Evan barely finished whispering the words when the pipes screamed. Three—two—three, hammered so hard the echo snapped across Hook Street like gunfire.
No time.
He ripped the bandages tighter around his ribs, suit half-fastened, lightning spilling violet through seams that had given up. His body argued, but the storm in him had already chosen violence. He vaulted the bakery window and landed in the lane with a crack of arcs that made shutters slam.
Alert: Hostile anomaly [Cross] detected — 230m.Recommendation: Engage only if capacity threshold exceeded.
"Too late," Evan growled, already moving.
The Slums lit up in panic. Doors slammed. Carts rolled sideways. Kids banged pipes like the city had been training for this hour. Evan hit Thunderstep mid-stride and shockwaves chased him down alleys. His arcs clawed at cobbles, violet veins splitting stone. Every turn, every wall, every elbow the Slums had built the last day—all of it funneled him toward the sound of screams.
Cross stood in the courtyard where Evan had left his promise, carving an X across brick with lazy patience. When Evan burst through, the mark was still bleeding dust.
The monster turned. Black lightning stitched down his claws like veins full of hunger. "Ghost," Cross said, voice dragging gravel. "Already dressed for your funeral."
Evan didn't wait. He blurred forward—Quickstep into Burst Step, ribs tearing open inside him, Thunderstep detonating low to throw debris into Cross's knees. Cobblestones cracked; dust spat upward.
Cross didn't dodge. He let it hit, body swaying just enough, then swiped. The claws ripped through air, and the air tore open.
Warning: Incoming vector displacement.
Evan twisted into Vector Break—his arcs sliced a seam in the world just wide enough for his chest to slip through. Claws passed behind, brick walls shredded like paper. A family screamed inside.
Not again.
Evan snapped his wrist—Velocity Veil. Five afterimages spun out, ghost-Evan rushing in different directions. Cross blinked once, amused, and backhanded all of them. The illusions detonated in violet sparks.
Evan was real behind him. He drove an elbow into Cross's spine. It landed. A grunt—small, but real.
"Not heavy enough," Cross said, and slammed a claw backward.
The blow caught Evan across the ribs and launched him through a doorframe. He hit stone hard, vision white.
Condition Critical — rib fractures worsening, conduction strain +12%.Advisory: Retreat.
"Shut up," Evan spat blood and pulled himself up. His arcs hissed hotter now, violet burning almost white. The Slums' pipes pounded louder—three-two-three, three-two-three, the whole district screaming his name without saying it.
He let it in. Domain threads pulled tight in his chest, Hook Street heat, Foundry iron, Slums' stubborn pulse. The city moved with him.
He vanished into Burst Step again, but this time he didn't strike straight. He looped, bounced off one wall, then another—Momentum Shift turned pain into propulsion. Cross turned to follow, claws scything, but Evan's speed bled into weight. Every impact shook stone, every Thunderstep rolled shockwaves under crates and barrels, forcing the monster to stagger.
"Faster," Cross rumbled, swiping again, arcs of black lightning burning the ground.
Evan dodged—barely. A claw carved a roofbeam, splinters raining. Another swiped across his shoulder, tearing cloth, scorching skin.
He gritted his teeth and pushed harder. The violet arcs howled, veins of storm running out of control.
New Technique Prototype Detected — Arc Overdrive.Warning: Severe conduction strain. Risk of neural burnout.
"Do it," Evan snarled.
The arcs burst outward. His whole body blurred into a lattice of violet lightning, too fast for his own frame. He struck Cross three times in one heartbeat—jaw, ribs, thigh—blows snapping louder than thunder.
The monster rocked back, finally sliding a foot.
The Slums roared through pipes and shutters, three-two-three, three-two-three. The city itself was screaming with him now.
Cross wiped dust from his mouth with the back of a claw and chuckled, low and heavy. "Better. Still mine."
Then his black lightning flared, drowning the lane in shadow. Evan's Overdrive sputtered, pain ripping through his chest. He stumbled.
Cross leaned close enough that sparks crawled between their storms. "Next time," he said, "you break."
He slashed another X into the wall, bricks screaming. Then he was gone—stepped back into silence like it was his home.
Evan dropped to one knee, blood stringing his lip. His arcs flickered, stuttering between light and nothing. The pipes still hammered three-two-three, steady, unbroken, as if the city refused to stop even when he did.
Micro-Objective Complete: Slums Stabilization (Phase II).Reward: Domain Bond — Slums (Moderate → Strong).Effect: Fear resonance −15%, ally speed +15% within Slums.Overflow: 17%.
He spat red into the dust and laughed, low and cracked. "Not today."
Then he stood, because the Slums were still watching.