Sebastian licked his lips anxiously. "When you arrived at the Mayor's Office the other day to save me, I was so dazed, it felt like a trance. Therefore, I forgot to tell you this. However, when I retreated to Edgar Tower and settled down, it came to me. I had time to reflect on the day's events and remembered a startling piece of information."
"Which is?" Victor asked with irritation.
"During the Mayor's Office incident, I managed to kill my attackers through the element of surprise. I hid in the closet and waited for them to turn their backs on me. Once the opportunity presented itself, I jumped out and shot them in the heads!"
Victor pursed his lips impatiently. "That was very brave and ingenious of you, Seb," he said sarcastically. "But how is that relevant in this situation? I am in the middle of something. You can demand a pat on the back later!"
Sebastian shook his head. "No, please, hear me out. When the Monolith thugs were searching my office, they talked aloud about several matters. One of them ranted about how the Puppetmaster had captured a very talented scientist to develop powerful technologies. He kept her daughter hostage to blackmail her into obedience. I thought you should know. Sorry for the delayed info and for barging into the battlefield like this."
Victor buried Starfall in the sand and rubbed his chin. Sebastian's incident confirmed Angela's version and matched it perfectly. Was there another way to address the situation without killing her?
Victor pointed at Angela. "There's the scientist the Monolith terrorists were talking about. Your information is accurate."
Sebastian covered his face in disbelief. "Oh, damn! Was I finally useful to you, brother?"
Victor sighed and offered his cousin a thin smile. "Yes, you were. Now, return to Edgar Tower. I'll talk to you later."
Victor turned towards Angela with his back towards Sebastian. "I won't kill you right now. But you'll be shifted to an NWO prison for a while. Only after going through several rounds of interrogation will I decide whether you will live."
Angela nodded and slowly got to her feet. "What about my daughter?"
"Don't worry about Amara. I will rescue her myself. Just share the location and coordinates where she is held captive. I'll make sure she is safe within an hour."
The female scientist offered him a warm smile. "Thank you. You are a good man."
Victor rolled his eyes, but what Angela said next triggered his danger alarm. "You are also a stupid man!" she cried out.
Victor's senses flared suddenly as he detected massive bloodlust all around him. He raised his sword to hack down Angela. But a sharp pain in his back made him drop his weapon.
The man turned slowly to see Sebastian grinning from ear to ear. A sharp dagger protruded from Victor's back.
"You are indeed stupid, brother," Sebastian said, walking up to Angela and exchanging curt nods with her. "You let down your guard for an ailing mother and your reformed cousin. The mighty Caesar gave me a wide opening!"
"Will it keep him down?" Angela asked.
Sebastian scoffed with confidence. "The dagger is pure Thanatos, unlike your suit, which is an alloy. He is now powerless! His immortality is gone!"
***
"Noooo!" Haley, Claire, and Carol cried out in unison.
"Please, someone help him!"
"Mav, do something!"
"Send in the army or the drones!"
Maverick's face told a painful tale. He had never imagined that there would come a day when Caesar would be on his knees as a mortal. That he would be moments away from an actual death.
To the Generals and stars of the NWO, Victor was a mythical legend who couldn't be defeated or conquered—the hero of the Pacific World War.
Victor was a force of nature, a god among humans. Women flocked to him like bees to nectar. He owned boundless wealth and influence. He was the Peerless Man.
To see Victor in such a dire situation overwhelmed Maverick. He fell face first on the table, unconscious.
The beautiful women watching the livestream panicked and hollered at the top of their voices. They shook Maverick and pressed buttons on his devices. But such mindless desperation would do little to rescue the man they loved. His fate was sealed.
***
Victor's head felt like it was crashing. He dropped to his knees, vomiting blood. As Thanatos came in contact with his bloodstream, it sparked an explosion within him.
Excruciating pain overwhelmed Victor. Cracks appeared on his back, radiating out from where the Thanatos dagger was stabbed. His insides were wrung and twisted. His skin blistered and smoldered. It was a living hell.
"Why… Seb…" Victor mouthed, crying tears of blood.
"I am not Seb," his cousin replied with a smirk. "Your brother Sebastian Damone died in the Mayor's Office attack. I am his clone, created by the amazing Angela Kauffman. Her tech is so perfect that even someone superhuman like you can't tell the difference!"
"Bastard…" Victor mouthed.
"Enough talk," Angela said with finality. "I would love to chat, but I won't risk wasting any time. I won't miss the chance to kill Caesar the one time he's actually mortal."
Sebastian threw up his arms. "By all means, my lady…. Please be my guest…"
Angela picked up her severed arm and pushed it over the stump in her shoulder. Threads radiated from the limb and sewed up the wound within seconds.
Once her body had been restored, Angela held out her arms, palms down. A spate of black fluid poured out, immediately morphing into a sharp ax.
"I underestimated your strength, Caesar. You overcame my suit's defenses because it was an alloy of Thanatos. However, this weapon is pure. It's time for your execution!"
Victor wanted to speak but choked on the pool of blood rising up his throat.
Angela grinned and swung down the Thanatos ax on Victor's head.
The blow was sharp and accurate, hitting him in the middle of his crown. It cleaved his body as if it were a wooden log.
The blade split Victor's torso into two halves. The light instantly died from his eyes, and his corpse fell back into the sand in a fountain of crimson.
"Ugh. That’s gross!" Sebastian said, turning his eyes away in disgust. “I never imagined the strongest man on earth would die in such a pathetic way."
Angela's ax retreated into her suit, which covered up her head again. She turned towards the last line of defense up ahead on the beach.
"Now that we've killed the rodent king, it's time to mince up his followers… The little mice."