Lifeless sat on the edge of the sterile hospital bed and stared at his hands. The silver scar on his chest felt tight as the newly formed muscle fibers settled into place. He felt the cold air of the room against his skin and recognized a truth that he had tried to ignore. He was no match for the rainforest in his current state. He knew that the Amazon was a green hell that would devour the weak and the unprepared. To survive the coming storm, he needed to become indestructible. He possessed the blood of the Emperor and a spark of the divine, yet he felt like a glass statue waiting to shatter. He understood that he lacked the luxury of being a slave or a master. He needed to be an absolute force of nature. He needed to be strong enough to punch through reinforced metal as if he were swinging his fist through still water.
He stood up and walked toward the heavy punching bag in the corner of the training wing. This bag was a massive cylinder of dense sand and iron filings designed for high tier military training. Lifeless reached into a nearby equipment locker and pulled out a pair of heavy leather gloves. He slid them over his hands to ensure his knuckles remained intact during the session. He refused to let a broken hand slow him down when the world was ending. He took a deep breath and took control of his spatial field, feeling the air around him thicken as his intent manifested. He raised his hand and delivered a massive blow to the center of the bag. The impact created a dull thud. The bag merely swung away and returned to hit him in the shoulder. He had used raw physical strength, but it was not enough.
He sat back on a wooden bench and pondered his existence. He felt a rare surge of anxiety. He wondered if this mission would be his end. He questioned his ability to survive a place where the 5000x multiplier was the standard for survival. He was nervous, a sensation that felt like ice water in his veins. He stood up and decided to change his approach. He stripped the gloves off and grabbed a roll of soft cotton. He placed the padding over his knuckles and wrapped it tightly with bandages to keep the protection in place. He needed a layer of cushioning to allow the current to flow without destroying his own skin.
He gathered a tiny amount of red current from the reservoir in his chest. He felt the heat travel down his arm and into his wrapped fist. He focused on the concept of potency. He punched the metal bag again with the energized strike. To his immense frustration, it swung exactly as it had when he punched it raw. The current was being muffled by his own doubt or perhaps the muzzle was tightening its grip on his soul. He realized that the sentient storm inside him was watching and waiting for a display of worthiness that he had yet to provide.
He moved to the dressing area to prepare for the adventure. He put on a heavy bullet proof jacket and matching tactical pants. He knew that physical armor was almost useless against a divine predator, but it provided a psychological barrier. It also served as protection against the smaller, toxic insects that crawled through the jungle floor. The military team arrived with crates of specialized equipment. They had developed high potency poisons to inject into the animals. The goal was to fasten up the process of eliminating every mutated creature in the path. Lifeless looked at the needles and felt a flicker of disgust. He preferred the honesty of a blade, but he understood the necessity of efficiency.
They stepped out of the facility and into the chaos of the city. Helsinki had become a war zone. Lifeless did not hesitate. He ignited the green current in his legs and blurred into motion. He reached a velocity of one hundred miles per hour within seconds. He saw a massive gorilla with fur as black as coal perched on top of a bus. He sprinted toward the vehicle and delivered a soaring kick to the chest of the beast. The green current exploded upon impact, sending the gorilla crashing into the pavement. The animal let out a stunned grunt as it fell down. The military team moved in instantly and shot the creature with the poison. The beast convulsed for a moment before going still.
The process repeated with a brutal regularity until the city was clear of the immediate threats. Lifeless moved like a ghost through the streets. He saw a jaguar lurking in the shadow of an alleyway, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. He did not slow his pace. He maintained his sprint and delivered a crushing punch that drove the predator into the ground. The asphalt shattered beneath the weight of the blow. He encountered massive anacondas that had wrapped themselves around the pillars of the subway entrance. He did not stop to wrestle them. He focused his current into a point and punched through the thick coils as if they were made of wet paper. He left behind a trail of decimated monsters and shocked survivors.
The people of Finland stood on their balconies and applauded the boy they called the alien king. They had no idea he was human. They saw only the power and the speed. Lifeless ignored the cheers. He felt the weight of their expectations like a mountain on his back. He boarded the submarine with Jarvis and the tactical team. The vessel submerged into the dark depths of the ocean, heading south toward the heart of South America. The journey was a silent affair. Lifeless spent the time staring at the steel walls, feeling the vibration of the engines and the distant hum of the deep sea.
They finally arrived at the edge of the Amazon. As soon as they stepped a foot in the dense forest, the atmosphere changed. The air was thick, humid, and smelled of rotting vegetation and wet fur. The sunlight struggled to pierce the canopy, leaving the ground in a state of perpetual twilight. A jaguar emerged from the brush with a speed that would have killed a normal man. Lifeless was ready. He stepped into the path of the beast and delivered a left hook that connected with the jaw of the cat. The sound of the impact was like a gunshot. The jaguar was knocked out dead before it could even let out a growl.
Lifeless led the team deeper into the rainforest. He explored the terrain with his senses dialed to the maximum. He killed several more animals that tried to ambush the squad, his movements becoming more fluid as he adapted to the uneven ground. Suddenly, the jungle went silent. The birds stopped chirping and the insects ceased their buzzing. A massive silverback gorilla stepped into the clearing. It was a titan of muscle and silver fur, its eyes possessing an intelligence that the other animals lacked.
"What? Gorillas have no species in the Amazon," Jarvis said, his voice trembling as he checked his sensors. "This defies every biological record we have of this region."
Lifeless remained calm. He pointed toward a dark opening in the side of a nearby hill. "I think they lived in caves," Lifeless said. He sensed a different kind of energy coming from this beast. It felt ancient and cold. Lifeless lacked any knowledge of its rank, so he decided to test its durability. He stepped forward and delivered a direct punch to the chest of the gorilla to see what kind of strength it possessed. The blow carried enough force to level a house, but the gorilla did not flinch. It remained standing as if it had been hit by a light breeze.
The beast reacted with a terrifying speed. It hit its own chest paradoxically, the sound creating a shockwave that knocked several soldiers off their feet. The gorilla let out a roar that seemed to vibrate the very cells in the body of Lifeless. He realized he was dealing with something that far surpassed the previous threats. Lifeless jumped out of the way just as the gorilla swung a massive arm that would have crushed his skull. He reached back and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He pulled the obsidian blade free and felt the red current begin to sizzle along the edges. He stood in a low stance, ready to fight those brainless creatures. He knew the pressure was only beginning to rise.
The gorilla was not alone. He heard the sound of movement in the trees above. The canopy was filled with shadows that moved with a coordinated grace. Jarvis backed away toward the security of the armored transport while the soldiers raised their weapons. Lifeless ignored them. He focused entirely on the silverback. He felt the sentient storm inside him begin to stir, the wind of the current picking up speed in his chest. He realized that the Amazon was not just a mission to kill animals. It was a graveyard of history, and he was standing at the entrance of a tomb that had been sealed for centuries. He tightened his grip on his sword and prepared to show the jungle why he was worth the tests.