Sefe cracked her knuckles, a confident smirk dancing on her lips.
"Nope," she said. "That was just round one."
She glanced over her shoulder at her teammates—Amy hovering, Leo crouched low and ready.
"Tag formation. Let's finish this together."
Leo's golden eyes narrowed. Amy gave a sharp nod, a rising current of wind circling her feet.
Across from them, Vernon straightened slowly, blood dripping from a cut across his brow. He looked down at the smear on his palm… then laughed.
A low, guttural laugh.
"Alright then…" he growled. "Tier 4. Full Release."
The rooftop shuddered.
The air compressed.
And then—
The sky behind him rippled, like heatwaves from a furnace, distorting the very light around him. Dust lifted off the ground in thin spirals. A distant car alarm went off—then died in static.
Vernon's muscles twitched, then twisted.
His body began to change.
