Within the blink of an eye, Volengi was surrounded by an army of blue metallic creatures, fifteen in total, all of them buzzing with an incredible amount of energy and varying in size. Leland stood among them, arms folded, a slight smirk on his face.
Three of the shorter creatures pounced. They flipped over a streak of fire bursting out of Volengi’s palm and immediately went on the offence, assaulting him with a wide variety of kicks. They fought as one, blocking for one another, throwing each other, and even using each other as launch pads to bounce back into the action.
100% synchronicity?
Even with the Solarian King’s insurmountable level of battle experience, he had never seen it displayed so efficiently. To be able to fight aggressively in a group as one mind was already challenging. Only a rare few synthetic species could pull it off.
The creatures kept up with him as Volengi swung with precision, accelerating with each punch, until—*CRUNCH!* One of them caught him with a flying, spinning kick, propelling him to the ground.
“Bishops front and centre!” Leland commanded. “All pawns advance!”
Volengi sprung back to his feet just as two tall creatures matching his height darted out of portals and invaded him with a collaborative mind control attack. Easily, he defended against it, but not quick enough to avoid their palm strikes to the chest. He stumbled back, a few of his internal organs popping, and the wave of short creatures closed in, striking him in the head and body with kicks while narrowly avoiding every retaliation.
“Rooks, activate!”
Two bulky creatures thundered out of portals behind Volengi and with every step they took the environment changed drastically. The sky and sand vanished, replaced by a chequered black and white box-like pattern which trapped him in a huge cube. The temperature dropped well below freezing, causing his regenerative abilities to diminish.
Volengi annihilated two of the pawns nearest to him with one monstrous swing while the bishops hit him with another psychic wave. He sent one back, causing them to lose their minds and pummel themselves.
“Knights, incapacitate!”
An ear-splitting shrill warped Volengi’s super senses. He almost chuckled at the devilishly loud amplitude and high pitch. Was the human aware of torture techniques for Solarians? He noticed the sound coming from two horse-like metallic creatures hiding at the rear of the army and fired two curving energy blasts in their directions. The rooks dived in the way, absorbing the attack and distributing the energy among its comrades, fuelling them.
Volengi groaned, though his eyes shone with delight. None of the attacks were new to him. He had fought many aliens with the exact same abilities. The omni mutant was replicating them almost perfectly.
Almost.
“Are you that reluctant to fight me yourself, human?”
Leland was no longer smiling, wheezing with every heavy breath, and Volengi was not surprised. To sustain such a powerful army required a ridiculous amount of energy.
“Shut up! Queen, advance! Wrap this shit up.”
One of the blue creatures rose off the ground, boasting two glimmering majestic wings and eight long limbs. Volengi’s eyes widened as he levitated off the ground, sensing the incoming attack, but it was already too late. The queen pressed all its palms together, and incredible amounts of energy escaped from his body.
A blue ball materialised in the air and rapidly increased in size, shattering the chessboard cube encasing them. It was an energy drain, a rare ability only achievable by a few type three civilizations. Every plant and animal in the ghost planet was decimated almost immediately to fuel a ball of light with almost enough energy to rival the planet’s sun.
*WHOOSH!*
The energy blast barrelled through Volengi’s chest, tossing him out of the planet’s atmosphere.
It had been many centuries since he’d been caught point-blank with such an attack. Since he’d been forced to push himself to his limit. The versatility behind the omni-mutants attacks genuinely impressed the Solarian King.
While his charred body spiralled into space, ever so slightly, he smiled.
----------------------------------------
Leland coughed up heaps of crimson, staggering backwards. While the chess pieces crumbled into dust, he was reminded of a particular line from a Kanye West song.
“No one man should have all that power.”
He said the line as a bad joke to himself but it was the truth. His brain felt like mush. Even with the ability to regenerate, his mind wasn’t healing the way it was supposed to. Not fully. Part of himself felt missing yet he didn’t know what exactly. Was opening the mental door in his mind causing permanent damage?
Just as he was about to close the mental door in his mind, Leland felt a terrifying presence.
No.
Terrifying didn’t do the feeling justice.
Impending doom. Certainty. Fate. Finality. Helplessness. The sudden realisation that hope and optimism had always been foolish. He turned around. Volengi walked in the air towards him as if it were solid ground. The entity was faceless, only swirls of murky darkness covering its entire body and head.
Leland took a step back.
What were you thinking? Did you seriously think someone like you could beat someone like that?
Let him finish you. After destroying a whole planet, it’s what you deserve.
As always, you’re pathetic. A clown. It’s over.
“No, it’s not, Lee!” Staress cried, plummeting from the sky. She hurled her crown, and in mid-flight it surged with unnatural, almost eerie speed, rocketing toward Volengi. His head snapped back as the crown struck him, rebounding into Leland's waiting hand. Without hesitation, he threw the weapon.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Volengi ducked, but the crown barrelled through a portal and exited out of another one, crashing into his torso. Leland closed the gap between them with one mighty leap, sparkling blue eyes crackling with energy. He caught the crown mid-air with both hands and swung it downwards like a hammer. Volengi sidestepped the attack, but—
*CRUNCH!*
His body flung sideways from a monstrous kick that Leland could only conjure up by deactivating most of his superpowers and focusing on super strength. Volengi side flipped and landed on the air, seemingly not affected, but Leland’s suspicions proved correct. He threw the crown, and it spun through numerous airborne portals, mimicking the erratic movement of a ball in a pinball machine.
You’re not one to avoid… The crown must deal damage.
At that moment, the trio were in sync. Not through luck, however. In Dimension Zero, they had spent an unknown amount of time with each other, and on top of Leland mastering his Chessboard ability, they had practised numerous fighting combinations and shared many stories.
They had laughed together. They had understood each other. They had even cried together. And now, as a team, they fought together.
The crown hit Volengi’s shoulder and bounced back to Leland who threw it yet again through a rollercoaster of portals. Staress caught it. Volengi flew towards her, but mistakenly entered a portal, and Leland caught him with a flying knee. Volengi propelled backwards. Staress hurled the crown at his head, propelling him forwards.
Enough.
The voice telepathically shot through Leland’s mind as Volengi caved his skull in with a right hook. The world blurred, and he howled in agony, calling forth every fibre of his willpower to cling to life, to regenerate the brain damage as quickly as possible and stay conscious. Volengi teleported, reappeared several metres away, and threw a fuzzy looking human on the ground with such force a large crater formed. Crimson and debris splattered in the air.
“Cadell!” Staress yelled.
Disoriented, confused, and lacking cognitive abilities, Leland watched Volengi shake his head at the retired vigilante.
The primal urge to kill within you is strong, rare mutant, yet you fight it so fiercely. What wasted potential. Show me what lies beneath.
“Don’t do it, Cad!” Staress screamed, charging forwards. “You’re not like him! You’re human!”
Volengi turned. A black beam shot from his chest. Staress deflected it with her crown, but the force of the blast sent her soaring and she catapulted on the ground, bones snapping loudly. The sickening sound jolted Leland back to reality. He analysed the situation for one second and fired off the strongest energy blast he could muster from his right palm.
Volengi walked into the attack and leisurely made his way towards him. Spirals of darkness shot from his chest, and Leland fell to his knees before he knew he was hit. His body felt numb. He couldn’t breathe.
Your omni ability is impressive, human. However, it is restricted. Fake. You can enhance your offence, defence, and durability all you like, but who do you think you’re enhancing towards? You can imitate the strongest, but who do you think is the strongest?
Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud.
Leland barely understood the alien’s words, too focused on the sound of his own heart beat. It rang loudly in his ears, gradually slowing with every second. Organ systems shut off one by one.
Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud.
You fought well, human.
Thud-thud. Thud-thud.
You’re not a slug— I will admit— but unfortunately your human body limits you.
Thud-thud Thu—
*SQUELCH!*
With one swift plunge and pull, Volengi ripped out Leland’s heart. It wasn’t painful. Every sense and feeling was distant and unrecognisable. The door in his mind slowly closed, but as it did, he whispered one word.
“Rewind.”
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Volengi turned. A black beam shot from his chest. Staress deflected it with her crown, but the force of the blast sent her soaring and she catapulted on the ground, bones snapping loudly. The sickening sound jolted Leland back to reality. He analysed the situation for one second and… hesitated.
The rewind had not only used up every ounce of his energy but only taken him back a measly few seconds. What could he possibly do to change anything?
Leland took a deep breath, pleased he could do so despite it sounding like bacon frying, and fought against the terror invading his body. Both legs trembled but that just meant he was alive, right? He could hear his heart pounding too loudly, sure, but that just meant his brain was flooding with energy, right?
Right?! Focus! Think!
Even though he was far from experienced, even though he would never be as cool as Staress or Psyche, he could become himself, the student bold enough to speak first in front of the class. And that had to be enough.
“W-wait!”
Volengi turned, and much to Leland's surprise, did not kill him.
“Does it r-really matter if o-occasionally it takes five seconds to say my name? Does it really matter if idiots can’t see you’re the strongest in the universe? We’re enough! From the start, we… a-always have been and I’ll prove it to… a-anyone who doubts. I’ll defend Earth in your n-name to show e-everyone it isn’t just a simple slug p-planet, to show that we were the only ones to give you a r-real challenge for once in your life. And most importantly, to make a mockery of your enemies. Let's make the first and last independent Solarian Slug Planet! What do you say?”
Leland swallowed hard as several seconds passed, broken fists clenched. Ignoring the heavy stutters, he had spoken boldly, clearly and loudly, standing behind every word, chest pumped out. He felt like he had spoken from the core of his being.
Volengi chuckled. Leland copied him. Their laughter gradually intensified until they were both cackling like madmen
“Yakakakaka.”
“Hahahaha”
Finally, they stopped.
Leland could sense Cadell nearby, having his back like the horizon. He was probably waiting for the Solarian King's answer, and depending on the response, would show Leland a glimpse of his past - a display of his true strength. Surely, he would sacrifice the small remainder of sanity and humanity he had left.
“When you’re gone, how will you protect Earth?” Volengi asked.
“W-what?”
“The human lifespan is barely a century. When you’re gone, how will you protect Earth?”
Leland’s eyes widened. He had no answer.
“By the time we’re gone, we won’t be needed.” Staress limped forwards and smiled weakly. “Don’t underestimate humanity. Don’t underestimate our growth. There are more of us coming. The Super Era is coming.”
Leland glanced at Staress, wonder planted on his face. The Super Era? More of us?
Volengi tilted his head to one side, and after what felt like an eternity, he reverted to his original form, raising an extended arm. “Very well. Lose against any Solarian enemy and your planet will be invaded.”
Leland quickly shook Volengi’s hand with a firm grip, but as soon as the alien teleported away, he fell on his back from exhaustion.
It worked. The stutter didn’t hold me back. It really worked.
Staress and Cadell collapsed beside him. “Heal?” They muttered at the same time.
“C-can’t.”
They all groaned in pain. Fifteen minutes passed.
“Stars, d-do you know if M-maggie won her tournament finals?”
“Yes. She won.”
“K-knew it.”
“Congratulate her,” Cadell wheezed. “Tell her you saved Earth.”
“N-no. She blocked my dumbass. I’ll r-respect her boundaries and move on. I’m just glad she achieved her dream.”
“That’s mature of you,” Staress said.
Leland considered shrugging but decided it wasn’t worth the pain. “D-did I p-pass the medicine interview?”
“Yes, Lee. Congratulations.”
“Huh…”
It took a few seconds for the news to truly sink in. When it finally did, Leland closed his eyes and something between pride and satisfaction burned within him.
“M-m-makes sense.”