Epsilon didn’t understand. The red-haired kid should have been only a skilled but foolish Diver whose youth drove him to a challenge beyond his abilities. Youngsters like that were everywhere. They feel invincible and think they could take on the whole world, but eventually they all run into a wall they can’t climb, a rift impossible to pass, and the cruel reality catches up to them, teaches them their rightful place.
Epsilon knew such people very well, because he was once one of them. That’s why he believed he could break him, throw him to the depths of the abyss, but that was a mistake. The same mistake that almost ended his life years ago. His foolishness led to him underestimating another challenge, and that challenge came back to bite him. This time, however, it was unlikely that he would make it out alive.
The arena was on the second basement floor, while the first one was a parking lot that remained empty most of the time. Crossing the two brought one to the ground floor of the building serving to camouflage the underground base, which was nothing more than a residential building as far as anyone was concerned.
The exit was near, but Epsilon didn’t dare let his guard down. Not that it mattered—there wasn’t much they could do against someone who could spawn holes under their feet, and watching their steps had meant nothing for the same reason. Their best choice was to run, and run, and run some more, all while hoping that the ground wouldn’t swallow them, leaving only their heads behind.
A faint tremor rose from below and gradually magnified as it washed over the fleeing group. Epsilon felt it even while riding on Rocky’s shoulder, and at the same time he was made aware of the shooting having stopped, giving him another bad premonition.
It was far too easy to forget that they were dealing with more than one hero. Flare’s presence was overshadowed by the one who called himself Dante, but that didn’t mean the young girl didn’t pose any danger. She was a powerful Genome herself, and her ability to control flames wasn’t to be underestimated.
The young hero was already on their tail. If she were to catch up with them, they would have to forget all about escaping until she’s dealt with. That’s why they had to make it out.
They had to reach the door. Only a few meters were left. Right around that one corner was a short corridor that led to the garages. Once there, Epsilon only needed to send a signal, and his escape vehicle would start on its own.
"Don’t stop!" He yelled. "Keep going!"
Rocky said nothing and hastened his pace, slamming into the wall as he made a sharp turn.
The crisp sound of concrete breaking resounded through the corridor. Epsilon didn’t pay it any mind, thinking it was a result of the reckless maneuver his burly bodyguard performed, but then his eyes fell on the floor.
Strange lines ran alongside the walls, as if left behind by something scraping the paint off. Epsilon had never seen those lines before, and in the short moment since he noticed them, he had no idea on what might have left such a mark. Just then, the giant he was sitting on shifted and a shiver rose up his body.
The sound of something soft and delicate shattering traveled through the entire building, and right before Epsilon’s eyes, the floor beneath their feet sank into the ground. Like a rabbit realizing it had stepped into a trap, he could only watch as his destination disappeared from sight, momentarily replaced by the pale lights of the parking lot below
A cloud of gray dust swallowed everything. Falling from a height of a dozen meters was far from lethal, and with Rocky cushioning the impact, Epsilon only felt a slight tremor. The others weren’t so lucky, however. Most had next to enhancements, seeing as they were the few chosen to take Catalyst.
Taken off guard, some fell on their backs and were struggling to get up, others took the blow with their heads and were bleeding out like broken glass bottles. Another three had no luck to speak of, having been right behind Rocky as he tumbled down. The hulking cyborg weighed a little over a ton, and no human had bones that could withstand being crushed under something like that.
Just as they thought the worst was behind them, the accursed sound reached their ears once more. Epsilon pushed himself up, not wishing to be caught in the same trap again, but it was futile. He was trapped at the center of a frozen lake and the ice was far too thin. Cracks had already spread through it, and the moment he tried to run-
In the end, it really didn’t matter. Despite everything, the ground still opened up and swallowed them. The enemy didn’t even bother using his powers to finish the job. From the start, they were nothing but toys in his hands. He set the bait and waited, and once they had swallowed it whole, he cut the rope loose and let the trap close around them.
"... Boss... are you... are you okay?"
The giant’s rough voice cut through the coughs and faint crunching of the debris below. The second fall wasn’t as bad as the first but it still left them all disoriented. As the dust began to settle, those who could still move studied their surroundings with caution, afraid that a single twitch would cause the ground to spread its maws once more.
As he pushed himself up, his mind raising to find a solution to his predicament, something rolled in front of Epsilon. His eyes were drawn to it by reflex, and realizing what it was almost caused his heart to jump out.
The round object was Delta’s severed head, the featureless mask still attached to it. He had seen one of his subordinates pick it up when he ordered them to retreat, and though he told him to leave it behind, the bastard still brought it along.
Delta, one of Caligo’s founding members, a cunning woman who outsmarted the law for more than two decades, was done in with such ease, her last words an order she didn’t even get to finish.
A monster. They were fighting a monster. No single human could’ve done all of this on their own. Only a monster could manage such feats. Epsilon knew that all too well. After all, the drug he was trying to sell promised its users the same thing.
"I... I need to get out of here..."
Fear gripping his heart once more, Epsilon took a step forth.
He ignored the voice of his confused guard. The bulky bastard was half the reason they sank the first time, and taking him along was sure to cause the same disaster. The others as well. They were nothing but weights dragging him down. If he wanted a chance at survival, he needed to get rid of them all.
"Don’t... Don’t come..." He said, his voice turning hoarse. "S-stay back and-"
The rest of his words were drowned by a thunderous bang that reverberated through the whole parking lot, followed by the chaotic clanging of a metallic sheet bouncing. Turning to the source of the noise, it took Epsilon a moment to realize he was looking at the bent door of the emergency stairs. Looking up at where it should have been, he saw the graceful figure of a young woman with bright crimson hair.