The sight of the caged civilians sent Zeke into a frenzy. His body reacted before his mind could catch up, and he charged at the heavily-armored guards. His fists connected with the chins of the first few, dropping them like stones. They never saw it coming.
The remaining guards quickly recovered, casting spells in desperation. Two unleashed torrents of fire, while another summoned a blade of wind. The combined force of the attack sent a fiery wind-blade tearing through the battlefield, flames spreading like wildfire.
Zeke dove headfirst into the fray, slipping beneath the wind-blade and taking the full brunt of the fire. His skin sizzled, muscles melting away under the intense heat, but he didn’t falter. Instead, he used the fire to his advantage, letting it cloak his movements. Hidden within the flames, Zeke readied his pistol.
In a heartbeat, he fired through the firestorm, his bullets striking true. The contractors screamed in pain as they fell, their bodies immobilized by the precise shots.
“Who is that guy?!” one of them shouted, just before Zeke emerged from the inferno, his silhouette a terrifying sight against the backdrop of flames.
Zeke closed the distance in an instant, engaging the remaining contractors in brutal close combat. He moved low, his strikes efficient and devastating. One by one, he sent them crashing into the nearby walls, leaving only one contractor standing, glaring at him with a mix of fear and rage.
“Boar,” Zeke growled, stepping over the unconscious bodies of his enemies.
Zeke walked confidently despite his injuries. His skin was charred, blackened from the fire, and the muscles of his right shoulder and arm peeked through layers of melted flesh.
“You smell like a burnt pile of shit, Prowler,” Boar jeered, his voice dripping with mockery as he sized Zeke up from a distance.
“The contractors you brought with you,” Zeke paused, “None of them were invokes.” He noted
Boar chuckled, a low, guttural sound. “None of them except for me,” he replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Then you’re all done,” Zeke said coldly, ripping off what remained of his burned shirt. As soon as the fabric hit the ground, his flesh began to regenerate. The raw, open wounds closed themselves, muscle tissue weaving together like threads pulled tight. His skin reformed, smooth and unblemished, as if the brutal injuries had never existed.
Boar sneered, unimpressed. “Wasting energy just to heal yourself faster? You’re more arrogant than I thought,” he taunted. “You think you can beat me without even using magic?”
“There is no thinking involved,” Zeke briefly lifted his scarf, spitting ash onto the ground below. “You overgrown piece of pork,” he added with a slow closer, stepping closer as his muscles coiled with tension.
“I’ve been waiting for this!” Boar screamed out as his face twisted with excitement, his grin wide and manic., “I can finally get you back for what happened at the bar,” He smiled, “Now… I invoke.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Steam erupted from Boar’s body, hissing as it enveloped him in a cloud of heat. His skin bulged and twisted, scales rippling up from beneath, crawling over his flesh like living armor. They spread across his massive frame, turning him into something more beast than man. The scales glistened with a soft sheen, forming a dense, protective layer that shimmered in the faint light.
Zeke’s eyes narrowed, but he showed no hesitation. The moment Boar transformed, Zeke was already on the move. He lunged forward with lightning speed, diving into close combat, his movements swift and precise. But Boar was no slouch. He met Zeke’s charge head-on, slamming into him with the force of a battering ram, sending Zeke hurtling into a nearby wall.
The impact cracked the stone behind him, but Zeke recovered with fluid grace. His hands gripped the ground, absorbing the momentum, his body already poised to counter. His mind was sharp, calculating the next move, when a sudden flash of memory invaded his thoughts—a vision of him fighting the dragon. The memory lingered for what felt like an eternity, though it was only a fleeting moment in reality.
Zeke smiled.
“Boar, do you remember what I said last time we talked?” Zeke asked in a breathy tone.
Boar didn’t answer. He had no interest in words. His entire body was now encased in a thick armor of scales, the plates hard and ridged like the hide of a monstrous beast. His face was almost unrecognizable beneath the mask that had formed, split down the middle with small, sharp spikes rising along its edges.
He stomped the ground, his foot now resembling the thick, heavy hoof of a beast like a hippo, and without hesitation, he charged at Zeke with full force. The earth trembled beneath his massive frame as he barreled forward, intent on crushing his foe.
“I guess not,” he murmured softly to himself as a smile took root on his face.
Dark, swirling smoke began to gather in Zeke’s right hand, the air around him growing colder. The smoke twisted and coiled, solidifying into a black, jagged knife that pulsed with ominous energy. In one fluid motion, Zeke leaped into the air, his body moving with a deadly elegance. Using his hand to flip over Boar’s charging form, Zeke twisted mid-air and, in the split second before gravity could pull him back down, he drove the black blade deep into Boar’s mask.
“I told you,” Zeke said, his voice cold and emotionless as he mounted Boar’s back, pressing the blade deeper, “if you ever attacked me again, I’d cut out your tongue.”
Boar roared in fury, thrashing wildly as he tried to shake Zeke off. But Zeke held fast, his grip firm and unwavering. With precise, methodical cuts, he began dissecting Boar’s mask.
Boar’s massive hands clawed at the air, desperate to dislodge him.
Then, with a sudden, forceful pull, Zeke ripped the mask from Boar’s face, using the torque generated by Boar’s own movements. The mask peeled away with a sickening crack, leaving Boar’s face exposed and raw. The sudden loss of his armor snapped Boar out of his berserk frenzy. His once-imposing form crumbled beneath him as he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
The scales that had once armored his body began to dissolve, turning into steam that hissed as it rose from his skin. Exhaustion overcame Boar, leaving him vulnerable, his body stripped of its supernatural protection.
“Wake up,” Zeke growled, grabbing Boar by the head and hauling him to his feet before slamming him into a nearby wall. The force of the impact shook the ground.
Boar’s eyes fluttered open, only to meet Zeke’s boot as it crashed into his face with brutal force. His jaw cracked under the blow, leaving it hanging, unable to close.
“AHHHHH!” Boar screamed, his voice hoarse with pain as tears streamed down his face. He fell to his knees, clutching his shattered jaw, his entire body trembling. His eyes, wide with terror, looked up at Zeke, silently pleading for mercy.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Zeke said, his tone flat and uncaring as he slowly approached, his black knife gleaming ominously in his hand. “You brought this on yourself.” He twirled the blade between his fingers, the cold steel reflecting the dim light as he closed the distance between them, ominously humming a nursery rhyme he recently remembered.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Qtc39ZsZ/Name-Alias-X-Species-Demon-Age-80-Height-182cm-Affiliation-Knights-Rank-Special-grade-investigator.png]