The night was thick with blood and the stench of death.
In a dimly lit warehouse, hidden in the backstreets of New Arcadia, screams of agony filled the air. The sound of teeth crunching under force, bones snapping like brittle twigs, and gurgled pleas for mercy echoed through the steel walls.
And at the center of it all stood Elias Vance.
Draped in a sleek black office suit, his hands soaked in crimson, he looked almost elegant—a grim reaper masquerading as a businessman. His face was obscured by a smooth, purple eye mask, a haunting contrast to the brutality he was unleashing.
The man beneath him howled in pain, blood dribbling from his broken gums. His teeth—scattered across the concrete floor—glistened like tiny pearls in the dim light. Elias had been methodical, yanking them out one by one, letting the bastard savor every moment of his torment.
Elias smiled, his grip tightening on the man's jaw. "Hurts, doesn't it?"
The man choked on his own blood, spitting crimson between jagged gasps. He was nothing special—just a pathetic worm, a low-ranking member of the Aegis Hero Association's underground network. But they were all guilty. Every last one of them.
"You… don't know what you're doing," the man sputtered, his voice trembling. Yet, even in agony, he dared to smirk. "Hahaha… A hero is on his way over here."
Elias' expression didn't change.
The man, emboldened by Elias' silence, grinned wider—jagged and red, a grotesque sight. "I don't know who you are, but you're dead—"
BOOM.
The man's head exploded into a shower of blood, brain matter, and skull fragments. The sickening splatter painted the ground, his body collapsing like a marionette with its strings cut.
Elias hadn't moved.
He turned his gaze upward.
A figure floated in the air, hovering just outside the shattered warehouse windows. His body was adorned in a sleek, futuristic hero suit with glowing blue etchings running along its surface. His platinum hair flowed weightlessly in the night air, and his expression was one of absolute arrogance.
His mouth smoked, remnants of the deadly laser he had just fired—the same one that had obliterated his own ally.
He had killed his own side without a second thought.
The floating hero sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Weaklings."
Elias licked his lips. Interesting.
The hero cracked his neck before speaking again. "Flirode."
Elias' voice cut through the silence. The hero blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Huh?"
Flirode narrowed his eyes, scanning Elias from head to toe. "Is someone calling my name?" His voice carried an unmistakable note of amusement, as if the idea of being addressed by a nobody intrigued him.
He smirked. "You must be new. Tell you what—I'll give you a chance. If you kneel…" His lips curled into a cruel smile. "I'll kill you quickly."
Elias exhaled slowly, cracking his knuckles. He was bored already.
The next moment, Flirode vanished—his speed breaking the sound barrier. He reappeared directly above Elias, his leg blazing with energy, descending like a meteor.
Elias sidestepped.
The ground exploded, sending debris flying in every direction. The force of the impact was enough to cave in the warehouse floor, creating a deep crater.
Flirode smirked. "Fast reflexes."
He lashed out again, his fists coated in energy, striking like a storm of bullets. Each blow sent shockwaves through the air, ripping through steel beams like paper.
Elias dodged them all.
Effortlessly.
Flirode's brow furrowed. He accelerated, his punches becoming a blur. "Tch. You're slippery, I'll give you that—"
Elias caught his wrist.
Flirode's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Elias' grip was like iron, his fingers sinking into the hero's flesh. With a savage twist, he wrenched Flirode's arm, forcing him off balance. Before the hero could react—
CRACK.
Flirode's elbow bent the wrong way.
A bloodcurdling scream ripped from his throat, but Elias wasn't done. He spun, driving his knee into Flirode's gut with enough force to crater the ground beneath them.
Flirode gagged, blood spurting from his mouth as his body hurtled through multiple walls, tearing through the warehouse like a ragdoll. He barely managed to stop himself midair, hovering above the ruined battleground.
He panted, clutching his broken arm, eyes blazing with rage and disbelief.
"You… bastard." He wiped the blood from his mouth. "You're strong."
Elias said nothing. He simply stepped forward, his movements slow, deliberate.
Flirode gritted his teeth. "Fine. I'll stop playing."
His body burst into light, energy flaring violently around him. The warehouse erupted into flames from the sheer pressure of his power.
"I don't know who the hell you are," Flirode snarled, his aura growing, the air itself warping around him. "But I'll make sure there's nothing left of you."
Elias stopped. Then smiled.
"Playtime's over."
Flirode flinched. Something about those words sent ice down his spine.
Then everything turned black.
A fist pierced through the air, faster than light itself.
Flirode didn't see it.
Didn't react.
Didn't even process it.
One moment, he was in the air, basking in his overwhelming power—
The next, his head was gone.
A sickening splorch filled the ruined battlefield as Flirode's body collapsed, blood gushing like a fountain from the space where his head had once been.
The night fell silent.
Elias lowered his fist, his knuckles dripping with warm brain matter.
He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the lifeless corpse of the so-called hero. His lips curled upward.
One down.
Many more to go.