Fury boiled within George as he confronted Rudy. He couldn't understand how Rudy, the boy he had known from their childhood, had acquired such unimaginable powers. The Rudy he remembered had been so different, so human.
"What happened to you?" George demanded, his voice trembling with anger and confusion. "How did you become like this?"
Rudy, his eyes still aglow with an eerie crimson light, remained silent. He didn't seem the least bit interested in engaging in a conversation with George. This was not a time for idle chatter, not when they were standing on the precipice of what might become one of Rudy's toughest battles, rivaling even the cosmic conflict against Asura. Moreover, Rudy's beloved Alice was sleeping peacefully upstairs, and he had no intention of waking her with futile discourse with George.
The tension between the two men grew thicker with every passing moment. The room seemed to crackle with an electric energy as they locked eyes, each harboring their own secrets and motivations.
George couldn't fathom what had transpired in Rudy's life to lead him down this path. The boy he remembered had been full of dreams and innocence, not a person wielding powers that defied explanation.
George's anger continued to smolder as he confronted Rudy. He had little concern for Alice or her safety. In fact, he saw her as a potential shield, a reason, an excuse to save himself if the need arose.
"Answer me!" George's tone grew more desperate. "What happened to you?"
Rudy's response remained unchanged. He seemed unmoved by George's anger, his gaze fixed and unwavering.
George's mind raced, considering the unthinkable. If it came down to it, he would not hesitate to use Alice as a means to protect himself. She was, in his mind, a convenient pawn in this dangerous game.
Rudy's eyes flared with intensity as his hand rose, fingers outstretched, and once again, the violent black matter began to take form. But this time, it wasn't a mere pinpoint; its size expanded rapidly, casting a palpable sense of dread across the room.
The air quivered as if an earthquake had struck. Rudy summoned the same malevolent energy in his other hand, and the two orbs of darkness pulsed with ominous power. Their movement was chaotic yet controlled, like a tempest confined to Rudy's palms.
With a steady, practiced motion, Rudy pressed his hands together, and the two spheres merged into one. It transformed into a swirling vortex of lightning black matter, an entity hungry for more. The sphere sucked the air around it, creating a vacuum within its dark borders, which now formed a menacing ring.
George could only watch in utter horror and disbelief. He was no stranger to powers and energies, being an elite operative of the clandestine facility. Yet, even he had severely underestimated Rudy. Fear gripped him, and in a fit of desperation, he cursed himself for not eliminating Rudy when he had the chance, back when Rudy was just a child.
In his trembling voice, George muttered bitterly, "I should've killed you when I had the chance."
Rudy's laughter, tinged with a touch of madness, filled the room. The swirling black matter in his hands crackled with unrestrained energy. He had transcended any semblance of the boy George once knew, becoming something far more powerful and enigmatic.
George's nervousness was thinly veiled as he stared at the swirling black matter between Rudy's palms. He attempted to regain his composure, scoffing and attempting to sound confident despite the dire situation.
With an uneasy chuckle, George began, "I know you won't release that energy from your palm. Because if you do, it would obliterate this planet. I know a raw energy when I see one, and the energy in your hand is..."
His voice wavered as he spoke, and he cleared his throat, attempting to sound bolder, "Alice is sleeping upstairs, and there's no way you would even try to cause any damage to this house. However, you can't attack me without destroying your surroundings."
George's tone shifted, and he chuckled more arrogantly, believing he had outsmarted Rudy. "You won't attack me. Small attacks like the earlier ones won't even scratch me, and you can't use more powerful attacks. What will you do—"
But before George could finish his sentence, his world turned upside down, quite literally. In an instant, he found himself suspended in the air, hurtling upward at a breathtaking speed, his words stolen from his lips.
Rudy had grown weary of George's taunts and remarks. In the blink of an eye, he had teleported behind George, and then, with a wave of his hand, he'd hurled George into the sky using telekinesis.
Rudy watched with an unwavering gaze as George's figure rapidly receded into the endless expanse of space. His eyes glinted with a mix of determination and impatience. The swirling black matter he had conjured still crackled with immense, untapped power in his palms.
Although his face remained stoic, there was a sense of resolve in Rudy's stance. He knew that he couldn't afford to let George's threats persist any longer. The situation had escalated beyond the point of no return, and Rudy's actions had taken on an air of finality.
In the cosmic void of space, Rudy's powers were boundless, and he had no intention of allowing George to return unscathed. As he readied himself for what came next, the very fabric of space itself seemed to acknowledge the immense power at his command.
Rudy, his figure in an ethereal silhouette against the backdrop of the cosmic canvas, continued his pursuit of George as he ventured further into the unforgiving void of space. His movements were swift and precise, a testament to the unparalleled control he had over his newfound powers.
The black matter in Rudy's palm responded obediently to his commands, compressed into a formidable projectile. It struggled to escape the confines of his grasp, yearning to consume everything in its path. Rudy's intense focus held the volatile force at bay.
With a calculated motion, Rudy morphed the black matter into the shape of an arrow, a deadly implement of his will. It elongated and transformed into a menacing spear, its voracious appetite undiminished. Even in this altered form, it remained a harbinger of annihilation, eager to obliterate all it touched.
With an intensity that sent shockwaves through the cosmos, Rudy unleashed the spear. The black void of its tip hungered for its target, an insatiable maw that would spare nothing in its path.
And its destination was… George.
