In her rare moments of rest, K's mind would drift back to a time when life was simple, a time when she knew happiness. She was just a young girl then, walking down the sparkling streets, her hand held tightly in her mother's. The sky above shone a beautiful red, the sun burning brightly.
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K could still see her mother's smile, hear the jokes she would tell, and feel the joy that filled her as they laughed together. That walk down the shimmering street was a memory she held close, a moment she cherished deep in her heart.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5aFbVExUO
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But as much as she treasured it, there was a part of K that wanted to forget it. Because no matter how much joy it brought, that happiness was always crushed by the unbearable sadness that followed. The red sky would darken, and through the clouds, she would remember the haunting glow of red eyes staring down at them.
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K would force the memory to end before the rest of the vision came flooding back, unwilling to relive the pain that followed. But even in shutting it out, she could feel the anger rising within her, threatening to break free.
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Nexus sprinted across the rooftops of the Dark Zone, a grin still on his face. The neon lights from below flickered against the metal structures, casting an eerie glow across the city. Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed behind him, causing him to glance back.
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"A sonic boom, huh?" he muttered with a smile. "She's always so serious."
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He barely had a moment to react before K appeared in a flash, blocking his path. The sheer force of her arrival caused a powerful gust of wind, forcing Nexus to shield his face as debris scattered around him.
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"Did you really think you could outrun me, moving at that pace?" K asked, arms crossed, floating above the rooftop as her piercing blue eyes bore down on him.
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Nexus chuckled, but there was a hint of frustration in his voice. "Damn Vulcanaris," he muttered under his breath.
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K's eyes began to glow red, an ominous light building within them. "I swear, Nexus, you will not get away from me this time," she said coldly, her long blonde hair falling in front of her face as her expression hardened.
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Nexus smirked, his cocky demeanor still intact. "You think so?" he teased, but before the words fully left his mouth, a searing red beam shot straight through his chest.
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Nexus staggered, eyes wide in shock, the smirk wiped clean from his face. His hand instinctively went to the smoking wound in his chest as K's glowing eyes continued to burn with deadly intent.
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"No more talk," K said, her voice cold and unforgiving, her eyes blazing with fire.
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K's fierce expression shifted to one of shock as the figure in front of her began to slowly tip forward. Without hesitation, she moved at blinding speed, catching Nexus's falling body before it hit the ground.
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"Dammit!" she growled, looking down at what was now clearly a lifelike dummy, complete with a ridiculously exaggerated tongue sticking out. "Damn him!" K spat in frustration as her piercing blue eyes scanned her surroundings.
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"Where are you, bastard?!" she screamed, her eyes glowing a brilliant blue as her x-ray vision activated, allowing her to see through the buildings. It didn't take long before she spotted him—Nexus's real form, darting through the streets below.
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"Found you..." she muttered with a dark smile, her body rocketing through the air like a missile, weaving through the urban sprawl with deadly precision.
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Nexus, already on the run, turned his head just slightly, catching the blur of K rapidly closing in. "You really don't give up, do you?" he muttered, amused as the massive force came barreling toward him.
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With a quick movement, Nexus leaped into the air, his legs spread wide as K shot beneath him, missing by inches. She smashed straight into a bright, neon billboard, shattering it into pieces, sparks flying as the display flickered and died.
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Perched on the side of a nearby building, Nexus bent down, smirking as he called out into the distance. "You alright?" His tone was playful as ever, his eyes scanning the remnants of the destroyed billboard.
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There was a brief silence before K's figure emerged from the wreckage, dust and sparks falling around her. Her glowing eyes locked onto Nexus with a murderous intensity.
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Nexus raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a no."
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K flashed forward in an instant, her fists clenched tightly as she appeared directly in front of Nexus. Her eyes burned with fury, locked onto him.
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"Oh boy..." Nexus muttered with a smirk, quickly jumping backward just as her first punch sailed past him, narrowly missing his face.
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K's fists moved like bullets, each one thrown with the speed and power of a missile, but every punch hit only air. Nexus weaved effortlessly between her strikes, dodging with a smug grin plastered on his face.
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"I can't hit him!" K snarled, her anger fueling her, and she increased the speed of her punches. The sheer force of her strikes created hurricane-like winds, sending debris flying and causing nearby structures to tremble.
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Nexus, still dodging, laughed between her swings. "You're really working hard here, huh?" he teased.
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Frustrated, K stopped her barrage and took a deep breath, then exhaled a massive gust of wind toward Nexus, who barely had time to react.
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"Whoa!" Nexus screamed, arms and legs flailing wildly as the gust launched him hundreds of feet into the air, helplessly spinning and tumbling.
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K wasted no time. In a blur of motion, she appeared behind him in midair, her fist drawn back, muscles clenched tight. Without hesitation, she launched her punch, her fist moving so fast it seemed to blur out of existence.
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"BOOM!" The punch connected, unleashing a massive shockwave that shot pure air downward, shattering the ground far below. The force of the impact sent buildings shaking, windows shattering, and dust clouds billowing into the sky.
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K floated there, a satisfied smirk tugging at her lips. "Got him."
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"Oh, so confident." Nexus's voice echoed from above her. She looked up, her smirk fading. There he was, hovering smugly in the air, unharmed.
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"I guess you forgot my ability, huh?" Nexus said, cocking his fist back. In a flash, he flew down at K, his own punch aimed directly at her.
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"CRASH!" His fist collided with K's face, sending her rocketing downward toward the ground. The impact was deafening, a second explosion of dust and debris rising from where she landed, forming a massive crater.
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Hovering in the sky, Nexus watched with a cocky grin. "I'm the one who steals the spotlight, remember?"
***
Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
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