“What the hell…did that bastard just kill one of ours?” His question needed no answering, as the corpse of their ally was forming a blood pool from his missing head.
“Tsk! Taking them alive won’t work anymore!” The man who pummeled Zack just moments ago yelled. “We’ll just murder them!”
With a deafening boom, the super soldier exploded towards Zack. He closed the battle in a blink, but was greeted to the smoking palm of Zack’s right hand blocking the soldier’s gaze.
Damn–
BOOM!
From popping sparks and embers of the illuminating glove to an eruption of energy, Zack activated his blessing once more. The sight of the sparks were akin to an alarm with its noise blaring a warning to all, as the super soldier dropped…no, collapsed on all fours – an instinctive reaction.
Avoiding the hypersonic blast at point blank range, the super soldier captured the surprised gaze of Zack. In a seamless motion, the soldier hoisted himself off the ground and tackled Zack into the warehouse’s walls.
“How can you S-Class bastards be so incredibly annoying!?” Like a feral beast losing all control, the super soldier followed up as he battered Zack’s jaw with several punches. Unable to handle the force, the wall continued to give way as the super soldier ruthlessly hammered Zack’s head into it. “You think you have a chance to get out of this–”
His relentless strikes continued to plague Zack, until his rhythm vanished completely – his next strike never met its target. As furious as his enemy, the bloody, bruised and injured Zack snatched the soldier’s wrist out of the air.
Fingers wrapped around his arm, and the attacker’s eyes went wide at the emerging light from Zack’s gloves.
BOOM!
His glove detonated once more, reducing the super soldier’s poor arm to a blackened, shredded appendage.
“Urgh…RRAAAAHHH!!!” The effects of the searing and scorching explosion forced the super soldier’s rage to boil like never before, his eyes bloodshot with rage. A heavy haymaker to Zack’s jaw, which echoed through the room – that’s all it took to reduce the wall behind him to ruined rubble.
“G-Guh…” Excessive blood trickled down his temple, and Zack’s half lidded eyes and slight open mouth which muttered grunts exposed the limits he approached to his sturdiness.
Danger was as close to Rose as it was to Zack. The trio of attackers became far more synchronized in their assault against their enemy. From the fabric of their suits to their own flesh, the offensive floral spikes had landed deep gashes in Rose’s enemy. Despite all that, they adapted to her method of approach: the timing, the speed and the uniqueness of her blessing…enough to inflict their own attacks.
A bruised jaw, bloody nose and a busted lips, these injuries were the result of their perseverance. Danger was just as close to Rose, but her eyes never focused on it. Her eyes drifted on what was deemed more important – Zack – witnessing the brutal wall-shattering haymaker he received.
ZACK! Reacting with widened eyes, Rose internally cried out. Dammit, Razorwire!!
The oversized floral stems which grew throughout the warehouse had erupted and released an omnidirectional turrent of thorns. These razor sharp projectiles showed no mercy to anything which stood in their way, grazing and tearing through flesh, bones and even concrete. As screams resonated in the barely hanging building, only Zack was spared from this burst.
“Ah! Dammit!” Thorns lodged themselves in the arm and abdomen of the super soldier who assaulted Zack, but that was the least of his worries. Floral stems coiled themselves around the soldier’s four appendages, immediately tightening like a vice. His feet left the ground, the stems demanding him to ascend in the air. “Urgh…AAHHH!!!”
A sickening cry left the mouth of the soldier as his limbs began to tear from his socket. Bones snapping like a tree branch and tendons whipping and becoming exposed like cords, the floral stems deprived the soldier of all his limbs in a bloody shower.
“W-What…the hell?” From head to toe, the thorns decorated the super soldiers with gashes, lacerations and cuts – they could barely stand anymore. Their own condition was but a minor inconvenience, compared to the horrific execution of their ally that they witnessed.
All enemies were either dead or seriously debilitated, and all eyes steered away from the battle. That was the moment Rose needed. She surged forward past her enemies with a burst of movement, her eyes locked on her target.
She wrapped her arms around Zack, his blood soaking her overalls as she hoisted his arm over her shoulder.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“We’re leaving,” No hesitation, no pause…not even a final glance at her enemies, only a cold remark as Rose leaped through the hole of the ceiling with her partner.
“D-Dammit…they’re escaping!” Leaving a trail of blood behind him, a super soldier frantically yelled as he limped towards the exit. “W-We gotta stop them!”
“Ugh, how are we going to stop them when we’re like this,” Another responded. “We’ll just be deadweight, idiot.”
“Tch! Shit!” With furrowed eyebrows, the super soldier exploded in frustration. “What the hell are we supposed to tell the Chief…the President!?”
“You don’t have to worry–”
VRROOOOMM!!!
Tires cried against the pavement, rotating fast enough to produce smoke in its wake. The two surviving super soldiers made it through the door, just in time to witness a black sedan shooting down the street with a loud roar. They didn’t chase…there was no point in their current state – they were simply mocked by the growling engine fading in the distance.
“...You sure we shouldn’t worry?”
“Yeah, you must have forgotten that our President is Madam Ada,” The super soldier oddly responded. “She took the car because she knew we wouldn’t chase in our battered state. Her decision will give us the upper hand.”
“Though we lost three of ours.”
“They were weak.”
“Tch, if that piece of shit thinks he can get away with doing this to us…he’s far more idiotic than just being a part of the Silverdust gang,” Hands gripping at the steering wheel and slamming the pedal down, Rose muttered in rage as she drove. With one look at Zack, her rage was pacified. “...You okay over there, Zack?”
“Ugh, I got the hell beaten out of me…as usual, but I’ll be fine,” Slouching in the passenger’s seat, Zack remarked. I have to take some drugs when we get home. “How did those bastards even plan all this?”
“I have no freaking clue…but we’re going to get the bottom of this,” Rose replied. “Finding that bastard won’t be difficult…I’m sure the director will want some answers too.”
Ugh…I hope we don’t get into any worse shit than this…but I have a feeling that Ada had something to do with this plan. Zack pondered. Shit…I shouldn’t think about her…or I’ll start to feel like shit again.
- * * *
Though Zack greeted his day fighting tooth and nail with agents of the Anti-Blessed Malefactor Corps, he wasn’t the only one necessarily fighting. With the clashing of metal, Lilith’s spar continued with the NPC throughout the day. Her sword dance was graced with the eyes of a spectator, as Olivia observed from the comfort of Lilith’s verandah.
W-Wow…it’s nearly impossible to follow their movements… Olivia thought with widened eyes. How much training has she done?
Though her physical abilities were lacking compared to her fellow party members, no mistakes were found in her thoughts. Their figures were like streaks as they fought, darting around the football sized lawn and producing cracking shockwaves from their movement.
Bringing this dance to an abrupt pause, steel and boot collided mid air.
“Urgh!” Pain ravaged her wrist as Lilith’s blade was shaken by the impact. Her body was pushed across the yard…but she cut a line of scorched earth as she kept on her feet. “Not yet!”
She dropped in a low stance with bended knees, coiling her body like a spring. A hand gripped at the hilt of her katana, with the other behind her. Her opponent was courteous enough to grant a moment’s reprieve as the NPC enjoyed the stirring wind throughout his garments.
Her blade came to life in a crackling shimmer of amethyst purple, and so did the expression of the sole audience. A stance which screamed violence, an expression which radiated an unwavering resolve…those elements were transferred into a single, wind cutting drawing of her sword.
Lilith’s slash bore fruit to a crescent arc of similar color which tore through the air towards her opponent. She never smiled, but a breath of satisfaction left her mouth at the sight of the traveling projectile. It had worked again - the wave was proof that she was ascending.
Nothing could have ruined this moment…nothing except for a strange tap on Lilith’s shoulders from behind?
“Good job on performing that skill again, but I’m sure you can see the cons now,” Twisting her body around, the bewildered Lilith saw the NPC casually behind her.
“H-How?” Breaking out in a sweat and with an increased breathing rate, Lilith muttered.
“I simply ran a bit faster than before and got behind you…you must have failed to perceive that. I’ll have you know I can move much, much faster than that,” With a smug tone dripping from his voice, the NPC responded, shocking her even further. “I’m glad you’ve improved, but now you need to find ways to not make that skill obvious.”
“I…I see.”
“I suppose you can continue to take inspiration from those action movies you watched with Nathan. Imagination is an important aspect to grow your blessing, after all,” Trekking to the outskirts of the yard, the NPC advised. “We’ll pause the training session here. Go rest up…and converse with your party mate over there.”
Ugh…I don’t want to stop now…but he’s leaving without letting me protest. As she pondered, her eyebrows furrowed with frustration. But…I’m so…tired. I don’t think I can swing my sword anymore…after firing two of those strange waves.
The NPC’s words held weight on Lilith’s consciousness, as she couldn’t help but to acknowledge Olivia with a gaze.
“O-Oh, uhm…a-are you finished…Lilith?” Shying away from her gaze – an instinctual reaction – Olivia questioned. “Y-You really…are so cool…while fighting.”
“Sigh…you really want to stay here, huh?”
“Y-Yes…It’s not just…about the…d-developer’s words. I don’t want to b-be alone…it hurts being alone,” Holding her head downwards, Olivia muttered under her breath. “I-I won’t interrupt you…whenever…you want to train…You’re…the only one…I can turn to.”
“Sigh, how can I just turn you away after hearing that,” Lilith replied. “C’mon…let’s talk inside.”
“O-Okay!”