Chapter 5: Unstoppable Force, Immovable Idiot

The energy blast roared through the battlefield, a searing beam of destruction that tore across the academy courtyard, incinerating everything in its path. The shockwave sent debris flying, shattering what little remained of the pavement beneath it. The heat was unbearable—Alden instinctively threw up an arm, shielding his face as the blinding light threatened to swallow them all.

Felix Grayson had charged directly into it.

For a second, Alden thought he was dead.

Then the smoke cleared, and Felix was still standing.

A cracked forcefield of golden energy flickered around his body, dissipating like shattered glass. Felix himself looked… annoyed.

He rolled his shoulder. "Huh. That actually stung a little."

Alden stared. I—WHAT?

Felix's uniform was charred, his boots dug deep into the cracked pavement from where he had braced himself against the blast. His exposed arms were smoking from the heat, but he was fine.

Alden felt his brain shut down. "Did—did you just tank that?"

Felix flexed. "Titan's Might, baby. Super durability, unbreakable skin, enhanced strength. You know the deal." He grinned, cracking his knuckles. "But I gotta admit, that one actually made me feel something. That means I can go all out."

Prototype Omega's red visor locked onto him, recalibrating.

"THREAT LEVEL: UPDATED. ENGAGING MAXIMUM COMBAT PROTOCOLS."

Felix's grin widened. "Oh, hell yeah."

Alden groaned. "Oh, hell no."

Before Alden could even blink, Felix launched himself at the cyborg. His foot hit the ground, and a crater formed beneath him as he rocketed forward, fists cocked back. He closed the distance in an instant, his fist arcing upward in a brutal uppercut to Prototype Omega's chest.

The impact was earth-shattering.

The entire courtyard shook as the cyborg was lifted off its feet, a shockwave blasting outward from the sheer force of Felix's punch. Sparks flew as the machine's reinforced armor actually dented, sending it staggering backward.

Alden's mouth hung open. Felix just knocked back a tank.

The cyborg recalibrated mid-air and landed hard, slamming its mechanical feet into the ground to stabilize itself.

Felix rolled his shoulders, shaking out his hands. "Damn. That's some good plating."

Alden gawked. "You—YOU JUST—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm awesome," Felix said casually. "Now how about we break this thing properly?"

Prototype Omega's armor shifted again, panels sliding apart to reveal reinforced plating underneath. The dents Felix had just made? They were already repairing.

Felix whistled. "Okay, that's cheating."

Alden snapped out of it. His Overclock energy still crackled around his arms, but his brain was still playing catch-up.

Felix might be able to punch through buildings, but even he wouldn't last forever against a machine designed to adapt and annihilate.

Alden needed to move.

He took a breath, forcing himself to focus. His body was still reacting faster than his thoughts. If he could dodge instinctively, could he also attack instinctively?

He didn't have time to think—only time to act.

Prototype Omega lunged forward, both arms shifting into brutal, rotating buzz-saws.

Felix charged again, completely unbothered. "COME AT ME, TIN CAN!"

This idiot is actually going to fight it head-on.

Alden didn't think. He moved.

The world blurred—Overclock kicked in hard. One second, he was standing back, watching. The next, he had closed the gap faster than his brain could register.

The buzz-saw arms swung down—Felix was mid-charge, completely committed to the attack—

Alden intercepted first.

His foot smashed into Prototype Omega's leg at full force.

The result was immediate. Metal crunched.

The cyborg's entire frame lurched sideways, its attack thrown completely off-course. Its arms whiffed past Felix, missing by inches.

Felix barely had time to react before Alden grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

Felix stumbled. "HEY—"

Before he could finish, Alden spun on his heel, Overclock energy flaring through his system. The cyborg was still recovering—Alden didn't let it.

He ducked low and uppercut the machine in the torso with everything he had.

BOOM.

Another shockwave erupted. The hit sent Prototype Omega airborne.

For the second time, Alden felt the impossible force behind his own punch. The sheer impact of it—the way the world seemed to slow down the moment his fist connected, the way the Overclock energy flared hotter than ever—

He wasn't just copying abilities. He was amplifying them.

Prototype Omega crashed into the ground several meters away, skidding violently.

Alden exhaled, his hands still shaking from the force.

Felix, now sitting on the ground, gawked at him. "...WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Alden was too stunned to answer. His heart was pounding. His muscles buzzed.

I just did that. I just hit something harder than Felix.

Prototype Omega slowly stood.

The red glow in its visor flickered, as if it was… recalibrating.

Then it spoke again.

"THREAT LEVEL: UNACCEPTABLE."

The machine froze in place. Its entire body locked up, systems flashing with warning lights.

A second later, it did something unexpected.

It disengaged.

Its plating retracted, the buzz-saw arms folding back into its body. The red visor dimmed. Then, in an instant—

It turned and ran.

Alden blinked. "Uh."

Felix sat up. "Wait. It can DO that?"

The machine sprinted toward the academy's outer walls, moving far faster than something its size had any right to.

Alden's stomach twisted.

This wasn't an error. This wasn't random.

It had scanned him. It had seen his Overclock in action.

And it had decided to retreat.

"Riggs," Alden said urgently. "Tell me you saw that."

Riggs' voice crackled through the comms. "I saw it. And I don't like what it means."

The machine was running for a reason.

And Alden had a very bad feeling that they were about to find out why.