Next Up

Track 19

Complete CATaclysm: The mass of energy-cats conjoins into a singular cat-like aura that enshrouds the woman. The power of this giant energy-cat is greater than the sum of its parts, enhancing her offense and defense. The woman must actively control it.

The naked woman sprinted from the wall of flame, charging straight at the two.

Marcello's ring began to glow again, and the area heated up even more than Zoe thought possible.

He put his fist in the air, blasting a hole into the ceiling above.

Fiery debris rained down on top of the woman. Furniture and rubble collapsed in a pile, leaving a gaping, searing hole on the floor above. Smoke rose from the hallway, a dark haze billowing into the place above.

"Hold your breath and follow," Marcello instructed. Sweat drenched his face, and he panted, the two consecutive fireballs exhausting him. He jumped on top of the flaming debris and hopped into the hole, disappearing in under a second.

'There's no way.' Zoe's eyes stung fiercely from the haze; she could barely open them. The air, thick with smoke, disrupted any attempt to find a steady breath. She pressed forward, cautiously planting her foot on the burning heap, ensuring each step avoided the dancing flames.

She maneuvered her way up the fiery hill.

Suddenly, a shift beneath her caused her hand to slip, and she slid perilously downward, halting just above a roaring blaze. A surge of panic gripped her as she leaped back, frantically patting herself down to extinguish any potential flames that might have clung to her.

Zoe wiped the sweat from her eyes, a revelation settling in—she remained untouched by the fire's wrath. With a raspy inhale, she resumed her ascent, meticulously navigating the debris. Reaching the summit, she leaped, seizing the ledge of the floor above and hauling herself up.

Beneath her, the mound of wreckage crumbled as the woman burst through the apex, tearing herself free from the flaming heap with a piercing scream.

The above floor was the same layout as the apartment below; it would've been a bright, wholesome type of home, but the sky-blue wallpaper with painted clouds had been scorched black. Soot clung to the walls and furnishings, while smoke and heat billowed from the sizable hole torn in the floor.

In the living room, Zoe turned the corner and saw Marcello walking along the edge of the room, glancing out of each window. Every step he took left a black footprint on the fluffy white carpet.

Zoe quickly followed once Marcello spotted the fire escape, sliding open the window and sticking his foot outside, stepping carefully on the metal platform.

Zoe turned, hearing a loud crash come deep from the heart of the apartment. Beyond her, Marcello's eyes widened, peering past Zoe as she clambered out of the window.

The window overhead fractured upon their descent to the alley floor. Shards of glass cascaded, sprinkling atop the concrete.

The arm of the woman's Cataclysm reached from the window, stretching across the alleyway and grabbing a metal pipe, pulling her out of the building. She hung suspended above them, staring down as both the kids scattered, sprinting deeper into the maze of alleyways. Zoe went left, following the pipes that lined the multicolored brick walls; sprinting quickly past several shady characters. Marcello went straight, flashing past several civilians who couldn't even react to him running past them.

'I won't be able to get both like this,' The woman thought, climbing up to the roof, running above Marcello as he weaved and ducked along his path.