Chapter 13 - This gift

After these thoughts were done flowing through my head, I was finally able to keep my cool and try to fix the situation.

I started running towards the large horde of man-like beasts and used several varying attack combos of punches and kicks and started to notice the number of zombies lowering.

"I can see the number of these beasts decreasing at a fairly high rate, am I winning? I said with this huge uncertainty.

I continued to attack these beasts one after another, until I could actually physically see the number of them steadily decreasing.

I had no idea what I was doing while fighting, but somehow I was actually able to inflict major damage upon the enemy zombies; and myself.

I looked down at my left arm and hand just to realize that it was completely messed up from all of this horrid fighting. I realized that what I was doing while fighting these enemies, caused me to injure my entire arm.

I decided to not worry too much about these needless injuries, and just keep myself alive; for the time being at least. So I continued to fend off these beasts one by one, causing my knuckles to become severely sore and swollen.

Attacking began to hurt immensely and the zombies began to get closer to me; more of them became near. 

"I desperately need some sort of weapon, anything will suffice, just stop all of this painful fist fighting." 

I started to run around the room looking for any lost articles or anything that could be useful as an attacking weapon.

I ran from one side of the room to the other trying to look for any clues of a weapon, just anything. A broken pipe, a crowbar, even a stick or other small weaponized item would be useful right now.

Then I saw a rusty but maybe useful sharp object on the ground beneath me. I went to reach for and grab this object, but it suddenly vanished into a thin layer of artificial air.

Then a mysterious voice spoke up, "Thou who wishes to be granted the '???' is to be tested with great trials. Thou shall arduously show his resolve by defeating the enemy before him. Thou shall prevail with no sign of weakness or deceit; without any possibility or sign of loss or danger."

"What does '???' mean? Why don't I have access to such information? It really would be helpful."

"And more importantly what type of trials and tests would I have to go through? Haven't you seen me struggle enough against weakened humanoid creatures? How would I be able to endure any more difficulty and casualty? This is what I ask, and all I ask."

The mysterious voice seemed to not feel the need to answer these questions, so 'it' instead dissipated into thin air saying, "Good luck. And after saying that phrase of encouragement, it said, "Because you are going to need it." With a smirk on its pale face it left without reason, and all returned to somewhat normalcy, but I say somewhat so there must be some change, some difference that occurred between that period of time. Yes, there is but one specific and unpleasant difference. Instead of hundreds of creatures running after me lifelessly, there was but one creature.

One lone man stood upon me. One lone man with a decrepit smile on his also somewhat pale face. A confident but concerning smile on his face; one from a child who thinks he's a superhero in his imagination or a dream-like state. One where he could be the leader of a rebellion or could be the dictator king who is shaking in his wealthy boots, waiting for an attack from the enemy military. How interesting!

Then he spoke, "Who must you be? A lost child?

"I should be asking you the same question, but I guess you wouldn't answer. Now would you?"

"I guess life can be crude sometimes, but yeah you may be right, I wouldn't answer your question. But you should answer mine." He seemed ready to crush my head like a grape.

"Well if you want me to answer your question so badly, then I guess I have no choice in the matter. My answer is that no, I'm not a lost child, but a mere traveling soul. But why must you be here, and are you in any way related to what has happened to me within the past few days?" 

"I have no interest in what or who you are, I just want to know are in the way of my goals or not? Are you one of those damn celestials I've been hearing about lately, and if so I will not hold back." 

"… what's a celestial?"

"So you're not one of them?"

"… I guess not, I'm not sure who or what type of organization you're referring to so possibly yes, likely no."

"Who cares, I just feel like fighting someone, and you seem weak. I haven't fought anyone in several decades. I need to stretch my limbs a bit. You're a test dummy now, you little lost child."

A few seconds after this lone man said these daunting details, the before seen mysterious voice spoke, "Child of Death, Unmei Uragiri has acquired his unique alter ego weapon, one solely chosen by the mind and soul, one to be treasured with the deepest sovereignty. Unmei Uragiri acquires the fabled weapon, Fumetsu of Death, an equilibrium level alter ego weapon. My sincerest goodbye, do not step off the path of which this blade takes you. Or you will feel the wrath of hell and it's torturous methods." The voice left.

"This man seems to have not heard this voice, is it something only I can hear?"

"Now child, show me your endurance!"

The man grabbed a dark green pickaxe shaped weapon and bolted towards my abdomen.

And thus, I started the first real fight of this new life, and with this new weapon of mine.

Where will it take me?