181 ALL FOR THE CARA
"He's lying! Dan isn't the Black Halo!" Cyara scread at the Atheris units.
The ta-humans hesitated, glancing between her and Shawn. Shawn's claim was shocking …. but they didn't know whom to trust.
Shawn smirked.
He had prepared for this and gathered evidence. Though Dackerie had already debunked his evidence once, he still had enough data to fool the less discerning.
"See for yourselves," he said, sending files to their holoscreens.
Lines of data and images flickered in the night air. Footage of Black Halo and his destruction, mysterious plasma signatures …. all tid suspiciously close to Dan's known locations.
"It's true," Nyris said softly. "The Black Halo always appears when he's around."
"They're fabrications!" Cyara insisted. "You can't believe this!"
But Thrynn's eyes hardened.
The na Black Halo was personal … Umbros had been their friend….their kin. They couldn't forget that grudge…. even for the Atheris princess.
"Send Miss Atheris and her companions to the plane," Thrynn said, his voice cold. "We'll deal with the boy."
"We're not leaving Dan!" Dorin shouted.
Over the comms, Dan's calm voice cut through. "It's alright. Get on the plane first …. I'll find my own way to Silver City…and rember to take my bag with you."
"But…" Dorin began, but Lander placed a steady hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. With his current strength, few people in lrose could hurt him. If we stay, we'll only slow him down."
"No!" Cyara's voice cracked. "He's my boyfriend …. you can't just leave him!"
Dan's voice softened. "Go, Cyara. I'll see you in Silver City."
Her anger faltered, replaced by a blush. "You will…?" she whispered. Then, reluctantly: "Alright… I'll listen to you."
Thrynn escorted them to the waiting aircraft.
Within minutes, the plane roared down the strip and vanished into the clouds.
Shawn watched it leave.
He was supposed to be on that flight, but he couldn't go. Not until he saw Dan Dark die with his very own eyes.
The mont the plane disappeared, the ta-humans turned toward Dan.
"I don't know if you're really Black Halo or not," Thrynn said, "but you're coming with us."
"Coming with you?" Dan chuckled, his eyes still fixed on the dark sky where Cyara's plane had vanished. "None of you will live past tonight."
"You're arrogant for a student," Orya snapped, summoning freezing mist. But before the ice could form, Dan's laughter shattered through it.
He looked down at Shawn and said, "You were right about one thing." His eyes burned bright.
"I am Black Halo."
His body lifted off the ground, blazing with energy. The air trembled as his Annunakin Form erged — arcs of plasma crawling over his skin, a halo of light igniting at his chest.
"Die."
A single word … and the night erupted.
"He… he really is Black Halo," Thrynn gasped.
A circle of spinning silver light appeared on his chest. The halo flared, and a blinding beam of plasma tore across the road, erasing everything in its path.
"Halo's Judgnt!"
The explosion consud the battlefield.
Only the strongest forcefields kept Shawn and the Atheris trio alive. They barely had ti to recover before lightning ripped through them, chains of energy snapping from one to another.
The beam wasn't lethal but it was just enough to paralyze them.
"I could've killed you all in one shot," Dan said, descending slowly, his voice now cold and detached. "But you're useful to ."
He narrowed his gaze, locking them into his view and he muttered, "Drain."
Blue glyphs spun around him as he siphoned their energy.
"These Atheris scums… they co back again and again to feed … they're like my farms," he laughed.
Another burst of plasma roared from his halo.
The blast left nothing behind … only a crater scorched black, with the ashes of Shawn, Thrynn, Orya, and Nyris at its heart.
----
Dan was about to leave when he spotted a figure near the crater — a bespectacled man clutching a datapad. Kail had briefed him on this character, but he still ran a quick scan to be sure.
Na: Dackerie Sturge
Strength Rank: C????ta Rank: E
Strength: 262 | Charm: 19 | ta: 68 | Command: 69
Description: ordinary human with professional hacking abilities.
Dan flew towards the hacker.
"You're the hacker working for the Zetheris, aren't you?" Dan asked.
The man dropped to his knees, his datapad clattering. "… no. I'm just a bystander," he stamred.
Dan watched him.
The man had seen sothing he shouldn't have — his Annunakin form, the Black Halo. If Dackerie talked, Dan could be exposed.
"Did you see everything that happened?" Dan asked.
"No… I didn't see anything," Dackerie cried, his voice shaking.
Fear scraped at his words.
He'd dug into Black Halo before, but nothing had prepared him for the reality: Black Halo was no ordinary ta human. He was a demon.
Dan considered killing him for a heartbeat …. Then an idea ca. "I can spare your life if you do sothing for ."
"I'll do anything," Dackerie blurted.
"Good." Dan's tone was calm, almost casual. "Know this: I've already tracked you. So, no matter where you run, I'll find you. If you try anything funny… you never know the next thing I'll be in front of you."
"Tracked?" Dackerie swallowed.
"That's part of my… superpowers," Dan said. "They don't call
a Supervillain if I don't deserve it."
Dackerie inhaled, trying to steady himself. "Super… what do you want
to do?"
Dan's mouth curled. "Take videos. Footage. Follow
around. Record what I let you record."
"Is it that simple? Why—?"
"Just follow ," Dan said.
-----
Dan moved through the city as Black Halo, slaughtering Corrosivers by the dozen.
Each kill was deliberate …. slow enough for the caras.
Dackerie followed at a distance, recording everything, pulling feeds from any surviving street caras to weave into a single story.
When the carnage thinned, Dackerie asked, "What now?"
Dan grabbed him by the collar and launched into the air. The hacker's scream vanished into the wind as they landed on a high-rise rooftop.
"There," Dan said, pointing to the smoking streets below. "A at Heap will appear. Make sure you film it…. and ."
Dackerie nodded, trying not to tremble.
He knew what Black Halo was doing …. rewriting his image. From villain to savior. From the hand that unleashed monsters to the hero who destroys them.
Then the ground split open.
A massive at Heap climbed from the crater, its stitched flesh steaming.
"I will stop you, monster!" Black Halo shouted, his voice booming for the cara. "I am the fighter for justice and world peace!"
Dackerie almost laughed. "That's a bit much."
The silver halo on Dan's chest ignited. Beams of plasma erupted from him, six, seven fired out consequently, slicing the creature apart.
"Halo's Judgnt — Echo Out!"
Each blast tore another layer from the at Heap until nothing remained but drifting ash. Dackerie lowered his cara, shaking.
"Maybe it's over."
But then …there was a deep rumble.
Over the horizon, a dozen more at Heaps rose, their shadows blotting out the smoke-filled sun.
"No… when will this epic end?"
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