A great, many things part 2

Three shimmering lines cleaved through the air.

Maria crouched underneath the sneak attack, but her body was sent flying by a boot that followed after.

Felix watched as his partner crashed against one of the concrete pillars, into an explosion of clattering rubble and gray mist.

“V.V.!”

“Worry about yourself!” A voice boomed as another slash of light cleaved through the darkness.

Felix evaded the oncoming attack. A savage strike shredded that tore through the tail-end of his black coat.

With one hand pressed on the ground, the blue-eyed agent took on an animal-like stance, with one hand hanging in the air.

He glanced up to see a hulking figure looming over him.

“To be defeated by some brat. I thought Elite Agents were supposed to be in a league of their own.” The hulking man spoke condescendingly as he looked at Agent Petrichor’s corpse, “Then again, you both are Elites, too, aren’t you?”

“You’re…” Felix stared at his opponent.

In front of him stood a large, muscular man, with pale blond hair spiked up in the center of his bald scalp, and muscles bulging beneath the leathery red jacket that was clearly stretched too tight. His arms were covered with mechanical gauntlets, each with three long curved blades that protruded from joints on the knuckles.

Custom combat claws? Could this be the guy Marie tried to warn me about? Is he… Jackal’s Fang?

The brute flaunted a sharp array of claws, flashing them with pride, “You can call me Beast.”

“Beast, huh?” The blue agent blinked, startled for a moment.

“That’s right.”

Felix let out a sigh of relief, “Bentley Wallace East, also known as Beast. A high-ranking member of the mafia. You’re exactly how they described. I’m surprised someone as large as you managed to sneak up behind us.”

“I see my reputation precedes me. If you’re also one of those Elite Agents, then I hope you’re better than that corpse over there.” The brute sneered, pointing to the now deceased Agent Petrichor.

His attention shifted towards the man’s gauntlets, decorated with the shredded bits of his coat.

It takes a lot to rip this coat... What are those claws made of? Military-grade alloy?

Felix scanned the brute top to down. The claws were Beast’s main weapon, but both his arms and legs were wrapped in a red exoskeleton, and even a pistol hanging on his side.

It looks like his body is covered in military-grade stuff. Either way, as long as there’s machine gun drone earlier, this is a fight I can win.

The agent concluded, letting out a slow exhale, “Are you… a fang?”

The criminal grinned, “What if I said yes?”

Bloodlust rippled through the air as the green light buzzed between them.

With legs like tree trunks and biceps that were large enough to rival Felix’s head, Beast’s muscles were aching to test their strength. Although he acted like a brute, Beast kept his movements small and cautious, wary of what the man with the glowing blue eye was capable of.

With one arm hanging in the air, Felix slowly reached for his gun, staring intently at his enemy’s next move.

But the tension shattered as rocks burst towards the two of them. The dark-haired woman emerged from gray smoke, saying, “Felix.”

“Huh?” The two of them glanced over to her.

“Two legs. Not four.” Simple words that she instructed, commanded, and demanded of him.

Felix let out a relieved smile, getting up on his feet.

A bead of sweat slid across Beast’s face as he glanced at Maria. With a grin on his face, he taunted, “You’re real cute, so I’d love to spare ‘ya. But ya killed one of my pack, so I gotta kill ya. Nothing pers—”

“Spare us the gimmick, you mutt.” Maria interrupted him, dusting herself as she crawled out of the rubble, “Save us the trouble of having to catch you.”

Beast noticed the green light shift into a bright blue.

He shifted his attention back to Felix, and found a masked figure outlined in blue light, aiming a white pistol directly at him.

The blue haze spiraled out of his body and funneled into Agony’s barrel. A slow blue swirl charging up. He hoped to replicate the attack he used before — the cyclone he used to strike Moritz with.

But as he pulled the trigger, what fired was nothing but a transparent tornado that barely pushed Beast back. The swirling blue shroud quickly evaporated, dissipating into nothingness.

“The hell was that?” Beast grinned nervously.

It paled in comparison to the attack he used against the jester.

His body crackled, and blue electricity knitted his wounds together.

Beast’s claws began to let out a revving sound, and his claws began to vibrate rapidly as he charged.

Once again, Felix evaded, sidestepping away from the downward swing. But Beast was faster than he expected, and a heavy boot sent him flying across the air.

Felix crashed onto the hood of one of the cars, causing the car alarm to blare. He drew out his black gun, Misery, and pointed it at the driver’s seat, firing one of the hollow rounds to silence it.

It boomed, shattering the windshield and breaking a hole through the car. The kickback was powerful, causing his arm to freeze up.

He slid down the hood and got back on his feet, the pain of Beast’s kick radiated across his body, adding on to the pain of his engagement with the jester.

His muscles burned, and his vision blurred around the edges. But he clenched his fist. There was no time to let the pain linger.

Agony was useless, so he holstered it and switched to using Misery.

The black gun was heavy, pulling his arm downward. He was running on fumes.

Still, he steadied his aim regardless —

BANG!

The powerful recoil made he slam back onto the car hood. He missed the large target by a small margin, leaving a shallow cut across the brute’s face.

Beast snarled in response. He crouched, ready to lunge at the agent on the ground. But a loud crashing noise echoed throughout the parking lot, making him stop in his tracks. He slowly turned around, and saw a gaping hole left on the pillar behind him.

“The hell?!”

The brute’s brown eyes focused intently on the circular hole blown out of the concrete pillar. A sense of fear and rage as he compiled his thoughts;

That girl, even though she broke through that pillar, she’s looking at me like nothing even happened. As for this runt, with the trail of blood he left behind, he shouldn’t even be able to stand, much less fight. Not to mention, that gun is way too strong to be an ordinary pistol. Just what in the hell are these two?

As his gaze shifted back to his enemy, he saw the barrel of the black gun pointing at him.

The masked agent was already back on his feet, and spoke in a muffled voice, “You keep getting distracted.”

And fired off two more times.

Beast’s vibrating claws sliced through both hollow-point bullets. Even though Misery was strong enough to blow a clean hole through concrete pillars, Beast’s claws was fully capable of deflecting them.

Felix leaned on the car, and fired a few more times. The recoil from the hollow rounds forcing him to lose his footing.

But Beast slowly closed the gap, slicing through each successive bullet with his vibrating claws.

The agent instinctively pulled out to Agony again, using its default attack in a desperate attempt to stun the large man, or at least slow him down. The criminal was pushed by the invisible, concentric waves of energy, feeling a slight tingle that made his arms feel stiff.

But he stood strong, “That the best you’ve got?!”

Before Felix could aim Misery again, Beast brazenly charged.

With a wide swing, his mechanical claws slashed through the car Felix was leaning on, cutting it in half with a single swipe. Felix quickly slipped beneath the attack. He then lifted his leg to deliver a kick, but Felix slid under that attack as well, narrowly avoiding it.

“Slippery bastard.”

Felix darted away, hiding behind one of the cars as he shot at Beast, not allowing the brute to get close. He then shifted his attention to the exoskeleton on Beast’s legs, aiming Misery at the joints. But Beast quickly caught on to what he was planning.

The brute stopped in his tracks and began sprinting towards Maria, who was still sitting under the rubble with a bored stare.

Felix aimed Misery, but saw Maria looking at him.

“V.V.!”

A memory flashed in his head. Her blood dripping from her face, down to his. He refused to risk hurting his own partner.

So he lowered his gun and chased after the brute instead.

Beast grinned, and the exoskeleton around his legs powered up with a loud whir. In an instant, he closed the gap and landed a charged kick deep into Felix’s gut.

The force of the blow sent him flying, crashing through three cars which became a violent pileup.

His white mask hollowly clattered a few feet away, while he desperately trying to breathe on the grimy concrete floor.

Beast let out an exhausted exhale as the whirring in his legs slowed. With a satisfied smirk, the brute took his sweet time walking towards the agent. Even as his opponent was writhing in the ground, there was still caution in his approach.

With shaky arms, Felix barely pushed himself up, spitting out a mix of blood and saliva.

The criminal pulled out the pistol from his hip.

“Get up!” Maria’s sharp demand echoed, “If you really want to be number one, then you have to be beat this guy!”

If I want to be number one…

With those words, he heard Luna’s voice echo from his buried memories, “Every time you fall, you get back up.”

In his mind formed the silhouette of white-hair spearwoman.

It’s not enough… I have to be even stronger than Luna.

The blue-eyed agent reached his hand forward, only for the brute to tower over him.

“Any last words?” Beast asked.

He felt the criminal press the cold muzzle against the back of his head.

Although he was staring at the criminal, his mind drifted elsewhere. Through the darkness and snow, even further than where Luna stood.

In the shadowy distance, stood a large figure with a mechanical arm, wreathed in crystalline flames, slowly turning towards him with a sharp gaze.

And if I have to surpass him… then I have to be…

Beast squeezed the trigger —

Stronger than him!

Felix grabbed his mask with an unnatural speed, placing it between Beast’s pistol and the back of his head. The bullets could not penetrate the aestrellium mask.

The blue-eyed agent rolled on the ground and slipped away, sprinting into the shadows.

“GRUH!” Beast growled and fired at him, only for the bullets to strike an afterimage — an azure mirage.

“What the hell—?!” Beast tightened his grip on the pistol, aiming frantically.

“What are you shooting at?” A muffled echo taunted him.

As he turned around, he saw the phantom standing behind him.

There was a large space once again between them. The phantom stripped off his black coat, revealing the bloody blue shirt underneath. His twin pistols holstered on the brown belts around his chest.

“You know… I’ve been having an awful day today.” His body wobbled, and was crackling in blue electricity.

Beast grinned and aimed at him, “You and I both!”

Felix suddenly appeared right before him, striking with a bone-crunching punch, before kicking away his pistol with a spin-kick, “Don’t talk over me.”

Beast reeled back a few steps, clutching his aching stomach. His opponent had once again disappeared.

“As I was saying… Because I’m having an awful day, to blow off some steam...”

“What was that?” The brute blew the blood out of his nose, and wiped the scratch on his cheek.

“I thought dogs were supposed to have good hearing.” The phantom’s voice dripped with a hint of depravity.

“Fuck you just say?!”

“Between the golden lion, the two new recruits, my own partner drugging me to sleep, and the bastard with the militarized drone… I think I’m done with today.” His voice echoed, yet he was nowhere to be seen.

“Show yourself!” Beast roared.

“For your sake, I’ll give you ten seconds to grovel and apologize like the dog you are.” His voice reverberated as he grabbed the car bumper tight enough to crush it .

“You little shit!”

One of the cars flipped over, shooting towards him. Beast grinned, effortlessly slicing the vehicle in half.

As the wreckage fell, he clenched his fist, bracing himself for the next surprise assault — only for him to feel a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around and stared at the masked figure behind him.

Though the agent’s face was covered by the unfeeling white canvas, it was evident from how much he was enjoying taunting the criminal.

What the hell is going on? He’s acting like he’s completely unharmed!

Beast’s eyes twitched, and he threw his fist with great speed. Although his attack swept up some of the dust on the ground, his claws was only able to strike another blue silhouette.

“Again, what are you attacking?” The phantom was standing on top of his fist.

“The hell—?!”

His mockery had clearly gotten under the criminal’s skin. But before Beast could even shout, the agent stomped his heel against his face, using it to backflip away from him.

The brute staggered, the iron-soles left a throbbing red imprint on his face. But just like before, his tree-trunk legs refused to give in.

A few meters separated the two once more.

Beast’s exoskeleton flared up, letting out a mechanical whir as if to breathe.

The chase resumed, but this time — Beast was no longer the predator.

Sparks flew as Beast’s claws clashed with the phantom’s ornate pistols. Exchanging strikes and slashes, but each time the wild giant got close, the phantom would vanish, replaced by a blue silhouette.

With every motion, a ghostly mirage was left in his place.

“Huh?” Beast muttered. His enemy was once again gone. No afterimage, no counterattack.

He then heard the sound of a hand brushing against cloth. He turned around and saw the agent dusting himself off.

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME!” The red rage in his face growing more and more apparent.

The brute rushed at him, the exoskeleton vibrating loudly as he let out a flurry of strikes. Blinded by rage, he let out an unrelenting assault, repeatedly throwing punch after punch after kick after swipe. He would not let him slip away again.

Overwhelmed by the rapid blows, the agent aimed his gun at Beast’s face, only for the Beast to slip into his space and bite his arm.

“GRAGH!” The agent shouted.

In that instant, Beast took a swipe at the phantom’s head, and the white mask flew into the air. Only for it to reveal Felix’s glowing blue eyes.

The blue-eyed man lunged forward with an enraged grin.

“AGKH!”

Everything suddenly turned pitch black.

Buzzing lights filled the silence, the eerie green flickered across the parking lot.

Beast opened his eyes, surprised to find himself staring at the ceiling, “Wh-wha— the hell—? Why am I?”

He reached for the throbbing in his forehead, and winced as soon as he touched it, feeling something warm from it. When he had brought his hand to his line of sight, he saw that it was dripping in red. His spiked blond hair was drenched in his own blood.

Beast saw Felix stroking the arm he just bit into.

This kid… he grabbed me by the head… and he…

He recollected the blue-eyes closing in, and the feeling of a hand squeezing his face, before promptly getting smashed against the floor.

Panic started to settle in as his breathing grew heavy and uneven. He clutched the ashen black ground and picked up pieces of dirt and debris, before getting back up and wiping off the blood sliding across his brown eyes.

Fighting head-on isn’t gonna work.

The brute took his stance. The phantom noticed, put his mask back on, and answered in kind.

As they met head on, the phantom effortlessly avoided Beast’s upcoming blow with a swift side step, and replied with his own right hook. But before it could land, Beast grinned and unclenched his fist, flinging dust and grime from his hand and into his opponent’s eyes.

Blinded by the crafty attack, Beast followed up with a blow to his gut. His body was shot into the air, but his feet landed first, skidding against the grime.

“Did I get him?” He squinted.

The brute’s attention was then drawn to the sound clinking metal falling on the ground. He saw metallic shards clatter to the ground.

It quickly dawned on him what he was looking at.

“Looks my hands were stronger than your claws.” Felix lifted up his arm, which were covered in cuts and metal shards. In his palms, he held the broken blades of Beast’s claws.

“What?”

After the question escaped his lips, he heard a snap — his gauntlet began to break apart.

As its crimson pieces clattered to the ground, the agent swung the blades back at him. The criminal let out a guttural screamed as the blades shot through his now-defenseless forearm.

Beast finally collapsed to his knees.

The phantom whipped his arm, casting out the remaining metal shards embedded inside it. His footsteps began to echo throughout the parking lot, looking down on the self-proclaimed beast.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you gonna use the claws you’re so proud of?” The phantom laughed, calmly approaching.

“What… WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU?!”

Beast’s heavy breathing turned into uneven gasps as he looked up at the man-made monster standing in front of him.

The Blue Phantom held his black gun an inch before Beast’s forehead, mirroring what Beast had done to him earlier. But as Beast looked up, his expression reminded Felix of Harbinger’s frightened face, of Asahi’s plea for mercy.

There was a second of hesitation, but Maria’s words echoed in his ear, “You were only prolonging his suffering.”

He let out a shaky exhale, and answered, “Me? I’m an esper. Do you know what that means?”

Through Beast’s blurry vision, the masked agent with glowing blue eyes appeared like the reaper ready to swing.

I see now… This damned brat… is Death itself.

The last thing he witnessed was the white gun in front of him.

After pulling the trigger, Beast fell to the ground.

~