A powerful rocky rumble echoed through the narrow streets of this city.
Cars parked on the sides of the paved street shook violently, swaying from side to side and creaking under the power of a monster bursting onto the scene.
The windows set across the beautiful brick walls of the buildings, covered with plants and flowers, were shattered by the presence of strange limbs that stretched out like whips and struck the glass.
Many of the civilians present, who looked at the monster with terrified expressions, had appearances far removed from those of ordinary human beings. Desperate, they moved chaotically in every possible direction.
Some used their wings to fly away. Others ran on all fours, jumping on walls and ceilings. Those who had no special abilities ran or hid.
Finally, the cars that were lined up on the road were pushed to the sides by the mysterious black roots that emerged from the ground, the strange limbs mentioned earlier.
The monster, which was causing all this chaos, crawled across the pavement with unnatural calm, looking around with its pitch-black eyes. As it analyzed the city, it showed an expression full of curiosity.
It was as if it were seeing the atmosphere of the big city for the first time. In response to the curiosity, something was heard:
Click... Clack... Clack... Click...
Repeated clicks, coming from the monster.
Click... Click...
It had an androgynous humanoid figure as a body, with six arms distributed on the sides of its shoulders and on its back. It was two meters tall and its skin was the color of oak wood, with cracks resembling the bark of a real tree.
It had no mouth or nose, but its black eyes were sinister, looking only at the destruction caused by its roots. Its head was covered with leaves that looked like hair, and its legs were actually six roots that functioned as tentacles.
For every inch the monster moved, roots emerged, breaking the pavement and moving cars. Now there was nothing to stop it from continuing its destruction.
"Help me!" cried a man who had fallen under a car.
"Mommy!" cried a little girl who had been left alone in the fleeing crowd.
Suddenly, someone appeared running from the far end of the road. His brown leather military boots sounded like soft heels on the ground with each step. His fluffy, well-groomed canine tail moved jerkily with the agitated movements of his body.
He perked up his canine ears to listen carefully and sharpened his gaze to see the little girl who was about to be crushed by the roots.
He smiled defiantly, his small fangs protruding from his mouth. His brown hair was caressed by the wind as he placed his hands on the ground to run on all fours despite being human.
Behind him ran a girl with similar features. She ran on all fours, waving her thin feline tail. Her sharp, perceptive eyes glowed with a faint orange light, focusing on the little girl and seeing the near future.
In that near future, the little girl was crushed by the roots, but neither of them was going to allow that to happen.
They both used their special abilities to their advantage to move faster.
The red-haired, feline girl looked up at the roof of one of the buildings and shouted:
"Rober!"
Rober, the canine boy, jumped high onto one of the cars, and suddenly a blonde girl appeared, jumping from the roof of one of the buildings.
Her heavy, shiny silver armor creaked with the large shield and sword hanging from her back. Suspended in the air, she grabbed her large shield with one hand and threw it at him, saying:
"Do it, Rober!"
Then she landed gracefully on the ground.
The canine boy smiled and nodded, pushing himself up with both legs on the shield. He shot toward the little girl and reached her before she was killed. When he reached her, he hugged her tightly and rolled on the ground to cushion the fall.
He crashed into one of the cars and groaned. Then he got up, but had trouble standing.
"Don't cry, little one. The cavalry has arrived," he murmured, tired of having to get up again. Now his back hurt.
The little girl, frightened, looked into Rober's black eyes, not knowing what to do.
"Don't worry, little one. Seriously."
Another root struck the cars and shook the ground. Rober looked back at the root that had blown up a car, then looked at the girl again.
"Go over there," he pointed to one of the alleys where a woman and other civilians were hiding. "You'll be safer on that side."
The little girl nodded nervously and ran off.
Making sure the girl got there safely, Rober smiled defiantly and looked at the monster.
"Looks like we'll have to kick a tree's ass today."
He slammed his fist into his palm, and small flames exploded. A soft flash of light momentarily illuminated his dark eyes with the red hue of blood.
The feline girl arrived on the scene, throwing herself into the fight against the monster. Rober followed her to support her, jumping between the cars. The flames intensified in his fists, and a fierce but ecstatic look lit up the scene with an impending fight.
Without saying a word, the feline girl jumped back when she saw Rober and stood aside for a second while the monster stared at her.
Faced with such an aberrant and unpleasant look, she frowned angrily.
"What are you looking at, ugly thing? Is this the first time you've seen such a pretty girl?"
Dissonant clicks were heard. The next moment, a root shot out of the ground and tried to hit the girl.
"Woa!"
She jumped back with a somersault and slid across the ground, her big boots skidding on the pavement, but the killer roots didn't stop.
Three huge roots the size of a young tree came out, roots that crushed everything in their path, trying to crush the girl with strong lashes that shattered the pavement. She, of course, nimbly dodged them, jumping like a professional gymnast.
Click... Clack...
The monster raised two of its hands this time, controlling the roots, which crawled across the ground like a swarm of snakes.
The sidewalk broke into small pieces. The monster clicked stubbornly inside its wooden head. Its empty black eyes did not reveal its true intentions, but everyone knows that Aberrations only exist to hurt humans.
This was something that Rober, who dodged the roots by jumping from side to side at high speed, took advantage of.
He jumped between the cars displaced by the sidewalk in a straight line, alternating left and right on each roof to dodge the constantly emerging roots. When he was close enough, he jumped high and then fell from above with great impact force. His fists were enveloped in even more intense flames; flames as bright as they were terrifying.
"Take this, stupid tree!"
The monster turned its gaze casually toward him and summoned a root that shot out of the ground like a torrent.
Rober's eyes widened for a moment before the root hit him in the face. He was then thrown against a candy store, breaking the glass and landing on a broken table.
The feline girl watched him go with a pained expression. Exasperated, she shouted:
"Rober! You fool! Only you would throw yourself at an Aberration!"
The Aberration, which until now had seemed confused, frowned. It emitted sharp clicks that sounded disgusting, as if someone were crushing wet nuts. It raised one of its six arms, and this time, more than twenty roots shot out of the ground, growing and breaking the ground into fragments that scattered across the asphalt.
"Oh, no!"
The feline girl saw her end being crushed by the roots with her Future Vision, but the blonde girl landed in front of her, holding the heavy shield that sank into the road and broke the pavement.
After landing, with all her weight, she stood firm to withstand the impact. Her shield reflected the sunlight a little.
Seconds later, all the roots rose like lava in a volcanic eruption and crashed into the shield, causing the girl's arms to crack painfully from the recoil of the blow.
Her muscles tore apart. Blood splattered. However, the pain did not seem to matter to the blonde girl. Her arms were bleeding with bone splinters protruding from her skin, but she just stared seriously at the monster with her mystical green eyes, as if she felt no pain at all.
"I'm sorry, Elara," said the feline girl.
But the blonde girl, Elara, shook her head, pushing the roots away with a strong movement of her right arm on the shield. The broken bone splinters protruded further from her skin due to the sudden movement, but suddenly, a faint, pale green glow covered the wounds and healed them in seconds.
"We need more power," said Elara, frowning.
"You're right. Uh—. He's here," as if she had remembered something, the feline girl raised her ears and tail, looking back. "Nova."
The last member of the team had arrived.
'Uh. This is a disaster,' he thought, shaking his head in disappointment.
He walked calmly down the middle of the road with an air of absolute tranquility.
His black hair was long and straight down to the nape of his neck. His skin was as pale as winter snow, but his gaze, his eyes, were yellow like amber. His black trench coat, black leather tactical boots, and fashionable military uniform made some of the people hiding in the alleys recognize him and finally understand who these people were.
Excited, those people said:
"I know him! He's an Empath!"
"The Empaths are here!"
The boy glanced at them sideways, then turned his gaze back to the target.
'Let's see. How's it going with them?'
Analyzing the situation, he saw that Elara was acting as the team's shield and tank, stopping all the killer roots, while the cat-girl was helping her predict the monster's movements. Meanwhile, Rober had just climbed out of the broken window of the candy store, complaining as was his custom.
"Stupid plant! How dare you? My clothes are very expensive!"
His combat uniform was torn on the shirt and part of the ends of his pants.
"Get ready! I'm going to break your branch!"
The amber-eyed boy sighed.
He took a powerful leap forward and appeared stylishly next to the two girls, braking suddenly and causing his trench coat to almost fly away.
"I'm late."
Both girls ignored him and looked at the disaster.
'It's okay. I didn't say anything.'
He followed the girls' gaze before deciding something. At that moment, Rober was jumping between the roofs of cars, dodging the killer roots and trying to hit the Aberration.
The tentacled tree, on the other hand, didn't seem to move from where it was and just summoned shadowy roots. That was enough to want to start.
"Let's not waste any more time," he extended his hands toward Rober and narrowed his amber eyes.
"Elara. Go to the front. Tank all the damage. Miyu. Stay with Rober. Help him dodge. I'll cover you."
Neither Elara nor Miyu objected. They both immediately ran towards the enemy.
Elara positioned herself at the front, where the roots aimed at her and struck her like deadly whips. Of course, she used her shield and Self-Heal to withstand them. Miyu also had work to do. Appearing behind Rober in a flash, she grabbed him by the hair and jumped, lifting him up and forcing him backwards.
"What are you doing, you fool? Let me go!"
"The usual, fool. Don't waste your time."
They landed. They skidded with their boots on the ground and, in a split second, disappeared from the sight of the others.
In the rear, Nova unleashed the power of his Spectrum.
'Category 7. If we don't stop it, the whole block will be destroyed. I guess this one's for us. Excellent!' he thought, increasing the capacity of his power.
A slight, amused smile formed on his face.
The energy gathered around his body like a kind of semi-transparent aura; golden and bright; beautiful and calming. His eyes showed the faint light of his rare Spectrum, and as a result, its effects spread forward like an invisible hand.
The two attackers, Rober and Miyu, were imbued with a totally exceptional Spectrum enhancement.
'Now!'
As if everyone were following Nova's thoughts, the team organized themselves and began their coordinated attack.
Rober smiled and unleashed the full power of his Spectrum as he felt his friend's support. His body was covered with a crimson red aura that ran through every molecule of his body. His muscles burst with power, and his mind lost itself in the pleasure his Anger brought him.
He struck one of the roots with a powerful punch, and it recoiled violently, crashing into one of the cars and crushing it with the force of the impact.
"Now we're talking!"
Behind Rober, Miyu held nothing back as she fought the Aberration. She used her sharp nails to cut everything in her path.
Two roots rose up on either side of her, but she smiled with satisfaction. Agile as a gymnast, she jumped backward, skidded across the ground, and propelled herself forward to cut the first root with her claws.
When she stopped, she jumped again to cut the second root.
"Are you scared, little plant?!"
The feline girl looked happy, in a terrifying and adorable way.
In front, Elara was having some trouble holding back the rest of the roots. The roots were too strong. Her body broke every time the blows from dozens of roots crushed her to the ground.
In that respect, she bore the brunt of it. However, her Spectrum, which enveloped her like a magical green cloak, healed her body repeatedly so she could continue to resist.
This allowed Miyu and Rober to make their way through the road and the roots. Then, as if they were dancing amid all the destruction, they jumped very high. She grabbed Rober by the leg and smiled amusedly.
"I love doing this."
She wanted to tease Rober by saying that.
"Well, I don't so much."
In the air, they spun in the same direction to increase the force of impact. This is the human missile, after all. Quite painful and very impractical, certainly.
Then she let go of Rober, and he shot down toward the Aberration like a missile.
He prepared himself as he headed toward the target, and with his fists ablaze, he crashed into the monstrous tree. Together they exploded in a sea of flames that lit up the center of the road.
Before dying, the Aberration opened its black eyes and let out a couple more clicks. The next moment, all that remained of such a mysterious monster from a Dimensional Portal was its ashes.
Rober was also there, lying on the ground, completely unconscious. His entire body was charred, but, aside from that, he was better than ever.