Don't Fear the Reaper

Night in New York was far from quiet. When other cities sleep is when the reconstructed city truly thrives and on this night it was no different. The moon definitely shown through the murky sky like a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas as criminals and heroes alike lurked the streets silently as others walked to the various bars and clubs deep in the city. Streetlights and Neon signs shown down on the streets, revealing those foolish enough to come and go in one of the less frequented areas: the docks. Tonight was like so many others, with Shuriken, the neighborhood ninja, was on one of her various stealth missions. Staying still as a statue on top of a nearby brewery, the girl’s remarkable eyes effortlessly spied into the building’s windows. Behind a gated fence, protected by various armed guards, was a makeshift lab constructed inside one of many abandoned warehouses. Inside goons were in the process of unpacking something. Whatever it was, Shuriken got the distinct feeling that it wasn’t going to be good. Young and impatient as she was, she began creeping down slowly and methodically from her roost, taking action into her own hands rather than wait or call for help. She was a complete badass, what could possibly go wrong?

Chie stalked the alleys as she made her way toward the gate. She watched the two guards carefully, wanting to make sure that taking them out wouldn’t cause any notice. Finally, feeling secure in taking them out, she leaped to the top of the fence, hopping once more to the window of the warehouse as their attention turned to where she just was. Shuriken dangled by her fingers as the two goons watched the fence shake where she had been merely a second ago.

“What the hell was that?” One of them whispered, doing his best to conceal his fear with a gruff, deep voice.
“I don’t know… Think we should call for backup?” The other one asked calmly.

Chie held her breath as she listened to them, begging that fate not get her caught just yet. It would be bad enough to deal with the guns and whatever else these gangsters had, but all of them at once was a death wish. Fortune smiled on her today as the first guard spoke.

“Nah, not yet. Don’t want to get the new guy angry” He replied nervously.

His partner didn’t seem to respond, and while Chie could not see them from her awkward position, she could only assume he agreed with the other guard from his silence. Relieved that they were not going to catch her, the girl dropped to the ground, landing low without the slightest sound. Peeking around the corner, she saw the two guards scanning the peripheral, each of them with a pistol at their side. The nervous one, a tall lanky man with a long, scruffy beard, had his hand on the grip, anticipating a surprise attack at any moment. Chie knew it was time to strike. Pulling out her shuriken and a smoke bomb, she decided to make her move.

The guard's hand on the grip was abruptly impaled by a shuriken, and before the man could let out a cry of pain, the two of them were engulfed in smoke, and instead of a scream he instead sucked a mouthful of smoke into his lungs, beginning to hack and cough as his body protested. Chie charged in, and the fight was short and sweet. As the smoke dissipated, she was the last one standing, no worse for wear.
“Seems like the new guy might get angry with you guys, sorry” She chided the unconscious duo now laying before her. Chie was about to start studying the lock on the door when she heard footsteps to her left. Another guard appeared to her side, evidently guardian the back. He had his pistol raised and pointed right at Chie.
“Hands ups, girlie,” He said as the two of them locked eyes. Chie begrudgingly did as she was asked, slowly, so as to not startle the man.
“Isn’t it a little past your bedtime?” The man continued to mock, and Chie couldn’t help but feel the irony in this situation. Things weren't going well already. Already, Chie was beginning to run the options she still had through her head. Another smoke bomb? It was risky to say the list? Perhaps an attack when he got in close. If he got in close that is. To her dismay, she saw the goon take a walkie-talkie from his side, his gun’s barrel still staring her down as he began putting it up to his mouth.

When the guard went to radio for reinforcements, he stopped, as sound of gunfire erupted from the other side of the warehouse, accompanied by shouting, and some screams.  

Suddenly, one of the other guards was hurling towards them, screaming, as they had been thrown from the other side of the warehouse by something.  

Before they met their untimely demise at the hands of gravity, however, a figure clad in blue and red appeared, catching the man in his arms.  

Frontline looked to Chie, seeing that she wasn’t dressed in the same uniforms as the guards. He gave her a heroic smile. “Hello there.” He tossed the now unconscious guard on to the ground.  

Before he could continue conversing, the sound of the gun being leveled and aimed at his back drew his attention towards the guard behind him. “I would strongly recommend putting that down, before you get hurt.”  

Panicking, the guard didn’t even think, as his finger instinctively started to squeeze the trigger.  

Suddenly, the hero turned into a blur, and was now directly in front of the guard, holding his gun hand by the wrist, as the pistol fired up into the air.  

The guard cried out, as Frontline squeezed the wrist some, forcing him to drop his gun.  

“I told you you were going to get hurt...” Frontline stated, in a rather lecturing tone, like a father scolding his son. “Now go to sleep.” He gave the man a very slight tap on the forehead with his free hand.  

While it looked too light to do anything to the rather large man, it seemed to be enough to render him unconscious, as he fell limp against the hero.

“There there...” Frontline laid the man on the ground, turning back to Chie. “So, suppose you’re here for the bomb as well??” He looked her over. “I do hope you’re not thinking of using it for anything nefarious.”  

Again, before he could get a response, the front door of the warehouse opened, a few more guards, each taking aim with rifles, and one aiming a mounted light machine gun.  

Suddenly, the entire block roared with the sound of gunfire, as the turret ripped through everything it touched.  

Except for one hero, as he dashed in between Chie and oncoming fire, standing firm as each bullet pelted his body, only smash against his skin, and fall to his feet.  He didn’t stumble or flinch, as he marched forward, letting the rounds ricochet off his body. As the LMG fired its last round, Frontline grabbed the gun, ripping it off the mount, and tossing it into one of the other gunmen, hitting him just hard enough to knock him out.  



Warehouse sublevel



Down below, one of the many guards stepped up to a large monitor. “Sir, Heroes have breached the warehouse.”  

On the monitor, Vulcan gave the guard a cold stare, which was hidden behind the mask. “Prepare the device for extraction!!”  

The guard nodded, stepping away, as he signaled his men to move.  

Vulcan then turned his attention to another figure in the room. “Revenants mercenaries may be frail, but they work hard for their money...” He paused. “Make sure these heroes are stopped, or delayed long enough for my device to escape...” He leaned in some. “I am counting on you, Crimson.”  

"Oh, and make sure to grab me a sample of their blood, for research."

With that, the stream cut off, leaving the figure alone.

The city above was a dark place. The lights from the tall, looming buildings betrayed the streets and cast out long shadows that veiled the alleyways, the abandoned buildings, the playgrounds just out of sight, and everywhere else you would want there to be light. And it was dark in the corner where someone waited. The buzzing light of monitors provided some light along with the old bulbs overhead, but in that corner, one could only make out the faintest bit of an outline a large presence. It was the crimson red cloak that made that form tangible; without it, it’d be mistaken as a ghost or something not there.

Throughout the evening, this shape was unmoved there. The few guards who passed by didn’t dare look too closely or take a step that crossed the figure. There were rumors around this figure, some from long ago, some that were just made up tonight, but none of them seemed to add comfort to his presence here. Only a tension that weighed onto the air and manifested in every other dark shadow of the lower level.

Victor Redfield. Faust, the Crimson Reaper, felt it before the news reached them.

It wasn’t an ability or part of his enhanced senses. It was just…a feeling he got. People always talked about the calm before a storm or a battle, but for him, he could feel the start of it. Those first shots, thoughts, and emotions that coursed through the air as everything began all at once. The fear, the terror, the exhilaration, and the excitement. All of them coursing all around all at once in all who stood here on the battlefield. He had felt it a thousand times before and he knew he’d feel it more in the years to come.  

He didn’t move that spot in the shadows.

Not as felt that tension and emotion in the air. Even as the others down here went about their duties, carrying out tasks, unaware of what was just starting, he did not move or speak or do anything to betray the stillness he held there.

He waited there, his grip tightening over the hammer that was nearly his own in height. Soon. It would all be starting soon. And it was only when he was addressed that his eyes opened. Piercing dark red eyes that glowed through the dark. He looked to the monitors as the voice spoke, the coward that he was. Running, hiring others to do his work. This was fine. This money, this was a job. Waiting was his job. Waiting there in the dark and quiet was his job.

What he was about to do upstairs, up in that warehouse, fighting those heroes…that was his passion.

“Oh, don’t you worry, Vulcan. There will be plenty of blood.” Most villains would’ve used a dark and serious tone to carry that, but Faust said it was a strange sense of casual confidence. He lifted the massive hammer and brought it to rest on his shoulder. He moved with heavy steps to the staircase, the hammerhead igniting in red-hot flames and he ascended upward. As he went, that first sense of dread would begin to pour out from him, stretching out and covering the grounds of the warehouse.

(Using Dread (permission-based) level 1: A moderate sense of anxiety, a feeling that something is wrong although one cannot actually place it. It can afflict any within a range of one hundred and twenty feet. In closer proximity to Victory, however, this feeling grows as they can see him and fear begins to take hold. )
(Up to you if your characters feel it!)

As he reached the top of the stairs he would slowly walked towards the center of the warehouse and wait, listening to the sounds of the heroes approach.

Shuriken looked less than impressed by Frontline's display of power. She waited patiently as he single-handedly took out the goons. She felt cheated, this was her job! He had helped her out of a bind, sure, but it stung to be upstaged. When he spoke of a bomb, however, Shuriken couldn't help but let her steely glower change to a look of shock.
"Bomb?" She asked in genuine concern.
"Of course, why else would I be here" She quickly added, trying to save face.

Truthfully she had no idea what was inside, and hearing it was a bomb was almost a relief. It beat dealing with metal gears or mutants. And it seemed like she had back-up now, whether she liked it or not.
"A word of advice, if the opponent doesn't know you're coming you're less likely to die in this line of work" She said gruffly, returning her harsh gaze on him. Her eyes glowed in the dark like a cat, shining like the moon.

Walking past Frontline, she moved to check the unconscious men, picking up a set of keys from one of them. Fumbling with them for a moment, she finally found one that would get them through a nearby door. Unlocking the door, looked back at Frontline.
"I've got this covered, why don't you head off and find something else? Plenty of trouble in this city" She added before heading into a corridor. A couple more goons came rushing forward, but just as they rounded a corner she swung her shurikens towards them, and the two of them would find the sharp edges embedded in their hands, dropping their weapons in the process. She couldn't help but grumble in anger. The whole place would be on high alert now. She could already hear more coming her way.

Two more men came at Chie, and as one threw a knife at her, Chie narrowly dodged it, letting it sink into the wall beside her. As the thug charged her, she quickly yanked the man forward by his shirt, driving his head into the pummel of the knife, further embedding it in the wall. The second raised a pistol and looked for a clear shot, only to have his friend flung into him, sending them both sprawled against the ground in defeat. Feeling her confidence bolstered,
Shuriken reached the end of the corridor with a swagger until reaper's dread kicked in. Stopping dead in her tracks, Chie felt the goosebumps rise on her arms and legs and she let out a sharp gasp at the unexpected sensation. Whatever was down there meant business. Maybe she didn't want to go down there alone after all.

Frontline raised a brow, chuckling lightly as he followed her into the corridor. “I appreciate the concern...” He watched her dispatch with the attackers. “But when you’re bulletproof, like me, it’s faster to take the more direct approach.”  

As she finished off the last two guards, throwing one into the other, he rolled his eyes at the sudden swagger in her walk.  

When she got to the end of the corridor, her tone suddenly shifted, and her heart rate increased, indicating a clear sign of fear.  

“You okay??” He approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle her in any way. “You look like you seen a...” His tone suddenly shifted, no longer giving off the friendly, playful demeaner, feeling the wave of dread wash over himself. “Ghost...” His attention turned to the room in front of them. “Stay behind me.” He stepped forward, moving between Shuriken and the room, as he closed his eyes, concentrating on the noises ahead of him.  

Fear wasn’t anything new to the young hero, he remembered the times before he got his powers. When he was nothing more than a helpless nerd, sitting in the nurses office at school, either for multiple bruises, cuts, or even broken bones.  

He hadn’t felt this kind of fear in a long time, his powers making him near impervious to physical harm. Oddly, he kinda missed it, this feeling of being vulnerable, it reminded him of why he decided to use his power to help others.  

After a second, he heard them, slow, calm footsteps, not like the others from before. Whoever they belonged too, must either be immune to the wave of dread, or the source, for their heart rate was steady and calm, as was their breathing.  

His eyes snapped open, as there was a quick burst of air, as he was gone from Shurikens sight.  

He reappeared in front of Reaper, posturing up as he locked his sights on the villain. “Whatever he is paying you, I can assure you, it isn’t worth it...” He spoke firmly. “Please, stand down, this isn’t a fight you want to have, trust me.”

If the sudden appearance of a hero surprised Faust, his expression gave no hint of it. There was no change in his posture, there was widening of his eyes, there wasn't even a move to attack. He stood still, the only movement was from his cloak which billowed slightly in a wind that wasn't there. He kept his eyes on the hero, reading him, never wavering in that cold stare of his.

He remained silent for a long moment, waiting to see if the hero had anything else to say. Surely there had to be more. If that was all this hero had to put out there...if that was his idea of a threat. When it became clear that was all he had, Faust let out a soft chuckle, which gave way to a booming laugh, throwing back his head in glee. There was a deep, menacing tone to it, but it also seemed genuinely amused by the statement, like he had just heard the world's funniest joke. When he finally settled from the laugh, there was still an airiness to his expression, at ease. He made a small gesture to the man, "Are you new to this? The bickering and threats? The offers? The monologuing? If that's all you have, you have a long way to go before you can truly call yourself a hero. There's a history to all of this, tradition and values and gimmicks, and yet you have seemingly ignored all of them. After this, if you're still alive, we could meet for lunch and I could give you a history lesson in all of this."

He paused for a moment, setting his hammer down on the floor, sizzling coming from the cement floor as it seemed to melt into the ground. "What's your name? I would normally address you as hero, but we've established that's not the case. My name is Faust, the Crimson Reaper, and, to be honest, I will be going by a new name soon enough. If you're here to stop me, I welcome you to try. But perhaps I can persuade you to back down. You see..." He left his hammer where it rested, still slightly sinking into the ground as it melted it away. "I've been at this for a long...long time. In my thirty or so years as a supervillain I've crushed men of steel...I have broken the sharpest of minds...and I have caused those who can defy gravity to fall. And you...you who can move so fast won't be able outrun what I will do to you if you continue." He stopped several feet from the man, staring at him. "Whatever you choose is fine, boy. There will be no judgement from me." That almost sounded encouraging, or...parental.

While Chie had previously found Frontline's overconfidence grating, she was more than happy to hop behind him, giving herself an ample few yards to let her namesake shuriken do the hard work. The man who appeared before them was rather intimidating, she had dealt with dangers of various magnitudes before, sure, but this man gave her a bad feeling she couldn't shake off. When Frontline moved from his spot in front of her she moved to call out to him, warn him to stop, but she was too late. His threatening tone and foolish warnings almost left her exasperated, but Reaper was quick to pick up on the new kid's fault as well.

Chie's fear turned to annoyance as the two of them bickered amongst each other. For all of reaper's prattling about their lack of Je ne sais quoi he had completely neglected the woman in the room. It dawned on her eventually that he might even have noticed her with the brute in his face, and as Reaper locked eyes with Frontline she decided to give him a rude reminder as to why you don't underestimate a woman. Chie threw two shurikens, one at reaper's head and shoulder and the other bouncing off the wall to fly at his leg. It had been remarkably useful against the various goons she faced, and with her expert aim she had no worry about hitting Frontline. She doubted it would do much harm to such a powerful hero anyway.
"I choose to hurry this up! I've got a tight schedule here!" She proclaimed as she held up a fistful of more shurikens to show her foe what he might be in store for. Despite the ambitious fervor in her voice, she didn't dare step forward. She'd let Frontline deal with that. He seemed to think he was invincible, why not put it to the test?

Faust's attention had in fact been focused on Frontline, not because he was ignoring the woman, rather he just didn't notice her at first. He was a villain, but not a sexist. He even helped march in a few rallies with his wife. Though, as the woman made herself known, throwing those shurikens at him, she had certainly managed to capture his attention. It was proven that throwing sharp objects at someone was a very good way to get someone to focus on you.

However, his skin was tougher than that of a normal person's, even without mimicking someone's strength or durability. The shurikens scratched against him, but didn't even leave marks against his suit. The action, though, at least drew his gaze to the woman and for a moment he looked genuinely surprised. "Oh! Hello there. My my, I do apologize, I didn't notice you here as this man recklessly charged in. I do appreciate the gusto you came at me with. Most anyone else, especially those without powers, that could've been lethal. I can respect that. More than I respect your partner here at least."

He gave a bow of his head to the woman, "My name is Faust, the Crimson Reaper, soon to go by a new name. It is nice to meet you." He said, lifting his head to now look at both of them. "So...how are we going to proceed. I will give you this chance to turn back if you want, if not then...well..." He turned his back to them, returning to his hammer and grabbing it. He hefted it onto his shoulders and the flames that came from its broad head flared brightly. "Sorry for what happens next."

The fear swelled some more, as Frontline could hear the mans heartbeat, still steady, and unwavering. The man before him was completely calm, even as he laughed at the heroes offer. The young hero took a deep breath, regaining focus as Faust stepped towards him, leaving his hammer behind.

Before he could retort, a small flurry of shuriken darted into view, coming from behind as they hit their mark, striking Faust. As they merely bounced off the villain, Frontline felt the fear subside, as he realized he wasn’t alone in this fight.

“You go stop the bomb...” Frontline looked back to Shuriken. “I’ll try and hold off our friend here.” As he turned back, he measured up the villain. “I’m sorry, your offer is kind, but with what's at stake...” He reloaded his arms, bringing them up into boxing stance. “I am afraid I have to decline.”

Suddenly Frontline was gone, reappearing directly in front of Faust, at least, to anyone with normal perception. He started by going for a standard shoulder tackle, which, if it landed, would feel like being hit by a small car. He was obviously holding back some, not knowing the upper limits of this villains durability, and preferring not to kill the villain, as it wasn’t exactly his nature.

Chie was surprised by the villain's courtesy. It was rare that someone treated her like a genuine threat, and it was a surprising change of pace that both excited and alarmed her. The fear from before had yet to waver, and as he brandished his flaming hammer the fear glistened in her eyes as the flames danced along the hammer's head.

Luckily, Frontline had offered her an out. She was about to run off before she realized what he was suggesting. No doubt this was a hard fight and he would need all the help he could get. She looked at him for a moment, concerned and worried. Ultimately, she knew he was right and so she nodded in agreement. The city came first, they were heroes and this was the danger of their work. it just didn't feel right...

As Frontline blinked forward, Chie rushed after him instinctively, kicking off the wall and sending herself flying forward with a kick. Her heel pointed directly at Faust's face. A two-pronged attack, he hadn't expected her last time. She would need to get past Faust anyway, the least she could go is give Frontline a head start. Something told her that he would need it.

They always declined.

That’s why they were heroes after all. In the rare case that they did decline they almost always hung up their capes. It was the realization that maybe they weren’t cut out for the profession, that there were other callings in life for them. Which was fine. There was no shame in that. People changed their paths all the time and this was a dangerous profession after all.

He was getting sidetracked.

Simply, he was not surprised when the “hero” declined and began to charge him. What did surprise him was the force that he was struck with. It wasn’t enough to take him out of the right, but he went sliding back, falling to a knee from the impact. That was a hard bruise, it would hurt for some days, but despite the pain Faust’s grin never seemed to falter. Of course, insult to injury was when the Chie kicked in him in the face. That didn’t hurt, not nearly as much, but it certainly wasn’t an appreciated action. When he stood again, using his hammer for some support, he let out a laugh that echoed and that sense of dread would slowly increase throughout the room.
(Level 2: This can felt from a range of ninety feet. This gives one a feeling of high anxiety, something nagging in one’s head that something terrible, awful is going to happen. Targets afflicted may still have hope and reason to act or escape).

“My my…you are a strong one.” Something about him began to change. There was no aura or change in him physically, but there was a sharper look in his eyes as he stared at Frontline. “All this strength you possess and yet…” He moved in the blink of eye…just as fast…maybe a bit faster than…Frontline? He attempted to grab Chie by the shoulders and throw her away from the stairs and towards Frontline. It was fast, rough motion, meant to take them both by surprise.

He stood before them again, cracking his neck once. “Tell me…what was your name again?” He looked at Frontline, “Are you always this strong…and you…?” He looked to Chie, “Are you always so bold? And I suppose…” He looked between them, “Are you both sure you want to do this?”

Only one knee...

Frontline felt his heart start to race, he had only hit the man with a miniscule amount of power, the fact that he got him to one knee meant Faust barely managed to stay standing. Yet he still has this constant itch in the back of his head, constantly telling him to grab Shuriken and fly far from here. Odds were he could find the nuke again, and deal with it later.  

And if he couldn’t find it later...

No!  

His thoughts honed back in, his focus sharpened on the villain. The very idea of letting the bomb slip away was something he feared most.  

“I told you this was a fight you should walk away from.” Frontline said in response to Fausts comments on his strength.  

As it seemed Frontline had the clear physical advantage, Faust suddenly vanished from sight.  

“What...” It took a second for Frontline to catch on, as the villain had caught him off guard, moving at super speeds. “Oh crap.” He made a dash after him, but was already several feet behind, and wouldn’t be able to catch him. He instead, shifting his stance, going to catch Shuriken as she was sent flying.  

As he was setting her back on her feet, Faust had moved into position between them and steps.  

“Let’s try that again...” Frontline whispered to Shuriken. “His speed took me by surprise, he won’t get that chance again, but this time, try for a different route, to keep him off guard.”  

Frontline stepped between Shuriken and Faust once again, a force of habit, being the bulletproof hero. “Names Frontline.” He shifted back into his fighting stance. “Trust me, if you thought that first blow hurt, you should walk away now.”  

He didn’t give a chance for Shuriken to reply, for the second Fausts eyes were off Frontline, the hero disappeared again, lunging up into the air at superhuman speeds. Hoping that even if Faust was faster, moving vertically with his flight would catch him off guard. All Frontline needed was to land one blow, as he dashed back downward, using the momentum to drive a right hook for his face, this time,  he put serious power behind the blow, cranking it up enough to make that someone with Faust' durability would stay down.

Shuriken hit Faust like he was a brick wall. She was strong, strong enough to knock out most goons in one hit. Faust acted like he had been tickled by a feather, laughing as a good villain should at her paltry attacks. As the dread sunk in more, Chie grit her teeth to bite back the fear that sat like a brick in her stomach. She just needed to get past him. At least that's what she told herself.

Sadly, reality had a different plan for her. She barely caught the a blur of her adversary moving before he was on her, and she faltered as her fear got the best of her. Before she knew it he had sent her flying. Front line caught her, and she shared a concerned look with him before he gently put the ninja back onto her feet.

Frontline's composure was a reassurance that helped her steal her nerves and she prepared for a different assault. She didn't get a chance to tell him the faults in his plan. She watched Frontline carefully and the moment she saw him move, she threw down another smoke bomb, disguising both of their movements. She may not be useful in a brawl here, but she still had tricks up her sleeve.

As Frontline came flying from above Chie ran at a full sprint like a bat out of hell, before swinging forward to slide between Faust's legs, arms up and ready to absorb an incoming attack.

Faust didn't hold the conventional combative position. As the two stood and quietly planned to themselves, he stood, holding his hammer at the side. There was no tension in his shoulders, he almost seemed to be relaxed. He stood there like any other person in a crowd as he watched the pair. Whatever they were planning he didn't seem worried about it.

As the smoke bomb came colliding toward him and sent a spray of fog up into the air he only looked around at it in a casual manner. A simple "Hm" left him as he appraised the tactic. As he turned to face forward again, though, a sudden fist would collide with his face, usually given with enough force to make a weaker man crumble. However, as Frontline's fist connected with his face, Faust only moved slightly. His head bent back slightly to accommodate the new presence there, his eyes shut.

For a moment, it would seem as though he had been knocked on his feet. Then, his eyes would suddenly open and he'd push his head forward against the fist, unbothered by it. "A good attempt." And then he would attempt to ram his fist forward into Frontline's gut, more than enough power to put a hard dent into steel, any attempt to push the man away. In the next motion he would suddenly turn and hurl his flaming hammer towards the entrance of the stairs, just trying to halt Chie's progression towards the stairs.

In a blink of an eye, though, he'd use his new found speed to rush over and stand there at the foot of it. His hand wrapped around the mace, holding it tightly. He looked back and forth between the two of them. "I do commend your efforts so far. You really are a credit to your society. For that, again, I will ask if you wish to surrender now. Otherwise..." His eyes turned viciously to Chie and he began to lift the hammer, pointing it to her. "You'll be first."

Got him!!  

Frontline couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as he felt the fist connect, colliding with Fausts face, and even with his superspeed, the villain couldn’t react in time to negate the power behind the blow. It was all the hero needed to end this fight, as he put enough power behind the blow to knock out the villain, given what his previous attack had done.  

"A good attempt."

“What!!?” Frontlines eyes grew wide, as he felt his fist stop short of knocking the villain off his feet, and even being pushed back, as Faust straightened back up. In shock, he didn’t see the counter punch, which dug into his gut like a drill, knocking the very air from his lungs, and forcing him flying back, crashing into a stack of crates.  

Where did this sudden strength come from? Was he faking it before, trying to lure the hero into a false sense of security??

Either way, Frontline clenched his fist, as he lifted himself out of the broken crates, his eyes immediately locked onto Faust. “I already told you...” He dashed forward. “There’s too much at stake to walk away.”  

From his previous attempts, Frontline had learned a few things. First being, this man was much stronger and tougher than he had let on earlier and was going to be a challenge for the young hero.  

The second part, and the most important part, was that he was adamant about not letting anybody get to the bomb.  

As Frontline got near, it appeared he would be trying for another frontal assault, his right fist pulled back, preparing to give a superman punch.  

However, as defenses would most likely go up, or the villain would brace for the blow, readying his own counterattack, Frontline suddenly shot up into the air. Flying over Faust, he dashed for the top of the stairs, glancing back briefly, before disappearing down the lower levels, making his own way to the bomb.  

What was Faust to do, he could easily subdue Shuriken, but she was slippery fighter, and Frontline was fast.  

If he stayed to finish her off, he risked the bomb being destroyed.