The Apex forces of the AEOC and REOC rushed through the city. On one hand, Kaiser leapt with his team across buildings. On the other hand, a handsome young man with sparkling white hair, red eyes and dressed in red hanfu with white accents that had vambraces, shoulder armor, waist sash, pants and boots of the same color rushed with another group of individuals. Suddenly, Dante appeared in front of them. As soon as he did, Caesar flew by, destroying several buildings.
"Bellum, Kaiser." Dante called out. "He's the target. Chris is taking of one and I'll take care of the other. Just hold him off for a few minutes, alright?"
Bellum and Kaiser nodded.
"Right." Kaiser replied.
"You got it." Bellum snapped his fingers.
Dante disappeared, seemingly heading for Judas. Explosions resounded throughout the city as both Apex forces rushed at Caesar. Kaiser's spear extended in his hand and Bellum unsheathed his katana. The other members also pulled out their weapons. Caesar halted at a certain point, floating above the floor. He slowly turned around as Bellum and Kaiser leapt at him.
***
On the other side of Rush city, Dante and Judas flew through the air, flashing in and out of sight. Breaking the sound barrier easily, they cracked the buildings while circling the city. Suddenly, Dante blitzed his enemy, severing his arm. Judas – unfazed, simply regenerated it. They slowed down a bit and began their bout. Dante threw multiple attacks at inconceivable speeds. Judas blocked each and every one.
The shockwaves of their collision, shattered every window three blocks down. They passed through another building, shattering it entirely. They halted and fought. Judas jabbed. Dante dodged. He spun around and kicked at his enemy's head. Before Judas could recover, he hurled a barrage of punches which could barely be seen by the human eye. But in a sudden turn of events, a disfigured hand escaped from the pope's shadow and struck Dante hard.
Dante recoiled, crashing into another building.
"You seem to be taking me for a child." Judas called out.
As those words fell, two disfigured monsters stepped out of the shadow. One ten feet tall and another ten feet wide. More monsters began climbing out of his shadow as an extremely dark aura manifested around him.
"It would be in your best interest to take this seriously, otherwise… the demon might be summoned."
All of the sudden, Dante burst out laughing. His maniacal laughter echoed across the city which made Judas raise a brow. Dante stood up – unfazed. He dusted himself off and spoke to his adversary.
"Yes, I was taking it easy on you but…I didn't expect you to be at the level of an Archon. That means either you're an actual Archon which isn't possible or…" Dante locked eyes with Judas. "You're the avatar of an Anarch."
Judas paused for a moment. Then, he slowly applauded Dante, clapping in a slow and deliberate manner.
"Correct. Let me reintroduce myself." Judas replied. "Pope of the Anarchy Church and Avatar of the Anarch of Nightmares. Codename – Judas."
Dante's smile didn't waver. As lightning sparked from his body, the blue energy shifted to white.
"Oh?" Judas blurted.
Dante took a fighting stance.
"It's not every day you fight someone near my level but…I'll have to finish this quickly."
In the very next instant, they vanished from sight.
***
Back in the stadium, both Chris and Octavius clashed. Several ball-sized stars appeared on the battle. The next second, they vanished – snapped out of existence. Chris shot a compressed beam out of his fingertips. But they couldn't even touch Octavius, vanishing once they got closed.
'He's a transcendent for sure… and from the fact he's keeping up with me…he's a Paragon.'
Chris thought as they flew up. He threw a star at his adversary. The star exploded into a supernova – its debris spreading at the speed of light. The surrounding structures began melting under the heat. Octavius remained unfazed. Chris clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.
"What pillar is he on…?"
Both fighter clashed. Chris threw stars in his enemy's direction. Octavius rushed forward, touching the star. The next second, it flickered out of existence. The archbishop lunged at Chris. Chris's eyes widened and he dodged every single blow. Several beams of compressed stars shot forward. Octavius dodged most of them but the ones that hit did not survive.
Chris frowned, forming a spear of super-heated iron and threw it at Octavius. Octavius leaned forward, allowing the spear to land on his head. The same result occurred; it disintegrated. Both continued to circle the city. Chris raised two fingers. Octavius lifted his head. Above a miniature red giant formed. As it began falling, Octavius raised his arm. Once the archbishop grazed the burning ball, it flickered out of existence in a heartbeat.
'Is he on the pillar of destruction? No, then it wouldn't be disappearing…'
His mind continued to race as the bout continued. The hat surged with power in the background which made Chris worried.
***
Missio rushed through the city, gripping the hilt of his sword. He followed the destruction of buildings near, pressing his feet against the ground littered with debris. The city fell one building at time, collapsing like dominos. He turned the corner and a horrifying sight met him. All of the Apex forces except for Bellum and Kaiser had fallen. The others bodies lied in ruin, covered in bruises and cuts. Covered in bruises and blood, the two commanders stood below the archbishop. He rushed forward, calling out.
"Bellum!"
Bellum turned around, his body covered in his own blood.
"Well, shit." He muttered under his breath.
"What are you doing? Get out!" Kaiser shouted.
"No – dude." Bellum gripped Kaisers shoulders. "Don't worry, he's as strong as us. He can help us buy some time."
Kaiser turned towards him. "He's in the black ops. In what world is he as strong as us?"
Bellum sighed heavily, glancing at Caesar.
"Oh, no. Continue. I'll wait."
Bellum glanced over. He whispered something into Kaiser's ear. Kaiser's pupils dilated, staring at the wall. When, Bellum pulled back, he finally agreed.
"Fine, let's go."
Missio arrived on the battle field. He took off his weighted vest and threw it away. Unsheathing his katana, he stood between the two commanders as they looked at Caesar.
"Shall we resume?" Caesar asked in a polite manner.
In that moment, Missio's contacts broke. His scarlet eyes revealed themselves. Kaiser raised his spear, blood trickling down it's tip. Bellum raised his blade with a wicked smile. At the same time, two pristine white wings burst from Missio's back as the battle resumed.