Invasion II

Venn, Stanley, and Shade rushed down the tunnel in search of Razeon, who was somewhere ahead of them.

As they ran, Shade pulled out his phone and dialed Nia. After answering, she said, "I've cleared the wing."

"I know," he replied. "We're looking for Razeon. He's in hiding, and we need to find him fast."

He then relayed what had happened with Casper. Because Casper's Band bends the light, he was able to disguise Razeon's appearance. Shade himself wasn't affected by it and could see him clearly. Had he activated his Band earlier during THE's initial run, he would have spotted Razeon prior.

When Nia heard the explanation, she paused, surprised. "Razeon would hide amongst his own? That's low, even for him."

"Meet up with us," he urged. "You'll know where we'll be."

After hanging up, the trio turned a corner and approached the control room. Trying to find Razeon would be easier if they just looked at the cameras.

Shade moved to the console, scanning the feeds while Stanley turned to an Epsilon operative nearby. "Well, what did you three bozos find?!"

"We didn't see anything, sir!"

"What?!" Stanley yelled. "We need a sensor-type Bandit to assist us!"

The Epsilons shook their head. "We don't know any, sir"

Shade frowned at the screens before him. Several doors showed signs of being open but no current activity. Just then, Nia appeared in a blur.

"Not gonna lie," she huffed. "I'm tired."

Shade had anticipated using her speed in this dire moment. While being able to run superfast had its advantages, it also had its disadvantages. Nia was like a cheetah—one quick burst of speed before her body temperatures caught up to her.

Right then, Shade noticed something on the cameras. A door had opened, leading straight to his office.

'That's where Razeon's heading,' he thought to himself. 'But why would he go there?' Shade turned to Venn. "Teleport me about five hundred feet east."

All three of them eyed one another in confusion.

"Why so specific?" Venn questioned.

"Just do it!" Shade urged.

Panicking, Venn obliged and teleported Shade. The world shifted, and Shade immediately found himself right above Razeon, fist aimed straight down at the back of his head.

Swoosh!

At the last moment, Razeon leaped back, narrowly avoiding Shade's blow.

"Wow!" he exclaimed in surprise. "How the heck did you know I'd be here?!"

After landing, Shade straightened himself, aware that Venn had been frightened during the teleport and missed his opportunity to deliver a solid hit. It didn't matter—he found THE's leader and there were no cameras in his office, so they weren't being watched.

"I commend you," Shade said, narrowing his eyes at him. "To plant a spy in another rebel group's base and even go as far as trying to invade us…"

Razeon smirked, composing himself. "No need to get personal, man. You're always so dramatic." He then waved his arms as if to show he meant no harm. "You really think I'm afraid of you just 'cause you beat some of my men?"

"All of them," Shade corrected. "You're the last one, so your group's finished… Even if you somehow manage to escape, the whole community's gonna know what happened."

"Oh, come on! You act like I can't rebuild, start anew. But I'm wondering if you actually think I've been trying and that you're actually gonna take me down… Not gonna happen."

He met Shade's gaze behind the mask as if to challenge him directly.

As soon as Shade felt the tension grow, he activated his Band and ran forward. Yet, to his surprise, Razeon simply whistled and began dancing around Shade's punches and kicks, evading each strike like they were nothing.

"Don't you know?" Razeon taunted with a smirk while dodging. "I've already seen you fight, and quite frankly, I expected more."

Shade remained calm as he tried to close the distance. He snapped in a quick jab, and this time he managed to scrape Razeon's cheek. The surprise flew across Razeon's face as he fell back slightly. 

With a straight face, he wiped his injury with the back of his hand and warned, "That won't happen again."

Then he grinned again before lunging at Shade but with more ferocity. Shade barely had time to react. Razeon's strikes came fast and sharp; he thrust a fist forward that forced Shade on the defensive.

As Shade parried, Razeon slipped under his guard and aimed a kick to Shade's midsection, which landed with a boom. But Shade desired to be hit. Using the momentum, he countered and barely missed Razeon who ducked in time.

Razeon gave him a confused look, almost as if he was trying to assess how Shade fought. He must've activated his Band to change the pace of the fight, so Razeon likely thought.

Whatever Shade's power was, it seemed to have a unique advantage in this clash. But Razeon's self-assurance didn't falter for long; he smiled at the idea of tearing Shade apart.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Razeon finally activated his Band—this time for real.

Instantly, a multitude of swords materialized behind him, each hovering slightly above his head. "Now you're cooked!"

Shade darted for the exit, aiming to escape the impending onslaught. But Razeon anticipated his move. A sword plunged into the wall next to Shade, narrowly missing him as he ducked away. 

"Dance for me before you die!" Razeon taunted

Shade remained silent, focusing on the swirling swords that began to gather around him.

He couldn't rely on his adaptability powers for this kind of battle. How could he when there was nothing to truly adapt to? Even if he timed his movements to evade the swords' trajectory, Razeon had control over their paths, and Shade knew he had to think quickly.

He soon found himself trapped against five swords cutting through the space around him, each one threatening to take his head off. He glided low, ducking and weaving between the weapons as he attempted to close the distance between himself and Razeon. 

But the Bandit was quick to see through Shade's strategy. With a wave of his hand, he summoned even more swords, filling the room with blades that covered every possible escape route.

"Time to die!" he shouted, sweeping his arm forward.

The swords then surged at Shade like a deadly wave of metal about to crash down upon him!

In that moment, he saw a flashback in his mind. He was back in his grandfather's workshop, surrounded by the smell of wood shavings and varnish.

"Stay faithful and trust in God," his grandfather always said, soothing Shade whenever he faced a challenge. "You'll find your way, kid…"

The memory snapped him back, and he knew he had to act. With urgency, he raised his other wrist to reveal his second Band before instantly activating it. 

All at once, the swords transformed into innocuous dolls that harmlessly clattered on his body and on the ground.

Razeon stared in disbelief. "W… what just happened?!" he stammered, looking around in confusion, as if searching for some sense in logic.

But not all the swords were transformed. From the pile of dolls, Shade burst out with one of Razeon's weapon in hand. With a roar, he lunged at him and thrust the sword. Razeon could only watch in stunned silence as he was stabbed straight in his chest!

Shank!

The blade had found its mark, and the impact shocked even Shade for a split second.

Razeon's feet gave way and he was only standing upright because Shade was still holding the weapon. To Shade's surprise, there wasn't any disbelief or twisted expression in Razeon's features—he was grinning.

"Ya know…" the Bandit gasped, trying to maintain his composure against the wound. "I knew all along we'd lose…"

"Then why'd you try?"

Before Razeon answered, he clutched the hilt embedded in his chest, resting his hands over Shade's gloves. "You really are new to the world of Bands, aren't you?" Shade remained silent to let him explain. "Unlike you, we were born in the slums; we had to work hard to get our Bands."

Now Shade understood. Even if Bands were somewhat common in this world, not everyone was privileged enough to have them.

There were rich and there were poor. Those who were rich could be gifted Bands from the start if they knew the right people. But those who were poor or of the commonwealth would resort to heinous acts to achieve a Band.

Razeon, despite being a rebel leader, honestly just wanted to rise in the ranks. He was a devil who lied, cheated, and stole to get what he wanted. Even if that meant planting a rat to deceive another rebel group—he just wanted to be known and escape the slums.

Shade tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword, causing blood to trickle from Razeon's lips and splatter to the floor.

"Was it all worth it?" he asked, trying to read the pride intertwined in his enemy's eyes.

Razeon gave him a dark smile as he coughed again. "I loved being a Bandit. Every moment, every fight—it was… fun… The only thing I regret is not helping my men. Instead, I sacrificed them for my ambition."

Shade could sense the disillusionment in Razeon's words. It was more than mere regret; it was a reflection of a life squandered in the pursuit of something destructive.

"I have one more question for you," Shade pressed. "Why did you come to my office out of all places?"

Razeon gave a sadistic gleam. "Since I'm about to die, I guess I have nothing to lose. My greatest pleasure is knowing you'll never truly know why." 

Shade's heart was about to sink till Razeon closed his eyes and gave him a disconcerting smile. "Just kidding…"

There was a brief moment of silence before Razeon slowly opened his eyes and said, "You see, there's a rumor swirling about TEC, something big. And guess what? Libra knows all about it." 

Shade's brow furrowed behind the mask, and he was about to demand more information when Razeon finally murmured, "You'll figure it out… but I won't be around to see it."

"Wait! What do you mean?" Shade urged.

But before he could press further, Razeon's chest heaved one last time, and his eyes fell closed. He slumped forward, lifeless against the hilt, leaving Shade feeling hollow.

The room grew eerily quiet in the aftermath of Razeon's passing. Those unanswered questions were now concerning.

What did Libra know that Shade did not? And what was this rumor spreading about TEC?

Shade released the hilt of the sword and saw the weapon dematerialize before his eyes. This meant Razeon had officially passed on.

Just then, the door burst open, and Venn, Stanley, and Nia rushed into the room. Their eyes widened at the sight before them—Shade standing over Razeon's lifeless body.

"What the?!" Venn asked in disbelief. "Shade, why didn't you wait for backup?"

Stanley looked at the body, then back to Shade. "Well, I'll be. Who said he even needed backup? Hahaha!"

Nia, always the level-headed one, stepped closer. "Are you okay? What exactly happened?"

Shade was honestly too exhausted to give the details right away.

"It's… over," he said, trying to relax. "Their invasion's finally done."

He didn't want to elaborate; he didn't want to dig deeper into the emotions that threatened to spill out. 

"But Razeon—" Venn started, clearly unsatisfied with the vague response.

"Just relax," Nia obliged. "We should be celebrating. I mean, we got invaded and came out with zero casualties."

"Speak for yourself," Stanley said, arching his body. "My back's killin' me!"

This honestly was a great victory for TEC. Never before had they been invaded like this, and the news would surely spread to the rebel community now that THE was out of the picture. Perhaps even the AU would discover this news.

One way or another, Shade had done it; he had one. And he would uncover the truth about the rumors and what else Razeon had mentioned.