There was a very famous idiom I always liked. It was 'burn the boats,' although the actual term in the military was the point of no return. It even existed in psychology. It was known as the moment when any and all avenues for retreat disappeared.
"Burn the boats," I quietly muttered.
With no choice but to fight, the armies turned. They ceased to be soldiers. They instead became beasts who desperately wanted to live even just a day longer.
And right now, my girls and I were in the same scenario. Insanity aside, to kill the boss before the sun rose, we leapt headfirst into an endless horde of the undead.
"CHEEEESUTO!"
"Aki! Huff… You are going too fast! Liv, keep up!"
"UOOOOOOO!!!"
"FUCK ME DEAD! AAAHHHHH!"
"Robyn, get back here!"
The girls were fighting tooth and nail. Aki, Jo, and Robyn all began to go berserk. They fought like rabid animals overwhelmed by adrenaline and instinct. Liv, who carried heavier armor and a shield, struggled to remain in front.
Bella, who had trouble keeping up with them, started to get ragged. Jasmine and I, who were firing while running, also couldn't even talk due to the stress. We were running to increase our distance from the Brute. I didn't know how long Amari could keep the boss in check, but we only had a small window.
'{Rewind}, you were always listening to me, right? I need the ability to endure damage. You know what I want. So, evolve toward that.'
I didn't know who to direct my words to, so I ended up talking to my {Fate}. If it followed my wishes like {Kismet}, this was the time to know for sure. We had already burned the boats. It was now or never. If I were wrong, we all would die, but I refused to give up without trying.
I stopped running and placed my finger on my soulgem and forced it to evolve.
'Evolve!' I inwardly shouted.
Heat hotter than lava flowed through my veins from the stone on my neck. With it, a new ability downloaded itself into my mind. My lips curled into a smile. A feeling of omnipotence made me giddy with excitement. It seemed the heavens had yet to forsake me.
"HAHAHAHA, I WAS RIGHT!"
Due to their emotional states, they hadn't noticed that we had gotten separated. Bella, the first one to notice, shouted to the rest.
"What? Why?! Everyone, turn back! Honey's been left behind!"
"BELLA! Kill as much as you can but stay away!" I roared.
Before my girls could double back, the zombies began to run past them. The horde's target? Of course, it would be me. Hundreds of zombies ran toward me like kids toward an ice cream truck. But instead of fear, a fighting spirit dominated my very soul.
"{SUFFER}! COME AT ME YOU FUCKERS! I AM JOHN SMITH AND I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" Like a lion, I summoned every bit of courage and raised my gun.
The 1911, my partner since this night began, fired nonstop. I felt amazing. Like an action star, I shot Normies in the head left and right. I punched and kicked the others that came for me. A Chucky lunged for me, and I kicked it in the face, sending it flying.
"ORYA!!!!"
A Bigfoot tried to bite me. I responded by shooting its knees to make it kneel. I then sent a full-powered pistol-whip to its face. Shoving my gun up its chin, I pulled the trigger, blowing its brains out.
Despite being surrounded, I danced like a butterfly! Using {Listen} and {Perceive}, I could sense everything around me. But it could be better. I touched the 1911 and invoked a {Fate} I got from Josephine.
"{Dampen}. I'm still alive, you stupid fucks! Come at me!"
As I continued to brawl with the undead, the 1911 no longer made deafening sounds each time it fired. Naturally, this was only to my ears. Jo's new {Fate} came at the perfect moment as my ears had already started to go deaf.
More and more undead came toward me. Unable to cope with the horde, I got scratched and bitten by my enemies. Fortunately, I wasn't that easy to take down. I had {Withstand} and {Endure} to thank for that. They helped me fight off tackles and shoves.
A zombie then hugged me from the back, but before it could bite my neck, an arrow quickly ended its life.
"JOHN!"
The girls looked panicked as they drew near, but I held up my hand and gave them a command they surely didn't expect.
"Do not come here! Let them overrun me! Kill the ones who are not attacking me!"
"What? Smith-san, WHY! You will die!"
"WOMBAT, have you gone insane?!"
Surprisingly, only Robyn and Aki expressed their doubts. The others all turned around and rejoined the battle. Unable to pay attention to them, I continued to kill the ones biting chunks of my skin off.
"OUCH! THAT HURT! {REGEN}. {RELOAD}."
With a part of my shoulder and arm missing, I invoked my new ability, {Regen}.
It healed the difference between my current state and my {Auto}. Still, it was much like {Withstand}. It didn't do anything to help with the pain.
The missing flesh on my body grew back. The sudden restoration of thousands of nerves hurt a lot. Still, I shrugged off the Normies and continued to blow skull after skull.
'Fuck, that hurt, but it's not enough.'
Zombie after zombie got taken down by my bullets. Or they got close and tore off a piece of me. Pain and relief danced as I battled. Souls by the tens flooded into me. Not even getting a second to stop, my hands started to get numb from the recoil until the worst happened.
Click, the 1911 suddenly jammed. A bullet cartridge was caught between the slide and the ejection port.
"SHIT!"
I ejected the magazine while punching a zombie. Like a quarterback, I weaved as the undead threw themselves at me. {Regen} continued to heal my injuries, but I was getting pretty tired. I dashed toward a Chucky and lunged for it.
The Chucky chomped on the vulnerable areas of my arm. But I didn't resist and bit it back in the neck.
"{Eat}. {Digest}."
Aki's third skill was for poison immunity. I could even drink snake venom and I would not die. Naturally, my hesitation to bite the shit out of these fuckers disappeared. With my stamina restored, I threw the Chucky away afterwards and pulled back the slide of my gun twice.
I saw the rogue shell separate from the 1911.
"Nice, back in business. {Reload}."
Barely in time to react, two Normies lunged for me. I swiftly fired two rounds from my gun while I fell on my back. One of my shots missed, and the undead took a bite out of my ear and tore it off.
"ARGHHH!!! GET OFF ME, TYSON!"
{Regen} was healing my injuries as fast as I got them. I would not die, but holy hell, it hurt. As the damage accumulated, I could feel my heart slamming against my chest faster.
'Not yet. This is not enough.'
I quickly got up and continued to fight. Just then, I heard a loud boom. A towering shadow began to charge toward us.
"It takes too long for these fuckers. Guess it was inevitable," I said in defeat.
Throwing any hesitation to the wind, I started to run toward the Undead Brute.
The zombies fighting the girls quickly left them and chased after me.
'Good, they should be safe for now,' I noted as I ran.
Bella and the others would have earned enough souls to use {Rewind} at least.
"{CARRY}! {HIKE}!" I bellowed.
{Hike} was the 3rd ability of {Carry}. It reduced air resistance and allowed one to run faster. I ran toward the boss faster than a car. Within seconds, I left most of the horde behind.
Surprisingly, I got through barely a minute of running until I heard footsteps around me. Before I could turn to check, they all began to speak.
"Darling, what's the plan?"
"I told you all to stay away!" I angrily rebuked them.
"Smith-san, our survival also hangs on you. Let us help."
"Wombat, stop wasting time. What now?"
"Please send me flying toward the bastard's face," I requested.
"ROGER!" they shouted in unison.
Jo, Jas had Liv on their shoulders, Robyn had Isabella on her back, and Aki ran alone. It was insane. I could understand Robyn, but who knew the Descendants and the Ninjas could run just as fast.
Hearing my plan, Bella commanded the others, "Jo, Jas, we will use Liv as a platform. Aki, Robyn, can you girls make midair footholds?"
"YES!" x5
In a single moment, the girls made a plan I was simply unable to follow. The Brute was less than a mile away now. Robyn and Aki broke off from our formation and went in separate directions.
Bella then shouted towards me, "Honey, all my hopes I leave to you!"
Jo and Jas ran past me and threw Liv forward like a brick. The Northerner violently crashed. She raised her shield over her head and knelt. The sisters turned back and ran toward me. They dashed to my sides and grabbed me by the armpits.
Afterward, they carried me even faster as we ran toward Liv.
"Uh, can someone explain what's going on?"
"No time, just get ready to fly," Jasmine responded curtly.
Upon reaching Liv, the sisters leapt up and kicked the Northerner's shield. Using its surface as a platform, Liv then pushed back and vaulted us into the air.
"Show me the majesty of a king, Southerner! OOHHHH!!!!" she roared.
Wind rushed by as we climbed higher. But it didn't end there. Aki and Robyn then appeared in midair. They held their hands together, fingers interlocked.
As if expecting it, Jo and Jas smashed their feet on the shinobi's and the combat joey's makeshift footholds. Aki and Robyn then threw us upward with all their might as they somersaulted! Their voices echoed as we were sent skyward!
"Smith-san! Ganbatte!! HAAA!"
"Kick its ugly ass, Wombat! ORYAA!!!!"
Our rapid ascent slowed and eventually stopped. Pulled back down by gravity, the sisters and I began to fall. But then Jo and Jas swung me backward. Like the two ends of a slingshot, they twisted their bodies and pulled me forward before letting go.
"Time for your coronation, Darling! WAHOOO!!!"
"Do not make me regret it, John! FLY!"
"FUUUUCCCKKKKKK!!!" I yelled. The wind made it hard to keep my eyes open.
Like an arrow, the Descendants sent me hurtling downward! I descended with the speed of a meteor!
As I made my way toward the boss, he saw me and threw his mighty fist to punch me!
I sent my fist forward as well. The difference between our fist sizes was like a mountain and an ant. Still, I did not fear.
The moment our fists collided, my nerves all burned in agony. My bones snapped and my veins burst. Without {Withstand} and {Endure}, I felt every bit of kinetic energy go berserk in my body.
But in the next second {Regen} healed all the damage. The cycle repeated as I pushed against the gigantic fist that stood in my way!
'THIS IS IT! COME ON! JUST A LITTLE MORE!!' I thought as my body died again and again.
After a few milliseconds, it finally came.
My heart, which now felt like a small sun, started to burn me alive from the inside out. The moment I had waited for had finally arrived.
"FEEL THE RAGE OF THE FORMLESS, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! {COUNTER}!"