CHAPTER 28: ABSOLUTE MIGHT
Rumble... crash... drip...
Shattered stone, fine dust, twisted metal, and the rhythmic splatter of blood. The room was a graveyard of debris.
In the center of the wreckage stood Rodem. He stood in a pool of fresh crimson, his body coiled in a half-crouch, his breath coming in heavy, machine-like rasps that hissed through his mask.
In front of him were Ren Shiroki, Akagi Shigeru, Madarame Baku, and Kaji Takaomi.
The slicked-back mercenary—their former guide—was currently pinned against the wall by the heavy metal door Rodem had launched. He wasn't dead yet, but he was barely human anymore.
Through the speaker on Rodem's harness, Q-Taro's voice cackled with manic glee.
{ Magnificent, Rodem! Your landing was perfect! Now, show these guests the true meaning of your power! }
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to freeze. Aside from Rodem's ragged breathing, everything was silent. The air was so thick with the scent of iron and malice that it was physically difficult to inhale.
"Hah... huff..."
A second later, Kaji Takaomi finally remembered to breathe. He looked around wildly, his mind screaming that this was all a nightmare. He looked at Baku—the Lie Eater—and saw that Baku's eyes were wide, fixed on Rodem. Baku was thinking so hard, processing so many variables, that a thin trail of blood began to leak from his nose, though he didn't seem to notice.
Then he looked at Akagi. The Man of the Divine Realm was as calm as ever. A few beads of cold sweat stood out on his forehead, but his eyes were clear, cold, and unnervingly steady.
"..."
Kaji couldn't understand them. He couldn't grasp how they could look at a monster like Rodem and not collapse. Then, he heard them both whisper at the same time.
"This is... fun!!"
"How interesting..."
The words were different, but the sentiment was the same. Kaji remembered Baku's earlier analysis: "Q-Taro is seeking pleasure, which means he has openings."
Did that mean these two were full of openings now, too? Or was this how "Monsters" communicated?
Kaji looked at Ren Shiroki. The youth had already tightened his fists. He had settled into a side-facing stance—a variation of Karate that looked more aggressive, more "alive" than anything Kaji had seen in a dojo. Ren wasn't scared. His eyes were burning with a predatory fire.
Ren is going to fight that... thing?
The realization hit Kaji like a physical blow. Either they were all about to win, or they were all about to die.
The silence was shattered by a wet, gurgling scream.
"GAHHH—!"
It came from behind the metal door. The slicked-back mercenary was still conscious. His lower body had been pulverized by the impact—effectively crushed to the waist—and only the massive surge of adrenaline was keeping him from fading out.
"You... you monster... killing your own people..."
Driven by the frantic energy of a dying man, the mercenary reached out. The submachine gun Kaji had dropped earlier was lying just inches from his fingers.
He snatched it up and aimed it at Rodem with a trembling hand.
"Get down!" Ren shouted, and the four of them scrambled into the alcoves of the corridor for cover.
"DIE, YOU FREAK!"
The mercenary pulled the trigger.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
A lead curtain of 9mm rounds swept across the room toward Rodem. At this range, in a confined space, even a novice should have turned the giant into a colander.
But Rodem didn't die.
He dropped into a low crouch, his boots hammering the floor. He didn't just run; he moved with a speed that defied human anatomy. He sprinted across the floor, vaulted over a piece of rubble, and then—impossibly—ran vertically along the concrete wall for several steps, using his momentum to stay parallel to the ground.
Zip—Zip—Zip!
He was moving faster than a dying man's eyes could track. Every bullet missed, burying themselves harmlessly into the concrete where Rodem had been a fraction of a second prior.
The magazine clicked empty. The mercenary slumped against the wall, his eyes wide with despair. Rodem stood directly over him.
"Please... have mercy..."
Hearing the plea, Q-Taro's voice erupted from the comms in a peal of laughter.
{ Hahaha! This is why you are trash. }
{ Begging for your life when the game is over? To live purely for survival is to not live at all. Life only begins when you walk through the fire, when you are carved by scars and hardened by agony! }
The dying mercenary ground his teeth and suddenly produced a hidden sidearm, firing two last shots.
Bang! Bang!
Rodem twisted his torso mid-air, the bullets grazing his vest as he landed.
"This... guy..." Rodem's voice was a guttural rasp behind the mask. "He fired... thirty-two rounds. He is... out..."
Q-Taro gasped in delight. { Oh! Incredible, Rodem! You even counted the rounds! You truly are my masterpiece! }
{ As for you, you useless failure... the appetizers are finished. }
Q-Taro gave the word. "Kill."
Before the mercenary could speak, Rodem lashed out with a kick. It wasn't a tactical strike; it was a execution.
BOOM!
Rodem's combat boot slammed into the mercenary's head. The force was so absolute that the man's skull vanished into the concrete. Rodem's foot buried itself three inches deep into the structural wall, turning the mercenary's head into a memory and the wall into a spiderweb of cracks.
This wasn't the "Iron Plate" trick Komada had used. This was pure, unadulterated, Absolute Might.
Rodem pulled his foot from the wall and slowly turned his masked head. He locked onto the corner where the four remaining targets were hiding.
{ Run, you fools! } Q-Taro's voice echoed through the hallway.
{ Lie Eater? Man of the Divine Realm? I don't care what they call you! Now is the time to regret your 'Normal' lives! Run and show me how much you fear death! Hahahaha! }
To Q-Taro's shock, his "prey" didn't run.
"Heh. I thought you were going to say something profound," Akagi said, stepping out from the shadows first. "But you're just a boring old man with a script."
The Man of the Divine Realm smoothed his hair, a thin smile on his face. "Running? Hiding? We've already moved past that error. We aren't making the same mistake twice."
"Right, Ren-kun?"
"..."
Ren Shiroki stepped into the dim light of the corridor.
In his mind's eye, the vision was crowded. He could see the phantom of Ryu standing to his left, watching the enemy with a stoic gaze. And behind him, he felt the massive, boisterous shadow of the second master, his hand resting on Ren's shoulder, urging him forward with a grin.
Ren exhaled a cloud of heat, the "Hado" in his veins beginning to hum. He looked at Rodem and gave a casual "come-hither" motion with his hand.
"Come on..."
Ren's voice was low, steady, and full of a terrifying confidence.
"Come at me, Rodem. I'm the one you're looking for."