Chapter 15: No Days Off

The sun was halfway finished with its daily revolution. An orange glow covered the sky as the moon slowly woke up. On an island far away from any first world country, a slaughter was taking place. Multiple buildings were sliced to pieces. Homes and infrastructure were covered in puncture marks. It was as if something sharp had pierced and cut the area.

"Run!"

"Oh God!"

"Help!"

"Ahhhhhh! It hurts! Ahhh-"

PFFFT

The voice was cut off by a ghastly dark spike impaling his throat. His hands grasped the wound as blood trickled through. Unfortunately, it was futile. Thousands of feet trampled the dying man as civilians ran away in fear.

"Kreeeeeee!!!!!"

Floating toward the panicking humans at a relaxed pace was a humanoid monster. Its figure was covered in smoke-like darkness. Two large smoky wings twitched on its back. Small intricate chains hung from its body. The face of the monster gave off a feral aura, two sharp fangs protruding from its mouth. A wave of darkness followed behind it. The dark energy was like nightmare fuel.

The nightmare beast flicked its finger causing spikes to eject from shadows the humans made. It was a massacre. Corpses littered the streets while the survivors ran away. Others remained inside their seemingly safe homes, sighing with relief as the monster passed them. Their relief was short-lived. The wave of darkness swallowed them, leaving nothing behind.

This was the scene Taz witnessed upon returning to Earth. His now recovered supervision and hearing allowed him to notice it instantly. The hero who had been traveling through space for the last week and a half rubbed his temple.

"I just wanted to take a shower." He complained.

Of course, he didn't need sleep with his powerful physique. It was just a habit from his time living on Earth. The stoic hero still needed to put his cape back on as well. While floating above the clouds, the viltrumite gave his black suit a once over.

The blood from his previous venture was gone due to his speed of travel. It would still need to be washed however. It just felt right for the soldier to be as clean as possible. He hadn't brushed his teeth in a while either. His patience was running thin.

Nevertheless, it was time to act. A small emission of wind was released as he flew down toward the beast. Taz moved through the air silently. The monster in question was too preoccupied with killing the innocent. It failed to notice the approaching hero.

"Alright. That's the end of your fun."

Hearing these words, the nightmare beast turned its head. Before it could even lay eyes on the source, two strong hands clamped onto its wings like a hydraulic press. A foot pressed against its back.

RIIIP

"KREEEEEEE!!!!" It screeched in pain.

Now that its wings were gone, it plummeted to the ground. Taz followed right after the dark figure, a stomp aimed toward its head. Right at the moment of impact, the beast's body became covered in darkness. The elite soldier's foot went through its body and crashed into the ground.

'Hmm?' He thought with a raised eyebrow. The usual crunching feeling didn't resound in his ears.

The nightmare stood up through Taz's leg and raised its hands. A plethora of spikes rose from the ground and walls in every direction. They shot toward the hero in an attempt to make him a porcupine.

The young viltrumite channeled his solar energy through his body. It coursed through his veins faster and faster. A golden sheen immediately covered his skin. When the spikes reached him, the tips shattered as the intense heat traveled down each stem.

Taz stared at his hand, clenching and unclenching his fingers. He currently felt invulnerable, even more than he already was. It felt like he could blow the planet away in a single punch. It was unknown if he could actually do it, but he definitely felt much stronger. Time slowed down as he thought to himself.

'The sunlight charged me up much faster than expected.' He realized.

When he originally lost his unique abilities, he assumed it would take months to recover. Unknown to him, his body had adjusted to the predicament. The smart atoms had evolved, reaching a higher tier of being. This allowed him to take in the sun's radiation faster and at a larger amount. He was now like a super battery.

"New form acquired, I guess." He muttered in bullet time. Just by running out of energy due to overconsumption, the stoic viltrumite had leveled up. He could see the ground next to his feet burning away.

Turning back to the nightmare beast, he could see it getting ready to escape. It was frozen in time. Taz instantly appeared in front of it. His hand grasped the monster's jaw. For some reason, he could touch it now. Just being in close proximity, the dark enemy caught on fire. Time resumed.

"KREEEEEEE!!!" It screamed into his hand.

Going even further, Taz's eyes glowed white. Two thin lasers of intense heat drilled into the nightmare's eyes. The white light caused the surroundings to be almost unseeable. It was too bright.

When the young soldier blinked his eyes, he saw nothing in his hands. The monster was gone, and the ground beneath him was as smooth as marble. Taz stopped circulating his solar energy. His body quickly returned to normal.

'Shower.' He thought.

Wasting no time, launched into the air. A sonic boom could be heard as he broke the sound barrier.

…

…

…

The hot water covered the young hero's form. Taz had immediately gone to the bathroom after reaching the apartment. His suit was already in the washer.

"Mmmmm…" He sighed in relaxation.

It wasn't the same as the sun, but it would suffice. Time passed as he washed up. Once he was clean, he grabbed a towel. The desire for food had assaulted his brain. He wasn't hungry, but a good tasting meal was the new focus. The fridge opened to reveal an empty space.

"Tch."

Kate had devoured any and every bit of leftovers. She wasn't in the apartment when he arrived and she still hadn't returned. It was starting to get dark but Taz assumed she was held up with hero work.

By this point, his costume was dry. The elite soldier clipped the cape back onto the suit and hung it up in the closet. A bag of chips was in his hand as he laid down on the couch. With the click of a remote, the TV sprung to life.

This was how Taz planned to spend the night. The viltrumite deserved a nice and comfortable sleep after completing his mission. His eyes slowly closed as the white noise lulled him to unconsciousness.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG

A high pitched ring flooded his ears. The frequency was so high, only he would be able to hear it. There was only one way this sound would be released. The device he gave to his lover.

"Kate!" He exclaimed.

The man became a blur as he sped into the bedroom and donned his suit. In an instant, he was on the balcony. He vanished.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Multiple booms could be heard as his speed increased.The atmosphere burst into flames at the speed he traveled. A line was carved into the clouds as he rocketed toward the source.

As he neared the area, he saw a skyscraper with holes in the walls and ceiling, all on the top floor. A plethora of heroes lay on the ground critically injured. It was the Guardians of the Globe along with Invincible. His body was covered in blood, his eyes red from bursting its blood vessels. He was extremely close to death.

Monster Girl was in her green form nearly dead, the skin of her skull peeled back. Her bloody skull was visible to all. Black Samson had a shattered arm and torso, his lungs punctured as well. Rex Splode was lucky. He was only unconscious. Robot's body was completely destroyed. Shrinking Rae was unconscious, her arms bent in unnatural directions.

Taz's eyes dilated seeing his lover. Dupli-Kate lay with her back to the wall. Several of her copies lay next to her in pieces. Not a single one was fully intact. One of her hands held onto a hole in her waist, which bled onto the floor and wall. Blood dripped from her mouth as she fought to breathe. In her other hand was the frequency emitter.

A villain stood in front of her with a shitty grin. An elastic appendage stuck out of his chest like a rope. There were many villains in the room. A man in a suit and tie sat on a chair behind his desk. His head was purely machine. A man in a yellow costume stood next to the table as electricity danced around his body.

Two more villains stood side by side. On the left was a man in a machine-like costume. Plasma radiated from beneath the suit. On the right was a magma humanoid. His entire body was made of lava. There was only one more villain and he seemed to be the strongest one.

He resembled a lion with white fur and skin. The combat suit that he wore was a mix of black, red and gold. His orange eyes were squinted with pleasure as he licked the blood off his face. He had just finished smashing Invincible to near death with his golden mace.

The elastic villain smiled as he stood over Dupli-Kate. This was the first time he experienced such an easy win. The new Guardians of the Globe truly were garbage.

"Don't sweat it too much. I'll end it quickly." He said.

The elastic appendage twisted like a drill and compressed against his chest. It was preparing to shoot out like a spring. If it connected, Kate's head would splatter into pieces. Before it could shoot, the villain disappeared. One second he was there, and the next second he was a bloody mist. Standing in his place was the angry viltrumite.

The other villains all turned in sync to see a furious Absolver standing in a pile of red fog. They could tell it was blood. But what villain was missing? Everyone besides the white lion couldn't help but gulp nervously.The ice cold expression on Taz's face promised a painful end. They had never seen a hero kill before. The situation had just gone from easy mode to hell mode.

"Kate…" He spoke quietly. The stoic hero kneeled in front of his lover.

"Kuhhgkk….Taz-kfft…" She croaked with a smile of relief. The injured heroine could barely speak, suffocating on her own blood.

"Don't talk. Just breathe. I'll fix it." He spoke gently. His hand grasped hers.

After speaking, his eyes glowed with a gentle red light. Kate squeezed his hand due to the pain. The blood clot in her lungs burned away. He also cauterized the wound on her side. Her situation immediately became stable.

"Taz…they-"

"Shh…just rest." He soothed her.

Dupli-Kate looked into his eyes, then glanced at the watching villains. Their nervousness was palpable. Knowing that the situation was all but dealt with, she closed her eyes. Her breathing became even as she fell unconscious.

Now that she was free from the shackles of death, Taz turned around. His cold eyes locked onto the white lion. The villain in question smiled with raised arms.

"We are the strongest. Don't worry! I'll wait for you to clean the trash. I'm a man of my word. Hahaha!" He exclaimed with arrogance.

The angry viltrumite then turned to the other villains. In an instant, he vanished.

"Where'd he go?!" The lightning clad villain exclaimed.

Turning his head, he saw a fist. It grew closer and closer to his head. Without knowing why, he knew that it was the last thing he'd ever see.

BANG

With the sound of a gunshot, the villain's head disappeared. The body slumped to the ground. Blood spurt onto the floor.

"Oh shit. Ohhh shit!" The magma man exclaimed in fear. If he could, he'd be shitting his pants.

The remaining two villains looked at each other and nodded. If they wanted to survive, they'd have to work together. A stream of lava shot toward the cold faced hero. Plasma beams shot out from the machine costumed villain. The attacks seemed to hit Absolver. A cloud of dust rose up.

"Did it work?"

When Magmaniac turned to the plasma villain known as Furnace, he sweatdropped. The viltrumite was there, holding the man in a vice grip. He slowly ripped off the metal costume.

"Wait! Stop! If you pull off my suit, I'll-"

RIIIIP KRASH CLANG

The suit fell to the floor with a clang. What was left was a glowing humanoid who's body could be seen phasing in and out of place. He was becoming unstable. Taz grasped his face and threw him to the sky. Furnace's body burned through the ceiling like a laser and ascended all the way to the clouds.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!"

BOOOOM

An incredible explosion of blue and orange blanketed the sky. The night sky lit up as if the sun had returned. It was dark again a few seconds later. Absolver then turned to the last weakling. Magmaniac had his hands up in surrender.

"I give up! I surrender! Don't kill me!" He pleaded. Taz nodded.

"Okay. I won't kill you." He said. The lava man heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank god."

The stoic hero walked over to Machine Head sitting behind the desk and pulled out a large metal safe from the wall. After ripping it open and dumping the contents, he looked at Magmaniac.

"Hey! That safe cost a lot of money, you know!" Machine Head complained. He seemed to feel no sense of danger. Ignoring him, Taz spoke.

"Get in the safe. I'll be taking you to prison before you melt through it." Absolver ordered the lava man.

The villain submissively walked into the safe. He truly wanted to live. Once the safe door closed, Taz flew out of the building at top speed. A dark smile appeared on his face as he switched directions and accelerated toward the north.

By this point, the young viltrumite knew that Nolan was watching. He knew that Omni Man would keep Kate safe if he didn't want to enter a life and death battle with his fellow soldier.

In an instant, they were at the North Pole. Absolver poked a few holes in the safe with his fingers. Leaning close to the holes, he spoke.

"Good luck."

"What? What do you mean?" The man made of lava questioned nervously.

As they floated over the ice cold ocean, the stoic hero let go of the safe. The metal cage fell through the air. Magmaniac no longer felt gravity as he floated inside of it. Fear began to overwhelm him.

BAM SPLASH

The impact from falling at such a height caused him to splatter on the wall like paste. Ice cold water slowly entered through the holes as the safe went deeper and deeper under the ice capped ocean. When he reformed, he felt his lava cooling off.

"No! Not like this!" He roared.

He tried to shoot magma, but it was cooling. More and more water was flooding the metal cage. The deeper it went, the more pressure was being exerted on the material. Eventually, the holes would burst open, allowing all of the water to surge in. That would be the end of Magmaniac.

Meanwhile, Absolver had already returned to the broken skyscraper. The white lion could be seen playing with his golden mace. Machine Head was tied up and Rex Splode stood behind him. It seems like the warrior villain had let him off.

"That just leaves you." Taz exclaimed. The villain known as Battle Beast smiled.

"So it does."

"You would've had a better chance fighting with the others."

"Don't kid yourself. Our battle will be…glorious."

The two fighters jumped in sync, breaking through the ceiling. They were now on the rooftop. The golden mace twirled around the villain's hand.

"I'm not in a good mood, so your death won't be quick." Absolver announced.

"Hahaha! Don't be so sure." Battle Beast responded.

Without wasting any more time, the two vanished.

BOOOM