”You there!” he shouted in a deep, bellowing voice. “Stop in the name of The Republic of the New Milky Way!”

The monster’s scaly mandibles scraped open, then closed, scraped open, then closed. Blaze knew the behemoth was preparing to spit its venomous acid but the hero leapt into action.

He came up in a crouch and parried high as the enemy’s katana arced down toward his head. Sparks erupted and Nathan responded with a sweeping kick at the ninja’s black boots. The black-clad assassin leaped back and avoided the kick, but the defensive maneuver allowed enough time for the hero to regain his footing.