The ground began to tremble, and the space itself started flashing white along its walls as it slowly expanded.
Kiro made the first move. He stamped hard, and a great wave of air slammed into Boss 20, followed instantly by a punch.
It drove the Boss backward. He blinked, then charged a huge circle of energy five meters across and hurled it at Yukimiya. Yukimiya saw it coming, and when it was almost on him, he sidestepped and unleashed a flurry of serious punches.
The energy exploded, shaking everything. Worh clapped his hands over his ears, and the other protagonists did the same. The sound wave left them disoriented no matter how hard they tried to shield their brains from the noise.
Kiro Yukimiya staggered out, spitting a little saliva. He scanned the scene and struck to his left. There stood Boss 20, about to hit him with purple energy gathered in his fists, and Yukimiya's punch landed square on his face.
It forced the Boss back. He took a few more steps away, studying this Kiro he didn't know, then pressed his palm against his right hand. A white weapon crackling with bluish energy took shape, running from his wrist to his forearm.
"Light Blast."
A blinding beam struck Yukimiya in the face and hurled him violently backward. Without wasting a second, the Boss slipped behind him and fired the same shot again.
Yukimiya's body shook, his limbs turning to jelly. He slammed his head against the ground to steady himself, then turned to his side, and Boss 20 landed a punch on his jaw that launched him upward. Yukimiya reached for an ability. He began churning his feet, and small clouds appeared and vanished with each step, this new power letting him fly.
He looked down. A shot was coming straight at him, and this time he didn't dodge. He readied his fist, reddish energy wrapping around it. The punch collided with the attack and lit up the entire place. A great circle of energy formed, spinning on its axis before it exploded.
Kiro Yukimiya was blasted backward and crashed into the wall behind him, then dropped to the ground with a dull thud, spitting a few drops of blood. Red marks showed on his arms, though they weren't too serious.
Boss 20 stood at a distance, his arms scratched but steady, and began recharging his weapon.
Yukimiya clenched his fists.
*I'll have to... I'll use Kiro,* he thought.
He quickly made his way to Kiro, whose arms were injured and whose clothes were slightly torn.
"I need your punches," Kiro Yukimiya ordered, and moved off to rejoin the fight.
Kiro stood frozen for a moment, then followed.
Boss 20 dodged and fired while Kiro Yukimiya pressed him with brute strength.
*This bastard won't even let me breathe,* Boss 20 thought, visibly irritated.
Kiro got behind him and hit him. It didn't even budge the Boss, but it gave Yukimiya the opening to drive a punch into the man's abdomen.
Boss 20 staggered and shoved Kiro roughly aside, pouring an enormous amount of energy into his weapon.
10%...
20%...
30%...
40%...
60%... The charge was complete. He fired at Yukimiya, who had no time to react, his eyes going wide. The energy hit him, and the space shook uncontrollably. The sound wave tormented everyone present even though the blast never reached them.
Slowly the space returned to normal, its violet color deepening into something darker.
Yukimiya emerged slowly, steam rising from his body, his gaze colder than ever, his limbs so tense that more veins stood out.
"Now I'm really going to break every one of your damn bones," Yukimiya said, his gaze intense and grave.
He moved one foot, and the other cracked the ground under the sheer force. He moved in the blink of an eye, appearing right in the Boss's line of sight, but the Boss fired at once. A huge cloud of smoke rose, and something was flung out of it at tremendous speed. It was Boss 20, shielding himself with his arms.
Yukimiya didn't waste a moment. He gave chase and hit him with the same blow he had used on his enemy in his own universe.
Boss 20 spat a little blood from his lips and regained his balance within seconds.
"Seriously? You said you'd break my bones, but I don't see it," the Boss taunted.
Kiro Yukimiya took a deep breath, and that movement was a signal to Kiro. Kiro and Worh moved into position behind Boss 20.
The Boss whipped his head around, but Yukimiya caught it, his arms straining as he held him in place.
Without a second thought, Kiro and Worh unleashed the Group Reverse Strike.
The blow made the Boss bleed again and left his back vulnerable. Sone arrived as fast as he could and hurled his spines into the wounds.
"AAAAH! Damn you!" the Boss screamed.
The hybrid arrived at just the right moment and unleashed an attack with all her energy.
The protagonists quickly stepped aside, and the energy slammed into the enemy's back.
Boss 20 gritted his teeth. The attack didn't push him back, but it made his skin burn like lava. His breathing turned ragged.
Kiro Yukimiya's gaze hardened, and he struck the Boss in the face at once.
It sent him flying, and then Yukimiya appeared behind him and hit him with another punch. The scene was brutal: Yukimiya's forearm punched straight through his back, and his breathing stopped.
"Son of a... bitch," the Boss rasped with his last breath.
*Sorry, but I'll try to take you with me, you pieces of trash,* the Boss thought one final time before detonating his own body with 100% of his energy.
"SHIT!" Worh yelled, running in desperation without a second thought.
The protagonists bolted, the energy brushing their hair by mere centimeters, the immense heat pressing against their bodies.
Kiro Yukimiya stayed out in front, readying his fist. He tilted his head to one side, signaling Kiro and Worh to do the same.
The hybrid quickly sent them her energy. Sone hoisted her onto his back and accelerated, leaving the others behind. Eduin, who until then had only been running, fired a slash behind him to gain momentum and followed right after.
When they had gotten as far away as they could, Kiro, Worh, and Kiro Yukimiya stopped dead. Their three fists together gave the illusion of an eagle, though no eagle could actually be seen.
"ULTRA STRIKE PLUS!" they shouted in unison, their voices fading from the force of the roar.
The three punches struck the energy, and the space was destroyed before it had time to react.
Everything fell into a deathly silence.
Different universes could be seen, and strangely, in one of them... there was a silhouette wearing Kiro Yukimiya's bandana, and Yukimiya's own silhouette...
Then, suddenly, everything dissolved into a crystal-clear light.
The protagonists woke slowly. It was night, and they were back on planet Earth. Worh and Kiro could barely open their eyes, their bodies completely drained of energy.
Eduin rose from the ground, his sword stabbing into the earth as he pulled himself to his feet.
Sone lay sprawled beside the hybrid, both of them breathing deeply, as if tasting fresh air for the first time.
A millionaire drove past in a Ferrari and stopped dead.
"Help us... please," Eduin said, his voice shaking.
The man opened the door. Eduin grabbed the protagonists by the arms and shoved them inside, his own arms creaking from the strain. He climbed in last, and the car roared off toward a hospital.
Elsewhere, Kiro Yukimiya fell onto a hospital bed and crashed straight through it. His skin was burning and his fist was bleeding.
A nurse who was just walking in froze, then urgently called for the staff and a doctor.
Yukimiya raised his eyes and watched her go. A few minutes later he closed them, exhaustion winning the battle...
Far from the multiverse, the unknown voice watched Boss 20's failure. His gaze showed neither disappointment nor fury. Slowly he extended a finger toward a button, erasing Boss 20's energy from existence.
Then he simply walked through the corridors to a door that opened instantly, revealing many frozen individuals. They were the Bosses. He went to the button that read "Boss 23," ignoring 21 and 22, since they were the same as Boss 20 but with only his durability.
Slowly, Boss 23 was launched toward the protagonists' universe. The new threat would take a while to arrive, but this time the Boss would use technological weapons...
The unknown voice looked straight ahead, into the reader's eyes, extended a hand, and... It ended the scene.
Nightfall claimed the sky...