章 24: 23rd Adversary: Demolition Fist
Igor looked at Ace's brass knuckles with shock.
(Where did he take them from? Space Magic? He can use Space Magic? No no no. That doesn't make sense! If he could use something like Space Magic I would be dead already. He would've just bent the space around me and crushed me to death….Then where did they come from? Does it have to do with his ability? Just what kind of ability is it?!)
"You look distracted. Could it be that you're curious about these brass knuckles?"
Ace kicked off the ground.
"Don't worry! You'll learn about them as I pulverized you into meat paste!"
Igor clicked his tongue. He met Ace's charge with one of his own. The two crossed fists. Their fists slammed into their target's face.
(What?!)
That's right. Ace was able to hit Igor. He stumbled back with holes in his cheek. Ace slowly walked towards him. Igor kicked him in the chest. Ace stumbled. Igor gathered the green aura around his fist. He threw a punch. Ace stepped in and took the punch to his forehead. A dull sound rang out. Blood sprayed from his forehead. Even so, he lifted Igor off the ground with an uppercut. Igor's vision blurred. Ace slammed his fist in his stomach. Igor was blown back. His feet skid on the ground as he held his stomach.
"You must be confused."
He watched as Ace slowly walked towards him with a bloody face.
"Your body should be protected by your Norse Spell, and yet, I'm punching the shit out of you."
He showed off his bloodstained knuckles.
"It's because these were created using Magus Ore; and as you know, Magus Ore not only stores mana but it can negate it, which is the reason why it's one of the materials used to make bullets and weapons on a whole."
He smirked.
"This is made entirely from Magus Ore, so it's far more potent than average weapons. In other words, your magical defense means shit to me. I'm still gonna beat your ass."
Igor burst out laughing.
"To think you would cause me this much trouble. I'm starting to see why Nebulous allowed me to attack you."
He lifted his fists.
"So you found a way to pierce my defense? Doesn't matter because my strength remains."
"True, but is it enough to kill me?"
A wild grin appeared on Ace's face.
"Is it enough to keep you alive?!"
The two rushed at each other. Ace threw a punch. Igor threw a kick. They clashed with a boom. They stumbled back and rushed at each other again. Igor blocked a punch with his arm. He countered with a right hook. Ace punched him in the side. He punched Ace in the stomach. Ace jabbed him in the face. Igor backpedaled. He hit Ace with a roundhouse. Ace stumbled. He hit Igor with a right hook. Blood drained from Igor's mouth. He jumped and kneed Ace in the face. Ace tumbled backward. Igor chased him and stepped in his chest. Ace caught his leg. He punched Igor's knee.
"Ahhh?!"
Igor cried out in agony.
"You fucker!"
Igor started bombarding Ace's face with punches. Ace tightened his grip on his leg. He jumped 20 ft into the air and lifted Igor overhead.
"Shit!"
He threw Igor on the asphalt. Igor's body bounced off the ground.
(That's right. My defense will work against normal objects—)
Igor's thoughts were cut off by Ace hitting him with a falling punch. His body was forced into the ground. A crater formed underneath him.
"Hah~!"
Ace lay out next to him.
(I'm reaching my limit.)
He started struggling to his feet.
"I doubt he can go—"
He was kicked under the chin before he could get to his feet. He collapsed. He looked up and saw Igor covered in blood from head to toe.
"How are you still standing?"
"How?"
A memory flashed in Igor's mind. It was the memory he hated the most. It was the memory of his father bowing his head to a more powerful gang leader. He remembered being forced to do the same. He remembered the ridicule he saw in that gang leader's eyes when he glanced upwards. He remembered that same gang leader leaving with his older sister. He remembered that was the last time she was seen alive. His nose twitched as he remembered the scent of wet dirt on that rainy day he found his sister's naked corpse in an alley. He remembered the sensation when he broke his father's neck. His ears rang as he remembered the screams of the gang leader as he skinned him alive.
"Heh."
He showed a bloody smile.
"I simply hate seeing people stand taller than me."
He kicked Ace away.
"I will stand above everyone and bow to no one. I will never accept any form of belittlement."
He walked over to Ace and stepped in his chest.
"Any form of disrespect towards me or those around me will be returned a hundred folds!"
"Is that so?"
Ace punched Igor's leg that was on him.
"Ugh?!"
Igor fell to his knees. Ace sat up and hit him with a strong right. Igor collapsed to the ground. Ace started struggling to his feet.
(Fuck, Equipping these knuckles took a lot of mana and it burns even more every time I use it.)
He finally got to his feet. His breathing was rigid.
(I barely have enough mana to use a Finisher, but I could use two Signature Moves from my skillset instead.)
Igor also stood shakily on his feet.
(But are Signatures enough to kill him? I can't carelessly use a Finisher though. There's a chance that I'll need to protect myself after this battle.)
"You're one tough bastard. You know that?"
Igor glared that Ace.
(Ah…Looks like he's had enough.)
Ace scanned his surroundings.
"That means…"
"Boss!"
He spotted a group of Igor's men heading towards them.
"Right on time."
Igor pointed at Ace.
"Kill this fucker for me."
Ace clicked his tongue.
"I knew it."
He spread his arms and his hands disappeared into space.
(Should I switch Characters? Do I even have enough mana to do that?... I doubt it. Then, let's switch from offense to defense.)
He brought his hands to his sides.
(I'm gonna focus only on getting away. Once I regroup with Hina, I've pretty much won. There's no way Igor can take her on after fighting me.)
"Boss, we've got a huge problem."
Those words caused both Ace and Igor to freeze up. Igor slowly turned to his men.
"Talk."
"The Adu Gang is attacking our businesses and forces! A huge war has broken out across the city with us and them!"
"What?... This timing, is Adu trying to take advantage of my battle with the Black Spades to get rid of us?"
"Boss, we should leave this area. The whole city knows that you're fighting here. I'm certain the Adu Gang are—"
"We're already here!"
Igor turned his head. Leading an army of thugs was a tall, muscular, bald man dressed in leather clothing.
"Adu!"
"Igor, I'm surprised to see you so beaten up. Did you bite off more than you can chew when you attack the Black Spades to create a diversion?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Keeping up the act until the end huh?"
Adu's face twisted like that of a demon.
"You made a huge spectacle of attacking the Black Spades to draw everyone's attention. You then sent one of your dogs to weaken my gang when we least expected it. I mean why would someone of your status go to war with such a small gang otherwise? I'll admit that it was a good plan. I mean, you kill several of my executives and destroyed my warehouses."
He slammed his fist against his chest.
"But your assassin failed to get me. I set up a trap and killed them. Too bad for you huh?"
He pointed at Igor.
"Now I'm here to return the favor. My boys are hunting down your men as we speak. After today, only one of us will remain alive!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Muscle Head. I didn't attack your gang. It was probably someone trying to make us fight each other."
"Like I'll believe that. Didn't you kidnap some of my guys and tortured them for information on my merchandise? Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
"I'll admit that I planned to take you out but that is still in the future. Besides, our gangs can't fight without Nebulous' permission. You'll get punished."
"Punished?"
Adu burst out laughing.
"When you're the aggressor?! I lost my little brother! This is justified violence!"
Adu gestured for one of his men to hand him something.
"But don't worry."
He threw it in Igor's direction. It landed at his feet. Igor's eyes peeled open as he looked down.
"I made sure to return the favor."
It was the severed head of his brother.
(That guy…he looks familiar.)
Ace recalled the run-in he had with some thugs a few days ago.
(Oh. So he was connected to the Bloody Mace Gang. That explains his cockiness.)
"....."
Igor stared at the head in silence.
*Boom!*
The green aura swoll up. The runes on his body turned crimson.
"Adu…"
The ground trembled as he spoke.
"This means war."
"What are you talking about? We were already at war!"
The Adu Gang aimed their weapons at Igor whose men pointed theirs at them.
"Kill them all!"
Gunshots and explosions erupted. Violence engulfed the area. Bodies were dropping by the second.
"...…"
Amid this chaos, Ace stood in silence.
(I doubt things just worked out in my favor. Someone planned for this to happen. They took advantage of Igor and Adu's bad relationship to help me out….Was it Hina?)
He glanced and saw Igor bulldozing through his enemies to get to Adu.
(He said they're fighting all over Noir, right? Then that means they wouldn't be able to go after Hina….Still, Igor is something else. He's still rampaging even after the damage he took. If he somehow wins this battle, he'll definitely become a pain in the ass later.)
Ace's eyes became cold.
"If I remember correctly, Adu is one of Nebulous greatest supporters too…"
Igor made it to Adu. The two immediately started fighting. Most of the battles were happening in that direction.
"...…"
Ace silently took a deep breath and lowered his center of gravity. Yellow light danced around him as he slowly pulled his fist back. His arm doubled in size. The yellow light concentrated at his fist.
"?!"
Igor and Adu froze when a chill ran up their spines. They turned around and saw Ace's eyes locked on them.
"You bastard! Until the very end—!"
Igor rushed towards him but it was too late.
"Finisher:….!"
Ace thrust his arm forward.
"Demolition Fist!"
A blinding light devoured everything in the area.
"ACE!"
Igor's scream was swallowed up by a large explosion. The explosion spread annihilating everything in its path. When it faded, the only thing that remained were burning debris and charred body parts. Only Ace remained standing.
"....."
He fell to his knees and returned to his normal appearance. His wounded and bloodied body hit the ground without resistance.
(Dammit, I wanted to make sure that I killed them all and poured everything in that attack….I can't move a muscle. Anyone can kill me now.)
"Ace!"
A familiar voice reached his ear. His vision became blurry but he could see a pair of feet in front of him.
(Hina…She's here. Does that mean she planned everything?)
His eyes slowly closed.
(Nah, this isn't her style….Then, it gotta be…)
His consciousness descended into darkness.
"Ace! Hey, Ace!"
Hinami started to frantically examine his injuries.
"...…"
Someone was watching her taking care of Ace. It was Miko who was wearing a torn-up military uniform and a broken red skull mask.
"Well, this escalated beyond what I expected."
Momo and Tia appeared beside him. Miko turned to Momo.
"Did I pass?"
"Well, your target was stolen from you and you chose to involve yourself in a dangerous conflict."
Momo examined Miko's body. He was covered in cuts, burns, and bruises.
"You even got seriously wounded in the process."
"I had to make it look like I died."
"That's not the point."
Momo sighed.
"Well, you didn't ask for any help from us and were able to do everything on your own. Your plan achieved its goal, so you get a passing grade."
"I see. Then let's go home."
Miko turned around and took a step. He collapsed immediately after. Momo caught him and threw him over her shoulders.
"I expected as much after all that fighting and damage you took."
"I gotta say, Miko was naturally impressive but that Ace kid is something else."
"Do you have an idea of what his ability is?"
"I do but I still need to confirm it."
Tia turned her back in Ace's direction.
"Well, I'm sure that see a lot more of him and his sister after what happened today."
A grin crawled on her face.
"This just keeps getting more exciting."
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