Rune didn't hesitate. With a deep growl, he swung his crystal and electromagnetism-covered arm. The heavy, black metal door exploded, sending molten shrapnel flying. Rune surged in, his body a blinding, threatening surge of blue and purple light.
Inside, the room was neither a typical laboratory nor a control room. This was a sanctuary of corruption, where chaotic energy flowed incessantly. At the center of the chamber was a colossal energy sphere, shimmering with currents of purple and red, swirling relentlessly. It wasn't an object; it was a gateway, a terminal point of the the Eternal Gate, partially opened by Vorn. From it, raw, untamed energy surged, making the air thick and distorting vision.
And Vorn stood there.
He wore no armor or uniform. Vorn stood shirtless, his body now far from normal. His skin was frighteningly pale, veins bulging grotesquely, and his eyes were no longer cold blue. They glowed with an insane violet light, reflecting the intensity from the colossal energy sphere. From Vorn's back, dark, skeletal tentacles sprouted, rippling and writhing like giant snakes, plunging deep into the energy sphere. He was directly controlling and absorbing the Eternal Gate.
As Rune entered, Vorn's insane eyes snapped to him, locking on. A demonic, twisted smile spread across his face.
"Rune," Vorn said, his voice deep and resonant throughout the chamber, full of authority and madness. "I have been waiting for you. Either someone as powerful as you would arrive, or I would have had to find you. You... are the final piece."
Rune said nothing. He merely growled, every ability within him screaming, ready to erupt.
Vorn didn't bother with Rune's silence. He raised an arm, and from the tentacles plunged into the energy sphere, colossal purple energy beams shot out, not at Rune, but at the lower-level mutants who had swarmed into the room behind Rune. In an instant, the pathetic creatures were vaporized into ash, or grotesquely deformed further before exploding. It was a brutal display of power, a warning.
"You have ruined my work, killed my servants," Vorn said, his voice now tinged with a hint of anger. "But I will forgive you. Because you are perfect. Your Assimilation ability... that is the key. You will help me fully open this gate, and we will reshape this world!"
Rune finally spoke, his voice distorted, deep, and full of hatred. "You turned me into this. You destroyed everything I had. You will pay."
"Pay?" Vorn burst into laughter, his mirth echoing like a reverberation from hell. "You are my greatest creation! You are the next evolution! Join me, Rune, and together we shall become the gods of this universe!"
With that, Vorn unleashed his first attack. From the tentacles on his back, a barrage of concentrated purple energy beams launched like javelins. The air warped as they hurtled towards Rune, carrying enough power to tear reality itself apart. Simultaneously, the energy sphere behind Vorn flared intensely, creating a massive gravitational field that pressed down on Rune, attempting to crush him.
Rune roared. This was the final battle. He could not retreat. He would crush Vorn, even if it meant burning everything within himself.
With a shriek, Rune didn't fully dodge. He used his Quartz Manipulation, creating a colossal dark crystal shield, absorbing light and energy, blocking the purple energy beams. The shield vibrated violently, showing clear fissures, but it held. At the same time, Rune used his Electromagnetic Manipulation to unleash arcs of blue and purple electricity, creating a localized anti-gravity electromagnetic field around his body, countering Vorn's crushing force.
Rune did not waver. He surged towards Vorn, a phantom of destruction, carrying all that he had assimilated, all that he had lost.