Chapter 26 - Waking up

   Alex gnashed his teeth in anger as he stared at the red robot flying towards him with rapid speed.

   'That ability… that face… Quira…' He mumbled inwardly, images of his sister flashing across his mind.

   Since the robot had her face, as well as all her abilities, he felt a bit reluctant to fight it.

   Each time he stared into those dead pair of eyes on its head, and the blonde hair cascading down its back, he kept being reminded about Quira.

  It was like he was fighting a twisted version of her, which made him feel a slight pang in his chest. 

   While he was still wallowing in his thoughts, the robot quickly drew closer to him, thrusting one of its hand at his head.

Swiishh!!

   A powerful red beam immediately shot out of its palm, brightly illuminating the room as it blasted towards Alex at terrifying speed.

Bam!

    However, Alex swiftly moved to the side a moment before the attack hit him, causing it to slam into the crumbling wall behind him instead.

  The wall immediately blew apart from the impact, sending chunks of metal and debris flying in the air.

   The robot didn't relent after though, and it quickly dashed at Alex, pulling back its arm for a punch. 

Swish!

   Its body suddenly lit up with bright red lines, surging with energy. Its arms doubled in size, mechanical muscles bulging as it thrust its fist towards Alex's abdomen. 

   Although Alex could clearly see the robot's arm rapidly nearing his body, his legs remained rooted to the spot, without even bothering to block it. 

   His mind was still in a turmoil, and the image his sister subconsciously made him hesitate to fight back against the robot.

   He knew the way he was thinking was wrong… whatever was standing in front of him wasn't actually his sister, but just a lifeless object carrying her face.

   But still, every time he met with those lifeless eyes, he found his body frozen, a wave of reluctance washing over him. 

   In the background, he could see the chimera creatures pouring through the massive hole left in the wall, surging towards him in a frenzy.

   However, he only flashed a blank stare at the grotesque beasts, his eyes flickering with a strange glint.

   This was the exact reason Port'hov chose by this robot to kill Alex. He knew with how much Alex loved his sister, he wouldn't want to hit a robot having the same face.

   He had counted on Alex's hesitation, which would give the robot the perfect chance to kill him. 

Thwam!!

   The robot's fist slammed into his abdomen with immense force, launching him through the gaping hole on the wall. 

   "Ugh…" Alex grunted softly, as his body hurtled uncontrollably through the air.

   The punch was very powerful, strong enough to tear through even steel, but strangely, it didn't hurt as much as he had expected. 

   Except from his shirt which ruffled from the impact, he didn't sustain even a single graze. 

   Despite the robot pouring all its strength in that strike, it only felt like his abdomen was tickled with a small foam.

   As he flew through the air, he briefly glanced below, only to see that the floor of this laboratory was a lot lower compared to the last.

   Countless metal pipes connected all around the walls, along with some strange giant tubes protruding from the ground.

   However, gravity didn't allow him much time to observe, as his body soon started plummeting at rapid speed. 

   The robot jumped after him, briefly locking eyes with him as it prepared its next attack.

   Its listless eyes suddenly lit up with a bright red light, with the lines around his body pulsing even more with energy.

Crack!

   The metal walls around it began to buckle and split apart, each piece gathering behind the robot in a chaotic storm. 

   The metal pipes below Alex also crumbled apart, their fragments flying towards the whirlpool like iron to a magnet.

  Even the chimeras weren't spared from the attack, their bodies battered and crushed by the swirling debris. 

   Screeches of pain echoed in the air as the creatures were torn apart, their lives snuffed out within an instant. 

   Within seconds, the surrounding walls and floors of the lab had been stripped bare, their pieces sucked into the vortex behind the robot. 

Whirrr!!

Clang!!

  The particles swirled even more violently in the air, speedily merging together to a giant fist, which spanned over ten meters in height and width.

  The more unfortunate ones among the falling chimeras were forcefully pulled into the giant fist, before getting crushed to a paste by a fast approaching object.

    Their remains stained some parts of the metal fist in a gruesome shade of red, making it look even more menacing.

   The image casted a dark shadow over Alex as he fell, blocking out his vision with its towering structure.

   Alex's eyes narrowed at the sight, and his expression abruptly twisted into a deep frown.

   The robot pulled back its fist, its eyes locking on Alex's seemingly helpless figure.

Swoosh!

   It quickly adjusted its position, propelling itself to the side with a powerful red burst, ensuring that only Alex remained in the path of the giant fist. 

Swoosh!

   It suddenly thrusted its fist down, and the giant metal fist behind it followed its command, descending towards Alex at rapid speed.

  However, Alex wouldn't just remain still and let himself get pummelled by the huge fist.

   His eyes abruptly lit up with a bright red glow, and his right arm swelled in size.  Thick blood-red fur rapidly sprouting along his forearm, covering it in a dense coat. 

Swoosh!

   He swiftly stabilised his body in the air, charging straight at the fist with a powerful leap.

Growl!

   'You may have her face, but you're not her! Disrespecting Quira like that… I won't let it!' He thought, growling in anger as he swiftly swung his right fist towards the incoming attack.

   The two attacks greatly contrasted each other, with Alex tiny figure punching at the giant metal hand, making it quite comical.

   However, Alex's fist moved swiftly through the air, colliding with the huge fist within a split second.

Bang!!!

   A thunderous shockwave immediately bursted from his fist, tearing through the giant fist like a raging storm.