DREG VS. TWO BIRDS OF DEATH.

1774, NOVEMBER 27th, SUNDAY 8:30 pm.

Far above the ocean waves, three men used Drive-based telekinesis to fly in the sky. Dreg dodged a light-speed punch from a man twice his size. Two hits to the arm and a chop to the neck sent the giant back – Dreg flew past him, dodging a beam of white fire from a man in a yellow rain jacket.

"Shit!" Raven raised both arms, prismatic energy became a metal umbrella that the white fire crashed into. "ALBATROSS! I can't use corruption recklessly! I need an opening!"

"I must admit – the man is quite the challenge," the giant spoke.

Dreg stayed on his toes, always keeping Albatross between himself and the corruption user. The giant swung with strength and precision; Dreg had to stay focused. The man was strong – that was for sure, but he wasn't general level. If Dreg had to guess, Albatross was half-gen.

However, his punches didn't match his strength. While Albatross's first punch could have destroyed half the planet... His second one was as strong as a General's. How did it double in power? With Dreg's unique ability to absorb kinetic energy, he had time to figure it out.

It was the other man who was the real threat. There was no doubt in Dreg's mind... Raven was general level. Not only that, but he was a corruption user – a substance so destructive that it erased existence itself.

"He's a General! They can inflict fifty-quadrillion megatons of force in a single punch! Of course he's challenging!" Raven shouted. "Keep him still – Corruption only needs one hit!"

"Come now! Aren't we allowed a little fun?" Albatross grinned. "It's been so long since I had a challenge – let me enjoy losing for once!"

"Tell that to Edward! Dreg is called the undefeated for a reason. Even when Rust, Salt, and Trio teamed up to beat him – Dreg still won!" Raven's hand continued to follow Dreg, but the quick General kept placing Albatross in between them. "When it comes to combat – he's DeathTech's biggest threat!"

Dreg's grimace deepened. A general and a half-gen against him; not to mention both had supernatural powers from this mysterious Personification of Existence. It was taking all his concentration to avoid being killed in one hit. An opening appeared, he shot towards Raven at super-sonic speeds, and Raven blocked an attack with a DriveMetal umbrella.

Their inherent strength was equal, but Dreg has saved up potential energy to destroy the world ten times over. Before he could release it, instinct told him to dodge. He did so and a plume of corruption burst around Raven. If he was a nano-second slower, Dreg would have been erased from reality.

The giant, Albatross, appeared behind him – he threw a punch. Dreg blocked it, but the blow was enough to shatter the planet twice over. If it wasn't for his ability Momentum Redirection then a bone might have fractured. Dreg's eyes narrowed, it wasn't his imagination, Albatross's attack's double in power again.

Dreg began dodging Albatross's wild swings. It seems his supernatural ability had to do with strength for every attack doubled in power. Albatross didn't need to maintain a combo, even if he missed a few swings, his next strike was guaranteed to be twice as powerful as the previous.

"One wouldn't expect a man who can absorb kinetic energy to be so good at dodging," Albatross grinned.

"You're designed to fight me," Dreg said. "Only a fool would rely on old tactics."

"Wise indeed."

Albatross ducked and Raven fired a beam of corruption. Dreg moved faster than light and dodged, Albatross waited with an uppercut – it connected. The giant's attack power doubled again and Dreg's ki was strained to the limits. It absorbed a punch that could shatter four planets.

Dreg threw his head from the fist, spun, and weaved under a blast of white fire. Sweat began to bead down his face – if it wasn't for all martial art prowess, he would have been hit by corruption.

"I've absorbed enough kinetic energy to destroy the planet seven times over," Dreg thought. "Unless I expend this energy – the fight will stay as a stalemate."

Dreg closed his eyes and expanded his senses. His body calmed and he became one with the world around him. Every particle in the wind, every shift in the tides, he was aware of it all. Albatross threw a punch a fraction of an inch too wide – Dreg blocked upwards, threw the man's arm aside, and focused on Raven.

All of the kinetic energy Albatross hit Dreg with was stored into his fist. Enough power to destroy every planet in the solar system with a single attack. Dreg took all that strength, concentrated it into a small ball, and threw it towards Raven with a punch.

A blast of pure force energy flew forward – ripping through the sky like a telekinetic railgun. The atmosphere was torn asunder as the beam moved faster than light. If it was aimed anywhere near the ground the planet would have popped like a ballon. It slammed into Raven and there was a flash of light... But no explosion.

The blinding light faded to black tar... The wall of corruption dissipated. Dreg's attack was deleted from reality. All of that power was gone; the death beam was removed from existence – like the whisper it never was.

Dreg was stunned, but he didn't hesitate. Albatross came in with a swing, Dreg pivoted and kept the giant between him and the corruption user – the most dangerous man in the world.

Albatross's head was thrown back as Dreg landed an uppercut with his elbow. He released enough kinetic energy to shatter one planet – Albatross spat out some blood and grinned. The man was half-gen but abnormally tough for his respective Augment levels.

With Raven's position Dreg couldn't dodge Albatross's headbutt, he had to block. The weight of eight planets crashed down on Dreg's arms – if he hadn't made that last attack against Raven, this attack would have overloaded his Momentum Redirection. He absorbed every last bit of kinetic force and transformed it into potential energy.

"Ranged and melee fighters," Dreg scowled. "This is an uphill battle."

"I'm impressed, General Dreg!" Albatross shouted. "I've fought many a warrior – but never a one with such mastery in the martial ways."

Dreg didn't respond.

"I hope you'll be the one to kill me!" Albatross laughed.

"As. Do. I."

Raven's hand continued to follow Dreg. "Alba, careful! If I miss, corruption could run rampant!"

"Pray tell Raven. How is a sledgehammer like myself going to capture a scalpel like Dreg?" The giant grinned ear to ear. "My strength may double with each hit – but he controls the battle!"

Before Raven could respond, a portal in the shape of a sewing thimble appeared. A girl with silver hair, short bangs, two pigtails on each side, and a real horizontal third eye emerged.

"Falcon!" Raven shouted.

"Raven, Albazross! That's enough!" She yelled. "Edward wants zee both ov you back right now!"

The giant and the man in a raincoat turned to the girl. Dreg threw a punch towards Alba, but a second portal appeared before his fist. The punch halted an inch away from the extradimensional space as it snapped shut.

"Drats – zo close to cutting off zee hand," Falcon shrugged. "Au revoir – meester General."

Falcon, Albatross, and Raven entered the first portal – it vanished. Dreg hovered above the ocean, staring in the direction the three birds of death teleported away from.