He found the anxiety washed away, blinking once as he found the Fulminare of silver dreadlocks a dozen meters away, blinking again before–the frightening entity was right in front of him.
"Don't doze off in front of your enemy!" The Fulminare warrior shouted with an ear-to-ear smile, bringing his hammer up.
It was only through his enhanced reflexes did he even register the incredible speed possessed by the Fulminare in that moment, bringing him to naturally jump back to place distance between them.
'This guy is seven foot, at least–I didn't expect him to be that fast–I have to stay focused, or I'll die,' Seven thought, landing on his feet amidst the battle-torn, tucked-away forest.
Just as his feet touched the leaf-ridden soil, he witnessed the superhuman being swing the hammer even from a few meters away. In that split-second, he could see the air contorting around that blunt instrument of destruction, bringing his arms in front of him like a makeshift shield.
[Lethal attack recognized. Hardening muscles to maximum capacity.]
Across his body, every fiber seemed to tighten and stiffen like a steel-clad statue, preparing for the unavoidable force. As the hammer was swept up by the smiling destroyer, all he could see was a storm of dirt tore up in front of him before the force pushed against him.
"Ngh!--"
It lifted him off his feet, ringing through the marrow of his bones as every millimeter of his body felt as though it was cracking away from the hammer's aftershock. He felt his back slam against a tree, knocking the air out of his lungs along with blood from his nose and ears.
'Hurts–can't breathe…Lungs…burning,' Seven thought, gasping out as he struggled to pick himself up.
[Blunt trauma recognized.]
[Lungs…Kidney…Stomach…Spinal integrity, damaged.]
As the system diagnosed the problems he didn't need any help recognizing, he coughed out droplets of blood, struggling so much as to even move while hearing the stomps of the Fulminare.
To his surprise, even though all he did was nearly get blown to bits in a single strike, a prompt appeared in his view of improvement:
[EXP: +120]
[Level 5 reached.] [5/80]
[Adjusting genetic structure.]
[Breaking down muscle fibers. Enhancing tendons and ligaments in response to physical limitations. Increasing density of bones, prioritizing defensive adaptations.]
[Current Status: Low-Degree Superhuman | Third Stage]
The bones in his body cracked and reconfigured as he gasped out in pain, feeling his own spine slithering in his back like a snake before setting itself in place. It was an extraordinary amount of pain, feeling the very foundation of his body adjust itself in the moment, though he gritted his teeth through it.
"//The Fulminare is approaching, Seven–! Move, right now!" Dr. Goldstein's voice played through his earpiece.
There was no warning needed as he could feel the weight of the golden-skinned being's powerful steps just a few meters shy of himself. He kicked his feet up, using the momentum to bring himself to his feet swiftly.
As expected in that split-second, there was a look of shock on the Fulminare warrior's face, as if not expecting there to be a chance the "mere" human could've survived the attack.
Seven pointed Mjolnir at the towering figure, practically pressing the barrel against the being's bare, golden chest before pulling the trigger. It felt more like having to squeeze down a thousand pound grip before it clicked–
THWOOM
He found himself sliding back several meters as the kick slammed against his shoulder, witnessing the prototype weapon release projectiles that exploded with cerulean flames.
"Gruhh!--" The Fulminare fighter let out a pained yell.
The impact shook the surrounding trees of the government-secured forest, brushing the leaves with the experimental blast.
'That doc wasn't kidding–this thing packs a punch!' Seven realized, feeling his arm ache, though not focusing on it as he watched the aftershock of the weapon's trigger pull.
As the flames dispersed, the silhouette of the bulky-framed figure returned to his sight, still remaining on his feet despite taking the blast point-blank.
"That really stung, y'know!? That's the first time something in this world has hurt me! Ha-ha!" The Fulminare warrior laughed, casting the smoke away with a stomp of his foot.
It was a frightening sight, seeing small holes placed through the golden skin of the Fulminare, leaking blood, though nothing enough to stop the brute.
'The Mjolnir wasn't enough—? How's he still standing after that?!' Seven wondered in shock.
A transmission from the doctor buzzed into his ear, though he didn't listen as he found that massive hammer swinging his way again. With how fast it came from the brute, all he could do was lift the prototype weapon as a makeshift shield in front of his body.
Before the strength of the blunt weapon, the gun was crushed like a plastic toy, only somewhat mitigating the impact. Seven found himself thrown off his feet again as the wind was knocked out of his lungs.
He felt his back slam against a tree before he was able to breathe again.
"//Seven! You need to avoid the enemy's weapon! Further direct hits will compromise your life!" The doctor's voice rang in his ear.
The advice from the earpiece was heard loud and clear as he slowly picked himself up. It was a silver lining, though he found his body not hurting nearly as badly as the first impact.
'My body is evolving and adapting as I push it…Well, I need more—I can't win like this,' he thought.
In front of him once again, the hammer-wielding superhuman arrived with an ear-to-ear grin. The fulminare warrior had his foot raised, bringing Seven to raise his arms in a guard before the kick slammed into his forearms.
"Ngh!—" Seven winced, holding his ground as it felt as though his bones were hit by a train, sliding back several meters.
The Fulminare warrior grinned, "I've never met a human like you! You're worthy of a warrior's death! Be proud to be killed by the hands of Larios!"
Hearing the barbaric figure's proclamation, Seven found himself desperate to overcome his enemy. He dashed forward, throwing his fist against the towering warrior's abdomen.
As his knuckles made contact, it felt more like punching a stone wall than flesh. It hurt him more than Larios as he threw another punch, and another—a dozen later, and nothing to show for it.
Larios stood over him, witnessing the futile assault before letting out an exhale, "—Don't embarrass yourself further. Welcome a death you can be proud of!—"
As the brute spread his arms to prepare to grant him a swift end, time seemed to crawl to a slow in that moment—
[EXP: +300]
[Level 8 reached.] [0/120]
[Adjusting genetic structure.]
[Breaking down muscle fibers. Enhancing tendons and ligaments in response to physical limitations. Elevated output required…Using prototype weapon—"Mjolnir"—as base for genetic reconstruction.]
An alteration came to his body, focusing itself to his arms, shoulders, and back. It felt like a raging river flowed into his limbs as his bones reconfigured and his muscles tightened.
[Genetic Evolution Obtained: Mjolnir]
[Current Status: Mid-Degree Superhuman | Second Stage]
Just as his system presented him the rewards of his efforts, he ducked down as the hulking figure swung the hammer right over his head.
A clear view of the Fulminare's abdomen was in front of him after his quick evasion. What naturally came to him was clenching his fist as his bicep swelled in that split-second.
Adrenaline pumped through his body, accelerating his heart rate as his pupils dilated. Everything was placed into his fist in that moment before—
Like a railgun firing, his arm moved like a piston, allowing his fist to propel against the stomach of the brute. The impact sounded like a bomb going off before finding the Fulminare thrown back.
It was more than he could've ever expected; multiple trees were crushed in the process of Larios being flung away.
"Ah?—" Seven reacted in surprise, looking at his own fist as steam exuded from his knuckles.
[Confirmation of
"//I don't know what you did, kid, but it sure as hell worked! We all felt that one from down here! That was the shotgun, right?!" The voice of the engineer came in through his earpiece with clear excitement.
Everything said through the communication device was hardly heard as he was still in shock at what his own fist had accomplished.
It looked as though a train had run through the forest straight ahead of him, with trees parted and grass split.
"I…did that?" Seven questioned.
Through the scattered leaves, he found the Fulminare warrior stomping back over, though clearly feeling the blow. Larios' body was riddled with cuts, and his abdomen suffering a vast bruise.
"That was great! Exhilarating! Finally—something on this damned planet is worth getting excited for!" Larios shouted as the forest trembled, raising his hammer to the skies.
Once again, the imposing figure erupted towards him. The forest sector trembled as trees quaked with the rush of the Fulminare warrior.
As that hammer rapidly approached with a smile accompanying it, Seven held his ground, clenching his fist. He squeezed his hand shut with everything he had, bringing his bicep to swell.
'Right now, it feels like energy is brimming in my arm—like a bomb ready to explode. I'll unleash it all, right here and end this in one blow,' Seven resolved.
[Maximization of triceps, rotator cuffs, deltoids, hamstrings, and calves activated. Optimizing current action; "Mjolnir Impact."]
Each of the corresponding muscles reconfigured and strengthened in response to his need in that split-second. He waited until the golden-skinned figure was directly in front of him.
Just as he recognized Larios within his striking distance, he released it all, sending his fist forward. Air compressed around his hand as it soared forth, piercing forward before—
"Grrrrh!" A mixture of saliva and blood spat from the Fulminare's mouth.
Seven's fist punched right into the figure's abdomen, drilling through before launching the warrior back with a thunderous shock wave. The recoil from the punch was sent back through his arm, pushing him back in tandem.
"Ghh–" Seven gritted his teeth, catching himself.
With the collapse of tree branches, landing against the ground and kicking up dust, the adrenaline pumping through his body brought him to look around sharply. He was ready to continue fighting, searching for his opponent before his earpiece received a transmission–
"//Seven! We've confirmed it…The vitals of the Fulminare you're fighting–they're gone! You did it…!" The voice of Dr. Goldstein was lost of any professionalism, overwhelmed by relief.
It was just then that he saw it as the dust settled: slumped against a fallen oak, the golden-skinned figure laid lifeless with a hole drilled through his abdomen, contorted to an inhuman degree.
'I did it…? I did…that?' Seven questioned, finally breathing out as the forest around him responded to the force he displayed with fallen branches.
[You have defeated a [7.0 Magnitude] threat to humanity. The appropriate experience will be instilled into your frame.]
[EXP: +500]
[Level 12 reached.] [10/300]
Though he had handled the threat, there was no chance for his body to relax as the acquired experience embedded itself, reconfiguring his internal structure in accordance to the growth.
He momentarily sat to a knee, huffing as he felt the evolution occur. All the while, helicopters descended and the underground elevator rose, with doctors rushing to him and soldiers clearing the aftermath of the battle.
["On that day, I became humanity's first step towards salvation from the Fulminare."]