The smoke cleared, but Shaw still wore a composed, brazen smile as he slowly descended from high above.
Just as he was about to hit the sea, crimson smoke flashed into being. Azazel appeared in an instant and firmly caught Shaw by the arm. A moment later, he vanished with him from that stretch of sky, leaving no trace.
When they reappeared, they were standing on the rocks of an isolated island nearby.
Shaw knew perfectly well that, among his people, only Riptide could use his powers to take to the air. None of the others could fly.
They were at an inherent disadvantage in an aerial battle. Only by fighting on land could they level the playing field and seize the initiative.
High in the sky, Raven and Erik quietly looked down toward the island, their expressions calm and utterly unmoved.
They had long since figured out Shaw's trump cards. He could absorb even an entire nuclear reactor; mere conventional missiles and shellfire posed no threat to him whatsoever.
The two exchanged a glance, reaching an unspoken understanding, then hurtled through the air toward the island below.
By now, the global audience's attention had completely shifted.
Everyone had already put the American-Russian nuclear crisis, which had threatened the fate of the entire world, out of their minds.
Every eye was riveted on the island, every mind consumed by this fateful showdown between top superheroes and the ultimate supervillain.
As countless viewers watched the breathtaking spectacle, on par with a blockbuster movie, they momentarily found themselves unable to tell whether they were watching live news coverage or a special-effects film with a trillion-dollar budget.
Raven and Erik landed lightly and steadily on the island's rocks.
Shaw was just about to speak when piercing sounds tore through the air in rapid