I Guess This Is The End...

"Go! Go! Go!" Malik yelled while jumping to his feet and pulling Becca as well.

The both of them began fleeing in the opposite direction as quickly as their legs could carry them.

Behind them, the forms of the figures giving chase were shrouded in a luminous haze that pulsed with an otherworldly glow.

The landscape itself seemed to shift and contort in response to their presence as if bending to their will as they closed in on Malik and Becca.

Their bodies were elongated and sinuous, with multiple limbs that moved in ways that defied earthly physics. Their skin glowed with greenish light, casting a surreal aura upon the vicinity.

Malik turned around and noticed that the beings behind were starting to catch up. It was pretty useless to try to escape from them with just two feet when the ones behind had more than twice the number of limbs.

Normal humans wouldn't be able to escape more than five feet. If they weren't modified combatants, they would have gotten caught already.

'It was almost like they knew we were coming... hiding their presence away till we got to the heart of yellow zone D... getting to the outskirts would be close to impossible,' Malik gritted his teeth in frustration as they moved in a zig-zag pattern across the vicinity.

The uneven ground surface made escaping even more difficult, especially with the rocks protruding from beneath.

Twwhwiii~

"Huh?" Malik turned to the side as he noticed a wriggly two-fingered hand latch onto Becca's arm.

His eyes widened as he reached out to grab her, but he wasn't quick enough.

Fwwhhii~

Becca got yanked backwards by the elongated hand.

"Kiaaarhh!" Her scream echoed across the surroundings as she got pulled in the direction of the beings that were nearly twenty feet away very quickly.

'Damn it... 5% won't last for very long, but I can't leave her behind,' Malik turned around while tapping the circular disk-like item planted on the right side of his chest.

[ Activating Memory data... ]

[ Operator Recognised... ]

[ Operator recognized ]

[ Operator name: Malik Nonek ]

[ Compatibility rate: 71.2% ]

[ Tank Battle Mode Activated ]

'It would have really helped a lot if this UVS was a damage dealer like the one from the challenge...' Malik cursed internally as the nanites spread across his body to form a giant and menacing-looking suit.

He was nearly nine feet tall with red circular spots across the battle suit and muscular frame. His helm had a 'v' shaped red window that gave him digitalised feedback and pinpointed the locations of every single being lurking in the darkness of the vicinity.

The instant Malik spotted the one pulling Becca away, he sped in its direction.

[ Suggesting The Activation Of Reinforced Outer Surface ]

"Activate!" Malik yelled while his massive feet made loud stomping noises on the ground.

All the lines on the surface of his suit suddenly closed up as the glowing red circles vanished, and a hardened metallic-like frame covered his entire being.

Bang!

Malik rammed into the being, dragging Becca away with immense force, causing it to get sent flying.

It subconsciously let go of Becca, causing her to fall from the air unprotected.

Malik moved with precision and caught her before her body slammed into the ground.

[ Approaching Hostiles... ]

[ Closest Hostile On Operator's 9 'o clock ]

[ Suggesting The Use Of Tecno Shield ]

"Activate!" Malik turned towards his left while a glowing red triangular shield manifested from his arm.

The moment it formed completely, a projectile rammed into it.

Tah! Tah! Tah!

From the looks of things, they were rhombus-shaped greenish items, the sizes of baby skulls.

Upon failing to hit their target, they fell to the ground, and a corrosive darkness began to spread.

[ Suit Power Capacity At 2% ]

Malik turned away at this point and began running forward with Becca in his grasp.

"Shit! We're dead! We're dead! We're dead!" Becca kept chanting while looking over Malik's shoulder at how she was positioned.

"Shut up and let me think!" Malik shouted in annoyance. 

They were starting to close in on a sloppy terrain that extended upwards.

'Once we get over that, we should reach the outskirts,' Malik thought with an expression of hope.

Thrrriihhh~ Thirrrihh~ Thrrrihhh~

Loud whirring sounds suddenly rang out from behind, causing Malik to turn slightly.

"What the hell is that?" He muttered after spotting some glowing teal lines pierce through the air with intensity.

They collided with the cavern ceiling wall up ahead, and what came next shook the foundations of the earth beneath them....

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A bunch of small explosions reverberated across the vicinity, triggering chunks of massive rocks to fall.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

They blocked Malik's path up ahead, causing him to pause while gritting his teeth.

"Damn bastards!" He turned around furiously.

The only way left for him to keep moving forward was to go around the blockage. This, of course, meant that he would have to face the chasing group.

"Becca, I'll open a path in between them on the left... you run as quickly as you can afterwards," Malik whispered.

"What...? What about you?" She questioned with a slightly disturbed look.

"Just make sure you go when the time comes..." Malik stated.

"Well, I can't say no when my life is at stake... You will be remembered as a valiant hero," She patted his broad shoulder twice.

"Shut it," Malik stated before charging sideways.

'One, two... four, seven, eleven... fuck...' Malik stopped counting and began evading the elongated arms shooting at him.

The beings who had Formula One helmet-shaped crania and green glowing four eyes would leave anyone terrified, but Malik wasn't anyone.

Bam!

He grabbed hold of one of the elongated wriggly hands and pulled forward with all his might.

Fwhiii~

Thrusting his left fist upwards, he bashed it into the face of the creature.

Bang!

Loud cracking sounds rang out as murky blue liquid gushed out of the creature's skull. He then grabbed one of the arms, which was fourteen feet long and spun.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The being's body slammed into some others that were blocking Malik's path, creating a small space.

Malik swung Becca forward while yelling, "Go! Go! Go!"

Bella landed after the lineup of the unknown beings and ran forward.

However, some of them on the sides had already set their sights on her. They wanted to go after her, but Malik arrived before them and began raining fists on their bodies.

As Malik was currently in tank mode, his attacks were not very strong, but his body was an entirely different case. Despite the numerous hits he suffered, he was still in one piece.

That was until...

[ Suit Power Capacity At 0% ]

[ Ultimate Vestro Sleep Mode Activated ]

'I guess this is the end...' Malik's heart skipped a beat as his frame reduced, and he returned to his regular look.

Multiple limbs were shooting in his direction at that point, and he was well aware that no matter how nimble, without the help of the UVS, evading every single one of them was impossible.

From the distance, Becca looked back and could see Malik getting swallowed up completely by their numbers.

"Malik..." She wanted to scream but quickly covered her mouth. She was on the sloppy terrain that led towards the outskirts of the vicinity.

'Somebody... help...' As much as Becca didn't want to give up herself, she also desperately wished that Malik could be saved.

At that moment, an unexpected phenomenon suddenly occurred...

Thrrrihhhh~

Becca could hear it... the vibration in the air and the pulsating ripples that caused the ground to quake rhythmically.

Something was coming...

The moment she turned towards the right, a purple streak blitzed past her.

Twwhoosshhh~

"What is... that?" Her eyes widened in shock as her hair waved violently due to the wind.

Bang!

A loud crash rang out next, and upon peering in the direction of the unknown beings, about ten of them had been blasted across the air.

Becca squinted her eyes as she couldn't see clearly because of the dim lighting and distance. However, she could clearly make out a humanoid figure with a purplish glowing helm in a heated battle with the beings.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Slash~

A glowing blade protruded from the wrist area of the humanoid figure, and with a single swing came the dissection of two heads.

The humanoid being moved with such precision and sharpness that everywhere it went, a trail of blood was left in its wake.

The beings that gave them so much trouble were being taken down and sliced into numerous pieces like their bodies were made of tofu.

"Go! Go! Go!" Malik yelled to Becca as he approached with speed.

"Who is that?!" Becca inquired with a tone of exhilaration.

"It doesn't matter. Let's get out of here!" Malik grabbed her wrist and pulled her alongside him.

Becca kept glancing back as they made their way out of the vicinity till the scene of the battle was out of sight.

What she last saw was many more of those beings approaching. It was truly a wise decision to leave since they couldn't do anything to better the situation.

However, Becca couldn't help but wonder who the unknown helper was. She couldn't get a clear view, but it seemed like a UVS.

"Are we just going to leave them there?" Becca inquired as they reached the surface and began running towards an area where a bunch of trucks were parked.