Although there were whispers that he was a demon in close combat, the soldiers still looked at Royer like they had never truly known him at all. Their eyes were wide with a mix of awe and fear, their minds swirling with unspoken questions about his nature as they stared at him.
He didn't blame them, instead, he felt a gnawing anxiety about the power that had surged through him moments ago. He couldn't shake the feeling that there might be something inside him, something dark and uncontrollable, a will that he could not overpower.
As doubt crept in, his gaze accidentally caught his own reflection in the countless burning vehicles around him. The image was haunting: Royer stood among a pile of defeated monsters, their bodies strewn across the battlefield, while he remained upright, his breath ragged, the door still clutched in his right hand.
His body was smeared with the blood of his enemies, and the flickering flames cast grotesque shadows on his face. The reflection terrified him; it was like looking into the eyes of a stranger—someone capable of unimaginable violence.
Meanwhile, Erick and Guion crept through the shadowy corridors of the White House, searching for Julius. Guion's instincts as an Overwhelm were sharp, guiding them through the labyrinthine halls. The air was thick with tension, every footstep echoing ominously. As they moved forward, they heard the distinct thud of military boots the unmistakable sound of the twins, guardians of the president.
Erick paused, turning to Guion with a cold, calculating look. "Don't intervene unless I ask for it. I want to test something," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. He then sprinted ahead, leaving Guion in the shadows.
At the intersection of the corridors, Erick's eyes met those of the twins. Without hesitation, he launched himself between them. His first punch connected with the jaw of the twin on the left, sending him reeling backward.
As the other twin spun around to retaliate, Erick delivered a vicious spin kick to his legs, dropping him to his knees. The fallen twin tried to counter with a knockout punch, but Erick sidestepped it effortlessly, shoving the twin forward, causing him to strike his brother instead. The blow sent the second twin into a blind rage.
He swung wildly, but Erick was already behind him, using the twin's momentum to slam him against the wall with a powerful elbow strike. The impact knocked the twin out cold.
Guion, observing from the shadows, was baffled. He knew how resilient Overwhelm holders were, their regenerative abilities almost supernatural. And yet, Erick had dispatched two of them without breaking a sweat. The disbelief was evident on his face, but before he could voice his thoughts, the general's voice crackled through their earpieces, urgent and strained.
"Erick! Erick, do you copy?"
"I'm here," Erick responded, his tone sharp and alert.
The general's desperation was palpable. With their forces reduced to five field fighters and a single helicopter, the situation was dire. "How did you manage to knock out so many with just a door?" the general demanded.
"It's not impossible to knock them out," Erick replied calmly. "But you need to hit with immense power, and target their most vulnerable spots with absolute precision. The fact that my punches had such an impact confirms that I'm an Overwhelm as well.
My strength is the reason I was able to take them down with just a door."
The general's voice faltered slightly, grappling with this revelation. "So that's what you meant by 'more of an animal'?"
"I've known for a while," Erick said, dismissing the general's curiosity. He quickly shifted the conversation back to their current predicament. "We're nearly wiped out, and these monsters still have more to give. They don't tire easily, so we need a new strategy.
Have each soldier find a fully loaded tank and target only the lowest ranks. The weapons won't scratch an upper rank."
"How the hell are we supposed to tell them apart?" the captain interjected, frustration seeping into his voice.
"Upper ranks are much more brutal," Erick replied. "You'll know when you see them. The key is to hit them before they even realize they're in danger.
Their ability to transform is a defense mechanism, triggered when they feel threatened. It's their hormones reacting to danger, enhancing their survival traits."
"So they're immune to anything they perceive as dangerous," the general mused, a hint of hopelessness creeping in.
"Technically, yes," Erick confirmed with a bitter edge.
The general dropped the door he had been holding and barked orders into his earpiece. "Alright, you heard him! Get moving!"
But the soldiers just stood there, still staring at him, their expressions a mix of fear and uncertainty.
The general's patience snapped. He looked around, feigning surprise, and then bellowed, "Move!"
"Sir!" they responded in unison, finally breaking free from their paralysis and sprinting toward the tanks.
As they ran, Royer witnessed something that defied explanation—something that belonged only in nightmares or the pages of a dark fantasy novel. A portal, a doorway to another world, began to materialize before his eyes. One moment there was nothing, and the next, a monstrous figure was charging toward him. It was the same creature that had massacred everyone in the conference room, only now it seemed even more ruthless, more bloodthirsty.
The monster moved like an insect, eerily silent despite its massive frame. Royer was the only one who saw it coming, and before he could shout a warning, it was already too late. Two soldiers were cut in half with terrifying speed, their bodies falling apart in perfect unison, before the beast set its sights on Royer.
Royer grabbed the door, swinging it with all his might, but the creature sliced it in half effortlessly, its right shoulder slamming into Royer with incredible force. The impact sent him flying miles away from the others, his body tumbling and rolling across the ground, a trail of dust and debris marking his path. Yet somehow, when he finally skidded to a stop, he was miraculously unscathed.
The beast, now realizing that Royer was no ordinary opponent, was on him like a shadow, relentless in its pursuit. Royer barely had time to recover before the monster struck again, its front limbs hammering down on him like the blows of a sledgehammer. Royer dodged to the left, then to the right, narrowly avoiding each strike. But when the beast kicked him with its powerful legs, the blow landed squarely on his cheek, leaving a shallow cut beneath his eye. Despite the force of the attack, Royer held his ground, his body only swaying slightly from the impact.
The beast, undeterred, spun rapidly, its limbs a blur of motion. Royer ducked and twisted, his movements fluid as he evaded the beast's lethal strikes. He tried to counter, stepping on the beast's head, but the creature resisted, its body coiled like a spring. Before Royer could react, the beast's leg shot out, catching him on the cheek and sending him sprawling to the ground.
As Royer scrambled to his feet, the beast leaped into the air, its massive form descending toward him with murderous intent. The monster aimed its knee at Royer's spine, but Royer rolled out of the way just in time. The beast's knee slammed into the earth, shattering the ground where Royer had been moments before.
Royer barely had a moment to breathe before the beast was on him again, its legs a blur of motion as it delivered a barrage of kicks to his chest. Each strike was like a sledgehammer, pounding him into the ground until he could no longer stand. The beast's front limbs pierced Royer's chest, driving deep into his flesh just below his shoulders. The creature then lifted him into the air, flipping his body with a brutal twist, before hurling him into the midst of the tanks.
Royer crashed into a burning car, the flames licking at his body. The beast was on him in an instant, slicing the car in half with a single, savage strike. Royer barely managed to escape, staggering out of the wreckage and collapsing against a nearby tank. His breath came in ragged gasps, and blood poured from the wound in his stomach where the beast's limb had impaled him.
The limb had pierced through the wall of the tank, and Julius, inside, could see Royer's bloodied form on the other side.
"Royer!" she screamed, her voice a mix of fear and desperation.
"General!" the others echoed, their voices filled with horror as they watched him slump forward, his head lowering as if in defeat.
The beast loomed over him, its eyes cold and merciless. "Looks like your strong will was just for show," it sneered, its voice dripping with contempt. "Don't worry, I'll kill them next."
But even as the beast taunted him, Royer's hand clenched into a fist, the fire in his eyes rekindling. This wasn't over, not by a long shot.