Thank you Josh Roark (Mass release 6/8)
Axel's vision wavered as his surroundings blurred in and out of focus. His ears rang with the sound of clashing metal and strained cries. He squinted through the haze just in time to see Captain Rowin, arms trembling, struggling beneath the crushing weight of the Fatek Commander's massive war hammer.
A shimmering, invisible barrier of energy flickered around Rowin, but cracks had already started forming.
"Arrggh!" Rowin gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body taut as he fought to hold the barrier intact. The hammer pressed down relentlessly, and with every second that passed, Rowin's resistance grew weaker.
"Come on, Axel!" Rowin's voice cracked with desperation. "You're the only one that can stop this thing!"
Axel, on his knees, gasped for breath. His limbs felt like lead, his entire body sluggish and uncooperative. He tried to rise again, pushing against the ground, but his legs buckled, sending him crashing back down. Pain shot through his body, and his vision swam with dark spots.
"I—I can't..." Axel rasped, barely able to form the words. "I can't get myself together... I need more time."
But time was a luxury they didn't have.
Rowin's barrier flickered again, this time more violently, as the Fatek Commander laughed, his voice a guttural rumble that sent tremors through the ground. The massive war hammer descended, inch by inch, and Rowin's defenses were crumbling.
"Damn it, Axel!" Rowin gasped, his voice weaker now. "If you don't get up, we're going to die!"
Axel clenched his fists, but his body refused to respond. His head pounded, and a nauseating dizziness washed over him, disorienting his senses. **What was wrong with him?**
Then it hit him: the infection. The parasite had left him more vulnerable than he realized. He could hear Rowin's voice fading in and out, distorted as if it were underwater.
'**I need to get up. I have to... but I can't focus...**'
He swiped at the air, trying to summon his system interface, but his hand trembled too much, missing the notification by an inch. He cursed under his breath, panic rising in his chest.
Suddenly, a voice, deep and commanding, echoed within his mind. **"Axel, don't let yourself go! You're stronger than this. You've always been stronger than this!"**
It was his own voice, a memory from the past. Something sparked deep inside him, a flicker of energy that slowly began to grow. His chest tightened, and he felt a surge of warmth spreading through his veins, fighting against the cold numbness that had taken over.
'**The system...**' Axel's thoughts were becoming clearer, sharper. He could feel it—some unseen force rising within him, something **primordial**.
His breath steadied. The ringing in his ears faded, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he could hear the world around him again. The groans of the battlefield, the sharp crackling of Rowin's barrier, and the deep, sinister laugh of the Fatek Commander.
Axel blinked, and his surroundings snapped into focus.
And then, **rage**. A wave of it, hot and all-consuming, surged through him, filling every fiber of his being. His muscles tensed, power crackling beneath his skin. He felt alive—more alive than he had ever been.
He raised the war hammer high above his head and brought it crashing down with a massive explosion of blue energy.
The battlefield was silent for a moment, the smoke and debris swirling in the air. The Fatek Commander smirked, confident in his victory.
But then, his smirk vanished.
Through the smoke, Axel stood, unscathed, his red sword raised high, having effortlessly **split the war hammer in half** before it could even touch him.
The commander's eyes widened in disbelief.
Find your next favorite at m vl-em|p-yr
"You think I'm done?" Axel snarled, crouching down before launching himself forward, a blur of motion.
The commander barely had time to react. He threw a fist towards Axel, but Axel was faster, raising his sword in a deadly arc.
The blade sliced through the commander's arm like butter, leaving behind a dark, bristling wound. The Fatek Commander screamed in agony, clutching the burnt remains of his arm as it turned black.
"I'm just getting started," Axel growled, landing on the commander's shoulder. He raised his other sword, the one glowing with a deep blue hue, and pointed it at the commander's face.
**[Touch of Dominance Activated]**
The blade surged with power, turning from blue to an eerie green. The Fatek Commander's eyes widened in terror, his instincts screaming at him.
"DEATH!"
With a blinding flash, Axel drove the sword through the commander's skull, a searing beam of energy tearing through his cranium and disintegrating it into ash.
The commander's body crumbled beneath Axel, his flesh and bone reduced to smoldering embers that fell to the ground.
Axel stood tall in the flickering light, his hair flowing wildly, his body still crackling with mana.
**[You Have Leveled Up]**
Axel gazed out at the battlefield, watching as his forces surged forward, overwhelming the remaining Fatek troops.
'I feel it now,' Axel thought, a cold smile forming on his lips. 'The influence of the system... Why Hades is so special. He watches from the shadows, seeing everyone beneath him.'
A deep, chilling realization dawned on him. **Yes... these races are beneath me.**