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--donation bonus (day #31, post 4/5)--
‘Mm?’ said Garovel privately. ‘What’s Harper--?’

Light erupted out of the tower around Harper, a beacon straight up, cleaving the sky in two and dispersing the rain clouds around it.

‘Oh fuck!’ said Garovel.

Then the tower exploded, and a huge wave of force washed over the area. Hector felt it pass through him, but it didn’t knock him over like it did for the Abolishers. He wasn’t sure why until he saw Roman’s fist in the air, though Roman himself was still incapable of standing.

‘Grab Roman and run,’ said Garovel.

Hector didn’t need to be told twice. ‘What the hell is happening?!’ he said as he hoisted Roman over his shoulder. The man said something, but Hector couldn’t hear him. ‘Is it emergence?!’

‘No. Harper’s entering one of the hyper states--something called “pan-rozum.” I highly doubt he’s old enough to fully control something like that.’

‘You mean he’s gonna attack us, too?!’

‘I’d rather not find out. We’re all dead, if he does.’

Harper’s movements were decidedly inhuman. Hector’s eyes couldn’t even follow him. It looked like the man was teleporting, the only evidence to the contrary being the straight trails of fleeting white light that Harper left in his wake. One moment, he stood at the center of the crumbled tower, and the next, he was in front of Andres, arm through the Abolisher’s chest. And the moment after that, Andres was dead, decapitated in a cloud of blood, along with the reaper behind him.

Everyone scattered.

Harper went for Conall, encountering brief resistance from the aluminum. Very brief. The trail of light bounced off the mirror wall and then went up and over, getting behind Conall faster than he could even turn around. Harper split the man down the center with a glowing arm. Conall’s reaper was already fleeing, but it made no difference. A white laser turned the skeleton to vapor.

Hector could hardly believe his eyes. They were nothing to Harper. And they all knew it. Karkash was already gone, flown off as soon as he realized what they were up against.