The thousands of Clowns attacked at the same time.
The warehouse disappeared beneath a storm of movement.
Justin raised both hands.
A purple barrier appeared in front of him.
BOOM.
Dozens of projectiles slammed into it.
Some Clowns jumped over the barrier.
Others appeared behind him.
Others threw balloons that exploded in midair.
Jack extended one hand.
A purple wave tore through the room.
Hundreds of illusions disappeared.
—There are too many! —Justin growled.
—No.
Jack watched carefully.
—They're repetitive.
A Clown appeared behind him.
Jack turned and punched it directly in the face.
The figure exploded into smoke.
Another appeared.
Jack destroyed it.
Another.
Another.
Another.
—They're controlled illusions —Jack said.—The real one is hiding among them.
From somewhere inside the warehouse came a laugh.
—Very good.
Jack looked up.
Ryan was standing on one of the beams.
The second skin of his mask gleamed beneath the purple light.
—At least one of you is paying attention.
Justin looked up.
—Get down here!
Ryan smiled.
—Why?
He pulled two weapons from his coat.
They were black pistols with small clown details engraved along their sides.
—I'm quite comfortable up here.
BANG. BANG.
Justin dodged the shots.
The bullets changed direction.
Jack raised a barrier.
Both bullets slammed into it.
Ryan opened his hand.
A rune appeared in the air.
The bullets disappeared.
Jack frowned.
—The storage space again.
—Exactly.
Ryan closed his fingers.
The bullets reappeared behind the brothers.
BANG. BANG.
Justin turned.
A purple barrier appeared just in time.
The explosion sent him stumbling backward.
Ryan took advantage of the moment.
He jumped from the beam and landed directly in front of Jack.
Jack threw a punch.
Ryan blocked it.
Jack spun and threw a kick.
Ryan ducked.
The kick passed over his head.
Ryan countered with a direct punch to the abdomen.
BOOM.
Jack was sent flying.
Justin appeared behind him.
Ryan turned.
The two exchanged blows.
Punch.
Block.
Elbow.
Kick.
Justin managed to strike him in the face.
Ryan staggered backward.
The mask didn't break, but a small line of blood appeared beneath it.
Ryan wiped the blood away with his thumb.
He looked at his finger.
He smiled.
—Much better.
Justin breathed slowly.
—Are you still enjoying this?
—Quite a lot.
Ryan raised one hand.
The floor lit up.
The runes began activating.
Jack noticed.
—Justin!
They both jumped.
Too late.
BOOM.
The floor exploded.
Justin was thrown into one of the walls.
Jack managed to remain in the air, but Ryan appeared above him.
A black flame appeared in his hand.
Jack's eyes widened.
Ryan hurled the fire.
Jack created a barrier.
The dark fire struck the purple surface.
The barrier began to warp.
Jack gritted his teeth.
—Not again!
A second barrier appeared.
Then a third.
The fire finally disappeared.
Ryan landed in front of him.
Jack threw a punch.
Ryan blocked it.
The two stood face to face.
Jack smiled.
—I understand your problem now.
Ryan tilted his head slightly.
—Oh?
—You need to prepare the battlefield in order to fight.
Jack threw another punch.
Ryan dodged it.
—And the more we destroy your runes...
Jack unleashed a purple blast.
Ryan opened a spatial doorway.
The energy disappeared inside.
Jack finished his sentence.
—...the fewer options you'll have.
Ryan smiled.
—That would be true.
He closed the doorway.
—If you were capable of destroying them all.
Justin appeared behind him.
Ryan barely had time to turn.
CRACK.
Justin's fist struck his jaw.
Ryan went flying.
He crashed through a wall and landed on the floor.
Justin slowly walked toward him.
Jack joined his brother.
—Now.
The two began releasing energy.
The air changed.
Ryan slowly stood up.
He looked at the twins.
Something was wrong.
The energy surrounding them was increasing far too quickly.
Justin clenched his fists.
His muscles began to tense.
Jack did the same.
Their bodies began to change.
Their skin darkened.
Purple.
It wasn't a complete transformation, but they no longer looked entirely human.
Their veins stood out across their arms.
Their bodies became larger. Stronger.
Their eyes changed.
Black.
Completely black.
Purple lines appeared around them, stretching from their eyelids toward their temples.
Ryan remained still.
—Interesting...
Justin slowly raised his head.
But when he spoke, it wasn't his voice.
—Clown...
Ryan stopped smiling.
Jack opened his mouth as well.
The same voice came from both of them.
A deep, ancient voice.
As if it were speaking from somewhere impossibly far away.
—I didn't expect this.
The warehouse fell silent.
Ryan stared at the two brothers.
—So you've finally decided to speak.
The voice answered through both bodies.
—You attacked my two most loyal followers.
Justin and Jack remained completely motionless.
The entity continued.
—I must admit, you have surprised me.
Ryan tilted his head.
—And are you angry?
A small laugh escaped from the twins' mouths.
—Perhaps.
—But it doesn't matter.
The purple energy intensified.
—The last time we fought...
Ryan remained silent.
—I was defeated.
For the first time, Ryan didn't answer immediately.
The entity continued.
—Although that wasn't my true body.
A pause.
—I took control of the body of one of my followers.
Ryan narrowed his eyes.
That confirmed part of his suspicions.
The manifestation.
It had not been the real body.
—I am still weak —the entity continued.
Its voice became deeper.
—But that doesn't mean I can't help these two brothers.
Justin and Jack slowly raised their heads.
Their completely black eyes remained fixed on Ryan.
—Now...
Purple energy exploded around both of them.
—Die, Clown.
For several seconds, Ryan remained completely still.
Then he began to laugh.
First one voice.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The voices of children.
Men.
Women.
Elderly people.
All laughing at the same time.
Ryan's voice came from everywhere.
—I'm going to eliminate your followers.
Justin and Jack clenched their fists.
The laughter continued.
—And when I eliminate them...
Ryan slowly raised his head.
—I will come for you.
His voice changed.
Now it sounded like thousands of people whispering at the same time.
—Especially since you're still far too weak.
Silence.
The entity didn't respond.
Ryan spread his arms.
The Clown suit began to change.
Faces appeared across the fabric.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Human faces laughing.
Some looked happy.
Others terrified.
Others were crying while laughing.
All of them wore the same smile.
Justin watched the transformation.
Jack did too.
Ryan tilted his head.
—Your body may be weak.
A smile appeared across the mask.
—But your ego is still enormous.
The faces on the suit began to laugh.
—I like that.
Ryan extended both hands.
The weapons appeared again.
A pistol in each hand.
—Because it'll make this much more fun.
Justin disappeared.
Ryan fired.
BANG.
The bullet passed beside his head.
Justin appeared in front of him.
Ryan blocked his fist.
The impact shook the warehouse.
Jack appeared from the left.
Ryan was struck by a kick.
He staggered backward.
He fired.
Jack dodged.
The bullet exploded against the floor.
Ryan spun.
Dark fire.
Jack raised a barrier.
The flame slammed against it.
Justin appeared again.
Ryan took a hit.
Then another.
Then another.
But this time, he didn't retreat.
He caught Justin's fist.
—I got you.
Justin tried to break free.
Ryan threw him into the ground.
BOOM.
Jack attacked.
Ryan turned.
The two exchanged blows at brutal speed.
The three began moving throughout the warehouse.
Walls were destroyed.
Columns collapsed.
Purple energy.
Dark fire.
Bullets.
Runes.
Illusions.
Everything happened at once.
The entity watched from within the twins' bodies.
Ryan knew it.
He wasn't fighting only Justin and Jack.
He was also fighting something that was still recovering.
And that was precisely what he wanted.
He needed to see it.
He needed to understand it.
He needed to know how much it could intervene in its current state.
Ryan took another hit.
Blood.
He smiled.
—Thank you.
Justin looked confused.
—Why?
Ryan slowly raised his head.
—For teaching me so much.
The entity remained silent.
Ryan smiled beneath the mask.
—I know more about you now than I did an hour ago.
The twins' eyes burned with fury.
The entity spoke again.
—You will learn nothing else.
Ryan burst into laughter.
Thousands of voices answered at once.
—We'll see about that.
The faces on the suit began to laugh.
And Ryan disappeared.
The real second round had just begun.