Henry's foot connected with Mark's stomach, sending him flying across the ground, his scythe clattering out of his hands. Zico charged at Henry, but a gut-wrenching punch struck him, feeling like his midsection was being torn apart.
"I expected you two to be strong," Henry said, his fist still buried in Zico's stomach.
Zico tried to attack again, but Henry's grip on his hand was unyielding.
"You might be stronger than me now, but not after my armor—" Zico's words were cut short by a brutal punch to his face. Henry's fist connected with a sickening crunch, sending Zico crashing to the ground.
Zico's vision blurred, his consciousness slipping away:
"Why the hell is everyone in this world strong? I hate this... Not even the creature in me can help," he thought, his mind foggy.
Just as he was about to pass out, a memory flashed before his eyes. A younger Zico stood frozen in fear, surrounded by burning houses and chaos. His mother's soft but worried voice echoed in his mind:
"Zico, run away now."
Little Zico refused to leave her side, tears streaming down his face:
"No, mommy, I want to stay with you."
His mother gently pushed him away. "Honey, I have to go find your daddy. We'll come find you later, okay?"
"No mommy, I want to stay with you! Daddy is friends with God Slayer, he'll definitely come save us," Zico said, trying to sound strong and confident. His mother smiled and hugged him:
"Yes, honey, they will come to save us."
But behind them, two soldiers with swords approached, their faces hidden by masks.
"Behind you, mommy!" Zico warned, but it was too late. A sword pierced through his mother's head, and Zico walked back in terror, trying to scream but unable to make a sound. He was too terrified, and the sword was pulled out of his mother's head as she fell from Zico's grasp, hitting the ground loudly.
Zico moved back, his hands covered in blood, scared that if he hadn't been there, she would have escaped. Those thoughts ran through his mind as one of the soldiers swung a sword at him. But someone cut both soldiers into pieces and grabbed Zico, running away with him. The man had two daggers in hand and metal skin covering his hands. Zico remembered the man and hugged him tightly, screaming as tears streamed down his pale cheeks:
"Dad!!!"
The man finally made it to a safe field, and Zico wouldn't let go of him
"Sorry, I'm late, son," his father said:
"I should be sorry, I got mom killed—" but his father shushed him with his finger, the finger big enough to cover little Zico's mouth.
"It's not your fault," his dad said.
A third voice interrupted them from behind:
"It's mine."
Zico's dad got up and raised his daggers, standing in front of Zico.
"God Slayer," he spoke. Zico had never seen God Slayer but had heard he was a hero who unified the clans. But what did he say? Zico wanted to take a peek, but his dad asked him:
"Cover your eyes."
"But, dad," Zico was about to retort, but his dad spoke again:
"Do it." Zico, frightened, closed his eyes tightly as he sniffled.
"Good boy." His dad spoke
A sword passed through his father's neck, and he had been beheaded. Zico went quiet, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his father's head on the ground.
"Haaaaaaaaa!" Zico looked around and saw Mark holding Henry off. Mark's sword, wait, didn't he have a scythe? Why was he holding a sword? Zico wondered as Mark attacked Henry.
"You're finally awake, I hate the fact you screamed," Mark said, continuing to attack Henry, but his slash missed, and Henry punched Mark. Mark was thrown away, and his sword was dropped.
"The guy you've been taking a beating for is awake," Henry said, walking towards Mark, ignoring Zico.
As Henry stepped on Mark's head, the air seemed to charged with an electric tension. The sky above grew dark, as if night had fallen in an instant. The pulsing lightning illuminated the clouds, casting an otherworldly glow over the scene. Suddenly, a low hum filled the air, like the reverberation of a thousand drums beating in unison.
The sky began to writhe and twist, as if reality itself was tearing apart. Portals started to open, one by one, each a swirling vortex of color and energy. They burst forth from the clouds like celestial gateways, their edges shimmering with an ethereal light.
The first portal pulsed with a fiery red glow, its center churning like a maelstrom. The second shone with a brilliant blue radiance, its edges crackling with electricity. A third portal opened, its center a deep, foreboding purple, as if it led to a realm of dark magic.
More portals followed, each a different hue, each pulsating with its own unique energy. Some seemed to lead to realms of ice and snow, while others appeared to open onto worlds of burning deserts or lush forests. The portals multiplied, spreading across the sky like a celestial tapestry, each one a doorway to a different dimension or plane of existence.
The air was filled with an intoxicating mix of ozone, smoke, and the sweet scent of otherworldly incense. The ground trembled beneath their feet as the portals continued to open, their collective energy building towards a crescendo. It was as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling, revealing the hidden threads that connected the multiverse.
Henry's eyes gleamed with an unholy light as he gazed upon the spectacle, his foot still pressed on Mark's head.
"Do you see what's about to unfold? I'll eradicate all humans across the vast expanse of the multiverse in a single, swift motion!" Henry declared, his voice booming with malevolent intent. As he spoke, the eye on his forehead gleamed with an otherworldly light, visible to all.
Zico, battered and bruised, struggled to his feet, his energy partially restored. he summoned his daggers, their blades shimmering with a deadly light.
"We must act swiftly! Let's strike down this monster before it's too late!" he urged, his words barely escaping his lips before Mark was pummeled by a flurry of consecutive punches.