Tysone gritted his teeth.
The heat from the blast had seared through his jacket, leaving a raw, angry burn across his back. He pushed himself up, ignoring the pain. Saeko was already rising beside him, her expression a mask of cold fury, a small cut on her cheek the only sign of her near-miss with immolation.
"That thing's a walking furnace." Takashi yelled, scrambling back from the truck as the mutant turned its glowing eyes toward them. Its chest cavity pulsed, the crimson core within flaring with renewed intensity.
The flames wreathing its body roared back to full strength.
"It's playing with us." Saeko stated, her voice dangerously calm. She reset her stance, katana held ready. "It enjoys this."
Tysone saw it too. There was a cruel intelligence in its crimson gaze. It wasn't just a mindless beast. He couldn't afford to let this drag on. Every second they fought, they risked exhaustion, a mistake, a fatal blow.
"We can't fight it head-on." Tysone said, his mind racing, processing the new variables with the chilling clarity his enhancement provided. "It'll cook us alive before we can land a killing blow. We need to immobilize it. Takashi, keep its attention! Saeko, with me! We're taking its legs out. Marin, if you get a clear shot at its eyes, take it!"
"You got it!" Marin yelled back from the truck's passenger window, her pistol held in a shaking but steady two-handed grip.
The fire mutant let out another roar and stomped its foot. This time, it wasn't a wave of fire. Fissures of orange light cracked across the asphalt, racing towards them like molten serpents. Tysone and Saeko leaped apart, the ground hissing and steaming where the fiery cracks passed.
"It's changing tactics!" Saeko called out, landing gracefully.
Tysone didn't have time to respond. The mutant charged, not at him, but at Takashi. It moved with a terrifying, unnatural speed, a blur of black skin and roaring flame.
Takashi swung his bat, a desperate attempt to deflect, but the creature was too fast, too strong. It swatted the bat aside, the metal flying from Takashi's hands and clattering uselessly across the street.
The mutant's flaming claw raked across his chest.
Takashi cried out, stumbling back, his jacket smoking where the claw had connected. He clutched his chest. Fortunately, the claws didn't make contact with his skin, but the searing, relentless heat of its flames still managed to burn his skin to some extent.
"Takashi!"
Before the mutant could finish him, Saeko was there. She moved like a phantom, her hair dancing in the drifting embers.
She didn't attack the creature's tough, fiery hide. She went for its joints, the points of articulation. Her blade danced, a flurry of strikes at its elbow, its shoulder, trying to sever the tendons beneath. The mutant roared, swatting at her, but she easily sidestepped the first swipe, and ducked under the second, before quietly retreating.
Tysone saw his chance.
While Saeko had its upper body occupied, he charged its legs. He slid under a wild swing, the heat of its flaming arm blistering the skin on his neck.
He brought his halberd around in a low, powerful arc, the axe-head aimed at the back of its knee.
The mutant was faster than he anticipated. With a quick twist, it kicked out, its heel catching Tysone square in the chest. The impact sent him flying, the wind knocked out of him. He landed in a crumpled heap, gasping for breath.
The mutant roared in triumph, turning to pursue the downed Tysone. But a barrage of bullets zipped past its head, a few finding purchase in the charred flesh of its neck. Marin had taken the shot. The wounds hissed and steamed, but the damage was superficial. Still, it was enough to draw the mutant's attention.
It spun, roaring, and launched a fireball towards the truck. Shizuka had snapped into attention long before the mutant could launch its attack, and had cleverly maneuvered the vehicle away from harm. The fireball exploded against the pavement.
Tysone, despite the pain in his chest and the ringing in his ears, scrambled to his feet. He saw Saeko and Takashi circling the creature, trying to keep it off balance. But their attacks were cautious, tentative, designed to distract and harass, not to kill. 'This thing is so fucking hard to kill.'
Still, the strategy lied in-between the zombie's attacks. The window of opportunity was so small. They'd have to make it work. They were gonna have to take the risk.
The fire mutant was relentless. It stomped its foot, and more fissures of fire erupted from the ground, forcing Saeko and Takashi to dive out of the way again. The creature then turned its attention back to the truck, its eyes narrowing.
Tysone clenched his teeth, heart pounding like a war drum. If the mutant got to the truck, it was over.
Not just for them—but for everyone inside.
He darted forward, ignoring the ache in his ribs, the burn in his lungs. "HEY!" He roared, voice tearing through the storm. "I'm right here, you bastard!"
The mutant's head snapped toward him, embers spilling from its jagged maw. It charged, each step sending waves of heat rolling across the soaked asphalt.
Tysone met it head-on. He ducked under its first swipe, the air hissing against his skin, and rammed the butt of his halberd into its abdomen. The impact made it grunt, but it was like trying to knock down a wall. The creature's other claw came screaming toward his head—
—only for Saeko to appear in a blur, her katana cutting across its wrist. The blade didn't sever the limb, but it dug deep enough to make the creature howl and recoil.
"Don't stand still!" She barked, shoving him sideways as the mutant slammed its flaming fist into the spot where Tysone had been standing a heartbeat earlier. The ground cracked under the force, molten light bleeding from the fissures.
Takashi was back in the fight, scooping up his bat. He ran in from behind, swinging for the creature's ankle. The blow landed with a clang, making the monster stagger just enough for Saeko to slice another shallow cut across its thigh.
The mutant whipped around, flames flaring violently. A sweeping backhand caught Takashi across the chest, knocking him sprawling.
It was closing in for the kill when Marin's voice rang out from the truck. "TYSONE, NOW!"
Tysone's eyes flicked to her, then to the truck. The plan hit him all at once.
It was risky.
It was stupid.
It might actually work.
"Shizuka!" He bellowed, pointing toward the mutant. "Get the truck ready! On my mark—floor it!"
Shizuka's wide eyes met his through the windshield, but she nodded, gripping the wheel tighter. The engine growled to life.
The mutant turned back toward him, core pulsing hot and angry. Its hands began to swirl with molten light. Another fireball coming.
Perfect.
"TAKASHI, BAIT IT AGAIN!" Tysone shouted.
Takashi groaned, rolling to his knees, but gave a shaky grin. "You owe me for this…" He staggered to his feet, waving both arms like a maniac. "Come on! You missed last time!"
The fire mutant roared and hurled the fireball straight at him. Takashi dove aside, hitting the wet ground hard. The orb of flame detonated against a burned-out sedan, blowing it apart in a storm of sparks and molten metal.
Just as before, the mutant's flames flickered.
"GO!" Tysone surged forward, halberd aimed low. Saeko mirrored him on the opposite side, both of them striking at its knees. The combined assault made the mutant stagger, its balance faltering.
It tried to turn toward Saeko, but Tysone slammed the shaft of his halberd against its shin, forcing it to pivot back toward him.
The truck's headlights blazed to life, cutting through the steam and smoke.
The rumble of the engine grew into a roar.
Tysone locked eyes with Shizuka, raised one hand, then snapped it down.
The truck surged forward like a charging beast.
The mutant turned at the last second, realizing the threat, but its wounded leg gave out. It stumbled into the truck's path.
The impact was catastrophic. Metal and flesh collided with a bone-crushing CRUNCH. The mutant's body folded around the reinforced bumper before being hurled several meters, slamming into the pavement with a wet, fiery explosion.
Steam and smoke boiled into the air. The flames on its body sputtered, guttered, tried to flicker back to life, but Tysone was already upon it, his hand closing in around the crimson, glowing core.
Not even the full force of a truck could instantly kill it. This was their best shot so far.
So he risked burning himself.
His clothes were set alight as he straddled the startled mutant.
Tysone's hand found purchase on the creature's gem—its life essence. And tightened around it.
The mutant roared in pain, in rage.
Then, its claw slashed across Tysone's chest. His shirt was torn. Blood seeped from the wound. The pain was immense, and yet the mutant was too weakened to properly fight back. Tysone didn't relent. He tightened his grasp around the core.
He pulled. The mutant's struggles weakened.
Tysone kept pushing, kept pulling. Kept squeezing the shit out of it.
"TY!"
Then he felt it. A crack. A snap.
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.