"Now!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the human shouted, a streak of small explosions struck its joints accurately. They were particularly weak, and yet enough to stop it momentarily.
"!"
"Hmph!"
Utilizing this short moment, the human before it swung its fists with tremendous force toward it. It has seen this simple pattern before, but their accuracy and timing are still something to be beheld.
However, this won't be as dangerous as last time.
POW!
"Grr!"
It grunted as it staggered back, its fleshy hip drilled through and its arm hung in the air. These wounds would be something it avoided at all costs before, but not now.
Squish! Squash!
And now they're all healed.
Another thing it noticed is that the human confronting it had grown slightly weaker and was breathing heavier breaths. Despite that, the aura surrounding them has only grown more powerful and chaotic.
"Tch! Such reflexibility for something so bulky." The voice behind the puny barricade complained. "Plan C, Sadine!"
"Grr!"
Logically, it would have forced its way through and dealt with the commanding voice first. That's how fights like this should be approached.
But...
"Blitz its joints!"
"Ku!"
The human easily slipped through its multiple punches and smashed its knees into smithereens.
It was familiar.
It had seen this somewhere before.
An opportunistic nimble little man, with an unexpectedly sharp short blade, a pair of desperate eyes that sought excitement and depravity.
Use poison to beat poison.
In the same way, beat the unexpected with the unexpected.
When one loses their legs, it's expected they will become extremely vulnerable, even if momentary.
Furthermore, panicking is a common reaction as their sense of balance seems to vanish into thin air.
Unfortunately, they didn't know this wasn't its first time.
Woosh!
Using the leftover momentum from its last punch, it turned its body 360 degrees midair, dodged an incoming face punch, and swung its arm at the human at unprecedented speed.
"What's with that asspull move!?"
Several explosions flew at it, but nothing could stop it.
Crash!
It crashed into the ground as the human managed to retreat, but not unscathed. Blood flowed from their forehead as they staggered.
"Kuk..."
Unexpectedly, this was rather fun.
How long has it been?
It's as if "that" has disappeared into thin air, freeing it from the fate of bedridden.
Even more than that, it has missed these pains and wounds it had constantly gotten in the past.
Oh, how much has it wished to experience this again?
It has been so long, too long...
'Boss, I don't think this is it. That strange man, his plan is completely absurd.'
A man as muscular as him. A man who fights like a mad dog yet never forgets his reason. A man who's as fierce as he's compassionate.
"Cough...Are you doubting me? Haven't we always done this...Cough...obeying the stronger."
"But you were not in your peak condition. And-"
"There's no excuse for my loss, Kranz. The weak must follow the strong to survive. Also...he showed it, didn't he...Cough...that he could cure me..."
That expression, it never forgot. It was filled with worry and anxiousness, but there was also a mix of disgust and fear.
"I know you're as stubborn as a rock once you've decided something, but just this time! Listen to me and reconsider! That plan is too risky!"
"..."
He was trembling. The mad dog who feared almost nothing that stood in his way was trembling. And those words he left off...
"Fine. Remember, even if you don't care, the entire Kreuz depends on you."
Back then, he knew it wasn't just the man who exuded such aura.
He too...
"?"
Where was this flow of memories coming from?
Who was "he"? Who was this "Mad Dog"? What exactly were they talking about, and how did it relate to it?
Even though its legs had completely healed, it struggled to keep balance standing up.
"!"
SQUASH!
As it barely managed to dodge, its shoulder disintegrated into gelatinous flesh bits that sloppily fell onto the floor.
"Boss! It's been a while! I snuck in a few aged booze from the storage. Ya up?"
SCHWING!
A slash of boiling golden came through its entire body.
"Huff! Huff! Give me a few minutes, Boss. You're...a bit too rough today...even though you just recovered."
POW! POW! POW!
Blows that felt like frightening bites of a dog aimed at vitals.
"Don't worry Boss! We're not as weak as you thought. We will make sure this place's intact, so come back safe!"
SCHWING! POW! BOOM!
That's right. Even if they all can't win against him, that's just because he's too strong.
This is bad.
It's sensing something really bad.
It's as if...it's stepping closer to death.
But why should it fear death?
It has been created for one and only one purpose only: To serve its master.
As long as it completed its duty, death should be a justified cost.
Even if its duty was basically non-existent.
"Listen. I know you tend not to take things seriously because of how 'ridiculously strong' you are, so let's make something clear: The moment you fail this mission, someone else dear to you will have to take the consequences."
'It's just a bunch of kids, chill.' was what he thought.
He was a simple man.
If he wants to eat, he eats.
If he wants to sleep, he sleeps.
If he wants to beat someone, he beats them.
Life was that simple for him.
Beating up someone, making them submit, getting them to feed you and do your work, rinse and repeat.
That was how he built Kreuz.
A musclebrain like him was both the best and the worst match for Wild West which promotes not only strength but also cunningness and resourcefulness; and yet due to how ridiculous of a "monster" he was, everyone simply followed.
He was undeniably a "The Fittest" of all time.
He always followed his spontaneous desire like an animal, so he never put much thought into things, let alone what was dearest to him.
That man made it clear to him what he meant.
Those flesh creatures, it was once his comrade in arms forcibly turned monsters.
It was disgusting, frightening even.
However, that was the least of it.
"They are stronger, indeed. But do you know what makes even the most adorable creature ferocious as a beast? That's right, endless hunger and thirst! A fate worse than death, one might say, but what could be happier for useless pawns than actually serving uses?"
He knew then that it was wrong. That he should have trusted his man's words.
He wanted to rebut it. He wanted to stop it. But it is no use.
His throat was too dry...and his stomach was rumbling.
"No...way..."
The man grinned maliciously at him.
He knew there was no way back. That this could be the end of "him".
But that was not what was on his mind.
Someone's fate was what occupied his.
And so he wished and he etched deep into his heart that...
"His core's exposed! Get him!"
He must complete this mission, no matter what.
SCHWIN-
It realized something...It realized who it was.
"I...must...come...back...alive!"
CLANG!
Something shattered. Pieces of silver head for the floor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A cluster of weak explosions scratched off his skin. It was like mosquito bites.
"This is?"
It, no, "He" felt something surging within his body. It was refreshing and empowering.
"[Purge]!"
An arrow of flame flew towards him. It was slow, too slow.
With a few quick steps, he easily dodged and passed through the human girl before him, heading for the barricade.
"It knew?!"
"NO!"
It was the first time he heard that girl speak, but that mattered not. To make sure he could come back alive, he must not underestimate these kids who once almost killed him. Taking care of the strategist was the first step-
"!"
Immaculate pressure befell his shoulder. A ridiculously powerful and chaotic energy sent chills down his spine as he struggled to take another step. But he only struggled.
"[Judgment]!"
A spear of light cut off his right arm as he stepped further to the left. It left burning pain that stopped his arm from healing, but that was the least of his concerns.
He decided to deal with the girl that he should have dealt with first, given her inevitable exhaustion...
Thud!
...Or not. The girl fell on her back, blood leaking profusely all over her face.
'One arm should be sufficient.' He sighed.
Reading off the Ether trace, he knew the strategist was pitifully weak. Their aim and control was great, but that was about it.
"Tch!"
Cling! Cling! Cling!
As he approached the handmade barricade, he could hear something fall and roll on the floor.
"!"
Flash!
His eyes, blinded by bright light, couldn't open. His ears were ringing as something pierced his eardrums hard. A strange scent wafted in the air, making him feel a burning sensation in his nose.
But that was it. Did they think just this much could stop him?
"Baffling."
He stomped violently onto the ground, forcing the carriage to shake violently. With swiftness, he instinctively caught a little figure by the neck, seemingly trying to sneak through him to pick up the fallen girl.
"Kuk!"
The figure flailed pathetically while he slowly regained his sense. Opening his eyes, he was surprised.
"A beastman?"
The figure, on the other hand, went unconscious due to their poor physique not holding up to the slight choking.
It was a small girl with pure white ears resembling the Blizzard Wolf up further north.
"A rare catch. Didn't Faren say the researchers down South would pay a lot for one?"
"I see. No matter which era, those people always find a way to throw away their human ethics, don't they?"
"I agree. They're a disgusting bunch. I would have killed them all had they not always paid us bunches!"
He remembered their creepy smiles as they received their test subjects, be it human slaves, monsters, rare plants,... It was shuddering to think he and them were of the same race.
"But as long as you received enough, you couldn't care less, right?"
"True...Hm?"
That was strange. Who was he speaking to? He could only sense 3 presences within this room, 2 of which had already gone down.
Was it the last one he hadn't touched?
"Glad to know. You're indeed, a different 'Monster' from me."
His body was cut into hundreds, much to his horror.
"It's time to [Sleep]."