In His Darkest Hour

As Darryl faced off against Lucius, the rooftops became a battleground, shadows twisting and dancing around them as they clashed. With a silent nod, they acknowledged each other, and the battle began in earnest.

With a flick of his wrist, Lucius summoned tendrils of shadow to ensnare Darryl, his movements smooth and calculated. Darryl dodged the dark tendrils with a combination of agility and luck, his heart pounding in his chest as he prepared to counter.

Aiming his gun with one hand and manipulating probability using quick hand signs with the other, Darryl launched himself forward, his movements calculated yet also chaotic. Bullets tore through the air with deadly accuracy, while flashes of light and sudden shifts in his position threw off Lucius' attempts to anticipate his next move.

But Lucius was a formidable adversary, his control over the shadows unmatched in its versatility in both defense and attack; Darryl's bullets all reached vital spots but they were stopped in the air by an aura of shadow that enveloped Lucius. With a swift motion, Lucius retaliated, lashing out with tendrils of darkness that seemed to defy Darryl's every attempt to evade them.

"This isn't magic." Darryl cursed as the tendrils made impact, sending him smashing onto another rooftop. Magic and normal physical attacks could never reach him. Nevertheless, he persisted.

The battle raged on as Darryl found himself pushed to the brink, his powers strained to their limits as he fought tooth and nail to gain the upper hand. But for every blow he landed, Lucius countered with equal force, his shadowy tendrils twisting and writhing with sinister grace.

With a sudden burst of energy, Lucius launched a devastating attack, catching Darryl off guard and again sending him crashing to the rooftop below. Pain seared through his body as he struggled to rise, his vision swimming with dizziness as he fought to regain his footing.

But Darryl refused to stay down; he was dead-set to stay alive and beat his enemy, and his resolve kept him focused; he focused his energy and a rune on his neck briefly glowed. It was a distress signal.

Knowing the others would eventually be on their way to either save or avenge him gave him new strength. He forced himself to his feet for one last stand. With a defiant roar, he faced off against Lucius once more, his gun raised and his powers ready to unleash chaos upon his foe.

As they clashed for the final time, the rooftops trembled with the intensity of their battle, yet the bystanders on the streets and the residents of the apartments below didn't notice at all. Darryl fought with all the strength and skill he could muster, emptying his magazine while focusing his power to the extreme – finally succeeding. Two bullets passed through invisible gaps in Lucius' shadow aura, injuring him in the chest and stomach – a fatal combination, if it had been anyone else.

But in the end, it was not enough. Lucius, enraged by his injuries, lashed out with the full force of his shadow tendrils. Despite his best efforts, Darryl found himself overwhelmed by Lucius' onslaught. With a final, devastating blow of concentrated shadow energy, he was sent crashing to the alley below, his body battered and broken.

As he lay there, Darryl knew that he had fought with everything he had. He tried to protect his family and he didn't mind dying for them; despite the hard life he had to endure, he had no regrets – he found true meaning in what the Outcasts do. And though he may have lost the battle, his family will always stand strong. With a defiant grin, he started to rise again, spitting blood, ready to meet his end like a true Outcast – going all out.

Lucius smiled as he prepared to deliver the final, crushing blow to Darryl; however, a sudden flash of purple and black lightning illuminated the rooftop. With a startled cry, Lucius was thrown back, smashing against a wall.

Bewildered, Darryl struggled to rise, his gaze drawn to the source of the unexpected intervention. Through the haze of pain and confusion, he saw Constantine standing before him, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination and a hint of madness.

With a snarl of rage, Constantine attacked Lucius, who was getting back on his feet, his every movement crackling with raw energy. Purple and black lightning surged around him, an unstoppable force of nature that seemed to defy explanation.

As Lucius recovered from the shock of the lightning strike, he faced Constantine with a mixture of surprise and contempt. But Constantine was undeterred, his wrath unleashed as he prepared to confront the man before him.

With a roar of defiance, Constantine launched himself at Lucius, his fists a blur of motion as he unleashed a torrent of blows at superhuman speed. Lucius countered with his own dark powers, shadows twisting and writhing around him as he sought to repel Constantine's relentless assault. They both launched themselves in the air, landing back on the rooftops where they could maneuver more easily.

These rooftops became a battleground of epic proportions, the clash between Constantine and Lucius shaking the very foundations of the city, a city that stubbornly remained oblivious to their very presence. With each strike, each blast of energy, they fought tooth and nail for dominance, with their very lives hanging in the balance.

Despite the odds stacked against him, Constantine refused to back down. His every movement was fueled by fierce rage, barely kept in check by his determination to protect Vicky and Darryl.

As their battle raged on, Darryl watched in awe and disbelief, his battered body forgotten in the heat of the moment. With each passing second, it became clear that Constantine was more than just a mere Outcast – he was a force to be reckoned with, unrecognizable from their sparring sessions, moving like a seasoned veteran; however, there was something unnatural in his movements, as if he wasn't in full control of himself and was guided by…something.

As Constantine and Lucius clashed with all their might, Darryl felt that the outcome of their battle would determine the fate of everything he held dear. With bated breath, he watched on, ready to lend whatever support he could to Constantine, the monstrous rookie who had miraculously come to his aid in his darkest hour.

Constantine looked almost crazed, grinning wide at Lucius, bloodlust emanating from his so strongly that it made Lucius weary of him. Darryl was shocked; Constantine's eyes were glowing, something common among Outcasts while using their powers. But, instead of crimson, his eyes had turned bright purple, something he hadn't ever heard of before. Lightning surged around Constantine as he laughed maniacally, ready to strike.

At this moment, a voice cut through the air, disrupting the tension. It was Vicky, looking bewildered.

"Constantine?!" she exclaimed.