Chapter 45: Playtime's Over
The three Kaimo warriors crashed into each other with bone-jarring impact, their coordinated attack having found nothing but empty air. As they untangled themselves from the undignified heap, Hagas felt the first stirring of genuine concern.
"Hey now," came that infuriatingly casual voice from above. "The show's barely started and you're already rolling around on the ground?"
All four Kaimo looked up to see the monkey, no, something far more dangerous, floating effortlessly in the air. What had been a dark-haired primitive was now wreathed in golden flame, his hair transformed to brilliant blonde and standing on end as if charged with electricity. The change was so dramatic that for a moment, Hagas wondered if this was the same being at all.
"You..." Hagas managed, his voice betraying a hint of the shock he felt. "You survived a coordinated assault from three third-tier warriors completely unharmed. And now you've... transformed? Is this your true strength?"
Karnel allowed himself a small smile as he slowly descended to ground level. "What those three buffoons just destroyed was nothing but an afterimage. Though I have to say, watching you all pile up like amateur acrobats was pretty entertaining. If you're planning to retreat, now would be the time, I'd hate to deprive the universe of such quality comedy."
His voice had changed along with his appearance. Where before there had been casual confidence, now there was something colder, more predatory. The golden aura around him pulsed with barely contained power.
Hagas studied the transformed warrior carefully. The energy readings were... troubling. Still, three third-tier warriors represented significant firepower. "Impressive parlor tricks, monkey. But changing your hair color doesn't necessarily make you stronger. You just caught us off guard with that disappearing act."
"These three fighters of yours," Karnel observed, gesturing at the Kaimo who were reforming their battle positions, "they follow your orders like mindless drones. I bet if you told them to eat dirt, they'd ask for seasoning."
The comparison wasn't far off. The three warriors moved with mechanical precision, spreading out once again to create their triangular formation. Their movements held no hesitation, no self-preservation instinct, just absolute obedience to their commander's will.
"Again with the same strategy?" Karnel shook his head in mock disappointment. "You'd think after the first spectacular failure, you might try something new. But please, don't let me stop you. I'm curious to see if the second attempt will be even more embarrassing than the first."
The three Kaimo attacked simultaneously, their combined assault creating shockwaves that cracked the ground beneath them. But this time, Karnel didn't bother moving.
WHAM! CRACK! THUD!
The sound of the impacts echoed across the landing area, but when the dust settled, Karnel stood exactly where he had been, completely unharmed. The three warriors were pummeling him from different angles, their strikes landing with mountain-shattering force, but he might as well have been getting a massage.
"Hit a little harder," he suggested conversationally, not even bothering to block their attacks. "There's an itch right between my shoulder blades... Yeah, that's the spot. Thanks."
The casual dismissal of their full-power assault sent a chill down Hagas's spine. These weren't weak fighters, each of these warriors could single-handedly destroy entire civilizations. Yet they were having all the effect of children throwing pebbles at a mountain.
"Alright, playtime's over," Karnel announced, opening his eyes fully for the first time since the assault began. "Your power level is so pathetic that standing still is actually boring me. Time for you to die."
He moved.
In the span of a heartbeat, Karnel vanished from between the three attackers and reappeared to their side. Two of the warriors found themselves flying through the air, each having taken a punch that folded them in half around his fists.
The third warrior, Kronus, barely had time to register what had happened before Karnel's hand closed around his throat. In his other palm, a sphere of dark blue energy began to form, crackling with barely contained destruction.
"You know," Karnel said conversationally, as if he weren't holding a struggling warrior by the neck, "I was starting to think you were all just emotionless puppets. But look at that, actual fear in your eyes. How refreshing."
Kronus's expression had indeed changed from stoic determination to wide-eyed terror. His pupils contracted to pinpoints as he stared at the energy sphere inches from his face, making desperate gurgling sounds as he tried to speak around the hand crushing his windpipe.
"I thought the Kaimo were just parasitic drones," Karnel continued, his smile taking on a cruel edge. "Turns out you can feel terror after all. Unfortunately for you... goodbye, little grasshopper."
He shoved the energy sphere directly into Kronus's mouth.
The warrior's eyes bulged as he clawed desperately at Karnel's hand, trying to remove the bomb before it could detonate. His efforts were futile, the energy was already beyond his ability to contain or expel.
"MMMMPH!" The muffled scream was cut short as the energy detonated.
Kronus's head simply ceased to exist, replaced by a fine mist of purple blood that painted the ground in a wide radius. The headless corpse continued to twitch for several seconds before collapsing, a geyser of blood spraying from the severed neck.
Karnel tossed the body aside like discarded trash and turned his emotionless gaze toward the two remaining warriors. They were already struggling to their feet, but the fear in their movements was palpable now.
The executions that followed were swift and brutal. Within moments, three more corpses littered the landing area, and Karnel was casually brushing imaginary dust from his hands.
"Well, that was disappointing," he said, turning back to Hagas. "Your subordinates couldn't even scratch me when I was standing perfectly still. What exactly do you people do with your time? Practice looking menacing?"
Hagas felt anger flash through him at the casual dismissal of his warriors, but he forced himself to remain calm. This monkey, whatever he truly was, had just effortlessly eliminated three third-tier fighters. That level of power demanded respect, if not fear.
"Your strength is... considerable," Hagas admitted reluctantly. "You've easily killed three of our third-level warriors. Where exactly do you come from, monkey? In all the galaxies under Kaimo rule, we've never encountered a species like yours, bipedal, tailed, capable of such transformations."
"You don't need to worry about where I came from," Karnel replied mysteriously. "Your imagination couldn't encompass my origins anyway. Just know that where I'm from, there are many more like me. Many, many more."
The implication sent a chill through Hagas. If this was just one representative of his species, and if there were others with similar power levels...
"You represent a threat to Kaimo dominance," Hagas declared, his voice hardening with resolve. "I am Hagas, one of the four commanders of the Kaimo Empire. I cannot allow you to leave this world alive."
"Oh, you're confident in your strength now?" Karnel seemed genuinely amused. "Let me guess, you're stronger than those three were?"
"Fourth-tier warriors possess nearly five times the power of third-tier," Hagas replied coldly. "You'll learn the difference soon enough."
As he spoke, his own aura began to flare, dark energy crackling around his form like malevolent lightning. The ground beneath his feet cracked and splintered under the pressure of his rising power.
Karnel's smile widened. "Now this might actually be interesting."