Chapter 11 - Attacked

Allen rubs his head after waking up to the sound of chirping birds outside.

"Agh. Where am I?" He sits, and rub his head again, "This hangover is killing me."

He finally looks around the room and realize that this is not his room, there's a golden mirror beside him, a desk, and something about make ups on it.

He feels a hand on his lap and pull the blanket off. Sarah is in the bed sleeping besides him.

"Ahhh!" Allen shouts and quickly gets out of the bed, he touch his body and notice that he's not wearing a shirt. He looks around and saw his jacket and shirt on the floor.

As Allen scrambles to put on his clothes, Sarah stirs in her sleep and slowly opens her eyes.

"Good morning," Sarah says with a smile, clearly unperturbed by the situation.

"Sarah, what happened last night?" Allen asks, still trying to piece together the events of the previous evening.

"What do you mean? You don't remember?" Sarah asks, teasing him. "You're in the Cursed Chalice, the bar."

"I remember that, What I want to know is what happened last night after that?" Allen asks, hoping Sarah will explain.

"Well...."

LAST NIGHT, OUTSIDE OF CURSED CHALICE, PARKING LOT

"Come on let's drink more." Allen says, trying to convince Sarah that he's not drank.

But Sarah just laughs and shakes her head. "I think you've had enough for one night, Allen. Let's get you home."

"Nah, I'm still good. Let's have one more shot," Allen insists as he stumbles slightly.

"Just get in the car." Sarah push Allen into the back sit. She goes to the driver sit and starts the car. "Where's do you live?"

Allen didn't answer, he's lying on the backseats sleeping. Sarah sighed and decides to bring Allen to her house.

Arriving at the house, Sarah ask the maid to help her carry Allen to her room.

"Sure M'lady." The maid said.

The maid and Sarah carefully carried Allen to Sarah's room and laid him down on the bed. Sarah shook her head in disbelief at how much he had drank.

As Sarah was about to leave the room, she heard Allen mumble something in his sleep. She walked closer to hear him say, "I'm sorry, Sarah. I never meant for things to turn out this way."

Feeling a mix of emotions, Sarah decided to take a shower first before going to bed. After she comes back, she notice Allen's shirt and jack are already on the ground.

BACK TO THE PRESENT

"I see, so we didn't do anything?" Allen asked making sure.

"No, we didn't do anything." Sarah reassures Allen.

Allen breath a sigh of relief, "I'm going now, thank you for taking care of me last night."

"Huh? Let's eat a breakfast first and I'm going to work soon, I have a motorcycle in the garage, I don't know how to drive it so I would love it if you can take me to the work using it." Sarah suggested.

Allen hesitated for a moment, unsure about riding a motorcycle. However, seeing Sarah's hopeful expression, he agreed.

"Alright, I'll give it a try," Allen said with a smile.

As they finished breakfast, Sarah handed Allen a helmet and led him to the garage where the motorcycle was parked.

With Sarah sitting behind him, Allen started the engine and slowly eased the motorcycle out of the garage.

Sarah held on tight, guiding Allen through the streets until they reached her workplace. As they parked the motorcycle, Sarah turned to Allen with a bright smile.

"That's wasn't so bad after all." She said, feeling the wind after getting off the motorcycle. "And you can keep that, I can't use that after all."

MAIN CITY...

BOOM!!

A large blast explode somewhere in the city, black smoke starts to fill the air. A loud siren wails in the distance as people begin to panic and run in all directions. Emergency vehicles can be heard approaching the scene as the chaos intensifies.

The helicopter hovers above, capturing the chaos unfolding on the ground below. Its camera zooms in to capture the smoke billowing from the blast site.

The smoke clears and a figure starts to materialize, revealing a man with a large sword on his back. Police officers starts to gather around the man, as the police officers surround the man with the large sword, they cautiously approach him, their weapons drawn.

The man stands calmly, his expression unreadable as he surveys the chaos around him.

One of the officers steps forward and orders the man to drop his weapon and surrender. The man remains silent, his eyes focused on a point in the distance.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me? I said drop your weapon." The officer commands.

Suddenly, without warning, the man unsheathes his sword and swings it with lightning speed, striking down several officers before they can react. The remaining officers open fire, but the man moves with incredible agility, dodging their bullets with ease.

The helicopter above captures the intense battle between the man and the police officers, broadcasting the scene live to viewers across the city.

Shurikens shoots from the distance, looking to strike the man, but he swing his sword and the air knock it off before it even reach him.

"That big sword looks cool." Velocity appears behind a building and quickly dash towards the man, Velocity ready his energy sword and the man ready his large sword.

Velocity's energy sword crackles with power as he tries to land a blow on the man, but the man's expertise in swordsmanship is evident as he effortlessly deflects each strike with his massive sword.

"Can't you talk big man? This is boring." Velocity says as he continues to hit the man.

The sounds of their battle echo through the city, drawing the attention of onlookers who watch in awe and terror from a safe distance. The police officers regroup and provide cover fire, trying to create an opening to apprehend the man.

Meanwhile, the helicopter continues to capture the intense showdown, broadcasting the epic battle live to countless viewers who are glued to their screens, hearts pounding with anticipation.

As the fight reaches a crescendo, the man suddenly disarms Velocity with a swift maneuver, sending his energy sword clattering to the ground. With a powerful strike, the man knocks Velocity to the ground, rendering him momentarily incapacitated.

"That hurts." Velocity says as he rubs his head and stand up.

As Velocity stands up and prepares to re-engage in the battle, he notices that the mysterious man with the large sword is no longer focused on him. Instead, the man turns his attention towards a different direction.

"Looking somewhere?" Velocity looks where the man is looking and saw Brock running towards the man. "Wait wait! Brock no!"

Without a second thought, the man with the large jumps above. Brock continue to run and he is going to hit Velocity.

As Velocity and Brock collide, they stumble and fall to the ground in a tangled heap. The man with the large sword lands gracefully a few feet away, his gaze fixed on Brock.

Brock quickly scrambles to his feet. "I won't let you get away with this!" He shouts, his voice filled with grit.

The man with the large sword remains silent, his expression still unreadable as he grips his weapon tightly.

"You big baby, you should look where you're going." Velocity, recovering from the collision, looks at the unfolding scene.

"Shut up, Mos." Brock said and charge at the man again.

The man calmly sidesteps, swiftly dodging Brock's attack. In a fluid movement, he swings his massive sword, sending Brock flying through the air and crashing onto the pavement.

"You alright, Brocky?" Velocity asks.

"Yeah, I've had worse," Brock replies, wincing as he tries to sit up.

"Where's the others? I don't think we can take this man down." Velocity says as he grabs his energy sword.

"Kriselle and Sparkles are helping the civilians, Amplify and Rays are nowhere to be found." Brock says as he gets up. "We can't give up now. If we work together, we might stand a chance."

Velocity nods in agreement. "I'll distract him and create an opening for an attack."

As Velocity and Brock prepare to face the mysterious man with the large sword once more, a sense of determination fills the air. They exchange a brief nod before Velocity rushes forward, his energy sword humming with power.

The man with the large sword watches Velocity's approach, his eyes focused and intense. As Velocity strikes with precision, the man parries the blow effortlessly, showcasing his incredible skill and speed.

Brock seizes the opportunity and lunges in from the side, aiming to catch the man off guard. Despite Brock's speed and agility, the man anticipates the attack and counters with a powerful swing of his sword, sending Brock staggering back.

"Stay focused, Brock!" Velocity calls out, the man use the opportunity and slam his sword to Velocity.

At the last moment, Velocity manages to dodge the sword's blow, narrowly avoiding a potentially devastating strike. With a quick somersault, he regains his footing and prepares to retaliate.

Bounding back into action, Velocity launches a series of rapid strikes with his energy sword, aiming to keep the mysterious man on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Brock shakes off the impact of the previous strike and joins the fray once again, this time coordinating his moves with Velocity's in an attempt to overwhelm their formidable opponent. Working in tandem, the two heroes create a flurry of coordinated strikes and feints, testing the limits of the man's skill and reflexes.

The man blocks the attack from Brock and grab Velocity arms, he slowly move his head to the ear of Velocity and whisper, "Blast."

A blinding flash of light engulfs the area, disorienting both Velocity and Brock. Suddenly the whole area explodes with a deafening roar as the shockwave from the blast rips through the surroundings, sending debris flying in all directions. Velocity and Brock are thrown off their feet, tumbling through the air before crashing down in a heap a far distance away.

As the dust settles and the smoke clears, the two heroes are unconscious.

The mysterious man with the large sword stands in the center of the chaos, his figure barely visible through the haze of smoke and debris. Despite the blast, he appears to be unscathed.

He sheathes his sword and turns to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Flare floats above looking intensely at the man. "You're not alone right? Your teammates are already defeated you're the only one left."

The man looked shocked by the sudden news he had just received from Flare. Slowly turns towards Flare, he speaks in a deep, cooling voice, "I see."

Flare hovers in the air, her fiery aura pulsing with intensity as she readies herself for whatever the man may attempt next. The air around them crackles with energy, each of them waiting for the other to make a move.

Without warning, the man suddenly lunges forward with astonishing speed, drawing his sword once again. Flare reacts quickly, summoning a wall of flames to block his advance. The man slashes through the flames effortlessly, his sword carving a path towards Flare.

As the sword comes dangerously close, Flare dodges with a swift movement, narrowly avoiding the deadly edge. She retaliates by launching a barrage of fiery projectiles towards the man, forcing him on the defensive as he deflects the attacks with precise strikes of his sword.

The clash between Flare and the man intensifies. The ground trembles with the force of their attacks, creating shockwaves that ripple through the air.

With a sudden burst of speed, Flare surges forward, her flames blazing brighter than ever before. In a daring maneuver, she closes the distance between them and delivers a powerful kick to the man's chest, sending him stumbling back.

Regaining his balance, the man grins menacingly as he prepares to counter-attack. Before he can make a move, a beam of lighting streaks across the sky and strikes him directly, knocking him to the ground.

"Am I late?" A figure appears behind Flare.

"No you're not Zayn, and I can take this man down, you shouldn't have done that." Flare replies.

"Really? I don't think so." Zayn says in his arrogant voice.

As Zayn and Flare stand over the fallen man, a tense silence falls over the battlefield. The man slowly rises to his feet, his expression twisted with a mix of anger and resignation.

"You may have the upper hand now," He grumbles, dusting himself off, "but this isn't over. I'll remember this defeat, and I will return stronger than ever before."

With a cryptic smile, the man disappears in a swirl of dark energy, leaving Flare and Zayn standing in the aftermath of their battle.

Flare turns to Zayn, her eyes flashing with frustration. "You always have to show up at the last second, don't you?"

Zayn shrugs nonchalantly, "Hey, just doing my part to keep you on your toes."