A powerful beam of light surged from Lisa's hands, cutting through the battlefield toward Steel. With inhuman reflexes, he conjured a thick metal shield, the energy blast hissing and sparking against the barrier as superheated air vibrated around them.
Steel barely had time to smirk before a thunderous rumble shook the earth. His instincts screamed danger. He turned—and froze.
A colossal humanoid tiger beast charged toward him, forty meters of rippling muscle beneath striped fur, curved claws gleaming like freshly honed blades. Trevor's roar split the air as he lunged, those massive claws slashing toward Steel's torso.
Steel raised his arm in defense—metal collided with claw, unleashing a shower of sparks that illuminated the battlefield. The impact carved deep furrows in the earth, dust and sand exploding outward.
For one breathless moment, both titans held their ground, locked in a contest of raw power. Then Steel's arm morphed, expanding dramatically before delivering a brutal uppercut that launched Trevor skyward, his massive form disappearing into the clouds above.
Steel had no time to savor the victory. A sniper round struck him directly in the eye with surgical precision.
Crack!
Pain lanced through his metallic face. His vision blurred, the world spinning before him.
When his sight refocused, Lisa was already upon him, her eyes blazing with determination. Her fist glowed with concentrated energy, humming like a charged storm about to break.
She struck.
The impact blasted Steel off his feet, his body tearing through the ground before crashing into a half-buried boulder. As he groaned and pushed himself upright, smoke curled from his shoulders, the air around him sizzling with residual energy.
"ENOUGH!" Steel roared, rage distorting his voice into something inhuman. "I've had it with you... fucking people!"
He threw his arms wide, and the sky darkened.
From deep within his core, a wave of nuclear energy erupted outward—blinding light, deafening force, a growing sphere of annihilation capable of wiping a city from existence.
Franklin stepped forward, planting his feet and summoning a massive barrier around Steel, his eyes glowing with concentrated effort. The energy wave slammed into the barrier—and compressed. Light flared, then dimmed as the world shook around them, but the explosion remained contained.
The ground cracked beneath their feet. Distant trees bent from the shockwave. Yet the nearby city remained untouched.
As smoke and dust choked the air, a shadow moved within.
Steel's eyes widened as the haze cleared—not only had they survived, they stood ready, unfazed by his display of power.
Without warning, Steel's body was sliced clean in half horizontally.
His upper half turned in disbelief. A massive figure loomed above—a sixty-meter-tall energy avatar pulsing with heat and fury.
Steel's torso regenerated instantly, metal melting and reforming with horrific speed. But before he could retaliate, a familiar roar pierced the sky.
He looked up to see Trevor descending from the heavens, claws extended, plummeting like a divine judgment.
Slash.
Steel's head separated from his body, hovering momentarily before grotesquely regrowing. Rage burned in his newly formed eyes.
He clapped his hands together, and thousands of deadly spikes erupted from the ground, shooting outward like a forest of spears—
Then he vanished.
A moment later, his presence flickered near the metallic Tree.
"No! He's heading for the tree!" John shouted, desperation in his voice.
The team gave chase, but they were too late.
Steel slammed his hand into the ancient bark—and raw power surged into him. His body convulsed as unstable energy coursed through his form. His armor glowed white-hot as fractures of pure energy spiderwebbed across his skin.
"Oh no... he's gone Surge Mode," John whispered, dread weighing down each word.
Without warning, another nuclear explosion radiated from Steel—bigger, hotter, angrier than before. For a heartbeat, the sky turned pure white.
The team braced and survived—but barely.
Alfred stepped forward, fully merged with his avatar state. His body glowed ethereally, shadows trailing behind his movements as he sprinted toward Steel, leapt skyward, and struck—
But Steel was ready.
He morphed again, this time forming a towering 200-meter suit of armor, ancient and jagged like a fallen god. His massive fist collided with Alfred midair, sending him hurtling across the battlefield like a broken comet.
Trevor tried to rise again, a deep growl rumbling from his throat.
Steel saw him coming.
He summoned a colossal war hammer, lifted it high, and brought it down with terrifying force.
Boom.
The ground shuddered as Trevor hit it, unconscious.
Then came the scream—Lisa.
Raw pain and fury burned in her voice as she gathered a massive beam of energy between her hands. The air distorted around her as she unleashed the blast, the beam striking Steel square in the chest and triggering a tremendous explosion. Shards of his defense scattered across the sky as he was blown from his titan form.
As he fell, John fired again, his rifle sending high-velocity rounds into Steel's chest—but they bounced off harmlessly.
Steel crashed to earth, splitting the ground beneath him. He rose slowly, eyes fixing on Franklin.
He moved.
A blur. A flash.
Then—a punch enhanced by surge power slammed into Franklin's barrier.
It shattered.
Bones broke.
Franklin collapsed.
Enraged, Lisa and John unleashed a furious counterattack—energy blasts and rifle fire pummeling Steel from multiple angles. He staggered backward... but then fired a beam of searing energy from his chest, striking them both. They cried out, falling back, wounded.
Steel rose into the sky, his body levitating higher and higher.
"Once I explode... the world will be drenched in my disease," he announced, voice resonating with malice.
His body began to glow—brighter and brighter, like a dying star preparing to collapse.
"Lisa, Alfred—hurry! You can still reach him!" John called out, urgency thick in his voice.
Lisa ascended, energy crackling in her wake. Alfred ran, wind blasting from his steps as he leapt skyward with all his remaining strength.
But Steel was climbing too fast, too high.
Then—a single, clean slash tore through the sky.
Steel's body split in two, vertically.
Both halves fell, disintegrating before they could hit the ground.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Then, a subtle shift in the air.
The team turned slowly.
And there he stood—a man among the ruins, calmly holding a double-edged sword. He wore a white shirt, black trousers, and a flowing black cape. His eyes were deep black, his features strikingly handsome. When they looked closer, they recognized Jeremiah Clover, Rank 1 of the Heptad.
He smiled, slightly apologetic.
"Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm late—planet mission was tough this time. Hope you're all okay."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then came the cries.
"Jeremiah!"
"You're finally here!" John said, relief washing over his face.
Jeremiah gave a confident nod. "You're right... I'm here."