Chapter 53: Chapter 53
Barry stared at the kid, taking in the explanation of his powers. He discovered that his abilities came from the speed force, a cosmic force that controls motion and speed. Speedsters like Barry would reside in this cosmic realm after death. According to Cage, the speed force was sentient, and Barry was its avatar, bridging the gap between their worlds.
Barry was still processing this revelation. The idea of being the champion of a cosmic force was mind-boggling. He had a question: "Are there any other cosmic forces I should know about?"
Cage responded while one of his clones searched through the fridges. "There are many more, but right now, we should focus on figuring out how to beat Myles."
Barry, determined, asked Cage, "You mentioned that I could open a portal to the speed force if I ran fast enough. How fast exactly?"
Cage casually replied, "Faster than light, dude. But it won't be enough. Myles knows that our only chance is to land a solid hit on him."
Barry felt frustrated. It seemed like they were back to square one, needing to find a way to outsmart Myles. Perhaps overwhelming him and overloading his powers could work?
"What if we overload him?" Barry suggested, causing Cage to look at him as if he had lost his mind. "You said he has every ability, but I noticed he can't use them all simultaneously."
Cage furrowed his brow, recalling their fight. Initially, Myles seemed overpowering, but upon reflection, there was something peculiar about how he used his powers. Cage remembered seeing a minor crack in Myles' skin.
Suddenly, realization struck Cage. "His body can't handle the strain," he said, disbelief etched across his face. "Using more powers puts more pressure on his body."
How had they missed this? The answer had been right in front of them. The primal force devoured all and consistently generated energy. Myles, on the other hand, was like a faucet. Each time he used more abilities, he unleashed more pressure on his body than it could bear. It became clear that their strategy was to endure Myles' attacks, forcing him to release even more energy.
However, they needed to be cautious in their approach to Myles. If he continued releasing energy without control, he could become a dangerous bomb capable of obliterating parts of the multiverse.
***
Meanwhile, Myles was bored, but waiting for the two to finish their little bubble chat was hell on earth. Yet it gave him something to think about—something that he had never thought about until watching a commercial.
What did he want to do?
Having this overwhelming power should be fun, and it was until it started to erode, becoming stale like a damn fish out of water. Did... Having so much power somehow made him weak in a philosophical way? Did he lose something that was valuable?
He didn't want to admit it but... He had been having this nagging feeling that somehow and someway he wasn't living up to his old self. Not anymore. People fear him because of his power, not because of his actions.
His cunning and wit were replaced by the constant reliance on omniscience and omnipotence.
He was, for the first time in his life, having an existential crisis! How hilarous.
The addiction to absolute power and the desire to revert to his older, powerless self were now at war with him. He wasn't stupid; in reality, he was currently in wit and cunningness can only take him as far as he can throw a pebble.
The moment he faces off against Darkside, Trigon, and other top-tier worldenders, he loses. But with Primal Force, he was on par with them.
So how was he going to solve this dilemma? He can't turn off his omniscience since it'll pop up at any time but he also wanted to have a blast like in the old days. The thrill of being cornered by another predator excited him.
The Primal force and White had been 'quietly' eavesdropping on Myles and were actually puzzled. Was this man having an existential crisis in the middle of a fight? Not just that but he was actually considering limiting himself just so he could have fun!?
The Primal force was torn between pride in its avatar or being miffed about the reason. Sure, the mortal was a psychopath but at least the human didn't make any excuse to hide his faults... usually.
Just as Myles seemed to have made up his mind, Barry and Cage came rushing in, managing to land a supersonic punch simultaneously, sending Myles crashing through several buildings like a ragdoll.
"Barry!" Cage yelled as he ran to the right, leaving a blur.
"Right." Barry quickly ran in the opposite direction as they circled around Myles, who was still lying on the concrete floor.
Cage, being the first one to arrive, quickly kicked Myles in the face, sending him flying as blood spurted out of the Kingpin's face. Instead of relief, joy and hope, Cage realized something wasn't right with the situation.
Myles wasn't fighting back; no, he wasn't taking their hits because he could; it was because his mind wasn't there at the moment.
Yet Barry was unaware of what was happening as he landed a sonic punch while releasing a bolt of lightning with the same fist, electricuting Myles while caving in his skull, which regenerated just as quickly.
"Something isn't right," Cage uttered as he stopped Barry from attacking any further.
Barry raised an eyebrow before taking his time to observe his opponent.
Just like Cage said, something wasn't right with Myles. He was just lying there on the ground, unresponsive to the world and his surroundings.
What on earth was going on inside that man's head?
***
Currently inside the kingpin's head were two versions of Myles: one who is a psychiatrist who is oddly female and the other who is a serial killer.
Dr. Myles then began to check her memoir before looking at Killer Myles. "So, Myles, how have you been since our 'last' session?"
Killer Myles shrugged. "Oh, you know, the usual. Planning, executing, the usual," he said with a impassive look.
Dr. Myles raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything; instead, she started to make some notes. "Right, right. Any new hobbies or interests?" She asked
This time the killer sighed as if there was a huge weight on his shoulders. "Well, Doc, I've been pondering something lately. I'm losing my touch... Like, am I becoming too powerful?"
This took Dr. Myles interest, and she asked, "Losing your touch? What makes you think that?"
Killer Myles then dramatically sighed, "I used to enjoy the thrill and the challenge of it all. But now, it's almost too easy. I have all this power and influence. It's like I'm not working for it anymore."
"Interesting perspective. Why do you feel that having power is affecting your...hobbies?" Dr. Myles didn't bother to look as she continued to write down Killer Myles' notes.
"Well, Doc, it's just not as satisfying when the victim knows they're done for. They're too busy looking up to me, not realizing they're about to be six feet under."
Dr. Myles nodded her head and asked. "I see. And why do you think this bothers you now?"
"I don't know, Doc, I just miss the good old days, you know? When I had to work for it, when the thrill was real. Now it's like ordering for a big mac takeout only to get a tic-tac."
"Interesting analogy. Have you considered trying something old?"
Killer Myles lifted his head in curiosity. "Say what now?"
Dr. Myles then shifted her seat and crossed her legs, showing a teasing amount of skin that took Killer Myles attention slightly.
Black... that's hot.
Dr. Myles then smiled sweetly. "Ever thought about going back to basics? The simple methods, the hands-on approach. Sometimes, the classics never go out of style."
Killer Myles lied back and thought about her words. Maybe he's been overthinking it. Back to basics, huh?
"You might be right, Doc. Back to basics it is." Killer Myles smiled.
***
On the outside world, Barry and Cage were slowly approaching Myles, who had been unresponsive for 4 hours straight. CCPD and dozens of crowds had surrounded the scene. Some hoped that their nightmare had finally ended but sadly, that was nothing but a pipe dream.
As soon as the two of them were in range, Barry vomited blood and pissed himself as Myles threw a kick, gave him the gut check and sent him flying before grabbing Cage and pinning him on the ground as Myles made him into a chair while the crowd dispersed in panic.
Cage turned his head and saw Myles fixing his hair with his hand but what caught his attention right now was the aura Myles was releasing. Cage was currently a mix of physical and energy-based being.
There was a tense silence as Myles checked his hands and there was an odd expression on his face. He then looked down at Cage. There were no words exchanged as Myles stood up and walked away.
"Wait, where are you going?" Cage yelled.
"Home," Myles simply said as he grabbed a nearby coat and put it on before checking himself on a broken mirror.
"WHAT!?"
"Close your mouth, kid; your going to get flies in," Myles said while switching to another jacket.
"We're not done yet!" Cage seethed while inside, panicking. The way Myles acted was like before he met Snow! Which was bad because he had no idea how to deal with that side of him.
The old Myles would kill you for the pettiest or craziest reason. It was not like the new one had any changes but the act was the scary part. Pre-snow Myles was cold and quiet, a cold-blooded killer with the hobbie of a gentleman but post-snow Myles was wild and erratic, like a kid in a sugar rush.
"On the contrary, we are. I said I'd play your game until I got bored or you landed a hit on me, and you did," Myles said. "Congratulations, you have your city back."
The amount of 'I don't give a f*' energy Myles was letting out was making Cage panic. This was the worst outcome in all of history.
Myles didn't bother to spare another second of attention as he started to think of ways to actually run his criminal empire. The IRS was a good start but also a stupid move but what's done is done. He also needed to give this city actual weapons to combat threats like Darkside, Trigon, and other beings.
Hearing Barry running towards him with a battle cry and fist ready, Myles sighed as much as he idolized Flash; that was dumb. Not like he had any right when you consider the amount of shenanigans he had pulled off, calling himself a supervillain. Then again, being a villain isn't exactly about being bad; its just your ideals being met with a challenge.
As the cold-hearted killer he was, he had a dream of being the overlord of an entire city, but he didn't have the necessary firepower to achieve it. But now he does; he has the throne and power but he lacked the will and discipline until now.
As Barry got closer, Myles leaned to his right before slapping him on the head while applying the necessary boost to cause Flash to lose control of his speed and trip. The fastest man alive, tripping over a little tap... embarassing.
Barry panted before getting back up, ready to go back into the fight. Myles gave Barry a warning glare before he suddenly felt... cold? that's odd.
"Myles Benjamin Kirby Walley!" A loud feminine yell echoed out of the city. Why does that voice sound like his ex?
Turning to the source, he was a bit surprised when he saw it was Caitlin but slightly different. Her hair had become icy-white blue, her lips had become dark blue due to the cold she was emitting, and frosts encased her arms as icy smoke danced.
And the way she glared at him... Yep, that's his ex.
OH SHIT!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone