Earth's Alpha Prime

That was when the floor began to tremble. At first, it was light, but soon the entire mall shook violently. Cracks spread across the ceiling and walls. Water dripped from burst pipes, and sparks flashed from exposed wires. Then chunks of concrete broke loose, crashing to the ground with growing intensity.
The food court broke into a stampede. Chairs scraped. Trays hit tile. People screamed and surged toward the exits.
Roberto muttered, his voice tense.
He didn't get to finish. A massive slab of concrete and twisted iron broke free, hurtling straight toward him.
Before Roberto could react, Dante moved like the wind, pulling him aside just in time.
But they weren't safe yet. More rubble rained down. Dante clenched his fists and struck out with lightning speed. His punches cracked like thunder, shattering the falling debris into dust and fragments before it could crush anyone nearby.
Most of the crowd was too panicked to notice, but the woman from earlier froze in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
She turned toward the nearest exit, only to find it buried under debris. The young man who was supposed to be her date had already fled, not even sparing her a glance.
The sight left her sickened, but the danger pressing in gave her no room to dwell on it. Her eyes went back to Dante, who was moving faster than any human should, scattering rubble and pulling people out of danger.
Dante moved at blinding speed, afterimages trailing behind him as he pulled children from danger, shielded families, and destroyed falling debris, all while shielding Roberto.
He had the chance to evacuate his uncle before the exits collapsed, but just as he reached the edge, he saw children trapped and screaming for help.
He couldn't bring himself to leave them behind. Even if it meant exposing his abilities, he went on to save them.
Still, he wasn't fast enough to save everyone. Those too far from him were crushed before he could reach them. Their screams echoed through the collapsing hall.
More and more survivors rushed toward Dante, realizing that being near him gave them the best chance of survival.
But as the minutes passed, the ceiling groaned under its own load as rubble kept coming in waves. Dante's expression hardened. He realized the entire ceiling, and the floors above, were on the verge of collapse.
He could have used the Great Titan Bow to blast a massive hole through the side of the mall. If he were alone, it would have been a simple and effective option. But with so many people around, the sheer force of his arrows could cause more harm than good, and Dante wasn't willing to take that chance.
So, he fell back on the one piece of equipment he trusted most.
First, Dante pulled out the
. Now upgraded to Epic Grade, it allowed him to draw four cards, each granting an ability suited for the crisis.
Four illusionary cards flew into his body, one after another, and their power coursed through him.
: Halves the weight of anything in direct or indirect contact with the user.
: Links the durability of the user's armor with the shield, sacrificing armor's durability to keep the barrier intact.
: Temporarily increases the user's Strength and Endurance attributes.
Two of the abilities perfectly complemented his armor,
, and with the remaining two combined, Dante felt more confident in facing the current dilemma than he had moments ago.
He immediately activated his full-body armor and his outfit morphed into sleek, charcoal-grey armor that wrapped tightly around his body, covering everything except his face. A transparent film shield formed over his head, offering the same level of defense while leaving his features visible.
An umbrella-shaped barrier spread out with him at its center, hovering a meter above. The noise outside dulled as concrete and steel crashed against it, but nothing managed to break through.
Instead, the impact shifted directly onto Dante. His legs trembled as the weight pressed down, growing heavier with each passing second.
The entire East Wing caved in. Five floors of debris pressed down. Veins bulged across his temples, his breath ragged, but he stood firm.
To everyone around, he was the only thing standing between them and death.
For the survivors inside, the world had turned into a nightmare. Families huddled together. A mother clutched her crying baby, whispering shakily,
A little boy looked up at Dante, eyes wide with fear and wonder.
Nearby, two teenagers who had been strangers moments ago worked together to pull an elderly man out from beneath some overturned tables.
An injured man pressed his jacket to another's bleeding arm, gritting his teeth.
People who had never spoken to each other before were now clinging to hope together, all of them looking at Dante like he was heaven-sent.
Meanwhile, Dante struggled to hold the load alone. If it wasn't for the effect of
boosting his Strength and Endurance, and the
reducing the load, the crushing weight of five collapsed floors would've overwhelmed him.
Even so, each passing second drained him, his health dropping at a steady pace, slowed only by the armor's skills that expanded his reserves and dulled the pain.
Dante felt his body scream, but when he saw the desperate mix of fear and fragile hope in the eyes of those he was protecting, he forced himself to keep going.
Finally, MJ's projection flickered into view from Dante's wristband.
Relief washed over him at those words, but he refused to relax. Gritting his teeth, sweat running down his face, he whispered under his breath,
And with that, he held on, carrying the weight of five partial floors and the lives of everyone trapped beneath them.
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