Johnson stepped toward her, his expression softening. His hand reached out and gently patted her hair, his touch unexpectedly tender amidst the chaos. "You are very beautiful and special. I bet you are a unique person. I will save you whether you are human or not... because I cannot save myself."
Before Angela could even breathe a reply, he vanished in a flash, leaving nothing but a lingering ripple of energy in the air.
Angela's hands rose to her cheeks, which burned with sudden warmth. Her emerald eyes followed his departing figure, her lips parting in disbelief. "What a twist of self loathing and love," she whispered, her heart racing as a blush crept across her face.
Back in the hospital, Rose stood amidst the flames, her body trembling as she strained to telekinetically remold the collapsing structure. The groan of steel and cracking concrete echoed all around her, sweat rolling down her temples.
And then, from within the fire, a figure emerged.
"Finally revealing your true form," Rose muttered through clenched teeth, her arms shaking from the immense pressure of holding the building together. "I guess you are Garudain."
The woman stepped from the flames, her silhouette illuminated by the inferno's glow. At first glance, she seemed almost human, her features sharp and striking against the smoke and light. Yet there was no mistaking the truth...her presence was something otherworldly, commanding, and dangerous.
Her frame was tall and athletic, every step radiating the sleek power of a predator. Broad shoulders filled the contours of a dark suit, its fabric threaded with obsidian patterns that seemed to drink in every ray of light. At the center of her chest gleamed a single emblem—an iron gray X, bold and sharp, a symbol of menace that carried an aura of mystery.
The shadows of her suit could not conceal the traces of her true heritage. Her eyes burned like molten gold, flecked with storm gray, sharp enough to pierce through stone and steel. They held a predatory glint, avian and ancient. Her hair, long and sable with streaks of copper, cascaded around her face, adding a regal edge to her already imposing presence. She looked more like a fallen monarch than a villain, yet there was no mistaking the danger that lingered in every line of her form.
From her back unfurled wings, vast and commanding. Each feather shimmered with sleek darkness, their tips glowing faintly with embers, as though fire itself simmered beneath them. When folded, her wings gave her the silhouette of a fallen seraph. When spread wide, they filled the air with a restless rustle, bending the wind to her will.
Human in form, yet beyond human in presence, she embodied both restraint and untamed power. Every detail of her appearance whispered of speed, strength, and an elemental force waiting to be unleashed.
,
The night trembled with tension.
"This is my true form. I am Xerlo, a descendant of the Guardian race," the creature declared, her voice carrying like thunder across the broken ruins. "I appeared on this world years ago, when the veil between worlds was torn open before me. Since then, I have lived among humans, pretending to be one of them… feeding on their life force, regaining my strength. And now… I am unstoppable!"
Her laughter split the sky, manic and cruel.
"You scum!" Rose's voice cracked with fury, her blood boiling as realization struck. "You mean to tell me you have been here… for the past fifteen years? Working in this hospital… killing the people who came here for treatment? Why?"
"Because I hate humans," Xerlo spat, her molten eyes glimmering with disdain. "They are weak, pathetic creatures who think only of themselves. And nobody can stop me. Not even you, weak… ugly looking..."
Her words were cut short. Rose's fist collided with her jaw, silencing her venom. Both of them crashed through the floors of the high-rise building, stone and steel groaning under the force of their descent.
Rose rose slowly from the rubble, trembling with rage. Her wounds burned, her stamina was slipping away, but her spirit blazed brighter than ever. "Shut your filthy mouth!" she spat. Grabbing a twisted iron rod, she waved her hand, imbuing it with her energy until it shimmered into the shape of a blade. With a fierce roar, she lunged at Xerlo.
The creature stood unfazed. With a single swipe of her claws, she blocked the blade, then swung with brutal force. Rose was hurled through the ruins, her body crashing into shattered buildings.
"You child…" Xerlo sneered, her wings spreading wide as flames flickered across their ember-tipped feathers. "Do you truly believe you can stop me? You are nothing. Die!"
She unleashed a torrent of burning energy.
"Rose!!!" Johnson's voice tore through the chaos. In a burst of blinding speed, he appeared, intercepting the attack head-on. The flames slammed into him, hurling his body into the air.
"Johnny!!" Rose's heart twisted as she saw him thrown aside. Her chest heaved as she gasped, "My last limiter… let me release it!"
Her body erupted with light. White hair blazed like fire, her muscles tensed with unnatural strength, but the cost was brutal
her stamina drained at an alarming rate. She shot into the sky, glaring at Xerlo. "Don't you dare try to kill yourself in front of me. You're dead meat!"
With a crack of her knuckles, she charged at hyperspeed, her fists raining upon the creature like lightning itself.
"Rose, stop!" Johnson's strained voice echoed as he staggered to his feet. "You'll burn out! Why haven't I… released my energy?"
"Because you did not want to," the calm voice of his Will answered within. "Do you want to release it now?"
"Yes," Johnson said without hesitation.
"Releasing power to three percent. User now has advanced strength and can wield as much as he wills."
Light burst from his body. His wounds began to heal, arcs of stormlight flickering across his skin.
Meanwhile, Rose crashed head-on into Xerlo once more. The shockwave rippled across the city skyline, buildings trembling, windows shattering for miles. Sparks lit the night like a battlefield of gods.
Every strike of Rose's fists was a drumbeat of defiance, her body screaming with pain but her spirit refusing to yield. Yet Xerlo absorbed the punishment. Her ember-lit wings flared, and with a mocking grin, she seized Rose's fist, hurling her through a skyscraper. Concrete and steel exploded outward as Rose fell, fatally wounded across her stomach.
"You humans," Xerlo scoffed, her voice dripping venom, "always reaching beyond your grasp." Flames coiled across her claws. "Now die!"
But the storm answered.
Johnson descended like lightning made flesh. His punch landed squarely on Xerlo's jaw, thunder exploding as the villain was hurled across the cityscape. Sparks rained in his wake as he landed beside Rose. He extended a trembling hand to her.
"You're late," Rose whispered, her lips curled into a faint smile despite the blood trailing from them.
"Had to make an entrance," Johnson said, his eyes glowing like stormfire. His aura sparked, wild and defiant. He noticed the wound tearing across her stomach. "Rose, you're hurt. You need to fall back."
"It's nothing. I can still fight. I have at least five minutes left in me," she lied, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Rose…" Johnson began, but her gaze silenced him. That fire of hers… that unyielding heart. He exhaled deeply, pain twisting within his chest. "…Fine. Let's finish this together."
Rose nodded, her hair glowing like silver flame.
Across from them, Xerlo steadied herself. Her laughter echoed across the ruins, her ember-tipped wings unfurling into a halo of fire. "Fools. Even together, you cannot hope to stop me!"
The city seemed to hold its breath.
Then they moved.
Rose surged forward first, fists glowing with stormlight, each strike landing like thunderclaps. Johnson followed, tearing through the air with blinding speed, his fists crashing in tandem with hers. Together, they became a storm.
Xerlo countered with slashes of fire, carving the streets apart, but Johnson's lightning intercepted each blaze, scattering them into sparks. Rose swept her legs out, driving an uppercut into her ribs. Johnson vaulted overhead, kicking Xerlo down through another tower.
The city groaned under the weight of their battle. Sirens wailed, bridges cracked, streetlamps bent under shockwaves.
Enraged, Xerlo spread her wings and released a wave of cataclysmic fire meant to engulf them both.
"Rose!" Johnson shouted.
She understood.
Channeling her last reserves, Rose imbued her blade with lightning. Johnson mirrored her, arcs of raw energy sparking between his hands. Together, they charged straight into the inferno, cutting through it like comets.
Their combined strike pierced Xerlo's chest, detonating in a blinding explosion that tore the skyline apart. The shockwave blanketed the city, lights flickering for miles.
Xerlo screamed. Her wings shattered, molten feathers raining like meteors. Her body was hurled into the river beyond the city, exploding the waters into steam.
Rose collapsed, her glowing hair fading as exhaustion overtook her. Johnson caught her before she hit the ground, his body flickering with fading light.
"It's over," he said, his voice weary but resolute.
"Yeah… it is," Rose whispered faintly. Her wound bled profusely, crimson soaking through her clothes.
"Rose!" Johnson panicked as he carried her to an empty field. Rain poured heavily across the city, masking the tears in his eyes. He pressed his hand over her wound, desperate. "Release to five percent. Share my energy!"
"Warning," the voice of his Will echoed. "At this rate, the user will only last one minute."
"I don't care!" Johnson roared, his body glowing violently as he poured his energy into Rose. Yet the wound refused to close. "Damn it! Her regeneration… it's too slow." His voice cracked. He shook, tears blurring his vision. "This is my fault."
"It's not your fault, big brother…" Rose whispered weakly, her trembling fingers brushing his cheek. Blood trailed from her lips. "I… don't think I'm gonna make it…"
"Don't say that," Johnson begged, clutching her hand tightly. "You're going to make it. Remember? Remember what we promised each other… last night in the garden?" His voice broke as tears streamed down his face.
Rose smiled faintly, her eyelids heavy. The light in her eyes dimmed as rain fell harder, the world fading into a mournful silence.