by Ross Buzzell
“Is she okay?”
“SHH, I’m working on it,”
she snaps at him as a soft glow leaves her hands.
Chapter: 23
When Gods Fall
Konner attempts to shake off the blow that rattles his very bones to such an extent that his vision strobes as if he has been struck in the back of the head. By the time his focus falls into place, a massive foot fills his vision and delivers a kick to his cheek as it forces the air from his lungs. A sharp pain shoots through his sternum as he is forced off his feet by the boot, one similar to when he broke his ribs years before. His body hits the concrete and bounces like a rock on water. He skips across the plaza and only comes to a stop when he slams into a pillar of an opposing building.
“Cracked sternum detected. Healing will be complete in three, two, one.”
The pain in his chest dissipates, thanks to the alien DNA he had been spliced with as a teenager and his body altering it to his use. His lungs, on the other hand, are a completely different story. They burn due to lack of oxygen, and his chest feels as if it is fried as he inhales forcefully. The sweet-scented air rushes into his body like a backdraft, setting his lungs ablaze. He feels his strength and focus return to him once more just in time to track Xero leaping through the air. His shield still ignited, Konner sidesteps the incoming beast. Thrusting out his shielded arm, the protective energy’s edge catches Xero in the chest. Konner leans forward and slams the man into the ground, which causes his sword to tumble free from his hands.
With his blade free, Konner dashes at the weapon, his mind focused on one single thing: disarm the monster. Konner gets to the blade first. His fingers grip tightly around hilt of the weapon only for it to lift off the ground and pull Konner back towards Xero, who has returned to his feet and has his hand outstretched. The warrior prince gets a peek at Xero, his eyes ablaze with rage. The behemoth side-steps his weapon and instead slams a fist into Konner’s side. He tries to put up a barrier to protect himself and manages to get a small one up to cushion the blow. As Xero’s fist meets the hard light barrier, it explodes in a flash of blue light. The force of the punch is still powerful enough to bounce Konner across the plaza once more like a pinball. This time, Konner hardly feels the blow and is able to catch himself mid-air by focusing all of his energy on his back.
A sense of weightlessness grasps Konner as he begins to hover. His eyes lock on to Xero, who is charging him with both hands on the hilt of his weapon, drawn up to face height and its tip, which can slice between the very bonds of atoms themselves, aimed directly at Konner. In the blink of an eye, Xero is in range to strike. Fortunately, Konner can move just as quickly and glides through the air backwards just as the blade slices through the air with an almost deafening whistle, right where Konner was. The prince decides to change up strategy. Close quarters is not working, so he decides to go to range. Konner focuses the intense heat and power that he has absorbed from the many stars he has been exposed to throughout his life into both of his hands. Xero can no longer absorb radiation, so a spark of hope in the back of Konner’s mind cheers for this tactic to have some effect. Konner begins to dash across the field of battle, throwing his hands out, directly at Xero. With each cast, a sphere of contained plasma energy sparks its way to Konner’s target, ripping across the plaza with such speed and force that the debris under them lift off the ground by a few inches as they pass over.
Xero is fast too. Konner watches as he deflects each and every blast with his blade as if the spheres of energy are nothing. One of them skips across the ground. Konner tracks it and attempts to rein it back in, but it is too late. The blast slams into Doug’s back, which sends him through a building. He would typically call out an apology, but this particular battle requires all of his concentration. Konner continues to exert the energy within him, but Xero is able to continually deflect every shot. One sphere of azure plasma energy barely grazes his arm and Konner notices that it actually burned Xero’s skin. An idea leaps into his mind; if he can get inside the radius of the sword’s reach, he might just be able to cook Xero at point blank range.
An explosion behind Xero results in a moment of pause of both of the warring titans, Konner sees Disa’ani fly out of the hole made by Doug and slam into a fountain. The moment Doug emerges Konner feels a wave of relief his him, his attack did not harm his team mate. Konner returns his attention to the battle at hand and charges Xero. His opponent draws his blade back for a slash, but Konner overclocks his senses once more and the world slows down. Even with Xero swinging his sword as fast as he can, Konner dodges the attack by spinning over the blade, moving behind his opponent and grabbing him from the back. Konner wraps his arms under Xero’s armpits; he coils his hands behind Xero’s skull and interlocks his fingers before clamping down tightly. Without a moment’s hesitation, Konner emits a focused, powerful burn of radiant energy from his chest that burns with such intensity that it even causes Konner to begin to sweat. With most of his concentration on keeping Xero in place, who has begun to struggle and scream as the scent of burning flesh fills the air, the remaining part is dedicated to absorbing any stray radiation as to not render the city un-inhabitable.
Xero attempts swinging his blade at Konner but does not have the range to cause any damage. Konner feels his body spin as Xero desperately tries to fling him off. Konner is unrelenting; he continues to pour as much power into Xero’s back as he can in hopes of rendering him to ash. The primal roars of Xero, which accompany the ever-growing stench of his searing flesh, are not one of pain, but of rage. Like a rabid animal desperate for a kill.
“Power levels seventy-three percent, seventy-five percent, seventy percent...”
His bracer begins to speak once more as the immense flocculation in power output would typically be cause for concern. Konner holds on as tightly as he can. Sweat now begins to pour from his body as the heat that he transfers is akin to that of the core of a star. Suddenly, the unthinkable happens; the sweat on his hand causes one of his knuckles to slip and that is all Xero needs. Seizing the opportunity, Konner feels Xero jerk his arms forward. This causes his hands to completely slip free and for Xero to separate himself from Konner. Immediately, Konner holds back the energy he has been releasing to see the scalded bubbling flesh of Xero’s back. There is no pus, no blood, nothing that would accompany a burn that is so complete that most of his ribs and over half of his spine is exposed to the air.
The monster before him lets out a growl. Konner finds himself frozen; he doesn’t have a next move planned and the sight before him has him in such shock he would not know what to do even if there is something else planned. Xero straightens his back; he tilts his head to one side. A loud crack emanates from him as the flesh, muscle, and tissue on his back regenerate faster than anything Konner has seen before. Within mere seconds, Xero looks like he has never been injured at all. Konner is so stunned by this, he hardly notices Xero turn and face him. Only when Xero slams his forehead into Konner’s nose so hard it forces everything to go black momentarily that the prince realizes the error of not being on his toes. He comes to just a moment later, only to find that the blow has sent him to the far side of the plaza, near Disa’ani and Doug.
Konner feels a warm running sensation dribble down his upper lip; he wipes his hand under his nose to see that it is bleeding. As his eyes rise, the world around him seems to move slowly once more. Not through his own abilities but out of shock, everything has gone horribly wrong. A twisting sensation in his gut nearly stops his heart as he sees Disa’ani twist one of the many spears he impaled Doug with. Emma is flying from the rooftop, clearly with Danielle as her hair is blond not the raven black it usually is. Their screams echo in Konner’s very soul as flashbacks of his wife, child, and father being slaughtered before him flash through his mind. The very fire in his flashback causes him to snap back to reality as it ignites itself within his core. Anger replaces calm, vengeance replaces protection, and rage flows through Konner with such fury that even
the slightest bit of exhaustion is extinguished behind the white hot fire that burns within him. His tunnel vision is so laser focused on Xero at this point that he does not notice Disa’ani is defeated, or that Doug is actually okay, but he only feels the shockwave that the beast before him emanates by slamming his sword into the ground.
Konner feels his skin go cold as his hands turn into pallasite; he lets off a roar with such power and ferocity that the incoming Xero is staggered for a brief moment. With nothing but blinding rage in his heart, Konner leaps through the air and slams into Xero, knocking him on his back. Standing above him, Konner, for possibly the first time in his life, does not hold back even the slightest bit of strength. He slams his fist into Xero’s head over and over again, each punch so powerful it sends Xero into the ground just a little further and pulses of concussive blasts radiate in all directions as his fist meets his opponent’s face. With such focus on just his opponent’s head and all strategy leaving, he hardly registers his computer echo in his mind.
“Safety barriers decaying; absorbed dark energy present in host.”
Konner gets a swift punch in the chest, which lifts him off the ground slightly, then a second, which causes the prince to go careening into the steps of the domed building at the end of the plaza. The rage burning within him evaporates upon the two devastating blows as it burns out, protecting him from feeling the attacks. A dark thought enters his mind about how to end Xero and a smirk forms on his lips, but before he can get up, Xero is on top of him. His hands grasped firmly around Konner’s throat, he begins to squeeze. Konner feels his windpipe collapse and the arteries in his neck close. He fights for air as his hands slam themselves into Xero’s elbows in an attempt to get free but to no avail. Xero’s grip is far too tight. He tries forming a shield between Xero and himself, which only shatters the second it is formed. He tries to open a portal, but his concentration is too erratic and it fizzles out. The same goes with trying to re-ignite himself.
Out of nowhere, a deafening blast fills the air, which seems to cause Xero’s head to snap forward. He loosens his grip on Konner and drops him to the ground; everything has started to go black, but he is able to see Natalie, fearlessly charging at Xero with a shotgun in her one good arm, unloading the entire weapon’s arsenal into his face. Each shot finds its mark right on top of the others, and each blast forces Xero back a few steps.
“Second amendment, you son of a bitch!”
she yells as she fires the last round into Xero. Both relief and fear grip Konner as Natalie runs to his side, dropping her now empty weapon in the process. She wraps her arms around him. He feels a tug as if she is trying to help him to his feet, but his eyes are only locked onto Xero, who is moving in for a kill. Out of seemingly nowhere, Doug slides in next to Xero, his body covered in nearly living Energynium, and with an outstretched foot, slams it into the side of Xero’s knee, which causes it to buckle. Konner looks up at Natalie. He feels the darkness in the back of his mind subside for a brief moment, long enough for him to think clearly. How badly he wants to tell her he loves her, to kiss those soft luscious lips of hers to run his fingers through her silken hair, but there is no time. He opens a portal behind her and gives her a gentle shove into a nearby building, where she will be safe for now.
Konner closes the portal just in time to see Doug get backhanded by Xero into one of the now hardly standing buildings. Konner lunges at Xero, only for his enormous hand to catch him by the center of his breastplate. Konner feels the pull of centrifugal force on his body as Xero spins and throws Konner into the air like he weighs nothing at all. Konner slams through the white dome of the structure before a sensation of weightlessness grips him once more. He sees Xero charging down the grassy park towards his flying body before a powerful shudder rocks him, the sound of twisting metal and concrete exploding fills the air. Konner falls to the ground. He looks up to see what stopped him, and to his horror, he cannot help but see that he has severed one entire side of the arch. Konner quickly makes his way to the city side of the arch’s base. To his horror, he sees Natalie charging out of the building he just dropped her in, and Xero, changing his trajectory, begins to walk towards her. Konner hears the arch groan under the strain of only having one side supported. He flexes his muscles to intercept Xero when the unexpected happens.
Xero suddenly falls to his knees; he drops his sword and lets out a scream of pain. Konner notices that Danielle is near the street, behind Xero, her hand outstretched and her face strained. Blood oozes from her nose as she somehow holds Xero in place with agonizing pain in order to buy a few more seconds. The groan becomes louder as the monument begins to tilt towards the city. The second support for the structure is unable to support the weight, and in an explosion of metal and concrete, the monument shears itself free from its base under the force of gravity. Debris begins to fall as the monument breaks apart. Konner charges Natalie and slides to her side as she ducks and covers her head. He throws a shield up just in time for metal and concrete to bounce off of it. Konner glances up to see Emma grab Danielle and take her into the sky. Her connection with Xero is severed and he begins to rise to his feet, but it is too late. Danielle has done her job. The massive monument slams down on top of Xero with so much force the ground quakes. Konner hopes that the fight is over, but deep down, he knows it is not. The impact of the arch caused it to break into multiple smaller segments; some even roll away, which gives rangers a chance to surround the segment of the monument that fell on Xero. Konner turns his attention to Natalie. His dirty fingers run through her hair as he is caked in sweat, blood, and soot. She does not care; she moves to her tiptoes and kisses Konner deeply and passionately. The prince does not hesitate and returns her affections, and while his heart is thrown completely into it, his mind is distracted with the thought of Xero. He slowly breaks the kiss and gazes into her eyes.
“You saved my life, thank you. Now get out of here before Xero breaks free!”
Natalie shakes her head defiantly.
“I’m not going to leave you!”
Konner looks up at the rangers; he waves two of them over and they approach alongside the rest of Konner’s team.
“Natalie, go! They will keep you safe. Get out of the city!”
She tries to resist for a moment before a massive portion of the arch begins to rumble and shift.
“Doug, Danielle, get Natalie to safety. These guys have jobs to do! Emma, stay clear but stay close. I may need your help.”
Doug opens his mouth to argue. Konner points and roars. It is no time for debate or arguing, only action, and as the only team member who can effectively stay out of Xero’s reach is Emma, it makes sense to Konner to send the others away to possibly fight another day.
“DO NOT ARGUE! JUST RUN!”
Danielle grabs Doug, who nods. Konner notices the shock on his face, part surprise, part disappointment he will not be able to finish the fight, but all three flee as the rangers take back their positions.
“I’ll see you on the other side!”
Doug calls out as they get clear. Just as they get clear, the portion of the arch is thrown high into the air. It comes down on some of the rangers, killing them instantly. He stands in the small crater, seething with rage. The other rangers open fire, but their bullets do nothing. Xero completely ignores them as his eyes are locked on to Konner. The prince glances over to Emma, who flashes him a nervous smile.
“Half as long?”
she asks. Her voice is nervous, but she holds it steady. Konner nods.
“Twice as bright!”
he replies. Xero begins to charge Konner. Putting his sword back, Konner runs at Xero. His hands glow as he opens multiple portals under the remaining soldiers, dropping them away from the field. Emma takes to the skies as Konner throws his hands forward, unleashing a storm of blue and white plasma fire with such intensity, small bolts of lightning strike light poles, Xero, and even Konner himself.
Xero takes the blast straight to the chest and hardly
slows down. As he closes in, Konner dashes past him, moving somewhat behind him as he pours even more power into Xero to the point he actually begins to feel the effects of energy deprivation. The prince is not about to stop, but Xero has other plans. He dashes at Konner, delivering such a powerful blow to his chest that his solar flares cut out. His body takes to the air once again and everything goes quiet as he breaks the sound barrier. The blow does not hurt, which surprises Konner. Perhaps his nerves are so fried that his body is beginning to go numb, or perhaps it has something to do with this dark itch that seems to continually rise in the back of his mind. Konner turns, only to see a massive stadium in his path. He smashes through the side and blasts through the seats, which slows him down considerably, before bouncing to a stop in the center of a green field of grass with dirt in the shape of a diamond on it.
Konner slides to a stop, forming a crater. Every cell in his body aches as he feels a weakness he never has before, almost like a hunger but from every atom in his body. He glances down at his bracer and sees that it is blinking near one percent power. Slowly, he forces himself to his feet, each movement of his joints like metal grinding against metal, every twitch of his muscle fibers like fire engulfing his body. Xero soars in through the hole that Konner made, skipping to a stop right in front of the prince, who, with every ounce of his waning strength, hits Xero in the side of the head hard enough to send him to the ground. With no real strength to counter the force of the punch, Konner staggers backwards as Xero climbs to his feet and dusts himself off.