Mission Failed

Shield's head hit the ground with his eyes wide open, still shocked by his death. It was clear he never considered the possibility that he would die in such a mere escort task.

"I will be taking your power now!" Lucius grinned cruelly as he crouched and raised his hands, preparing to impale Shield's corpse.

Buzz!

Lucius's eyes narrowed as a fierce storm erupted, causing a strong wind to blow violently while the sky rumbled with bolts of lightning.

"You. I'll kill you!" Tempest roared, tears running down her blazing white eyes.

Buzz!

Blaze's body was engulfed in fierce flames, his furious gaze pinned on Lucius.

"Die, Bastard!" Tempest and Blaze roared as they unleashed lightning and fierce flames at Lucius.

....

News Broadcast of the Chaotic Battle

**Reporter's POV:**

The camera cuts to a live feed from the battlefield. The scene is chaotic, with flashes of lightning and bursts of flames illuminating the dark, stormy sky. The wind howls fiercely, whipping debris around and creating an almost apocalyptic atmosphere. The camera pans over to Tempest, her white eyes blazing with tears streaming down her face, and a man, Blaze, his entire body engulfed in flames. Both are unleashing their powers in a furious assault.

The camera then shifts to soldiers, their energy guns firing in the same direction as the heroes, their faces twisted in determination and anger. However, what the audience sees on the screen is starkly different from what Tempest and Blaze are experiencing.

Reporter's Voice

"This is Alice Chen, reporting live from the scene of the escort mission gone wrong. As you can see, Tempest and Blaze, alongside military forces, are attacking what appears to be... nothing? It's unclear why they are directing their powers and firepower into empty space."

The camera zooms in, showing Tempest's lightning bolts striking the ground and Blaze's fireballs exploding in mid-air, with no visible target. The soldiers' energy blasts are also hitting nothing but thin air. Yet, their expressions suggest they are fighting an intense battle.

Alice Chen (Reporter)

"There seems to be a significant disconnect here. According to reports from our on-ground team, Shield was killed in action moments ago, and yet, from what we can see on camera, Shield appears to be very much alive, albeit unresponsive. This strange phenomenon has left us and many viewers puzzled."

The camera catches a glimpse of Black Death, walking calmly and unchallenged toward the heavy-duty prison truck. He appears completely unfazed by the chaos around him. He is utterly ignored by both the heroes and soldiers, who are engrossed in their futile attacks on an empty space.

Alice Chen (Reporter)

"Viewers, we are witnessing something unprecedented. Black Death, the perpetrator, is moving towards the prison truck unopposed. It's as if he's invisible to everyone else on the battlefield. What could possibly be causing this bizarre behavior? Are the heroes and soldiers under some kind of illusion or mental manipulation?"

The camera continues to follow Black Death, capturing his every step as he approaches the truck. He reaches it effortlessly, the heavy-duty vehicle standing ominously against the stormy backdrop. Black Death's grin widens as he prepares to carry out his plan.

…..

Buzz!

Lucius's crystal feathers, swarmed into his hands, forming a feather sword, and with a single swing, Lucius slashed the backdoor of the van causing it to collapse and reveal those within.

[Bastards!] Lyxor was furious, but Lucius was strangely calm.

Lucius could recognize the people here, they all worked at Fort Aegis Medical Center, but Doctor Lisa wasn't among them. He had suspected something like this might happen, but he decided to risk it all and see it for himself.

'The project continues. These scapegoats will take the fall for her while she continues the research.' Lucius felt empty inside.

[The Government will only do what's best for them. You lost this time, Lucius.] Lyxor said.

"Please, Please don't kill us, we were framed." 

"Please, we have families in the residential district. We need to live for them."

"We didn't do anything wrong!"

The pleas of the people in the van irritated Lucius a lot, causing him to sigh while the blazing purple light in his eyes dimmed.

"You are not the one I came for, so I have no intentions of killing you." Lucius said before turning around to leave, but he froze.

Some distance away was Silver, dressed in his battle suit, his Aether blades in his hands. His eyes were cold, but there was a hint of confusion in them, most likely caused by Lucius's words.

[He actually came for you.] Lyxor was stunned.

'Of course, he did…' Lucius wasn't surprised.

"Doctor Lisa is not there. The person responsible for project power has been hidden away by your people, and the experiment will continue." Lucius's deep voice, seethed with anger.

His words made Silver frown, who looked past the Black Death. His frown turned to a look of shock because even he didn't expect things to turn out this way.

"I will have my family look into this." Silver said with a frown. "But first, who are you and why did you kill my sidekick?"

A brief silence fell between the two after the question was asked. It was as if Lucius was contemplating what to say.

"I am a product of the evil your country is trying to protect. As for your friends, I simply needed their powers for tonight's operation… it's nothing personal." Lucius shrugged.

"You gain a person's ability through eating their heart. I suspected this the moment I saw the wing and the purple mist. The wings belonged to Angel who was missing a heart and the mist reminded me of Mira casting her ability. Silver said thoughtfully.

"You have been watching?" Lucius said with narrowed eyes.

"Of course. I need to know everything about you. Only then can I take your life." Silver said with a friendly smile.

[Kill him now!] Lyxor roared.

"One last question. Are you Human or Deviant?" Silver asked.

"Deviants are humans…" Lucius's eyes narrowed.

Silver smiled at the response, he then turned around and began walking away.

"You are not going to kill me?" Lucius asked.

"Nope… You can easily overpower me." Silver shrugged while walking. "To kill you, I need the element of surprise. So until next time." 

Lucius frowned as he watched Silver wave carelessly while walking away. To think he was observing the fight and only came out to ask some questions. This kid is truly something special.

[That was your chance! Why didn't you kill him?] Lyxor asked.

'Do you think Silver is dumb enough to approach me without a backup plan?' Lucius frowned.

'If I attacked, I probably would have been the one killed tonight.' Lucius sighed as his figure slowly faded out of existence.

He and Silver parted ways, leaving behind a chaotic scene of soldiers and guardians bombarding a non-existent foe with barrages of attacks on live television.