---
Chapter 24: Titans in the Dark
Dante barely had time to steady himself before the air shifted. A heavy force settled over the ruined battlefield, pressing down like a storm before the lightning strike.
He recognized that feeling now.
Power.
And it wasn't just his.
A figure stepped forward from the darkness, each step deliberate, confident. The distant neon flickered, casting an eerie glow on his towering frame. His presence swallowed the space around him, suffocating and absolute.
The Revenant Commander.
Cain let out a low whistle, cracking his knuckles. "Oh, great. Another overpowered asshole. This night keeps getting better."
Dante's golden eyes narrowed. The energy radiating from this man wasn't normal. It was cold—empty—like the abyss itself had taken form.
Lyra tensed beside him, her hand ghosting over the grip of her pistol. "Be careful. That's not just any Revenant."
The man—no, the monster—lifted his gaze. His irises were a deep, bottomless black, darker than even the void of space. He studied them for a long moment before speaking.
"Subject Zero." His voice was deep, steady. Unbothered. "You should not exist."
Dante clenched his fists. "Yeah? Well, neither should you."
The Revenant Commander smirked. "That may be true. But unlike you, I serve a purpose."
Then he moved.
No sound. No warning.
One moment he was standing still, and the next—
Dante barely reacted in time. He twisted, dodging as a shockwave split the air where he had been standing. The impact shattered the concrete beneath them, sending debris flying.
Too fast.
Too strong.
This wasn't just another opponent.
This was something else entirely.
---
The Predator and the Prey
Dante's instincts screamed at him to move, but the Revenant Commander was already closing in. Another strike came—a brutal kick aimed at his ribs.
Dante blocked—barely. The force sent him skidding back, boots carving deep grooves into the cracked pavement.
Cain darted forward, moving like a blur. His blade flashed, aiming for the Revenant's throat.
A mistake.
The Commander caught Cain's wrist mid-swing. With terrifying ease, he twisted—
CRACK.
Cain gritted his teeth, dropping the knife as his arm was wrenched at an unnatural angle.
"Damn," he hissed. "That's gonna hurt in the morning."
The Revenant didn't even look at him. He simply tossed Cain aside like discarded trash.
Dante's blood burned.
Enough.
The energy inside him roared to life, golden veins igniting beneath his skin. He lunged, faster than before, his fist colliding with the Revenant's jaw.
For the first time—
The Commander actually staggered.
Dante didn't stop. He twisted, driving a knee into the Revenant's ribs, then spun into a savage kick. The force sent the monster crashing into a nearby wreckage, metal shrieking as it buckled under his weight.
Silence.
Lyra exhaled. "Did you—"
The ground trembled.
Dante's heart clenched.
No.
Not yet.
From the wreckage, the Revenant Commander slowly rose. His movements were eerily smooth, almost mechanical. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his expression remained unreadable.
Then—
He smiled.
"Interesting," he murmured. "I see now." His black eyes locked onto Dante's glowing gold. "You're still incomplete."
Dante braced himself. "And you talk too much."
The Revenant chuckled. "Perhaps." He lifted a hand—and shadows coiled around his fingers like living smoke. "Shall we continue?"
The fight wasn't over.
It had only just begun.
---
End of Chapter 24.