The Ork looked bored as he watched Oliver, expecting a more challenging fight. However, that wasn't what he got. Still, he intended to finish what he had started.
He quickly approached the boy lying on the asphalt. Oliver still had his armor on, but it wasn't intact. His helmet was in pieces, and his chest plate was dented.
"Jiak wanted ve nak!" The Ork's hoarse voice seemed to mock the boy.
'I already told you we can't understand you, porky.' Oliver thought.
The kid wanted to respond, but breathing was already challenging enough. As if toying with its prey, the Ork lifted one of its massive gray feet and stomped on Oliver's ribs. Each stomp sent Oliver a painful shock, preventing the boy from fainting.
While one of the Orks watched Oliver, the second returned from its hunt, carrying its prey by the arms. The soldier who had strayed away was unconscious and stripped of his armor.
As the second Ork approached the first, it let out a roar followed by a few words Oliver couldn't understand. However, the boy sensed it was some form of disapproval, like a superior giving a reprimand.
The soldier was dropped to the ground.
| Clink.
The sound of his insignia hitting the ground caught the attention of both Orks. They both grinned at the sight of the object. One of them crouched and picked it up, the badge now appearing tiny in the monsters' large hands.
The older Ork pulled a cube from within his armor and placed it on the ground. Kneeling beside it, he opened the top of the cube and inserted the badge inside. After both Orks stepped back from the cube, it began to emit a faint hissing sound that didn't last long. Soon, the entire cube had disappeared.
"I told you we needed to get here fast. Clearly, this isn't just another skirmish."
Oliver tried to turn his head to see who was speaking. Further down the same path the older Ork had come from, three people were calmly walking toward them. One of them seemed to be scolding the other two for the delay. He was much slimmer than the others but still had the physique of someone from the military. His expression was serious, with a large scar across his face and one mechanical eye, giving him a rather unfriendly appearance.
"Sorry, sorry. I thought it was just a regular patrol," replied one of the men. Although he was apologizing, he shrugged as if it wasn't that important. His long golden hair set him apart, and his clothing indicated he was from some branch of the New Earth Army.
The other two appeared to be wearing civilian clothes, but the three had a critical thing in common: none seemed the least bit afraid of the Orks.
"What do we have here? Just two gray Orks?" asked the third man. His short black hair, square jaw, and deep-set eyes exuded confidence.
For a moment, Oliver thought he might be hallucinating. 'Maybe the pain is making me see things?' he wondered.
"I had warned the Major that these Artificial Armors were weak and only meant for training. What's the point of the Blue Squad reporting anything if our research is ignored?" The man with the mechanical eye seemed to analyze the entire combat scene with a critical eye.
"Before you continue your endless complaining... isn't that a civilian over there?" asked the man with the golden hair, pointing toward Oliver.
The three realized that he wasn't even a soldier or a cadet. Their easygoing attitude disappeared as they turned serious. It finally dawned on the three men that one of the soldiers must have been taken down, and, unfortunately, a civilian had been forced to use the armor for self-defense.
"Hey, kid! Don't worry. I'll end this quick," the man with golden hair shouted. Still walking, he rolled up the sleeves of his jacket, revealing gauntlets on his arms, with a red crystal embedded in the center.
"Red Ranger. Activate," he said. From his gauntlets, strands of a red energy were expelled, gradually covering the soldier's body. In no time, an armor had formed beneath the energy threads.
Although the armor resembled what Oliver was wearing, several details highlighted the difference in rank and power. Above all, it looked far more imposing.
The other two men remained calm, accepting that their friend would take the lead against the two Orks. Both Orks, however, became more alert the moment they saw the armor, a stark contrast to their demeanor when facing Oliver.
The younger Ork leaped at the Ranger, swinging his enormous arm toward the Ranger's head. But the Ranger only needed to raise one hand to catch the Ork's arm easily.
"Hey! You can do better than that," the Ranger taunted.
The older Ork's expression remained unchanged, maintaining the same seriousness as the start. He moved quickly. It was so fast that Oliver couldn't keep up. The Ork delivered a powerful kick aimed at the Ranger.
| DOOM
The impact of the kick was so powerful that it shook the ground. Chunks of stone were blasted into the air, scattering in all directions. A small cloud of dust hung around the Red Ranger.
"No, no. You're not facing a simple soldier, you pig-face. You will need more than that. Where's your axe?" The Ranger spoke.
As the dust settled, it became clear that the Red Ranger had grabbed the Ork's leg.
"You're a bit better, so we'll fight later," the Ranger said, releasing the Ork's leg before delivering a punch to its stomach. Though the punch seemed light, its power was immense, sending the older Ork flying until he crashed into a building ahead.
"And you... let's finish this quickly," the Ranger said to the other Ork. He was still holding the monster's arm, but he increased the pressure, causing the Ork to start screaming in pain.
"Jiak liwo olk mat!" The younger Ork screamed.
With a single yank, the Red Ranger completely tore off the Ork's arm. Blue blood gushed from the wound, splattering the Ranger. The Ork clutched the injury with its remaining hand, screaming in agony.
"Bye-bye," the Ranger said, making a swift motion with his hand and slicing through the Ork's neck. The Ork's head dropped to the ground and rolled, eventually stopping near Oliver.
The boy had never been so close to the front lines of a battle, and he was in shock, both at the Ork's strength and the sheer power of a Ranger.
The older Ork emerged from the rubble of the building he had been thrown into. His face was twisted with fury at the sight of his fallen partner. He let out a guttural roar, grabbed his axe, and charged at the Ranger.
The axe, made of black metal, was enormous compared to the size of the Ranger. Yet, it seemed incredibly light as the Ork wielded it effortlessly.
The Ranger remained impassive, waiting for his opponent's attack. As the Ork approached, he unleashed a series of rapid strikes, swinging the axe relentlessly. But none of the attacks managed to hit the Red Ranger, who dodged each swing by mere millimeters.
"Now you're taking it seriously?" the Ranger mocked the enraged Ork. While avoiding the attacks, particles of energy gathered in his hand, forming a rapier.
With a swift and precise move, the Ranger severed the Ork's arm, which was wielding the axe, once more bathing the Red Ranger in blue blood.
Although it was a quick cut, the Ork neither stopped nor screamed. Instead, the wound rapidly closed, and the lost arm quickly regenerated.
"Ah! You're one of those, huh? You just want to make my life difficult," the Ranger said. Oliver thought he was speaking with a smile, but he couldn't be sure as the helmet covered his mouth.
For a moment, Oliver thought he saw a hint of desperation on the Ork's face. But it was fleeting, as the Ork quickly returned to swinging the axe and attacking the Ranger.
"Let's finish this before the kid passes out," the Ranger said. As the axe was swung at him, instead of dodging, he grabbed the blade with his hand. The Ork exerted all his strength to make the Ranger let go, but it was in vain.
Instead, the Ranger made several swift movements with his rapier, quickly slicing off the Ork's limbs one by one until the monster was reduced to pieces.
"Flame Tower!" the Ranger screamed.
Where the Ork's pieces had been, a pillar of fire erupted, sending huge flames that seemed to burn everything, even the asphalt on the road. When the fire subsided, there was no trace of the Ork left.
Oliver's breath was still caught in his throat when the fire finally vanished, and things started to make sense. But his consciousness could no longer hold on. Now that he knew there were no more opponents, he slowly drifted off, and his vision darkened …