"Seems like the power towards the city center has dimmed," Stephanie observed, setting her arms down against the roof. She turned towards Itama, who had been staring at Pyron's Core for the past five minutes. "You just can't take any time to relax, can ya!?"
Itama broke his stare, following a loud sigh. "We're in the middle of a fight - letting your guard down is the last thing that should be done." Approaching the van was Ralph, who spun both his hands around in order to grow his firepower. "There's the Great Armor," he muttered under his breath. "After they are annihilated, complete takeover of Damage Control will be certain!" The enormous fireball rested on Ralph's hand, flowing with his every movement.
Stephanie and Itama turned their heads in his direction, following shrieks of surprise that nearly shook Forrest. "We're under attack!" she informed him, instantly leaping into action alongside Itama.
The ferocious fireball blasted through the street, incinerating the litter left from the riots and ferociously clashing against Itama and Stephanie's defense. "It seems he's come straight for us!" Stephanie observed, using her sand to partially envelop the roaring flame. "Where the hell is everyone else when you need them!?" Itama complained, blowing the fireball away with one heavily coordinated swing.
Ralph's despicable laugh echoed through the dust clouds. "Itama Kawasaki, recent recruit of the Death Desert Police Force! You aren't safe from the rebellion I'm trying to begin, and NEITHER IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" He broke through the cloud, reaching straight for Stephanie's head and igniting his flames yet again. "You act as if I'm not capable of defending myself…" she quietly replied, sprinkling particles of sand into the air. She refused any form of movement from this attack - instead, she quietly watched as the fire raced towards her with a clever smile. Ralph turned to Itama, observing the confident smile plastered across his face. "Stephanie was never into that entity hunter or police force stuff, even when we were kids…" Itama reflected within his mind. "Unlike me…"
The particles of sand slowly descended from the air, sticking against Ralph's skin and hardening into rock. "As a child, my family looked down upon me because my dreams didn't align with theirs!" She compressed both her hands into a hammer, slamming them against the ground with her brute strength. "I'm not going to let anyone stop me from exploring the world, from top to bottom!"
"Unlike me…" Itama continued, "Stephanie refuses to become a symbol - and even if our paths aren't identical one bit…" He popped both his swords out the case, the aura sending ominous breezes across the street. Slowly closing his eyes, Ralph stubbornly accepted the gift bestowed upon him from the clutches of fate - instead of complete world domination like he had dreamt, it seemed as if this would be his last moments.
Or so, he thought - a surge of firepower larger than ever before exploded within his body, influencing a heartbeat fierce enough to blow both Stephanie and Itama back across the streets. "The final surge of my power has arrived!" he shouted, noticing his slowly deteriorating skin slowly ascending into the air. "I WON'T LET ANYTHING STAND IN MY WAY PAST THIS POINT, FOR I AM RALPH TRIMUS!"
Volume 13, Chapter 43 - You're Not Done Yet!
"Awaken from the ashes of defeat!" a motivational voice boomed inside Kevin's mind. "You were the kid entrusted with Will of Freedom, and you've been a beacon of hope for everyone surrounding you for YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!"
Kevin wiped the blood off his face, reemerging from the ground and setting his eyes on the outside world with the hole created by Ralph. "This voice…" he thought to himself, activating the power of time binding in order to heal other wounds across his body. "With each word, I feel more and more power surging within!"
His heartbeat fastened, slowly aligning with the catchy beat that stuck in his head. "From the moment I stepped foot in ENTITY with my friends, there's been a chain of events that all assisted me in inching CLOSER AND CLOSER TOWARDS MY DREAM!" Gravity poured into both his palms, condensing into two purple rays that shot him through the streets. Ray spectated his sudden movement, following a smile of hope that stretched across his face. "Hey, kid!" he shouted at Kevin. "What's your name?"
Kevin returned the smile, boldly shooting his hand up towards the sky. "My name's Kevin - AND I'M GOING TO BE THE ENTITY HUNTER THAT SURPASSES THE REALM GOD!" Taking a large breath of air, Ray, who was now able to move, copied Kevin's hand gesture. "Keep going, kid!" he continued. "You aren't done yet - you're just getting started!"
Kevin appeared on the street occupied by Stephanie and Itama's battle, compressing his bruised hands into a fist. "GRAVITATIONAL JET!" he screamed, directly piercing the blob of fire which resurrected Ralph's face. "Kevin!" Itama shouted, still restrained due to the seriousness of his wounds. "We managed to lure him into his final stage, and now it's time for the star of the show to FINISH THIS!"
Healing his final wound with the power of Time Manipulation, Kevin engaged in an intense staredown with Ralph. "I thought I told you not to give me orders, Kawasaki!" he reminded. "I'll have you know I'm finishing this fight with my own free will!"