บท 23: 22nd Adversary: Violence
Ace faced off against Igor Rigoni and his gang.
"I don't know why you targeted me and my gang but honestly that's not important. That's the kind of life we gangsters live. Most die without even knowing why."
He took a step forward.
"All that's important is killing the bastards who are in front of me."
He scanned his surroundings, there were at least a hundred people dressed in military clothing and wearing red skull masks.
"I don't mind taking you all on, but my little sister made me promise to give opponents I have no grudge against a warning before destroying them. So I'll do that now."
He cracked his fingers.
"If value your life then don't stand before me. This is your one and only warning."
"You're wasting your breath. Every one of them was an outcast in this country. Many of them are wanted dead by other large criminal organizations. I protected them using my authority. They can't live without me. Even if they could, what about their loved ones? Their and their families' well-being is dependent on me staying alive. So they'll fight for me to the end like slaves."
Igor smirked.
"But your expression says that you don't care."
"Unfortunately, the lives of strangers mean nothing to me."
Ace started walking towards Igor. The nearest soldier blocked his path.
*Bam!*
An explosive sound rang out as Ace walked past him.
"..."
The soldier fell to his knees. His mask crumbled and revealed disfigured face.
"The time for mercy has passed."
A wild yellowish glow engulfed his body.
"Character Change:…"
"So he's going to use it from the start?"
Igor started walking towards him.
Ace's figure was devoured by a yellow light. When it faded, a different figure appeared. He was a foot taller and far more muscular. The expression on his face was wild, and he looked a bit older. He was wearing dark pants with a belt, made of thick chains. He had on armored boots, thick arm guards with armor attached to them, and a pair of fingerless gloves. A lion tattoo was on the center of his bare torso. He was a completely different person.
"Brawler."
"I heard rumors you had a strange ability that lets you transform into different people. Looks like it's true."
Igor pointed at him.
"Go and test out his abilities for me. Rush him with numbers and try to back him into a corner."
The soldiers rushed at Ace in unison.
"I bet you consider yourself quite the genius."
Ace's pulled his arm back. He kicked off the ground and threw a punch. A thundering noise resounded. Broken bodies flew through the air before crashing into the earth. Igor frowned as the wails of men reached his ears.
"Did you know?"
Ace locked eyes with him.
"There are some things you just can't plan for."
He clenched his fist.
"Like overwhelming violence."
Elsewhere. People looked on in horror as a string of warehouses burned under the hot sun. Explosions could be heard along with the sounds of gunfire.
"D-Did someone really attacked the Adu Gang?"
"Who is insane enough to do that?"
Inside one of the warehouses—
"Kill him! Kill that bastard!"
Dozens of men fired their weapons and attacks at a man wearing a red skull mask. The man ran through the warehouse avoiding their attacks. He returned fire using a Gatling gun. Bullets tore his uniform as he evaded them. He quickly ran out of ammo. The men rushed at him. He gripped his gun tight. He swatted those closest to him. He threw the gun and kicked off the ground. He pulled two batons from his waist. He ducked under a sword swing. He smashed the kneecaps of his attacker with the baton. He grabbed his falling attacker and lifted him as he ran. Bullets riddled the body as he hid behind him.
"You fucker!"
Enraged, more people rushed him. He threw away his shield. He accelerated and smashed a man's face with his knee. He blocked a sword with his plated glove. He was kicked from the side. He stumbled. Enemies chased after him. Flames danced in his palms. He thrust his palm. An explosion of flames devoured everything in front of him. He leaped into the air. Bullets and lasers chased him. Flames burst out of his feet. He flew in a different direction. He flew to the ceiling.
"Ohhh!"
He punched the ceiling. The warehouse shook. The ceiling caved in.
"Fuck!"
Debris fell on top of those in the building. The masked man escaped. He crashed through the window of the neighboring warehouse.
"There he is!"
He was bombarded with attacks. His figure was devoured by an explosion.
"Hahahaha!"
He flew out of the flames laughing. Lightning and flames danced in his hands. He fuses them together. He fired a blast of lightning and flames at those below. Dozens of people were blown away. Smoke filled the warehouse.
"Ah?!"
Screams were followed by thuds.
"Get rid of the smoke, you idi—Ugh?!"
A strong gust of wind cleared the smoke.
"?!"
Eyes widened at the sight of a sole soldier standing in the middle of a circle of bodies. He was covered in burns and his mask was cracked. Yet, he didn't seem weak.
"Why…Why is a member of the Bloody Mace Gang attacking us?!"
The man didn't answer and flew at the nearest person. He clenched his fist and threw a punch.
"Ugh?!"
A cry of agony resounded as Ace shattered the chest plate of one of Igor's men. He spun around with a roundhouse. His kick ripped through two men and forcibly bent a third. He twisted his body to avoid a laser. He countered with a hook. His fist planted a man's upper body into the earth. His body flickered. Bodies flew, crashing into buildings. Ace reappeared dragging a man by his leg. He kicked off the ground. He swung the man and swatted away several people. He threw the broken body away and slowly walked in Igor's direction. He was immediately blocked by a human wall.
"The red skulls fit you people. You're like undead soldiers."
Ace charged at the wall. He burst through it with a punch. He rushed at Igor.
"Are you done analyzing? If so, let's fight!"
He clenched his fist and threw a punch. Igor lifted his hand and caught it. A loud thud resounded.
"Overwhelming violence, was it?"
Igor's grinned.
"You're talking my language!"
He pulled Ace towards him. He hit Ace with an uppercut. Ace, however, hit him at the same time. Ace grabbed Igor's arm. He hit him with a right hook. Igor replied with a left. Ace hit him with a liver shot. Igor replied with an uppercut. The two started a slugfest without letting go of each other. Neither took a step back as they were hit. Their fists flew like poisoned arrows, aiming for their target's vitals. They only separated when they stepped into each other's stomachs.
"Well, this is surprising. You're pretty strong. You even took so many of my attacks head-on."
Ace wiped the blood from his face. Igor spat out a tooth.
"You have to be at least this strong to have my status."
He smirked.
"I'm starting to see why Nebulous gives you special treatment. Your strength won't lose to a major gang leader."
"Special treatment?"
Ace clenched his teeth.
"Don't talk about shit you know nothing about!"
"Did I hit a nerve?"
"Big time."
Ace flew at him with a punch. Igor countered with one of his own. Igor ducked under a kick. Ace stepped back and avoided an uppercut. He lifted his leg and swung it down like an axe. Igor caught his leg. Ace jumped off his pivot leg. He slammed it on the side of Igor's head.
"Huh?"
Ace's eyes widened. Igor took his kick with a smile. Igor tightened his grip on Ace's leg. He lifted him overhead and slammed him into the ground. He lifted again and threw him through a building.
"While it would be fun to have a good old slugfest with you, I can't afford to continue taking those hits. What would I do if I'm too beaten up to defend myself against a possible ambush after this?"
He smirked.
"I'm quite hated after all."
Ace emerged from the building with wounds over his body. He witnessed Igor's uniform tearing away from his body. His eyes widened at the sight of glowing marks covering his torso and arms.
"Wait…Are those Runes? He can use Norse Magic?!"
"I didn't plan on using this at first, but you're stronger than I expected."
Igor's body was covered by a green aura.
"Since it's come to this, I'm going to enjoy breaking you apart."
Ace blinked. He opened his eyes and was greeted by a fist inches away from his face.
"?!"
He twisted his body to avoid it. He was blown back with a broken nose. His feet skid on the ground. Igor appeared above him. He swung down an ax kick. Ace crossed his arms above him to guard. His guard was blown open. Igor's leg hit Ace's shoulder. His body was forced to the ground. The asphalt burst open. A crater opened up in the ground. Igor punched at the ground. An explosion erupted. Ace flew out of the dust cloud. Igor chased after him. Ace stood his ground and punched out. His arm was blown back by Igor's fist. Igor stepped in and rose him off the ground with a punch to the gut.
(I see…He enhanced his physical abilities with a Norse Spell. The fact he hasn't made any grand moves shows that he only knows this spell and it's his trump cars.)
He grabbed Igor's arm. He swung his head back and headbutt Igor. Blood sprayed from Ace's head while Igor smirked.
(So it boosts his defenses too…)
Igor slammed his fist in the side of Ace's head. Ace's body bounced off the ground. He quickly got to his feet and blocked a kick. He countered another kick with his own. He then countered a punch with a palm strike. He ducked under a hook.
(I'm starting to adjust to his new speed and strength.)
He uppercut Igor but he didn't flinch. He distanced himself to avoid a kick.
(But I still need to pierce through his defense.)
He grinned. He spread his arms. His fists disappeared into space. Igor could see ripples where his fists disappeared. Ace pulled his arms back.
"Let's give these a try."
He was wearing spiked brass knuckles.
Igor's eyes were trembling in his head.
"Where did he get those? Don't tell me he used Space Magic?!"
"Now then…"
Ace slammed his knuckles together.
"Let me show you true violence."
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