Tera stood still, his sharp gaze scanning the circle of over fifty men slowly closing in on him. Each of them had a dangerous aura, their mutated abilities practically radiating off them. Tera clenched his fists, his mind racing. He couldn't let them touch him, not just because of the potential damage, but because he didn't want to reveal his new abilities. His skin might be like steel, but he was still trying to understand the limits of his newfound power.
"Come on, then," he muttered, mentally preparing himself for the chaos to come.
A hiss of fire cut through the tension first. One of the henchmen opened his mouth wide, flames erupting from his throat. Tera instinctively darted sideways, narrowly avoiding the scorching heat as the fire-breather continued to spew flames like a living flamethrower. Another mutant, with razor-sharp claws that gleamed in the fading light, lunged at Tera from behind, aiming for his neck.
Tera spun, his body moving faster than his thoughts. He caught the attacker's wrist mid-strike, crushing it in his grip before flinging the man into two others, sending them sprawling. But before he could catch his breath, another rushed at him, this one with acidic spit, his mouth already frothing. The spit hissed as it hit the ground, melting the dirt like it was butter.
Tera ducked low, avoiding a glob of acid that would have scorched his face off. He kicked out, his foot colliding with the acid-spitter's chest, launching him backward. The man crashed into a wall with a sickening thud.
No time to rest. Another came at him — this one faster than the others. His mutation granted him inhuman speed. Tera could barely track him as he zipped around, delivering a flurry of strikes. Though none of the punches could penetrate Tera's hardened skin, the sheer number of blows began to drag on him. His body, already processing at a high rate, struggled to keep up with the erratic movements.
With a grunt of frustration, Tera timed a single strike, his fist swinging out as the speedster closed in. His knuckles collided with the side of the mutant's head, sending him crashing to the ground like a ragdoll. The surrounding henchmen hesitated for a moment, seeing their fastest man down, but then, emboldened by their numbers, they all surged forward at once.
Tera gritted his teeth. "Fine," he muttered. "No holding back."
He activated his enhanced reflexes, his mind accelerating to a speed he wasn't fully accustomed to yet. Time seemed to slow down for him as the first wave of mutants came at him. A man with elastic skin tried to wrap around Tera like a python, his limbs stretching unnaturally. Tera twisted out of his grip, dodging a high-speed kick from another henchman who could fly, his wings beating furiously as he hovered above.
More acid spitters, fire breathers, and clawed mutants descended on him. Tera felt the strain building up, his brain struggling to keep up with the movements of fifty opponents, each using different skills to try and overwhelm him. His processing speed was maxed out, but even then, it was becoming harder and harder to avoid every strike. He could feel his body tiring from the constant barrage of attacks.
*Clang!*
A man with bones protruding from his forearms, sharp as nails, slashed at Tera, his attacks like spears aiming for vital points. The nails scraped against Tera's skin, unable to penetrate, but the force of the blows was enough to rattle him. Tera grabbed the bone-mutant's arm, twisting it painfully before kicking him away, but as soon as that one was dealt with, another with superhuman strength came charging in, aiming to bulldoze him over.
Tera sidestepped, planting a hard elbow into the man's ribs, sending him stumbling. But for every one he took down, two more seemed to replace them. A massive thug with fire glowing in his eyes charged him next, arms outstretched, ready to engulf him in flames.
Tera ducked low, spinning behind the fire-breather before delivering a crushing punch to the back of his head. The man crumpled to the ground, but not before another mutant, this one with venomous fangs, darted in, trying to sink his teeth into Tera's neck. Tera managed to grab the man's jaw, holding him at bay, but as he did, an acid spitter from the side hurled a glob of burning liquid at him.
The acid splashed across Tera's arm, sizzling against his skin but doing no damage. However, the smell of burning acid filled the air, and Tera could feel the heat. He flung the venomous mutant into the acid-spitter, sending them both crashing to the ground in a tangled mess.
He was tiring now, his breathing heavy. His strength was immense, but the mental strain was catching up. Every movement he made, every dodge, every punch, was like running a marathon with his brain. His skin might have been invulnerable, but his stamina was not.
Derrick stepped forward now, the leader of the pack, his bone-like protrusions extending into sharp blades from his arms, legs, and back. He grinned wickedly. "Tired already, freak?"
Tera straightened up, wiping sweat from his brow. "Not tired enough to lose to you."
Derrick's bones extended like spears as he charged in, slashing wildly. Tera dodged the first few strikes, but Derrick was fast — faster than the others. He moved with precision, trying to pin Tera down.
Tera ducked, narrowly avoiding a bone spike aimed at his heart. He retaliated with a brutal uppercut, but Derrick blocked it with his bone armor, his reinforced skeleton absorbing the impact.
For a moment, they stood locked in a deadly dance of attacks and counters. Tera could feel the exhaustion in his muscles now, his body crying out for rest. Derrick grinned, sensing his opponent's fatigue. He lunged in for the kill, his bone spikes aiming for Tera's throat.
With a roar, Tera summoned the last of his strength, grabbing Derrick's wrist mid-attack and twisting it violently. The sound of bone snapping filled the air as Derrick screamed in agony. Before he could react, Tera delivered a crushing punch to Derrick's chest, sending him flying back into the remaining henchmen.
Panting heavily, Tera stood in the center of the now-silent training ground, surrounded by groaning bodies. His chest heaved with every breath, and his vision blurred slightly. The fight had taken its toll. He hadn't been hurt, but he was utterly drained.
"That... was too close," Tera muttered to himself, his body trembling with exhaustion. He had survived the onslaught, but barely. If there had been just a few more, if they had been just a little stronger, he might not have been able to keep his secret.
But for now, he was safe — at least until Brian showed up. Tera was tired but he needed to know who was coming after him this time , if it was zuma or someone else,
He walked over to Derrick who was barely conscious on the ground, "who sent you?" he asked, " do your worst" Derrick replied , he wasn't no coward, " with pleasure" tera answered back, he held his hands and pulled out 2 of his nails " ahhhhhhhhhh you devil , I will kill you" ,Derrick was a bone mutant, he could grow out his nails and other bones in his body to come out with sharp hard edges, that was very difficult to damage , but it could still be damaged and when it was it was 10 times the pain of a regular bone getting damaged, his bone was connected to his brains directly due to the bone mutation, that's why he could control it , but the connection went two ways.
Derrick was no coward , but he didn't think it was worth it to die for, Brian, he was only here for his benefits , and if tera kept pulling out more bones from his body , the pain might cause him to go brain dead, he didn't think it was worth it, to die for Brian "what do you want to know devil" brain said , " call me saint ,I want to know who sent you and why" , Derrick looked at him for a few seconds he didn't want to talk but he had no choice " it's Brian, he wants to humiliate you for zuma and fame".
This was beginning to get troublesome, Derrick thought, he stood straight up and looked down on Derrick then said , " I don't like it when people call me a devil, call me saint, angel of justice" tera said while lifting his leg and smashing down on Derricks middle bone, his reproductive bone, " ahhhhhhhh"... " Ahhhhhh" , Derrick screams could be heard from all over the training grounds, tera who had reached the back of the canteen could still hear Derrick's scream, even though it was barely audible enough.
He pushed open the back of the canteen door and saw a once fat boy , who was now emaciated, laying on the dirty floor , with a lot of dirty plates In Front of him, today should be Carlos last day and he probably hasn't slept well for days he thought, might as well help him to wash and let him sleep. He removed his shirt and used it to form a pillow and put Carlos head on it, how well defined slim yet muscular build was exposed as he stood and began to wash the plates, anyone who saw this will feel that he was completely out of place in this dirty kitchen like the female cook he was watching from a window, she had allowed Carlos to sleep a little because of pity, and now she was rewarded for it.