Chapter-6 Enigma

As the buildings burned and crumbled, the sounds of gunshots echoed everywhere. A small group of people stood at the site, watching the destruction unfold.

Commander Jensen: "What should we do now, sir?"

Huffs a cigarette before responding 

Reef: "Clean up the mess, will ya"

Commander Jensen: "Yes, sir."

Turning to his men, Commander Jensen gave new orders.

Commander Jensen: "Listen up! 'Operation Red Blood' has now turned into 'Operation Hunt.' For those of you who know the details, do not disappoint me. Is that clear?"

All Soldiers (in unison):"Yes, sir!"

Commander Jensen: "Also..." 

He turned to the remaining figures—heroes, or so they seemed.

Commander Jensen: "Who's the team leader here?"

A figure, cloaked in shadows, stepped forward. Dark energy rippled faintly around them.

???: "That would be me."

Commander Jensen's expression shifted, a subtle frown forming. There was something unsettling about the figure before him.

Commander Jensen: "Are you sure... you're one of the heroes?"

The shadowed figure's eyes flickered beneath their hood, a faint smirk playing at their lips. Though they remained calm, an ominous tension lingered in the air.

???: "Looks can be deceiving."

Jensen paused, still wary. His voice lowered, almost in a whisper.

Commander Jensen: "Can you ensure... that no one is left standing?"

A grin slowly spread across the figure's face.

???:"Consider it done"

He looks at him for a minute then replies 

Commander Jensen: "Do whatever you want, you weirdos." 

He waved dismissively as both the soldiers and the heroes moved out.

As the last of them departed, Jensen muttered under his breath, his gaze hard and distant. 

Commander Jensen: "God... it's really going to be a bloodbath today."

He let out a heavy sigh, watching the chaos unfold as he stood alone amidst the impending destruction.

Present Day

We cut back to Ivan, Louis, and Cassidy, standing in a dimly lit room. Louis couldn't hide the shock on his face, struggling to process just how much Ivan had changed. The boy who was once innocent now seemed brutal, twisted—unrecognizable.

Louis: "Ivan... what happened to you?"

Ivan said nothing, his expression dark and unreadable. Slowly, he raised his hands to his head. A thick, black liquid began seeping from his fingertips, oozing over his skin and face. It wasn't long before the strange substance solidified, forming into a gleaming, metallic black helmet that completely obscured his features.

The air around them felt colder, heavier, as Ivan's transformation completed, the black armor gleaming in the low light.

Cassidy watched in stunned silence, while Louis took an uneasy step back

Ivan, in a deep voice: "Now run, Louis and Cassidy. I promise, anytime I meet you again, I'll help you."

Louis, confused: "Why should we run?"

Ivan: "We've been spotted."

Louis realizes the danger and grabs Cassidy and their secret weapons, running just before the place they were standing explodes into pieces.

Public Protection Squad(POS): "Surrender! We have surrounded you. We can solve this peacefully if you come with us quietly."

Enigma: "Or you could just save me the trouble by dying."

Ivan's eyes begin to glow red. He smiles sinisterly.

Ivan: "I'm going to love this."

He begins shooting red-hot beams from his eyes, obliterating half the squad, their helicopters, and vehicles.

Enigma, watching the carnage: "Shit!" He quickly teleports to safety as the remaining squad members are incinerated.

Ivan charges forward, rolling into the **Public Protection Squad's** suppressing fire. The squad unleashes everything they have—rifles, lasers, missile launchers, and more.

Squad Leader: "We need a visual! Give me a status!"

As they attempt to regroup, a blur passes through them. They turn just in time to see Ivan standing with bloody hands. They fail to notice the fatal damage until all 449 personnel drop to the ground, each with a hole in their chest.

Enigma, still hiding: "Give me a break..."

Enigma teleports in front of Ivan and punches him with all his strength. Ivan stands there, barely flinching.

Enigma: "Shit!"

He teleports back, grabbing a rocket launcher and firing it at Ivan, only for Ivan to dodge with ease.

Ivan, taunting: "I'm over here."

Before Enigma can teleport again, Ivan appears in front of him, delivering a blow of incredible force. Enigma responds with ten times the strength, their punches creating a shockwave that clears the clouds in a 15-kilometer radius.

Ivan: "Enigma... that name means mystery, doesn't it?"

Folding his arms, Ivan smirks: "Your abilities don't match your appearance. Hard to tell if you're a fighter or an assassin. You're quite the actor too, aren't you?"

Enigma, grinning: "Well, well, well. I could say you're new on the block, but you're also a smart one."

Ivan: "Twenty-five years of isolation didn't make me a stranger to strength."

Enigma teleports again, striking Ivan with immense force. The impact causes a 5.3-magnitude earthquake across Japan. 

Ivan, barely fazed: "That's all you got?"

Enigma, in disbelief: "What the hell are you?!"

Ivan: "I expected more."

Fear floods Enigma as he teleports as far away as possible. In a panic, he mutters to himself: "How the hell did he catch up so fast? Where even am I?"

Ivan appears right behind him: "I was about to ask the same question but it says here we're in California."

Enigma, utterly broken, tries to teleport again but fails. Ivan grabs him by the throat, lifting him into the air.

Enigma, panicking: "Ah, fuck..."

He struggles to escape but finds he's powerless.

Ivan, menacingly: "All this power isn't yours, is it? Let's see who it really belongs to."

Ivan places his other hand on Enigma's head, seeking to unravel the truth of his power.

Ivan's vision shifts to a woman strapped to a special chair, wires wrapped around her body. The room is dark and cold, filled with people in lab coats, some of whom seem to be heroes. Her face shows a mixture of fear and pain.

Ivan mutters to himself: "Let's see what happens if I break the connection."

As he severs the mental link, a scientist in the lab panics.

Scientist 1: "Wait! Something's wrong!"

Scientist 2, confused: "There's another connection...a user among the testers?"

The General, standing nearby, raises an eyebrow: "What do you mean? Weren't there supposed to be 32 testers? Why is there a 33rd?"

Scientist 1, nervously: "Sir, it appears someone has tapped into the system through Enigma."

The General's face hardens. "Where is he now?"

Scientist 2 stammers: "He's supposed to be apprehending the new villain, but… it seems he's in California?"

The General's voice grows tense: "What is he doing there?"

Before anyone can respond, a series of alarms blare through the base. Loud cracking sounds fill the air.

The General looks around in alarm: "What was that?"

Another scientist glances at the monitors: "Sir, the connection's broken. It seems… Enigma is dead."

For a brief moment, silence fills the room as the reality sinks in.

The General mutters, almost to himself: "Who could've taken down one of the multi city's sector heroes?"

A second scientist speaks quietly, almost fearfully: "Maybe it's the new villain. The one responsible for the destruction of Sector 449?"

The General's face darkens. "I'm afraid so."

He pulls out his comms device, his voice cold and determined: "Call for the nationwide Villain Threat Council. This is a priority alert."

As the General finishes speaking, a name flickers on his screen: Aiden Johnson.

Meanwhile, back with Ivan, he stands over Enigma. He looks at Enigma in disgust and distain as he grabs Enigma's neck with one hand, the other clutching his head. With a brutal twist, Ivan tears Enigma's spine from his body, the head still attached. 

Enigma: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..........

He drops the lifeless body to the ground, staring at it with cold disdain.

Ivan whispers: "I see no redemption in you."