Chapter:13-Hack and Slash(2)

Adam's breath came in violent gasps, his chest heaving with the weight of the battle. The mine was a haze of blood and dust, the air thick with the scent of iron and the harsh smell of flesh. His skin throbbed as it healed, his body mending faster than his mind could keep up. The alien before him—massive, furious, and seemingly unstoppable—loomed like an oncoming storm, its yellow eyes burning with an animalistic rage.

"Grgh....GRAGHHHG!!!"

Adam's grip tightened around the hilt of his saber. His knuckles were white, the glow of the blade pulsing in time with the thundering beats of his heart. The alien's roars echoed through the mine, reverberating through the stone walls as it advanced.

"Shut up,will you?" Adam spat, his voice cracked and hoarse. He wasn't sure if he was taunting the creature or himself at this point. His mind was a whirlwind of pain, anger, and confusion. The fight wasn't just with the alien anymore. It was with himself.

The alien let out another primal roar, its form now swollen and monstrous, veins pulsing beneath its rough, mottled skin. It lunged forward, its massive fists coming down like sledgehammers. Adam barely had time to react, sidestepping the blow, feeling the wind from the impact rush past him.

He pulled back his his saber,making it slice into the creature's thick arm. Blood sprayed, hot and viscous, but the alien didn't falter. It only grew more furious, swinging its fists with reckless abandon. Adam ducked, dodged, and slashed, but each movement felt more sluggish than the last.

Adam grabbed the energy saber.

His body was healing, yes, but his mind… his mind was unraveling. Each strike he made was fueled by something darker, something he didn't fully understand.

The creature's fist slammed into his side, and Adam's body was sent tumbling deeper into the stone wall with a sickening thud. Pain exploded through his chest, his ribs cracking under the impact. His head swam. For a moment, he could feel the madness creeping up on him, like a wave threatening to drown him.

But as he lay there, gasping for breath, something in his mind clicked.

'Calm yourself.'

The words echoed in his mind, cutting through the haze of fury. They were Maria's words. He could hear her voice—calm, steady, like a lifeline reaching through the storm.

'Calm yourself…'

Adam's eyes flickered open, the world spinning around him. His body was healing, but his mind… his mind was slipping. His vision blurred, the alien looming above him, roaring with triumph. But he couldn't focus on that. Not yet.

'Calm yourself.'

He repeated the words in his head, over and over, like a mantra. His hands gripped his head, fingers digging into his skull as if trying to force the madness back into the dark corners of his mind. His heart thundered in his chest, blood pounding in his ears, but he fought to regain control.

"Come on," Adam hissed, his voice strained, ragged. "Focus, damn it. Focus!"

He pushed himself up, his body still healing, still mending, but this time, his movements were slower, more deliberate. His saber flickered in his hand, its glow dimming slightly as he centered himself, pulling himself back from the brink.

'Calm yourself…'

The alien's roar shook the walls, but Adam barely noticed. He could feel the madness clawing at him, but it was quieter now. More distant. He wasn't there yet, but he was close.

The creature lunged at him again, and this time, Adam didn't react with blind fury. His movements were sharper, more calculated. His saber danced through the air, each strike a precise cut, each parry a measured defense. The alien's blows were wild, but Adam's mind was no longer consumed by rage.

With a growl, the alien swung both of its massive fists down. Adam dodged, his body moving with the fluidity of someone who had regained control. His saber sliced through the alien's wrist, severing it cleanly. Blood sprayed in every direction, and Adam didn't flinch.

His breath steadied, his focus narrowing to the task at hand. The alien screamed, stumbling back, clutching at its stump. But Adam didn't let up. His saber slashed through the air, carving into the alien's thick hide, leaving deep, glowing gashes. But the creature didn't go down. It only roared louder, more desperate.

But as he pressed forward, something strange happened. The creature's body began to twitch and spasm. The veins beneath its skin glowed green, and its muscles bulged, swelling unnaturally. The alien let out another roar, but this time it wasn't one of pain—it was one of sheer, unrelenting fury.

Adam's eyes widened as the creature grew larger, its already massive form becoming even more grotesque. Its bones cracked, reforming and reshaping as its muscles expanded.

"What the hell is this?" Adam muttered to himself, taking a step back, trying to make sense of the monstrous transformation unfolding before him.

He felt a surge of panic, but he quickly shoved it down, focusing on the alien in front of him.

'Focus, focus…'

His breath hitched, his mind a battlefield between his will and the chaos threatening to consume him. He could feel the madness gnawing at the edges of his thoughts, but he fought it back, grounding himself in the present, in the fight.

"Come on, you bastard," Adam spat, lifting his saber. "If you think that's enough to stop me, you've got another thing coming."

The creature roared, its eyes glowing with a strange, feral intensity. It was no longer the mindless beast it had been before. It had become something worse. Something even more dangerous.

Adam clenched his teeth, his hand tight around the hilt of his saber. Calm yourself, he repeated, forcing the words through the fog of madness.

The alien charged again, but Adam was ready this time. His movements were swift, calculated—he was in control. His saber cut through the air with deadly precision, striking the alien's swollen body again and again. The creature screamed, its blood spilling in torrents, but Adam didn't stop.

He couldn't stop.

The alien's body swelled with grotesque power, yet Adam felt an unshakable calm. His saber cut through its flesh with surgical precision, carving deep gashes across the creature's bulging torso. Blood sprayed from its wounds, but it didn't falter. It pressed on, its strength growing as if the wounds only made it angrier.

Then, the alien did something Adam hadn't expected. It roared, its body surging with energy, its limbs stretching and snapping as if breaking free from a cage. It was moving faster now, and with every blow, its strength was magnified.

"Shit!" Adam cursed as the alien's foot swept under him, sending him tumbling backward.

The world spun around him. His body was already healing, but the speed of the battle was overwhelming. The creature's newfound power made it even more dangerous, more relentless. Adam barely had time to react as the alien's massive hand slammed into his side, sending him flying across the mine, crashing into the jagged rocks.

The pain was overwhelming. His body cracked, bruised, but it healed. Slowly. Too slowly.

"Focus…" Adam breathed, his voice barely a whisper.

He pushed himself up, his blood mixing with the dirt beneath him. His saber hummed with energy, and as he steadied himself, the alien charged once more. It was a force of nature, a beast unrelenting in its fury. But Adam was no longer just a man driven by rage. He had found the thread of control, and though it was fragile, it was enough to carry him through.

He met the creature head-on, saber clashing against the alien's grotesque strength. The force of the impact sent ripples through the air, dust flying in every direction. Adam's heart pounded, his head swimming with the noise of the battle, but he stood his ground. Each cut, each thrust, each parry—deliberate.

But the alien wasn't done. Not by a long shot.

It pulled back it's hands and with a thunderous roar slapped them together to create a...

*SONIC BOOOOM!*

Adams eardrums ruptured but healed just as quickly but the shockwave sent him crashing into a wall craterring himself in it.

He lost grip of the sword.

The beast moved unnaturally fast and started pummeling Adam.

*BAAM*

*BOOM*

*SLAM*

Hundreds,no. Thousnads punches, each made by a fist as large as himself crashes upon on by one one Adam's body.

Blood sprayed from his mouth and other parts. Bones broke as they healed,muscles and skin ripped as they put themselves back together.

Suddenly the beast felt a deep pain in his back.

It looked and saw the the sword that Adam lost grip of of before embedded within him,glowing with blue vibrating energy.

"WARGHHHH!" The beast screamed as Adam made the sword hack and slash up and down. Slicing his back into ribbons as steam came out of there.

The steam was the sign of regeneration.

So,as Adam cut him,the beast fixed himself.

The wound closed but the pain was there.

Adam smiled as blood tainted his mouth,the iron taste entering every taste bud.

He gave a large,bloody smile.

"Yeah...that's what it feels like..!!"

End of Chapter