Absolute King Chapter 24.

Chapter 24: A King's intervention.

-0-

Back in the lowest basement, the battle raged. Mark struggled to hold off Blockbuster while trying to reach his father amidst the chaos. Zatanna, on the other hand, was swarmed by what seemed like an endless wave of guards. For every one she dispatched, two more seemed to flood the floors.

"Ezeerf," Zattanna chanted making the guards freeze mid motion.

(Mark’s POV)

“I need to end this quickly,” I thought, evading another one of Blockbuster’s devastating blows. “I can’t waste time locked in a fight with this brute. If I do, I’ll fail to save Dad. Looks like I’ve got no choice but to use it.”

Muttering an incantation under my breath, my magical circuits flared to life. Blue light radiated from my body, engulfing the floor with blinding brilliance. Blockbuster shielded his eyes for just a moment — the opening I needed.

I finished the chant, and from the ground erupted arcs of blue lightning, lashing through the room like a storm. Guards were blasted off their feet, Blockbuster staggered backward, his body seared by raw energy. But even then, he pushed forward, determined. He couldn’t allow the Doctor’s release — the Light’s plans depended on it.

When the lightning finally subsided, Blockbuster lunged with a massive fist aimed at my head, enough force behind it to pulverize my skull. But I didn’t flinch.

The blow never reached me. Instead, it was stopped mid-air by a towering figure with a red beard, a wide grin, and the physique of a gorilla holding a sword.

“Ah! You really are strong,” the man declared, his deep voice booming.

“Let’s duke it out, big man. Beat me, and I’ll even consider adding you to my ranks!” His tone carried excitement, restless with battle-lust. Then he turned to me. “Mark, leave this to me. Save your father.”

I tightened my grip on Clarent and narrowed my eyes at Blockbuster. Then I nodded firmly. “Then I leave it all to you, great King of Conquerors. Show him the might of the greatest of Greece, Iskandar.”

Iskandar’s grin widened as I dashed off. Blockbuster tried to pursue, but Iskandar slammed his fist into the brute, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. “Your opponent is me, friend! Don’t think you can ignore me and run!”

I finally reached the chamber: a glass casing with my father trapped inside. He stood there, and when he saw me, our eyes met. We pressed our hands against opposite sides of the glass, father and son divided by a barrier. Relief washed over me.

Soon, I could reunite him with Mom.

I wasn’t truly the Mark of this world, but this family was mine now, and I had the responsibility to protect it. That much was certain.

“Stand back, Father,” I mouthed. He couldn’t hear me through the soundproof casing, but he understood, stepping away.

I gripped Clarent with both hands, circuits blazing through the blade as it glowed a brilliant blue. I raised it to strike the reinforced glass — only for a voice in my earpiece to stop me.

“Mark, wait!”

The blade halted mid-swing, the tip touching the surface of the casing.

“Don’t do it. If you break that glass, your father will die,” Batgirl’s voice rang sharp. She had combed through the schematics and found something critical.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my brow furrowed.

“The casing is rigged. If the glass cracks or shatters, it’ll explode — killing everything inside.”

My stomach dropped. Her explanation made too much sense. I silently thanked her for stopping me before I did something reckless.

“Then how do I free him?” I asked.

“See that small keypad beside the glass door? If you can crack the password, it’ll unlock. But you only get three attempts. Fail, and the casing detonates.”

The pressure weighed heavily. The pad was a numeric lock, three random sequences. Guess wrong three times, and Dad would die.

“How the hell am I supposed to guess the right code? I’m not some all-knowing angel!” I snapped.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle that part,” Batgirl assured me. From her system, she sent a five-digit code directly to my tech lenses.

I could see the vitals of the others. They were alive, but exhaustion was setting in — their meters slowly dropping.

“Enter it within five seconds or the system will reset,” she warned. I complied, but the first code failed. She sent another, but it failed too. Only one chance remained.

Panic surged. If this last attempt failed, Dad would be reduced to ash. At that moment, a message chimed in my mind.

[Solomon: How about letting me handle this one?]

I froze, then answered: [Mark: Yeah, okay.]

[Solomon: Place your hand on the pad, and I’ll lend you something.]

I agreed, and a new power bloomed inside me. Understanding filled my mind.

Batgirl was panicking. “Mark, we don’t have time! Just—”

“Relax,” I interrupted calmly.

“Activate Techno-Magic.”

A golden magic circle appeared under my palm, flowing into the security pad. The system flickered, sputtered, then cracked open as the lock disengaged.

The glass casing hissed and slid open. Dad was free.

I felt a rush of joy as he stumbled into my arms. Father and son embraced, but there was no time to waste. I told him we had to move quickly.

As we fled, I tapped into the chat once more.

[Mark: You really saved me back there, King of Wisdom.]

[Solomon: Think nothing of it. I’ve been experimenting with methods to hack technological systems in this new world. I’m glad my little project succeeded.]

[Mark: Then I owe you. Once we’re out of this mess, remind me to grant you bonus points.]

With my father at my side, we ran through the collapsing chaos, determined to escape this hell together.

After retrieving my dad, I called in through the comms to assure the team to move out and that the mission was now successful.

Batgirl connected me through the others to inform them to prepare for a roll out.