6 Combat!

Alfred, while prepared for what he might see, was still genuinely shocked. Seeing such a unsettling visage of himself was… disgusting.

Like the relationship humans have with zombies Alfred was immediately against his imposter.

"Well… do you want to talk it out?"

*SSQTAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHT!!!*

The very ground rippled with the force of the abominations battlecry. This didn't sit well with Alfred's eardrums. He had his balance immediately destroyed. This led to him collapsing to the ground in the fetal position, hands clamped over bleeding ears.

"I'll… take… that as… a no."

Alfred finally managed to stand. Looking up he was greeted with the figure of a charging mutant, about half a meter away from making mincemeat of him.

"Heckin flip!"

Rolling to the side Alfred had the back of his shirt torn to shreds on the enemy's scythe.

"... Pedro?"

Still completely disoriented from the previous attack Alfred doubted what he saw. But he wasn't wrong.

The mantis had missed Alfred, but cut Pedro into two, neat halves. With his innards coating the other hims scythe Alfred looked on in not anger, disgust, hatred, malice, or even sadness. Just… disappointment. The kind you'd feel when you disobeyed your parents and the say they're not mad, just… disappointed.

This was a new experience for Alfred. With everything that's happened Pedro was the only other thing that meant anything to him at all. His past life had all but faded from his mind, those he loved and those that loved him were all dead to him. Nothing meant anything anymore and the one thing he'd grown attached to died.

He finally realized what'd happened, fully.

"I… must do something, anything! I want to… No! I have to achieve something that means something! I will move forward, gather power, slay enemies. So long as I can stand it I'll do it, for purpose, for any purpose at all. My new, real life starts here with my death."

Shuddering Alfred picks himself off the ground. This time using all of his power. Taking a small step forward he appears in front of the mantis before it gets a chance to react. He punches.

The world shook.

The mantis disappeared, gone through the hole in the wall made by its sudden exit.

Seeing the mantis rise back up, charging the tower to reclaim his throne Alfred smiled, with mirth in his eyes.

Letting his for approach him Alfred waited.

The mantis swooped upward, disappearing for a moment before rocketing into the tower, then into the throne room.

Alfred was calm, cordial, and welcomed his guest with an elbow, to the face.

Unfazed, the mantis swung its scythe towards Alfred's midsection. Causing an odd whining sound to emit from the blade.

Dodging over the blade with a roll Alfred flipped over onto his feet, leaving him open for the mantis to swing around and attack from the angle opposite of before.

Grinning Alfred limbos under the swing and punches the bug in its midsection. This causes cracks to form throughout the bug's shell. Unfazed the bug opens its mouth once more, this time a sound vacuum was created, opposed to the previous explosion this absorbed all sound.

Lunging backwards the bug readied itself while keeping the sound vacuum out.

Visibly confused, Alfred keeps his distance, and hands on his ears.

"****************"

'Huh, I can't speak, odd. Is this a defense mechanism or some sort of attack?'

The two Alfreds stood opposite on another and stared. Not knowing what the other would do next they entered a stalemate.

The momentary silence was brought to an end when the mantis closed its mouth, destroying the vacuum. This let Alfred's hearing function.

While he may of regained his hearing, Alfred had another problem, mainly the audible buzzing coming from outside the throne room.

"You cheated!"

Releasing its ear annihilating screech the mantis destroyed Alfred's ears once more.

*SSQTAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHT!!!*

Even though Alfred had his ears covered the noise still stunned him. This was enough for the bug to charge, and slam him out through the hole its body had previously made.

Flying into the sky Alfred experienced a moment of shock and panic. These feeling were quickly suppressed as he focused on the battle.

Alfred fell, briefly as he quickly impacted a sheer mass of insect drones. Attacked from all angles Alfred had no chance of retaliation as the number of proboscis were uncountable. This made it seem as if Alfred had fell onto a field of spikes.

Preparing to roll off the spikes Alfred began to position himself, only to be slammed down by the mantis.

He was immediately impaled on three separate "bug spikes".

Reaching behind his back Alfred grabbed the offenders by the skulls. Tearing them out of his torso he performed an act of sheer power.

Using the bugs as spears he threw them with such force that they were shattered by the very air resistance they had to go through.

Only one of the two Alfred had thrown hit, this took out the right leg of his opponent.

Smiling, Alfred used the nearest insect to throw himself at the mantis, catching it off guard.

Alfred lunged forward, grabbing the Alfred's impaled right leg by an act of sheer luck and fortune.

Using this Alfred hoisted himself up, dodging the desperate swats by his new ride.

Screeching once more, the bug made every possible move to shake off his unwelcome hitch-hiker.

*SSQTAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHT!!!*

"Sush up."

Alfred reached down, tearing out the armor near its neck. Making nothing but strangled noises Alfred laughed.

"How's it feel being silenced?"

The bugs scattered, no longer being controlled the flew away as fast as they could.

This left the two, alone, in the sky with nothing below them for miles. They were about 12 kilometer above the ground. This meant they were at the height of a passenger plane.

"So… my job is to kill you… Nothing personal, just work stuff."

Alfred sighed, then he exerted as much.effort as he could muster latching onto the mantis wings. Tearing them clean out of their sockets Alfred leaps towards the entrance to the spire, only to be held back by the cuff of his pants.

The mantis clawed at Alfred, bringing them both down.

"You've got to be kidding me! You're dead!"

While free falling Alfred leans forward getting in range of the mantis. He uses the opportunity to punch it in the exposed throat. This obviously stunned it, but didn't satisfy Alfred. Mounting the mantis once more Alfred bent back its legs, snapping them off.

"You killed Pedro. You tried to kill me"

Tossing the legs to the side Alfred dislodged it's shoulders, bending them out of their sockets.

"You'd probably be screaming, y'know, if you could."

Looking down Alfred sees that the ground is coming closer, much closer. Bracing himself on the mantis he decided to use its body as a cushion.

This however, didn't go down well with the mantis as he decided to use his last moment alive to spite his slayer, by tilting to the left, exposing Alfred to the ground.

"Oh, fri-"

Blackness.