Chương 33: Unfinished Business... (P.3 Finale)
~Ezra's Pov~
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'M-My suit!!'
Does this thing know how long it took me to process these materials? That's it! No more going easy on this thing. I shook off most of the smoke and parts of what was left of my beloved suit, and I took the chance to prep myself. This wasn't just a simple scuffle anymore—This was personal.
'I'm done fucking around.'
Starfire must be wondering what the hell was even happening. She was pretty strong, but something of this magnitude needed to be dealt with quickly, and I had to finish it before the rest of the League showed up.
If—No, when they did, I'd have to explain myself, and that would be far worse than anything this overgrown experiment could throw at me.
"H-How are you still alive?" He asked. I smiled, "I'm tough you little shit."
"Harmph!!" I flexed slightly, using my removal state to end this damned charade. I now had enough mastery to control its output to any degree I wanted, and being three times stronger should be more than enough to deal with this damned thing.
With that said, I dashed forward, closing the distance between us in the blink of an eye. Since my forms had all gotten stronger, dealing with this thing would be a piece of cake.
It swung its massive left arm at me, trying to crush me, but I anticipated the move. I easily dodged towards the right. As its fist smashed into the ground where I had just been, I used its momentum coming downwards and threw a powerful uppercut to its jaw, the impact likely resonating through its skull like a thunderclap.
"ArgUAARRHH!!!!"
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'It speaks in monster? Nice to know.'
The creature stumbled back, disoriented but not down, yet. While it roared in frustration, launching a barrage of blows with both arms, I was already in motion, weaving through the onslaught with precision. Each time it tried to land a hit, I was already gone, striking at its exposed sides, its ribs, its knees—any weak point I could exploit.
I laughed at the idea of this entire operation... This thing was made to rival the Justice League, likely designed to withstand their strength and skill. But this was that bastard's mistake.
I wasn't part of the League. I didn't follow their rules, their limits. And that was the difference.
The thing tried to catch me off guard with a surprise kick, its massive leg swinging toward me with lethal force. I ducked under it, spinning to deliver a devastating punch to the back of its knee, forcing it to buckle instantly. The creature howled in pain, dropping to one knee, and I took the opportunity to land a crushing blow to the side of its head, sending it reeling across the room...
Seeing it caved into the wall, Its glowing eyes flickered, the green light dimming as it struggled to regain its footing. I didn't give it the chance. I closed in, landing a series of rapid punches to its torso, each one more forceful than the last, until I felt something crack beneath my fists.
"Stay down," I growled, delivering a final, brutal punch to its face, driving it into the ground with enough force to shatter the floor beneath it, causing an earthquake as well.
While the Enforcer was lying still, with its body slowly twitching slightly before going limp. I stepped back a bit, breathing lightly; I had most of my clothing blown off, my pants turned into a piece of shorts, and the lower part of my sleeves was intact but barely...
Otherwise, I was unscathed. The fight had been a little fun, but it was over. I quickly glanced over at Starfire, who was watching with wide eyes, probably processing what she had just witnessed. I didn't have time for explanations now; I just needed to finish what I came here to do.
Before I did anything else, I looked back at its carcass, 'Still, this thing, it likely has genetic material I could make use of...' Deciding it was for the best. I took advantage of the smoke around us and took a few drops of its blood.
Now, I just had one more person to deal with...
I looked towards the boss of this entire thing. Now he was kneeling, his face, I could tell he had lost hope entirely. The monster drained all hope from him when it died, and he knew he had no chance of escaping what was coming next.
His eyes met mine, and I could see the fear in his eyes... He wasn't a threat anymore, just a shadow of a man who had realized it was too late, the consequences of his actions had caught up with him...
"Enigma!" I heard her calling me, again.
I sighed, knowing what this meant, 'Lucky bastard.'
I couldn't kill him here. Not with her around, nor would I have time to interrogate him... 'Damn it~' For now, he'd be locked up for sure by the league, and not just them, but guardians of the globe might even show up too...
Which; was definitely my cue to leave. Before Starfire could approach. I dashed away without her noticing. I'm glad enough that I've gotten something useful out of this entire thing.
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~Omniscient Pov~
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"So this is him?" Superman asked. He looked at a man who seemed as if his life's work had been ruined.
Batman on another hand looked around the area, seeing multiple lab experiments, as well as a monster lying down in a crater, dead. However, as Starfire had said to him, no Enigma was around.
"So~ this was the creature that could rival you, superman?" Dianna glanced at the corpse as well, "If so, then that means Enigma could likely defeat you?" She directed the question back towards her colleague.
"Unfortunately." However, he didn't respond immediately, but his expression was of clear concern, wondering how this was even possible to do in the first place.
"Hmmm...We need to find out what he knows first." Batman said. "If Enigma is strong enough to defeat something that could challenge Superman and come out unharmed from it all, we'll need answers fast."
The man in question didn't resist as they secured him, his eyes hollow, as if he had already accepted whatever fate awaited him. Superman lifted him effortlessly, while Batman gave the area one last sweep, still on edge. The lab was a mess of broken equipment and shattered glass, and the air still crackled with the remnants of whatever battle had taken place.
Starfire hovered nearby, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "No traces of Enigma," she confirmed again, her voice holding a bit of frustration.
With a sigh, "We need to find out what he knows," Batman said, his voice steady. "If this person was capable enough to create something that could challenge Superman, we'll need some answers fast."
Wonder Woman nodded, "Let's get him back to the Watchtower. Maybe he'll decide to speak there."
As they prepared to leave, Superman glanced back at the crater, his mind clearly troubled. If this creature was a mere test subject, what kind of threat could Enigma pose? The thought lingered in the back of his mind as they took off, carrying the man away to face the League's questions.
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"Is there anything you can tell us about Enigma?" Batman asked. Starfire nodded, despite being tired for the night.
Starfire, though visibly weary from the night's events, nodded. "I can give a basic description of what he looks like," she replied, her voice steady despite her exhaustion.
She took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "Well... He's not exactly what you'd expect. Tall, maybe a little taller than you, Batman. He wore a suit, a tuxedo of some kind to be specific, with no tie of any kind." She paused.
"But what stood out was his mask—it was like nothing I'd ever seen. It had no features, just smooth, like a blank slate. The only thing I could make out were his eyes, they were green, like mine." She finished.
Batman simply listened intently, absorbing every detail. "Anything else? Any distinctive abilities or powers?"
Starfire shook her head. "I didn't see much of what he could do, he could fly like I could, and he also had super strength, speed, and lastly toughness. He's also incredibly skilled in the form of hand-to-hand combat. To a terrifying degree, I might add... I saw him use a tentacle of a squid to choke out one of the men we faced."
"A tentacle?" Dianna chuckled at that tidbit of information.
Batman just remained focused, not letting the oddity of Starfire's accounts distract him. "You said a tentacle… Was it some kind of weapon or part of his powers?"
Starfire placed a finger on her lip, and hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'm not sure exactly... It was strange, almost like it appeared out of nowhere. One second, it wasn't there, and the next, he had it wrapped around the man's neck. He didn't even hesitate."
Superman exchanged a glance with Diana for a moment, "This Enigma—This at least shows that he doesn't just rely on raw power, that's for sure. He's likely very resourceful and also unpredictable."
"Exactly," Starfire confirmed. "And he knew when to retreat. The moment he realized that anyone else might have come, he didn't waste any time. He just… vanished."
The green lantern folded his arms and sighed, "So you just happened to team up with the guy, and mid-fight he uses a random squid-apendage? And he just upped and disappeared?"
Starfire nodded.
"Wait... Why didn't he flee on sight like the other times?" Batman thought about it for a moment. "Did he somehow know you were alone? That should be impossible unless he had some device, or super-senses that allowed for such."
Diana raised an eyebrow at that, realizing what Batman was trying to imply, "You're saying he made a calculated risk by allowing her to approach him?"
Batman got to work on the nearby monitor then answered, "Yes... I think he realized she was alone, she even brought up how she saw him there before she had gotten there." He kept typing, searching through his database, "She also said he left just before we came. Which means, he-"
"He likely had realized that we would come to check on the situation, and likely left on that basis alone..." Flash interjected.
Everyone then turned to look at him.
"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"..."
"ANYWAYS... He seems like he could be a bit of fun to be around at least," Flash also added, smiling.
"Of course, you'd think so..." Superman mumbled, shaking his head in the process of this all.
The room was quiet for a moment as they absorbed the gravity of the situation... Hawkwoman broke the silence, offering her assistance. "I could do a sweep of the area, see if there's anything we missed. Maybe there's a clue about where he might have gone?"
Before Batman could respond, Flash spoke up again, "You know, if we're going to go poking around, we should at least make sure we're not stepping on any toes. Cecil won't like us sniffing around without permission."
The knight shook his head. "No... Cecil's got his hands full right now. The city's a mess, and he's tied up with the repairs. We'll proceed cautiously, but we can't wait for an invitation. If we delay, we might lose any chance of finding out more about Enigma."
"You are correct... But, I had nothing better to do at the moment, so I'm going to insist once again." Hawkwoman
"Even though I'd take you up on the offer, we can forget about it. If we asked to take this on, he'd personally do it himself." He stopped and turned, "We were fortunate, albeit in an unfortunate situation; Now that he's still dealing with the repairs in his city to investigate the situation himself..." Batman explained.
Diana considered Batman's words carefully. "So, he likely calculated all the risks and decided to engage only because he thought it was seemingly to his advantage? That's a dangerous level of intelligence."
Batman now focused back on the monitor, responded, "He's not just all brawn. He's strategic. He probably scoped out the area before Starfire arrived himself, assessed the threat, and determined she was alone. Then, when he sensed we might be on our way, he disappeared."
Starfire hearing this suddenly remembered when she and Enigma were down in the facility, he moved as if he knew the entire layout of the building already... "Now that you've mentioned it, he seemed as if he knew the layout of the facility. Actually, it was as if he knew exactly where to go, and likely the shortest path to our goal."
Aquaman then came forward, "If that's the case... Why allow you to join him in the first place?"
She opened her mouth to say something but realized she had no real explanation to give, "I... I do not know..."
Flash, always quick to jump in, added, "So he's got brains, too. That's what you're saying? We figured that out a few months ago... But, not many are smart enough to know when to fight and when to bail."
Batman paused briefly before continuing. "Precisely. He's not just powerful—he's methodical. And that makes him even more of a potential threat. But he's far from flawless."
"What are you trying to say?" Green Lantern asked, picking up on the tone.
"I'm saying, we have something to go by now. Green eyes and a height of around 6'4". We have somewhat of a physical marker to go by, even if it isn't much... We can start here. For now, everyone can go home..."
"He's also extremely well-built," Starfire added, though her voice grew quieter as she spoke. She instinctively huddled up a bit, hesitant to share more. She could have given a more detailed physical description, but the thought of it made her feel too embarrassed to continue...
"Noted..." Batman added.
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~Ezra's Pov~
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"Tonight was eerily long..." I dropped my mask on the floor and took off the remainder of what was left from my poor suit...
'Damn bastard... I shouldn't have toyed with it in the first place... A lesson duly noted.' I quickly looked at the blood I had collected from the creature earlier. Wondering who's blood exactly it had within it. Especially since a mere Superman clone wouldn't look like it had.
'ECHO, do you think I should add its blood to my own?'
It could be useful... Though, I don't think I would be getting much of anything from it at all. I had Superman's blood within myself, which likely had no imperfections within it, and I was already fairly powerful with that alone.
[Why not? If you seek strength, more if it cannot be bad for you, so I would suggest you use it since you have nothing to lose, and everything to potentially gain...]
I sighed, she was right. There wasn't any reason for me to not use its blood to gain more abilities if it had any in the first place...
'Alright... You know what to do.' I didn't have much, but it was enough. Unfortunately, that meant I had to lick it from my hand. And in doing so, I realized it actually wasn't half bad...
[Scanning blood sample... Detecting signs of Kryptonian DNA, with four foreign DNA strains... Detected samples with characteristics of 'Smart Atoms'... The fusion process will commence in 3... 2... 1...]
"Wait?... Smar-" Before I could even say anything, I was already slipping away...
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END
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