Speed Villain
Chapter 2: The Great Escape
Kael-X stood in the center of the Colosseum, the corpse of the Titanus Beast still twitching at his feet. The chants of the crowd echoed in his ears, but he paid them no mind. His focus was on the sky—on the two red moons of Zypheron-5 that were slowly aligning.
The Blood Eclipse was beginning.
High above, in his elevated throne, General Vorak leaned back with satisfaction. "You never disappoint, Kael-X," he mused. "Perhaps, if you continue to amuse me, I will allow you to live a little longer."
Kael-X didn't respond. He was counting the seconds.
The Blood Eclipse was rare, happening only once every ten years. And for a brief moment, the planet's energy field would destabilize, causing malfunctions in Zypherian technology—including the shackles that bound him.
The glow of his restraints flickered.
Kael-X's heart pounded.
This was it.
He moved.
One second, he was standing in the arena. The next, he was a blur, launching himself into the Grand Throne Balcony with a shockwave that shattered stone and sent the guards flying.
Before Vorak could react, Kael-X was in front of him.
The warlord's eyes widened. "What—"
Kael-X grabbed him by the throat.
"You are not my master," Kael-X growled, his voice sharp as a blade.
Vorak's reptilian hands clawed at his grip, but it was useless. Kael-X squeezed—just enough to make him feel helpless.
Then he threw him.
Vorak's body crashed through the balcony, plummeting into the arena below. The crowd screamed, their excitement turning to fear.
Alarms blared. Soldiers swarmed from every direction.
Kael-X ran.
Blazing across the Colosseum at impossible speed, he tore through the gates and into the underground tunnels. He dodged plasma blasts, tore through steel doors, and crushed guards who stood in his way.
He needed to reach the Warp Gate.
The warp chamber was deep within Zypheron's central fortress, a place only the high-ranking warlords could access. It was his only chance to escape the planet.
Explosions rang behind him as Vorak's elite forces pursued him. They were fast—but not fast enough.
Within seconds, Kael-X reached the Warp Gate Chamber.
A massive, glowing portal pulsed in the center of the room, swirling with energy.
But standing between him and freedom was a giant mechanical warlord—the Goliath Guard, Zypheron's most powerful machine, designed to eliminate anything that tried to leave the planet without permission.
It raised a plasma hammer, aiming to crush him.
Kael-X grinned.
It swung.
But by the time the hammer hit the ground—Kael-X was already behind it.
He punched through its metal frame, his fist shattering its core with one strike. Sparks erupted, and the machine collapsed in a heap of burning metal.
Behind him, the doors burst open as an army of guards stormed in.
Kael-X turned and ran straight into the Warp Gate.
A blinding light engulfed him.
And in the blink of an eye—
He was gone.