Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Chapter 177 The Great Escape

The impact was brutal.

Parker felt the wall give way behind him, the force of Chione's kick slamming him through the thick plaster like it was cardboard. Pain exploded through his ribs as he crashed into the next room, debris raining down in a cloud of dust and shattered wood.

'Damn!'

He had to give it to her—she wasn't just fast. She was fucking strong.

But so was he. Just not her match—Really.

White-hot phoenix flames roared to life, spiraling off him like living entities eating the floor. And then—hissssss—Chione's leg armor melted. The divine ice that coated it, the very thing that should've been immune to fire, crumbled against the sheer intensity of his flames. The metallic ice warped, hissing with steam, the once-perfect engravings dripping away like wax.

She glanced down, eyes narrowing, but if she was surprised, she sure as hell didn't show it.

Parker wiped the blood off his lips with the back of his hand, rolling his shoulders. He could feel the bruises forming, his ribs screaming at him, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he smirked. "You're strong, Ice Goddess. I'll give you that." His flames crackled brighter. "Not my match at all, though."

Her icy stare locked onto him. No reaction. No irritation. Just that same cold, detached intensity. "Then... Surrender," she ordered. "Tell me why you killed that man."

Parker exhaled through his nose. There it is.

Surrender? To her? Yeah, not in this lifetime.

He scoffed, straightening up, his body aching but his pride fully intact. "Surrender?" He echoed, shaking his head. "And why exactly would I do that? Because you told me to?" His voice was lazy, laced with amusement. "Tsk." He sucked his teeth, "And what, you think you're some kind of world savior now? Are you the police? The divine judge, jury, and executioner? Honestly I don't care what you think of yourself," His gaze darkened, the flames curling tighter around his frame. "But, what I did to that guy? It's none of your fucking business. I don't think I owe you an explanation, Olympian!" Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Her expression didn't change, but he could feel the tension in the air, the way her grip on her spear tightened just a little.

This wasn't about justice.

No—she wanted something else.

She wanted him to justify it. She wanted an excuse, a reason that she could wrap up in that neat little righteous savior complex. If he explained, if he pleaded his case, then she could sit on her icy throne and pretend she was the bigger person.

Like he was asking for her goddamn forgiveness.

Parker almost laughed.

No way.

He wasn't about to stroke her heroine ego just to make her feel better about herself. He didn't need her validation. He didn't need her understanding. He sure as hell wasn't gonna beg for her approval like some scared little criminal looking for absolution.

Nah. That wasn't his style.

And besides—he had plans for her.

If she thought she was gonna get the satisfaction of watching him break, she had another thing coming.

Her grip on her spear tightened. "Then I won't be merciful."

Ice exploded outward from her body, the sheer cold pressure making the entire room groan. The flames on the walls snuffed out instantly, frost racing across every surface like a living thing.

Parker tensed, his instincts screaming at him to move—

He played smarter.

{When you get outside open the portal.} He'd shot the command through his bond with Ere.

She didn't hesitate. The cat-shadow-gremlin-thing dipped out immediately, vanishing before either of the Olympians could clock her. But Parker knew they'd feel the dimensional shift the second she started working. That was the risk.

Which meant he had to put on a show.

He'd given them something else to focus on. A good ol' fashioned fight to the ol' fashioned Olympians—to distract them from what really mattered.

And it had worked.

Now, standing there as the shadows swallowed him, Parker felt the thrill of winning. Not the kind that came from crushing an opponent—nah, this was better. This was the win that came from pulling off the perfect getaway, the kind where the other guy didn't even realize they'd lost until it was too damn late.

Captain Sun's eyes widened, his golden glow flickering as the realization hit.

"That's a fucking problem," he muttered, watching Parker vanish like smoke.

Shadows were a bitch to deal with. Sure, they could freeze space, they could lock things down with ice and divine energy—but could they freeze shadows? Could they stop something that wasn't even solid?

Not fucking likely.

Chione barely paused, her voice cutting through the night like a blade. "Outside. Now."

She was already moving.

Captain Sun cursed and shot after her, both of them bursting through the shattered remains of the room, racing into the open sky—

But it was too late.

The portal was already snapping shut, its edges collapsing in on themselves like a vacuum sealing away the last traces of Parker's escape. And the only thing left behind?

That goddamn grin.

It was burned into the night, a taunting memory of their failed hero moment.

Captain Sun exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms. "What is with people and fucking portals today?"

Chione didn't answer immediately, her icy gaze locked on the spot where Parker had vanished.

But when she did speak, it wasn't about him.

It was about something worse.

"We need Hector in this city."

Captain Sun groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Hector? Him, of all people?" He looked like he wanted to argue, but deep down, he knew she was right. Hector was the only one who could stop these portals from popping up like goddamn whack-a-moles.

And if Parker—or whoever the hell else was running around using dimensional bullshit—kept this up?

They were gonna need him.