บท 266: Perfect Timing
"Usak the Elder?" Felix's voice was incredulous, his gaze fixed on the twisted face of the ancient spirit now sharing Dedalus's body. "Wasn't this guy supposed to have been absorbed by Ophelia?"
"Yes, it's me," Usak's face said, lips twisting into a strange, almost smug smile as he glanced toward Dedalus's head beside him. "Though this is… unexpected." He seemed almost amused, examining the new form he and Dedalus now shared.
"This feels… strange," Usak admitted, his tone curious and cautious. "Sharing a body with a human wasn't something I ever imagined. But here I am, living through him, experiencing his thoughts."
Charlie watched with a mix of curiosity and unease. The ancient merging with a human—this was something new, something no one, not even the researchers, had considered possible.
"My mission was supposed to be over," Usak continued, a hint of regret in his voice. "I gave everything to Lady Ophelia, and that should have been the end of my path. But here I am. Alone. Ophelia is gone, yet I remain."
At first, his expression showed confusion, as though he couldn't understand why he was left behind. Then a look of fierce determination crossed his face. "But now I understand. My purpose isn't complete. There's one last task I must fulfill."
His voice became a low, almost reverent whisper. "I will bring her back. No matter the cost."
"That's impossible," Felix said firmly from behind the group. "Ophelia's not in stasis, waiting for some revival. She's gone, completely gone. There's no coming back."
"The ancients are immortal!" Usak's voice rose, defiant and unyielding. "I may not know how yet, but I will find a way. I'll bring her back, even if it means I have to become more… like you humans."
"Watch it, old man," Dedalus interrupted, sounding irritated. He raised his hand, and from each of his fingers, three tendrils shot out, lashing at the group. Batman dodged to one side, Felix and Shadow pulled back, and Deadpool hacked through the nearest tendrils with a quick slash of his blade.
"What are you, wearing the same pair of pants?" Deadpool called out, his voice thick with mock horror. "I mean, seriously, this is getting weird."
"It's a pact!" Dedalus shouted, his voice booming with confidence. "I gain his power, and in return, I give him what he desires. I've never felt anything like this!"
Charlie watched as Dedalus's entire arm began to transform, shifting and hardening into the Tisshield substance before taking the shape of an enormous iron hammer. He brought it down with a crash, the weight of it fracturing the floor beneath them. The ground groaned under the strain before shattering, sending everyone plummeting to the level below.
As they fell, the walls and ceiling of the room blurred and shifted, morphing from the industrial space of the building into an expansive palace. They landed on gleaming marble floors in a hall so grand it felt like it could swallow them whole. Massive pillars lined the space, their gold trim glinting in the light from a domed ceiling covered in intricate carvings.
The vast room seemed almost surreal. Dust motes, glowing with an ethereal light, floated in the air, mingling with delicate petals that drifted down from an unseen source. Together, they filled the hall with a soft, golden glow, giving the impression of standing inside a waking dream.
But Charlie's instincts told him this was an illusion. No teleportation had happened; they were still in the building, likely in a larger room on a lower level. Dedalus, or rather Usak, was manipulating their senses, drawing them into a fabricated world.
At the far end of the room, a tall golden curtain hung, with the silhouette of a graceful figure standing behind it, bathed in a warm light. Charlie knew who it was supposed to be—Ophelia, or rather an image of her, like a princess from some ancient fable.
Batman turned sharply, reacting to a faint noise, and without hesitation, hurled a batarang into what appeared to be empty air.
A shimmer distorted the space, and Dedalus's form appeared as if stepping out from behind an invisible wall. Moving quickly, he caught the batarang between his fingers, his expression smug.
Boom!
The batarang exploded, but Dedalus's skin absorbed the blast, half of his face momentarily warping into a Tisshield-like material before re-forming seamlessly.
"So, you can see me, Batman." Dedalus's lips curled into a smirk. "Seems your senses are as sharp as they say."
Usak's face remained visible beside Dedalus's, intense and unwavering. For an ancient, this was uncharted territory—no ancient had ever merged with a human in such a way, their bodies melding together, their powers intertwined.
But Charlie noticed something strange about Usak's presence. Usak seemed weakened, like he was operating far below his normal strength. And yet, merged with Dedalus, he could achieve feats that went far beyond what either of them could have managed alone.
Still, it came at a price. Usak had relinquished much of his control. He could lend Dedalus his power, but what Dedalus chose to do with it was no longer his decision.
This alliance was a trade: Usak provided Dedalus with strength beyond mortal limits, and in return, Dedalus became Usak's agent, a tool to accomplish his ultimate goal.
For any other ancient, this would have been unthinkable. The ancients held a deep pride, a disdain for humanity that ran so deep they'd rather perish than share their existence with mortals. But Usak had surrendered his pride willingly, abandoning even the dignity his people had clung to for ages.
Because, to him, everything he did was for one purpose: Ophelia. He'd given up his life for her once. If it meant bringing her back, he'd give it up again.
Dedalus roared, the combined voices of both beings echoing through the vast hall. His arms shifted, and from them, more tendrils erupted, morphing into different shapes—some stretched like spears, others twisted into blades, and a few thickened into massive hammers, swinging down on the group in a powerful wave of destruction.
"Friday," Charlie muttered as he maneuvered Deadpool to avoid the crushing blows, "we're going to need something… extra."
"You haven't brought in any stronger heroes, sir," Friday noted. "You could withdraw now and switch, perhaps bring in Iron Man or Thor."
"No, no, let's keep the big guns on standby," Charlie said, a grin forming on his face. "We've got something new, don't we?"
"You're referring to the 'Steel Bat' project? Yes, it's ready, but it's untested in combat conditions."
"Perfect timing, then." Charlie's grin widened. "Send it down from the watchtower. Let's see what Stark's new toy can do."
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