Hanuman Rising Arc – Chapter 3: Aftermaths And Asterisks
The hungry blue flame exploded, the katana's nightblack blade lost within a roaring bonfire. The zombies closest to Ron began disintegrating into cobalt-streaked ashes as the primal fire's tendrils lashed out. Nevertheless, the entire horde continued its mindless advance.
"Reforge," the young man commanded through gritted teeth, ignoring the screams of his overtaxed body as a small drop of blood slid down the side of his mouth.
The flame flared out once more in a blinding flash, before condensing and coalescing around the Black Lotus. As the fires traveled up its length, the entire weapon began reshaping itself into an oversized black claymore. Despite its drastic increase in size, Ron still held it upright with ease.
(Let's do it, kid – let 'er rip!)
Ron suddenly dropped the weapon to waist height and swung it around once, ripping apart a dozen more creatures, and then continuing the swing into another complete turn, before swinging overhead and slamming the blade into the ground. A million enraged monkeys howled in the night air, as a solid blue energy crest erupted from the Black Lotus, a tidal wave of flame and force that widened to encompass the entire main road. The flame wave rolled on, ripping up foot-thick chunks of asphalt while swallowing and atomizing every single zombie in its wake; the energy blast died out several hundred feet down the road, after having completely annihilated the mass of undead.
There was a faint hum of relinquished power as the Black Lotus reshaped into its normal form, Ron suddenly dropping to one knee and coughing violently into his other hand. He wiped his mouth, noting with annoyance the flecks of red on his glove.
(I warned you about that, monkey-boy,) the weapon chided him. (You'll be lucky if all you got away with was some internal bleeding.)
"Sorry to disappoint you, Blacky," Ron replied after another tearing cough, "but I think I'm gonna live."
The black katana grunted in his mind. (Well, there's that,) it acknowledged in grudging respect. (But I'd suggest you lay off Primal Incandescence for a while until you advance some more in your training. You gotta get used to shifting the ki flows in your body, first. Besides, it's great for offing the occasional infestation of brain-eating movie rejects, but it's not the easiest move to pull off in a duel. And you know that's how this is gonna end, kid.)
The young man nodded, still on one knee, looking down the ruined, smoking roadway. "Just him and me. I know, Blacky. I know." He slowly pulled the headphones back down to rest around his neck. "That's all I've been thinking about."
(Still and all,) the blade continued, (that wasn't too shabby for a first run. Things'll get harder from here on out, though. You just let the world know you're back in business, big time. Whoever messed up your life is gonna come after you, or at least send big, unfriendly goons.)
"That was our plan, wasn't it?" Ron asked absently as he unsteadily rose back up, leaning on the katana for support. "Beats trying to find him."
(Just reminding you, monkey-boy. This ain't gonna be easy or quick. Hoshimiru took over a decade to exact his vengeance, and all he had to deal with was the Japanese Shogun, his armies, and three entire ninja clans. This job could take the rest of your life – literally.)
"I lost the rest of my life a while back, Blacky," he answered quietly while resheathing the katana. "That sounds like a fair trade to me." He looked up at the night sky, and then back down the road. "Now, for a more important topic - I wonder where I can score some more Nacos this time of the night? Ghostbusting makes me mad hungry."
From atop a hill in adjoining Upperton, a red-haired man lowered his nightvision binoculars, watching the black-haired young man walk away. A small, vicious grin spread across his face, as he slid the specs into his trenchcoat, and tucked an ancient tome of necromancy beneath his arm. He whistled as he turned away to disappear into the darkness, a scabbarded rapier tapping along the side of his leg.
Legend's End
"I want confirmation on that report," Marcus Winters barked as he entered the communications hub, a circular module with hundreds of flatscreen monitors floating atop antigrav bases. Several dozen men in lab coats scampered among humming devices, their voices drowned out by the buzz of machinery. One of them walked up to the white haired commander, a slim computer tablet in his hand.
"RF particles were detected in significant quantity, sir," the technician reported. "One of our satellites immediately retasked to focus on the energy source – Middleton. Energy signature and location make sense – I'd guess it's the subject."
"I don't pay you to guess," Winters snarled in the cowering flunky's face. "Confirm it. I'm busy with any number of important things, and I don't appreciate being dragged away from them for your wild conjectures-"
"We've got an intercepted newsfeed coming in," another technician yelled out from the other side of the communications hub. "Denver bureau uploading to CNN, this looks like the confirmation we've been looking for."
"Patch it over to me," the older man ordered, as he crooked a finger. One of the largest floating screens nearby levitated over to him, an unedited news report playing on it.
"- which would be significant, considering that this is the first time that Mr. Stoppable has been seen in several years," the blond, British man spoke into the camera. "Despite some physical differences, this appears to be, by all accounts, Ronald Stoppable, the late Kim Possible's partner. Furthermore, our affiliate was able to capture these stunning images of the former hero sidekick in action." The view immediately changed to an unsteady, aerial shot of the small war Ron waged with the zombie mass.
A haughty smile spread across Winters' face as he watched his pawn on the screen. "Well, well, well," he murmured softly. "It seems like you've spent your years in seclusion wisely, Stoppable. Now, then – to see just how wisely you spent them. Let us see how far you've explored your potential, Hanuman." He turned to the trembling toady behind him. "Get to an encrypted channel. Find Lukas – wherever the hell he is – and have him assemble both primary combat teams. This is a Priority-Alpha command."
"Both teams, sir?"
"Both teams. The Nightmare Council and The Verdict of Steel."
