Impactor was facing off against Deimos, who had turned into a giant humanoid lion. He lifted his fists and took a fighting stance.
"I'm Impactor! The man who will vanquish you evildoers!"
Everyone around him became silent.
"…Why is he talking like that?"
"I think he's trying to sound like a Hero?"
The Rookie Heroes were the ones to break the silence.
"No way. No Hero talks like that."
"I think he's trying to imitate the Heroes in comic books."
"Seriously?… Is he an idiot?"
Despite being held captive, they still found time to question Impactor's life choices.
"Impactor?"
Deimos mumbled the name while looking at his opponent.
"He even has a main character's name. It's so over."
He had already accepted his fate. Despite this, he showed every intention of fighting.
"What a weird guy."
Impactor mumbled as the two inched their feet forward in unison. Their eyes locked as they focused on the opponent in front of them. They took a deep breath and kicked off the ground. They threw punches and their fists clashed. Deimos' eyes widened as he felt the force of his punch get extinguished. He leapt back to create some distance. Impactor chased after him with a right hook. Deimos ducked under the hook and thrust his claws at Impactor's throat. His claws hit the throat but were unable to penetrate. He was hit in his side by a left hook.
"?!"
His body rattled as his organs shifted inside him. Impactor stepped in for another punch. Deimos crossed his arms in front of him. As Impactor was about to throw his punch, Deimos kicked the dirt at his feet into his eyes.
"What the—"
Impactor swung and Deimos ducked under the wild punch. He slashed his claws against Impactor's chest. His clothes were cut, but his skin only had scrapes. Impactor kicked in front of him and stepped in Deimos' chest. An invisible force rushed from his foot and sank Deimos' sternum. He was flung back into a building's wall and was lodged inside it.
"He actually kicked dirt in my eyes."
Impactor opened his eyes after much difficulty.
"I would've probably done the same, but still."
The Rookie Heroes, the Bellum Company, and soldiers from both sides of the war looked on in shock.
"The Blood Lion, Deimos was beaten?!"
They looked at Impactor with amazement and shock.
"Who is that guy?"
"I don't know, but he wasn't on any list of recent graduates from the academies."
Even the Rookie Heroes who were trained by Veterans couldn't hide their shock.
"Ah, shit..."
Deimos groaned.
"It hurts like hell."
He pulled himself out of the wall and landed on the ground.
"Wow, I thought you were done. You're pretty tough."
Impactor clapped after speaking with an innocent tone.
"I see. You're the type to unintentionally piss people off all the time."
Deimos stretched his limbs and cracking noises came from his body.
"How did you know?"
"Because I'm a kindred spirit, I guess."
Deimos rushed at Impactor again. He accelerated with every step before vanishing completely. Explosive noises rang as cuts appeared all over Impactor's body. Claw marks appeared on the earth. Debris nearby was cut apart. Everything in a 10-meter radius was clawed to pieces. Impactor clenched his fist and punched the ground. The area shook as a crater opened up and dust spread. His eyes danced in his head as a shadow moved around in the dust clouds. He spun around and threw a punch. His fist hit Deimos in the stomach. An explosion erupted and Deimos was forced into the earth.
"Hah~! Hah~! Hah~! Thank God that worked."
Impactor removed his fist from Deimos' torso and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I might've taken some serious damage if he kept that up—"
A tail wrapped around his neck. He looked down and saw Deimos glaring at him with blood flowing from his mouth and nose.
"How are you still able to fight? You'll die if you keep this up."
Deimos struggled to sit up.
"A-As a General, I can't afford to die in a way that will bring my Commander shame."
He sat up with a bloody grin and a beastly glare.
"It's my duty to die a glorious death."
"...I'm not here to kill people, though. I just—"
"You wanted to make a name for yourself by defeating us. I know, because you don't fight like a killer."
Deimos' tail tightened around Impactor's neck as he pulled himself to his feet.
"However, this is a war. Despite the reason, you willingly became a part of a painting of carnage. Blood is the paint, and the bodies of your enemies are your canvases."
He locked eyes with Impactor.
"Halfass your art and you'll become another's canvas."
Impactor stared into his eyes for a while before saying—
"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Could you repeat it again, or maybe use something other than art? I can't draw, so I don't know what you're talking about."
Deimos looked at him with a blank expression before punching him in the face.
"....."
"....."
The two started trading blows without any signs of defence. It didn't take long for Deimos to become overwhelmed. He was hit four times for every hit he threw. Eventually, he was no longer attacking, but was just getting hit. And yet—
"Why won't he fall?!"
Impactor shouted in frustration.
"Because I'm a kindred spirit, I guess."
Deimos' words replayed in his head. A smile couldn't help but appear on Impactor's face. He stopped attacking and walked away from Deimos, who was rooted to his position with his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He faced the rest of the Bellum Company.
"I took down your General. Come and defend his hon—"
"Retreat!"
A soldier shouted.
"A full retreat has been issued! All parties leave the city at once!"
The soldiers who were watching or fighting the Ethiopian forces retreated without exception. They protected the Eritrean forces who were retreating with them. Those closest to Deimos snatched him up while Impactor was still dumbstruck. In a matter of minutes, Impactor was left with the Ethiopian soldiers and the Rookie Heroes.
"Ohhhhh!"
The soldiers roared in celebration and gathered around Impactor.
"Man, what's your name?"
"Where did you learn to fight?"
"Are you trying to become a Hero?"
The Rookie Heroes approached him with great enthusiasm. Impactor opened his mouth but closed it when a shadow fell over him. He looked up and a jet had flown over the city. He kept looking at the sky as if drawn to something.
*BAM*
A crash came from behind him, causing everyone to turn towards it. The sight of a building collapsing appeared in his sight. His heart started to race without him knowing why. He found himself on high alert. And then—
He blinked.
"Hello."
A woman was standing in front of him. The woman casually placed her hand on his chest.
"Goodbye."
Impactor was swallowed up by a massive explosion. The woman turned her head and looked at the others.
"A-A-Alala!"
One of the Rookies shouted in horror.
"When you stuttered my name like that, it sounds like a chant."
She walked past the Heroes who were frozen in fear.
"Don't worry, Deimos already decided to use you guys as bargaining chips. So I won't harm you."
She stretched her hand out in front of her.
"Everybody else is unfortunately fucked."
Red lines appeared in the air and stretched towards the ground and buildings.
"Wait!"
She turned her head and Impactor was standing there with burns on his body.
"You're Alala, right?! I am Impactor and I came here to fight you!"
"I see. Stay right there. I'll deal with you later."
The red lines stretched onto the Ethiopian soldiers.
"No, let's go! I defeated your General and you're next!"
The lines disappeared and Alala brought her hand down. She turned around and faced Impactor.
"I was trying to focus on the task I was paid for, but you're getting annoying."
She vanished and Impactor's world started spinning. He heard a thud and found himself looking up at the sky. Alala looked down on him as he lied on the ground.
"Any disrespect towards my soldiers will result in death."
She slammed her fist on Impactor's core. Red lines spread from her fists and covered his body and the ground.
"Detonate."
A massive explosion swallowed them both. The shockwaves from the explosion forced the Ethiopian soldiers to retreat.
"....Where am I?"
Outside of the city, Deimos woke up inside an armoured truck. He reverted to his human form and his pale skin was covered in bruises. He sat up and took off his cracked mask to reveal a youthful scarred face with blue eyes and a blond buzzcut.
"General, you're okay!"
His subordinates were in the truck with him.
"My body is crying out with every breath I take, and my regenerative abilities won't numb the pain, so no."
He sat up.
"Status report."
"The Supreme Commander arrived and made us evacuate the city, so everything should be settled."
"Wait, what about the guy I fought? That main character?"
"I think the Commander will deal with him."
"Shit."
Deimos opened the door and exited the truck and started sprinting towards the city.
Meanwhile, Alala walked out of the smoke clouds caused by her explosions. She once again faced the Ethiopian Soldiers who were aiming their weapons at her. She started walking towards them. The soldiers fired their weapons without hesitation. Guns, grenades, RPGs, they fired everything they had at her. Alala waved her hand and red lines covered the air around her. Everything fired at her exploded before reaching her.
"We're hitting her with everything and she is unfazed?!"
"What a monster!"
Fear slowly crept into the Ethiopian forces' hearts. The Rookie Heroes looked at each other. They were all distressed and couldn't hide their fear. Yet, they were Heroes who were trained to deal with people like Alala.
"Don't throw your lives away, Rookies."
Alala's voice caused them to stiffen. She spoke without looking at them.
"You guys barely look 20, so I guess you just finished your year of apprenticeship after graduating from the academy. Dying this young without becoming proper Heroes is a waste."
She stomped the ground and red lines travelled across the earth and up buildings. The buildings exploded and the soldiers on the roofs and inside them were crushed under the rubble.
"The Heroes are responsible for policing the world and preventing another great war, while protecting the normies from Superhuman criminals. It's an honourable profession."
She looked at them.
"However, they don't live long. Precisely because of what you are thinking of doing."
The Rookie Heroes' breathing quickened, and their hearts raced as their blood violently pumped through their bodies. Adrenaline was kicking in.
"Ohhhhhh!"
They let out a loud roar, a roar that drew the attention of all the soldiers. They faced Alala with their bodies trembling. The soldiers saw this and once again aimed their weapons at their enemy.
"I see."
Alala pulled her sabre from her waist.
"So you've decided to become a statistic."
She swung her blade and storm-like winds spread through the area.
"Such is the life of a hero."
"Fire!"
The Ethiopian forces attacked again, this time even charging at Alala. The Heroes flew at her turning their body parts into weapons and the ground into quicksand. To this Alala—
"Wasted effort."
She swung her sword and everything around her was hit by waves of explosions. The Heroes and the soldiers were flung into the air by these explosions. Many perished and others lost body parts. Alala stood in the centre of a hellscape with her sabre in her hand. Despite her dominance, more soldiers rushed in to fight her.
"Marching towards one death in order to protect is a soldier's privilege, huh?"
She lowered her centre of gravity while gripping her weapon; entirely focused on the enemies approaching her.
This was a mistake.
"?!"
Alala sensed a presence behind her and spun around. However, it was too late.
"Re-Impact!"
Impactor slammed his fist on the side of her head.
"Huh?"
Her body slammed on the ground so hard it bounced off the earth. The world slowed as Alala looked at her attacker with her consciousness fading in and out. Impactor was covered with severe burns. His fist was clenched while his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Alala's vision started to darken. She released her sword and swung her hand in front of her. Impactor was devoured by an explosion as Alala lost consciousness. They both hit the ground simultaneously.
"A-Alala was taken down...."
"I can't believe it..."
The soldiers who witnessed what happened were dumbstruck. They didn't even get the time to recover their senses before Deimos appeared in his Were-Lion form.
"This is what I was afraid of. Once you're focused on something, you tend to leave yourself vulnerable to everything else."
He grabbed Alala and leapt out into the air. He left the city as fast as he could without looking back. The soldiers were once again dumbfounded, along with the Heroes. They stayed that way until it was announced that the Bellum Company had retreated from the city and the surrounding areas. Cheers came from the Ethiopian Forces.