Chapter 54: The Fallen Empire
As narrated by the event keeper
Captain Agatha’s gaze locked on the carnage, fear and hopelessness crashing over her like a tidal wave. She had sworn to safeguard her squadron, yet every righteous stand exacted a brutal toll. William lay cold on the ground, his chest cleaved in two, a gaping wound that mocked his unyielding spirit. Yukio’s charred remains smoked in the dirt, a grim testament to his sacrifice. And Cipher... his head vaporized, his body a headless husk amid the rubble.
Fire ignited in her eyes, fear twisting into a searing rage that consumed her. Dropping Sane gently, she compressed her energy, her skin glowing red-hot as power surged through her veins. With a primal scream, she charged Skepto, Dmitry and the twins at her heels—battered, depleted, but fueled by one last desperate spark.
The four elites watched from the sidelines, their expressions a mask of calculated detachment, the desolate arena a canvas of their inaction.
Agatha reached Skepto first, unleashing her stored energy in a concentrated beam—a lance of light capable of slicing through any metal on Earth. The twins flanked her, their combined energy manipulation forming a searing laser that pierced the air. Dmitry swung his hammer in an earth-shattering arc, the ground trembling under its weight.
Skepto dismissed their onslaught with a flick, his scales deflecting the beam and laser like rain off stone. He sent the twins and Dmitry tumbling across the sand, then seized Agatha by the throat, his fingers like iron vices.
She poured everything into her attack, but Skepto emerged unscathed, his dragon scales an impenetrable shield—even against his own antimatter. They gleamed under the fading light, a fortress forged in power.
Choking her slowly, Skepto’s grip tightened, Agatha’s vision blurring as life slipped away. Billy and Bill-board lay unconscious, Dmitry on his knees, gasping. In that instant, Agatha knew Squadron-X was on the verge of extinction.
Then, a voice shattered the air. “Enough!”
Victor stood beside her, wrenching Skepto’s hand free. “This fight is over! You won!”
Skepto’s eyes narrowed to slits, menace radiating from him. By now, he’d resolved to erase Squadron-X entirely—their defiance an insult he couldn’t abide.
The other elites surged forward, sensing the escalation. Commander Grey planted himself before Victor. “Step back!” he ordered. “Skepto’s our commanding general—we’re not allowed to fight him!”