Ubuntu stood amidst the shattered ground, his body still thrumming with the electric surge of his newfound power. He couldn't help the grin spreading across his face. This world—this strange, violent place—was a stage built for him. Every inch of him felt alive, more alive than he had ever felt in his old life. The boy they had tormented and ignored was gone. What remained was something far more dangerous.
Above him, the sky continued to twist in chaotic patterns, the storm thickening as dark shapes began to emerge from the swirling clouds. He squinted up at them, eyes narrowing as he counted. One, two…five…ten… They just kept coming. More figures, cloaked in darkness like the one he had just sent flying, began descending toward him, their eyes glowing with that same pale green light.
"Well, shit," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess this world doesn't believe in taking it easy on the new guy."
One of the dark figures landed with a thud in front of him, the impact cracking the ground beneath its feet. It stood tall, towering over him by at least a foot, its shadowy form rippling with dark energy. Unlike the beasts he had just slaughtered, this one seemed different—more aware, more dangerous. It didn't move like a mindless creature. No, this one was intelligent. Calculating.
Ubuntu let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, big guy. Let's see what you've got."
The figure's glowing eyes narrowed, and in an instant, it lunged forward with blinding speed. Ubuntu barely had time to react as the figure's fist slammed into his chest, sending him skidding backward across the stone ground. His back hit a jagged rock formation, the force of the blow causing the stone to crack beneath him.
For a brief second, pain flared through his ribs, and Ubuntu winced—but then, as quickly as it came, the pain vanished. His body healed itself, the damaged tissue knitting back together in an instant.
Ubuntu grinned as he stood up straight, brushing dust off his armor. "Oh, yeah. I could get used to this."
The figure paused, tilting its head as if it, too, was confused by Ubuntu's rapid recovery. That hesitation was all Ubuntu needed. In a blur of motion, he darted forward, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. His fist crashed into the figure's gut with a force that made the air itself tremble. The figure let out a sound—almost like a gasp—before being hurled backward, slamming into the ground with a deafening crash.
Ubuntu cracked his knuckles, smirking down at the fallen figure. "One down."
But before he could even take another step, two more of the shadowy figures landed in front of him, their pale eyes locked onto him like predators eyeing their prey. He felt the air shift around him—these ones were faster, more aggressive.
"Seriously?" Ubuntu sighed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What is this, a boss rush?"
The two figures attacked simultaneously, their movements synchronized as they closed in on him. One came in low, aiming for his legs, while the other aimed high, its fist crackling with dark energy as it swung toward his head.
For a moment, everything slowed. Ubuntu's mind raced, calculating their movements with terrifying clarity. In his old life, he would've been crushed by these monsters in seconds. But now?
Now he was something else.
He leapt into the air, flipping over the figure aiming for his legs, and as he came down, he slammed his foot into its back, driving it into the ground with a sickening crunch. At the same time, he twisted his body mid-air, narrowly dodging the second figure's attack. The dark energy from its fist crackled inches away from his face, but Ubuntu was faster. Before the figure could recover, he drove his elbow into its jaw, sending it reeling backward.
Both figures crumpled to the ground, motionless.
Ubuntu landed lightly on his feet, brushing his hands off like it was nothing. "Two down."
The storm above roared in fury as more of the dark figures descended, their numbers multiplying by the second. But Ubuntu wasn't fazed. In fact, he felt more alive than ever. Every punch, every kick, every movement—it all felt effortless, like he was dancing through the chaos. His body healed almost instantly from every blow, and with each fight, he felt his power growing, expanding.
He was no longer just Lumumba. He was Ubuntu—the unbreakable force in a world of shadows.
As the next wave of enemies closed in, Ubuntu's grin widened. "Alright then. Let's see how far this rabbit hole goes."
Hours seemed to pass in a blur. Or maybe it was only minutes. Time felt distorted here, bending and stretching with the ebb and flow of the battle. Ubuntu lost count of how many enemies he had fought. Dozens, maybe more. Each one stronger, faster, and more cunning than the last—but none of them could stop him.
His body ached, but it was a distant kind of pain, dulled by the constant regeneration. He'd taken blows that should've shattered bones, attacks that should've killed him—but nothing stuck. Every injury healed within seconds, his body refusing to stay down.
The storm above had grown darker, more intense, the lightning flashing in violent streaks across the sky. And yet, Ubuntu stood tall amidst the chaos, his chest rising and falling with steady, controlled breaths.
"Is that all you've got?" he called out, his voice echoing across the landscape. "Because I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed."
As if in response, the ground beneath his feet trembled, and from the distance, a new sound reached his ears—slow, deliberate footsteps. Ubuntu turned, his eyes narrowing as a massive figure emerged from the shadows.
This one was different.
It stood taller than any of the others, its body clad in dark, twisted armor that pulsed with crimson veins of energy. Its eyes were not pale like the others—they burned with a deep, malevolent red, glowing like embers in the dark.
The air around it seemed to warp, the very ground beneath its feet cracking and crumbling with each step. There was no doubt—this was no ordinary enemy. This was something far more dangerous.
This must be the real boss, Ubuntu thought, his heartbeat quickening with anticipation.
The figure stopped a few feet away from him, its gaze locked onto Ubuntu. For a moment, neither of them moved. The tension in the air was palpable, thick with the promise of violence.
Then, without warning, the armored figure raised its hand, and the entire battlefield trembled as a massive wave of dark energy erupted from the ground, surging toward Ubuntu with devastating force.
He barely had time to react. The energy wave slammed into him, sending him flying backward. His body skidded across the ground, smashing through jagged rocks and debris until he finally came to a stop, his vision spinning.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt something close to fear. The power behind that attack had been immense—far greater than anything he'd faced so far. But as he lay there, staring up at the swirling sky, something strange happened.
He laughed.
It was a low, hoarse sound at first, but it quickly grew louder, more hysterical. He laughed until his sides ached, his body shaking with the sheer absurdity of it all.
I'm still here. Despite the attack, despite the pain, he was still alive. His body had taken the full force of that blow, and yet here he was—alive, breathing, unbroken.
He slowly pushed himself to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. The armored figure watched him in silence, as if waiting for him to collapse.
But Ubuntu didn't collapse.
He stood tall, his grin widening as he cracked his neck and stretched his arms. "Alright, big guy," he said, his voice brimming with excitement. "Now we're talking."
The armored figure let out a low growl, and without another word, it charged forward, its massive fist glowing with dark energy.
Ubuntu braced himself, his muscles coiled like springs. This was going to hurt. A lot.
And he couldn't wait.
The impact was like a thunderclap, the sheer force of the blow shaking the ground beneath them. Ubuntu took the hit head-on, his body crumpling under the weight of the attack—but before he hit the ground, he caught the armored figure's arm, twisting it with a brutal snap.
The figure howled in pain, but Ubuntu wasn't done. He swung around, using the momentum to drive his knee into the figure's chest, cracking its armor. The red glow in its eyes flickered, and for the first time, it staggered back.
Ubuntu didn't let up. He pressed the attack, his fists and feet moving in a blur of motion, each strike landing with devastating precision. The armored figure tried to counter, but Ubuntu was too fast, too relentless. With every hit, the figure's armor cracked, pieces of it falling away like broken glass.
Finally, with one last, thunderous punch, Ubuntu drove his fist through the figure's chest, shattering the armor completely. The figure let out one final, guttural roar before collapsing to the ground, its body disintegrating into black ash.
Ubuntu stood over the fallen enemy, his chest heaving, his fists still clenched. The storm above raged on, but the battlefield was silent now. The other shadowy figures had disappeared, leaving only the scattered debris of their failed onslaught.
For a moment, Ubuntu just stood there, staring down at the ash. He could still feel the adrenaline coursing through him, the raw power humming in his veins. It was over.
He had won.
But as the realization sank in, he couldn't help but laugh again. This world—this insane, twisted world—had thrown everything it had at him. And he had come out on top.
No more weak Lumumba, he thought, his laughter echoing across the empty battlefield. No more outsider. No more victim.
He was Ubuntu now. And this world—like his old one—was going to learn exactly what that meant.
With a final glance at the storm-filled sky, Ubuntu turned and started walking toward the distant fortress on the horizon, his mind already planning his next move.
This is just the beginning.