Villain Origin : Every Crime I Commit Helps Me Level Up-Chapter 25: Collision Course 2

Ken dragged himself to the relative safety of a support column, watching in awe and terror as the two superhuman fighters battled.

Andre struck first, a flurry of punches that seemed to bend the air itself. Marcus blocked most of them, his forearms hardening visibly—the skin taking on a metallic sheen that deflected Andre's strikes with harsh clanging sounds. One punch connected with Marcus's jaw, sending him skidding backward, but the impact seemed diminished, as if Andre had struck reinforced steel rather than flesh.

Marcus recovered quickly, his body flowing into a martial arts stance Ken didn't recognize—something ancient and fluid that seemed to harness the dark aura surrounding him. "Iron Body Technique," Marcus muttered, his smile never wavering as his skin rippled with that strange metallic quality. He launched himself forward, his movements precise and economical, each strike targeting vital points with surgical accuracy.

'This isn't possible,' Ken thought, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. 'No human can move like that.'

Yet the evidence was before his eyes. Andre and Marcus fought with a speed and power that transcended human limits, their movements blurring as they clashed again and again.

Marcus pivoted smoothly, his hardened fist striking like a piston toward Andre's sternum. "Piercing Palm," he hissed, the air distorting around his hand as it accelerated. Andre barely managed to deflect it, the force of the blow still sending him stumbling back two steps. Marcus pressed his advantage, flowing into a sequence of attacks that seemed to leave afterimages in the air—his limbs hardening and softening strategically to maximize both speed and impact.

"Mirror Step," Marcus intoned, and suddenly there appeared to be multiple versions of him moving in different directions. Ken blinked, trying to track the real Marcus, but it was impossible—each image seemed equally solid until the moment Andre was struck from behind by the real attack.

Marcus landed a powerful kick that sent Andre crashing through a stack of crates. Andre emerged from the debris unharmed, his eyes blazing with an inner purple light.

"You've been holding back," Marcus said, his voice echoing strangely in the warehouse. "Show me what you can really do, Atlas."

Andre's expression hardened. "You want to see? Fine."

He raised his hand, palm outward, and a pulse of energy visibly rippled through his arm. "Noctis end," he whispered.

The air around his hand shimmered, and then he was moving again, closing the distance between himself and Marcus in an instant. His fist connected with Marcus's chest, and the impact was like nothing Ken had ever seen.

Marcus's body folded around the blow, his Iron Body Technique shattering under the force of Andre's strike. A look of genuine surprise crossed his face as he was launched backward, crashing through the warehouse wall and into the night beyond.

Andre didn't hesitate. He pursued Marcus through the hole in the wall, disappearing from Ken's sight.

For a moment, Ken sat in stunned silence, trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Then, with a groan of pain, he forced himself to his feet. He had to find Dax and the others, had to get them out before—

A tremendous crash from outside interrupted his thoughts. Ken limped toward the hole in the wall, peering out into the night.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

Andre and Marcus were still fighting, their battle having moved to the empty lot behind the warehouse. But the nature of the fight had changed. Marcus was no longer smiling. His suit was torn, blood staining the fabric, and his movements had become more desperate, more frantic.

Andre, on the other hand, moved with a fluid grace that seemed almost supernatural. Each strike was precise, controlled, devastating. He wasn't just fighting—he was dominating.

As Ken watched, Marcus attempted to reactivate his Iron Body Technique, a ripple of that metallic sheen spreading across his skin. "Crushing Serpent," he growled, his arm undulating unnaturally as he launched a desperate attack, moving with blinding speed to close the distance between them. But Andre seemed to anticipate the move, stepping aside at the last moment and delivering a counter-strike that sent Marcus sprawling.

"Impossible," Marcus gasped, struggling to his feet. "You can't be this strong. You're still new to this."

Andre's expression remained impassive. "You don't know anything about me."

Marcus wiped blood from his mouth, his eyes narrowing. "I know more than you think, Atlas. I know what you are. I know what you can become." He straightened, his aura flaring once more. "And I know your weakness."

With that, Marcus charged again, but this time his target wasn't Andre—it was Ken.

Ken barely had time to register the danger before Marcus was upon him, a hand closing around his throat with crushing force. Ken gasped for air, his vision beginning to darken at the edges.

"Stop!" Andre's voice cut through the night. "Let him go."

Marcus's grip tightened. "You care about him. That's your weakness, Atlas. You care."

Andre's expression hardened, his aura intensifying. "Last chance, Marcus. Let. Him. Go."

Marcus's smile returned, cold and cruel. "Make me."

The world seemed to slow as Andre moved. One moment, he was across the lot; the next, he was directly in front of Marcus, his hand closing around Marcus's wrist with such force that Ken heard bones crack.

Marcus screamed, releasing Ken, who collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Andre didn't relent. He drove his fist into Marcus's stomach, then his face, each blow landing with devastating precision.

Marcus staggered backward, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. "This... isn't over," he gasped. "You have no idea what's coming."

Andre's expression remained cold. "Neither do you."

With that, he launched a final attack—a series of strikes so fast that Ken could barely follow them. Marcus tried to defend himself, his skin flickering with that metallic sheen as he desperately activated his Iron Body Technique, but he was overwhelmed, his guard breaking under the onslaught.

The final blow sent Marcus crashing to the ground, his body creating a small crater in the concrete. He lay still, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.

Andre stood over him, his aura gradually diminishing as the fight ended. For a moment, he seemed to consider finishing Marcus off. Then, with a visible effort, he turned away.

"Ken," he said, his voice returning to normal as he approached. "Are you alright?"

Ken nodded weakly, still trying to process everything he'd seen. "What... what was that?" he managed to ask.

Andre's expression was unreadable. "Later," he said. "We need to get you and the others out of here."

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Behind them, Marcus stirred, managing to raise himself onto one elbow. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as a twisted smile formed on his lips.

"I was trying to see the kind of person you are now," he said, his voice rough but carrying across the distance between them. "I see why you're rising so quickly." His smile widened into a malevolent grin. "I know who you are, Atlas. It'll be a risk to leave you alive."

Andre didn't turn around. "Then I'll tear yours down first," he said simply.

With that, he helped Ken to his feet, and together they made their way back into the warehouse to find the others.

As they moved through the wreckage of the failed operation, Ken couldn't shake the feeling that everything had changed. The world he thought he understood had been turned upside down in the span of a single night.

'What are you, Andre?' he wondered silently, glancing at the man beside him. 'And what have I gotten myself into?'

The night was far from over.

The interior of the warehouse was a battleground now, with crumpled bodies and broken equipment scattered across the floor. Andre moved with purpose, checking each of his fallen men. Most were alive but badly injured—broken bones, concussions, one with what looked like internal bleeding.

"Get them to the cars," Andre ordered, his voice tight with controlled rage. "We need to move before reinforcements arrive."

Ken nodded, ignoring his own injuries as he moved with practiced efficiency, helping to drag his wounded comrades to safety.

As they worked, Ken couldn't help but glance repeatedly at Andre. The raw power he'd witnessed was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It defied explanation, defied reality itself.

"You're going to tell me what that was," Ken said finally, his voice low so only Andre could hear.

Andre's expression remained neutral. "Not here. Not now."

"Andre—"

"Later, Ken." Andre's tone brooked no argument. "For now, focus on getting our people out."

Ken fell silent, respecting the command even as questions burned in his mind. Together, they managed to gather their wounded and move them to the waiting vehicles.

As they prepared to leave, Andre paused, looking back at the warehouse. "The charges," he said suddenly. "Are they still in place?"

Ken nodded. "Two of them. Not enough to bring down the whole building, but—"

"It'll do," Andre interrupted. He pulled out a small remote detonator that one of the Stray Dogs had been carrying. "A message is a message, even if it's not as loud as we planned."

With that, he pressed the button.

The explosion was smaller than they'd intended, but still powerful enough to send flames shooting through the windows of the warehouse. The structure didn't collapse, but it was clearly damaged beyond easy repair.

Andre watched the flames rise, his expression unreadable. Then, without a word, he turned and walked to the waiting car.