"I'm afraid there must be some misunderstanding," Michael said, his voice steady despite the tension hanging in the stale Undercity air. "I am not acquainted with this Michael Cinders you speak of. My name is Michael Florescent."
The massive beast's amber eyes gleamed in the dim artificial light that filtered through the cavernous underground space. Trevor's monstrous form cast long, grotesque shadows across the cracked concrete as he let out a rumbling laugh that echoed off the distant stone ceiling.
"Names are meaningless when you're dead," Trevor growled, saliva dripping from his fangs as his voice reverberated through the Chasm. "I will tear you apart limb by limb and savor every scream."
Michael adjusted his stance, his expression remaining composed. "Perhaps we shall see about that," he replied with dignified restraint, his crimson eyes beginning to glow with an inner fire.
In a flash of movement, Michael's wings erupted from his back, obsidian feathers tinged with crimson at their edges. His katana materialized in his grip, instantly igniting with blood-red flames that cast eerie, dancing shadows across the rubble-strewn battlefield. The heat from his blade warmed the perpetually cool air of the Undercity as he lunged forward with hypersonic speed, the displaced air creating a thunderclap that shook dust from the distant ceiling.
Trevor met his charge with equal ferocity, his massive tiger-form becoming a blur of rippling muscle and gleaming claws. "Come then, little bird!" he roared.
They collided with a deafening impact. Michael's flaming blade met Trevor's adamantine claws, generating a shockwave of crimson energy that illuminated the darkened corners of the vast underground space. The burst of light revealed terrified faces of Undercity citizens watching from distant alcoves and shattered windows, the red glow reflecting in their wide eyes.
Michael backstepped gracefully, the stone beneath his feet cracking under the sudden force. His wings carried him backward through the musty air before he pivoted and rocketed forward again, his blade leaving a trail of molten embers as he accelerated.
"CRIMSON COMET," Michael announced with quiet dignity, his voice carrying an authority that belied his youth.
His flaming katana struck Trevor's guard with such force that even the massive beast was pushed back, his claws carving deep furrows in the concrete as he skidded several meters. The impact sent a shower of sparks cascading around them like a twisted parody of stars in the lightless depths of the Undercity.
Trevor's bestial face contorted into something resembling a smile. "Not bad for a whelp," he snarled, flexing his massive paws. "But you'll need more than pretty light shows to survive what's coming."
The tiger-beast launched a devastating punch that displaced the air with a thunderous crack. Michael's crimson eyes flashed—time seeming to slow as they tracked the incoming blow, calculating trajectory and force in milliseconds. With preternatural precision, he deflected the massive paw, his blade singing through the dank air.
Trevor's attacks came faster now, a hurricane of slashing claws that blurred even to the enhanced perception of Michael's predictive sight. The sound of their combat echoed through the vast cavern, a cacophony of metal against claw, punctuated by the crackle of crimson flames.
"You dance well," Trevor taunted, his massive chest heaving with exertion that belied his monstrous stamina. "But every dancer stumbles eventually!"
As if summoned by his words, Michael's katana was knocked from his grip mid-parry, the weapon spinning through the air before embedding itself in the ground fifty meters away. Before he could react, Trevor's massive paw connected with Michael's head, sending him hurtling through the stagnant air.
Blood spattered across the fractured ground as Michael's body tumbled, leaving a crimson trail across the weathered stone. Just before impact with a dilapidated structure, his wings snapped open, arresting his momentum. He disappeared in a blur of movement, leaving only swirling dust where he had been.
Trevor's ears twitched, swiveling to track his prey. "Running already?" he taunted, his voice bouncing off the distant cavern walls.
The answer came as Michael materialized behind the beast, twin crimson daggers materializing in his hands, their edges humming with deadly intent. The air around them distorted with heat as he aimed for Trevor's exposed neck.
But Trevor's reflexes defied his enormous size. With frightening speed, he spun and batted the daggers from Michael's hands. His massive paw closed around Michael's head, fingers the size of tree trunks squeezing mercilessly.
"Too slow, little bird," Trevor growled, his hot breath reeking of blood and violence. "Let's see if angels can fly without their heads!"
With a sickening crunch, he slammed Michael into the ground. The impact created a crater in the stone floor, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the area. Blood pooled beneath Michael's prone form as Trevor lifted him again, only to smash him down once more with even greater force.
"Is this truly all that the great Angel has to offer?" Trevor laughed, the sound like grinding boulders in the confined space of the Undercity. "Pathetic! Our Master will be disappointed I didn't bring him a worthier trophy."
Behind the beast, unnoticed in the chaos, Michael's fallen katana began to vibrate. Crimson flames ignited along its length as it rose from the ground, suspended by an invisible force. The blade began to rotate, faster and faster until it became a rotation of burning light.
With the sound of tearing air, the katana launched itself forward, piercing Trevor's massive arm and drawing a roar of pain and surprise from the beast. Dark blood, almost black in the dim light, splattered across the fractured ground.
Michael seized the momentary distraction to break free, his wings—tattered but functional—carrying him swiftly upward into the shadows of the cavern's distant ceiling. Trevor clutched his wounded arm, amber eyes scanning the darkness above.
"Hide all you want!" Trevor bellowed.
The katana wrenched itself free from Trevor's flesh and shot upward, returning to Michael's outstretched hand as he descended from the darkness, his form silhouetted against the artificial lights of the Undercity.
Trevor launched himself upward with explosive force, the ground beneath him shattering as he propelled his massive form toward Michael. The winged warrior banked sharply, the stale air of the Undercity rushing past his face as he narrowly avoided the beast's slashing claws.
Again and again, Trevor leapt at impossible heights, each time missing his target by mere inches as Michael's crimson eyes predicted each attack, allowing him to adjust his flight with perfect precision.
Frustration twisted Trevor's bestial features. "Enough of this farce!" he snarled, his form seeming to swell even larger with rage. He planted his massive feet, chest expanding as he drew in a deep breath. "MIGHTY ROAR!"
The sound that erupted from Trevor's maw was more than noise—it was a physical force that rippled through the air of the Undercity. The shockwave caught Michael mid-flight, sending him careening backward through not one but three decrepit buildings. Concrete and steel collapsed around him, dust billowing from the impact sites.
For a moment, silence fell across the area, broken only by the distant sounds of falling debris and the low growl rumbling in Trevor's chest.
Then, a flicker of crimson light pierced the settling dust. Michael emerged, his clothing torn and bloodied but his posture still dignified as he strode forward. His eyes blazed brighter than before, tracking every minute movement of his adversary.
"I must commend your strength," Michael said, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip with gentlemanly poise. "However, I believe it's time we concluded this dance."
His wings extended to their full impressive span, the damaged feathers regenerating before Trevor's eyes. With a single powerful beat, Michael launched himself forward at six times the speed of sound, the katana held before him blazing with intensified crimson energy.
"CRIMSON CRESCENT MOON SLASH!"
The blade carved a perfect arc through the stagnant air, leaving a trail of burning light that persisted like an afterimage. It struck with such force that even Trevor's nearly invulnerable hide couldn't fully resist. A deep gash opened across his chest, dark blood spraying in an arc that steamed when it hit the cold stone floor.
Trevor staggered, momentarily stunned by the force of the attack. Then his eyes narrowed, fury replacing surprise. "A scratch," he snarled, examining the wound with contempt. "Nothing more."
Before Michael could retreat, Trevor's massive fist connected with his jaw. The impact echoed like a thunderclap in the cavernous space, sending Michael crashing to the ground where he skidded across the rough stone, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
Trevor was upon him before he could rise, massive paws grasping Michael's wings with savage intent. "These pretty things," Trevor growled, his voice dropping to a menacing purr that raised goosebumps on the skin of watching enforcers. "I wonder if you can still fight without them? Let's find out, shall we?"
With deliberate cruelty, Trevor began to pull. The sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone echoed through the Undercity as Michael's wings were slowly, agonizingly separated from his body. His scream—the first sign of pain he had shown—reverberated off the distant ceiling, a haunting sound that would linger in the nightmares of witnesses for years to come.
Blood poured from the raw wounds on Michael's back, forming a growing crimson pool beneath him that reflected the dim lights overhead like a macabre mirror.
The sharp report of gunfire suddenly cut through the air as nearby enforcers, unable to stand by any longer, opened fire on the monstrous form of Trevor. Bullets pinged harmlessly off his thick hide, drawing his attention away from his mutilated prey.
"Fucking background characters," Trevor spat, turning his massive head toward the source of the gunfire. "Always interrupting the main event."
He abandoned Michael's broken form, launching himself toward the enforcers with claws extended, ready to eviscerate these new annoyances.
Before he could reach them, a flash of crimson light intercepted his path. Michael stood between Trevor and the enforcers, katana held in trembling hands, his face ashen from blood loss but eyes burning with determination. Blood soaked the back of his tattered clothing, yet he held his guard with unwavering resolve.
"Please, stand down," Michael called to the enforcers, his voice strained but commanding. "This is my battle to fight. As supreme commander of the Undercity forces, I order you to cease fire and withdraw to safety. I will handle this matter personally."
Trevor let out a rumbling laugh that sent vibrations through the stone floor. "Supreme commander?" he mocked, looming over Michael's comparatively tiny form. "Such grand titles for a dying man. Your supreme commander will easily kill you all, once he tires of watching me toy with you." His massive muzzle twisted into what might have been a smile. "Though I must admit, you're more entertaining than the others were."
With frightening speed, Trevor knocked the katana from Michael's grasp and drove his claws through the young man's torso. The massive talons erupted from Michael's back in a spray of crimson, lifting him off his feet before Trevor casually tossed him aside like discarded waste.
Michael's body tumbled across the ground, coming to rest in a broken heap as Trevor approached with measured steps, savoring the moment.
"People of the Undercity!" he bellowed, his voice carrying to every corner of the vast underground realm. "Witness the demise of your beloved hero!"
Standing over Michael's prone form, Trevor's voice dropped to a near whisper. "Now, die, Crimson Angel."
With methodical brutality, Trevor began to pummel Michael's body, each impact creating small craters in the stone floor beneath them. Blood and debris flew with each devastating blow as Michael's form was driven deeper into the fractured ground.
Then, without warning, an invisible force of staggering magnitude struck Trevor, launching his massive body seventy meters straight upward. He crashed into the distant ceiling of the cavern before plummeting back to the ground, landing with an impact that shook the entire Undercity.
"What the fuck was that?" Trevor growled, shaking his massive head to clear it as he struggled to rise.
Through the settling dust, Michael stood, his wounds mysteriously healed, eyes glowing with an intensity that illuminated the space around him like twin searchlights. But most surprising of all—his fists were now encased in gleaming metal that seemed to have emerged from beneath his skin.
Trevor's bestial features contorted with sudden concern. "Has he possibly awakened?" he murmured, muscles tensing in preparation for a renewed assault.
Michael stared at his metallically reinforced hands with genuine surprise, his gentleman's composure momentarily giving way to bewilderment. "What just happened?" he whispered to himself, flexing his transformed fists. "Since when did I possess this amount of power? Have I become... an exploiter?"