Kochi tightened her grip around Floris, chains coiling.
"Lucky me," she said, smirking. "I get to kill you myself."
Floris rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "You people just keep spawning out of nowhere."
With a sudden burst of strength, she slammed Kochi into the ground, dragging her with ease and bursting free from the chains.
"That makes three people I've got to kill now."
Kochi rolled away, agile. "Fat chance."
She flung her arm forward, chain unfurling with a metallic snap, wrapping tightly around a nearby building. With a shout, she yanked hurling the entire structure toward Floris like a massive projectile.
"Chain manipulation?" Floris murmured.
She didn't move.
The building turned pitch-black mid-air, passing straight through her like a ghost through smoke, before reverting to its normal state and shattering behind her.
Kochi's eyes narrowed. (What is she…? Some kind of monster? No, if she was, she could've broken out of that cell easily… Something else is going on.)
Floris brushed dust off her shoulder. "I ought to be careful," she said casually. "Wouldn't want to damage my friend's body."
Kochi clenched her fists. "Your friend's body? Who the hell are you?"
Floris laughed. "Who, me? Haha… if I told you I remembered even my name, I'd be lying."
She raised her hand and gave a playful wave. "If you all leave now, I'll let you live. Sound fair?"
Kochi slammed her fist into her palm. "Mira. Rowan. Still breathing?"
"Aye," Rowan grunted, standing with effort.
"Of… course," Mira said, clutching her side but steadying herself.
But Floris didn't wait.
She raised her fingers in the shape of a gun and whispered "Pew."
A small black blast shot out fast, and explosive. It struck near the trio and detonated, sending them all flying back.
"AHHHH!"
The three of them hit the ground but recovered quickly.
Floris dusted her hands. "You're wasting your time–"
Her sentence stopped short.
Mira had wrapped her inside a force field, cutting her off from the outside. Floris blinked.
"Wait. What's this now?"
Outside, silence.
Rowan stepped forward, aiming his gun. His fingers trembled as he began charging the bullet… high-speed, force-enhanced shot.
"Not yet…" Kochi whispered.
Rowan gritted his teeth, focusing.
"Not yet…" she said again, more intensely.
Inside the barrier, black cracks began to form.
Then…shatter!
The field exploded in a swirl of darkness. In that split second, Kochi's chains whipped around Floris again.
"NOW!" she screamed.
Rowan fired.
The bullet ripped through the air, traveling at supersonic speed.
"AHHHH!" Kochi cried as she lost grip. Floris thrashed violently, the force slinging Kochi away like a ragdoll.
Floris didn't flinch. Instead, she reached out and caught the bullet with her bare hand.
She squeezed, stopping its energy cold, and tossed it at a building. It struck with the force of a cannon, blowing the structure apart.
Mira froze. "No… way…"
Floris turned toward them, eyes dead-serious now. Her gaze no longer playful.
"Didn't I tell you this body is precious?" she snapped.
The ground trembled. The sky darkened.
"What's happening?!" Kochi shouted, trying to pull herself up.
Everything around them the entire city began turning black. Buildings, streets, concrete… all lifted into the air like they'd been peeled from the Earth.
Banid, watching from a distant skyscraper, stared in horror. The city was floating, suspended in shadow.
"Grayslake… Hunters… all of you this will be the finality." Floris says
Underground, deep below the quaking earth, something stirred.
The worm's eyes snapped open.