Our protagonists were relaxing at home, chatting and drinking water. Sebastián turned on the TV, and the news report was surreal.
"Breaking news: mutants have just appeared, and they say they were sent by the 'master' to wipe out a group that has been defeating the Bosses. Residents are advised to stay indoors as a precaution," the reporter said.
With that, the reporter moved on to another story. Sebastián was intrigued. Who was this "master" of the Bosses? Suddenly the house shook. He stepped outside and looked ahead, coming face to face with something that looked human, though he realized it wasn't quite.
"Good afternoon. I've come to destroy you for defeating the Bosses the master sends. Other mutants will come to face you too, but first I'll tear you to pieces," the mutant said.
"Mutants? I thought they only existed in comics. But if you've come to defeat us, then I'll fight you first," Sebastián answered.
The mutant lunged and cocked a fist, but Sebastián closed his eyes and opened them again. Now his joy had taken control of his body. The mutant's punch landed square on his chest, and Sebastián took no damage at all.
"Wait. How did you withstand my punch?" the mutant asked.
"Because I'm stronger than you, and it makes no sense for you to hit me," Sebastián said in Joy Mode.
Sebastián threw a punch that sent the mutant flying backward. At nearly the speed of light, he caught up and hit him again and again. The mutant was dead after a few blows.
"Too weak for me. Now I'll go warn the others," Sebastián said.
But before he could take a step, another mutant appeared out of nowhere and kicked him in the stomach. Sebastián barely budged.
"Trying to ambush me?" he said.
Sebastián seized the mutant by the throat and drove his other hand through his stomach, killing him instantly.
"Pathetic," Sebastián said.
He turned and walked away, then texted the others. Kiro was the first to see the message. He left the house and headed into the city. He walked around, checking restaurants, cafés, and houses, but found no mutants.
*Are mutants really real, or is it just Sebastián's imagination?* Kiro thought.
When he looked back, he saw a human with flames in his hand. Looking closer, he realized it was a mutant. The mutant raised his hand and hurled a fireball, and Kiro reacted at once and dodged.
"Looks like Sebastián was right. Get ready, mutant, I'm going to beat you," Kiro said.
"We'll see about that. But first, let me introduce myself. I'm Dilan," the mutant said.
"I'm Kiro. Remember my name," Kiro replied.
Kiro darted forward and threw a punch, but Dilan dodged. Kiro threw another, and this one landed. Dilan spat blood, but it wasn't enough for Kiro, who hit him again.
"Serious Strike," Kiro said.
Dilan's eyes rolled white, and his body was hurled many kilometers. With his last breath, he launched a huge fire attack. It shook the buildings, set off an earthquake, and set the nearby buildings ablaze.
"Burning down buildings with one attack? Looks like buildings always end up destroyed," Kiro muttered.
Suddenly the fire attack exploded, and the blast reached Kiro and spread twenty kilometers out. Kiro's body began to burn.
"Damn it! This fire is burning me!" he shouted.
With no other option, Kiro had to show an emotion, and he smiled. The strong gust of air that his smile created scattered the flames. All the debris was blown away and the fire went out. Then Kiro stopped smiling and returned to his serious face.
"When I show an expression or an emotion, it creates a very strong gust of air with a powerful shove behind it. That's why I only show a serious face and the same tone," he said to himself.
Elsewhere, Worh was walking through a city. The scene was peaceful, with couples strolling hand in hand. A mutant spotted Worh entering a café and followed him in. Worh sat at a table near the window and ordered a coffee and a piece of bread. The mutant sat down at a nearby table, and Worh glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, noticing his stare. Worh clenched a fist, got up, and walked over to him. The mutant looked away, but Worh spoke in a low voice.
"Let's go outside and settle this," Worh said.
"Fine. Let's go," the mutant replied.
The two left the café. The mutant backed away to put some distance between them, and now they stood face to face.
"First, let me introduce myself. I'm Leslie, and I've come to kill you on the master's orders," the mutant said.
"I see you're a girl, but you're different," Worh said.
"I suppose so. But I still have to kill you now, and I'll make it quick," Leslie said.
"You say you'll make it quick, but it seems you don't know who I am," Worh said.
Leslie charged, but Worh leapt backward and punched the ground, shattering part of it. Leslie lost her balance, and Worh took the opening to hit her in the stomach. Leslie spat blood, but she recovered quickly and ran at him, then used a power she had as a mutant. Plants shot up from the ground and seized Worh's hands and feet. He struggled but couldn't move, and Leslie walked over and began to pound him. The air grew heavier as she hit him. When she saw she was doing almost no damage, she decided to calm her body and focus on a single attack. Worh looked at her with his usual serious face and yawned. Leslie's eyes widened, and she hit him with a double punch, purple energy pouring from her hands. Worh noticed the energy and went on alert, but it was too late. The double punch landed.
The blow made the entire country tremble. Every building was destroyed, and everyone died. After a few minutes, everything lay in ruins, and France was gone with it. Worh was badly wounded and half blind, one foot injured, his arms and legs severely burned. He spat blood and could barely move. When he finally managed to open one eye, he saw that everything was destroyed and the people were dead. Leslie lay unconscious on the ground. Worh got to his feet, badly hurt, and limped toward her body. He picked up a nearby chunk of rubble and dropped it on Leslie. Her body was crushed under it, and without thinking much, Worh grabbed more rubble and kept throwing it onto her. Then he turned and walked away, badly hurt.
Under the weight of the debris, Leslie's body began to be crushed. She woke, realized what was happening, and tried to move, but she was too exhausted. Worh sensed her body stirring and came back, then threw a punch that blasted the rubble apart. When Leslie looked up, she found herself face to face with a very badly wounded Worh.
"You destroyed all of France to kill me? Now you've gone too far. I'll kill you myself," Worh said.
Hearing him, Leslie dragged herself in the opposite direction, trying to escape, but Worh closed in and grabbed her by the throat.
"DIE!" Worh roared.
Before Worh could squeeze, a black shadow shoved him aside and swept Leslie into its arms. When Worh blinked, he saw it was a knight in white armor.
"We'll meet again in the future, when you're stronger, along with your friends," the figure said.
With that, the knight vanished in the blink of an eye. Worh looked around but couldn't see the stranger anywhere. He wondered who it could be. *What if he's one of the Bosses, or someone with incredible speed?* He quickly pushed the thought aside and left.
Elsewhere, Sone was fighting a mutant named Bing Neh. Thanks to his training, he was winning with some ease. Sone leapt up, curled into a ball, and shot through the mutant's body in that form. Then he leapt again to leave ball form, and the mutant's body had a huge hole in it. Sone drew a breath and ran off at a speed about thirty times faster than the speed of sound, thanks to his speed training.
Worh reached the hospital and stayed there for a few weeks to recover. Kiro, Sebastián, and Sone stayed at the house. Worh now knew he needed to train. Kiro proposed to Sebastián that they train the next day, and Sebastián agreed. He asked Sone too, and Sone also agreed.
In France, construction crews began to rebuild. Cranes were sent in to clear the rubble, and other countries sent aid to help the nation recover faster.