Chapter 34: The Viltrumite Way

The planet known as Thraxa had a sky with a unique reddish orange tint. The bug citizens, also known as Thraxans, were blue humanoid figures with the makings of an ant. Their culture was based on longevity, due to having short lifespans. Each one of them would only live for around 9 months.

With a lifespan so short, they came to a collective agreement that their leader would always be the oldest. It's no surprise how Nolan, a viltrumite who'd lived for at least two thousand years, was able to become the leader. He had been ruling them with a gentle fist instead of an iron one.

Seeing his subjects murdered in cold blood left him furious. He couldn't understand why tears were the result, but he knew that he would make the viltrumites pay. When he finally found his son Mark, who was supposed to be protecting his Thraxan wife and newborn child, he saw Lucan.

The large powerful viltrumite was beating his son into a pulp. Blood flew as Mark cried out for his father. His body was breaking with each punch, his motor skills beginning to cease. His alien wife lay dead in the distance, the newborn child crying on top of her body. Nolan was already enraged and this pushed him over the edge.

"Bastard." He growled quietly.

Their battle had begun in earnest. It was fairly even since both sides were fully trained. As the fight progressed, Omni Man seemed to have the advantage. Their clothes ripped as they attacked in whatever bloody way they could. The heat of the battle left them concentrated. Focused. Imagine their surprise when another viltrumite barreled into the scene, with Anissa on his back and another fighter in his hands.

"Taz?" Nolan exclaimed in shock. What the hell was he doing here? More importantly, was the young man on his side?

The stoic elite rocketed toward Lucan. It was as if they had unfinished business.

"Did you forget about me?"

PHOOM

A massive swirl of air was the response to Taz's tackle. The bald powerhouse flew up in an attempt to dodge the charge. Unfortunately, he was too slow. Absolver grasped his foot and slammed him back into the ground.

In one hand was the black haired viltrumite. In the other was Lucan. Anissa was still on his back, biting into his skin with her eyes closed. Veins were visible on her forehead as her arms squeezed around his neck. Her muscles almost seemed inflated.

The momentum kept all three of the fighters moving. Nolan could only stare in shock as the young elite took all three of the fighters with him. In an attempt to help, Omni Man launched after them.

"This is your chance, Lucan. Show me the bravado that you displayed earlier…I'd love to see it." Taz growled while dragging all of them along.

Lucan grasped the powerful man's wrist in order to escape his hold. Absolver's hand was like a hydraulic press around his ankle. They crashed through structures on their flight path, killing even more Thraxans.

"We have to stop him!" Anissa exclaimed from his back. The other two viltrumites agreed and tried to synchronize their movements.

The black haired viltrumite raised his legs and kicked Taz's torso in an attempt to rid the hand from his face. Lucan, the bald viltrumite, tried to pry open the stoic man's fingers. His caretaker tried to jam her fingers in his eyes.

Absolver smirked seeing their efforts. Both of his arms raised. Before the two soldiers realized it, their heads smashed together. Blood flew as the black haired fighter's skull cracked. His body was weaker than Lucan's so he was forced to take the damage. The bald fighter was only disoriented.

It wasn't over. Taz's eyes shined red with heat. A burst of intense energy shot at the bald viltrumite's torso. The sudden force sent him crashing into a Thraxan building. Anissa's hands quickly retreated as the heat burned her fingers. They were steaming. Not letting up, Absolver threw the half dead viltrumite toward Lucan. They both crashed into each other.

'Now for the cherry on top.' He thought.

The air detonated as he accelerated toward them. His fist clenched, leaving a vacuum due to the overwhelming force. It was supreme. An absolute strength crashed into the two entangled viltrumites.

KRAKOOOOM

The Thraxan building instantly disappeared. The black haired viltrumite blasted away with Lucan, a massive hole in his torso. Steam rose from the edges. They both disappeared from view. It was at this moment that Nolan arrived.

"Need any…help…" He trailed off.

The first thing he saw when arriving was the two enemies blasting off. He wanted to get angry about the Thraxans killed in that single moment, but knew it was useless. Was he going to fight Taz? Hell no. Absolver ignored him and focused on Anissa, who was shocked to the core. Her legs were wrapped around his waist.

Taz grabbed her arms which were about to choke him again. He slowly pulled her off his body, reveling in the strength he had over her. His caretaker felt butterflies in her stomach when his attention was back on her. Her legs kicked against his face over and over.

"No, no, no, no! Taz, stop right now! Don't disobey me! Do you know what you've done?! I can't believe you-"

"You know…I've wanted to tell you this since I first saw you the other day..." He interrupted.

Wasting no time, the young elite threw her to the ground with force. As soon as she hit the ground, he appeared above her with his fist already hurtling into her stomach.

BAAANG

A crater opened up as her figure left an imprint in the ground. Anissa's eyes bulged and spit mixed with blood spurt out of her mouth. The air left her lungs due to the horrendous blow. Her state forced her to roll around on the ground while holding her stomach. She couldn't breathe. Involuntary tears fell down her face from the pain mixed with the lack of breath.

Taz descended next to her and ruffled her hair like she did with him. Back on Viltrum, his caretaker would beat him into submission whenever he denied her. He quickly learned to follow her wishes at a young age. Such was the reason Absolver knew that she needed to learn the hard way. The viltrumite way.

"...You belong to ME. Not the other way around. Stay here and behave. We're not finished." He stated. A feeling of immense pleasure spread through his nervous system as he said these words. It was therapeutic.

Omni Man was at a loss for words. It felt like he was watching the Grand Regent beat down some untrained civilians. Taz was treating them like children. As he gawked at the scene, the man in question flew off after leaving a few words.

"Just sit there and watch." He spoke to Nolan.

As he broke the sound barrier, he found Lucan. The bald man was bleeding from his mouth and ears. His hand was pressing his stomach in an attempt to keep his intestines from spilling out. The other soldier was dead.

When the large man saw the stoic elite descending upon him, he knew he was fucked. Lucan stumbled over to him and threw a wobbly punch. Taz leaned out of the way and stuck out his foot, which caused the man to fall.

"Get up. You wanted to kill me so bad the other day. What are you waiting for? Come do it." He mocked. The weakened soldier grit his teeth and stood up, albeit very slowly.

"I always knew…hah…that you…hah…were just a rabid dog." He spoke while panting.

The pain made it hard for him to focus. If Lucan moved his hand from his stomach, he'd die. Absolver frowned at the statement.

'Always?' He thought.

"You've seen me on Viltrum." Taz concluded. The bald viltrumite smiled.

"Not only that…Heh…I saw the commander beat you down…She tore you apart while you cried. She loved every second of it." He retorted.

The young elite immediately felt unwanted memories flood his mind. It was a time when he had just been assigned to her. He wasn't obedient at that point, but he was just a child. He didn't even know who his parents were, and was just thrown out of the mass group home.

It wasn't an orphanage, but a facility for kids with dead parents. Once they were given a role, they were sent off. He was given to Anissa on a silver platter. Courtesy of Thragg.

"...You've had your eye on her for that long?" Taz realized. This guy wanted her badly. He had easily come to that conclusion in the interrogation room.

"You don't deserve her." He croaked.

The young soldier felt heat in his chest from Lucan's words. What a thing to say. The bald man had no idea what Taz endured up until this point. The tables had finally turned, and he would enjoy it immensely.

"But in the end, I'm the one who has her, while YOU are just a dead soldier." Absolver mocked.

Taz walked up to Lucan and placed a hand on his shoulder. The bioelectric field washed over him and kept the dying soldier rooted to his spot. The bald man frowned when he realized he couldn't move. He couldn't even speak. Only grunts left his mouth.

Absolver's other hand gently held Lucan's. He then slowly pulled. The large man gathered all of the strength in his body to keep his hand in place. Slowly but surely, his hand inched away from his stomach. It was over. There was nothing to hold up his intestines. They instantly fell to the floor along with his organs. Taz released him with a calm face.

Lucan fell to the floor as the sudden feeling of weakness flooded his body. The light was slowly leaving his eyes. Before he could slowly die, a foot stomped on his head, turning it into mush.

Taz launched to the sky without saying a word. He was back in only a few moments. When he saw Anissa, he smiled slightly. The woman was still sitting in her crater. She had caught her breath and was glaring at the ground. His caretaker hadn't moved a muscle since he left.

'She didn't move. Good.' He thought. It meant that she realized the gap between them.

Nolan had left, presumably to check on Mark and his newborn son. The young elite landed right in front of the woman and crouched down. The two locked eyes.

"Are they dead?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course." He responded. Anissa grit her teeth.

"Do you know what you've done? I've FAILED my mission to capture you traitors. Do you know what that means?!"

"It means you die."

"It means I die, Taz!"

"...You haven't failed yet. You're still alive and well." Taz commented.

"What?!"

"Try to kill me. Come on!" He suggested.

The two stared at each other. They knew what this was. Their dynamic was about to change. Anissa had to fight to keep the status quo, or lose and serve him. It was the same ultimatum she gave him when they first met. Win and get your way. Lose and serve. This would determine who was in charge. It was going to get bloody.

"...Hmph." She grunted while standing up.

Taz stood up and waited. His hands were behind his back. After taking a deep breath, Anissa burst into motion.

"AAAAAGHHH!" She roared with energy.

The ground exploded behind her as she appeared in front of him. A massive punch slammed into his face.

BOOM

This time, Absolver's face didn't even move. Her hand bounced back from his body. She felt as if she had just hit the strongest metal in existence. Her knuckles had fractured. Not letting up, she threw a flurry of punches and kicks. Their surroundings were blown away from the force, but Taz hadn't moved a single step.

Anissa lowered to the ground and tried to swipe his legs. It was futile. Her ankle snapped when it connected with his leg. The woman wouldn't let the pain distract her. She spun in the air for another attack.. At the peak of her twist, another heavy fist was thrown. Unfortunately, Taz was done watching.

The stoic soldier caught her by the throat before she could even reach him. He began to walk calmly as she suffocated. Both of her hands grasped his wrist and her legs kicked frantically. Knowing that she couldn't release his grip, she clawed at his face. The young elite smiled.

"You are so beautiful when you struggle." He commented.

After raising her up, he slammed her to the ground with force. Anissa could feel her limbs trailing behind her due to the speed her body was moving to the floor.

BOOOM

Since Taz still had her throat in his grasp when she hit the ground, her throat flattened for a second. She couldn't breathe once again. Blood spurted out of her nose and mouth. The powerful viltrumite watched as she spasmed on the ground. Her body shook as she fought to regain air to the lungs.

Absolver grabbed her good ankle and slammed her into the ground over and over. After about ten slams, he stopped. They flew for a while before he tossed her down.

Anissa was now bleeding all over. Her bones had snapped in several places. It was a one-sided beating. The young elite sat down beside her and watched with his chin in his hand. His caretaker was lying on the floor, shaking as blood constantly left her mouth. It was completely silent except for the sound of blood splatters. After a few minutes, she stopped convulsing. Her eyes slowly opened.

When she saw Taz staring at her, she grunted with effort and crawled over to him. The woman fell on top of him with no strength. After gasping for a few minutes, she wrapped her hands around his throat. She looked into his eyes and grit her bloody teeth. She looked wild and feral. The strength of her grip increased over time, but it was useless. Taz wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her close. Her blood splashed onto him, but he didn't care.

The half dead commander rested her head on his and tried her best to choke him. It was the only thing she could do at this point. Everything had failed. His body was too strong, too hard. Taz's embrace slowly became tighter. His caretaker eventually released her hold on his throat and rested her hands on his shoulders. Unfortunately, it wasn't over.

The hug grew tighter and tighter. Eventually, it grew so tight that Anissa felt fear. Her nails dug into his skin as he squeezed her against him even tighter. Her body was starting to creak. At this moment, she wondered if she was going to die.

"Taz. Pfffft. Taz! No more…Taz!" She pleaded while spurting blood onto his chest.

CRACK

Something broke, maybe some ribs, but the embrace grew even tighter. His caretaker struggled in his embrace. The pain caused her to wail.

"TAZ! AAAAAAAGHHHHHH!" She cried out.

"........"

The embrace grew even tighter, until she couldn't form words anymore. She could only groan like an animal, and it was filled with pain.

"Nnnnnnngh….uuuuuuuggghhhhh!" A quiet guttural moan escaped her lips. She couldn't even flail anymore.

Right before he snapped her spine, he stopped. Anissa immediately fell unconscious on his chest. It was over. The new dynamic had been established. Taz carried her in his arms and flew away.

…

…

…

Nolan looked up to see the young elite descending. When he saw the broken woman on his shoulder, he frowned.

"You spared her?" He questioned. Taz's eyes narrowed when he looked at him.

"Indeed. She won't be a problem. She failed her mission, after all​​." The stoic man replied.

Omni Man nodded. He knew what it meant to fail a mission. Especially one as important as this. Absolver gently laid her down next to the unconscious Mark.

Nolan sat down in relief. Taz also sat down and gazed at the sky. They were free.

The two traitors sat there in silence.