As they drew closer, an army of men, their bodies enveloped in a crimson glow, leaped to their feet and charged towards them. Dion didn't need any explanation; he knew they must be the Odds.
"Just give me a moment to get settled in here!" Ava exclaimed as she shed her suit, tossing it into the air where it vanished surprisingly. She now wore a tight white sleeveless shirt that hugged her figure.
"Wow! The Bedroom Princess in all her glory!" Dion murmured to himself, admiring her stunning form.
But this was no time to appreciate her beauty; he could easily meet his end if he wasn't careful, with the Odds closing in fast.
Ava activated her weapon, opting for a dagger in each hand this time.
Without hesitation, she lunged at the Odds. It was evident she found joy in combat. Her movements were swift yet packed with power as her daggers sliced through the enemy's skin like butter.
Blood flowed from their necks, but to their surprise, it didn't reach the ground; instead, it vanished into thin air mid-flight. They struggled, clutching their necks in vain attempts to staunch the bleeding.
Their skin began to fade away as they grew weaker and collapsed to the ground.
Before anyone could comprehend it, they disintegrated into thin air, leaving behind only a reddish ash-like residue.
"Well, that's quite different from dying; it's more like extinguishing, as they call it," Dion observed, noting the peculiar phenomenon.
With the battle escalating, Dion knew he had to defend himself. He turned to select a weapon when he heard Viza's voice:
[There's a much easier way to access your weapon using the weapon menu on display.]
As instructed, a menu titled "Weapon" appeared before him.
Without hesitation, Dion clicked on it, revealing another menu displaying all the available weapons. The only one unlocked was the blaster; the rest were still locked.
[You can choose to unlock weapons using your points] Viza informed him.
"I might not have time for that; hook me up with the blaster for now," Dion replied.
Instantly, the blaster materialized in his hand, ready for use.
[Blaster activated]
[Shots: 0/1000]
[Status: Reloadable]
Turning around, Dion began shooting at the Odds. The blaster proved to be a formidable weapon, unleashing blasts that tore through their foes, reducing them to shreds and evaporating them in the process.
"Damn! So sleek! Their brains are truly volatile," Dion commended, taking precise headshots and blowing their brains out.
Unfortunately, their brains lasted for only a second or two before disappearing alongside their bodies, leaving behind only reddish residues.
Dion was enjoying himself until a menu appeared before him:
[15 shots left]
[Shots: 985/1000]
"Well, I guess good things don't last," Dion remarked, paying little attention as the blaster was reloadable.
As the shots from the blaster depleted, Dion stood still, waiting for it to reload before getting back to work.
Despite having taken down quite a number of them, the Odds continued to advance towards him.
[Reloading]
[Time left: 9min 57secs]
"What? 10 minutes to reload? I might just bite the dust before that," Dion exclaimed.
Seeing the Odds still closing in on him, their intentions clear, Dion realized he had to resort to hand-to-hand combat.
"I'll have to defend myself the old-fashioned way," he muttered, positioning himself to engage them with punches.
Dion was skilled in martial arts from his time on Earth, having learned as a means of defense when guns and weapons failed during missions like this one.
Having only seen the Odds from a distance before, Dion now faced them up close.
They appeared to be normal men, except they wore no shirts, only red pants, and sported tattoos covering their bodies, similar to the Extinguishers. Their faces were filled with anger and viciousness as they closed in on him.
Most of them were able-bodied men.
Two lunged towards Dion, but he anticipated their movements and executed a backflip, simultaneously striking both men on the jaw and sending them airborne.
They hit the ground but quickly got back on their feet, undeterred, and resumed their advance.
With precise timing, Dion landed punches on their faces, knowing it was one of the weakest points despite being a tough one to penetrate.
[Spend 3 coins to triple the effect of the next punch] Viza suggested as he noticed Dion struggling a bit to finish them off.
"Sure," Dion replied simply, without hesitation.
[Done.]
At that moment, Dion felt his right hand become incredibly light, as if detached from his body. He knew something had changed; Viza's boost must have taken effect.
With a swift sideways punch, Dion swung his hand around, targeting one of the Odds without specific aim. His punch landed squarely on the face of one of the Odds.
"Puh!"
The force behind the blow surprised Dion himself. His punch crushed the faces of both his opponents, sending them flying through the air. Fragments of their brains mixed with their blood spilled onto the ground as they lay lifeless.
"Damn!" Dion exclaimed, astonished by the devastating effect of his enhanced punch.
Dion felt no pain from the encounter, nor did he feel as if he had punched anything at all. He expected the bodies of the Odds he had just massacred to start evaporating as usual, but they didn't, which puzzled him.
He knew for sure his opponents were lifeless, so why weren't they evaporating like the rest? He couldn't tell.
Turning to observe his surroundings, Dion noticed that he was the only one fighting without a weapon, making him stand out.
This could lead others to suspect him of being cursed, something he couldn't afford.
Quickly checking the countdown for reloading, Dion saw that there were only 30 seconds remaining. He believed he could hold out for a moment longer before reloading.
Suddenly, a slow hiss emanated from behind where the Odds were coming from, loud enough for everyone to hear.
All eyes, including those of the Odds, turned towards the source of the sound, momentarily ceasing the battle.
The faces of the Odds brightened as they began to smile, and a chant rose among them, "You're all done for."
Then, a figure dressed entirely in red began walking towards them.
"Who is that?" Alfred asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.