Blue Nexus #37 - Wave Two

            Alucard flipped and crashed through a leaned building before a red shield prevented him from doing more and Brian’s kick hit him right in the ribs, sending him right into the ground, forming a rut.

            Kyle, Brenda, and Brian landed next to each other in sync, Brenda already created several squares and barriers around them for use while Kyle drew in more Nexus energy. He felt pumped. Like, really pumped. He wasn’t sure if it was from the sweet hit he got in on Alucard—a bit of a cheap shot but who cared at this point—or if it had something to do with leaving the Nether. Had Jericho done something to them and enhanced their power?

            “Kyle, you and I are going to take him at the sides. Brenda, stay behind us, don’t let him escape. Work off of each other, and don’t let him out of your sight. Let’s go!” Brian took off first, Kyle blasting after him and Brenda dropping down last.

            Alucard tried to meet them head on. Kyle shot ahead, readying an attack. He swung, Alucard dodged, then dodged Brian’s, but was trapped in Brenda’s shield. Kyle turned around nimbly, propelling at a distracted Alucard. He broke the barrier, but Kyle locked him in a headlock and flung him down, where Brian nearly rammed right through him. Alucard was fast, but not fast enough to keep up with all of them.

            He tried to shout something, but was pummeled by one of Brenda’s barriers that slammed him into the ground. Kyle and Brian’s hands loaded up with energy, and at Brenda’s call they unleashed it all.

            Kyle panted, feeling the rush give way to exhaustion more and more. A black haze formed where there should have been blue. Kyle nodded, affirming to himself that he’d just gotten through the warm-up round.

            “I should have expected no less from you three,” Alucard said. “Our previous skirmish was a fluke, this is the true test of your abilities, as well as my own.”

            In the darkness, Alucard rose up, letting his Demon magic aura surround him. Kyle noticed Brian bracing himself.

            “The results will be the same!” he shouted, unleashing a torrent of energy.

            Brenda flung herself in the way, using the remaining barriers to block it. Kyle and Brian reacted, with Kyle going over her and Brian going under. Alucard tried to blast at them both. Brian shot by him and Kyle almost got in another hit but Alucard avoided it, elbowing Kyle in the back. Kyle swerved away, recovering by latching onto a broken piece of concrete on a wall.

            Kyle flipped back, headed for the battle. Brenda managed to dissipate the dark magic and engage Alucard herself, blocking all of his attacks with her shields. He got in the first real score, but Brian came from the side to distract him. Kyle blasted at them both, Alucard dodging. Brian redirected it and it hit Alucard square in the head. Kyle mentally patted himself on the back.

            Alucard roared and swung out, two large monsters appearing from nowhere. Brenda was the first to act, catching one with her shield. Brian punched through another, yet it managed to score a decent hit on him, sending them both falling to the ground far below.

            Kyle attacked Alucard. They kept up with each other, Alucard seeming to know Kyle’s moves before he made them and Kyle just reacting in time to not get killed. Alucard swung up with a wave of dark magic that Kyle deflected with a wave of Nexus energy, creating an explosion between the two of them that served as little more than a way of shoving them both away from each other.

            Before the other could get a word in, the two attacked again. Alucard had a wide grin, like he was enjoying himself, as if this were some sort of game. Kyle punched him across his face hard, trying to wipe that grin off. People were dying, this city was destroyed. Smile?

            Kyle hit him in the gut, kneed him in the jaw, and spin-kicked Alucard in the head. He felt his arm tingling. What smile? Kyle roared and blasted Alucard with both hands, blue smoke rising off his foe’s body as he crashed through another fallen building. Kyle panted, and looked over to Brenda. He felt his body becoming warmer, his breathing faster and tighter. She was worried, he saw.

            Kyle unclenched his fists, looking back down to Alucard, who stood up, drawing in more darkness around him. Kyle inhaled, then exhaled a deep breathe.

            “I’m okay,” he said.

            The tingling in his arm vanished.

            “Good, then we can finish this quicker,” Brian said, reappearing next to Kyle. “We need to keep the damage at a minimum.” He looked over his shoulder for a second. “I’m a hypocrite saying that, but if there’s gonna be any hope left for East City, that and beating Alucard need to be the focus.”

            “Brenda, can you create a big enough cube for all three of us?” asked Kyle.

            “Why the three of us?” asked Brenda, her hands and eyes turning red.

            “No, not the three of us. Myself, Brian, and Alucard. That’s how we contain him,” Kyle said. “We keep the fight in there, close-quarters combat. Alucard won’t be able to keep up with both of us.”

            “I don’t have a better idea, so let’s do it,” Brian said.

            Brenda created the barrier, and the three charged at Alucard again, who met them halfway, again with a smile. Brian and Kyle slammed into Alucard, giving Brenda enough time to seal them in. Kyle and Brian both appeared to have purple auras in the beat red room. Kyle could almost taste the amount of magic poured into the cube.

            Brian didn’t waste any time, attacking Alucard with very fast moves that Kyle wasn’t sure he could keep up with. Alucard hardly could, using his magic to manipulate or move Brian’s attacks away. Kyle joined the fray once Brian was spun out, then Brian joined him, attacking from another side.

            Kyle hit Alucard over the head, dropping him to one knee. Brian kicked him in the gut, Kyle punched him in the chin, bouncing Alucard off the wall. He didn’t even have a second to move before Brian picked him up and Kyle blasted him. Alucard slammed against another wall, then lashed out against both of them. Kyle fell into a corner, but Brian managed to dodge the brunt of it.

            Alucard approached rapidly, striking with even greater speed than before, and clawing at Brian. Brian was too slow for many of the moves, able to block the ones at his upper body while his legs were exposed. When he did go to block his legs, he also tried to swing away at one huge black magical attack with one arm. Kyle heard a crack and Brian grunted but kept it up.

            That one second of falter was all Alucard needed, though, and shouldered Brian away. Kyle rammed into Alucard before the finishing blow could be made, holding his hand out for his lance to appear. Alucard swung down at Kyle, breaking it in two. Kyle wasn’t sure if it was a splinter from the lance or just embarrassment that poked him in the chest, but either way, he moved on, attacking with a dual-wielding method Phoenix taught him months ago. He regretted not paying attention a little more.

            Yet still…Kyle dodged under another of Alucard’s attacks, hit him in the legs, head-butted his chest and managed to score two strikes before Alucard pushed Kyle away. Kyle swung out at him, dodging the uppercut Alucard sent and jabbed Alucard with a punching, then turning the flat end up the lance and smacking Alucard in the ribs with it. Kyle moved faster than Alucard did, rolling to the side and blowing up an energy blast in his chest. The room filled with blue smoke, then black smoke as Alucard lashed out and destroyed the barrier.

            The three of them dropped to the ground, Brenda falling with them. Brian managed to his feet with his left arm hanging limp at his side. Brenda had a healing barrier around it instantly, but Kyle could tell she was winded. The feeling was mutual. He looked back at Alucard, who had to force himself to stand up straight.

            “You’re all doing exceptional,” Alucard said. “Indeed, our previous battle was a fluke.”

            “Shut up,” Brian said.

            “It’s unfortunate, then, that there are circumstances that may cut this short,” Alucard said. “You see, there is yet one part of this city that has yet to be evacuated.”

            Kyle’s heart sunk. What? After all this time, how could that be possible? He looked around clumsily, as if he would just see a crowd of people not in safety yet.

            “They’re too far from here for you to see, but I imagine that if our battle goes any further, we put them in extreme risk,” Alucard said.

            “How can we trust you?” Brian asked. “How can we trust you aren’t just trying to separate us, take us on one-on-one?”         
            “How can you afford to let so many people die if I’m right?” Alucard asked. “It’s a simple matter of choice.”

            A lump formed in Kyle’s throat. If Alucard were wrong, they would all be killed. That much was incredibly simple. If he were right, they had to get those people out of there as fast as possible. Doing so, however, would waste energy. Alucard would no doubt send more demons after them to try and hinder their attack.

            But if they could separate, there was less of a chance of Alucard sending the demons after them, as he would have to be sending out a constant, concentrated stream of magic. He wouldn’t be able to fully focus on whoever he was fighting.

            “You guys go, find those people and get them out of here,” Kyle said. His chest felt heavy. “I’ll stay and fight.”

            “No, we need to stay together to beat him,” Brian said.

            “And someone has to go get those people out of there!” Kyle said. “Brenda can make a barrier to protect them but someone needs to protect her from any monsters that might attack. I can hold the line here. Trust me.”

            Brenda stepped up, but Brian stopped her, holding his unbroken arm out in front of her. He glared at Kyle. Kyle nodded at him. Brian’s aura lit up.

            “Then let’s go,” Brian said. “Come on, we need to hurry!”

            He shot into the sky, the red barrier still on his arm. Brenda hesitated, the followed after him. Kyle sighed. The street quieted down, not even the wind making a sound.

            Kyle turned to face Alucard, who was still smiling. Kyle clenched his fists, letting his energy swirl around him.

            “Then let’s get started,” Alucard said.

            Brenda landed just behind Brian. Alucard had been right. An entire building was full of people still. Brenda could hear their whispers and their whimpering. Brian kicked in the door, and all of the people on the ground floor cried out.

            “Listen up!” Brian shouted. “We’re with the Zanderia! We need everyone, please, to exit the building and follow us. Shindari will create a barrier around all of us so we can travel safely. But we need to hurry!”

            Nobody moved an inch. Brenda tried peering in, but the power was out and all the people were huddled safely in corners.

            “Please, everyone!” she shouted, redirecting her attention to the barrier she was creating. Some footsteps pattered. Brian moved away from the doorway.

            Larger footsteps pounded against the ground floor. Brenda felt the broken concrete trembling beneath her feet. Brian leapt in front of her, in front of the barrier. It rose higher and higher, wrapping around the building but forming a safe route out the back, where there was a small police force just standing there. Brenda, if she survived, knew she would have to get back to them.

            “I’ll hold them off!” Brian shouted. “Like…Blue Nexus said, we have to hold the line here!”

            Brenda nodded. She stepped back, pouring more of her magic into the thickness of the barrier. She dropped to one knee. She wasn’t replenishing fast enough, she was still drained from keeping herself pure and tame in the Nether.

            A hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up. A woman, middle-aged, smiled down at her with a small boy holding her hand.

            “Bless your soul, dear,” she said.

            A man came by, gripping the woman’s shoulder, and turning them away in a hurry. Brenda smiled, locking her arms. She looked forward. Almost like a cloud, the monsters rushed at them, storming down the street. Brian’s hands filled up, and Brenda felt the magic flowing out in great swaths.

            Upon impact, Brenda nearly fell back and Brian roared. Hold the line, she thought. Just hold the damn line!

            Kyle’s attacked easily missed Alucard, who laughed and shoved him away, sending him flipping into a street-light, knocking it over. Kyle maintained flight, watching Alucard slighter toward him as his foe used darkness for his attack. Kyle got away from it, going higher into the air. Alucard following swift, then propelled forward in a sudden move, snagging Kyle’s side. He retook human shape, grabbing Kyle’s neck and squeezing tight. Kyle punched Alucard once in the head, then in the armpit, loosening his grip.

            He pushed away from Alucard, stumbling back and landing on a building. Kyle could hardly keep his balance on the uneven roof. Alucard landed with grace. Kyle straightened up, regulating his breathing as Alucard took two steps closer.

            “On a night like this,” Alucard said softly. “On a night like this is when I imagined a battle between myself and the Earth’s greatest hero. A night where you have no hope left but the will you carry in your soul.”

            “It’s going to end tonight, Alucard,” Kyle said. His glance wavered. Alucard wore Mr. Evart’s face, a man he knew, a man he trusted.

            Alucard shook his head. His dark aura expanded, growing taller. Kyle found his doing the same as he let the energy radiate around him. Alucard nodded.

            “You have quite a bit of fight left in you, Kyle Raiden,” Alucard said. “I’m impressed. I’d have thought the Nether would break you again, but you’re tougher than your appearance would let me believe.”

            “I’m not scared of you,” Kyle said.

            “You’re scared of killing a man that never existed.”

            “I can’t afford to be scared of you. Or your power, or whatever you try and throw at me. Right now, I have to hold the line. I have to win.”

            “Then do it,” Alucard said. “You’ve done the impossible once before. Do it again…hero.”

            Kyle didn’t move. It was a line to bait him, make Kyle act on impulse. Alucard had all of his magic ready to use as an attack. Kyle gathered some of the Nexus into his hands.

            A gale swept between them, created by the swell of sheer power the two had amassed in near-physical form. Kyle felt it try to buffet him but was locked in place. He kept his glare locked onto Alucard’s smirk, waiting for a move to be made. He was on the balls of his feet, in a stance that could counter any quick move Alucard made.

            Faster than a gunshot, the two moved. Alucard shot dark magic at Kyle, who swept his arms down and blocked it, exposing his chest. He leaned back, avoiding Alucard’s punch. Kyle shot forward, trying to slam himself into Alucard, but Alucard faded into mist. Kyle’s eyes widened and something pierced through his ribs. He gasped, whirling around.

            Alucard was on the adjacent roof, holding out one arm. Kyle fell forward, then bounced off his arms and into the air, where he managed to avoid another quick attack, but fell into another trap. Alucard head locked him, and dropped the two. He let Kyle go just in front of the ground, forming a crater. Kyle’s arms were like jelly trying to get up.

            Alucard’s punch on his ribs was like a truck landing on him. Kyle shouted in pain. Alucard cast him aside with ease. Kyle rolled, getting back to his feet. He hit his fists together, letting the energy continue to gather around him.

            Where was that torrent of energy, damn it? It was always there when he’d needed it. Against Black Nexus, against Lightning and Thunder Tiger. Where?

            Kyle attacked Alucard. He knew he was too slow to play the defensive game, to try and anticipate all of Alucard’s moves. Alucard let him come, and absorbed Kyle’s super-powered attack with one hand, though it pushed him back ten yards.

            “You’ve failed, Raiden,” Alucard said. “Your overconfidence? I was betting on it. I’ll kill you, then when your friends are weak, I’ll crush them.”

            “How are you so strong?” Kyle muttered.

            “Did you think I was putting my best foot forward?” asked Alucard. “I was lulling you into this false sense of security.”

            He punctured Kyle’s right shoulder with demonic talon fingers. Kyle grunted from the pain, but was numb from the shock of knowing how hopeless the situation was. Alucard raised him up, then punched him away. Kyle hit the ground and rolled, a trail of blood following him.

            Kyle had half a heart to get back on his feet. He had half the energy to do so, anyway. Through tears he looked up, seeing Alucard just standing there like everything they’d thrown at him was just a slap in the face. Like Kyle were some sort of animal that he could tame. He was a cub trying to fight the apex predator.

            Kyle punched the ground.

            “No!” he shouted.

            He clutched his right shoulder—his dominant one—with his left hand, covering the wound. The Nexus would make sure he didn’t die from that small a wound, but it still cut off much use of his arm.

            “No?” asked Alucard. “You don’t submit?”

            “You’ll have to kill me again,” Kyle said. “Third time’s the charm, maybe this time you’ll actually succeed.”

            He lowered his arm, letting his arm fill with blue energy. Alucard laughed, the sound echoing throughout the streets. Kyle felt a chill run up his back.

            “One can dream,” Alucard said. “Though I have a better idea. I’ll just perform a similar act, only this time, stay there.”

            A black ball formed in Alucard’s hand, until it grew to the size of a basketball. He flung it hard at Kyle, and the ball opened up, sucking in anything on the street near it. Kyle knew exactly what that meant.

            Kyle leapt up, and shot the energy beam down at Alucard, who got out of the way. Kyle shot down, kicking at Alucard. The Demon mage blocked it. With his flimsy right arm, Kyle punched Alucard in the chest, but it wasn’t half as effective as it could have been. With his body oddly contorted, Alucard had an easy target, and blasted away Kyle with a wave of Demon magic.

            Brenda stole a look behind her, watching the people help each other out of the building. Very few were hurt. The others were shaken beyond belief, maybe beyond repair. She whirled back around when there was another push on the barrier. She noticed a crack up top, and streamed the magic toward the top.

            Brian punched down another demon. He held one broken sword in his hand while his other hand was free, shooting down demons as they approached. Only one had gotten over the wall passed him, but Brenda managed to take care of it. That much, though, almost wiped her clean of all magic. Now she was struggling just to be on one knee, keeping the barrier up with all her might.

            Her nose was bleeding and she felt a small rivulet of blood starting to pour down from her ear. Brian was undoubtedly bruised, but she couldn’t tell from where she was. He was facing the monsters, ever turning around. There were so many of them; how was Alucard able to keep this up so much?

            Brian shoved away another monster, but was pushed back against the wall and driven in further by another monster. Brenda surged him out, giving him a boost to cleave through the demonic beast and leap into another.

            “Hurry and finish this, Kyle,” she muttered, her voice hoarse. She looked behind her. “And hurry and leave, all of you!”

           

            The building looked stable for the moment—the lobby did at least. Kyle, quiet, fell back against the wall, panting and sweating like mad. He loosened his fists and shut his eyes. Alucard shot him down five city blocks, and didn’t follow him. Kyle tried to keep his energy down to the point where Alucard wouldn’t find him and where Kyle could catch a break.

            He touched over his two major wounds, knowing there were dozens of other cuts and bruises his body just wasn’t feeling. The blood was sticky and warm, dirty even. Kyle felt his stomach rise. Great, even if Alucard didn’t kill him, some sort of infection would.

            Kyle sighed, leaning his head back. A bead of sweat rolled from his mouth onto his lip. The air was thin around him, and unnaturally cold. He ducked his head as a shadow passed over the window.

            Oh, yeah, not afraid of him.

            Something moved near him. Kyle looked over, but his body was too numb to do the work of moving. A piece of rubble, perhaps a rodent was all. His heart raced faster than it ever had before. He tried to calm down, finding the task nearly impossible. He bit his lip, looking over the window again. Nothing but the dim stars.

            Kyle tried to push himself up, accidentally using his right arm. He dropped right back down. Once more he wondered where the hell that energy was hiding. Did he just have to swing his hand over the bracelet? No, that wasn’t how it worked. The previous two times, it just sort of happened. Kyle willed it all into existence.

            He grimaced. Could go for it right about now, he thought.

            With his left arm this time, Kyle picked himself up. His ribs shouted out against the action, but he had no other choice. Alucard was probably circling this building like a vulture, waiting to just pick Kyle off the second he revealed himself. Well, he would just show him!

            Kyle exhaled, stepping into the middle of the room. Then, he blasted a beam of energy out and waited a second. A shadow dropped down. There!

            A full-power, Kyle blasted out of the room, but was hit from above by a falling Alucard, then cast to the side.

            “Ah, man, thought you were gonna fall for it,” Kyle said, tasting iron in his mouth. Wait was he missing a—nope, he had all his teeth.

            “Cheap tricks like that will not work on a Demon mage,” Alucard said. “It only goes to show your desperation in this battle.”

            “I’m not the brightest guy,” Kyle said.

            He charged Alucard again, hoping to catch him off-guard. He didn’t but got a lucky shot in anyway. Not so much with the second, and the third was outright awful, leading to Alucard flinging him into a fourth level of the five-story building. Kyle sprawled out on the floor. The air tightened, then he felt one rupture and the building collapsed. A large panel hit him in the chest, driving him through the third story. Alucard popped into the building, hovering over him.

            Kyle crushed the cement panel that landed on him over Alucard, and flew out of the building. Alucard met him in the sky, reigniting their battle. Kyle gritted his teeth as they fought. No, Alucard was weakening. Very slowly, but Kyle was chipping away at him. Though, in the meantime, Alucard was chunking way at Kyle.

            He gripped Kyle’s shirt, yanking him close and head-butting Kyle. Jarred, Kyle felt back in the air. Alucard kicked him in the side, then reappeared behind Kyle and blasted him into the rubble of the building.

            All he could breathe in was dust. He coughed instead of exhaled, and teared up instead of saw in front of him. Kyle wandered on all fours through the rubble of the building, grasping for any real air.

            “Give up, boy!” shouted Alucard. A black concussive blast hit him in the back, slamming him down.

            Kyle got back up, staring at Alucard. He raised a weak blue hand up at him.

            “Keep ‘em coming!” he shouted.

            Alucard complied, as another concussive blast hit him square in the chest. Kyle soared back into one of the few walls left standing. He coughed up something red and iron-tasting, his head lolling to the side. He shook it, bracing himself against the wall. He held his hand up again trying to summon enough energy to blast Alucard one more time. Just once more.

            A part of his brain told him to use the Demon magic. Why not? It might be enough to turn the tide, and if he died, so what? He was going to die here anyway.

            The third concussive blast pinned him to the wall. Kyle struggled to get out of it, keeping his hand up and letting the energy swell up in his hand. It wasn’t enough yet. He punched the ground when he landed on it. More, he needed more!

            He tried to reach out and sense Brenda and Brian. They were there, Brian fighting against a large mass of magic while Brenda was pouring all she had into that mass. Alucard was over him, he could sense that monster clear as day. But he had no energy left? Impossible. Kyle stood back up one more time, his body finally catching up to the weight and pain of the battle, but he tried to shake it off. He was focused on this blast, this one blast.

            Kyle could feel his eyes glowing blue, could feel his aura thin around him. He gripped his right arm with his left, aiming at Alucard, who had his arms open, waiting for the blast.

            “This shot is for everyone that you’ve hurt!” Kyle exclaimed. “It’s for all my friends that you made me hurt, for all the people who think they’ve lost hope and homes because of you. This shot isn’t just for East City, it’s for planet Earth!”

            Alucard laughed, echoing over Kyle’s weak proclamation. Just one more…one small ounce…wait…

            There!

            Kyle shot the blast, the great blue beam of energy streaming out of his hand. For a split second, Kyle saw Alucard’s face.

            Fear.

            The blast caught him right in its eye, knocking him far back. Kyle swung out his arms, feeling the gateway open for the energy. It poured through his body, lighting it up in its bright blue brilliance. The lines around his body shown in magnificence, his aura was as intense as it’d ever been. With ease, Kyle floated up, away from the dust cloud of a building, into the free night sky. Alucard was smearing away blood from his face.

            “What is this?” asked Alucard. “Where did all of this power come from?”

            “I’ve always had it,” Kyle said. “I don’t draw power from myself, I draw it from the Nexus, from what’s around me. This time? This time it came from the hope that’s still in this city!”

            Like a blue bullet, Kyle blasted across the sky, punching Alucard just as he had when their fight began. He felt something crack on the opposite side of his hand. Kyle followed Alucard, then passed him and hit him toward the ground like a volleyball.

            Alucard tried to recover, getting out of the way just in time for Kyle to meet him face-to-face for a second. Alucard had a hard look, but Kyle’s was determined. Their fists collided, a gust of wind rupturing around them. Both tried to shoot energy blasts and negated each other. Alucard leapt back, away, and Kyle shot through, to get toward Alucard.

            He missed his attack but was also quick enough to dodge Alucard’s. He swung his hands up, bringing a swath of Nexus energy with him, and blasted Alucard.

            Alucard flipped back, and for a second, lost power, hitting the ground with a roll. Two massive waves of dark magic came at Kyle. Kyle braced himself, took a step back in the air, and expelled them with one energy blast. The Nexus energy overrode the corrupted magic, dispelling it into small fragments. Alucard stood stoic on the opposite end.

            “I’m impressed at your second wave of energy,” Alucard said. He heaved his chest up and down. “But it’s not enough.”

            “You sure about that?” Kyle asked.

            Kyle vanished, then reappeared behind Alucard, holding a hand up behind his head.

            “Think speed is your advantage over me?” asked Alucard.

            In a plume of darkness, Alucard moved away. Kyle was able to pick up his trail, intercepting him. Alucard tried the same trick again, and this time Kyle was able to hit him away, knocking him out of his groove. Alucard lashed out wildly, Kyle dodging it.

            Alucard blasted into the sky, going high up, leaving a black trail behind him. Kyle followed, not noticing the air thinning out the higher they went or the cold. His new, powerful aura was surrounding him well enough, getting that covered. It was as if the Nexus were telling him that it was protecting him, now Kyle had to protect the city.

            Alucard attacked when they reached the clouds. Kyle swung his arm out, moving a small cloud of his way and blocking Alucard’s beam with one arm. Alucard came at him with more small energy beams. Kyle dodged each of them, advancing on Alucard. The Demon mage lashed out wildly once again. Kyle caught his arm, glaring at Alucard, and punching him in the ribs where Alucard had punctured him. He threw Alucard away, toward the epicenter of the attacks. Alucard caught himself, and flew at Kyle on a black cloud.

            They reengaged in hand-to-hand combat, Kyle able to outmaneuver him with his renewed stamina. He ducked under a swung, blocked an uppercut, countered a cross with a left-cross of his own, and jabbed Alucard in the chest once, which opened up Kyle for another large energy beam that drove Alucard down into a leaning building.

            The Demon mage hit the ground. Kyle started his descent, noticing the large red wall in the distance and small flashes of blue. He looked back to Alucard, who took a moment longer to get to his feet. Kyle smiled.

            “Give up!” Kyle shouted. “You’re too stretched out, Alucard, you’re running out of magic!”

            “No!” Alucard shouted back. “The more fear there is, the more magic there is! I won’t be stopped!”

            He shot forward, leaving the epicenter in a hurry. Kyle followed after him, looking ahead at what he was charging toward. Quickly, the police and peoples on the city limits came into view.

            “Not them!” Kyle shouted. “You’re not laying a hand on them!”

            Kyle lowered toward the ground, following close on Alucard’s stream. They broke free of the city, Alucard reaching out for a crowd. Kyle kicked him away, then cast him up into the sky, following again. He blasted at Alucard, who blocked it and tried to blink him with an explosion of darkness.

            Kyle countered with an expansion of his aura, sensing Alucard. He threw an energy ball and instantly changed its direction, hitting Alucard square in the chest. Kyle charged at him, shouldering him back into the city outskirts. With his knee, Kyle dug Alucard into the ground. Alucard roared, blindly flailed, letting magic fly from his body. One beam caught Kyle, but it only halted him for a second.

            Alucard rolled back, leaping into the air. Kyle sprinted up the side of a building, spinning around a monster Alucard created. Kyle leapt into the air, his hands filled to the brim with energy.

            “And now, this city dies!” Alucard shouted, letting a dark magic beam fly, reinforced by a magical ball of the Nexus.

            “Now, you die!” Kyle roared back, and let all the energy in his hands out.

            The bright stream of blue made contact with the dark magic, overwhelming it. The Nether ball was shoved back, and with another surge, Alucard screamed one moment, and was silenced in the next.

            The air fell still. Everything was silent. A dull roar fizzled out around Kyle, and the slight sounds of blasts and chaos faded in the distance across the city. In the air, Kyle looked around. He let his senses go. Brenda had no magic left, and Brian was unconscious. He looked around, through his bright blue veil.

            Alucard was gone, done in by his own attack and then destroyed by the Nexus energy. Kyle beamed, then noticed he was falling. Slowly, very slowly falling. He looked down from his controlled descent and police officers were sprinting toward him.

            When his feet made contact, he dropped to both knees. His hands trembled, and his aura faded. He took a deep breath in, and when the police asked him if he was okay, all he could do was sigh, and look up with the biggest grin Kyle had ever had.

Next time: With Alucard gone for good, the heroes are left to pick up the pieces of what he's destroyed in "Blue Nexus #38 - Cracked, not Broken"!