At the edge of the charred crater, Seven stood, facing down the invader as he urged his body to bring out its maximum effort once again. Despite the way his body bled and ached from the cold, one look at the figure was enough for him to know–he was in much better shape than the enemy.
'I can finish this–I can bring him down,' Seven resolved.
[Adrenaline reaching maximum levels, elevating serotonin…Engaging full degree of muscular control.]
As he exhaled sharply through his teeth, the wounded Fulminare readied himself as well; a layer of frost formed around Alta's body, solidifying into a suit of glacial armor.
'Armor? Is that how he survived the orbital strike?' He thought.
Seven kept his eyes on the surprising shift, taking a step forward to steal the initiative, though fell a moment short–the Fulminare was already halfway there.
The swiftness caught him by surprise, though he reacted to the best of his ability, tilting his head to the side as the cold blade passed right by his cheek. It dragged across his skin, leaving a bitter wound that froze before it could bleed.
As he stepped back, he immediately slammed his boot forward, retaliating as he countered with a fist straight to Alta's abdomen. Against the solid armor of ice, it felt like he collided with diamonds.
'It's tough,' he realized.
Alta remained unmoved, raising his left hand as a glacial axe manifested within a single breath, swinging it down towards the human's neck mercilessly. Twisting himself around, Seven spun his body to maneuver out of the blade's reach, using the momentum to connect into a roundhouse kick delivered to the Fulminare's right side.
Just as his boot made harsh contact, the golden hand brushed against his leg, leaving a touch of frost encasing his calf just before Alta was thrown back.
"Nnnh," Seven winced, setting his foot down as he felt the cold burying itself within the fibers of muscle.
[Frostbite imminent. Engaging higher temperatures to adapt to lethal temperature drop.]
Steam emitted from his calf, melting the frost as he turned his attention towards the higher plateau to the east of the main road. The glacial-armored warrior erupted towards him with only a small crack left in his protection, dragging along a sword and axe in each hand.
'I have to get through that armor–if I attack and don't break through, I'll just be open to his counter. Gotta make it count,' he planned.
The weight was on his shoulders; not just his own life, but humanity's existence–he needed to win. He quickly thumped his hands against his chest, building up the static charge before the enemy could reach him.
Not a word came from the figure shrouded within the translucent armor, only speaking with his strength. Alta reached him like a gliding swan, moving with a weightless grace as he spun around, maneuvering the pair of frozen blades in a masterful dance.
It took every bit of concentration to avoid being cut apart; Seven's eyes darted, keeping constant track on those weapons as he ducked and threw himself from side-to-side. As he slipped back with the freezing longsword missing, the swing by the Fulminare was spun into a sideways flip, leading into a downward kick.
He crossed his arms above his head just as the ice-plated shin collided with his forearms. Like a cannon had fired against his limbs, the weight behind the impact echoed through the marrow of his bones.
"Hrk!--" Seven gritted his teeth.
[Radias and Ulna bones fractured | Muscle tears detected | Strengthening body in response…]
Beneath his feet, the asphalt began to crack as he stumbled back, attempting to find his footing as his arms quickly swelled up. Before he could even gather his balance, the ice-encased warrior was already in his space, thrusting a blade towards his abdomen.
There was only time to move his waist to the right, saving himself from being skewered as the sharp edge instead ran across his side. It hurt, but so did his entire body; a gash was nothing that would stop him as he moved forward, reaching his fist for the Fulminare's head–
"Ghk?!"
Like an elusive butterfly, the figure spun away from his reach, leading right into the blade slashing across his chest. The cold edge did nothing but amplify the pain, freezing the opened wound before it could bleed, gripping his tissue with the heartless grasp of winter.
All those within the confines of the colossal robot could do is spectate, watch helplessly, but perhaps with hope, that the young man would endure.
The frost that crept from his wounds only slowed him, more and more, leading his counters to be overwhelmed by further slashes, earning a cut across his cheek, another through his ear, and a gash across his left thigh.
"Hfff…" Seven exhaled, keeping himself standing as the injuries piled on.
Ultimately, just staying upright was a challenge as he slumped over, breathing heavily with puffs of chilling air leaving his lungs.
For a moment, the one in ice stood there with a look obscured by the cold helm; a look of quandary between compassion and duty, bound by one truth–that only one could be left standing.
"You did well, Champion of Humanity."
As the Fulminare raised his sword with the intent of severing any chance of resistance, the weakened man revealed the fist he clutched close to his body. It hummed with an emerald shine, carrying a surge of electricity untapped, hardly bottled in that fist.
[Kinetic energy absorbed to maximum capacity.]
[Maximization of triceps, rotator cuffs, deltoids, hamstrings, and calves activated. Optimizing current action; "Mjolnir Impact."]
As the proud warrior from another world realized the trap he'd walked into, the fist that carried humanity's hope was already piercing forth. With the discharge of kinetic energy fueled by the Fulminare's own strength, Seven's knuckles pierced the sound barrier with one snap of his shoulder. Nothing but dismay laid on the expression of the golden humanoid as the force swept through the crystalline armor, shattering it into nothing but cold fragments.
Passing the protective layer, he pushed forward, letting his fist, empowered by the emerald release, rocket against the Fulminare's abdomen. He punched with the intent of pushing his hand through his enemy's stomach and out his back.
"Pyuh…!" Alta spat out purple blood, hunching over.
As the shattering hit was followed through, the Fulminare was flung back as a shock wave rippled through the charred road. The aftermath of such a blow led the entirety of the right arm of his suit destroyed, unable to contain the overwhelming force.
Seven caught his breath, looking towards the figure that was now laid out on the burnt asphalt.
[You have defeated a [7.8 Magnitude] threat to humanity. The appropriate experience will be instilled into your frame.]
[EXP: +2,000]
[Level 16 reached.] [500/2050]
[Current Status: High-Degree Superhuman | Fourth Stage]
"//You did it…Seven, you won,//" Haoyu's voice came in.
"//Seven…! You really got him–you beat a Fulminare!//" May celebrated.