They moved at the same instant.

The gap between them vanished, and then the sound hit instantly.

SCREEEEEEEECH!

It ripped through the rooftop like a blade, causing everything to stop. Lucien’s foot froze mid-step, Roman’s fist halted inches from its target, and slowly, every survivor on the rooftop raised their head.

They had heard that sound before. Yesterday, right after the helicopter had become visible to them.

A massive shadow swept overhead. For a single fraction of a second, the sunlight disappeared.

Roman’s expression shifted, not in fear, but in the cold calculation of someone who had just run out of options after seeing the massive creature up above.

The thing wasn’t circling.

It was diving straight toward them. The shadow expanded at a terrifying speed, swallowing the sky above the rooftop with every passing heartbeat, its trajectory never wavering, and its target never shifting.

The survivors noticed all at once, and panic erupted instantly.

"Move!"

"Get down!"

"Is that the same bird from before?!"

People scrambled toward the stairwell, but Lucien didn’t move. And neither did Roman. Both understood the same cold truth that there wasn’t enough time for everyone to go up the staircase, not forgetting the fact that Lucien might not even let him go inside.

Even if everyone started running right now, the creature would reach the rooftop first.

Roman clicked his tongue. "Tch."

Whatever hesitation had lingered inside him evaporated, followed by something detonating within his body. The air around him twisted violently, sucking inward before veins surfaced beneath his skin as if they might burst out at any moment.

His muscles swelled, a crimson glow spread through him like liquid fire, and the wind surrounding him became something feral. It felt wild and barely containable.

Every trace of calm and anger he had displayed on his face until now was gone.

A crushing pressure erupted outward from his body, with his eyes bleeding slowly into a deep, faint crimson.

Berserk. Roman Blackwood had finally let it off the leash.

Lucien ignored it, his focus snapping to Andrew.

"ANDREW! USE YOUR TALENT!"

Andrew flinched, then understood immediately as sound manipulation activated. Invisible waves rippled from his throat, and his voice boomed across the entire building like a thunderclap.

"ARRRGHHH!"

Panic transformed into movement as the roc reacted to the sound.

Lucien reached into his coat, brought out a syringe containing a strange shimmering liquid inside it, and injected it into his neck.

A burning sensation detonated through his chest and head, followed by his heart that now pounded harder, faster, and far stronger than before. Around him, people instinctively covered their ears as the sound radiating from Andrew’s scream had become almost physically unbearable.

The Vermilion Sky Roc screeched as it flapped its wings, decreasing its speed by a slight margin.

Taking the chance, Lucien jumped by applying an abrupt force onto his legs. His body shot upward while his eyes switched colors. The white hair increased in length while fluttering wildly through the air.

And just as planned, he managed to grab onto one of its legs.

Pain flashed through the roc’s massive frame but its response came almost instantly as a wall of heat spiked the temperature around its body in a single heartbeat. Its crimson feathers began to glow faintly, like embers igniting just beneath the surface.

Lucien’s expression shifted. The hand gripping its leg was burning, the smoke rising from his palm a testimony to his thought.

He sensed it just before it happened. The fire wasn’t merely surrounding the beast but was also about to erupt.

He released his grip and pushed off.

The Skyroc spread its wings with a violent wave of scorching air emanating from its fur, only for something to grab Lucien from behind.

His eyes went wide before he turned his head.

It was Roman.

Or something that had once been Roman, for the blue hair was gone, replaced by a bald red head atop a frame nearly four feet taller than before. His teeth had lengthened and yellowed.

His muscles strained against torn clothing, with every line of his body suggesting something that was closer to a monster than it was to a man.

Its massive hand closed around Lucien’s waist tightly.

And for Lucien, there was nothing for him to kick against, and no foothold to get help. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Roman twisted and hurled him downward.

BOOM.

The rooftop exploded beneath the impact as cracks raced through the concrete in every direction with dust erupting into the air. The force knocked the breath from Lucien’s lungs.

The world spun before his eyes and warm liquid trickled from his nose. Blood.

His vision blurred, but then stabilized at the same time without any pain. There should have been pain. A lot of it but instead, Overclock continued driving his body forward, suppressing every screaming signal from going into his brain and converting it into raw performance.

Lucien pressed a hand against the broken concrete and stood. Almost instantly. His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the sky, expecting Roman to follow with another attack.

Instead, he froze.

Roman wasn’t looking at him anymore. The berserk giant had already launched himself toward the Vermilion Skyroc, meeting the monstrous bird head-on as the two titans collided in mid-air.

Lucien watched for a moment longer.

Roman and the Skyroc tore across the sky above the city. One moved with violent winds and berserk fury while the other burned with scorching heat and crimson feathers.

Every clash unleashed shockwaves that rippled across the nearby rooftops of multiple buildings, and yet, neither of them yielded.

A faint pulse ran through Lucien’s body. The color of his eyes returned to normal and his lengthened white hair gradually reverted back. The Overclock state was dispersed at his will.

Immediately, exhaustion began creeping into his limbs, followed by the suppressed strain that returned all at once.

He turned and headed toward the staircase without another glance upward.

The survivors had already descended and now only the distant sounds of battle remained. He stepped inside, reached back, and pulled the rooftop door shut.

Clang.

The sound echoed through the empty stairwell as even those standing beneath kept their voices down. Lucien stood still for a moment, then looked through the small reinforced window one final time.

Good luck fighting that.

Far above, Roman Blackwood and the self-proclaimed King of the Wind were being driven farther and farther from the rooftop by a random bird of the sky. His figure was battered and mauled as he was chased across the open sky despite being in his berserk state.

The very first flying creature they had encountered since the apocalypse began had left him in such a sorry state.

Lucien stared for a second longer. Then he turned away and started moving down the stairs.

At once, a deafening screech echoed across the city, surprising him and the survivors alike.

"I’LL BE BACK!"

Roman’s voice thundered through the distance. And a second later, another furious screech answered him.

The sounds faded slowly into the horizon, and for the first time since stepping onto that rooftop, the battle was finally over.

—

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Thank you :)