Instinctively, Axel raised his left arm high overhead to block the incoming hit. The force of the club shattered through his arm with brutal efficiency, causing the blow to miss his head by mere inches.
"Ahhhhh!" Axel shrieked, his voice tearing through the chaotic battlefield as he clutched his shattered arm, desperately trying to flee from the relentless Fatek alien.
But his attempt was futile. The Fatek alien grabbed him by the neck, its iron grip lifting him off the ground. Axel felt his breath being squeezed out of him, panic surging through his veins.
'Shit! It's squeezing the life out of me! At this rate, I won't be able to dodge anymore... I can't even muster the Mana for my ability...'
Axel's vision blurred as he watched the Fatek alien pull back its hand, preparing to deliver a deadly swing aimed directly at his face. This was the end...
**SPLOOOSH!**
A spray of blood followed the brutal attack, and the Fatek alien let out a piercing scream. Its arm, the one holding the club, had been torn off at the shoulder. Axel's mind raced, struggling to comprehend who could have executed such a swift and precise attack.
Guild Leader Kart stood over the Fatek alien, his bloodied battle axe still humming with the aftermath of his powerful strike. With a grim determination, Kart swung the axe again, this time at the alien's throat, beheading it in one clean motion. The alien's grip on Axel's neck loosened, and its massive body crumpled to the floor with a resounding thud.
"ARRCCHHKK!" Axel fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his hand instinctively reaching to soothe his bruised neck. He was sure that another second in that alien's grasp would have resulted in his neck being shattered completely. 'He saved me... He killed that Fatek alien in less than a minute without breaking a sweat... As expected of the Guild Leader.'
Kart approached Axel, stretching out a hand to pull him up.
"Don't die on me yet, Mr. Teras," Kart said, his voice firm but carrying an undercurrent of concern.
Axel forced a weak smile, gripping Kart's strong hand as he was pulled back to his feet. As he steadied himself, he took in the battlefield around them. The scene was far worse than he had anticipated.
"I've never seen Fatek come from walls before," Axel admitted, a gnawing dread settling in his gut. The Fatek were supposed to be predictable, but this... this was something else entirely.
"Neither have I," Kart replied, his tone heavy with worry. "This is new territory for us. The aliens must be upgrading themselves again. This is another edge they have against us in this war."
The weight of Kart's words pressed down on Axel. He knew what it meant—things were bad, very bad. 'The war hasn't been going well for humans these days... If only I could be someone good enough to assist... Instead, I'm nothing.'
"Axel!..."
She was covered in her own blood, her face contorted with pain and fear. The same look of helplessness that Axel had worn just moments ago was now etched across her features. She was begging for help, just as he had.
"Don't do it, don't hurt her!" Axel screamed, leaping to his feet and running toward them, his hand outstretched in a futile attempt to reach her.
The Fatek alien boss laughed, a deep, mocking sound that reverberated through the chamber. "Human weak, puny," it sneered, tightening its grip on Veka.
Tears streamed down Axel's face as he pushed himself harder, stretching out his hand to cover the last distance between him and Veka. 'Again, I'm too late... I'm always too late or too weak to make a difference... All my life, I've always been less privileged to save anyone! Why is it always this way?'
Axel's voice broke as he screamed, pouring every ounce of his will into that last desperate lunge, when—
**SPLAT!**
Veka's head exploded under the Fatek alien boss's grip, her lifeless body crumpling to the ground. The sight of her brutal death sent a wave of cold, paralyzing shock through Axel's system.
"You bastard!" Axel roared, his voice thick with rage and grief. He threw himself at the Fatek alien boss, flinging his fist at its gut. But his attack was useless, his fist skidding off the alien's rock-hard flesh like it was striking a concrete wall.
"Meat!" The Fatek alien boss sneered, grabbing Axel by the throat and lifting him off the ground with a single hand. The crushing pressure on his neck sent shockwaves of pain through his body, snapping bones in the process.
"Ecchk!" Axel choked out, his scream muffled as his airways were constricted. Everything was happening so fast that he wasn't sure if he was already dead or not.
His blood rushed to his brain, and his vision turned red. His entire body was battered, broken, and beyond repair. 'Damn! Is this how useless I am? I've always been a disgrace to my family. Maybe it would be better if it ended here...
But...'
'I don't want to give up just yet! I want to become stronger, I want to be a great hunter, I want to catch up to those who have left me behind! I want to make not just my parents proud... But myself.'
Axel's eyes widened in terror as the Fatek alien boss opened its massive jaws, revealing rows of sharp, gleaming fangs. The beast was preparing to devour him, to rip his head from his body and plunge him into eternal darkness.
'This is it... In both worlds, the strong devour the weak. But I also want to live... Shouldn't the weak have a choice?'
With that final thought, the Fatek alien boss plunged Axel's head in, and a feint scream echoed afterwards...