Cutting through the air with a whistling sound, the spiked mace made a wide arc before reaching the intended target. Not pausing even for an instant, it went through the skull, barely noticing any resistance. Splashing the blood and brains on the surroundings, it continued its motion, not sparing even a moment on the results of its deed. The arm that was pushing the weapon into motion slightly twisted itself, changing the trajectory of this improvised bolide. Yes, bolide, as the lighting speed of its flight was too fast for the agents to even attempt track, meeting it literally head-on. However, in the case of the next Rob’s enemy, it was the chest.
Smashing the torso and leaving an unnatural dent, the mace sent the man flying into the nearest wall. Already broken body left a red mark and few cracks on the surface before falling into messy remnants of the previously living being. The mace, on the other hand, never stopped, turning from the wild swings into a thrust. Acting instinctively, the agent tried to avoid the metal death but was too slow. Dodging the main ball, he failed to move out from one of the sharp spikes protruding from the spherical body. The thin nail penetrated the forehead, instantly killing the man. Still, the metal was already moving, sending multiple tiny blades inside the brain and halting the fall of the man. In the next moment, Robert pulled the mace out, tearing the head apart and adding even more red to the surroundings, including his own dusty body.
Despite the gruesome picture, the last two agents never halted their attacks. One of them dropped the rifle and attempted to take something out from the inner pocket. The other one, the woman with a dead serious face, was already in a fighting stance, sending her leg into Robert’s face, or, considering the height difference, a shoulder. Disregarding the threat from the latter, Rob decided to focus on the man first. Quickly turning around, he simply gripped what appeared to be some kind of odd grenade with his huge palm. Being much bigger, it wasn’t hard to do it. His mace was already moving toward the enemy. In the next moment, a few things happened at once.
The spikes on his steel weapon pierced the neck of the agent, who tried to fall down in an attempt to dodge but forgot that he was already caught. The explosion of the grenade surprisingly managed to damage his hand, simultaneously breaking Rob’s fingers and pushing him one step backward. However, the biggest force appeared to be from the simple kick of the group’s leader. The heavy military boot that was standing out from the formal outfit hit him hard, leading to an additional few steps to catch his balance.
The woman immediately rushed with the following attacks. Distracted from the explosion, Robert failed to react timely, getting two more hits right into his face. The wild swing of his mace was easily avoided by the cold beauty, who simply ducked down in a perfect leg-split, leaving nothing for the mace to crush. Rob used such a dancing move to distance himself, finally getting his thoughts together.
Shit! I thought I wasn’t non-human to such an extent… Where the fuck is the pain? I feel like I am controlling the mech with remote control, noting the damage but barely registering any feeling at all… And that isn’t good.
Focusing on his mutilated fingers, Robert sent a mental command, simply recreating the part of his body once again. The sensation wasn’t completely the same as the ordinary conjuring as he felt deep inside that the steel had a strong desire to be put in the set shape. The shape of his former self, just with an increased size. It seemed that no matter how advanced his metal manipulation skills might be, his inner being wished to keep the previous form. It stubbornly resisted any attempts to change his body even in the tiniest way, granting more options only to the obsidian steel.
No disguise possible, got it. But crap, I hate feeling nothing… it might be good not to feel the pain on paper, but in reality, it’s a shitty ability… Moreover, something tells me it’s not just pain. Even my blood looks too viscous to be named liquid…
Noticing the motion, Robert had to put his hand to block another hit from the crazy woman. This time he used more strength, sending her stumbling from the repulsion. It gave him another opportunity to evaluate himself after the change.
And I am awfully slow. I feel I can be much faster. My mind can process everything in time, but my whole body seems so heavy that it takes additional effort just to move it… And that’s already on the potential limit of the weight decrease.
“Hey, lady, I am trying to think here!”
Robert shouted in irritation after blocking another rotating hit of the woman. Grabbing her long leg, he simply threw her directly into the wall, not caring for her gender. Smashing her pretty face against the tough surface, she dropped down on the back. Completely disorientated, she still tried to roll to the side only to bump into Robert. The latter was already rising his foot, going for a crushing stomp. Being the one who ordered to shoot him without even asking a single question, Rob failed to see any reason why he would treat her differently in return. However, it appeared there was someone who was.
“Stop right there!”
The half-roaring voice with distant notes of something primitive and bloodthirsty sounded from the back, causing Robert to halt his motion and redirect his attention to the source. He still never put down his foot, deciding to proceed with the killing attack but only after checking who was so arrogant to command him. The next moment Rob was already moving toward the potential enemy, completely throwing the woman’s existence from his mind. All his attention was focused on the figure and what he was holding in one of his hands… if they could be named like that, being more like clawed human-like paws.
Dragging a child like a sack of potatoes, the creature looked like it was directly from hell. Thin bony torso with visible ribs, dark red skin, massive limbs, and a crown of horns on top of the demonic skull. Glowing yellow snake eyes, a huge toothy maw, and a hole instead of nose made the awful appearance even scarier. Its thick tail with a spiked ball on the tip looked similar to Rob’s mace, just made from dark gray bones. Moreover, judging from the deep marks on the dusty floor with each step of its clawed legs, the monster was strong. Leaning forward as if it was hard for it to keep a straight posture, the demon was just slightly smaller than Robert. Still, it didn’t matter to him.
“Release the kid,” Rob ordered, approaching with a non-changing pace. His mace was slowly crawling inside his flesh, enveloping his right fist to form a brass knuckle. In a few seconds another was created around his other clenched palm, preparing for a possible fight, “I said release him!”
Looking at the monstrosity in front of him, Robert saw not the terrifying appearance, but the horrible darkness inside the creature. No matter how many Rob killed, he never hurt any children, and his kill count was quite long, making most of mass murder’s numbers pale in comparison. Even in his fall into the beast, his instincts prevented him from harming them. The scene of the burned village was deeply engraved in his memory… together with the fact that he failed to save them. Maybe he would never go around the realms in an attempt to become a hero, but, on the other hand, Robert simply couldn’t stay idle when an atrocity was committed to any kid. Not the consequences, nor the potential danger matter in such an event.
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I might not be a hero, but I do have principles…
“Him?” Turning its demonic head toward the unconscious child, “Are you with him? I must say you villia…,” The creature only started to return his gaze back to Robert, when the latter’s fist collided with its red-skinned jaw. The strike broke a few teeth, sending the hellish descendant on the floor. However, before the monster reacted, the following kick landed on his face, throwing it backward. Rolling on the floor, the creature caught the balance after traveling for a few meters. Pausing in a lower position, it raised its bloodied face before muttering.
“You will regret it!”
“You stole my phrase,” Robert answered, meeting the gaze filled with hatred. He was sure that his own eyes were radiating the same emotions as after checking the condition of the kid, Rob saw a broken arm on top of multiple scratches and bruises. He wasn’t sure of the exact age of the child as with the jump in his size, Robert failed to measure others accurately. Still, he was sure that the boy was barely a teenager. Therefore, no words were needed.
Charging forward, Rob was already throwing his fist toward the approaching demonic figure. The latter instantly ducked down, avoiding the crushing blow. Simultaneously, it thrusted with its claws, aiming at Robert’s stomach. However, before they reached it, the elbow crashed into the demonic skull, sending it to the side. Catapulting another fist, Rob smashed the ugly face, shattering the facial bones. Not pausing even for a moment, he gripped one of the horns before kneeing the monster. Disoriented, the creature failed to avoid the strike, almost blackening out. However and unfortunately for it, Rob wasn’t done.
Repeating the attack once again, he straightened his arm, pulling the opponent on some distance and exposing its neck. In the next instant, his metal-covered fist smashed the place, where Adam’s apple might have been if the monster was a human. Almost ripping the head from the body, it broke something inside, making the demon vomit with black blood right on Rob’s face. The burning sensation of the skin being melted told him that it wasn’t ordinary blood. Blinded by the toxin, Robert missed the moment when the enemy regained its foothold.
Slashing across his body, the clawed palm left deep cuts before piercing his shoulder. Squeezing it tightly, it penetrated his flesh, while continuing to dive deeper and deeper. Reaching the bone, it instantly tried to pull it out. This was the moment black katar, made from obsidian steel, entered the eye socket of the demon. In the next moment, both opponents separated from each other, tearing the parts of each other. A tingle of pain waved over Rob’s body when he registered the absence of his arm. Instead, the horrible mess of meat and blood was present, dropping an oily red rain on the floor. The enemy didn’t look much better, missing part of the head and most of the teeth. However, there was not a single sign that the fight was nearing its end.
“Oh, you can heal… So do I, asshole,” grinning with anticipation, Robert recreated his arm, simultaneously observing how the wounds were closing on the enemy’s body. The difference between them was that all bloody marks Rob left on the floor had disappeared, following the same pattern as it was always with his steel – dispersing into nothingness with a short delay. His torn arm followed along, simply disintegrating after losing energy to support its existence. Not that this fact changed anything - just another confirmation of Robert’s current inhuman nature. Therefore, pushing the obsidian steel in motion, he formed a good old mace once again before launching him forward.
Sidestepping the jumping attack of the demon, who tried to use the wall to increase its momentum, Rob had to avoid a wide swing of the tail. Dropping his weapon on the floor, he put it under its bony counterpart. Smashing against the tough material, it sent a sudden obstacle flying, making attached Rob follow along. However, he used that force to rotate himself to accelerate the motion before smashing the mace into the enemy. The spiky ball met the demon's chest, cracking quite a few bones and throwing the monster away. Not giving the enemy the ability to heal, Robert continued his assault only to miss another swing of the tail.
He didn’t know how long their fight lasted. Rob hit, getting quite a few strikes in return. Both of them could heal, treating the wounds like momentary obstruction. Smashing each other against the wall and destroying the surroundings, they both long forgot why they were fighting. However, slowly but surely the steel started to overcome the flesh, as the demon started to barely noticeable pauses before regenerating. Rob, on the other hand, didn’t have such a problem, being in the same peak form as in the beginning. Maybe it was the reason why such a feeling of confidence prevented him from acting at once when the demon spoke with clear exhaustion in the voice.
“Okay, you are stronger than Diablo in my current state… Let’s raise the stakes. Abaddon, come!”
Crap, the second stage!
Sprinting from his spot, Robert tried to stop the enemy, but the demonic figure was already replaced by the scarlet formless sphere. His mace was in the midst of flight when a completely different creature emerged from this entrance to the abyss. Much bigger, it looked more like a ball of fat and muscles. On the other hand, the head was tiny, while the horns looked longer. The same enormous maw with the smile of the bloodthirsty predator. The newly summoned demon had no tail, but tens of thick hands were protruding from its body in random spots. One of them caught the weapon with ease, halting the motion at once. The repulsion from it caused a wave of force, stressing Rob’s arm and almost breaking it from inside. There was a pause as if the enemy tried to bathe in the feeling of its own might. Robert tried to use the moment, dispersing a part of the obsidian steel and pushing it to his other palm. However, it appeared both were late as the third party decided to step in.
“Die, morons!”
The already flying odd device that tickled Robert earlier landed right in front of them, flashing with suspicious light. They both attempted to avoid the threat, reacting immediately. However, the gigantic body of the demonic monster had almost no chance to move out from potential danger, being stuck inside the ruined underground corridor. Rob wasn’t any better, managing only to curl into the ball before the overwhelming light enveloped the surroundings. The destructiveness of what seemed to be just visible radiation struck way before the shockwave came.
Rob’s body simply evaporated, crumbling under the damage of the tweaked device. Obviously, it affected not only him but the whole area. The periphery of his sight caught a glimpse of how the early unconscious teenager was madly smiling while disappearing into nothingness. Clearly being much older than Rob thought, he was enjoying the moment with not a single trace of regret. Then the walls, the ceiling, and even the enormous fatty followed along with not-a-kid, failing to stand against the invisible force. Robert was reduced to his rector core an instant later. Luckily, the force shield managed to withstand the remnants of the light, and the shockwave threw him in the form of a sphere away, far from the epicenter.
Acting on his instincts, Rob immediately started to recreate his body, finding himself flying through the half-destroyed building. In the next moment, his journey abruptly ended, being stopped by the frame of the large machine inside another laboratory. Crashing into and smacking it into pieces, Robert caused a wave of electrical outbursts that almost copied a tiny thunderstorm. Blasting everything into particles, they still focused mainly on the source of the problem – Rob himself. And before he managed to do anything, another bright flash enveloped everything, turning the surroundings into a white light. Nothing but light.
It lasted for a fraction of a second before a familiar pull threw him down. The shocked mind struggled to process an amount of change, pushing survival instincts on top. Once again, Robert reformed himself from the core, before finally opening his eyes and trying to get what was happening. However, instead of achieving it, his brain tripped against reality, leaving one of his most used thoughts to appear by itself.
What the fuck?
Looking around, Robert noticed the very same group of scientists, eyeing him with unhidden interest in the same laboratory, which was destroyed not long ago right after he appeared in this realm.
Like seriously, what the fuck?