182 SUPERVILLAIN TO SUPERHERO
Dackerie kept his cara trained on the chaos.
Dozens of at Heaps surged through the streets, chasing Black Halo through the shattered skyline. Dan fought fiercely at first, plasma lighting the ruins like miniature suns … but even he couldn't stand against that many.
Soon, he turned and fled.
"Make sure you record
running," Dan's voice crackled over the comm.
It wasn't panic. It was part of the act.
Dackerie understood the ga now.
The city had painted Black Halo as the architect of the Corrosive Uprising — the monster behind the monsters.
But with these new footages, the story could change.
Now, he would be the hero who fought them. The savior who stood alone until the odds turned against him.
Even his retreat was frad as human, tragic, sympathetic.
By the ti the last of the at Heaps lted back into the ground, transforming once more into Corrosivers, Dackerie's cara was still rolling.
A few minutes later, Dan landed beside him on the rooftop, his darkness dim and smoking.
"Did you get everything?" he asked.
"Yes," Dackerie said quietly.
"Show
the final cut."
Dackerie's hands trembled as he opened his console.
Dan sat on the ledge, staring across the burning skyline. The skies above lrose were crimson, painted by fire and drifting ash.
"This was a good place once," Dan murmured. "Imperfect… but good."
Dackerie hesitated, unsure if he should respond. He kept his eyes on the editing screen, stitching together the footage as fast as he could.
Then Dan turned toward him. "Tell , Dackerie," he said softly. "Why did you work for the Zetheris?"
The question froze him. His fingers stopped moving.
He didn't dare look up. The air felt heavier …. like the halo itself was watching him.
"You know… the usual reason," Dackerie said quietly, then sighed. "My scores in middle school weren't good enough for ta High or the Military. But I am good with programming. There weren't many options for soone like . Then the Zetheris offered
a scholarship. They gave
ta-amplification and strength enhancers to boost my scores."
"They were after your hacking ability," Dan said flatly.
"Yes," Dackerie replied, lowering his head. "That's the only thing I am good at."
Dan inhaled the polluted air, his gaze sweeping the burning skyline. "The Zetheris is gone now. You know that, don't you?"
Dackerie nodded. "With Garius and Shawn dead, and the Tower in ruins… there's no way for the corporation to recover."
"What will you do next?" Dan asked.
"I… I don't know," Dackerie stamred. "I'm just happy to be alive."
"If you survive this," Dan said, standing, "go to Silver City. The Aukouma Auction will give you a job… a good job. Tell them Dan Dark sent you."
Dackerie froze.
His knees gave out, and he dropped to the ground. It wasn't just the offer … it was the na. Dan Dark.
That was the man beneath the mask.
The na of the monster.
He would be killed instantly by the fact that he knew Black Halo's real identity.
Dan chuckled, sensing the panic in the air. "You already knew my secret. There is no need to pretend."
"I… I don't," Dackerie stamred.
"While I was killing Shawn Zetheris and those three scums, you were taking videos," Dan said. His tone was calm, but his words carried a killing edge. "I could sense you there."
Dackerie's face turned pale.
He had recorded that massacre, thinking he could use the footage to buy favor with the next Zetheris heir. He never thought the demon himself would find out.
"I… didn't an to," he mumbled.
Dan turned his gaze on him, his voice soft but cold. "Rember this …. I can track you. No matter where you go."
The words weren't shouted. They didn't need to be.
Dackerie swallowed hard. "I understand."
He showed Dan the final edits of the video. Dan watched silently, then smiled. "Good. Send them to every dia outlet. I want it on every headline by morning."
"Yes… I will," Dackerie said.
Dan rose into the red sky without another word. He didn't take the datapad or erase the files.
He didn't need to.
Dackerie watched him vanish into the smoke and ash, his hands trembling. He knew why Dan left him alive … because death was already promised if he ever talked.
"This Dan Dark…" Dackerie whispered. "He's a real monster."
-----
Dan wasn't afraid Dackerie would snitch.
The man wouldn't dare. Dan could track him anywhere … and kill him like a pest. That thought alone was enough to keep Dackerie silent forever.
Still, Dan saw potential in him.
"The new Aukouma building will need a resident hacker," he thought. "I can't depend on Kail alone. The more he uses his ability, the greater the risk he'll be exposed as a Quantum Mind."
With that settled, Dan returned to GenSyn Industries.
He went straight to the dical wing. After slaughtering so many corrosivers and ta-humans, his Blood Rank had climbed dangerously high again … Rank BB.
That was already flirting with his sanity.
He called the android nurse. "Get
a full blood transfusion," Dan ordered.
The nurse complied, preparing the machine. As the crimson tubes filled, Dan watched the cursed liquid drain from his veins …. his power condensed into sothing nearly alive. When the process was done, he said, "Crystallize it."
The nurse nodded and soon returned with another bloodstone …. a dark gem pulsing faintly with cursed energy. Dan pocketed it before checking his status window.
Na: Dan Dark
Strength Rank: B????ta Rank: B????Blood Rank: B
Strength: 693??|??Charm: 382??|??ta: 593??|??Command: 592??|??Blood: 610??|??Armor: 2130
His Blood Rank had dropped safely back to B. But this ti, he noticed his Armor stat barely improved. So that's the limit, he mused. Beyond Rank BB, it was difficult to farm Blood stats by killing creeps.
His Armor would likely cap sowhere between 2100 and 4000 using the loophole thod.
"There is always a ceiling to every cheat
Reviews
All reviews (0)