Bolt barely registered what Max had done until it was too late.
He was high off his victory, similar to Max's high a few minutes ago. He had just passed his greatest test. An opponent with even greater adaptability than Green Guardian with Blaze.
He had proven himself worthy of his powers.
And now, to claim his prize.
At that point, that's when it hit him.
Max's final move.
Similar to how the green flames had consumed Max before, the red energy did the same, covering him completely and subjecting him to a sea of pain so intense he could barely think straight.
He could barely form a coherent thought, let alone use his powers to create green flames to counteract the red energy.
As it consumed him, though, he smiled.
Despite all the pain.
Despite all the damage.
This was it.
The final test.
And he'd be damned if he failed now.
He tried to focus all his power into making more green flames, but he couldn't; the pain was too much to bear. His limbs started to disintegrate from the damage, so he only had a few seconds of life left.
While staring at his disintegrating legs, he saw it.
The can.
The can that held Max.
He had dropped it once the energy started attacking him.
With all his might, he stomped on it, crushing it completely and destroying the contents inside.
That content was Max.
It was over right then.
The energy disappeared, leaving Bolt a small husk of his former self. Roughly half the size of his full form, he could barely stand.
His legs were slowly regenerating due to his repair protocol still being active.
Sadly, his copy protocols were damaged due to the energy, so he couldn't use them again until he repaired them manually.
But he didn't have time for that.
He needed to leave with Paulina first.
That's when his attention turned to Zack.
He was on his knees, holding her close. He'd managed to run over during the battle and grab her.
He wasn't even looking at Bolt.
He was looking at Paulina while whispering something to her unconscious body.
He had been silent for the whole battle.
Whether it was out of respect for the two fighters or a certain kind of fear, Bolt had no idea.
But something was off.
He just couldn't figure out what.
It was only when he took a step toward him that the realization hit him, along with a giant robotic fist.
The kids were trying a sneak attack.
Ted had come from behind and nailed him in the back of his head. A hit like that would've done no damage to Bolt before, but now, due to his body being in its worst condition, he was nearly knocked to the ground.
Nearly.
Bolt used the momentum from the punch and delivered one of his own, sending Ted flying several meters away.
"You fools think just cuz I'm weakened you could get the drop on me?! Pathetic!" Bolt screamed as he grabbed a few incoming tentacles from Rift and used them to pull her in close. He then punched her hard enough to send her flying right at a charging Omni Boy.
This attack landed the two in a pile of debris, knocking them out.
They barely lasted a moment.
Zack was the last one left.
He still held an unconscious Paulina in his arms, whispering something into her ear.
"Now's not the time to be telling my daughter sweet nothings, boy, especially since she can't hear you," Bolt mused as he began to cough.
Zack suddenly stopped and looked right into Bolt's eyes. "I was telling her about how I was gonna break my ideals."
"Ideals?"
"I never want to kill. I don't even think I deserve to kill due to my... origin, so I hate that I have to live while another dies. It hurts more than any blow anyone has ever hit me with. However, looking at that fight, looking at what you can do, I can't let you go. I made the same mistake with Mr. E. Not again. Never again."
"Oh? So I'm too dangerous to keep alive?" Bolt asked, slightly annoyed.
"Yes. Your plans, your powers, your ideals, everything about you needs to go. Now. I was just confiding in her. I know she can't hear me, but... it would help me actually go through with it."
"And what makes you think you'll actually get the chance to do it?"
Zack didn't even answer. Instead, he charged right at Bolt, pulling his fist back for a punch. Bolt did the same. Sadly, he didn't have access to his flames, just his raw brute strength.
And to him, that was enough.
"Fine! You will be my final test! To prove that even at my worst state, no powerups, no help, nothing, I'm still a force to be reckoned with!" Bolt shouted, getting closer to Zack.
"Why is everything a fucking test to you?! Just shut up! I don't care about your test! You killed people! Innocent people who were just working in this building! Killed people for the crime of just existing around this building!"
"A simple sacrifice."
"No, they weren't, and you know it! You killed my friends, for God's sake! Attacked those innocent little kids! Hell, I don't even care for Milten, and he didn't deserve what happened! All this for some stupid fucking test that doesn't even amount to anything."
Bolt popped a vein at that.
"What do you know about my tests, you fucking ant?! You're nothing! Less than nothing! Your friends are nothing! These people are nothing! Milten is nothing! You're all nothing! All that matters is you're a test for my power! A test I will pass to prove humanity is truly superior!"
"Not if I stop you, right here and right now."
"You're welcome to try."
They finally clashed in a brutal explosion of pure physical force, sending shockwaves so intense that they knocked away most pieces of debris around them and even sent the unconscious bodies flying.
As the two locked blows, Zack noticed he actually felt pain from his attack.
Bolt actually damaged him.
Even when his body adjusted its density so he wouldn't get hurt, he still felt it.
Even with Bolt weakened to such a level, he still felt it.
Was Bolt's power so great that, even in a weakened state, he could still stalemate with Zack at his strongest?
Was Bolt really that strong?
Or was he too weak?
No.
No, not that.
Zack could only think one thing right now.
He looked at the kids. They had sacrificed everything to come here and save him.
They took one of the quickest and worst beatings of their lives just for a chance to beat him.
Just like Max.
Just like Paulina.
Just like Ivy.
Just like Jake.
He couldn't let them down now. Not with his anxiety or fear. Not with his thoughts. Not after all the shit he pulled.
All the people he killed.
Bolt needed to die, or else the whole world could fall into his hands...
Under his disgusting tests...
"No more!" Zack screamed, as his fist began to break through Bolt's.
"What?"
"I said no more!"
"How are you..."
"Shut up!" Zack said, cutting him off with another punch to Bolt's face, knocking several teeth out and spilling blood. Bolt tried to punch him, but Zack took it to the stomach with ease and retaliated with a kick to Bolt's left leg, knocking him off balance.
Zack then followed up with another punch, weighting his fist by ten times, causing him to use most of his already small amount of energy just to hold it up and use it to punch.
But it still landed.
And it still did damage.
So much damage that it put Bolt on the ground.
Zack didn't let up, though.
He pounced on the old man with the ferocity of a predator and began punching Bolt's face in with the same weighted fist.
This time, adding even more weight, which began to crush his own hands.
But he didn't care.
All there was now was Bolt.
And Bolt needed to die.
"I... I didn't think you'd have it..."
"I said shut up!" Zack cut him off again with a punch. "Stop talking like this is a test. Life isn't some fucking test, you piece of..."
Bolt straightened his hand and sent it flying at Zack's neck, nearly cutting through and sending a stream of blood out of Zack's mouth.
Zack didn't care.
He just kept punching.
Bolt then punched Zack's spine repeatedly, breaking multiple bones.
Zack didn't care.
He just kept punching.
Bolt then tried to break Zack's hand.
Zack didn't care.
He just kept punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And punching.
And still punching...
His fist was slowly increasing in weight throughout.
And the weight was crushing his fist the more he kept going.
"You're... ugh... not..."
But he just didn't care.
"Getting out... ugh..."
There was nothing he saw but red.
"Of here..."
The red of Bolt's blood.
"Alive!"
The red of his own.
"I'm sorry, sir..."
Just red.
"I couldn't keep your promise..." he said, as he collapsed next to Bolt's mangled corpse, tears streaming down his eyes.
This was the first time he had killed a man, and there and then, in his mind, he promised he would never let it happen again, that one day, he'd be strong enough to make sure it never happened again...
But as he fell to the ground...
He could see something approaching...
From the air...
A person...
Multiple...
"Damn, kid, what happened here?!" Amazo said, his team not far behind...
To be continued...