What he perceived as a peaceful subhuman community settlement a few moments ago was no more there.
The frail-looking shack had also disappeared.
Moreover...
Through the fleeting clouds of dust and damage, Adam can find the outline of a distinctively different humanoid being. It had dark blue fur and had a majestic skeletal structure.
Upon narrowing his eyes, Adam saw that the tailless primate had a streak of silver colour running along its massive spine.
'Are those... apes?'
Among the warcries and shouts, Adam's eyes caught the sight of a giant humanoid standing on all four. Its forelimbs were as thick as an adult's thigh and were considerably long. At a glance, they resembled Gorillas.
And as Adam keenly observed, the beast roared and raised its hands into the air. It swiftly descended and dispersed a ripple to the surroundings.
Gasp!
It was then he noticed a severely battered torso of a dead orc lying beneath the hindlimbs of the ape.
Thump... thump...
Each swing descended on the headless carcass and pummeled the corpse's ribcage furiously. It didn't take more than three swings for the ape to break open the sturdy envelope of bones.
Splash!
Like a burst water balloon, the deep green blood gushed out of the recently deceased warrior's torso. Upon witnessing this exciting scene, the ape immediately grabbed the ceased heart and plucked it out of its place with ease.
Roar!
All these scenes had petrified Adam to his bones. He had expected rivalry and savagery but this... this was too much to be titled as 'The Rule of the Wild'.
Like a fossil, Adam was motionless as he verified the situation. He was optimistic that his eyes were playing games but the repulsive stench of subhuman blood penetrated his olfactory senses and conveyed that this is the reality.
'I... I must survive.'
An urge to survive, a call to live forward, a dying flame's wish.
The odds against Adam's survival in the current context was unimaginable. If he were to be captured by those giant wild apes, he wouldn't even survive the shockwave of a single swing.
This realisation pulled him from the trance as he exploited the multitude of trees as a cover to escape. He wasn't swift as the bloodshed had struck his heart like an iron spike. The shiver prevailing over his being hadn't dissipated even after a dozen minutes.
But lady luck was on the other side of the river.
Thwack!
Came a severed head of an orc flying at the back of his head and Adam was thrown off balance. The strike was precise and powerful which dwindled his survival rate below one digit.
"Ah, shi..." Before he could express his emotions, a series of footsteps came charging at him. Adam could only take a quick peek over his shoulder and he saw a pair of golden pupils piercing through his being.
The Silver-spine Giant Ape was a truly savage being with likes inclining to brute force. Its exceedingly threatening aura broke Adam's running rhythm and his footing was lost. While abruptly descending to the ground, he heartily thanked his clumsiness as his eyes witnessed a massive arm swiping horizontally just a few inches above his head.
The Ape was superior to the earthling in all physical aspects. Thus, Adam failed to defend against the swift strike of the beast. The massive arm descended to his mid-thorax, causing a visible indentation on his torso.
"Gahh...!"
Blood exited his mouth like a miniature fountain and unfortunately splashed onto the beast's fur. This only infuriated the ape as it barraged Adam's sternum like a machine gun. To make the distribution even, the beast didn't forget to strike his head and lower torso.
The pummelling went on for a few minutes until the ape validated that Adam's heart had ceased. Riddled with ribbons, it couldn't help but cease.
***
Hours went past and the night had arrived. The darkness had conquered the light of the day and had cast a menacing ambience over nature.
The subhuman settlement reeked the stench of blood and flesh. It silently sunk into the blackness as a relic of the past, to let others know that once a community dwelled there.
The wild beasts had left the vicinity after feasting over the remains of the village. Only a few shadows lingered in the dark, slowly moving away from the site.
"Ngh..."
It had been a while since Adam's consciousness had come online. But he was in no condition to move or twitch.
Currently, Adam was lying under a tree, face down. If one were to take a closer look, it would be possible to catch the sight of the slightly dented trunk.
His current posture was all thanks to the ape who thrashed him like a sandbag. After inflicting enough damage, the beast caught Adam's legs and threw him away 'gently'.
Yet, that casual action of punishment was devoid of any sense of gentleness as he struck a tree and fell into the ground's embrace.
Almost all of his bones, including spine and skull, were shattered by the unparalleled strength of Silver-spine Giant Ape. No strand of muscle in his body was intact and no organ was safe from damage.
Still, he was alive, thanks to his father, the mad genius who was adamant in resurrecting his 26-year-old son after he drowned and died in his favourite pond.
Adam's soul had left its vessel centuries ago but the experiment succeeded in installing a conscience into the shell. It was this unrefined essence that controlled the body till now. The consciousness that bloomed from the unnatural endeavour was independent of the concept of soul and was inevitably and inseparably bound to the body.
Thus, all that mattered was the condition of his body.
"..."
Adam can tell the unrivalled pathetic state to which his body was reduced to. His consciousness had been immersed in the sea of agony for too long that the pain was no longer a stranger to his heart.
Like a blob of sentient flesh with a little perception of his surroundings, Adam lay dormant pondering over his case when the next stage of misfortune unfolded.
A violent seismic sensation swept across his being as it travelled forth for miles upon miles. An intimidating aura was veiled upon him and nature which jolted his consciousness in fear. The lack of decent discernment of the environment amplified his concern about himself.
'What is happening?!'
The helpless psyche could only cry on the inside as something descended over Adam's body. At once, he was flabbergasted as he felt his body healing at an astounding rate. Within a few minutes, almost all injuries vanished.
But there was never 'free lunch' in any world!
***
"Dresh akn wierl qroom..."
After commanding the subordinates to charge ahead, the sword-wielding demon stared at the rift. Numerous spectres rushed into the spatial gate and disappeared at his command.
The killing intent that veiled over the Stygian Realm was intoxicating to the demons. Every whiff of this looming aura was as delicious as a freshly baked pizza.
"Awrooq!"
With a deafening cry, the fiend leapt into the rift and vanished from the lesser world.
...
About a minute ago, in the over-world, a large portion of an unnamed jungle had its colours inverted as space fluctuated violently. It was the shockwave of this ominous incident that swept past Adam and travelled like an unending warcry.
Seconds later, numerous otherworldly beings came popping up through the rift. While most were dreadful demons, there was a considerable portion of ghosts accompanying them.
At once, the demons ran amok through the jungle. Trees were destroyed and the landscape was slowly metamorphosing to their will. By their untamed strength, a stronghold quickly materialised.
The intangible, yet mildly opaque beings moved forward, towards the human settlements when one of the Spectre caught the scent of a beating heart. It immediately screeched out loud and notified others of Adam's existence.
The sword-wielding fiend with its relatively majestic aura and refined stature was about to commence the attack when the spectre came to convey its discovery.
[Sedra, we found something.] The Spectre bowed before the demon before explaining.
[Possess the body. It's yours.] The demon quickly gave its verdict and casually waved its hand.
At that moment, Adam was lying idle, unbeknownst of the terror slowly dawning on him.