The Hallucinator installed the compound inside the projectile machinery.
As the glass doors closed and began to spin the compound, a female voice spoke from the machinery:
"Detonation in T-minus ten minutes.”
The Dark Knight witnessed the countdown and immediately launched himself toward the Hallucinator at high speed, firing white repulser energy blasts from both palms. The twin beams struck the Hallucinator’s side, blasting him away from the machinery. He crashed onto the ground but quickly pushed himself up—only to see the Dark Knight sprinting toward him again.
Dark Knight ignited his jet boots, propelling himself upward just enough to gain momentum for a heavy punch that smashed directly into the Hallucinator’s helmet. The blow sent him staggering backward. As soon as Dark Knight landed, he sprinted in again to follow up, but his next punch was deflected by a swing of the Hallucinator’s arm.
The Hallucinator seized him by the neck, lifted him high, and slammed him down with brutal force. Before Dark Knight could recover, the Hallucinator hauled him up once more and drove a heavy blow into his torso, hurling him backward toward the edge of the rooftop.
Dark Knight rolled, immediately pushing himself to his feet. He raised both palms, ready to fire twin repulser blasts—but the Hallucinator was already charging. He tackled Dark Knight off the building, both of them plummeting as they continued to trade blows midair.
Meanwhile, Chizuru checked the progress bar on the compound, but her eyes widened in shock as a masked Yubiwa operative stepped into the room.
---
On the streets below, the two armored figures crashed through the air and slammed onto a busy road filled with fleeing civilians. Dark Knight struggled to his knees just as the Hallucinator grabbed a nearby motorcycle and hurled it straight at him.
Dark Knight fired a quick repulser shot, blasting the motorcycle away in an explosion of debris—but the Hallucinator was already upon him. He landed a devastating punch to Dark Knight’s mask, sending him flying into the side of an SUV. The impact dented the vehicle’s frame and deflected Dark Knight upward before he crashed to the ground, rolling several times before stopping face-down.
The Hallucinator charged, activating his boosters to leap over the SUV. He landed beside the dazed Dark Knight and roared as he advanced.
"For so many years, I’ve wasted my time with you!”
He kicked Dark Knight hard in the side, sending him tumbling again.
"I could’ve taken everything for myself!”
He grabbed Dark Knight by the neck and lifted him effortlessly.
"And nobody is going to stand in my way!”
With a furious roar, he threw Dark Knight across the street. The hero smashed into the side of an empty bus and fell to the pavement.
A panel on the Hallucinator’s wrist slid open, revealing a miniature missile launcher.
“Not even you—especially!”
He fired.
Dark Knight reacted instantly, blasting upward with his jet boots. The missile struck the bus, detonating it in a fiery explosion. The Hallucinator laughed beneath his helmet.
Through his cracked HUD, Dark Knight locked eyes on his enemy. The left side of the display flickered with static from the damage.
“You’re losing, Nanase!” the Hallucinator taunted.
Dark Knight looked up at the darkened sky. Thunderclouds swirled above, streaked with flashes of lightning.
“I’m going to lure him up to maximum altitude,” he said through gritted teeth. “Let’s take him there.”
The Hallucinator raised his forearm cannon and unleashed a stream of bullets. Dark Knight banked sharply, flying in wide circles to evade the barrage while returning fire with precise repulser shots.
“With only fifteen percent of power remaining and less than ten minutes until the compound detonates,” Retro warned, “the odds of reaching—”
“I know what I’m doing! Do as I say!” Dark Knight snapped.
He accelerated upward. The Hallucinator ceased fire and ignited his boosters, pursuing him into the clouds. Though his suit was bulkier and heavier, he climbed after Dark Knight with relentless determination.
---
Down below, chaos spread. Yubiwa operatives continued striking civilians with a hallucinogenic drug that turned them violent. Police officers engaged the frenzied crowd, subduing the infected as gunfire and screams echoed through the city. There were only two minutes and thirty seconds left before the compound atop Olsen Tower detonated.
---
High above, Dark Knight diverted nearly all remaining energy into his flight systems. His jet boots flared white-hot as his HUD flickered.
“Ten percent of power falling!” Retro warned.
“Higher!” Dark Knight yelled.
Lightning flashed through the turbulent clouds. His display filled with new readings—electromagnetic fluctuations, static charge density, atmospheric conductivity—as light rain began to pour.
A red grid spread across the HUD, marking unstable atmospheric zones. Then a flashing alert appeared:
“Potential Strike Zone: Sector C-4 — Estimated Discharge in 19.8 seconds.”
Another blinding pulse of lightning confirmed the prediction. Rin locked on to the coordinates, his altitude gauge climbing rapidly. Sector C-4… that’s where it’s going to hit.
“Seven percent!” Retro called out.
The battery icon in the corner of the HUD flashed crimson. Power critically low.
“Keep going!” Dark Knight yelled, forcing his failing suit higher. His flight began to stutter. The Hallucinator was gaining.
“Four percent of power remaining!” Retro shouted.
The HUD flickered violently, pixels glitching from low voltage.
“Quit telling me this—just leave it on the screen! I’m aware of it!” Dark Knight snapped.
The Hallucinator lunged upward, seizing Dark Knight’s left jet boot and crushing it, disabling the thruster. He dragged Dark Knight downward, smashing a punch across his mask before gripping his throat.
“You thought you could get away from me?!” he roared. “My battlesuit is far more superior than yours!”
“Yeah, I wonder about that.”
Dark Knight kicked off with his damaged boot, breaking free and blasting both palms forward. Twin repulser beams erupted, striking the Hallucinator and hurling him downward—right into the lightning’s predicted path.
As calculated, the lightning struck. A blinding flash engulfed the Hallucinator, overloading his suit and shutting it down. His body went limp as he plummeted toward the city below.
Dark Knight lowered his arms, arcs of energy venting from his palms and right boot.
“Zero percent,” Retro announced.
The flight systems died.
Dark Knight’s eyes widened. The HUD dimmed to black as his body began to fall—helpless, powerless, plummeting from the stormy sky.
His battlesuit had finally run out of power.
YOU ARE READING
Dark Knight
ActionA young multimillionaire decides to become a masked vigilante to find the one responsible for eliminating his entire family when he was a child. However, later on, he realizes that the city needs him as a criminal organization hides in the shadows t...
