Chapter 15 - Battle of Strength
(Note: Listen to the soundtrack "Rites of Passage" by Scott Buckley as you read this chapter).
Supergirl countered Ignisia's attack by delivering a series of powerful punches to her abdomen, causing her to be forcefully pushed back several meters. Meanwhile, the armored group of soldiers continued to unleash a storm of laser blasts towards Supergirl. In a split-second decision, she deactivated her protective visor and unleashed her super freeze breath upon the floor beneath her and then slammed her hands onto the icy surface. The ground crumbled and shattered, causing the soldiers to lose their balance and skid uncontrollably. Seizing the opportunity, Supergirl swiftly flew over one of the disoriented soldiers and removed his helmet, revealing their grotesque forms as cyborgs with distorted bodies and heightened aggression.
"No, you don't!" Ignisia seized Supergirl by the neck and forcefully hurled her against the wall. Supergirl collided with it, becoming momentarily trapped. As she struggled to free herself, her communication device buzzed with an incoming call from Superman.
"Is everything under control, Supergirl?" he inquired urgently.
"Kinda," Supergirl responded, her voice strained.
"What do you mean?" Superman's concern was palpable.
"You won't believe it. There's a female version of Equus named Ignisia, and she's just as dangerous as he is."
"Are you hurt?" He asked, his worry evident.
"No, not really. I'll handle her myself," Supergirl replied, diverting from a powerful front kick as she propelled herself away.
"Equus is down. I'll be there in a flash," Superman assured her. "But first, I'll find the missiles and disable them. Hold tight."
"Make it fast," Supergirl urged.
However, Supergirl's pride was shattered. She had wanted to prove to both herself and Superman that she could handle Ignisia on her own. She charged forward and grabbed Ignisia by her legs. But Ignisia, seizing the opportunity, delivered powerful blows to Supergirl's back multiple times. Sensing an opening, Ignisia sprang into action, spinning with incredible force and propelling both of them downwards, descending through multiple levels of the building. Concrete and steel crumbled and shattered around them. Supergirl could feel the immense pressure of rock and iron pressing against her invulnerable body, hoping that her adversary felt the same intensity.
"Ah, you're a tough one, pretty girl. But I'm just warming up," Ignisia mocked, using both legs to forcefully push Supergirl away. With a quick motion, her body twisted, accompanied by metallic noises emanating from her hips as she rotated them effortlessly, rising to her feet with apparent ease.
Ignisia unleashed scorching plasma blasts from her shoulders, but Supergirl quickly raised her forearms to create a protective barrier, blocking the blistering waves of energy. Courageously, Supergirl formed an X with her arms and advanced steadily towards her opponent. Ignisia intensified her assault, pouring more energy into her attack, but Supergirl stood her ground, refusing to yield. With a scream, Supergirl closed in on Ignisia, her palms open and positioned as a deflective shield, redirecting the fiery blast back towards Ignisia's Promethium-covered body. Both women let out a simultaneous cry as the collision erupted into a blinding explosion of light and force.
As Supergirl regained her composure, she realized they had reached the garage, and the representatives of Laos watched the fierce battle take place from a safe distance. She scanned her surroundings, searching for her opponent, but Ignisia had vanished.
"Where did Ignisia disappear to?" Supergirl's thoughts raced, trying to find a strategy to confront her elusive adversary. She was aware that she couldn't afford to let her guard down for even a moment, especially in a high-stakes showdown like this. The problem was that Ignisia's promethium-covered body seemed to be elusive, slipping beyond Supergirl's visual grasp. Faced with this challenge, she had no choice but to rely on her other heightened senses to track down her vicious opponent.
Suddenly, Supergirl's acute hearing picked up the crackling sound of electric charges drawing near. Her eyes focused, and she observed thick wires emerging from Ignisia's body, wrapping around Kara's limbs until she was completely bound in a cocoon of Promethium.
"I hope you enjoy the sensation, Supergirl. It's going to sting a little." Ignisia laughed, relishing in the electric jolts coursing through Supergirl's body.
Supergirl convulsed repeatedly as the wires sent painful jolts through her. Her screams were muffled by the entwining cables, but she wasn't about to give up. Using her heat vision, she focused on burning the tentacles, freeing herself from their grip. With a burst of strength, she propelled herself upward, carrying Ignisia along for the ride. Using her limbs as weapons, Supergirl relentlessly fought against the cybernetic woman. Ignisia retaliated by slashing Supergirl's right thigh with her sharp claws, tearing through her suit and flesh. The excruciating pain flowed through Supergirl's body, but she remained resolute.
Seizing the opportunity, she thrusted her hand into Ignisia's chest, grasping anything she could in a desperate attempt to incapacitate her foe. In response, Ignisia struck once more, driving her claws into Supergirl's left shoulder. Locked in a deadly embrace, the two combatants struggled fiercely. But in the heat of the fight Supergirl pierced her hand into her enemy's chest and yanked it back, tearing away a mixture of robotic parts and flesh in her grip.
"Damn you, Supergirl. You won't defeat me so easily," Ignisia growled, her metallic voice dripping with a blueish liquid as she dug her claw deeper into Supergirl's shoulder. "The radiation flowing in your veins will finish you off."
That's enough! Look at my hand, Ignisia. What do you see?" Supergirl waved her hand to get the cyborg woman's attention.
Ignisia turned her eyes to her enemy's fist and saw her parts swinging violently without apparent will. Despair and hatred engulfed Ignisia's being as she stared deeply into Supergirl's eyes. The fight was coming to its conclusion.
You've already lost," Supergirl declared, severing her opponent's arm and delivering a crushing kick to her head with her right boot.
With that final strike, the battle came to an end. Supergirl emerged victorious. The area fell silent, and Supergirl used her super vision to confirm that her opponent was disabled and no longer a threat.
She approached her concerned audience, telling them she was fine. She saw the fear in their eyes and tried to calm them down before any of them would panic or get into shock.
"Don't worry, I'll be okay. Let's focus on getting you to safety," Supergirl replied with a smile. Despite the injuries she'd sustained, she remained determined, feeling the Stealth Suit gradually healing her wounds.
As they discussed transportation options, the representatives informed her of an unfortunate development.
"Unfortunately, the largest vehicle capable of accommodating all of us was destroyed in the explosion caused by Ignisia," one of them explained, pointing towards the melted remains of a truck.
"Oh no," Supergirl expressed her disappointment as she scanned the garage for a larger vehicle, but none seemed capable of accommodating all nine people.
"Supergirl, are you alright?" Superman arrived, his face and body showing signs of the intense battle.
"I'll live," she replied wearily. "We have a problem, Superman. The only truck here is melting away."
"No problem, let's create our own transportation..." Superman began to speak, but their attention was diverted by a high-frequency message being transmitted.
"Supergirl, if you're truly here, this is Grant Sinclair. I'm a reporter, and my crew and I are just two blocks away from you. If you need any assistance, you can use our van to transport the country's leaders to safety. This message will repeat itself in three minutes." Supergirl recognized the voice and confirmed it was indeed Grant Sinclair, the reporter.
"Did you hear that too, or was it just me?" Superman asked his cousin. "Is that really Grant Sinclair's voice?" Superman asked Kara as he recognized the renowned reporter.
"Yes!" Supergirl exclaimed. "You won't believe it. I actually worked with him before you arrived here."
Supergirl and Superman escorted the people to Grant's van, amazed that his message had reached them. As they settled into the van, Olivia approached them with a request for help.
"Superman, Supergirl, we need your assistance," she said anxiously.
"What's the matter?" Superman inquired.
"I say, we've got ourselves in a bit of a situation here. There's this woman, you see, by the name of Kara Danvers. She's a reporter from CatCo Worldwide Media, you know. Last we spotted her, she was darting off towards the palace. We're ever so worried she might have come to some harm. Would you be so kind as to have a look around and find her for us? We're all in a proper state of concern, I must say." Grant Sinclair explained the situation.
"We're all worried about her well-being," Charlotte said to make sure the heroes understood the situation.
"Kara Danvers is here?" Superman faked surprise. "We'll search for her immediately, right Supergirl? Cat Grant would never forgive us if she found out Miss Danvers was here and we didn't help her. How did she end up here?"
"It's a complicated story. Please, just find her," Grant pleaded.
Supergirl and Superman looked at each other and both wondered how they would solve this unexpected situation.
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Follow for more adventures on Friday, 24th:
Chapter 16 - Superman Finds Kara Danvers
And on Sunday, 26th:
Chapter 17 - Recovery and Discovery