Abner tried to break free from the creature's grip, struggling to move his mechanical arms and legs as best he could, making a tremendous racket—metal clanging against the floor, scraping it, along with the harsh electronic noises emitted by his mechanisms.
The Ijo noticed immediately. At first, it twisted into a malicious, distorted grin, revealing sharp, rotten teeth dripping with blood and mucus. Then, slowly, it applied light pressure to the area of Abner's arm between the shoulder and elbow, pressing down with the palm of its grotesque hand.
The pressure increased.
Abner understood its intent.
His eyes widened in pure terror, locked onto the creature as it began to laugh—a sadistic, disturbing sound, almost like a shriek.
Slowly, the arm began to bend. Metallic tendons creaked and frayed under the immense force. Blood and oil spurted out in small bursts, like a punctured balloon. The pressure intensified suddenly, and Abner screamed like a damned soul, electrical sounds escaping his mouth as if his entire system were collapsing from within.
The arm began to fracture.
The metal itself seemed to scream, like a child crying in unbearable agony. Internal fluids burst violently, flooding the floor and splattering across the lieutenant. A sound, almost alive—like bones snapping—grew louder and louder, each sickening crack feeding the creature's twisted, almost perverse pleasure.
Then—
The arm snapped.
A final surge of pressure crushed the structure beneath the metal completely, forcing the last of the fluids out, spilling over the monster's hand as it rested against the ground, covering it in Abner's organic debris.
This time, the lieutenant screamed even louder.
"Fuck!"
His voice nearly broke. The echo rippled down the corridor like the shockwave of an explosion.
No one heard him.
Abner had lost his mind.
Blood and oil sprayed from his mouth. His eyes were red, veined, burning with fury. He breathed rapidly, erratically—his metallic, distorted breath cutting through the air as he growled, like he was becoming something feral.
For a few seconds, he did nothing.
It was as if his suppressed rage clashed with the fear of a response that might be his last. He felt paralyzed—not just physically. His restraint was mental, a psychological chain binding him, intensifying the violence within him. It felt like a muzzle had been forced onto him, another restraint keeping him from speaking.
He wasn't afraid.
Not truly.
He refused to break.
"I'll gut you… like a pig… you demonic bastard…"
His voice was hoarse, heavy. Each word sounded like it was choking its way out. Oil, mixed with blood, pooled at the edges of his mouth, clogging his throat. From his left eye—brutally disfigured—fluid leaked from the gap between the eyeball and its metal socket, resembling tears, though it was nothing more than internal pressure building to a breaking point.
The Ijo stared at him, savoring it.
It leaned closer to his half-destroyed face, snarling deeply. Its breath hissed like acid on raw flesh as its torn cheeks stretched wider, revealing more teeth. Then it let out another powerful roar that nearly stunned the lieutenant.
At the same time, it brought its foot down on Abner's right leg.
It shattered instantly.
The knee joint exploded under the force, fragments scattering as fluids sprayed in every direction.
Abner screamed again.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get used to the pain.
Then the Ijo crushed his other leg. Not just once—it smashed it repeatedly, breaking it in multiple places, tearing pieces off with its hands, ripping the limb apart as metal shrieked and bent like something begging for mercy. It tore off what remained and hurled the pieces aside like chunks of meat.
Abner couldn't move anymore.
The sheer violence inflicted on his body made him nauseous. His consciousness flickered—his body felt patchy, with only small areas still alive while the rest had gone completely numb. His vision blurred into red and black as blood and oil seeped into his eyes, building unbearable pressure.
In the chaos, he couldn't even see Toria—still unconscious on the ground.
The Ijo had already noticed her.
But it approached Abner first.
Its intent was obvious: You first. Then her.
Abner couldn't see it.
His vision was gone. All he could do was whimper weakly, his throat clogged with fluid.
"Help… God… help…"
The Ijo grabbed his last remaining arm—not to crush it, but to hold him in place.
Breaking limbs no longer satisfied it.
It wanted something quicker. Something final.
It was bored.
It opened its jaws—far beyond what should have been possible—its cheeks split wide, exposing rows of teeth. It was seconds away from biting down and tearing out the lieutenant's throat in a single motion.
Abner felt its hot, toxic breath.
He struggled again.
That pleased the creature.
"Stay… back…"
Speaking had become nearly impossible.
There was nothing left to do.
First him.
Then Toria.
The Ijo was almost euphoric, moments away from tearing away the last trace of life from a being it deemed inferior.
Then—
A burst of gunfire tore through its jaw, obliterating it completely. Flesh and fragments hit the ground, bouncing off Abner's broken body as blood poured into the cracks of his mechanical frame.
More rounds pierced its chest, tearing through its bone-like armor.
The Ijo recoiled—angry now.
"Come on, fire!" Hansen shouted, reloading his KBW rifle as he and a squad of ten soldiers rushed the beast.