Swish!
Another flash of cold steel sliced through the air.
Rorschach flicked his wrist, and another dagger gleamed as it cut through the shimmering arc of Sensen's sword light.
In a blink, it struck the Black Emperor's chest.
But unlike when he killed Torrent, nothing happened. The moment the dagger touched the Black Emperor, it was as if it had hit an invisible wall of energy. The blade halted midair—its momentum dead—and then fell to the ground with a clink.
It hadn't even scratched him.
"What... what just happened?"
"Why didn't it go in?"
The mutants stared, stunned.
If the dagger couldn't pierce him, what good would bullets be?
Only Rorschach understood.
The Black Emperor had absorbed all the dagger's kinetic energy the moment it got close—dropping its speed to zero, rendering it harmless. Naturally, it couldn't cut through anything and simply fell.
"Worthy of the Black Emperor," Rorschach thought, silently impressed.
This ability was absurdly overpowered—practically a cheat code. It meant that almost any attack, physical or energy-based, was useless against him.
"Pointless. No need to waste any more effort."
The Black Emperor wasn't even annoyed. He stood still, arms folded, a smug smile on his face as he watched Rorschach. To him, Rorschach's attacks were little more than an itch.
But Rorschach didn't respond.
Instead, he ran to the side, grabbed a car with both hands, and charged at the Black Emperor with a thunderous roar.
The vehicle—easily over a ton—didn't slow him down at all. Each step he took sent cracks through the floor beneath him, shaking the ground.
And yet, Rorschach's speed didn't drop an inch.
It was as if the car were made of paper.
"Rorschach... that's a bit much, don't you think?"
"What a monster!" Raven and the others gawked, swallowing hard.
"Incredible strength!" Even the Black Emperor looked impressed.
He watched, pleased. The more he observed Rorschach, the more intrigued he became.
But still, he didn't move. He just stood there, waiting, unshaken.
Boom. Boom. BOOM.
Rorschach barreled toward him, leapt into the air, and swung the car down like a sledgehammer, aiming straight for the Black Emperor's head.
With gravity, mass, and Rorschach's power all combining into one devastating strike—it was like dropping a mountain.
But the Black Emperor simply raised one hand.
Calmly.
Casually.
And stopped the entire car midair, as if it were nothing more than a falling leaf. The vehicle hovered above him, completely still.
No one could tell if he had absorbed the gravitational energy, the kinetic force, or if he was just that strong—but either way, Rorschach's attack had no effect.
Rumble!
With a slight push, the Black Emperor flipped the car aside. It crashed to the ground with a deafening thud.
He calmly dusted himself off, as if he'd just swatted a fly.
Then he looked at Rorschach. "Alright. Are we done now? There has to be a limit to your antics."
The air grew heavy. The tension unbearable.
Rorschach—the same man who had taken out the Red Devil and Torrent—couldn't even make a dent in the Black Emperor.
"Rorschach, we've got your back!"
Alex, the Ravager, stepped forward. He twisted his torso like a hula hoop, launching rings of bright energy from his chest.
Most missed, but one was dead-on—headed straight for the Black Emperor.
The Ravager's energy could cut clean through metal sculptures. It should've been more than enough.
But then, to everyone's horror, the Black Emperor reached out and caught the ring.
He crushed it into his palm.
Absorbed it.
Boom!
Then he stomped the ground—and the absorbed energy was unleashed.
Crack!
The floor split open, a massive fracture tearing across the room. A loud boom followed as half the wall crumbled and collapsed.
Mutants scrambled and screamed, diving for cover.
When they looked back at the Black Emperor, it was with nothing but fear—and awe.
They understood now. This wasn't a fight they could win.
They weren't even on the same level.
No one dared move again.
The Black Emperor smiled, satisfied. He turned his gaze across the room. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. So—can we talk now?"
The group huddled together, trembling, no one daring to speak.
He looked at Rorschach. "And you?"
Rorschach said nothing. He simply turned, walked back into the crowd.
He'd seen enough.
He knew he couldn't kill the Black Emperor—at least not right now. There was no point in wasting energy on a futile effort.
And the others had seen it too.
The time had come.
"Rorschach, what do we do?" Raven whispered.
The others looked to him, waiting, desperate for a plan.
Even if he couldn't beat the Black Emperor, Rorschach was still their anchor.
"Everyone, hold hands," he said quietly.
They blinked, confused, but didn't argue. One by one, they reached out and grabbed hold of each other.
Then Rorschach pulled out several gas bombs, pulled the pins, and hurled them at the Black Emperor.
Psshhh!
Thick, choking white smoke filled the room in an instant.
"Darwin, didn't you say it was time to leave?" Rorschach called. "Now's the time."
He took the lead, guiding the group swiftly out of the building.
Only then did they understand—Rorschach had told them to hold hands so no one would get lost in the smoke.
They didn't need to fight anymore.
They needed to survive.
.....
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