Arsenal

Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Kael swiftly dispatched the last of his attackers.

 "That was easy. I wonder how Lana and Arsenal are holding up," he pondered as he hurried into the mansion.

Lana gracefully evaded energy blasts unleashed by Raven. Closing the gap between them, they engaged in a rapid exchange of punches. Each of Lana's blows affected Raven significantly, freezing the areas they connected with. The final punch sent Raven tumbling, unconscious.

"I'm sorry it had to end like this," Lana whispered, gently propping Raven's bloodied body against the wall. Kael stumbled toward them, struggling to comprehend the scene before him.

"Are you all right, Kael?"

"Let's go find Kyle now," Kael replied. They both rushed towards Sinclair's office.

"We're on our way, Kyle."

Sinclair's voice boomed, "What are you waiting for? Kill me!" Arsenal's trembling hands clutched the gun, but he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.

"I can't." He dropped the weapon to the floor. Sinclair's disappointment was palpable. "Die."

Sinclair unleashed a massive fire beam at Arsenal, but Lana swiftly conjured a substantial ice barrier, shielding Arsenal.

"Are you okay, Arsenal?" Lana inquired.

"I... am... fine."

"I'm disappointed in you, Arsenal. You've always sought revenge, which led you to become Arsenal, a fearsome menace. Now, you have the chance for retribution, yet you hesitate."

Lana chimed in, "How can you expect him to kill the man he once regarded as a father?"

Sinclair retorted, "I don't care about your thoughts or his feelings. I created him as a weapon to kill me, he should be able to do his goddamn job."

"If you desire death so much, Kael and I can accommodate you," Lana interjected.

Kael seized the moment and charged at Sinclair. A punch was thrown, but Sinclair deftly parried and countered with an overhead kick. Kael retreated slightly, leading to an exchange of blows. As the battle intensified, Kael harnessed a surge of electric power and delivered a devastating bolt to blast Sinclair away.

"Surge Max output," Kael announced. His electric aura intensified. "Don't worry; it uses the same psionic energy I typically use during surge, but Surge Max output utilizes the electrical charges within me to push my physical attributes beyond their zenith. I can only sustain this state for about ten minutes, but that should be enough help you on, now if you can just stand still."

"Do you believe this is enough to defeat me?" Sinclair taunted.

Kael lunged at Sinclair, grasping his head and slamming him into the ground. A series of rapid punches followed. Sinclair fought back, releasing a burst of energy to repel Kael.

Sinclair roared, "Divine scorch." A concentrated fire beam pierced Kael's heart, leading to a chilling scream.

"Nooooo, Kael!" Arsenal and Lana gazed in horror as Kael's lifeless body fell.

"No, no, no. Don't die. Don't die. No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Lana's anguished cries filled the air.

"Yuki Onna" She activated her Yuki Onna technique,cold air gently becomes solid ice around her body like armour brandishing an ice Katana she charged at Sinclair. In response, Sinclair's beam pierced her armor and chest.

Sinclair gloated, "See what your caused?". If you had listened and ended it, your friends wouldn't have met this fate."

"F-friends, they..." Arsenal stammered, gazing into their lifeless eyes. Kael's expression was frozen in determination, while Lana's lifeless body offered a haunting smile.

"You monster!" Arsenal yelled, unleashing a torrent of psionic energy, causing the mansion to crumble around him.

Amidst the settling dust, Arsenal remained motionless, his mind flooded with memories of his parents' tragic murder.

Sinclair laughed manically as he pushed aside the last pieces of debris. "This is what I've been waiting for. Now, harness that power and kill me" 

Arsenal rose, his actions seemingly controlled by an unseen force. He closed the gap between him and Sinclair.

"When did he...?" Sinclair began to question.

Arsenal launched a relentless barrage of punches and kicks, each impact resulting in a colossal explosion. He fused his hands, slamming Sinclair headfirst into the ground. Violent stomps followed screaming after each stomp, but Sinclair retaliated by burning Arsenal's leg. Arsenal leaped backward.

"I've had a change of heart, and I'm determined to go out with a bang." Sinclair yelled 

"Devil's presence." Sinclair released an immense shockwave of scorching heat, transforming the once beautiful compound into a fiery inferno.

"This is more like it. Come; I know you can do better than that."

Arsenal lunged at Sinclair, and Sinclair seized his neck, a look of surprise on Arsenal's face.

Sinclair explained, "Devil's presence is a technique I designed specifically for you. Your speed has always been an annoyance, so I created a technique that merges my Mental Zone technique with my psionics. I can react instantaneously to anything within a three-foot radius. Your greatest weapon is now ineffective, Arsenal."

Sinclair hurled Arsenal to the ground. "If you don't end me here, all your efforts will be in vain. Kael and Lana's deaths will have been for naught."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Arsenal bellowed.

Arsenal charged toward Sinclair again. Sinclair fired his divine scorch technique, piercing one of Arsenal's arms. The same fate befell the other arm, but Arsenal pressed forward. A final beam struck him in his midsection, but he refused to yield. Sinclair kicked Arsenal away.

Arsenal struggled to rise. He grappled with feelings of fear and impending doom.

Arsenal's impaled hands dangled by his side, but he refused to surrender. An unyielding determination welled within him.

"What do you intend to do? Your psionic energy is nearly depleted. Using complex techniques now could prove fatal."

Arsenal muttered inaudibly, "Death Sonata."

He propelled himself at Sinclair, determined to seize his chance. Arsenal breached Sinclair's technique, and Sinclair's attempts to react were futile, as Arsenal dodged his punch

"What in the world...?" Sinclair uttered in disbelief.

Arsenal delivered a powerful kick to Sinclair's back, sending him crashing int what's left of a tree. Arsenal was resolute; he would not let Sinclair escape.

"It's better for me to die, taking him with me, than to endure life alone."

Noise.

 Divine scorch.

Both Arsenal and Sinclair unleashed their final attacks, resulting in a cataclysmic explosion. The force flung them apart, leaving Arsenal struggling to his feet, battered and bloodied.

Determined, Arsenal approached Sinclair's lifeless body, his lower half severed.

"Thank you, Kyle. Your parents would be proud of the person you've become." Sinclair's eyes dimmed as Arsenal knelt beside him. Raindrops began to fall, gradually increasing in tempo, muffling Arsenal's mournful cries as he slipped into unconsciousness.