"I... I don't feel so good." Troppus's face was contorted to the point where one could tell he was on the verge of death. For a support type, it was a disgrace for someone to see his condition like that but he couldn't do anything about it. As much as he hated to admit it, he had run out of juice, and it was only a matter of time before he would die along with everyone else in the group.
"Troppus... no!" Tatsuki grunted.
"Foolish humans," The Giant Orc this time picked up Troppus so he could squeeze him to death just like everyone else. For some odd reason, the Giant Orc was picking the weakest ones first and killing them in front of the strong ones. He called it getting rid of the side characters which greatly offended Tatsuki and the others.
It was twisted, to say the least, but that twistedness was the reason why Tatsuki and the other top ten superheroes in the Top Ten are still alive. Their lives had been paid in blood with the other superheroes in their party— a great blow to their pride and a hard-hitting realization that there would be times when they wouldn't be able to protect or save everyone.
Just a few minutes ago, their party was having a meal, conversing about clearing the Dungeon Spire and about their family. Tatsuki could even remember the times when Troppus and the others congratulated him when they heard about his son passing the Superhero License Exam. They couldn't be any happier, saying that the next generation of superheroes will be stronger, more formidable than them, and how they wished that they'd be able to recruit them as interns for their agency.
And right now, those aspirations were lost, ground to dust— their hopes and dreams dying along with them.
Troppus was next in line, and his eyes twitched in horror as he came face to face with the Giant Orc.
"What a funny-looking human," The Giant Orc chuckled to itself as he was about to squeeze Troppus.
"NOOOO!!!" Pain could be felt in Tatsuki's voice as Troppus struggled to get out of the Giant Orc's grip. Despair filled his every being, and at that moment, Tatsuki felt like his life flashed before his eyes. It was the same feeling he felt during the Boosting Incident where he almost lost his life.
Being the support type he was, Troppus couldn't do anything as he hung limply from the hands of the orc. He didn't want to die, but it's not like he's got any viable options left aside from dying. 'Besides, my whole body is painful... too painful... it would be nice if I could die right now.' Troppus wandered into the thought of giving up.
Just then, a light flashed before his eyes, and he saw his loving wife by the kitchen, waiting for him. He could almost smell the curry she was cooking. 'Do you want to eat first? Or do you want to take a bath first? Or maybe you want— '
Flash!
The thought of his wife in the last fleeting moments of his life brought about his fighting spirit once again as he screamed with vigor. There was something in him that awakened which made him fight for his life a second time.
"WAAAARGHHH!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. At that moment, one would've mistaken him for a strength-type superhero which wasn't the case at all.
"Don't think superheroes die easily, you fool!" Troppus gritted his teeth as saliva and blood escaped his lips.
"Dex, are you here?" Satoshi muttered as he tried to get up.
[Yes, Satoshi, do you need anything?]
"I want to know if I have enough energy to integrate with my familiars, right now," Satoshi asked.
[A-a-are you sure about this, Satoshi?] Dex confirmed since he was able to read Satoshi's mind. Based on Satoshi's expression, Dex could tell that he was determined to do it.
A light chuckle came out of Satoshi's mouth since this was the first time he heard Dex panic like that. Since their minds were connected, Satoshi could also tell that Dex was deeply concerned about him. After all, what he's about to do is something crazy.
"So, do I have enough energy?"
[A- er- um- sigh~... Yes, Satoshi, you have enough energy to pull it off. It will depend on your concentration but with your energy readings, you can sustain it for two minutes, at most.]
"All right, that's more than enough," Satoshi muttered before he clamped his fist on the ground as he tried to fight against gravity. Just as he thought, it was no good.
There was only one thing he could do.
The first familiar he summoned was none other than Sera who was actually already with them. Satoshi figured that with Sera's buff, he'd be able to have more control over his familiars once he integrated with them.
"Oum~!" Sera gave off a squeal as she integrated with Satoshi, giving Satoshi the white and gold robe with a huge collar and giving him the halo.
In that instant, Satoshi felt intense energy surging through his body. For a split second, he thought that his appendages would explode due to Sera's sudden outburst of buffs. He almost lost consciousness, but he gritted his teeth and pulled through, successfully completely integrating with Sera just like he did before.
The Giant Orc, who had been surprised by Troppus's sudden act of courageousness, was caught off guard once again as Satoshi began to glow a nice white color. His handle on the gravity pressure was becoming weak around Satoshi as the process of integration continued. "I-Impossible..." The Giant Orc said to himself which somehow reminded Satoshi of a purple guy who snapped his fingers.
The glow surrounding Satoshi became even more intense until it suddenly shifted into a sinister glow. One moment, the light was pristine white, the next moment it had a certain tint of darkness to it, getting stronger and stronger until it turned into a nice shade of purple.
It was obvious that Satoshi was about to integrate with Ghast next.
'One Integration down... Four more to go.' Satoshi thought, smiling at the Orc— his killing spree was about to come to an end.
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