"Why is this happening now of all times? This is not the place to freeze up!!" Ross overwhelmingly thought. His body wasn't listening to what he said. He tried moving just his hand, but it was of no use — like a remote without any batteries, it had no effect.
"Are you just going to stand there and look at him? Let's kill him!" Ronald ordered, his view switching between the injured Orvoy with a disfigured arm sitting against the wall as she drowned in the never-ending pain, and the man he had just killed but who surprisingly came back from the dead as if it was some kind of movie or anime.
Tactically, they started closing in on Ross, guns in their hands held with the full intention of shooting him. And who could blame them? They freaked out — their friend was deadly hurt effortlessly, something that alarmed them more than ever.
"Shit, they are coming close… move damn it, move!" He shouted, screaming out loud inside his consciousness. He never knew someone could sweat in their conscious mind, but he did — incredibly.
Thud
Thud
"Hold!"
Ronald raised his fist, signaling them to stop, just like a soldier as well.
"I'm moving in!"
He alone moved from the standing assassins, coming much closer to Ross without fear but with curiosity.
"Aren't you afraid that he will kill you?"
"If he wanted to kill you, he would've done that already!"
He answered confidently, taking a blade from his back — the same kind Orvoy held. Its handle was designer-made and the blade sharp.
Ross's eyes enlarged, fear setting in.
"Ronald figured him out!" It was nothing less than what you would expect from an ex-army captain.
"If I find out how he came back from the dead, Zabi might use it, maybe even promote me!" He pondered — a perfect plan. The risk was greatly large but the reward much better.
He turned his head to the left and there he was — Ronald coming in with curiosity at large.
"Not again… he is going to kill me like the first time. My father's legacy, Mom and Marie… I'm sorry. No matter how I try nothing works out!"
Then,
amidst it all, a mechanical sound came. Identical to the one that came when he met SATORI.
[SYSTEM LOADUP COMPLETE]
[HI ROSS, MY NAME IS MEDUSSA]
Ross's ears couldn't believe what he heard. There was no mistaking it — the sound was exactly like the robots in futuristic movies, the ones that help their owners. A slight hope started to shine in his soul and he didn't waste time to capitalize on it.
"Hey Medusaa, help me!"
A red crosshair appeared in Ross's psychological eyes and started moving like a CCTV camera at a mall, capturing and recording anyone in its radar.
[You are in a lot of trouble]
It said swiftly — a sad point but the truth. But whether it was real or just his mind playing tricks, its voice sounded like it had emotion.
Beep!
It loaded, counting the enemies on his right and left. As it locked on each enemy, numbers displayed consecutively.
Combat skill:
Strength:
Speed:
Weapon: AK47, bullets 30
[Host movement defective. Body is tired from Power Sync]
[Manual Override active]
"Manual override… is that what I think it is?" He shouted, both curious and alarmed.
[Syncing body parts]
Numbers and letters came into his eyes along with a miniature drawing of him — naked — showing the body parts and the codes Medusaa would use to control him. He wanted to ask where she got the drawing from, but there were other things to worry about.
[Left Arm = LA]
[Right Arm = RA]
[Upper Punch = UP]
[Lower Punch = LP]
And on his legs it showed:
[Left Leg = LL]
[Right Leg = RL]
[Upper Kick = UK]
[Lower Kick = LK]
[Sync Complete. Ready To Battle]
Thud
Thud
Ronald got a foot across from Ross — his body still in the superhero stance but frozen like a mech suit out of electric power — staring at him like an archaeologist trying to uncover a hidden treasure. Which in his mind, Ross was.
"What… are… you… Ross Mutt!" He talked to himself, like forcing his brain to start processing and forming an alternative explanation for what he was seeing.
He took his knife, extending it toward Ross's neck, trying to disrespectfully pull his downed face up to get a closer look.
Then,
just as he tried to push him up—
[LA]
The system commanded.
He instantly lifted his left arm and punched Ronald in the gut with force similar to a car, pushing him back and slamming him into the others — then into the wall.
"Whoa… is that really me!" He wondered as Medusaa, a robotic voice, ironically controlled him like a robot.
All their eyes turned toward the powerless Ronald, his head oozing blood. They freaked out at the extraordinary show of power they just witnessed.
"Shoot him!"
Brenda screamed like a battle cry.
They concentrated, turning on him. The system realized that Ross was about to get shot mercilessly to the ground.
[Danger. Host not yet resistant to bullets]
[Searching for Host's Power Beginner's Packet]
"Could you do it fast?! They're about to shoot!" Ross persisted.
[INITIALS CONFIRMED]
Medusaa didn't reply.
[Host Has A.O.I]
A – Arkon, God of Arms.
O – Ophir, God of Order.
I – Ithos, God of Instinct.
The initials showed in his eyes just like the crosshair did.
[SELECTED: I]
[ACTIVATE SKILL: THUNDER DASH]
Suddenly a red light flashed, with it a warning symbol like a road stop sign — the only difference being its alarming red color. Underneath it were words in black as Ross read them.
"ACTIVATING SKILL RISKS HURTING HOST" he read out loud, his eyes enlarging — tension rising with every word.
Ross froze in indecisiveness, recalling the amount of pain he felt with Satori.
Medusaa saw it — the fear in Ross's heart.
[Your body endurance is 8. I trust your chance]
She added, pushing his confidence up.
"Do it."
[ACTIVATE THUNDER DASH!]
A swarm of blue electrical energy formed at his feet, clinging to his legs like bundles of strings but surprisingly never reaching above his knee. With it came a humming sound.
Pew
Pew
Pew
They shot consecutively, nonstop, unwinding their full mags and never letting the recoil push them back.
Surprisingly —
Ross was able to dash through them all, even if they flocked to him like bees. The odds of not letting a bullet hit him were the same as a person not getting hit by a drop of water when it's raining. But under Medusaa's control, he defied it all. Even Ross couldn't believe what he was seeing.
[ Ten steps foward]
Medusaa commanded. In a second, he swiftly rushed to one of the soldiers who came from the door, still being shot at but the bullets' movement visible in his eyes like a slow-motion video.
[RA]
In milliseconds, he lifted his right arm, flattened his palm, and held the man's head. On impact, the man was pushed to the ground — but even midair, Medusaa didn't let Ross lose his hold on the head. And by the time the body reached the ground like a bag of sand—
Phwah!
His head was smothered into pieces by the force in Ross's hand, blood pouring everywhere like a spilled water balloon.
Ross dramatically stood back up, his hand covered in blood, but his face showing nothing. He didn't freak out, nor did he seem to enjoy it.
Brenda's eyes enlarged, unable to believe what she saw. The realization hit her:
Out of the three friends, she was the only one left.
That's when she knew that dealing with Ross Mutt…
they made a deadly mistake.