But first, I need to find his weak points. To do that, I'll use my electricity to trace the source of his current and divert it.
I surged my electricity outward again to track his movements with more precision.
Here it comes. He charged straight in, this time aiming a right kick directly at my heart. I managed to block it, but the vibration of the kick rattled through my forearms. For the second time, I was launched backward through a door. As I crashed through, I noticed my arms wouldn't stop shaking; his trick was to press against the floor or any obstacle to amplify the vibration of his kicks.
Worse, my arms went numb for a few seconds, and my veins began to burst from the pressure of the vibrations. It was too dangerous to keep taking those hits directly unless I used his own ability against him.
"Hey, bastard, I've figured you out."
"First: you use electricity to charge your legs while pressing your heels into the ground to generate vibrations."
"Second: you lean toward your target to control the acceleration and power of the strike."
"Third: you lift the foot you're supposedly going to kick with first… but that's a feint. You always strike with the second foot you lift."
"In short: the first foot sets the trajectory, and the second triggers the explosion of speed and force."
Its face shifted. It looked stunned that I had decoded its ability. It knew its next move was about to be countered.
The wretch was sweating. Even if it couldn't speak my language, it knew I was a threat to its existence.
"Come on, you piece of sh*t. It's time to end this," I called out. The beast was clearly offended at being treated like a training dummy.
The moment he lunges, I'll slam him into the wall behind me.
The beast crouched. This time, the floor began to ignite as the entire room vibrated. Pieces of the ceiling fell, and shelves shattered under the sheer pressure of its upcoming strike.
"Now this is interesting… I'm actually getting fired up," I muttered.
Here it comes! It shot toward me at a new, terrifying speed, leaving a trail of fire on the floor. But despite that speed, my reactions were faster. When it was less than two meters away, I dodged the first kick. Instantly, I blocked the second—using the same vibration against him—tensing everything from my elbow to my fingertips.
It was a strange sight: his leg and my hand vibrating in perfect sync as the forces neutralized each other. Using my free arm, I channeled a surge of electricity into his blocked leg, severing his energy flow.
The creature lost all strength and control. The built-up pressure backfired, sending it tumbling through shelves and crashing through a wall. I thought the fight was over.
But the creature crawled out of the dark room, thrashing and headbutting a structural beam until its foul skull cracked the wood.
It let out a guttural roar—"Raaaaaaaahhhhh!"—completely losing its mind in a desperate rage. Its eyes changed. I couldn't let this drag on any longer. It smiled, eyes turning a bruised mix of black and red, blood matting its hair. It blinked, and then it vanished into the dark.
Damn it. What now?
I expanded my electrical field, but I couldn't find him anywhere.
How did he get away? He'd have to be five kilometers away, underground, or in the air. This is a waste of energy; he's hunting me, so he'll come to me.
Suddenly, the creature burst through the wall behind me, its jagged maw reaching for my neck at incredible speed. I stepped twice to the left, grabbed it by the throat, and slammed it into the ground. It stood back up without a sound and vanished into the darkness again.
I pushed my electricity to the limit. I detected it to my right; its feet were vibrating with more power than ever before. I could feel it: it was putting everything into this last stand.
I turned toward the threat and began vibrating my right hand, charging it with electricity. I was going to blow him up from the inside. The creature charged like a bolt of lightning, covering the distance with terrifying acceleration. But it was predictable—a straight line.
I raised my right hand toward its face, braced my left leg, and vibrated both legs simultaneously. As the beast closed the final gap, it unhinged its jaws to bite. I lunged.
My vibrating, electrified fist punched through its teeth and its skull. Its head tore clean off its body, and fragments of its brain scattered through the air.
"Disgusting… the damn thing got stuck to my arm." I hadn't expected to punch all the way through; I'd intended to send it flying.
Silence returned to the ruins of the store.
I took a deep breath, shook the skull fragments off my arm, and walked toward the man the creature had slaughtered. I had to get him out of here and give him a proper burial. The world had gone to hell, but there were still things worth protecting.
I picked up the body gently.
"I'm done here."
But as I took my first step toward the soap aisle, the ceiling groaned.
The structure split in two, and a gargantuan mouth opened above, swallowing the entire space.
There was no way out.
The next chapters 11, 12 and 13 available on Patreon.
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