While I had planned that my speech would unite our group, it appears that I was successful. At least, it seems that I managed to unite Claire and Mikangleo against me. The two of them stared in my direction with unsteady determination as they pointed their weapons in my direction. My mind raced with possible solutions to this predicament, but I had faith that I could turn things around. Truthfully, I would rather not fight them.
I viewed both of them favorably despite their annoying class war rivalry, and I genuinely felt that I could do something with them. There was something about them that stirred my intuition. If I were able to gain the strength I want and build on it, then I imagine I could establish a significant partnership with them. Mikangleo would be more inclined to work with me, and I could fulfill my promise to Claire.
With Claire's family back in power, I could be provided with enough lenience to fulfill my ambitions. That is why I steeled my resolve, hoping to remind them of my power. With Catalyst in hand, I stepped forward toward them, but then it was too late.
Before I had realized it, something slammed into me from behind. At the same time, it wasn't too powerful; whatever it was, it caused me to fly forward and crash near the Kick-Rat. The creature scrambled out of the way in self-preservation as pain rushed through my body from the impact. My vision went blurred as my glasses and I were separated from each other again. In my tumble, I managed to lose my grip on Catalyst, and the spear was left rolling against the grass.
"Marktavious!" Claire exclaimed.
"Nibba?! NIbba!"
The Kick-Rat's tone shifted immediately as I quickly moved to regain my footing. While pain gripped my muscles, I willed them to unlock. My glasses were the first thing I retrieved, and with them placed onto my face, I was able to see whatever attacked me from behind. I will admit that my awareness is sometimes faulty, but this is the second time a large creature has snuck up on me. First, the Lynx managed to loudly stomp into its cave without dragging me out of my daze, but now this creature used my monologue as the perfect opportunity to unleash its attack.
I was starting to question how reliable these enhanced Kitsune senses actually are, but even as I stood and looked at it, I began to understand why. Standing before us was a bipedal creature akin to our Kick-Rat companion. While our Kick-Rat companion was small and pleasant to look at, this creature was like staring down a juggernaut.
The best way to imagine it would be a rat doing the fusion dance with an armadillo and a kangaroo. It was at least six feet tall with a rat-like face and bulging kangaroo physique. Down the spine of the creature was a segmented shell, similar to that of an armadillo, and it stared at us in silence. Its sense mirrored the forests, and its dark brown fur had traces of green leaf-like hairs atop its head. It was hiding in the shadows of the trees before stepping over the tree that I felled with Catalyst.
That thing had to have weighed at least two hundred pounds, and despite the large tail, it moved with the silence of a ninja. Its wide brown eyes scanned over us before firmly resting on our Kick-Rat guide. The Kick-Rat bared its teeth and hissed in defiance. However, despite its bravery, the creature before us had it beat in weight and size.
"Tch- You two saw that big ass creature, and decided to say nothing," I hissed at my two companions.
Claire and Mikangleo stepped away from the creature with their weapons raised high, but it ignored their actions.
"Careful, Marktavious," Claire hissed back as she made her way toward my new location. "I've heard of creatures like this, but I never expected to see one so large and..."
"Powerful." Mikangleo finished as a bead of sweat raced down his temple. "No hasty movements."
I imagined that they knew about this creature, and considering the Kick-Rat's lack of movement, I imagined it knew about it too. The Kick-Rat continued its low hissing, but it made no unnecessary movements.
What is this thing?" I inquired to them once they shuffled behind me.
"Nibba." The Kick-Rat responded, which raised my eyebrow.
"A Bronze Kongarillo... well, a very large Bronze Kongarillo," Claire answered. "Kongarillos are territorial and easily angered. Your display must've drawn it here."
This was new to me. I had never seen a Kongarillo before, so that meant this was a new species. Kongarillos didn't exist within Infinity Unleashed to my knowledge, but then again, I wasn't a monster expert. The way they were dumbfounded and fearful of it to the point of silence indicated to me that this creature was terrifying. Hell, had I not been me, it is possible that the attack that hit me could've broken bones or killed me.
The Kongarillo stared blankly at us, and that is when I noticed the glint of intelligence within its eyes. It was assessing us, and the way it began sauntering towards us told me that it had made its decision. I chuckled softly before clenching my fists and smirking.
"The one who strikes the first blow gains the upper hand, so you squandered yours!" I bellowed as I rushed the creature.
Stunned briefly by my rush, the Kongarillo hesitated for a moment, and in that moment, I seized my opportunity. This creature wasn't as big as the Lynx, and I had grown stronger since my first day in this world, so I landed a haymaker against my opponent; there was no surprise in the result. The Kongarillo's head snapped to the right as my mighty blow slammed into its rat-like face.
The attack rocked the creature, causing it to stagger backwards while flailing its muscular arms. Audible gasps of shock erupted from my allies, but I tuned out their calls to stop my actions. I didn't listen. Instead, I doubled down with my attack by flatlining the Kongarillo in his torso with a punch powerful enough to propel it airborne. The momentum carried the two-hundred-pound monster into the treeline with a thunderous crash.
"I told a creature more powerful than you that I am the only one fit to stomach the role of the apex predator in this cave, Beast. It is beneath me to allow an inferior creature to that behemoth to lay its hands or feet on me without due repercussions!" I declared, while pumping my fist at my right side.
While my companions attempted to tell me something, I stubbornly tuned them out to focus on my new opponent. Of course, that turned out to be the correct choice, as not even a minute later, the Kongarillo rose from the wreckage of the trees and pulled itself back into the clearing with us. It shook its head with the nonchalance of a heavyweight champion and locked eyes with me. The muscles of the monster tensed as the creature's tail slammed against the ground repeatedly.
To give the Kongarillo credit, this was one well-tempered monster. It was genuinely weighing its options at the moment, and I could tell by its wandering pupils. They moved from me to Claire and then to Mikangleo. It snorted softly before turning its body toward the Kick-Rat, before sloppily licking its lips. I didn't know how to take that reaction, but I assumed that it was ready to eat the smaller creature.
"We should retreat while we still can. It isn't seeing us as a threat to his territory, so we shouldn't continue to provoke it," Claire scolded, but her words fell on deaf ears.
I was about to rush it again when the Kongarillo hunched over to all fours and then let out a weird cough in my direction. It made me stop in my tracks before something peculiar transpired to the beast. Its eyes began bulging as it rose to its feet to look down at me. An unexpected sense of dread washed over me as I witnessed the muscular creature expand in size. Its muscle mass doubled, and its height shot up by four inches, making it taller than I am.
Its nose puffed as it leaped at me with inhumane speed. Its powerful arms wrapped around my body as the Kongarillo trucked me like a linebacker and began dragging me through the shrubbery. I attempted to break its hold on me, but I soon realized those initial attempts were pointless. With the new size and weight, the Kongarillo was powerful enough to slam against a nearby tree.
It is likely that I fractured a few ribs when the dense body of the creature sandwiched me against the tree, but it didn't deter me. I ignored the pain and headbutted the creature in its face without restraint. While it did daze me, I was able to break free of Kongarillo's vice grip. It hopped backward, and I launched an overhead right punch at the monster, blasting it with another stunning blow. It was clear that the Kongarillo never faced an opponent who fought like I did. Its head was wide open for every jab and uppercut I threw its way.
It was amusing to see Kongarillo's head bob from each powerful punch, as if every time I hit it had stunned it. You would think that after my sixth jab into a leaning uppercut would have forced the creature to back up, but it just ate each punch like a champion. It wasn't until I scrambled away from the tree that it launched itself in my direction again.
This time, I was ready for the charge and sidestepped the leap. The momentum of the creature carried it back into the clearing toward my allies. I heard their startled cries and channeled my momentum. I rushed into the clearing and, with a leap into he sky, I brought a punishing axe kick on top of its shoulder.
'Damn, I missed!'
While a kick to the shoulder of a normal creature would be devastating, it didn't faze the Kongarillo. The creature's shoulders were as stiff as metal and deflected my attack with its passive defense. I expected to tumble down, but it didn't come to fruition right away. I wobbled off balance, and with that same intelligent glint flashing, the Kongarillo slammed its solid frame into me.
It was as if a brick wall sprouted legs and ran into me. Despite bracing for it, I still was knocked onto the ground. Kongarillo snorted with distress as the creature shifted its focus to Claire, who had begun charging it. I watched as her sword slammed into the creature's chest and did absolutely nothing. Not a single scratch appeared on its muscular frame, and it looked at her with a tilt of its head.
There was a look of disbelief on Kongarillo's face as it looked between its chest and her sword. Claire was equally stunned by her disbelief as her sword failed even to graze its chest. The woman wavered for a moment, and that is something you shouldn't do. Had this creature been quicker with the uptake, she would have been in danger. Luckily for her, I was able to climb to my feet due to her distraction.
I slammed my shoulder into Kongarillo's waist, and without much resistance, I lifted and powered it back a few feet. It snorted before I felt sharp claws dig into my back.
"Fuck!" I shouted as fearsome claws dug into my flesh.
Immediately, I released my hold around its waist and ignored the burning pain of my gouged flesh. I quickly pulled away from the Kangarillo. I thought I was quick enough to escape any follow-up, but I was soon proved wrong. For the briefest of moments, I felt the world go back. A sickly crunch filled my keen ears, and I realized that the origin of my intense pain was my nose.
With a trick out of my book, the Kangrillo had headbutted me and broken my nose. Blood oozed from my nostrils as I backpedaled to recover from my shock. My eyes flew wide as I watched the creature flex its muscles at me and snort. I covered my nose with my hand before raising it to my face, so that I could see it. As expected, my palm was smeared with blood.
"No bad, but is that it?" I asked it.
The Kongarillo snorted in response before flashing its bloody claws for his display. While it could be seen as an intimidation method, I wasn't the least bit spooked by it. I instead held my hand toward Claire and looked at the woman.
"Save your energy, but I do appreciate the assistance. You can help accelerate my healing once I'm finished," I said.
The blonde woman nodded with acceptance before stepping back to join Mikangleo and the Kick-Rat.
"I will do as you say for now, but I can't allow you to get yourself killed. Your friends would not be soon forgiving if that were to happen," She responded while sheathing her sword.
"Admirable, but I am not so weak that a wild animal would be my undoing."
As soon as I finished my statement, the Kongarillo charged me without hesitation. The large body of the beast bounded in my direction with two hops, but he was not going to tackle me again. I avoided his bounce by sidestepping and then rewound my fist to blast it with a haymaker with my dominant hand. The punch landed firmly against the side of its head, and the Kongarillo was thrown off balance. Its tail flailed into overdrive as it attempted to regain its balance.
"You have impressed me, Cretin, but that doesn't mean you are my equal!"
My words sank in thoroughly after each powerful punch I delivered to the Kongarillo's face. Its eyes were as wide as saucers as I traded between my right and left fists with incredible efficiency. Each blow sounded as if a shotgun pelted the thick skin of the large Kongarillo until finally it couldn't handle anymore. With defiance and rising anger, the Kongarillo attempted to strike me with its tail, but I managed to jump over it.
"Watch and behold the power of your superior; Artic Palm Smash!"
With the move being called upon, I finalized the Kongarillo's resistance with a falling palm strike right between the eyes. With the combination of my dive from my jump, combined with my weight and power, the poor, but powerful creature's eyes briefly went white as it slumped to the ground with a loud thump.
I stuck the landing without much effort, and it was then that I noted my superhuman agility. While it was obvious that I had it now, there was no reason not to admire it. Being a Kitsune had many upsides compared to being a human on Earth. Even when I was reaching my peak as an athlete when I was younger, there was no chance in hell that I would be able to perform any of the feats that I can now. It isn't solely the superhuman jumping either, while it is superior now than before, I had always jumped higher than most of my peers. It was a reason that I was chosen whenever I chose to play basketball, but now I could soar over city walls and atop trees with a single consideration.
Of course, I can't always stick the landing properly, and this one was no exception. MY buckle backed once I landed from the palm strike, and there was a popping sensation from my left knee. I immediately understood what was happening, so I allowed gravity to take me to my ass. This is how I initially tore my ACL in that same knee, and so I've become quite proficient in recognizing that I had overtaxed it.
When I fell, Claire rushed to my side immediately, and I could feel her magical energy beginning to flow into me. Her face was quite serious, but I knew that she was concerned more than anything. From their perspective, I must have taken a nasty landing, and that is because I did. However, I was used to the repercussions of pushing my body to its limits, but this time it was different. While I didn't doubt my body would heal naturally from it, I was grateful that Claire was proficient in the art of magically healing.
"Were you impressed by my courage and valor? I did fight valiantly, so if you want to praise me-"
"You were reckless again," She scolded, cracking a smile. "Your strength is impressive as well as your determination, but I am surprised you and your friends made it to Astana if you make decisions like this one. That Kongarillo was huge, and yet you grappled with it. It is the height of ludacraicy."
"It is, but it was necessary to tackle it head-on. I suspect he wanted to munch on our new friend," I said, gesturing toward the approaching Kick-Rat.
The smaller rat-like creature waddled towards us and offered me another reocot. Its eyes were glinting with respect, and I took its offering. Claire was surprised by the display, and to my surprise, she suddenly burst into laughter. Her laughter was infectious, causing me to join in the fun.
"Nibba."
I nodded along with the creature's words and began chewing on the offered fruit. The distinct bitterness of the fruit made my lips pucker, but I was confident that I allowed my appreciation to bleed through. I smiled at the Kick-Rat, looking over at my knee. Thanks to Claire's magic, I was quickly mended and ready to stand up again. She would assist me in that endeavour without reservation.
"It is unlikely that would be the case. Kongrillos usually dine solely on plants and fruits, but they are extremely territorial. While they are usually smaller, I am surprised you were able to match a much larger one in strength," Claire said.
"I can see why. This one was a worthy opponent, but it wasn't enough to match my strength, and I wasn't even firing at full strength. Had I been a normal being and not what I am, then I could easily see one of these Kongarillos running rampant," I responded before taking another bite from the reocot.
She nodded in agreement and joined me in my approach to the downed creature. Its eyes focused slowly, but that was to be expected. My Artic Palm Strike was a devastating move, despite my coming up with it on the spot. While I was quickly able to shatter tree trunks with minimal effort, it was a given that an attack bolstered by gravity and actual effort would devastate the one who received it.
"What are your plans now? Will you end its life and sell the parts?" Claire asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
"The best part of being a god is granting divine mercy to those who wrong them. It may have attacked me, but I have won our war. That means that I can allow it to roam in the wild with this memory fresh in its mind."
"What makes you think that it would give this encounter a second thought in the future?" She asked with a tilt of her head.
I gestured to the Kongarillo's eyes, which finally settled to a glare in my direction. The Kongarillo began to stir, and we stepped back to give the creature space to return to its feet. It snorted softly and shook its head to sharpen its focus. We didn't take any action to deter it, and as such, we had no further problems with it.
"Whatever caused him to attack me initially seems to be settled now," I said as we watched the Kongarillo shuffle my way.
My tail flickered eagerly as I offered the Kongarillo my half-eaten reocot as a peace offering. I didn't expect his acceptance, so I couldn't help but smile when I saw the tall beast reach its hand out and take the fruit. I puffed my chest out proudly as the majestic beast began munching on the fruit as well. Baffled by our sharing of the fruit, Claire looked at me as if she had seen something unbelievable.
"I offer an apology for destroying your property, if that tree was yours. Just turn a blind eye this time, and on our way out, I'll bring you an offering as a symbol of our goodwill," I said to the Kongarillo.
The Kongarillo looked at me, and its hardened gaze softened slightly. It snorted before turning away and began walking toward the way it had arrived.
"And just like that, I am the King of the Kongarillos," I declared with a triumphant head nod.
Claire stepped in front of me with a confused expression.
"That is quite the ridiculous statement in a line of ludicrous statements. However, your boldness when declaring absurd things does entertain me, Sir Shakey Tail."
"You say that as if I were the one making the rules. I simply follow the rules of nature as it is finely laid out in the wild. The strong rule the weak and whatnot," I retorted, turning to face Mikangleo and the Kick-Rat. "I appreciate the assistance, Mikangleo. Your loyalty and bravery are always appreciated."
He bristled at my sarcasm as he returned his throwing knives to wherever he had them hidden in his coat. His face was tinged with annoyance as the man stepped closer to me and glared into my eyes. Upon his approach, I placed my hands on his shoulder and flashed a cocky smile toward the man.
"You are nothing but trouble. Not everyone would be reckless enough to fight hand-to-hand with a monster, but it seems I've lucked out and found one of them. You seem capable enough, so why seek out more strength?" Mikangleo questioned with shadows under his eyes.
"My goal is self-serving. I need the strength necessary to fulfill my ambition and to guide my future allies down a perilous path properly. It is often the case that people follow the strongest individual around, regardless of the aspect of strength that is being demonstrated. In that case, I require the strength necessary to be considered one of those strong individuals," I explained.
"Aren't you concerned that you've bitten off more than you can chew? What if, on this perilous path, you find yourself challenged with the reality that you'll never accomplish your ambition?! That you weren't good enough to live up to the lofty ideals that you hold within your heart! The schemes of nobles often circumvent powerful individuals, and many of them hold power as a result of their strength. Are you saying that your goal is to acquire power and join their ranks?!" Mikangleo asked, riled with passion.
His words were a bit too much to process at first, but I stepped away from him and began pacing back and forth. Claire appeared to be interested in my response as well, which added a bit of pressure to provide a satisfactory answer. The only one who wasn't interested was the Kick-Rat, who had begun to collect his sled of fruit. Once he gained control of it, he turned my way, and I started following it after I regained Catalyst from the grass.
"The day that I come across that reality is the day that I meet my end. I'd be dead, and there would be no point in worrying about it. The only thing certain is that, no matter what transpires, if I am still breathing and living, then that reality will never come to pass. If I am challenged, then my answer will always be the same, Mikangleo... I must rise above it. I can't allow the fear of failure to shackle me into indecision. I can not allow the influence and thoughts of others to keep me from reaching my full potential," I declared.
The man bristled once again at my declaration, and I could tell even over my shoulder that something within the man was struck. His eyes hardened as I sensed his resolve begin to stiffen with his silence. I expected some reply from Claire, but it seemed that my words struck something within her as well. That was something I did not expect, but I allowed them to stew in my words longer.