A few minutes earlier…
Serif had left the WGDS building and gone to a tavern a few blocks away.
After a few drinks, he was about to leave when an explosion rocked the tavern. Sending it sky high, along with everyone in it.
From the top of a building opposite the tavern, Serif looked down at the clearing smoke.
His eyes traced cracks, oozing with lava.
Leading from rubble, to a man—bare chested, a broad sword resting on his shoulder. Multiple people clad in black, scattered around him.
Lackeys.
The man tilted his head upward, eyes locking onto Serid. His grin stretched wide.
"As expected, not even a scratch," he laughed.
The man hoisted the sword off his shoulder, pointed it at Serif.
"But worry not, today I Zero will finally end you," he said, voice sharp with delight. "Serif the cleaner."
Muscles coiled as he crouched.
Boom!
The earth shattered beneath his feet as he launched skyward.
His massive frame rose fast, casting a gigantic shadow over Serif as he peaked in the air.
His blade lifted overhead, prepared for a slam.
Muscles stretched taut as he swung, fire flared underneath the sword, adding momentum to the swing.
Serif looked on with lazy eyes as the sword arched, coming down on his head.
Boom!
The sword slammed into the roof.
Cracks raced outward, the roof slanting in.
The entire structure caving in, swallowed by a storm of debris and dust.
The dust settled to reveal Zero, grinning. Blade on his shoulder.
He glanced over his shoulder, up at the sky.
At Serif, mid air.
Chains swelling around his wrist.
Serif's foot gently touched the ground in a controlled manner. Barely raising dust.
Gaze shifting to the left, towards the location of the WGDS building.
A colossal Ice wall making itself known in that direction.
I should have guessed so.
His cold eyes moved back to Zero.
Serif leapt up towards the direction of the ice wall.
His lips turned upside down as he spun midair.
Feet seemingly stepping on air, for a moment he stayed parallel to the ground.
Then the air rippled, and pushed him back.
Serif landed in the center of the street.
eyes flickering around, observing the lackeys.
Around him and zero, the lackeys had formed a massive square, four figures at each corner. One in each group stood with outstretched hands while the others supported them.
A chain lashed outward.
As it reached the border between two corners, it bounced back a ripple forming where it made contact.
One of the men coughed violently and shoved a pill into his mouth.
His eyes turned blank instantly.
An eerie purple light spread aggressively from his corner forming a purple outline of a cube, shimmering like water surface—a barrier.
Serif turned to Zero.
A great sword, an ice wall, and lackeys who use barriers.
"Fice mercenaries," Serif muttered.
Zero grinned, revealing sharp teeth.
"Nice to meet you too Serif the cleaner, saves me the trouble of introducing myself, now die."
He charged.
Lava erupted beneath his feet propelling him forward, like a human missile.
Serif glanced back at the ice wall. Then the lackeys, seemingly ignoring the approaching Zero who roared.
Sword whistling through the air.
Serif sidestepped.
The blade whooshing past his chest.
Zero spun the sword.
Flames erupting behind the opposite end, the momentum twisting the strike into a horizontal slash.
Serif leapt up.
vaulting over the sword.
Landing at the opposite, safe side.
Chains extended from his wrist, wrapping around the blade and pulled, jerking it to a stop.
Zero clenched his jaw and yanked back—muscles bulging, but the weapon didn't budge.
Serif's foot whipped through the air, slamming into Zero's chest.
Sending him flying backward, chains unwrapping around the sword.
His body slammed into the barrier, ripples spreading outward in violent waves as the casters strained.
Serif wanted to get to the ice wall, but he knew he had to deal with this first.
Leaping up.
His body spun around continuously,like a drill. Chains spinning, tearing through the air like blades of a fan.
Heading for Zero at the barrier.
Zero quickly lifted the broadsword up and held it over himself like a shield, covering his body, prepared.
But the chain circled around the sword.
Wrapping tightly around it.
He winced as the free edge of the chain bit into his shoulder, drawing blood.
But he had blocked it, or so he thought.
Serif stopped and landed on the sword's surface.
Zero's face lit up.
A raging inferno burst from the sword on the side Serif landed.
As the inferno calmed down.
His eyes widened as he saw Serif standing a few meters away.
Sleeves burnt, his face slightly blackened.
"Got you," Zero beamed and stabbed the sword into the ground.
Instantly, rocks erupted under Serif.
Lava bursting out.
But Serif had leapt up in time escaping it.
As he was about to land, the ground cracked beneath him.
Rocks flew off.
lava exploded again.
The fire flared for a few seconds. Zero laughed maniacally, holding on tightly to the broadsword's handle.
His eyes narrowed, squinting as he noticed a silhouette within the flames.
Serif, chains wrapped around him, forming a cocoon.
Zero felt his lips twitch, "How?"
But he never got an answer.
As Serif simply yanked the chain.
His eyes flickered to his sword.
Chain coiled around it, leading to Serif's wrist.
But the realization came too late, he wasn't expecting it, the sword was ripped out of his hands, flung upward.
The chain unwound around mid air, yet the blade did not fall.
Rather it continued moving up, as if a force was pulling it up against gravity.
"I see, I was careless," Zero said and shoved his hands into his pocket.
"You are indeed a worthy opponent." A vicious smile appeared on his lips. Hands moving towards them.
But the chains wrapped around him before he could reach it, locking him in place.
Zero hit the ground. Cracks spiderwebbed outward.
His muscles strained as he groaned.
Two purple pills spilled from his grasp.
Enhancers.
The chains unwound.
Serif approached slowly.
Zero groaned as gravity crushed him deeper into the street.
Serif turned away, looking up at the ice wall. His figure blurred, appearing in front of the barrier.
His eyes shut, his fingers touched the barrier.
Seems like a really dense water surface, which explains the ripples but nothing can get out due to its density.
Serif smirked, "I'll just add a rule to it then." Instantly the shimmering of the barrier stopped, it stilled.
Opening his eyes, he gently tapped its surface.
Cracks instantly spread from the point of touch, like webs.
The men gritted their teeth, veins popping, doing everything to stop it.
But the cracks continued spreading till eventually the sound of shattering glass echoed as the barrier came undone.
The men sprawled to the ground simultaneously, bleeding from multiple cracked wounds all around their body.
Ignoring them, Serif leapt up, heading towards the ice wall.
He arrived just in time to see a partially transparent monster lifting a scimitar, about to behead an injured Axel.
Being too far, he swung a chain.
Wrapping it around the scimitar and pulled, stopping the sword from dropping.
The next second, the ice wall shattered, the earth beneath Axel shifting him towards the WGDS building.
A figure pulled Axel in and locked the door.
Simultaneously a resounding boom came from behind Serif, where he had fought Zero.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw a giant hand made of flame holding on to buildings like toys, trying to pull whatever horror it was up.
Ignoring it, he swung the other chain from his left hand.
Wrapped it around the katana embedded in the monster's chest, ripped it free, fling it towards the WGDS building.
With a violent pull, Serif tore the monster airborne and hurled it towards a distant structure.
He turned around.
His eyes narrowed as he saw the flaming giant towering over the town.
Its face resembled Zero except its eyes were blank, red, and made of fire.
He got to the pill.
The giant roared.
Eyes locked with Serif.
It swung its massive hand, sweeping up buildings.
Screams resounded, as it approached Serif who just stood still.
Fist tightly clenched, the chains digging tightly into his hands.
Then
Boom!!!
Everything went white.