"The shots were so effective that each of the Octopus's limbs was pulverized. Marcus's voice became a roar as the red light hit every target at once. It was like watching a rain of blood fall, but he couldn't hold on any longer.

Dante wouldn't let him push himself to the limit. He came back carrying something heavy and shouted at him, 'Leave it to me.'

Marcus stopped firing; his arms felt like pudding, weak and shaky. He fell back, almost lying down, but managed to prop himself up on his elbow. Dante appeared, dragging the battery, and glanced back. The Octopus was descending, despite all its injuries. Its body would regenerate if it returned to the tank—that's what Vick had told him inside the green waters.

This was their last move.

'Vick, activate it.'

The AI responded. The entire battery lit up blue, emitting a glow. Cosmic and electric energy converged into one material. Dante turned and yelled as he hurled it. The battery rolled through the debris, hitting everything in its path. When it collided with the Octopus, the creature grabbed it with its tentacles, being dragged nearly ten meters backward.

Marcus saw a smile on the creature's face, as if nothing could stop it.

'Give me your hand,' Dante said, extending his arm.

Marcus obeyed quickly, and before he could understand, the old man leaped. Marcus found himself being carried through the air as Dante used the force of the wind at his soles to propel them faster and faster. At an incredible speed, the old man saw the creature's eyes widen in shock.

Marcus then saw him smile. That same smile as before, from the creature that seemed to be toying with the other, not taking it seriously. Two beings wanting to win.

Dante stared at it with immense pride. This wasn’t about the fight, the damn tank, or the Capital. He moved because he believed it was possible. Not even when fighting his father had he felt such euphoria.

This was a real fight—a battle where the odds weren’t clear. If he failed, not only he but many others would die.

Back in the village outside the Capital, when his friends were rescued, he had loosened his grip on the Felroz. If he had acted a second sooner or later...

Maybe if he had stayed, things would have turned out better.

But nothing in the world happened by chance, as his father used to say. And now, seeing the face of the worst creature he’d ever fought, frozen in shock and disbelief, he knew not even God could save it. This was the fate of those who failed—dying while trying to win.

The whole world could try to demotivate him, screaming or crying out about injustices, making his path harder to carve. Fighting to the death was the hunger Dante had when studying ancient battles of men who fought the Felroz and died so civilization could reach its peak.

That’s why, within the limits of his body, he would carry the battery away—for Clara, for Kappz. Even if it became his ultimate mission.

'Scale Explosion.'

His kick struck the battery. The energy he expended at the moment of impact was absorbed by it and then converted into electricity. If even half of it had been drawn, Dante would have faced immense backlash.

What Vick did was pull everything into the battery all at once.

This strike erupted in lightning ahead, carving a hole through the iron and stone plates. The creature screamed in pain, struggling desperately to free itself. It rose, being kicked and electrocuted by Dante, who laughed at it.

Marcus almost hit the surrounding walls, but when he looked at the creature, its pain was so intense that its eyes seemed hollow. It's falling apart. The electricity is heating its body.

Through the heat vision, it was clear. The red areas representing its limbs and upper body shrank with each passing second. Dante didn’t let it regenerate, putting all his strength into every kick.

His leg didn’t even crack, and his face showed no sign of pain. Dante was more than thrilled to have found a worthy opponent. He bombarded the creature until it was stuck against a hard iron plate.

The Octopus saw its chance to escape, but Dante dropped Marcus on some debris and clenched his fist, moving forward.

'Oh, no, you don’t.'

'Energy conversion at 7%,' the AI announced.

Dante pulled the muscles in his back and shoulders into a spin, his waist twisting slightly backward. Every part of his body worked together, making the forward motion firm enough to ripple the air around him.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

'Release.'

I

"'They still haven’t returned,' Clara said to Simone. The old woman was tending to some children upstairs. She didn’t want contact with any of them, even wearing gloves to avoid it. 'It’s almost nightfall. It feels endless. What torture.'

'I’m surprised you’re more worried about those two than about Antton stealing your food right under your nose.'

Clara didn’t take her eyes off the reservoir, which had a strange yellow glow. Since morning, the lights outside had turned on as well, causing a commotion among Kappz’s residents. Even though the buildings served as islands for them, everyone could see the immense area that had been considered uninhabitable long before they were born and arrived there.

The light in such a place brought more than curiosity—it sparked hope. A hope Clara detested bringing upon herself, so much so that she clasped her hands tightly between her legs, breathing carefully.

'We can find food later. But not them.'

Simone didn’t reply and kept playing with the little ones. Another half-hour passed, and a loud roar erupted. Clara immediately raised her head.

'Marcus. That’s Marcus.'

It came from the reservoir.

That mission had everything to go wrong—everything. A Lagmorato shouldn’t have been created, but seeing the Felroz numbers drop over time, she had faith. Now, it was 75% up to Dante and Marcus.

If that was his voice, it meant they were still fighting.

'I said they wouldn’t come back,' a voice called from the lower floors. It was Antton, dragging himself there like a worm to undermine her. 'Clara sent two men to die and denied food to an entire team. Is this the person you consider fit to lead the city or supply it? She denies food and says men like us should be in there. How many more need to die?'

Another explosion at the reservoir, followed by the cry of a non-human creature. She couldn’t handle more losses. Antton’s words didn’t matter, nor did his reputation being better than hers for dealing with the council’s problems.

The only thing that mattered was for the two to come out alive, somehow.

'Why don’t you name the people you sent to die, Clara?' Antton’s voice rang out, echoing through the city. 'How many more need to sacrifice themselves for your idiotic plans? Don’t you see we’re just ordinary people? We’re not made of iron and steel. What do you have to say to us?'

Clara didn’t open her mouth, pressing her hands harder between her legs. She didn’t want to beg or appear ungrateful for everything she’d received in all those days."

"God, if you can hear me, please, perform one more miracle. Bring them back."

The Reservoir ceiling exploded in a strong blue and yellow light. The afternoon lit up like embers, the sky resembling an entire sea of yellow. When they looked up, they saw a black dot. Something was falling in their direction.

Something heavy hit the wall of a building, creating a hole as it rolled out. Three other shapes followed, heading toward them. Clara stood up quickly, and the children stepped back under Simone’s orders.

These weren’t solid objects; they moved. They were falling straight toward them. Suddenly, a voice echoed.

"Get out of the way."

Clara dove to the side as something slammed right where she had been, rolling several times before stopping near the children. Dust rose, and the residents rushed forward to see what it was. Clara turned, only to see something she didn’t expect.

"Marcus."

The residents surrounded the shooter, who was struggling to stand. His arm wasn’t responding at all. Clara didn’t understand why he seemed so desperate to get up.

"It’s not over yet. Damn it. He’s still there with that thing."

Clara turned toward the main street. The Lagmorato hovered high above them, seemingly heading back to the Reservoir. Two figures were clashing. It was Dante, leaping like a hare, dodging electric whips that sliced through the stone buildings and the metal of cars. On the other side was a creature resembling an octopus.

When Simone saw it, her mouth fell open in shock.

"It’s the Reservoir Tadpole. You found that horrendous creature there?"

Marcus, aided by the residents, dragged himself to the edge, now without his rifle.

"We had to face many of them. But I have no idea how it’s still standing after all that."

Simone shook her head, still deeply disturbed, her face pale.

"The Tadpole has always been a monster of stories. It killed more than half of our city," she said, as people paused to listen. "It was never defeated. It killed my husband, my daughter, even the residents who provided water from the other side. It’s strong, Marcus, that’s why it’s still standing."

The shooter scoffed.

"I wasn’t talking about the creature, grandma. I was talking about Dante."

Clara didn’t take her eyes off him. At no point did he seem cowardly. He charged forward, grabbed one of the tentacles, pulled it close, and headbutted it, yelling.

"How’s that? And this one?"

Another punch. A series of lateral attacks that the creature couldn’t dodge. Even his stance was solid; once he stopped to attack, his legs locked, like the roots of a tree.

His fist drove into its stomach, making it hunch over. Before it could recover, it took another hit to the back of its neck. The ground cracked from the impact. Another attack was coming. The tentacles reacted to shield it but were driven down together.

The entire air swirled, and they felt the breeze atop the buildings. Dante showed no mercy in his attacks, but Marcus spoke again.

"He fought that thing underwater. I don’t know how, but he survived down there. And now, out here. I thought I’d seen everything, but this… this is new, even for me."

When the creature roared, sending the children running behind Simone, they heard an echoing laugh. The children saw Dante crushing the creature in his hand, twisting all its limbs at once, and kicking it between its legs. It collapsed to its knees, only to receive another blow to its face, dragging it to the ground.

"It’s time to end this," he said, launching himself forward with his fist raised. "See you in the next life, little octopus."

The impact shattered filaments in the ground. Everything cracked around them. The winds intensified, and stones spun rapidly in the air. Dante’s fist struck the Octopus’s cheek, and the distortion caused cracks in the houses, cars, buildings, trains, and trees behind it.

A headless body.

The wind wasn’t as aggressive as the residents had feared. Marcus smirked, even while lying there injured, and Simone tried to calm the children, who were screaming as if they’d just won the world.

That victory, right before her eyes, Clara was certain it marked the presence of a real man. A warrior.

Dante came walking, limping slightly, waving at her. Marcus moved suddenly, raising a hand. Simone wept with joy as she soothed the children’s excitement. That dead creature symbolized a new place, a new life, a new chapter.

Dante’s arrival at the battery, carrying it with one arm and waving at Clara, felt like a delicate breath.

And in her mind, the music returned. "Where’s the trophy? It’s running to me."

"And what a trophy," she said, raising her arm and waving back.