Chapter 17: 17. FORGED IN FIRE
Vikram's doubts swirled amidst the chaos of the battle, his mind grappling with the inconceivable sight before him. The Hulk, a force of nature in his own right, seemed almost tame in comparison to the colossal golem he faced. Its sandish form loomed large, each movement shaking the ground beneath Vikram's feet.
As blows were exchanged with thunderous impact, Vikram couldn't help but question everything he believed about the limits of human capability.
It defied logic, shattered preconceptions, and left Vikram reeling with uncertainty.
The blows became more and more brutal, as flesh and sand akin to iron and steel bashed against each other with relentless fury. But sadly, flesh was losing.
A blow to the head disoreinted The Hulk, and after a moment, coming back to his senses he continued the fight, but he suddenly looked at Vikram for a second.
That was all he needed.
With a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, Vikram braced himself... and started running towards the creature. The creature's golden gaze bore into him with a ferocity that sent shivers down his spine, but Vikram refused to falter.
This was his moment to make a difference, to turn the tide of battle in favor of his cause.
The Hulk, seeing that Vikram had somewhat neared, readied his body. His muscles seemed to condense, and his veins seemed to surge forth like vines. He clenched his fist, and delivered devastating cannon like fist into the chest of the golem.
With lightning reflexes, Vikram jumped upon the opportunity... literally, his muscles strained as he grabbed the cracks on the legs that was on the Golem.
He pushed himself up and reached the crack in the creature's abdomen, widened by The Hulk's powerful blow, he seized the opportunity with one hand.
With a primal roar of exertion, Vikram thrust his hands into the interior of the golem, his muscles straining against the resistance of its hard sand form. For a moment, it seemed as though his efforts would be in vain, but then, with a sickening crunch, his hands broke through the barrier, plunging into the molten heat within.
With a roar that echoed across the battlefield, Vikram summoned every ounce of his strength and resolve, ignoring the searing pain that threatened to overwhelm him while The Hulk restained the Black Golem. With grim determination, he plunged his hand deeper into the molten heat, his fingers closing around the pulsating core of the golem.
But even as he reached his target, a new threat emerged in the form of the Black Golem's massive arms, bearing down upon him with unstoppable force. With lightning reflexes, Vikram twisted and contorted his body, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow as the Black Golem's hands closed around where Vikram was trying to pry away the core of the creature.
With the immediate danger averted, Vikram focused all his attention on his task at hand. With a primal grunt, he tightened his grip on the golem's core, his muscles straining against the intense heat.
Inch by agonizing inch, he began to pull, his entire body trembling with the effort as he sought to wrest the life force from the heart of the monstrous creature.
As he strained against the resistance, Vikram felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, driving him onward despite the overwhelming odds. With one final, monumental effort, he tore the core free from the golem's grasp and threw it away.
[You have felled a Great Enemy, The Great Tide.]
[Please obtain the Cubes that are in the body of the Dimensional Being.]
[You have received a Soul Memoir, Golden Flame.]
[You're attribute {Broken Fate} revokes Soul Memoirs.]
[Your Soul Memoir [Golden Flame] has been destroyed.]
As Vikram stumbled away from the awakening golem, his heart heavy with loss and exhaustion, he couldn't shake the sense of despair that threatened to consume him.
The sight of his hand turning to ash, sacrificed in the heat of battle, only added to the loss of his victory.
With a heavy heart, Vikram watched as the golem and The Hulk continued their relentless onslaught, their blows stirring the very air and stirring the Black Sands., while he slowly gained distance from the fight. Despite his own injuries, Vikram knew that he had to keep moving, to retreat to safety before he became ensnared in the chaos once more.
With each step, the darkness of the cave beckoned to him, offering refuge from the turmoil of the outside world. As Vikram entered the darkness, he sat down and leaned on the rocky wall.
As Vikram entered the mouth of the darkness, a chill ran down his spine, a premonition of the malevolent force lurking within. Even his thoughts seemed tainted by the ominous presence, urging him to do something sinister to himself or some other.
Ignoring the nagging doubts that clawed at his mind, Vikram reached for the skin pouch of the Head Slave, his hands trembling slightly as he opened it to reveal its contents. Inside, he found two items: a powder resembling turmeric and another, a vivid green substance pulsating with vitality.
Instinctively, Vikram's body yearned for the green powder, urging him to swallow the green concoction. But Vikram could only ignore the urge. Instead, he reached for the yellow powder. He swallowed it down in one gulp, and his face contorted into a grimace.
Though Vikram hadn't tasted shit before, he imagined it would be akin to the vile flavor assaulting his senses. But after some time, the taste was not the problem anymore.
Vikram began to have a coughing fit, and he even bent for air as he coughed. Somewhere in between, a huge shadow loomed behind Vikram. Vikram coughed as he looked behind, and smiled.
"It seems that you had a good fight, huh?"
The Hulk's expression didn't change, but his eyes could shoot lasers, and then Vikram would have already been Swiss cheese.
The Hulk moved forward, grabbed Vikram like a twig of a tree, and lifted him up, just like how Vikram had lifted up the Head Slave's daughter. The Hulk's eyes bore down on Vikram as The Hulk smiled.
"Karma, huh" The Hulk's voice was raspy and had a rumbling to it that felt heavy to Vikram's heart.
Vikram laughed at The Hulk's comment, but suddenly coughed again, this time, blood splattered from his mouth. But Vikram's laugh didn't stop, and finally, Vikram grinned, revealing his red teeth.
"It's nice... to see you when you're beaten to a pulp," Vikram felt the hands of The Hulk tighten around his neck as he tried to pry away from the hand but to no avail. It was as though a mountain was pressing on his throat. Vikram felt his lungs straining, and struggling to breathe. His legs kicked and his hands thrashed, but it was all useless.
"I would have asked for your last wish, but that would wasted upon scum like you, so die now." The Hulk said that Vikram felt more and more anxious. He mouthed something but only air was going out.
The Hulk raised his eyebrows, and let him speak for the last time.
Yes, it was the last time.
Vikram felt his throat slightly open up, and he smiled as though everything was over. "Karma's... a real bitch," The Hulk threw away Vikram, and Vikram coughed again and again until he vomited blood and bile. After vomiting, his coughing grew more and more scarce.
Vikram took the skin pouch from the rock where he had hidden it. He took the green concoction without hesitation, and he instantly felt vibrant vitality filling his body.
But that could not be said for The Hulk. The Hulk screamed and thrashed around as he tried to remove what was trying to burrow inside his body, but the moment Vikram's blood landed on Hulk's face, it was over.
The Hulk's eye turned into a rabid beast, and he looked at Vikram with a bloodlust that choked Vikram. He came after Vikram like a blur, but as he moved closer, it was as though a mountain was on his back. He slammed into the ground finally. He grunted and tried to move forward but it was all in vain.
Vikram looked at The Hulk and sighed.
His plan really worked.
He really couldn't believe that.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone