Hiro the Spider
Episode 7 — Threads Against the Sunburst
The commander's shadow devoured the battlefield.
Gold-plated armor gleamed like a false god had come down to lecture ants. His blade, longer than a bus, hummed with a crimson sunburst etched into the steel. His aura wasn't just weight—it was a command, a suffocating presence that demanded kneeling.
Factions scattered. Villains stopped screaming. Heroes stopped praying. Anti-heroes stopped smirking.
Hiro didn't stop anything.
He cracked his neck and spat blood onto the broken tile. His hoodie was ripped, his ribs ached, and his fists trembled with too many kills too close together. But his grin? Still sharp. Still disrespectful.
"Level fifty, huh?" he muttered, eyes glinting. "You look like a final boss that skipped leg day."
The commander's helm tilted, voice a hollow echo. "Designation: Spider. You are unsanctioned. Your existence is an error."
Hiro laughed loud enough to cut the tension. "Story of my fucking life."
The HUD screamed alive:
[Elite Engagement Active.]
[Commander Nemesis Thread Detected.]
[Damage Amplification Applied: 150%.]
[Warning: Commander Will Counter Reflex Boosts.]
Hiro rolled his shoulders. "So you're my Nemesis, huh? I like it. Means I get to break you harder."
⸻
First Clash
The commander moved, and the world buckled. His blade tore through buildings as if they were tissue, pressure flattening survivors in its wake. Hiro darted sideways, thread-sense outlining dozens of paths—but half of them collapsed instantly under the commander's aura.
"Shit," Hiro hissed, twisting mid-air as the blade carved a crater where he'd stood.
The ground shattered, students tumbling into the hole like insects. The heroine in crimson armor barely rolled clear, shouting, "Hiro, don't—!"
He ignored her. He sprinted up the collapsing wall, boots sticking, flipping over the commander's shoulder. He slammed both fists down on the helm.
The hit rang like striking a bell. The commander barely flinched, then backhanded Hiro across the courtyard.
Hiro crashed into stone, coughing blood, but his grin didn't fade. "Fuck me, you hit like a truck with daddy issues."
The commander raised his blade again, voice calm, mechanical. "You cannot win."
"Buddy," Hiro spat red onto the ground. "I don't fight to win. I fight 'cause it pisses assholes like you off."
Spider's Web
The commander swung, a golden arc wide enough to cut a city block. Hiro sprinted forward, closer, weaving under the slash, reflexes burning. Thread-sense showed him the weak seams in the aura—tiny cracks.
He launched sideways, bounced off a broken column, then rebounded again, body zig-zagging at impossible angles.
"Try keeping up, glowstick!" he shouted.
The commander pivoted, blade slamming down where Hiro should've been. But Hiro wasn't there. He was already running sideways across the commander's arm, fists hammering joints in the gold plates.
Metal dented. The commander roared, slinging his arm violently, and Hiro flew off, skidding across rubble.
[Critical Damage Applied: -15% Commander Armor Integrity.]
The HUD blinked. Hiro grinned wider. "See? Not invincible. Just another shiny asshole waiting to get cracked."
⸻
The Battlefield Trembles
Elsewhere, chaos spiraled.
• Blue-armored heroes regrouped into squads, firing coordinated beams that fizzled uselessly against the commander's aura.
• Bone-and-fire villains retreated, snarling, realizing their tricks meant nothing against a walking sun.
• Black-and-silver anti-heroes circled Hiro, whispering like hyenas waiting for the lion to bleed out so they could scavenge.
The crimson-armored heroine carved her way closer to him, shouting over the storm. "You can't take him alone!"
"Watch me!" Hiro bellowed, dodging another swing that split the courtyard into halves.
She cursed, deflecting an enemy strike. But her eyes didn't leave him—bloodied, laughing, facing the impossible with fists bare.
⸻
Level Surge
A stray villain lunged at Hiro's back, blade raised. Hiro didn't even look—his reflexes snapped, body twisting to crush the bastard's windpipe with one hand.
[Kill Registered. +1 Level. Current Level: 26.]
Another squad tried to flank. Hiro grabbed a broken lance from the ground and hurled it with inhuman force, impaling three in a row.
[+3 Levels. Current Level: 29.]
The power burned through him, every nerve alight, every muscle tighter. He laughed, eyes glowing white.
"Fuck yeah! Keep coming—I'll climb levels on your corpses!"
The commander swung again, blade a horizontal sun. Hiro ducked, sprinted forward, and slammed a kick into the titan's knee joint. Metal shrieked.
[Critical Damage Applied: -10% Commander Stability.]
The giant stumbled for the first time. The battlefield froze. Survivors gasped.
Hiro spat on the ground, smirking. "Oops. Did I trip you?"
⸻
Past in the Present
The sunburst insignia on the commander's shoulder glared in the firelight. Twelve sharp rays. The same shape. The same mark burned into his memories of Sector Zero.
Aya. Eiji. Dom. Blood on lab floors. Paladins in gold. A white coat smiling like a knife.
Hiro's grin twitched, rage bubbling hotter than any level-up surge. "You fuckers think you erased me? Think again. I've been crawling in your shadow since the day you stole everything."
He slammed a fist into the commander's helm. Once. Twice. Thrice. Metal cracked under raw hate.
The commander's voice buzzed. "Spider. You are an anomaly."
"No," Hiro spat, driving another punch. "I'm the correction."
The Titan's Counter
But hate only carried him so far. The commander's aura flared, doubling gravity, pinning Hiro to the ground. His limbs screamed. Blood burst from his nose.
The blade rose high, ready to split him in two.
The heroine screamed. "Hiro!"
Thread-sense flickered—dozens of paths, all collapsing. He couldn't dodge. Couldn't run. Only one thread remained.
He grinned through broken teeth. "Guess I'll bite."
He rolled sideways just as the blade came down. Stone exploded. Hiro jammed both hands into the ground, dragging himself upright through the crushing aura. His veins bulged, eyes burning white fire.
"Not today, glowstick."
He launched forward, slamming into the commander's chest with every ounce of power his body had stolen. The impact cracked gold. The titan staggered back, bellowing.
[Critical Damage: Commander Armor Integrity -25%.]
⸻
Cliffhanger
The battlefield erupted again. Armies screamed. Survivors cheered. The HUD flashed warnings like fireworks:
[Commander Health Reduced to 60%.]
[Combat Modifier Increasing — Commander Rage Protocol Active.]
The titan's aura doubled, tripled, the ground caving beneath his roar. Survivors fell flat. Even the heroine stumbled.
But Hiro stood tall, trembling, blood dripping from every inch of him. His grin burned brighter than the sunburst.
"C'mon, asshole," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see if gods bleed."
The commander raised his blade. Hiro crouched low, thread-sense flaring.
And the courtyard split open for round two.
To be continued…