The creature looked like one of the salamanders from Dharan, but it was bigger, and its blood-red scales were far harder. Nietz threw up his arms as it dove at him, and its teeth clamped down. He planted his feet and opened his hands, grabbing both parts of its jaw and yanking it apart with a roar. A croaking snarl drew his attention, and he turned from the monster carcass, driving his fist right between the eyes of a silver-skinned fishman charging in his direction. The mutant shrieked, clutching its head as it collapsed. He glanced over his shoulder as another bus’ engine roared to life and the door shut. “Move!” he shouted at the frantic-looking driver. “Get going!”

The panicked driver nodded and went into gear, pulling out of the garage as more attackers swarmed in. At the rear of the bus, he spotted a pair of heroes waving to him, and he raised a fist. They’ll keep them safe. 

SHAAAAAH!

Nietz turned at the sound. He barely had a moment to breathe, let alone think. He spat on the ground and raised his fists into a boxing stance, bouncing on his feet. Four fishmen ran forward, holding long, rail-like weapons in their hands. Are those guns? They raised the weapons, and he snapped a fist out, releasing a qi bolt that took one in the chest and sent it crashing into a parked car.

The other three nearly fired but were interrupted. A small figure danced between them, a palm strike driving into the chin of one before slapping the second across the face. The third was slapped in the chest. They paused, their eyes going dull for a heartbeat as the fast-moving person slid to a stop and went back through. A second wave of sharp, quick strikes to joints and sensitive areas drove the fishmen to their knees. Locke stopped and drew a gun from her belt, firing off three quick shots that put them down. She glanced over her shoulder and smirked.

He rolled his eyes. “Glad to have you.”

She strode towards him, pulling her blonde hair back and tying it off. “I am not dressed for this,” she said bluntly, looking down at her dress as more monsters came in. Amalgamations of Dharan creatures and even some he remembered seeing from the footage of Tokyo. First Wind, now this. He glowered and clenched his fists. I knew that son of a bitch was up to something. His attitude changed too fast. To think he’d go this far, though. He’s an embarrassment to heroes everywhere.

“The last bus is away!” shouted a hero off to the side, and some of the heroes present cheered. 

Locke hurried over to him as a croaking sound drew his attention. He looked down to see one of Hammond’s goblins waving frantically at him. The little creature pointed eagerly towards the interior of the expo center, and he nodded. “We’re needed inside,” he said and looked at Locke. 

She was halfway through ripping the long part of her dress off and checking her ammunition when she looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. He held her gaze. “Are you sure?”

She frowned and nodded. “I can’t hide forever,” she growled. “I still have a license, and I’m gonna use it.”

He nodded, and they hurried back inside. The air practically hummed with energy as monsters, fishmen, and heroes clashed in every corner of the room. He swatted a mutated hound away with a backhand and started forward, punching and striking as the goblin pointed towards the distant glass doors. He could see a very familiar quarterstaff rising and falling amongst the thicker crowd up there and knew where he needed to be. He scanned the room and frowned, rethinking his crossing strategy. I can’t punch a hole through the crowd with so much confusion. I’ll have to clear a path one step at a time.

Locke moved around him like a serpent, firing shots here and there as he marched forward. Where he wasn’t looking, she was. Where a monster got too close, her hands were more than enough to stun them temporarily. He delivered finishing blows where she set them up. Overhead, a dozen effeminate elementals flew this way and that, attacking monsters and grabbing heroes that got injured. He spotted Hammond’s bald head diving beneath the fist of a Brute and pushed through, crashing into the creature and driving it to the ground. One titanic punch crushed its skull, and he got to his feet. “You good?”

“Y-yeah!” Hammond said, wiping muck off his face, and nodded to the doors. “W-we need to m-move!”

The trio turned and stopped in their tracks as a group of monsters were cut down beneath a flash of steel. Bodies dropped, and four heroes stood in their path. Team Crusader. His heart sank a little, but he forced the feeling away as he met their eyes. Crusader’s molten orange gaze met his, and next to her, Harbinger swung her war maul onto her shoulder, her jaw set firm. The diminutive Snow crossed her arms, and BLF chewed and swallowed before tilting his chin up and growing another inch in height.

Locke shifted on her feet as a monster darted past them, clearly sensing this was a group to avoid. Hammond glanced towards Nietz with a hurried expression. Nietz did not break eye contact with Crusader, though. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak when Harbinger pushed past her team leader. “The monsters are probably creations of Doctor Kaidan. She’s a monster manipulator that used to work for Liberty. Even if they look familiar, don’t expect them to behave the same way or have the same abilities. Be careful. We’ll clear out the rear. You get back to your team.”

The tension evaporated. He and Crusader both looked at her and then back at one another. They nodded simultaneously before walking forward. “I hope you’re as tough as they say,” Crusader said, holding up a fist.

He grinned. “I hope you live up to your nickname.”

Their wrists met, and they passed one another by before breaking into a run. 

EVOLVE!

Nietz turned himself into an engine of destruction. He grew in size, and scale-like plates spread across his skin. He plowed through the monsters in front of him as he raced towards his new comrades. Hammond reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of ambers, tossing them into the air. “Soothe! Carmine!” The glowing green nymphs appeared in the air and darted away, looking for heroes to heal. Locke returned to her spot at Nietz’s side, covering him as they made headway. A centipede-centaur from Tokyo croaked and smashed through a pair of heroes trying to block it, its vacant eyes fixed on Locke. Nietz pivoted and threw a fist, punching a hole through its chest.

“Keep going!” he shouted.

Each step felt like an eternity. Even so, it was only moments before he was close enough to see the imposing form of Medved holding a fishman in each hand. He slammed them together and dropped them before turning to see Nietz approach.

“Aha! There he is!” The big man barked. “Dragoon! Do your thing!”

“Guardian Wall!”

A flash of light erupted from somewhere amongst the crowd of monsters at the doors, and they were pushed away as an off-blue bubble began to form. Nietz and his friends hurried inside and found Hui, Kong, and Dragoon catching their breath. Dragoon had taken a knee with her spear planted in the ground. Bits of glowing armor clung to her body. Nietz’s eyebrows rose. I didn’t know she could do that. Hammond moved quickly to assist in healing, while Hui wiped his jaw and looked up at Nietz. “Good to have you with us. How’d it go?”

“Civilians are out,” Nietz said quickly before looking up at the barrier that was already shaking beneath the attacks of the enraged monsters around them.

Hui nodded and looked at Medved. “You’re senior here, sir. Ishtar is delaying us, so we can’t go support Miss Chernovna. She only has Handmaiden with her. We should strategize-”

TCHCHHHTHCHHTHCHHH

Nietz grunted as something began itching at the inside of his head. He gasped and took a knee, holding his skull as whispers began clawing at his mind. He saw mist billowing on the ground and knew what was coming. He gritted his teeth and turned in time to see a column of water erupt from the stage. The water sprayed across the room and spread across the floor, lapping at Nietz’s feet. When the column collapsed, only Kingshark remained. His arms spread wide, and his eyes glowed red as the tendril-beard on his face twitched and writhed. He wasn’t at his full, monstrous height, but that didn’t matter. Nietz’s instincts screamed death.

“KINGSHARK IS HERE!” the Supervillain bellowed. “COME AT ME!”

Before Nietz could so much as say a word, Medved had launched himself off the ground. He left a crater in his wake as he hurtled through the air towards the aquatic villain. Nietz turned and met his friend's eyes. “We need to-”

KRAK-THOOOOOM!

“HA HAHA HAHAHA! KERAUNA IS HERE! COME OUT AND PLAY, HEROES!”

Thunder clapped, and monsters screamed in agony, jerking and twitching as electricity chained through them. Dozens upon dozens of them dropped like crispy heaps to the ground. A manic laugh filled the air outside the expo building as the fishmen rallied, their jet-black eyes going wide and their rows of razor teeth baring while they waved their weapons. Nietz felt his gut twist.

Ishtar isn’t playing games. We’re in deep shit. He turned to his friends. Locke and Hammond pulled back to support. Kong twirled his quarterstaff between his hands and faced the doors, a grin on his face. Hui conjured up an old gray book in his hands and began flipping pages while Dragoon’s body fully encased itself in armor. She turned to him and nodded. Right then, he thought and marched towards the doors. Team Crusader, Medved, I hope you can handle your end. Our hands are full.

–

The crack of thunder meant one thing. We aren’t getting backup, are we? Crusader thought, her sword at her side as she and her team stood just a stone’s throw away from the stage. Kingshark stood tall. A mountain of muscle and eldritch horror. He had to be at least twelve feet tall, not as big as he usually was, but still huge. A member of Ishtar’s Inner Circle, right here, right now. She felt a chill run up her spine as Medved collided with the big man, the much smaller Russian International’s fist crashing with Kingshark’s open palm.

Kingshark’s red eyes shone brightly as he cackled. “The Granite Bear of Russia! This oughta be good!” He laughed.

Medved, midair and still held aloft by Kingshark’s grip, drew another fist back and threw it forward. Kingshark caught it as well, and a shockwave cracked the stage. “The so-called King of the Sea! Let’s see if you have land legs, brat!”

Crusader watched Medved’s shoulders tighten. He was holding Kingshark in place, but that was about it. Medved threw his head back and drove it forward in a headbutt, cracking his skull against Kingshark’s. The supervillain stumbled back and grabbed his head, releasing Medved. Before Medved could strike again, though, a tentacle erupted from the ground and wrapped around his leg, whipping him away and sending him flying across the room. Kingshark rubbed his head and shook it a few times, dazed.

Medved will be back, but-

“Crusader,” Harbinger said next to her.

She glanced towards her friend and then to Snow and BLF, who had grim but determined looks on their faces. Sonya had promised her team ability tokens to be given out during the afterparty, but that did them little good now. All they had was what they’d fought for all this time. She snapped her eyes up and met Kingshark’s eager gaze. The big man was grinning, waiting for them to make a move. 

“Well, heroes?” he asked. “You scared?”

Crusader couldn’t help herself. Her heart was pounding. Terror and excitement blended together into something she couldn’t think of a word for. She needed to hold this monster at bay with everything she had. “TOWER FORMATION!” She roared, and golden flame exploded across her body. She leaped forward, swinging her sword in a horizontal arc as Harbinger threw herself into the air and dove into an overhead spin. BLF darted to the right, snatching up monsters and pulling them into his mouth, while Snow vanished into a scattering of petals.

“YES! THAT’S THE STUFF!” Kingshark laughed. “SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!”

One massive arm rose to block Harbinger, while another swung forward to clap against Crusader’s sword. A shriek of sound exploded in the Supervillain’s ears, and he winced, throwing his head to the side as Crusader slid past his guard and her muscles burned. She turned her swing into a stab and drove herself forward, the tip colliding with his impossibly hard skin. Shit! It’s too tough! Kingshark laughed, and she heard Harbinger let out a gasp as he swung his arm and swatted her away. Crusader looked up and met his eyes.

“So you’re the fire girl, huh?” he growled. “Think you got what it takes to live up to Firestorm?” He rubbed his neck and sneered. “That burn still hurts, you know.”

She planted her feet. “I am not Firestorm. I am going to surpass him,” she growled as her blade ground against his skin.

His razorblade grin widened. “Oh yeah?” He laughed. “Prove it!”

He swept his hand down and reached for her as a faint crackle echoed in her ears. She smirked and took a step back, two more of her appearing on either side. She dove to the left while the others moved. He laughed. “You think-” 

“Hey, Fishface!” Harbinger shouted from the side. Crusader slid and rolled again, shuffling herself one more time with her illusory copies as the Supervillain’s attention split for a heartbeat. A column of labyrinth wall blasted from the ground and slammed into his chest, shattering on impact but keeping him occupied for another second. Crusader kept her eyes on the villain as he held up his arms, backing off when Harbinger followed up her surprise attack with another swat with her hammer. 

Come on, BLF… Do your thing!

Kingshark threw his arms out and tossed the tireless Harbinger away again, roaring. “Alright, you kids! That’s en-” he was cut off yet again, this time by a pair of massive, rubbery arms that wrapped their way around his limbs. Flexible legs wormed their way around his own, and his extremities were pulled taut. Shrieking sounds bombarded the villain’s ears as BLF’s head popped up behind Kingshark. He looked down at Crusader. “NOW!”

She stepped and swung an uppercut that glanced against his chest. She stepped to the right and swung again, then to the left, then to the right, then back, starting a square step that accelerated with each movement. Momentum built. Inner energy poured through her body, and fire began to ignite on the edge of her sword. Steady rhythm, steady beat, faster, a bit at a time!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANGCLANG! CLANGCLANGCLANG!

“FIRST MARCH!” she bellowed as her swings started to score the skin. First a millimeter, then, finally, it drew blood. She roared with the growing momentum as the Supervillain struggled to pull his limbs away from the awkward position. Burn hotter! More!BURN IT-

“ENOUGH!”

A terrible droning sound knocked Crusader off her feet. 

“BLF!” Harbinger shouted.

Something big grabbed her around the waist, and she was lifted off the ground. She gasped and clawed at it, her head still spinning from whatever had messed her up. Her eyes fluttered, and she looked right into Kingshark’s eyes. He grinned. “Got you, brat!” He laughed and started to squeeze the air out of her. She gasped as her lungs compressed. Shit! He’s so strong! He leaned in. “My fog should be putting your friends into a frenzy now, twerp. Let’s hope they survive what comes next.”

She coughed as his grip stopped compressing enough to let her speak. “Wh-what?” Was all she could manage.

He sneered. “You ain’t the only one with teamwork, hero.”

Something hummed in the air, and her eyes widened. Electricity. She looked down from where she was being held at the water covering the floor of the expo center and her friends lying in it. No! She tried to wrench herself free, letting out a hawk screech on instinct in an effort to at least disorient him. He just picked at his ear and snickered. “Not so tough now, are ya? Ready to watch ‘em all fry?”

No, no, no! “Guys! Get out of- ACK!” He squeezed again, her ribs buckling under his grip.

“Three, two, one-”

Light filled the room, and she scrambled to get free. She needed to get to them. She needed to- Wait. Why’s it purple? she thought, confused as something brushed across the back of her neck. She turned to see a thin layer of water rising up off the ground. It was glowing. She blinked in confusion and even turned to look at Kingshark, who was equally baffled. The water abruptly began to pull in on itself before compressing into a solid block of ice and landing heavily on the ground.

”I got you guys,” Gravitic’s voice said in her ear. ”You just do your job.”

Her heart soared, and she rounded on Kingshark, a fist raised. She set her jaw and pulled every ounce of fire she could into her hand before slamming it down into his wrist. Let me GO!

“Aaaarrgh!” Kingshark roared as he released her and staggered, clutching at his hand and screaming. “Fuck! It burns!” he swore and staggered again, looking at a smoldering black mark on his wrist. He whipped his head up and looked at her as she scrambled to her feet. She snatched her sword off the ground and planted it into the floor. Flames erupted from the spot, and his mist scattered like the wind. She stared him down, and he tilted his head. “Okay then-”

“Did you forget someone, boy?”

Kingshark turned and got a face full of Medved’s fist.