You Heard Me

Wither.

Levi's first kill turned to dust and fell to the ground; he had stabbed it in the chest. It felt real, as if he had truly stabbed someone—only the body turned to dust instead of spilling out blood.

[Spare me this act, Levi]

[That was a mere regenerate, there are hundreds more sprinting at you]

Indeed, Levi was staring at the dusty remains of it. He didn't feel this way when he Azure-punched the head of the tentacle monster, or when he sliced the belly of the spider. He just noticed that he was different—different every time he merged with Lexi.

[Heads up]

Levi quickly raised his gaze to see a similar one in the air, pouncing at him. He pivoted to the right, escaping its landing on him. Levi grabbed his knife, swinging it at the creature. The regenerate spread into a streak of dust, following the movement of the knife. That guilty feeling again.

[Dumb creatures]

Yes, they are quite dumb, and weak. But their numbers are massive.

[Behind]

Levi quickly turned to see another humanoid regenerate. Their faces were not that visible, just a wide skeletal set of dentals and woven strips of cloth for a face. It shrieked at him, swinging its arm.

The calculations appeared.

Levi spun like a ballerina, stabbing it in the back of the neck, although he had hesitated. Six more lunged at him.

Could he see six percepts at once? No, he couldn't. Levi stayed light on his feet, moving swiftly and unreachable like a shadow. 

[You have to kill them, Levi]

Levi took a short glance at Box across the spacious land of war. He was moving with confidence, batting and hitting the regenerates with his club. Definitely a better weapon to use. Levi sighed; he gazed at the multitude.

Okay, he reckoned. 

Levi jabbed forward, the decryption of the calculations taking place in his vision like a rune. Levi noticed that his perception ability also provided him with the wisdom on which to attack first and how to attack. Nice.

Swinging the little knife carelessly, the level one regenerates quickly wilt into dust when a small amount of pressure makes contact with them.

One grabbed Levi by the arm, shrieking like a maniac. With a drop of its head, it sank its teeth into Levi's arm. Levi cried out as another bit him on his back. Such a set of teeth they have. 

Levi headbutted the first canine, sending it back to dust. He spun around and delivered a spin kick to the temple of the other. Another of the endless multitude hopped onto his back, digging its teeth into his neck. Levi screamed. He felt one clawing at his cheeks as it shrieked, bringing its ugly face close to his.

It did something horrible, something Levi would never forget the pain. The top of his nose was torn from his body. Levi yelled, dropping backward to the floor and destroying the one that had clung to his back.

Levi tried fighting back with his arms in the air, as he started to sniff in his own blood from his nose. They all surrounded him, fighting one another for a chance to get a bite of his skin.

Robert, The Director was right. Perception is a great ability, but it can't help in any way. If he couldn't defeat simple level one regenerates, what can he do when the real Ròkks come? He's a grey and he should accept it. Greys are nothing.

Levi felt his arms being raised as they dragged him across the ashy South. He wiggled his legs, kicking any of them he could reach to the dust. They all scrambled over him, trying to sink their teeth in, but he struggled his best, with hopeless tears in his eyes.

Box did come to his rescue. He batted a significant number off Levi, helping him get to his feet. Levi noticed Box was alright, unlike him with a bleeding nose, neck, arm and back. 

Levi rose to his feet, giving Box an appreciative nod. They backed themselves, displaying an unfazed stance towards the regenerates. 

The creatures didn't hold back; they rippled forward, swiping and thrusting their arms. Box and Levi readied themselves, surrounded by the oncoming beasts.

Instantaneously, the ground heaved, ejecting rocks and dust. A massive eruption from the core of the South Wing was followed by a large, long anaconda emerging from beneath, with Nate in its jaws.

The ejection threw Box and Levi to the ground. Raising their faces, they could see Nate battling the jaws of the level-two regenerate anaconda.

Dust swirling all around as the eruption had destroyed all the low grade creatures, the little pressure sending them into nothing. 

Nate fought with the head of the anaconda up above, his golden beams missing the extremely agile and quick creature. It seized him regularly in its jaws, but Nate freed himself with a burst of his beams, destroying the creature's head. Yet, another grew back.

Levi stood up and looked at the battle above. He squinted his eyes and easily recognized the human in red fighting the creature. Levi frowned; the malice he thought he didn't have surfaced. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Nate was here.

"Lexi? Merge," Levi ordered, his gaze unmoved from the warring academic.

Box looked at Levi immediately he uttered those words.

[What?]

"You heard me, merge," Levi repeated calmly.

[I'll advice you to rethink, Levi]

[Your body would not be able to-]

Levi had already started stomping forward. He knew Lexi had no say on who merges. Walking foot after foot, Levi hoped to show Nate more than what he did to him and also what he did to Abby.

Box, who was behind the ongoing Levi watched as his neck emitted black scales and wires, which transported to the rest of his body. That was followed by an etch of bright blue. His injuries on his arms healed up. It was magnificent.

[You are making a mistake, Levi]

Levi didn't listen. He sprinted with supersonic speed, running over the diagonal body of the anaconda. Levi leaped into the air, many feet above.

Nate definitely didn't see that coming. The impact of the punch sent him flying miles away.

Levi landed on the ground, ready to close the distance his victim had created. The anaconda was pissed off; it roared at Levi, displaying its canines and a pink forked tongue.

With an uninterested look and a stretch of his arm, Levi's arm transformed into a mega repulsor, blasting the creature from its jaws to smithereens.

Levi turned, looking far away where he had punched Nate. He dashed in that direction with speed, leaving a sonic boom that rippled through the void land.

Silence.

Box gathered himself together, shielding his eyes from the amount of dust that had been raised. He could hear a whistling sound, the result of the speed.

He looked around him. "Damn it," he spat.