A Great, Many Things part 3

The masked agent was already back on his feet, and spoke in a muffled voice, "You keep getting distracted."

And fired off two more times.

Beast's vibrating claws sliced through both hollow-point bullets. Even though Misery was strong enough to blow a clean hole through concrete pillars, Beast's claws was fully capable of deflecting them.

Felix leaned on the car, and fired a few more times. The recoil from the hollow rounds forcing him to lose his footing.

But Beast slowly closed the gap, slicing through each successive bullet with his vibrating claws.

The agent instinctively pulled out to Agony again, using its default attack in a desperate attempt to stun the large man, or at least slow him down. The criminal was pushed by the invisible, concentric waves of energy, feeling a slight tingle that made his arms feel stiff.

But he stood strong, "That the best you've got?!"

Before Felix could aim Misery again, Beast brazenly charged.

With a wide swing, his mechanical claws slashed through the car Felix was leaning on, cutting it in half with a single swipe. Felix quickly slipped beneath the attack. He then lifted his leg to deliver a kick, but Felix slid under that attack as well, narrowly avoiding it.

"Slippery bastard."

Felix darted away, hiding behind one of the cars as he shot at Beast, not allowing the brute to get close. He then shifted his attention to the exoskeleton on Beast's legs, aiming Misery at the joints. But Beast quickly caught on to what he was planning.

The brute stopped in his tracks and began sprinting towards Maria, who was still sitting under the rubble with a bored stare.

Felix aimed Misery, but saw Maria looking at him.

"V.V.!"

A memory flashed in his head. Her blood dripping from her face, down to his. He refused to risk hurting his own partner.

So he lowered his gun and chased after the brute instead.

Beast grinned, and the exoskeleton around his legs powered up with a loud whir. In an instant, he closed the gap and landed a charged kick deep into Felix's gut.

The force of the blow sent him flying, crashing through three cars which became a violent pileup.

His white mask hollowly clattered a few feet away, while he desperately trying to breathe on the grimy concrete floor.

Beast let out an exhausted exhale as the whirring in his legs slowed. With a satisfied smirk, the brute took his sweet time walking towards the agent. Even as his opponent was writhing in the ground, there was still caution in his approach.

With shaky arms, Felix barely pushed himself up, spitting out a mix of blood and saliva.

The criminal pulled out the pistol from his hip.

"Get up!" Maria's sharp demand echoed, "If you really want to be number one, then you have to be beat this guy!"

If I want to be number one…

With those words, he heard Luna's voice echo from his buried memories, "Every time you fall, you get back up."

In his mind formed the silhouette of white-hair spearwoman.

It's not enough… I have to be even stronger than Luna.

The blue-eyed agent reached his hand forward, only for the brute to tower over him.

"Any last words?" Beast asked.

He felt the criminal press the cold muzzle against the back of his head.

Although he was staring at the criminal, his mind drifted elsewhere. Through the darkness and snow, even further than where Luna stood.

In the shadowy distance, stood a large figure with a mechanical arm, wreathed in crystalline flames, slowly turning towards him with a sharp gaze.

And if I have to surpass him… then I have to be…

Beast squeezed the trigger —

~