We were surrounded by mechs. If I had to guess, each one of these were as strong as a Valley Knight. The six arms—now two of them there—were probably Ace level mechs.
"Puppet Magic: Mech Army."
Terek chuckled as he relaxed his arms and whipped his head in psychotic fashion, "This is an army that can take over Kingdoms. I'm only using some of them, though... These should be enough to handle you two. For someone of your title, you don't exactly have much mana to flaunt there, 'captain'."
"I'm not your goddamn captain." I said, "but you will regret not using your full army on me."
He flicked a finger, and right then, one of the mechs dashed toward the young girl.
I saw it from my peripheral and jump-kicked it to its side, tossing it away onto a group of mechs.
Next, one of the six arms moved toward us, using large, mangled arms to crawl on the ground at a rapid pace.
Just as quickly, I grabbed the girl and moved her behind me. I readied my right fist, and a focused look cast on my face.
"Don't be scared," I said to the young girl, her face lit as I spoke. "I hate it too."
BANG!
My heavy fist plastered directly into the monster face on its chest, denting its teeth in, and throwing it back violently to another group of mechs behind it. It blasted through them and caused a collision onto one of the walls of the arena. Some of the fakes were caught in the impact and others scattered after the crash.
From the smoke, Ryo had jumped through the other side, parrying a mech he clashed with in the air. He kicked it off and spun before landing on the ground. With his claymore, he swung it to its side, completing his spin and shattering it in flaming pieces like asteroids toward the other mechs.
They were like missiles raining onto them. Flaming parts shot and burned holes through the bunch.
Then three bolted toward him, dodging the launched pieces, and flanked him from all angles.
Ryo engaged them in close combat, holding his own against these formidable fighters.
All the while, Terek swung his arms, controlling each figure like a conductor and our battles—the orchestra. The crowd roared vehemently at the spectacle, watching their leader toy with us.
I reeled back my punch after sending the six arms across the arena, locking my eyes back to Terek, standing there with two other mechs on both sides of him, and that other six arms floating behind, fiddling its creepy hands in the air.
I blinked, and the six arms behind him disappeared.
I shot my eyes upward and it was there, its six arms spread wide like it was about to pounce and capture me.
I squatted. Fingers placed gently on the dirt and pushed off. When I met it in the air, I reeled in another punch and, this time, coated it in black. I leaped.
BANG!
When my fist made contact with its metal teeth, it chucked upward, flailing in the air. I then grabbed two of its arms and swung it down back onto Terek's direction. But before it reached him, he flicked a finger and maneuvered the heaping metal elsewhere.
"Quite impressive, Captain. But how will you fare against this?" he said, flicking two fingers now.
And when he did, the two figures standing next to him disassembled and reassembled into a bigger mech, standing upright with four arms, fists growing large like gauntlets.
Terek made another hand sign, and a white pentagram formed from underneath him. For a quick second, I thought I saw a small orb in his palm as he pressed a hand on the back of the newly created mech and chanted,
"Fuse!"
When I landed back to the ground, I bolted toward it. Shooting directly with my left knee. Blocked. And then followed by a right hook in the air. Blocked as well... and with only one of its arms at that.
It read my movements? I thought to myself.
Right then, it shot a haymaker with two of its right arms.
I was still in the air when the fists came so I positioned my arm in leg to block from that angle, but once the fists got close, they spread apart wide, aiming directly at my head and inner right leg.
SMACK!
A direct hit. But it only pushed me to the side as I finally landed.
This one seemed like a better fighter...
"Wow, so what you lack in mana, you make up for in sheer strength? Those punches should have broken your bones and cracked your skull." Terek commented.
I responded only with my glowering eyes.
"But check this out! The mech that punched you just now isn't just an ordinary puppet—no, no, no. This one's infused with the previous captain of the Silver Sharks."
My brow twitched. I didn't exactly know what he meant, and I didn't know the previous Silver Sharks captain. But...
"That orb," I said, "What did you do?"
Terek chuckled, "Whatever do you mean? I just told you." His eyes became sinister, "You're fighting a captain right now."
The four-armed mech flexed as if it had muscles, rotating parts of its body as it stood in place flaunting.
"And do you know what his magic ability is?" He went on, "It's Landmine magic."
As he said this, I felt the side of my face and my inner right leg heat up.
I got distracted by the feeling and before I knew it, the four arms was right in front of me, its mechanical eyes meeting mine only inches away.
It began laying down a volley of punches upon me, striking me from every angle before leaping away a good distance.
It then extended its top right arm and formed a finger-snapping gesture with its hand. My entire body heated up, and then...
BOOM!
I was within an eruption of explosions.
"NO! MISTER!" the young girl shouted.
Smoke and dust plumed out and the crowd went wild after it.
I was within the smoke. Head down and stumbled to a knelt position.
Terek looked in the girl's direction and snorted, "Aw, what's the matter? Did you really think he was gonna win this, girl? Did I spoil your only hope? Well, I'm not finished."
Without looking, he flicked two fingers, and both the six arms I thought I took care of, flew from opposite angles at me, colliding with me within the smoke, blowing it away.
CRASH!
The ground cracked and the blast of wind rushed toward the girl. She covered her eyes and gasped as the sand and dust blew onto her.
"MISTER!!!" the young girl shouted again, agonizingly, and with a cracked voice as the gust passed.
Terek's sickening laugh overlapped her cry immediately. He was laughing so hysterically that he had to cover his face with a palm once more.
Then, like the psychopath he was, his laugh ended abruptly, and he flicked two fingers in her direction.
When he did, two mechs bolted out of nowhere from both sides, flanking from her blind spots. Both with poisoned dipped knives and other weaponry for limbs as they rushed her. Their dripping toxins burned through the dirt with each impending step.
Her eyes widened, looking to both sides with tears forming in her eyes. Time slowed as she thought it was all going to be over soon... But then...
A flaming slash shot through the mech on her right like red lightning while her attention was to the other. She flinched, not knowing what was happening as she turned her head to it and the red lightning maneuvered to the next one and obliterated it as well.
Poison darts flew in her direction after they shattered, and it was then that a strong grip clasped her shoulder and a claymore hit the ground, stabbing the dirt.
The simple motion summoned a burning, shocking barrier that protected them both from the flying darts, and the sound of heavy metal sounded in her ears from it.
CLANG!
It was then and only then, were the soothing sounds of this male's voice calmed her nerves, "Fear not, young one. Have faith in my friend. It will take a lot more than that to best him," Ryo reassured as he released her gently and his barrier faded.
She looked at him with hopeful eyes, wiping away her tears.
"Trust me. He's been through worse." He finished with a smile so warm.
When she looked back to where I had been, she was surprised at what she saw.
There with both the six arms to my sides, I stood with their fists plastered onto me. But I stood amidst it, looking like the impact and even the explosions did not even have an effect.
My jacket was in tatters and my white shirt was in cinders, burning and smoking from me.
My ink tainted skin displayed in the light as a black coating, that had once covered me, faded from whence it came. Unseen from ever forming in the first place.
The crowd in shock, and Terek watching intently, he said in disbelief, "What the fuck? You should be dead..." he trailed off at the end.
One of the six arms reeled in another fist and my eyes quickly darted to it. Before it landed the punch, I back fisted it and it staggered.
Then with my right side free for movement, I straightened my right arm down onto it sharply and it flew across the arena, skipping and flying into the crowd of fakes, crushing them from its landing.
The other six arms on my left began sending a barrage of punches at me. I stood in place as each hit landed, and each time, it was like nothing was happening.
I slowly turned my head to it and began walking forward into its endless barrage, denting its fist with the mere impact onto my skin.
Over and over, it sent its fists flying until three of its arms became limp like it had been punching an impenetrable wall.
It's last three arms turned into poisoned drills and attempted to perforate me. Still, I walked as if nothing was happening. The drills shaved and bent, malfunctioning as I drew dreadfully closer to it.
When I finally arrived inches to its monster face on its chest, I looked up at it with a complete disregard for danger. My face said it all, as I stared blankly at it with an almost bored look on my face.
Then, slowly still, I gently slipped my fingers through its teeth and began prying it open—and this time, instead of up and down, I pried it open from side to side.
Metal groaned and the mech struggled, even if it had nothing left to strike me with, it still threw its limp arms as if that would save it from its nearing end.
Finally, I showed a bit of emotion. It was almost like delight as I ripped open its mouth. A chuckle sounded from me like I too was unhinged.
The mech flailed as its mouth ripped. It flailed and flailed until it could do so no longer. My arms stretched fiercely and it became two halves—one flying to a nearby wall, and the other just barely grazing Terek, colliding with more of his army behind him.
He shuddered at the sight of me, unaware of how close he had been to being hit from that.
With my muscles out and skin inked to shadows, I was unholy sight after what he just witnessed me do.
Terek's yellow spiral eyes widened as he continued to behold me, "What… What the fuck are you?" he seethed.
"No one special... I'm just some guy", my head turned to face him at last, and a grin emerged across my face, "who's gonna kick your ass."