"Long time no see, Ron," William said, his voice laced with a cold familiarity.
Ron squinted, unimpressed. "Who are you?"
William's eye twitched. So, he doesn't even remember me. A bitter pang of disappointment stung him; throughout the entire drive there, he had imagined nothing but Ron's reaction. Now, he felt like a forgotten ghost.
"Fight me!" William bellowed.
Sami glanced at Ron, thumbing toward the stranger. "Do you know this lunatic?"
"Nah," Ron replied flatly.
Sami sighed, stepping forward. "Hey, mister, you'd better leave while you still can—unless you have a death wish."
"Why won't you take me seriously?!" William screamed. He launched into the air, a blur of motion charging straight for Ron.
Ron's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait! You're—"
William's lips curled into a smirk. "So, you recognize me."
The flicker of recognition was a fatal distraction. In the heartbeat it took William to smile, Ron's fist connected squarely with his jaw. The impact sent William hurtling backward, crashing through the brickwork of a nearby building.
A guttural roar erupted from the wreckage, powerful enough to shatter every window in the vicinity. As Ron and Sami watched, William emerged from the dust, his eyes glowing a malevolent crimson. He raised a hand toward the sky; a violent, dark aura swirled around his palm, acting as a lightning rod for a sudden, deafening bolt from the heavens.
When the light faded, William stood clad in shimmering, ethereal armor, a blade gripped in each hand.
He moved.
In a blink, he was in Ron's face. He's fast, Ron thought, barely raising the Blade of Vengeance in time to parry. The sheer force of the blow sent Ron skidding back through several structures.
"TODAY YOU DIE!" William roared.
A fireball hissed toward his back. Without looking, William spun his katana, slicing the flames in half before the blade seemingly absorbed the heat. Sensing a counter-attack, Sami instinctively leapt back just as William's sword slammed into the earth where he had stood a second before.
"Strange," William mused, eyeing Sami. "How did you dodge that?"
Sami didn't answer with words. He rushed in, landing a heavy punch to William's face, but William didn't flinch. He simply tanked the hit and raised his blade. Sami scrambled back, summoning twin flaming swords into his hands.
The two lunged at each other, but Ron intervened, teleporting above the fray and driving a heavy stomp into William's shoulders, cratering him into the ground. William's eyes flashed, unleashing twin beams of heat. Ron teleported away just as the lasers scorched the earth.
Sami pressed the advantage, but William blocked the flaming strike with a cross of his swords. Suddenly, Sami's blades began to spark violently.
William's eyes went wide. BOOM!
The resulting explosion forced Sami to leap back. Ron appeared behind him, steadying his shoulder. "You okay?" Sami nodded, teeth stirred.
"DIE!" William's voice shrieked from behind them.
He moved like a shadow, driving his twin blades toward their throats. Ron began conjuring purple armor around his neck while Sami raised a flaming shield, but the killing blow never landed. The swords slammed into an invisible, shimmering barrier.
Rad? Sami thought. He looked over to see Rad nearby, chest heaving, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Infuriated, William hurled one of his swords at Rad. With a flick of his wrist, Rad caused the air to swirl; the sword vanished into a spatial rift.
"What kind of power is that?" William whispered. Then, the realization hit him. He pointed his remaining blade from Sami to Rad. "So... you two are the Xzangal brothers. It is an honor."
"You know us?" Rad asked between heavy breaths.
"You're quite famous within Foster," William laughed, a manic, high-pitched sound. "It's like I'm meeting celebrities! Come to my side, and I might let you live."
Rad's response was a silent, forceful thrust of his hand. The kinetic wave sent William flying into a storefront. With another gesture, Rad lifted the surrounding debris into the air and brought his hand down, burying William under tons of concrete.
The Final Form
Sami and Ron rushed to Rad's side.
"Are you okay?" Sami asked.
"You should go," Ron added. "We can handle this."
Rad shook his head, unable to speak. Suddenly, the pile of debris exploded. William charged again, but Rad caught him mid-air with a telekinetic grip. With a sharp flick of his wrist, Rad summoned a localized tornado. The wind acted like thousands of tiny razors, flaying William's body.
William fell to his knees, bloodied. Rad coughed up a spray of crimson, his strength fading.
"Don't push yourself!" Ron warned.
Sami stepped forward, conjuring a massive, swirling sun of a fireball. "This attack can grind a planet to dust," he warned.
"HAHAHAHA!" William's laughter was no longer human. "You guys are strong... but I am far above anyone you have ever known!"
A monstrous aura exploded from William, the ground beneath them liquefying from the pressure. Buildings leveled as Rad used the last of his strength to push his allies to safety.
When the dust settled, William was gone. In his place stood a nightmare: a four-armed titan, twenty feet tall, wreathed in a suffocating darkness.
"You are dead now," the monster boomed.