It was with a great deal of confusion that Kandy looked around the battlefield. With the abomination’s help, he should have been able to catch Fourteen. In fact, the kid’s back had never left his sight, but he had just somehow… disappeared.

Gone. Like he’d never existed.

“Where the absolute hell did that kid go?” Kandy buckled his legs as the abomination writhed around under him in an attempt to knock him off.

“Woah there, Gary. Calm down or I’ll fall off!”

The abomination paused, as if it were asking, “Am I Gary?”

“Yep, you’re Gary! I decided! Cause you’re slow like a snail, dammit. How could you not run down a single human kid! Or are you only fast when you’re running after me, huh?” Kandy exasperatingly chastised the unfortunate abomination.

“Well, I guess I have no better option but to just ride this dude around.” Kandy muttered to himself. “Guy causes more chaos and damage than I ever could anyways.”

***

Boom’s eyes widened when his fist made contact with Zero’s body. It was like he was punching an immovable force—and he hadn’t been holding back. Even when the force of his punch exploded forward, Zero’s body didn’t seem to move a single millimeter.

“Surprised, Boom?” Zero’s voice dripped with coldness. “While you were lazing around, smoking cigars in Boomtown, I endlessly trained my body so that the next time we met, I could make you respect me.”

“So what, you stole a warmind cloning tower so that you could make yourself an army because you’re not charismatic enough to be a real leader? So that you could make clones of yourself because that was the only way you could make friends?” Boom taunted.

Zero’s expression soured, prompting Boom to continue. “So? Did I hit it right on the nail? Or is there still something else I’m missing?”

Boom backed off and reached into his bag, then threw a fistful of his hair at Zero.

The explosions staggered Zero, but didn’t seem to damage him at all. Thankfully, that hadn’t been the point of Boom’s maneuver. Although the explosions didn’t hurt Zero, they still blocked his vision, allowing Boom to buy some distance for himself.

Boom looked his opponent up and down and cursed under his breath. Whoever this Zero guy was, he was in great shape. It was clear that when he said he’d been endlessly training, he hadn’t been bullshitting.

Most likely, his explosive pugilism skills wouldn’t be of much use in this duel. Should he just ask Sweet to help him out?

No. Boom decided against that idea the moment it popped up in his head. Part of it was because of his pride as a man, but the biggest reason was that this man, whoever he was, claimed to be one of his former underlings.

More than that, this man claimed to have fought by his side against the mad titan. Now, because he’d suffered a strange head injury towards the end of the battle, he wasn’t totally confident that his memory of the battle was accurate, but it was his understanding—and Sweet and Tori had both confirmed this previously—that all of their followers who’d participated in that dreadful battle had honorably fallen in battle.

So who was this man, then? Was he an impostor? Perhaps not, but Zero was definitely very suspicious.

But if Zero was telling the truth, and he was Boom’s old comrade… why did he hate him so much? And why was he alive?

And…who in the hells was he, really?

Boom shook his head, then rushed forward. If he couldn’t beat Zero just by exploding the man to death, then he’d whittle him down, slowly. Doing so would also allow him to investigate the man further.

Boom threw a right jab, then ducked under a hook from Zero that arrived all too fast.

“You’re slow, old man. I’ve studied every single one of your moves. You like to jab first, then duck the counter and—”

As Boom went for an uppercut, Zero leaned backwards, just barely enough so that Boom’s fist almost nudged the tip of his nose as it passed.

“—go for the finisher. Your lack of patience shows even in your fighting style.” Zero grinned as he swept his leg and kicked the side of Boom’s knee, buckling it.

He tried to take advantage of Boom’s fall, but Boom somehow, almost drunkenly, took the opportunity with his knee buckling to dive forward and tackle Zero, knocking the both of them over.

“Was that part of your studies?” Boom spat as he crawled forward and punched Zero in the face. His little maneuver had placed him right atop of Zero, and he was taking full advantage. He started by punching Zero’s face, then moved down to the ribcage.

Try as he might, though, Zero’s skin just seemed too thick.

If anything, his own fists, his pride and joy, the reasons he’d never once in his life picked up a weapon, began to bleed at the knuckles.

“How did you survive Heaven’s Final Hour anyway, Zero?!” Boom shouted. “Everyone died! Each and every single one of my men! So how did you live?!”

“Are you blaming me for surviving?” Zero finally managed to push Boom off of him and the two staggered to their feet.

“Well, nobody else did!” Boom shouted back. “So how did you?”

Their fight was interrupted by a pair of caws that echoed from high in the sky.

A few seconds later, two giant crows descended from the sky.

“Why are there two Karasus?” Boom wondered out loud.

At the same time, Zero scowled. “Those idiots couldn’t last any longer than that?”

As the two crows descended, it suddenly clicked in Boom’s head and he glared at Zero with glowing eyes. “You and Karasu! How long have the two of you been working together?

Zero proudly nodded. “With Karasu’s help, we were able to gather resources from the myriad worlds and bring them to Aarde to create two perfect replicas of the crow god himself. After all, we needed a way to deal with you and your wife once and for all.”

“Oh no! How terrible!” Boom raised his hands to his cheeks and dropped his jaw comically wide in mock terror.

“You should be terrified, Boom. Even the Defender of Humanity cannot fight two first-rate gods at the same time.”

“I disagree.” Boom shook his head. “And you know what, seeing Karasu reminded me of something. If you were part of that battle, then you should know how I defeated the mad titan, yes?”

“I heard you blew him up.”

“Heard?”

“I… passed out after one of the behemoths smashed me into the ground. I only woke up after the mad titan had already been defeated.”

Boom grinned as Zero’s words gave him a great idea. “Passed out, eh?”

“Why are you smiling?

“I finally realized how I can beat your ass. You ready?”

“...Bring it on, you old fart.”