Screams echoed throughout the bank as terrified civilians cowered beneath tables, hid in side rooms, or pressed themselves against the walls—anywhere that offered even the slightest chance of avoiding the chaos unfolding before them.
The cause of their terror stood at the center of the bank, effortlessly exuding an aura of cold menace.
Her skin was as pale as snow, her icy blue hair cascading over her shoulders, and the frosted mist swirling around her feet made the tile beneath her crack from sheer cold.
Killer Frost.
She slung a bag of stolen cash over her shoulder with ease, a smirk tugging at her lips. "That was easy. Guess security ain't what it used to be."
With a flick of her wrist, the ground beneath her shimmered as ice rapidly spread outward, forming a thick, frozen path. She leaned forward and shot off at high speed, gliding effortlessly through the shattered glass doors and out into the streets.
The moment she left the bank, chaos erupted.
Cars skidded on the rapidly freezing pavement, crashing into one another as their tires lost all traction. Frost laughed, twisting mid-glide to launch a brutal ice wave, freezing vehicles solid in jagged spikes of ice. Pedestrians screamed as they ran, some barely avoiding being trapped in the spreading frost.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted in the street ahead of her, sending fire and smoke billowing into the air. Frost's eyes widened slightly before she came to a sharp halt, the ground beneath her cracking from the sudden stop.
Descending from the sky, flames trailing behind them, was Rogue Sun.
A fiery aura burned around her body, casting her in a golden glow as she hovered over the frozen street.
Frost narrowed her eyes, recognizing the hero immediately. "Well, well. Another newbie. Hope you don't mind a little frostbite."
She thrust her hands forward, sending a concentrated blast of ice toward Rogue Sun. The attack streaked through the air, freezing everything in its path.
FWOOOOSH!
Rogue Sun countered instantly, unleashing a roaring blast of fire, meeting the ice attack head-on.
The two elements clashed violently, creating an explosive shockwave that shattered nearby windows and sent pedestrians scrambling for cover. Steam burst out in all directions, clouding the battlefield.
Rogue Sun didn't hesitate. She dived through the mist, rapidly closing the distance toward Frost. "I suggest you stop before this gets bad."
Frost let out a sharp laugh. "Forget it! I'm not surrendering to some rookie!"
She skated backward, twisting her body as she rapidly fired ice shards at Rogue Sun, each one sharp enough to impale.
Rogue Sun dodged in mid-air, weaving between the deadly projectiles. When she got close enough, she stopped flying downward and lowered herself toward the ground, leveling her fists.
She smashed through each ice spike, punching them into shards before they could reach her. One after another, the ice shattered, leaving only a straight path between her and Frost.
Seeing this, Killer Frost grinned and slammed her hands into the ground.
CRACK!
A massive spike of ice erupted from beneath Rogue Sun, slamming into her with a brutal uppercut, sending her flying into the sky.
People gasped as they watched the hero twist in mid-air, but before she could fall, she regained control, stabilizing her flight just as she reached her peak.
Rogue Sun exhaled, shaking her arms to loosen them up. "That was a good one. But here comes the meteor!"
She shot downward like a comet, her body engulfed in blazing flames as she dove directly at Frost.
Both fists ignited, and as she descended, the flames condensed into powerful fire fists. The heat was so intense that the surrounding frost instantly melted.
Frost's smirk faltered. She tried to skate backward, but Rogue Sun was too fast.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the street, creating a crater and sending Killer Frost flying. She slammed into a frozen bench in a nearby park, rolling until she came to a stop against a tree.
For a few seconds, everything was still.
Then, Frost groaned, slowly pushing herself up. "Alright… that hurt."
Rogue Sun floated out of the crater, her flames still burning.
Frost wiped her lip, narrowing her eyes. "Okay, let's see how you handle this."
She clenched her fists, gathering all her remaining power before slamming them to the ground.
RUMMMMBLE!
The entire street froze over, and from it, an enormous wall of ice erupted, rapidly expanding outward. It grew taller and taller, quickly forming a massive iceberg, its jagged edge slicing toward Rogue Sun.
Civilians gasped in horror. If it kept growing, it could flatten an entire block.
Rogue Sun's eyes narrowed.
"Not happening."
She focused on her chest, feeling the familiar heat build within. The flames around her began to shift,
A fiery glow formed in the center of her chest.
Then—
FWOOOOOSH!
A Fire Beam erupted from her body, colliding with the iceberg with unstoppable force.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact created a massive explosion, sending steam and debris flying in all directions.
The battlefield was completely consumed in steam, making visibility almost impossible.
Frost coughed, waving her hand to clear her vision. "Where…?"
She squinted, trying to see through the mist. A small flicker of light caught her eye—a faint glow rapidly getting bigger and bigger.
Too late.
CRACK!
A flaming fist crashed into her face, sending her sprawling onto the frozen ground.
Frost groaned weakly, her vision blurring. She tried to move, but her limbs refused to listen. That hit took her out completely.
Rogue Sun exhaled, shaking off the last embers of her flames.
"That was a tough one… but thankfully, no one was near when those attacks clashed."
With Frost down, sirens could be heard in the distance. The authorities were closing in.
Rogue Sun gave one last look at her unconscious opponent before taking off into the sky, disappearing into the Sky.
Later in A Temporary Apartment
Nika pushed the door open and stepped inside her small, temporary apartment, letting out a tired sigh. She kicked off her boots, shrugging off the weight of tonight's fight as she walked further inside. The dimly lit space was modest, just a simple couch, a cheap table, and a TV that had seen better days. It was nothing special, but it was enough for now.
She slumped onto the couch, sinking into the cushions before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. The screen flickered to life, immediately tuning into a news report.
"Good evening, everyone! I'm Jim, and this is Lucy, bringing you the latest updates."
The camera switched to footage of police cars surrounding an ice-covered street, where Killer Frost was being loaded into a heavily armored transport vehicle.
"A couple of hours ago, notorious super-criminal Killer Frost was successfully apprehended after being defeated by the newest Rogue Sun. If you've somehow been living under a rock for the past two weeks, then here's a quick recap—Rogue Sun has returned! And this time, the mysterious hero is operating in America."
The news anchor chuckled before continuing.
"Of course, that's not the only thing people are talking about. Ever since Rogue Sun reappeared, the betting scene has been on fire! With the old bets settled, a new one has started—the question everyone's asking: is the new Rogue Sun a man or a woman?"
Nika smirked, leaning back into the couch as she took a sip from a water bottle she had grabbed. She already knew the answer, but she wasn't about to tell anyone.
It had been two weeks since she started her hero work, and while she was staying in this temporary apartment, she had made sure not to use any of the money she earned as Mongrel. That money was dirty—meant for keeping up appearances, funding her cover. Her hero life and her criminal cover had to stay separate.
But that didn't mean she didn't have money.
She had participated in the Rogue Sun betting pool.
Every time a new Rogue Sun appeared, betting markets exploded with speculation. The biggest bet? When the next Rogue Sun would emerge. Some people bet for specific years, while others placed riskier bets on decades. Naturally, the longer the gap between new Rogue Suns, the bigger the payout.
When she first arrived in this world, she realized exactly when the next Rogue Sun would appear—because it was her. So, she made a "reasonable" bet that the next Rogue Sun would show up this year, ensuring she could cash out without raising suspicion. If she had gone all-in on something too specific, people might have questioned how she knew.
And just like that, she walked away with a pretty solid payout.
She took another sip of water, setting the bottle down on the table.
Still… the fight against Killer Frost had been the most exciting battle she'd had so far.
Most of her fights before this had been against ordinary criminals, thugs, or low-tier metahumans. Nothing had truly pushed her limits. But tonight? Tonight was different.
Frost had forced her to react, to think on the fly, to truly test her strength. It was exhilarating.
As she let her body relax, her thoughts drifted back to something strange—something that had appeared in her mind the moment she officially started acting as a hero. Just like the other two times she had received strange information about Rogue Sun, a third realization had surfaced.
Her power… adjusted itself.
It would become weaker or stronger at inconvenient or convenient times, almost as if she were bound by the rules of storytelling.
Like plot armor.
She frowned at the thought. The idea that her strength wasn't entirely in her control was frustrating, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Whatever was causing this, it was embedded in the very nature of this world.
(A.N: Yes, I'm doing this. If the plot demands Nika be weaker, she will be. If it demands she be stronger, she will be. This applies to my other fanfictions too, like the Marvel one and the others I've discussed in my thoughts, Part 1.)
She sighed, pushing the thought aside. It didn't matter right now.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her.
Her vision blurred for a split second, her limbs feeling heavy.
What the…?
She tried to stand up, but the moment she lifted herself off the couch, her legs buckled beneath her.
Her body collapsed back onto the cushions, a heavy tiredness overtaking her.
She struggled to keep her eyes open, her thoughts foggy and slow.
She had no time to process it before her body gave in.
Darkness overtook her, and she fell into unconsciousness.