The monster towered behind me and the fallen princess, its crushing palm halted by my forearm. The princess's reaction was priceless, exactly as I'd expected. Even the hovering crystals caught only a glimpse of my silhouette, but the broadcaster confirmed it anyway.
[I… I can't believe this… t-this miracle… an unknown figure in black has appeared and stopped the monster's devastating blow…]
As the dust finally settled, I was revealed in all my grace. The princess stammered, "Who… who are you?"
For a moment, I was silent. Then I spoke, my voice cold. "I am Night Fallen… of the Midnight Haven."
"N..Night Fallen... of... Midnight Haven?"
The monster forced its palm down, but my arm never budged. "I'll take it from here… Princess."
Dark-blue mana formed in my hand, shaping itself into a baseball bat as it hummed.
"It's too powerful, you can't stop it alone…"
I grinned beneath my mask at the statement. It couldn't have been more perfect, being underestimated. The princess was playing her role splendidly. I flicked my arm and the monster's palm was knocked upward as it staggered back. I turned toward it, walking calmly.
"Come," I said, "I'll be your new dance partner in this ballet of death."
I lunged and struck with the tip of my bat, slicing the air. The impact sent the monster rolling, the ground shaking as carriages were crushed beneath its body.
The princess's jaw dropped, disbelief etched in her eyes.
The monster rose and roared, the sound shaking the ground beneath us. It charged on all fours then lunged, claws aimed at me. I blocked with my bat as the impact thundered, stone shattering beneath my feet.
"Well," I said calmly, "you're quite strong… but still a far cry from Titan."
It launched into a relentless barrage of strikes. I parried them one after another, metal and mana clashing in rapid succession. I dodged one blow, leapt over the next, then sprang onto its arm and vaulted toward its head, striking as it blocked with its massive arm.
Boom—Crack!
The force still sent it flying into a nearby building, the entire structure collapsing on top of it.
[No way! The masked figure is not only holding his own but... he seems to be… beating it!]
The blonde knight peered around the corner, face twisting, 'Who is this person…?! Dammit, he's ruining everything!'
The citizens were in chaos, voices overlapping questioning who or what I was.
The monster roared again, the rubble burying it dispersing as black mana gathered in its maw. A bomb far larger than the last one began to form. I grinned and spun my bat, waiting.
It fired, the blast tearing through the air with sheer destructive force. I tightened my grip, mana surging through my bat shimmering, then slammed it into the attack. Dark-blue mana erupted, black lightning crackling at the point of impact, winds screaming outward, my coat fluttering, and the nearby princess shielding herself from the blast. With a final swing, I sent the bomb soaring into the sky.
A grand explosion split the clouds, shockwaves rippling across the city, reaching even the distant citizens.
The princess's eyes were filled with complete awe. I swore I could hear her thoughts: 'He knocked away an attack my comrades traded their lives to stop… by himself… I've never seen such might before.'
I walked toward the monster, destruction littering the ground around me. Its instincts took over and it stepped back but then its eyes constricted, almost like a biological response. Dark lines began forming across its body, thick green mana oozing from its flesh, claws extending as violent winds spiraled outward. I kept walking, my coat fluttering left and right.
"Oh Gods… that monster is getting stronger…?" the princess stammered.
The monster lunged, faster than before, destruction erupting in its wake, claws extended. I sidestepped as the wind whooshed past my face. A slight crack formed across my mask. My grin widened.
'Now you've done it!'
I lunged with blinding speed and struck it with my bat, too fast for it to react. It flew through two buildings, rolling before recovering, then fired two bombs consecutively. I parried both, explosions detonating behind me as I closed the distance and struck it in the face, sending it flying again. I appeared behind it, slammed it on the back, and knocked it into the air, and as it spun helplessly, I leapt and reappeared above it, standing on its chest mid-air, looking down before stomping it as it went crashing into the ground, carving a massive crater.
The citizens watching through the projections had their jaws dropped as I hovered in the air. The monster struggled to rise, slowly healing itself, wounds closing.
"So that's how it is, huh…?" I muttered.
The monster lunged toward me, almost desperate, its eyes burning with rage and anguish. I raised my bat, dark-blue mana surging along it, the sky itself shifting to the same hue, energy crackled around my weapon.
The citizens panicked at the sudden shift in color, breath caught in their throats, silence falling over the streets. Their eyes were glued to me unable to look away — completely captivated, the light reflecting in the princess's wide awe-filled gaze.
The monster's claws neared my face as I heard its voice, a cry.
"Please… please… save the other girls from the mad doctor… and kill him…." Beneath the monstrosity, a gentle little girl's voice whimpered.
"Very well… I'll grant your wish." I swung my bat down swiftly.
"Absolute Motion."
In an instant, the air tore apart, the sky splitting. A blinding light erupted, engulfing the city. The monster was swallowed whole, the pillar of energy so immense the entire nation could see it. It lingered for a moment, then vanished. Where I hovered above, a crater remained — over twenty feet deep and more than twenty meters wide.
I was gone. Silence and awe settled over the city, every eye locked on the void I had left behind.