Ryan vanished.
There was no smoke.
No visible magic.
He simply...
Was no longer there.
Justin and Jack turned at the same time.
Silence.
The Entity's voice echoed through both of their bodies.
—He didn't run away.
—He's moving.
Laughter spread throughout the warehouse.
It didn't come from a single place.
It seemed to emerge from every corner.
From the ceiling.
From the floor.
From the walls.
Ryan spoke.
—Very good...
—I've learned quite a lot about the two of you.
Justin frowned.
—Learned?
Ryan laughed.
—Far more than you can imagine.
Jack remained perfectly still.
His pitch-black eyes scanned every inch of the warehouse.
The Entity spoke again.
—Don't listen to his provocations.
—He's trying to buy time.
Ryan laughed even harder.
—Time?
A pause.
—No...
—Time has already run out.
---
A flash.
Ryan appeared behind Justin.
CRACK.
A direct punch into his ribs.
Justin was launched several meters away.
Before he could hit the ground...
Ryan vanished again.
He reappeared directly in front of him.
A kick.
BOOM.
Justin crashed through a concrete pillar.
Jack attacked immediately.
His fist, wrapped in purple energy, tore through the spot where Ryan had been.
Empty air.
Ryan appeared above him.
A downward strike.
Jack crossed his arms.
The impact drove him into the ground.
Cracks spread across the warehouse floor.
Jack answered with an elbow strike.
Ryan vanished once again.
—Again...? —Justin growled.
Ryan appeared atop a steel beam.
He applauded slowly.
—Far too slow.
He disappeared.
An instant later, he was behind Jack.
Knee.
Elbow.
Punch.
Three consecutive blows.
For the first time since the battle had begun...
Jack was forced backward.
Ryan smiled beneath his mask.
—Much better.
---
Justin roared.
Purple energy erupted around his body.
—Stop hiding!
Ryan tilted his head.
—Hiding?
He vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of Justin.
The two exchanged a savage barrage of blows.
Punch.
Block.
Hook.
Knee.
Kick.
Ryan spun and struck Justin squarely beneath the chin.
CRACK.
Blood.
Justin answered with a right hook.
Ryan blocked it with his forearm.
The impact made the air tremble.
Ryan took advantage of the opening.
He opened a small spatial gate.
Reached inside.
Pulled out a ceremonial dagger.
And threw it.
Justin barely managed to move his neck.
The blade carved a deep wound across his shoulder.
Ryan stored the weapon again.
As if it had never existed.
—Storage Space...
—It's remarkably useful.
Justin clenched his teeth.
—Damn you...
---
Jack appeared from Ryan's flank.
Ryan was already waiting.
The two engaged in pure hand-to-hand combat.
No magic.
Only strength.
Only speed.
Fists colliding.
Knees.
Elbows.
Every impact shook the warehouse.
Ryan took a punch to the stomach.
He answered with a headbutt.
Blood streamed from Jack's nose.
Ryan turned.
Elbow.
Jack blocked.
Punch.
Ryan caught his wrist.
Smiled.
Then vanished, taking Jack with him.
For a fraction of a second...
Both disappeared from the warehouse.
They reappeared nearly sixty feet in the air.
Ryan released him.
Then kicked him.
Jack plummeted like a meteor.
BOOM.
The ground split apart.
Ryan landed gracefully.
Dusting off his coat.
---
The Entity remained silent.
Ryan noticed.
He smiled.
—Interesting...
Justin slowly raised his head.
Ryan continued.
—You can't maintain this transformation for very long.
The twins' black eyes gleamed.
Ryan went on.
—Your power doesn't flow evenly into both bodies.
—You have to divide it.
A pause.
—And the more power you lend them...
—The more unstable the connection becomes.
Silence.
Ryan smiled.
He had guessed correctly.
The Entity answered slowly.
—You are observant.
Ryan laughed.
—Thank you for confirming it.
Justin realized it too late.
Ryan hadn't been making a statement.
He had thrown out a hypothesis.
And the Entity had just confirmed it.
Jack's eyes hardened.
—You've said too much...
---
The brothers attacked together.
This time in perfect synchronization.
Ryan vanished.
Reappeared.
Vanished again.
Every teleport was followed by a counterattack.
A kick.
A gunshot.
Black flames.
An illusion.
An animal-shaped balloon exploding.
The brothers began to retreat.
For the first time.
Ryan had completely seized control of the battle's rhythm.
Justin was breathing heavily.
Jack's breathing had grown uneven.
The Entity finally spoke, irritation clear in its voice.
—Enough.
Purple energy exploded outward.
The entire warehouse trembled.
Ryan stopped moving.
For the first time...
The magical pressure felt different.
It wasn't coming from Justin.
Nor from Jack.
It was something else.
Something far older.
---
The twins raised their heads simultaneously.
They spoke with one voice.
—Clown...
Ryan remained motionless.
—I've grown tired of you.
The air began to distort.
Ryan sensed overwhelming danger.
Far greater than any attack before.
The Entity raised a hand through Jack's body.
The space before Ryan...
Shattered.
There was no explosion.
No light.
Only...
A black fracture.
It pierced straight through the Clown's chest.
Silence.
Justin smiled.
Jack smiled as well.
The Entity spoke.
—Die.
The Clown's body remained still.
Then...
It began to dissolve.
As though it were made of smoke.
Its entire form distorted.
Then disappeared.
Justin frowned.
Jack's eyes widened ever so slightly.
Laughter echoed through the warehouse.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
All three looked up.
Ryan sat casually atop a massive steel beam.
Slowly applauding.
The illusion beneath him continued dissolving into mist.
Ryan couldn't stop laughing.
An elegant laugh.
A dark laugh.
An infectious laugh.
—Magnificent...
He applauded once more.
—Truly magnificent.
The Entity remained silent.
Ryan descended through the air, stepping on small magical circles that formed beneath his feet.
When he reached the floor...
He stopped before them.
He slowly spread his arms.
The thousands of faces covering his suit began laughing in unison.
His voice...
Once again became that impossible chorus of children, women, old men, and countless others speaking together.
—Thank you.
A pause.
—You just showed me your strongest attack... while you're still asleep.
The twins' black eyes never left him.
Ryan slowly tilted his head.
The smile beneath his mask grew even wider.
—This...
He looked directly at the Entity through Justin's and Jack's bodies.
—Is over.
Silence flooded the warehouse.
For the first time since the battle had begun...
Neither Justin...
Nor Jack...
Not even the Entity itself...
Answered immediately.
They simply stared at the Clown, realizing that the man standing before them was no longer improvising.
He had obtained exactly the information he had been searching for all night.
The fourth act of the performance was about to begin.