softly on the street. "Well, we gave it our best shot." Hope chuckled weakly. "Do you have any other ideas?"


    "I think it snapped my spine." Poseidon struggled to push herself up. "Can you move?"


    "I''m in too much pain."


    "Who cares? Get up."


    "I''m trying, but it''s hard when half your stomach is torn out." Cinder tried to move her hands away, but that just caused more of her blood to spray out. She tried to muster up some more fire, but it was no use.


    The Beast swung toward her, but at the last second, it stopped and turned, holding its hand out and catching a massive arrow that flew toward it. Fable glared at the monster standing on the other side of the street. "That''s right, dipshit. Keep staring at me!" His bow formed into a shield, and he rose up just in time to block the laser beam it fired at him. As the Beast did that, a wave of water slammed down from above, and Ocean Empress came crashing down.


    The Enforcer managed to grab Cinder and Poseidon and, thanks to Fable''s covering fire, got out of the danger zone just in time as the Beast took a swipe at them. "I''ll show you your arrogance for taking me on in the rain," the woman announced, raising her good hand up and swirling all the rain around in the shape of a massive water snake.


    The Beast went to dodge the strike, only for Myth to ram into it from behind, transforming into his lion mode. He wrapped his one arm around the beast, ignoring the heat. He wasn''t alone, either. Money Tree also grabbed the monster, Earth Worm crawled out of the ground and wrapped around the Beast’s leg. A splatter of water on the ground rippled and bulged, a woman in a blue swimsuit forming. Water-Gal rushed forward as her power activated, her skin shimmering and turning translucent, absorbing nearby water and moisture. The woman turned into water, wrapping around the other heroes in an attempt to help them resist the Beast’s immense heat.


    All of them held it in place as the water snake reached them.


    Of course, they knew this wouldn''t kill it.


    Still, they had to try something.


    After all... They were heroes.