Pillars of Strength

"Allow me to tell you a story about an Immortal. A man said to have lived thousands of years, witnessing all of history's most significant events, and sometimes even being responsible for them." Started Victor, hovering over the downed Jay. As he spoke, Jay's blue dagger zoomed through the air, shooting into Victor's mask. However, once again, it failed to leave any significant damage.

"A man who proved time and time again that he was a force to be reckoned with. A force that even the Justice League are wary of. He was the same man who trained me in combat."

"From a young age, I was taught how to kill, raised in a place where death and violence constantly surrounded me, I picked it up quite quickly. I was a genius. Picking up skills in days where it took some years, even killing my first human at the age of 9." As he said this, Victor started to descend and his blue rockets started to diminish.

"I was a prodigy and it wasn't long until I caught the eye of him. The Immortal. Like everyone, he saw the greatness in me and decided to take me under his wing. When I first met him, it was like staring into the eyes of death. It was as if the Grim Reaper himself was tamed by this man, beckoning to break free. Even the sound of his voice carried a cold touch that was sure to make any tremble. It was a feeling that was new to me at the time. Fear. A cold shiver ran down my spine as my mouth dried. I was paralyzed. All I could do was avert my gaze and submit. It's a feeling I will never forget."

"Despite this, I was never angered or vengeful toward the man. No, instead I was admired. Admired at the greatness that stood before me. He taught me many things that made me who I am today. He made me a great assassin. One of the best there was. Soon, he had also given me the name 'Al Makir', meaning 'The Cunning'."

"But I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to climb even greater heights. At the time, I liked to think my ambition was one of the great things about me. But there was nothing left. I was already the best. Anything more than what I was would require resources I didn't have access to. Resources the Immortal kept hidden. It wasn't long after that my admiration for the man slowly turned to contempt." As Victor went on a rant, the dagger once again hit his mask, still failing to leave a scratch. However, this time, he grabbed the dagger before it could fly away, holding it restrained in his hand.

"I decided to plot a coup. An intricate plan that would allow me to overthrow the Immortal and take control of not only the resources he hid away but also the army of assassins he commanded. However, I needed soldiers of my own. I decided to turn to my closest allies, convincing them to join my cause. I didn't know at the time, but I was a fool for this."

"The assassins were deathly loyal to the immortal. None would dare to even think of betraying him. My ploy was over before it even began." Victor explained with a tinge of disdain in his voice.

"Usually one would be murdered for such a crime, however, I was thrown to the streets of the city. Left to fend for myself. I was shown mercy yet I had an unexplainable rage boiling in me. Was I not seen as a threat? Did he see me as nothing but an ant he could stomp on whenever he pleased? This did nothing but harden my resolve and boost my purpose. And now I'm so close, and as much as I like you, Jayson, I won't let you get in my way." He said, kneeling to the downed Jay who was still recovering from his injuries, breathing heavily while struggling to find his footing.

"This is your last chance. Join me. Otherwise, as much as it pains me, I'll have no choice but to slay you where you lay." Finished Victor, extending his hand to Jay, to which the blond and black-haired man stared, silent.

***

In a large room that was once a dining hall, now a ruined battleground, loud booms could be heard as a familiar boy and shirtless man stood alone.

Isaac grinned from ear to ear as he endured another attack from King. He wasn't badly wounded, however, his face was somewhat bruised. Meanwhile, King stood as his face dripped with blood. He bled from multiple cuts on his face, as well as his nose and mouth. Despite this, he surprisingly held his ground as he zoomed his gigantified fist toward Isaac, hitting him straight in the face.

"What the hell's wrong with this kid? He's tough as diamonds." Complained King inwardly, as his fist once again throbbed after hitting Isaac. Despite manipulating his body so that it could endure more force, it seemed to prove useless to Isaac's heavy fists. Without his ability, he would surely be dead right now. But even with it, he knew he wouldn't last long.

Meanwhile, Isaac threw another attack at King, smashing his fist in the shirtless man's face, causing another cut to form.

"This guy is amazing!" Thought Isaac. He could now imbue his entire body with Qi, even after pouring tremendous amounts into his heart. Despite his new milestone at reaching the second stage of cultivation, otherwise known as the Foundation Stage, his heart was still unable to be healed. Although this disappointed him, he decided to focus on the countless benefits he was now introduced to.

Firstly, he could now exert more than double the power he did during his battle against the Squad in Ravenwood. Of course, it depended on how he utilised his Qi and how thin he spread it. He now also had a better awareness of Qi. The Qi in people and the atmosphere were more vibrant and noticeable, not to mention his Qi control being exceptional.

He also came to find his Qi Sense had become something of a sixth sense to him. He no longer had to concentrate deeply to activate it. He noticed this during the battle with the previous members of the Hexagon. The once dark space he saw specs of green had now become a flurry of vibrant colours he could use to navigate his surroundings and notice incoming danger. Green wasn't the only colour he could see either. After activating his Qi Sense, he found purple bundles compacted tightly all around him.

At first, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, however, he soon started to make the connection. The walls, ground and ceiling. He was seeing the structure and inanimate objects around him, something he thought he'd never be able to do, leading him to conclude that even objects retained some form of Qi. However, sensing smaller objects such as pebbles and clothes still proved to be challenging for him. This all reminded him of a certain comic book he used to read, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was about. Something about a friendly neighbourhood arachnid.

Meanwhile, King struggled to hang onto his consciousness. Every attack felt like he was being hit by a truck, while his punches seemed to be doing nothing to the tough kid. They traded blows, each one throwing a punch after the other. The sound of the fist connecting with the skin resounded through the dining hall, sure to make anyone widen their eyes at the endurance of the two fighters.

Isaac fashioned a large smile on his face as he delivered another blow to King. Only this time, King staggered as it took every drop of willpower he had to not fall to the ground.

"Enough!" Yelled King. In the next second, his body started to expand. The expansion started to spread to his torso, legs and head until one could see King start to grow in size tremendously. Isaac widened his eyes at the man's sudden trick as he witnessed King turn into a giant, the floor cracking beneath his weight and soon, the giant's growth started to come to a stop as it towered above Isaac, threatening to crush him with a finger.

Isaac couldn't help but feel a tinge of dissatisfaction at King's sudden transformation. However, King gave him no time to pout as he raised his fist in the air and launched it at Isaac. The giant fist travelled at speeds that defied its large size. In the next second, it smashed into the ground, sending shockwaves through the air and quaking the entire manor. The floor was instantly decorated in cracks as the giant created a large crater where Isaac once stood.

After a few seconds, King lifted his fist, only to find his enemy had disappeared. The absence of blood and squashed human insides made his heart skip a beat as he looked around for his enemy. It wasn't long until he noticed a familiar freckled kid hovering above him.

"Tempest Special: Echo."

Isaac threw a kick as King prepared to block. Despite his size and power, he wasn't ignorant enough to ignore the sheer power Isaac possessed. As he followed the attack, he couldn't help but blink a few times. In a second, Isaac's kick started to double in numbers. Two turned into four, while four turned into eight. Soon, King witnessed a whole legion of kicks preparing to land a devastating blow on him. Hundreds of legs blocked his vision until it was all he could see, constantly reminding him of the inescapable doom that was about to befall him.

***

Victor stood over the downed Jay as he looked as if he had finally found his bearing. He stared at Victor's extended hand as his offer rang in his head. His face darkened as Victor grinned widely.

"Like I said, Jayson. We're one of the same. By myself, I'll do great things. However, with you by my side, we'd be unstoppable." Said Victor as Jay stood on his feet. Victor released the dagger from his hand as it zoomed back beside Jay. No words were spoken in the next few seconds as silence enveloped the area. Victor's hand stayed extended as he stared at Jay.

"Well, what do you say…" Before Victor could finish his words, a familiar blue dagger darted through the air, hitting his mask. However, unlike the previous attempts, the mask cracked upon impact as Jay stared at it with a large grin.

"Tough stuff you got there. My dagger isn't the strongest, but after concentrating its attacks on a single area on the mask, I was finally able to do some damage." He said as his dagger soared through the air.

"I'm nothing like you, you bastard. You'll regret giving me time to rest to tell me your boring story. Now shut up and fight." Victor looked at Jay with a straight face, before his extended hand moved slightly. Victor pointed his palm at Jay as he spoke.

"How very disappointing. I wished it could have been different." His palm started to light up and Jay concocted a plan. He just needed one more hit on the mask to break it, then his dagger could finish the job. He just needed one shot.

Just as he thought this, the both of them paused at a sudden trembling feeling as if an earthquake had suddenly erupted. The sound of loud crashes and booms turned them away from the fight as they tried to find the source of the quakes. It wasn't long until they darted their eyes to the ceiling, only to find it cracking and crumbling, threatening to break through.

Soon, the ceiling succumbed to the large force that pressed against it. It crumbled as Victor and Jay witnessed a giant figure through the dust and rubble. King fell through the ceiling with a loud BOOM as his eyes rolled back into his skull, blood flooding from his mouth. Every inch of his body was drenched in blood, leaving onlookers to assume he had been hit by a plane. Instead, a young boy with a white shirt, black suit pants and sneakers stood atop the falling giant with a determined face.

"He's wrong, Jay!" Jay widened his eyes as he stopped in his tracks after looking for a way to avoid the falling boulders and the nearing catastrophe.

"There's no way. Did he…defeat the Hexagon all by himself?" Jay was dumbfounded as he contemplated the reality that he stared at.

"You aren't the same! You have something worth fighting for! You once told me your emotions had been numbed! Well, that's a lie! It's because of the emotions for the things you care about that you've been able to make it this far! They are your pillars of strength that'll get you through anything! Now use that strength to kick that guy's ass!" Jay stared at Isaac with wide eyes until he was distracted by the sudden movements of Victor.

"Troublesome rat!" He yelled, left speechless at the fact that a little boy was standing over his defeated ace. With nothing else to say, he gritted his teeth and pointed his palm toward Isaac as it started to glow.

"There! That's my chance! While he's distracted with Isaac, I can deliver the finishing blow." Saying this, Jay commanded his dagger toward Victor's mask as he shot a laser at Isaac.

"I can kill him, I can kill him! So why?!" Jay thought as he wore a face mixed with sadness and frustration, watching the events unfold before him.

"Dammit. Why am I saving this brat?!" He yelled inwardly. His dagger zoomed toward the laser as they collided with each other, shooting both the laser and the dagger in random directions.

Victor stared at Jay with a face of dissatisfaction. With a leap, propelled by his rockets, he closed the distance between him and Jay. Jay's dagger was still uncontrollably flying in the air due to the collision, leaving him defenceless.

"You disappoint me, Jayson." He said, preparing to attack Jay. Jay widened his eyes as he braced himself for the inevitable pain that would befall him.

In the next second, the ground below Jay and Victor quaked as something dropped from the sky, hitting the ground with tremendous force. Isaac shot out his leg, launching a sidekick at the unsuspected Victor.

Victor was barely able to block the surprise attack, however, it wasn't able to save him from being blasted into the air due to the force behind the kick. Victor gritted his teeth as he could feel the pain seeping through his armour, stinging his arms. However, he didn't fail to notice the boy who had jumped into the air after him. He witnessed Isaac prepare another kick, which he planned to block and counter.

He put his arms out, preparing to clutch onto the boy as he attacked. Despite the strategised plan, Isaac was able to manoeuvre his body mid-air and throw his leg up, as if he were kicking a football.

"Tempest: Guard Break."

Isaac struck Victor on the elbows, causing his arms to flail in the air, leaving the tin man vulnerable. Victor widened his eyes in surprise as he started to feel the foreboding feeling of danger. Isaac took this opportunity with open hands as he kicked the man in the chest, sending him crashing into the ground.

Jay was once again left to stare at the spectacle, watching in awe, not wanting to ruin the perfect scene that played before him. Simultaneously, King finally dropped from the air as he was accompanied by heaps of rubble and boulders, filling the area with smoke.

The once clean and perfect white basement had now turned into a disaster zone with the ceiling and the one above it both fashioned with large cavities. Rubble, rocks and boulders littered the ground and the once white walls and floor were destroyed, dirtied by the dust and destruction.

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power... sorry, I'm a little sick. I've got a bit of a soar throat so I can't yell like I usually do. But I'll destroy my windpipe if it means I can let out just one more...

POWERSTONESSSSSSSSSSSS

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