Opperculus prepared his spear for another lightning strike.
Stacya was in the ground, swimming towards him for her next attack.
Then, in a quick moment, Opperculus noticed a small ripple in the ground, heading right for him. He launched another lightning attack at it, only to have a large slash of grey liquid come flying at him. Just as he raised his arm to block it, the liquid transformed into a large chunk of concrete.
He smiled.
Just as he used his spear to destroy the concrete, he noticed something approaching him from behind. He turned to see Stacya a few inches from him.
He brought his spear down on her, just as she tried to swipe at his head with her sharp Atlantean claws.
Her hand hit the spear and she was being overpowered in a matter of moments. She held the spear with her free hand and adjusted her other hand to do the same.
Opperculus responded by grabbing the spear with his free hand as well.
Now the two were in a stalemate, one trying to overpower the other for the spear.
"Don't even try to use your powers on my Spear, girl! It won't work. Its magical properties make it immune to the powers of 'mumans."
"I wasn't trying to!" Stacya lied. She tried to turn the spear liquid the moment she held onto it, but to no avail. She did her best to struggle for the weapon, but it was no use. Opperculus was immensely stronger than her.
So she remembered what Captain Rocket taught her long ago. In her training, around five years ago, when the Danger Squad was still functional, he sparred with her, much to her refusal.
"You're still trying to overpower me?" Rocket said to her, knocking her off her feet.
"W...what am I supposed to do Master Rocket? You outclass me in every way. How could I possibly win?" Stacya asked, still on the ground.
"I don't outclass you in EVERY way. No one does. Whoever you fight, you have to be better in a particular aspect. Be it strength, which you mostly focus on, or speed, endurance, and most importantly, strategy."
"Strategy?" Stacya asked, tilting her head.
"Yes. If your opponent outclasses you in one stat, you still have strategy on your side. Opponents that think they're better than you get overconfident and don't think they need to plan ahead to defeat you. Use that. Plan. Confuse. Misdirect. That's the true essence of being a warrior."
"I thought that was being stronger?" Stacya asked, still confused.
"Only the weakest warriors think being strong is all it takes to win a fight."
His words rang true to her, all those years ago.
And they're ringing true now.
Stacya placed one foot in the ground, liquifying whatever touched it. Opperculus noticed and smiled.
"And what the hell do you think you're doing? You can't overpower me here, girl. Just give up."
Stacya smiled back.
"No need."
She kicked forward, splashing grey liquid all over Opperculus, especially on his face.
"W...what is this?!" He asked, right before the liquid turned back to concrete and the drops that landed on his face merged together to block his eyesight.
"You're not winning because you're stronger. Now let go!" Stacya shouted with a smile and kicked him in the gut, trying to separate him from the spear.
Just then Opperculus screamed in rage but didn't let go.
In that split second, a bolt of lightning surged through the room from the skylight and hit the two Atlanteans, bathing them in a field of lightning.
As the lightning spread to the rest of the warehouse, Paulina used her armor to form a shield strong enough to keep Zack safe.
"What the hell is she doing?" Zack asked, nervously watching the lightning strike the two.
"It's not her. It's Opperculus. He called a bolt of lightning with his spear to make Stacya let go," Paulina responded, struggling to keep the shield stable from the lightning.
"Shit, and with the way your shield is going out, that lightning is damn strong. I don't think she can hold out," Zack said, still watching the two.
"Seems so. Sadly, we can't interfere due to..."
Paulina suddenly stopped when she noticed Zack trying to get up.
"Yes we... uh..." Zack tried to talk but his pain from trying to stand up got him to shut up and fall down.
"Your injuries are too great and my skin is gone. Most of my energy is being spent on keeping this shield on."
"What about Luthor?"
"Still dealing with Uncountable. And from the looks of it, he needs help as well," Paulina answered, using her enhanced vision to watch him.
His electrified shield was keeping the cloning man at bay, but he was already overwhelmed and the clones were trying to pry his suit open. He tried his best to fight back, but with each of them having super strength, it seemed impossible.
All they needed was a few more seconds and they would break through his shield and be upon them all.
"So he's in no shape to help and needs help himself?" Zack asked once more and Paulina nodded in response.
"Yes, unfortunately."
"And now it's just Stacya? With Opperculus? Fuck!" Zack cursed and tried to stand up again. To help his friend.
To do something.
Sadly, his injuries got in the way.
"Fuck!" He cursed again, punching the ground.
Meanwhile, Stacya still held onto the spear with everything she had.
Despite the lightning.
Despite the pain.
Despite his constant insults.
"Just let go, girl! You can't keep this up. The lightning is doing nothing to me. Nothing! Meanwhile, I can already smell your burning skin."
"Shut up!" Stacya shouted.
"Why do you hold on? Let go. The pain is obviously killing you!" Opperculus said to her, pulling even harder at the spear.
He was right. This was killing her and even she could smell burning flesh.
She needed to end this now. No matter the cost. With that thought, an idea popped into her head. A painful idea.
But her only one.
With all her strength, she pulled the spear closer, catching Opperculus off guard.
"What are you trying to do now?" He said, the spear being pulled away from him. "Are you trying to play tug of war while being electrocuted?"
Stacya brought the spear close to her face. She couldn't hold her position for more than three seconds and she knew it. Hopefully enough time to enact her plan. This was her only chance at victory.
She bit the spear.
"What the fuck?!" Opperculus and by extension Zack said in unison.
Paulina was silent but her jaw had dropped.
Using her shark teeth, she chomped hard on the spear and began digging into it.
"Let go, you..." Opperculus screamed and tried to pull the spear away from her to no avail.
She chomped harder, digging her canines into the spear even more. In desperation, Opperculus sent three more bolts of lightning right at her.
But she still held on.
Opperculus finally had enough and let one arm free. He then punched her in the face.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But she still held on.
Finally, she felt her top and bottom teeth hit each other after digging into the weapon for so long.
She opened her mouth again, receiving three more punches from Opperculus. They didn't stop her, though, as she bit into the spear one more time.
Breaking it in half.
And releasing a small but powerful explosion.
Paulina strengthened her shield with the last of her energy and held onto Zack tightly.
At that moment, Warzone saw his chance and dropped his shield. Just as he did, the shockwave from the explosion hit him and Uncountable's sixty clones, knocking them out.
Warzone was sent flying and crashed into a wall. Barely conscious and his suit extremely damaged, he couldn't do anything more.
At least Uncountable couldn't interfere. To him, he did enough. He did his job.
As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Paulina pulled back her shield. She looked through the debris and saw a figure standing up.
"Shit!" She shouted.
It was Opperculus. He was cackling.
"Hah! What a fool! She really thought she could bite through the spear and not get injured? Hah! Seriously, I know I'm dumb but that's a whole new level of stupid!" He shouted and wiped the debris from his injured face.
Just as he did, she saw something emerging from the smoke.
"No..."
It was Stacya. She got back up from the explosion despite facing the full brunt of it. Her mouth and lip were badly charred and most of her teeth were disintegrated. Her body was covered in burn marks and most of her clothes were burnt.
But her eyes held a fiery rage within them.
And her left arm held half of the spear.
Opperculus checked his hand to see half of the spear gone.
"No!"
Stacya showed an expression on her face and while Zack and Paulina had no idea what she was doing, Opperculus knew.
It was a smile.
He lunged at her with his half of the spear in hand. He didn't have the blade but knew he didn't need it as he thought of shoving the blunt handle right into her neck.
He could imagine it. The half poking out of that godforsaken neck of hers, blood pouring out like a beautiful fountain.
And him feasting on her flesh soon after.
He grinned widely and reached out his arm to grab her.
But she disappeared.
Or rather, sank into the ground. He looked around, trying to find her. To kill her.
Suddenly he noticed a small ripple in the ground right behind him.
He turned and swiped with the spear trying to hit her, but all he saw the spear hit were puny rocks.
Rocks that seemed to fly out of the ground.
"Fuck!"
He turned to see Stacya right behind him, the other half of the spear in hand. Said hand was raised above her head. He tried to direct his half of the spear towards her, but it was too late. She had the blade and sent it crashing down on his shoulder, nearly cutting his neck.
She used all her remaining power for her attack and drove the blade deep into his flesh, finally coming out of his chest.
Ripping his shoulder to his chest in half.
Opperculus screamed in pain as a pool of blood poured out of his mouth and the giant chasm where his shoulder should be.
He fell to the ground, falling unconscious from blood loss.
Stacya stared at him for a moment. His blood was oozing out of him and some of it brushed against her leg.
She did the expression once again, then turned towards Zack and Paulina.
The two were speechless but smiled back at her. Zack even more so.
Stacya fell to the ground, losing consciousness as well.
Paulina held onto Zack and walked toward her so she could check on her wounds. Once they got there, Paulina felt Opperculus breathing.
Zack did as well.
"He... he isn't dead?" Zack asked, slightly relieved his friend didn't take a life.
"Seems so. Atlanteans are much stronger than I thought."
"Well, yeah. Look at her."
The two then turned to Stacya, who was snoring like an old man.
"So that's it then. We won?"
"Not quite. Opperculus is down. Uncountable is down. Mamba is down. And Anaconda is down as well. All that remains now is the boss. Whoever walks through that door decides who wins this battle."
"So it all falls on Jake and Ivy?"
"Pretty much," Paulina said, holding onto Zack for dear life.
To be continued...