39. Grotesque Process
"You have caused trouble…" The man commented, sweeping his gaze on the carnage round about him. "Lots of it."
Tristan ignored those words to focus on the man's features, soon Both individuals locked gazes and tension skyrocketed.
"You're strong. Reminds me of those academy students. Are you one?" Unglus probed, trying to gain an understanding of the situation. His next actions depended on the boy's identity.
Tristan refused to speak, he didn't like how that man made him feel.
He considered running, but his eyes still burned with fury. Despite the amount of lives he had taken that day he felt utterly numbed to the reality of his actions.
It didn't matter that he killed living breathing individuals. He felt nothing, and honestly, he mildly wondered why.
Tristan raised his fists in an offensive stance and Unglus could only reveal a dark smile.
"I see. Then I'll beat the answers from your mouth!" The leader of that task force exclaimed and the ground trembled at that event. His hands went on his back and he grabbed his axes in one fluid motion.
Tristan on the other hand remained intelligent enough to understand that the man's weapons would prove dangerous for him, so he moved the instant the soldier was left open.
Unglus saw this and smiled. He kept his grip on the handle of his axes.
Tristan arrived before him with a bang and with the force of a moving car, he delivered a punch to his opponent's gut.
The ground shattered as cracks unfolded in its structure, turning the place into shambles.
A powerful gust of wind generated by the sheer amount of power in that punch exploded from Unglus's back and the cloud of dust that had been generated as a result of the shattered ground, cleared.
However, to Tristan's surprise and slight horror, all that had only made the man take one step back!
A boisterous chuckle erupted from Unglus's mouth and his lips curved into a cruel grin. He lowered his head to glare at an obviously stunned Tristan who took a step back after the event. At loss.
"My turn," Unglus's arms flickered as he pulled his axes and with a significant portion of his full strength swung the flat side of his right Axe at Tristan.
Putting up his arm to block the powerful attack, Tristan felt his world spin when an immense weight landed on his arms and he shattered the sound barrier to fly away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tearing apart building to buildings, he didn't stop until that force was depleted.
"Arghh!"
Pain. Agony gushed into Tristan's mind like a broken dam when he set his eyes on his arms.
He shook violently as tears clouded his vision involuntarily.
His breathing turned rapid and ragged. His head seemed to spin and his whole body throbbed at the sheer damage that had been dealt to him.
Tristan didn't need to look to know that the axe had made short work of his arms. Still, when he saw bones sticking out of his limbs, his fingers all in shambles as blood poured forth; set free by the punctured skin, he couldn't but feel like he had run mad.
He bit his lips till they bled, in a bid to suppress the unimaginable pain. To no avail, unfortunately. His lips continued to part as roars of agony coursed through his throat.
"Hahaha! I thought you'd be tougher than that!" Unglus's voice originated from the distance followed by the sounds of buildings falling apart right after a higher-pitched sound unfolded.
Unglus approached Tristan's position, but he swung his right axe at every building he encountered. The sheer power in his swings and the incredible sharpness of his axe head sliced through those structures cleanly, causing them to fall apart.
Tristan continued to struggle to remain awake whilst he considered his wounds. The voice of his instincts told him only death awaited him.
Still, something changed after about twenty seconds in that state.
Tristan experienced an abrupt wave of relief, and then to his astonishment, he watched his arms begin to to wriggle uncontrollably as tendrils of flesh shot out of those limbs to commence a repair of the damage sustained.
His hands buzzed, and so did his damaged lips. And so did his mind.
Bones snapped into place and mended, his arteries, muscle ligaments, and flesh all followed the healing process as Tristan stared in both horror and delighted shock.
Horror at the grotesque process, and delight at the fact that he felt no pain.
The process ended in less than ten seconds! And Tristan was left staring at his arms. He flexed his fingers to see that they worked perfectly.
It was as though no damage had been done in the first place!
Every other thing faded into the background while he gazed at his renewed arms. The process left no scar. Nothing. He was totally fine.
Tristan's daze crumbled when the building before him about 5m away slid to one side before crumbling.
His eyes fell on Unglus's macho physique and he remembered he was in a fight.
With renewed vigor thanks to his healed arm he sprung up feeling certain he was invisible.
Reality hit the instant he got to his feet, however.
A sudden wave of fatigue that had not been there before swept Tristan's insides, and he gasped. Stunned. His chest thumped as light-headedness followed the series of symptoms.
Tristan lost his footing for a moment but managed to regain it.
"Healing costs me stamina," he muttered to himself, halting his movements to not worsen his condition. He also felt hungry now, and if he had a reflective surface he would see that he had literally gotten paler than he normally was.
It wasn't too much, but evident enough.
"Eh?" Unglus exclaimed from his position, that distance was enough to see Tristan clearly and when he saw his completely fine state he narrowed his eyes.
Unglus placed his right axe on his shoulder while he inspected Tristan and his surroundings. He saw a small puddle of blood and he blinked in surprise.
"Boy, did you just heal your wounds in the short time It took me to arrive here?" He asked and Tristan nodded in blatant honesty, hoping he could get some answers.
Unglus opened his mouth in further surprise and his brows creased.
"You're too high leveled to kill…. Change of plans!" The man exclaimed with a loud voice.
"I will overlook all the deaths you have caused today if you follow me quietly. If not-" Unglus revealed, but Tristan's eyes widened at the announcement.
"I'm not going anyway with you!" he glared, hurriedly scanning his surroundings.
They had gotten to a side of the town that did not feature flames. Its structures were also abandoned and in bad shape.
"The hard way then," Unglus announced instantly dashing from his position, he could tell what the boy planned, and would not allow it.
Tristan desired to run, but his body moved on its own, taking a step to his side.
Unglus flickered before him and he swung his blade upwards, but Tristan moved in the nick of time, evading the attack.
The force of his blade coupled with its sharpness cut through the ground, traveling for several meters on a linear path. The attack brought buildings down.