V.I.R.A.L

"You may fight; you may try. Hell, you may even come close, but time will always catch up to you three. I am Ten of the Ten Judgements, and this is my first step to a brighter world. Salvation's Calling will be mine. You're just the stepping stones I have to crush to achieve that goal. Show me what the leaders of Team Rhapsody and Hero's Might have to offer!" Ten turned around, taunting the three, twirling his pocket watch around. "You're not even worth my time."

Zinnia was the first to attack, zipping past Ten twisting her katana around slashing at Ten. He stepped back, catching the katana with one hand shattering it with his hand kicking Zinnia back. Sam jumped in just after Zinnia's weapon was destroyed to keep the pressure going. Throwing serval punches, Ten kept blocking and deflecting each one before turning his arm back, summoning a giant clump of ice. Frozen inside, Sam eventually burned her way out, causing Ten to leap backwards, landing on a lamppost. "Look around, Alton, it's over. There's no point in us fighting anymore. Can't we come to some sort of agreement?" Sam argued.

Ten stroked his chin, thinking to himself. "Alright, I could agree to something. I'll release everyone from this domain if you do one thing for me. If you kill Five there, I'll consider it payment for getting in my way."

Zinnia and Sam turned to Harmony before refusing to snap back at Ten. "No way! Harmony is my friend; I won't kill her under the possession of Five or not."

"Alright, how about this then. I want you." Ten orders pointing at Zinnia, throwing her off. "Give yourself up, and I'll let everyone else go."

Zinnia was quite willing to comply until Sam stopped her. "And what do you want with Zinnia for?"

Ten crouched down, staring idly at Zinnia. "That girl is curious. I sense the Garden in here, and I'd quite like to know why."

"I'll go."

Harmony also stopped Zinnia shaking her head. "Don't fall for his lies. He'll just kill you once he's bored of you, Zinnia. Ten isn't to be reasoned with."

"She's not wrong, you know." Ten agreed with standing up. "It was worth a try. Now then, where were we?" Jumping down, Ten came falling down onto solid air as a trap was set. However, before it could work, Ten teleported away, appearing behind all of them tutting. "I won't fall for that again." Throwing Harmony over his shoulder, Ten turned his sight on Zinnia thrusting his fist forward. Blocking the attack, Sam countered with her own uppercut of fire burning Ten's chin knocking him back. "Not bad. But not good enough."

Lowering his hand, Ten's pocket watch fell into his palm as it began to freeze. Sam flinched, jolting forward. "Don't let him stop time!"

The pocket watch froze before shattering as Ten held it up, smirking. "Frigid bite!" Everyone froze on the spot, unable to move as Ten stared down, a ball of fire ramming right into his face stopping inches from him. His childish laughter carried on as he stepped out of the way, inspecting his opponents. Holding a clump of snow, he threw it in the air, watching it fall back down. "How fascinating, it appears I cannot stop time itself, just time for those who wish me harm. Any attacks or weapon used against me will be frozen in time, meaning others who do not see me as an enemy are unaffected. The power of Acceptance and Alton Brantley combined. Isn't this all so exciting?"

"You won't get away with this!" Zinnia cried.

Ten sighed, waving his hand around. "Another problem this power faces it can't get you to shut up. No matter, the more I learn about my new toys, the easier it will be to destroy my enemies. Perhaps next time I should throw some construction equipment at you, see how you like that. Consider yourself test subjects for the real battle: the other Stages and The Gardeners. Especially Adam Berry. Knowing him, he's already out collecting Stages, so I really have no time to waste…. Oh, look at me rambling apologises, and I appear that's time up. One minute has passed."

Stepping backwards, everyone broke free from Frigid bite turning to Ten, ready to continue the fight. Zinnia charged in again alongside Sam as the two kept a tag team of attacks going. "We won't give up until we bring back Alton!"

Avoiding each attack with a few landings, Ten laughed, never feeling more alive before. "Bring him back? What makes you think he wants to come back? You broke his poor little heart and crushed his dreams. All he wanted to do was keep you all safe and save the world, and you had to come in here and stomp all over those wishes. Of course, that's what I wanted. With nothing else for Alton to lose, I was able to take permanent full control, and it's all your fault." Stepping back more, Ten was halted as more solid air stopped him. Caught off guard for that split moment, it gave Zinnia and Sam more than enough time to start hacking away at Ten's defences. Each threw as many punches and slashes from Zinnia's katana as they possibly could before time ran out. Forced to take the brim of it, Ten waited for the perfect moment to strike.

After serval more hits, both girls struck again only to find themselves unable to move their attacks stopped inches from hitting Ten. Seeing their hands glowing green, both heroes were pushed back as Ten swung his arm wide around, setting off serval explosions knocking the two back. Not letting the assault go out any longer, Ten slammed down on Zinnia, pinning her down with an ice sword at the ready. "Zinnia!" Sam yelled, but it was too late Ten took her out in a second, tearing her from his pocket world and back into the real one.

"That takes care of one. God Damn, she was annoying."

"Wouldn't taking us out be a bad thing for you? Zinnia would wake up and have free rein to take out your real-world self?"

"Fortunately, not no. Time moves differently in this world; by the time I've killed all of you. I could make a sandwich read, build the city and create another fresh set of copies before Zinnia even returns to her body. You may have foiled Alton's plans here, but mine is just beginning. Can you keep up?"

Fed up waiting around Alice, Iris and Riley rushed in to aid Sam and Harmony as Alice leapt over shouting. "Sam, get down!"

"Oh no, you don't! Frigid bite!" Ten snapped, freezing everyone on the spot, tutting looking at Alice in mid-flight frozen in time. "Just looking at you makes me sick, that attitude, that look and aura. It's sickening how much you remind me of Eve. The next time I see her, ooh hoo ooh. But for now, you will have to do. Say Goodbye, Alice Hawthorne."

"That's enough!" Sam snapped. Ten looked down dazed to find Sam burning up her body, moving faintly soon enough, she extinguished her frozen state, setting on fire with a blue flame all around her. Sam's eyes were so bright you couldn't even see the pupil as she pointed to Ten boastings. "Alton wouldn't hurt his friends like this; I won't sit by and let this faker walk around with his face. Whether you like it or not, I'm bringing him back!"

"Incredible…. You broke from Frigid bite? Just what are you, Sam Belling?"

"You're worst nightmare." She taunted, crouching down, shooting ahead, spinning on the spot passing through Ten he was set alight roaring with pain. Gritting his teeth, he turned on Sam sending a dozen icicles from the ground. Still, before they could get even close, they were melted into nothing saving Sam altogether. "It's over."

Grunting, Ten changed his approach calling on another set of rain, hoping to take her down quickly. However, all the rain around Sam would turn to steam boiling before it could hit the ground. Backed against into a corner, Ten once again changed his plan, picking up countless cars and trucks hailing them at Sam. Jumping over and avoiding each one, Sam moved at incredible speed and flexibility, obviously far too much for him. Testing his luck, he froze her time again, pulling his arm back throwing an oil tank at her barking. "Enough, all of this resistance is useless!"

Able to break out quicker from her frozen state, Sam punched the oil tanker as it exploded, destroying everything around her. Sam began to burn up, taking serval deep breaths. "I made a promise to Alton that I'd always be there for him during his toughest moments. I'm not about to break that promise now!"

Clumps of ash began to mix with the snow falling from the sky. Ten took quick note of this, his eyes widening. "No, you'll kill everyone!"

"Like you said, they'll just wake up. I have no reason to hold back even if it's my brother!" Sam roared, moving her hand around catching the ash. Ten tried to stop her, only for a massive earthquake to knock everyone apart from Sam off their feet, crashing to the ground. Ten took the brim of the quake, trying his best and quickest to return to his feet to stop Sam. "I knew it was wise to be wary of you, Sam Belling, but I know all of yours move; I won't let you stop me!"

Rising to his feet, he lunged at Sam swinging his sword at her. Dropping to the floor, she spun around with a move similar to breakdancing avoiding Ten's attack. "Don't bring up what I'm capable of when you have no idea I was the one who taught the two right legged git how to dance!" Jolting up, Sam kicked Ten in the face stunning him. She lifted her hand up as serval fireball came together, combining power that was even close to matching Ten himself.

Harmony watched in awe, shocked by the show of power. "I've never seen a plain human hold this much power. Who is this girl?!"

Clenching her fist, Sam slammed the ground screaming at the top of her lungs. "Give me back, Alton, you monster, Hollow Chasm!"

The largest earthquake occurred as the ground tore open with molten lava spewing out. The city was engulfed and was eaten by the chasm as Ten was scorched, unable to escape as he stared at Sam in shock. "So this is the power of the Phoenix of Hero's Might?! Curse you, Sam Belling, this isn't over!"

Managing to save her fall Sam pulled herself out of the chasm seeing half the city destroyed by her almighty attack. Turning around, she saw that Alice and Riley were consumed by the attack incinerated. Falling over, she curled up, panting. "I sure hope what Ten said was true. Otherwise, I'm going to have such a guilty conscience…."

Iris limped over, looking down at Sam whispering. "Sam…. You did it but…."

Sam found herself coughing up blood, knowing the truth. "I guess I can't avoid my injures forever. I'm most likely done for when I wake up. How pathetic of me to fall not to a super-powerful villain but bleeding out. I guess that's just how the dice rolls, my man…."

"Sam."

"Hey, don't look so down. You're going to save me after all." She smiled, looking up to the city smiling. "I should thank Ten when we get out of here. After all, I got to see and live out my home life one more time. I wonder what it would have been like to live here a bit longer? No matter. Iris." Sam looked at Iris smiling, bleeding from the mouth. "See you on the other side, my man!"