The Scourge leaped back, its movements betraying an instinctive alertness. Its slit pupils narrowed, while its long, reptilian tail lashed through the air behind it, producing a sharp, whistling sound.
On the other side, Ryosuke slowly lowered his guard. His arms dropped to his sides, and his usual smirk widened slightly, tinged with genuine surprise.
"Well... interesting," he murmured, almost to himself. "You felt that, didn't you?"
The Scourge gave no response, its scales glistening under the eerie light of the surroundings.
"I'm guessing you don't know what it was. But... something told you to move. Honestly, your instincts are impressive. I've got to give you that."
The Scourge let out a low growl, its serpentine jaws parting slightly to reveal razor-sharp fangs. Its golden pupils narrowed, and a menacing hiss escaped its throat.
"You little—"
It didn't get the chance to finish.
Ryosuke vanished—literally. In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance between them, reappearing so close it was as if he had been standing there all along. The creature, caught off guard, scrambled backward, its tail slashing through the air with enough force to shatter stone.
In a desperate move, it summoned a horde of monstrosities. They erupted from the shadows—crawling, flying, leaping out of invisible cracks in the walls. The creatures swarmed toward their master, forming a grotesque barricade between him and Ryosuke. Twisted, misshapen bodies piled together, claws and fangs poised to shred anything that dared come close.
But then, Ryosuke's smirk vanished.
His expression hardened, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The atmosphere shifted.
And then, all hell broke loose.
The first explosion rang out, followed by a second, then a third. The monstrosities, acting as suicidal weapons, lunged at Ryosuke with a desperate frenzy. Each one that came within his range detonated in a blinding flash, sending scorching debris flying in every direction.
Mechamaru, preoccupied with fending off his own attackers, realized too late what was happening. The creatures surrounding him froze momentarily, as if receiving a silent command. Then they surged toward him en masse, their claws piercing his metallic armor. Moments later, they exploded as well.
The shockwaves tore through the environment. The factory walls buckled under the blasts, their steel frameworks bending like paper before collapsing with thunderous crashes. Support beams were ripped from their foundations, slamming into the ground and pulverizing everything beneath them. Pipes burst open, unleashing torrents of scalding steam that hissed as they engulfed the space.
Flames, born from the initial explosions, spread rapidly, consuming the remains of the factory. Fueled by scattered flammable materials, they climbed high, casting a hellish red-and-gold glow over the ruins. The flickering light threw nightmarish shadows against the crumbling walls, amplifying the chaos.
Caught in the inferno, Mechamaru was hurled backward. His blades, once his greatest defense, were no match for the relentless force of the detonations. He slammed into the ground, his armor sizzling and smoking under the intensity of the blasts.
The explosions seemed to go on forever, each one adding to the devastation. Flames licked at the fallen walls, rising toward the pitch-black sky and bathing the scene in a sinister light. Twisted steel groaned ominously, threatening further collapse at any moment. The air was suffocatingly hot, thick with black smoke and swirling ash that danced like a macabre ballet.
In the midst of the carnage, an eerie silence fell. Then, a massive figure emerged from the flames and rubble, its heavy footsteps shaking what remained of the structure. The Scourge, still smoldering, leaned against the charred remnants of a wall Ryosuke had summoned earlier. Its labored breaths betrayed the effort it had exerted to regenerate, though its wounds, however severe, were healing at a terrifying speed. Its scaly skin glimmered in the firelight, its golden eyes locked on the spot where Ryosuke had disappeared.
From the thick smoke, a slender silhouette materialized. Ryosuke strolled forward, untouched, as though he'd just taken a leisurely walk through a park instead of surviving an all-out inferno. His clothes, pristine as ever, bore no sign of soot or tears. He cracked his neck and fixed his mocking gaze on the Scourge.
"Oh, planning to leave without saying goodbye?" he quipped with mock indignation. "Honestly, that's just rude."
The Scourge let out a deep growl, its jaws clenched tightly. Slowly, it pushed itself off the charred wall, standing tall before unleashing a feral roar that rippled through the air like a shockwave. From the surrounding shadows, monstrosities began to emerge once more.
But this time, they didn't merely surround him. In a horrifying spectacle, they gathered together, merging into a formless mass. The creatures twisted and writhed, their grotesque bodies interlocking like the cursed pieces of a dark puzzle. Their flesh pulsed and melded, reshaping itself into a towering titan.
The colossus, now fully formed, rose amidst the flames, its height surpassing 300 feet. Its slick, black skin shimmered like living obsidian, reflecting the fiery destruction around it. Massive limbs, armored with jagged scales and razor-sharp claws, extended with a deafening crack. Its glowing red eyes scanned the battlefield before locking onto Ryosuke. A guttural roar erupted from its throat, so thunderous that it shattered the remaining windows and drove back the flames in its wake.
Ryosuke tilted his head back, studying the monstrous creation with a pleased smile. "Impressive," he said calmly.
But the colossus gave him no time to say more. With a brutal motion, it raised its colossal fist and brought it down with earth-shattering force. The impact was catastrophic. The ground quaked as if torn apart by an earthquake, sending airborne debris hurtling in all directions. A massive crater split open where the fist struck, swallowing what remained of the factory floor.
The creature's sheer weight was a force of nature. Every step it took crushed the remnants of the factory beneath its feet like brittle matches. Underground pipelines burst under the pressure, spewing scalding jets of steam that only added to the chaos. Nearby buildings, already weakened by the earlier explosions, collapsed in rapid succession, creating clouds of choking dust and deafening crashes.
Yet, when the dust settled, Ryosuke remained. Standing at the edge of the crater, he gazed up at the towering beast with undisguised fascination. "Not bad," he murmured, as though critiquing a masterpiece. Then, with a shrug, he added, "But it's lacking a bit of finesse."
The colossus, enraged, roared once more. This time, it raised both massive fists above its head, slamming them down with even more devastating power. The ensuing impact was apocalyptic.
The ground fractured like shattered glass, cracks racing outward in every direction with blinding speed. Chunks of stone and metal shot into the air, raining down in a deadly barrage. The weakened walls nearby crumbled entirely, sending debris flying as shockwaves rippled through the battlefield. For a brief moment, the flames were extinguished, swept away by the sheer force of the explosion—only to reignite seconds later, dancing hungrily over the smoldering wreckage.
A heavy silence fell, broken only by the crackle of embers and the faint groans of collapsing structures in the distance.
But in the center of the chaos, Ryosuke still stood. Unmoving, his slender figure silhouetted against the swirling dust. Yet, something had shifted.
A thin trail of blood trickled from his nose, joining another that slowly seeped from his eyes. He raised a trembling hand to his face, wiping away the crimson streaks with the back of his sleeve—a futile gesture against the toll his body had begun to pay. Still, he managed a bitter smile.
"So… this is what it feels like… to reach your limit," he murmured, his voice barely audible amidst the destruction around him.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Next Chapter: First Mission (Last Part)