68

Chapter 68: Promise 7-6

Promise 7.6

Sunday morning dawned bright and humid, a clear midsummer's day. As though to proclaim that there was no way an eldritch monster could come out of the sea and attack us, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the waters of the bay were utterly calm.

It freaked me the fuck out.

Intellectually, I knew Leviathan was a hydrokinetic of a scale and potency to put any single cape — or even entire groups of them — to shame. There was nothing at all that prevented him from whipping up his signature rainstorm as he approached, and that meant that it was very possible that there wouldn't be any sign of that storm until he was making the final stretch towards the bay. A clear sky now meant absolutely nothing.

But the incongruity of it still bothered me, to a degree that surprised even me.

Maybe I was just afraid of the idea that he might not come and there would be no Endbringer attack on Brockton Bay, because if the series of events in Khepri's memories could be wrong, not just in the wrong order but wrong entirely, then what had I spent almost four months running from?

Nothing. Khepri being a distant, fluke possibility rather than something I could legitimately become would mean I'd gone around for four months jumping at shadows, at nothing. It would mean there'd never been any point to all of the things I'd done and all of the ways I'd tried to avoid following the sort of path she had. It would all have been meaningless.

And I think that was what scared me. Not as much as Khepri had, but the very real possibility that her path and her way of thinking were things I had to actively choose, rather than things I could fall into if I let myself take just one step in her direction… It was frightening in an entirely different way.

In a very real way, Khepri had been a guidepost I'd been using since the Locker. An example of the sorts of things I absolutely shouldn't do, if I wanted to stay the me that my mother and father had raised. Without that? I wasn't sure where that left me.

So even though it felt strange and wrong, totally backwards to how everything was supposed to be, I wanted Leviathan to show. I wanted him to come.

"How screwed up do you have to be to actually look forward to a battle with a city-destroying, mass-murdering monster, just because it makes things simpler?"

Doctor Yamada would probably have a field day unpacking that one.

What a fucked up situation.

A pair of footsteps thumped quietly behind me, and a few seconds later, I felt the presence of another person coming towards me.

"Morning."

I looked over my shoulder to find Vista, geared up and ready except for her visor and armor plates, holding a pair of steaming mugs.

"Morning," I replied.

She offered me one of the mugs, with the explanation, "Earl Grey with bergamot and three sugars."

I paused, but after a second, took it with a murmured, "Thanks."

"No problem."

"I didn't know they had tea in the cafeteria, here," I remarked.

"They do, but it's instant stuff, and I wouldn't force that on my worst enemy," she said, sitting down next to me and taking a sip of her own mug. "Mm, this is actually pretty good. I had to borrow some tea leaves — did not know those were actually a thing — from Miss Militia's stash. With permission, of course," she added hastily.

Miss Militia had actually okayed Vista using some of her tea leaves to make tea for me? I… Well. All things considered, I wouldn't have expected it of her. Not with how she'd been acting a few days back. How much I seemed to make her uncomfortable.

"Of course." I took another sip. "How did you know, though?"

"Know what?"

"How I like my tea."

"Oh." Vista smiled wryly. "I happened to meet a blonde fox on the way and she told me."

Lisa. I probably should have been more surprised.

Even when I tell you that I need some space, you find a way to look out for me.

I hid the smile I couldn't stop behind the rim of my mug.

"Ah, I see."

We fell into silence, and for a few minutes, we just sat there, drinking our tea. It was, in spite of everything and the troubles of the day to come, actually kind of soothing.

Then, at length, Vista asked, "You nervous?"

"Yeah," I admitted, because there was no reason not to. "You?"

"Oh, fuck, yes," she replied like she was lifting a weight off of her shoulders. "I mean, when they told us they wanted us to stay the next few nights at PRTHQ, I figured it was because there was some big operation they were planning, you know? Maybe take down what was left of the E88 or mop up the ABB. I was not expecting them to be planning a fucking Endbringer battle."

I could have told her, right then, that I was the one who had started it, with Khepri's memories, her knowledge, but it didn't seem the right time. Not for a bombshell like that.

"Kind of intimidating, isn't it?"

"Intimidating?" Vista burst out. "Fucking understatement of the year! Like, wow, holy fuck, what am I even supposed to do with that? And then they tell me I'm supposed to be part of some plan to put Leviathan in a trap so the bigwigs can fuck him up real good. I mean, seriously?"

I coughed meaningfully. "It's my plan."

Her head whipped around so fast I thought I might have heard her neck crack. "What?"

"The plan for trapping Leviathan," I elaborated, "it's mine. I'm the one who came up with it, suggested it to Piggot. The higher ups approved of it just a couple days ago. I guess my plan is better than nothing, so…"

"Holy shit," said Vista. "Seriously?"

I shrugged.

"That means you're the one who asked for me to help trap him?"

"It seemed like the safest way to get Clockblocker in range," I confirmed. "Unless you don't feel up to it?"

"What? Me? Afraid? Pft! No, of course not!" she said quickly. "What's there to be scared of? Leviathan is just like a bigger, scalier Hookwolf, and I handled him just fine!"

"You're trying too hard," I told her. "It's okay to be scared, you know. It's an Endbringer. They wipe out cities."

"I'm not scared," she said, but it sounded kind of petulant. "Just…nervous. I've never been to one, and it's just…a lot to think about, being in the middle of it. That's all. I'm fine."

Freaked-out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional.

"If it's too much for you, you don't have to do it," I said, feeling like it was the opposite of what Khepri would do. "We could find someone else to help. It doesn't have to be you."

"I said I'm fine," she replied mulishly. "I'll do it. I'll do my part. You don't need to worry about me."

I hesitated, then decided not to push it. All it would probably do was irritate her and make her dig in her heels more.

"All right. I —"

I stopped, looking out at the horizon, and stared. My heart started to thump loudly in my chest, and my lips suddenly felt dry as bone.

"Is that…?"

A line of dark, deep gray, barely visible against the sunrise, like someone had taken a pencil and roughly sketched it there. If it wasn't for the pane of light stretched across the surface of the bay, it might have been all but invisible.

"Rainclouds," Vista breathed.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than did the Endbringer sirens start blaring.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

The Vantage of Swiftness gave me a Mover rating, and the only one in Brockton Bay who had a higher ground speed than me was Velocity, so while the rest of the Protectorate and Wards team were making their way to the staging ground, I was sent on ahead.

The building I was directed to was just the same as Khepri remembered, a nondescript, six storey thing made of brown brick, sitting alone atop a small hill. PRT officers had already cordoned it and the nearby parking lot off, although they let me in without much more than a glance as I approached. One of them even favored me with a respectful nod, as though to acknowledge the bravery of choosing to fight an Endbringer.

I stepped inside to discover that I wasn't the first to arrive, even though a part of me had expected I would be. The Triumvirate, along with what I took to be the entirety of their teams, were already there, and the three of them stood, ready and waiting, at the front of the lobby, backed by a trio of large tvs in front of a set of windows that overlooked the bay and the stormy horizon. The rows of folding chairs were already set up, likely in anticipation of this exact moment.

The only one who turned in my direction as I entered was Alexandria, and then she dismissed my presence as though I was an afterthought. She didn't even frown at me or scowl, let alone shift into a more aggressive, guarded posture. She acted as though Echidna had never happened, as though Khepri had never attempted to kill her.

I wasn't sure how to feel about that. There'd been no sign of recognition, not the slightest hint of a grudge held. At least if her lips had curled, if she'd snarled at me, if she'd tilted her head down to pin me with a glare I couldn't see, or hell, if her fingers had curled into fists, I would have known how she felt, where we stood.

But there was nothing, and I didn't know what to do with that.

I stepped aside and out of the way, electing to stand while more capes trickled in. Each new group was heralded by the crack of teleportation in the lot outside, although there were a few solitary people who came on their own — I took them to be no name independents, the small-time heroes who never did anything newsworthy and had, at best, a minor following on PHO. A little uncharitable, maybe, but not everyone could be a household name or single-handedly bring down an entire gang.

My traitorous heart skipped a beat when Grue showed up, with Regent in tow. His head turned briefly my way, and for that single moment, I felt like a silly schoolgirl with a crush, and then he turned away and went to find a seat without even the slightest acknowledgment. No nod, no pause, no hitch in his step or aborted attempt to reach out to me.

Of course. We didn't know each other. I wasn't Khepri, and that wasn't my life. We were just two strangers who happened to be on the same side, here.

The remnants of the E88 eventually showed, but they came in two distinct factions. The first, led by Hookwolf, was Fenja and Menja, Othala, Victor, Rune, Cricket, and Stormtiger. The second, led by Krieg, was much smaller and consisted of Crusader, Night, and Fog. There was no sign of Purity, and both groups stayed as far away from each other as possible; the animosity and tension was so thick, it was almost a physical force.

New Wave arrived, sans Panacea. The recently healed Brandish led, with her husband sticking close to her side, as though afraid to let her get too far. Glory Girl glanced in my direction, lips curling, but then turned away and pointedly avoided looking at me.

Not long after, the rest of the Brockton Bay contingent arrived, with Armsmaster and Miss Militia leading them, with the Wards and Amy bringing up the rear, and tagging behind at the end of their group was a blonde girl my age wearing a spandex suit with purple —

Lisa!

She gave me a wave and a grin.

I crossed the distance so fast I wasn't sure I hadn't used Vantage, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her off to get as much privacy as I could.

"Whoa, easy there, you'll pull my arm off!"

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Well, I'm kind of the best Thinker on the East Coast?" she said, still grinning. "Plus, I mean, I figured I probably wouldn't be any safer in a bunker or whatever than I would be out here, you know? If Leviathan's gonna get me, I figured he'd be more likely to get me by bringing a couple thousand tons of concrete down on top of my head."

She shrugged. "At least out here, there's a bunch of people around who could come and rescue me if I get hurt, you know?"

I understood her point. Agreed with it, after a fashion. It was just as likely that if she was going to get hurt in this fight, it would be because Leviathan happened to break into whatever shelter she had chosen.

"Still," I began.

"Hey, I'm Plan C," she said. "My job is just to find out how to actually kill him, if Plan B fails. Plus, I'm gonna be as far away from the actual fighting as possible, and I've got my own personal ferry to look after me. Photon Mom," and she jabbed her thumb in Lady Photon's direction, who seemed to have heard the nickname and grimaced, "is gonna be my bodyguard slash chauffeur for today. She's gonna be keeping me out of trouble."

"You could have left the city," I told her. "Evacuated with Piggot and the other PRT bigwigs."

"What, you thought I was just going to run off while you and Panacea risked your lives? I might be a bitch, but I'm not heartless."

"We all decided we'd go," came her voice, one of Khepri's memories. "That we'd try to help, however we could."

She was risking her life, coming to fight Leviathan. I still didn't know whether she had a karmic debt, and I hadn't thought she would actually be attending.

Was it any different from anyone else here, though? Not one of them knew whether they would die today. Not one of them could be sure they'd live through this battle. If Lisa could figure something out, if she could point out some flaw or weakness, and exploiting it saved lives, then wasn't it just my selfishness to try and force her to leave?

Damn it. Damn it all. Even if I tried to send her away, even if I grabbed her and hauled her out of the city myself, would it even matter? She could just run back the instant I left her.

I pulled her close, and into her ear, I whispered the knowledge another version of her had shared with another version of me, once upon a time: "They're not human, never were. Their organs and blood are for show. Their bodies get tougher exponentially the deeper in you go. The only real weak spot is the core."

She took a deep breath in through her nose as I pulled away. "Okay. Wow. Yeah, I can work with that."

"If you die," I murmured so that only she could hear me, "I'll never forgive you."

I'll never forgive myself, I didn't say, but she likely heard it anyway.

"Don't worry," she told me, "I don't intend on dying anytime soon."

"Stay safe."

She grinned. "I should be saying that, seeing as you're the one who's actually going to be fighting."

We separated; I went to sit with the Brockton Bay Wards, and she went over to where New Wave — with the exception of Panacea, who sat with us Wards — was. Just from looking, I could tell she wasn't welcome, but this was an Endbringer fight, and they didn't have the luxury of ignoring her.

Finally, when it seemed like everyone who would be coming had arrived, Armsmaster and Legend stepped forward to a place of prominence, and the latter cleared his throat. Immediately, the low buzz of conversation dropped into dead silence.

"You all know why you're here," said Legend. "I see lots of people I recognize among you, and many more that I don't. It gives me hope that we can all gather together like this in the common cause of defending this city, even when many of us here may not like each other. May hate each other. In spite of your differences, even those of you who are mortal enemies have come to stand side by side. In the name of the Protectorate, and on behalf of everyone who calls this city home, I thank you for the courage it takes to stand against a threat this grave."

There was something almost hypnotic about the way he spoke, like he was talking to me directly, even as he addressed the entire crowd. Khepri's memories of this moment hadn't done him justice.

Maybe the difference was just a matter of how prepared we all were, compared to Khepri's experience. It wasn't just that we had more time beforehand — they'd had plenty of time in Khepri's version of this fight, too — but that we'd had enough forewarning to actually, honestly plan, rather than throwing together the best we could do with the people we had.

And it would be on me to make sure that plan worked, in the end.

"Those of you who are veterans of Endbringer battles are no doubt aware that we have a lot of lead time, this time," he went on. "It's thanks to Armsmaster and Dragon, with the help of a Thinker, that we have as much time to prepare as we do. This operation is almost a week in the planning, and that means that this time we do have a plan."

He took a breath, and for a moment, I thought he glanced my way. There was no reaction, though, that I might have expected. No fear. No anger. No disgust. Nothing, for the brief second his eyes met mine, that showed he had any hard feelings for what I had done to him during the fight against Noelle.

It made me feel better. Even if I was only imagining it, even if he hadn't actually looked at me, something in my chest that I hadn't realized was there eased.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it," he told us grimly. "No fight you've fought before will measure up to an Endbringer. Statistically, one out of every four people in this room will not be making it home, today. That's the stark reality, and I want each of you to keep it in mind. Do not take unnecessary chances. Do not underestimate Leviathan. Do not get overconfident. Too many good people have died to these monsters because they thought their powers made them better, that they were safe and they didn't have to be careful, or because they believed them to be base, unthinking brutes, incapable of tactics or strategy. Above all, do not make that mistake.

"I've told many groups like this that a good day sees low casualties. We're lucky if three-quarters of the people here get to walk away, at the end. I'm telling you today that we have a plan, and a backup plan, and a few more contingencies beyond that. I don't want this to be a good day, I want this to be the best day we've ever had against an Endbringer. I want to see each and every one of you go home."

He took a deep breath, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. Like he was committing each of their faces — or their masks, such as it were — to memory. Then, he continued.

"As much as we've prepared, however, there's no guarantee what we're going to try will work. The simple fact of the matter is that this is a gamble, and it's a gamble that might fail. So, what I'm going to tell you now is everything you need to know to fight Leviathan, and exactly what you need to worry about.

"Firstly, he's a hydrokinetic, and there's going to be a lot of water for him to use. Pay particular attention to his shadow, his echo. However harmless it looks, make no mistake, it hits like a slab of concrete. If you're not a Brute who can comfortably take a hit like that, you should absolutely be keeping your distance. He will also be using waves of increasing intensity and strength to flood the city and take down whoever he can in their way. When those come, you'll want to be behind cover or on high ground.

"Secondly, he's a high level Brute and Mover. On land, he's fast. In water, he's faster. If you can't take the hits and you aren't fast enough to outpace him, your best bet is to simply be as far out of range as possible, with as many angles to break line of sight as you can manage. Again, I have to stress, don't think that you're safe simply because you're out of range of his claws, his tail, or his echo. Remember that he's a hydrokinetic and he can swat you out of the sky."

He gestured to the TV, which showed a diagram of Brockton Bay, and more specifically, the aquifer that was resting beneath it.

Immediately, I realized the flaw in my original plan. Sitting comfortably behind Lord Camelot would be meaningless if Leviathan simply came into range and sank the city using the water in the aquifer. He could destroy the entire city without ever having to actually break through the barrier.

My lips pursed. It wasn't a guarantee. Leviathan might not bother with the aquifer, if he didn't feel a reason to. If he did, though… We'd be moving to my Plan B immediately. And I'd have to be ready.

"Thirdly," spoke Legend, "Brockton Bay is built upon an aquifer. That makes it what we call a soft target. Like Kyushu. Like Newfoundland. That makes it extremely likely that we'll be facing an attack on two fronts: the waves eroding the land from above and the aquifer eroding it from below. That means that we can't afford to simply take our time fighting him, if he starts manipulating the water in that aquifer. We have to drive him off as quickly as possible.

"Fortunately," he added with a nod towards Dragon's suit, "we prepared for this, and Dragon will be monitoring the water in the aquifer. If Leviathan attempts to drop the city out from under our feet, we'll be aware long before it happens, and we can change strategies to compensate."

Outside, the edges of the storm that had been rolling in from the horizon finally made landfall, and a light rain started to drizzle down. The pitter-patter of raindrops on the windows, soft as it was, seemed ominously loud as Legend paused, glancing out the window, then at Armsmaster, who shook his head and mouthed something that I couldn't make out.

"If all else fails," Legend continued at length, "then we'll fall back on the playbook that we've been using against Leviathan since he first appeared, refined over the course of the last decade: we hem him in, we hit him hard, we hit him fast, and we deal as much damage as we can as quickly as we can. We don't give him any time to breathe or to move and we don't let up. Our first, last, and only priority is forcing him out of Brockton Bay."

He paused again for a moment longer.

"Whatever you are on every other day of the year," he said sincerely, "whether you're a villain, an independent, or a member of the Protectorate, I want you all to know, today, every single one of you is a hero."

He let that hang in the air for a few seconds, and all around me, several people shifted, straightening, as though the thought gave them confidence, then he turned and stepped out of the way. "Armsmaster?"

Armsmaster stepped forward, all tension and business, rigid, unlike Legend's easier, more charismatic poise. His voice, however, was no less confident.

"The Wards are handing out armbands of Dragon's design," he said, and his words carried, even without a microphone. "They are adjustable and should fit any size, within reason. These are to be worn over the wrist snugly, so that they don't move about or fall off. How tight will be left to your discretion, but if you lose yours, you will not be given another one, because these also measure your vitals and you will be presumed dead."

Aegis handed one to Armsmaster, then went back to handing it out to the others present, and Armsmaster lifted the armband up so everyone could see.

"Each armband has one screen and two buttons. The screen shows both your current location and Leviathan's last known location. This button," and he pointed to the leftmost one, which was blue, "will allow you to send messages to every armband in the network. Unless you are one of the Protectorate members afforded special privileges, this message will not be instantaneous, as Dragon has a program that screens these messages in order of urgency and importance. The delay is generally three to five seconds. If you feel your message is critical and cannot wait for the delay, you may press both buttons and say the words, 'Hard Override,' and speak immediately. Abuse of this privilege, however, will see it revoked."

He pointed now to the second button, the right one, which was red. "This second button is a ping, to be used in the case of an emergency, such as if you are injured and in need of aid. If it is not an emergency but you need aid for some other reason, such as to find a better vantage point, press both buttons and say what you need. Dragon's program will process and prioritize your request. As I said before, the armband also tracks your vitals and your condition, so if you are badly injured or unconscious, a ping will automatically be sent without requiring input from you."

He stepped back again, and once more, Legend took his place. "If you've fought against an Endbringer before, stand!"

Chairs scraped the floor as a large section of the room stood, including all of the Protectorate and a hefty portion of the Wards from outside Brockton Bay. Some part of me felt like I should stand myself, but it felt like I would cheapen the bravery and sacrifice of those who had if I tried to count Khepri's memories as being the same thing as actually fighting an Endbringer.

"Everyone else," he went on, "these are your leaders! The orders of Protectorate members should be followed first, as we have trained and planned extensively for fights such as these, but as long as none of us is contradicting them, these other veterans are the ones whose lead you should follow! They've been through fights like this one and survived! They know what it will take to walk away today!"

He waved one hand. "We'll be splitting everyone up into groups according to your roles in this battle! If you think you can take a hit from Leviathan and keep going, or if your power involves producing expendable combatants, you will be working under Alexandria and Dragon! They are your team leaders, and they'll be telling you what your part in the plan will be!"

He gestured in their direction, then to Armsmaster and Chevalier.

"If you're a hand to hand combatant who can't take a hard blow from Leviathan, but have some other means to injure or hamper him at close range, Armsmaster and Chevalier are your team leaders!"

Then, he gestured to another cape, one I didn't recognize immediately.

"If your power involves barriers, forcefields, some kind of telekinesis, or any other ability that can interrupt Leviathan's movements or mitigate the force of his waves, Bastion will be your team leader! Movers, particularly those of you who have no major offensive powers, you're the primary search and rescue teams! Myrddin will be giving you your orders!"

He gestured towards himself, now. "Long range attackers, you're with me!"

Clockblocker came to my row, carrying a bag, and handed me one of the armbands. I took it, and he stopped long enough to give my shoulder a comforting squeeze in lieu of a smile before he moved on.

I slipped the armband over my hand and onto my left wrist, and the display lit up, showing a satellite image of Brockton Bay, or at least the tiny corner of it we were currently sitting in. Lettering on the bottom of the screen prompted me to input my name.

"Apocrypha," I told it, then confirmed when it asked.

"— ever you feel you'll do the most good," Legend was saying. "Camelot team!"

I straightened, and among the rest of my chosen bearers, they straightened, too.

"Organize together! If Plan A fails, then you should join up with whichever of the other teams is most appropriate for your skillset!"

He fell silent for another few seconds as the groups formed up, condensing together. Dauntless, Chevalier, and Armsmaster came to join up with me, bringing their groups with them.

Once everyone had grouped up, Legend said, "Everyone… Good luck." He nodded towards someone I didn't see. "Strider, get the rest of Camelot team topside."

I spared one last look back at Lisa, who gave me a grim smile and a nod, and Amy, whose smile was tired and less certain, but still there, and then the air was sucked out of my lungs and a thunderous crack deafened me.

An instant later, in the space between one blink and the next, I found myself standing on the edge of the city, with nothing in front of me but the Rig in the distance and the bay. The Boardwalk stretched out somewhere to my left, and down below, the sand of the beach sat, darkened with water. The sky above was dark and gray, and water poured down in buckets, not as heavy as it would get, but heavy enough that we were all soaked in seconds.

"Spread out," Armsmaster ordered. "Move back and find cover. Behind a building is best. You don't want to be out in the open when the first wave hits."

The rest of his and Chevalier's group did as ordered, although a number of the villains didn't look particularly happy to have to follow it. He and Chevalier stayed up front, with me, close enough to talk but far enough that they didn't feel like they were invading my space. Probably a deliberate choice.

'Two minutes until Leviathan reaches the Maginot Line,' a pleasant female voice said from our armbands.

My lips pursed. It wasn't quite a smile.

The Maginot Line, huh? Interesting choice of term for the barrier that was supposed to protect the city from Leviathan. Either someone had a sense of humor, or they didn't think through the kind of message it would send to use the label of a defensive wall that had been defeated because the Germans had gone around it rather than through it.

I took a deep breath. Tried to steady my pounding heart. I licked at my dry lips.

Two minutes. Then, the battle for Brockton Bay began.

"Apocrypha," Armsmaster began gruffly, "before this starts, I just want to ask you one thing."

I blinked and looked over at him.

"Yes?"

"My nanothorns," he said, "do they work?"

I briefly closed my eyes, let out a short breath. I considered lying for only an instant. "No. They damage him, maybe more than anything else ever has, short of Scion. With enough time and leverage, you could probably take off one of his limbs. But they aren't enough for a killing blow."

"I see." His voice gave nothing away. "Thank you."

I couldn't imagine how it must have felt, to have your hard work — months and years of effort and planning — invalidated just like that, and right then, I didn't have time to try.

I just had to trust that it wouldn't compromise his resolve.

"WAVE!" someone screamed.

And there, I could see it, on the horizon, distant and small but growing as it came closer, a wave that seemed to stretch from one end to the other. It was moving rapidly and seemed to only be accelerating, getting closer and bigger with every second. Even from here, it looked like something that could smother the entire city when it hit.

It was still a minute or so out. It was far enough away that the capes in the streets, waiting for the fight to start, would have more than enough time to find cover before it hit. We weren't huddling in the building, this time, caught by surprise as he bore down on us and tried to drown everyone before we could mount a proper counterattack.

Even at that range, however, it was unmistakable. Amongst that giant wave, hidden behind that enormous wall of water, there was a shadowy spot, a vague, indistinct silhouette that stood out from the foaming white water that surrounded it. From this distance, it was impossible to make out what it was, where the arms and legs might be, where the face would be, where the tail could be. No details that gave hint to the finer shape were at all visible. It was, in the end, only a shadow upon that massive wave.

But there was only one thing it could be.

"Camelot team, get ready!" Armsmaster shouted.

Leviathan was here.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

In a battle as hopeless as an Endbringer fight, morale is as important as bravery. Legend's speech in canon might have been more stark and real, in the sense that he was more honest and upfront about certain realities, and that was likely Wildbow's intention, to really drive home exactly how bad the situation was, but even if you want to be honest about the odds, saying what amounts to, "You're all gonna die and this city is doomed," is not conducive to any kind of success.

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