MONSTER AMONG MEN

Being a general for so long had taught Royer many things, like how a simple verbal provocation could push someone desperate to show their might into a state of madness. With that in mind, he grabbed a microphone and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Julius! We're done playing hide and seek! Send them out when they're ready to die!"

Inside the White House, Julius grinned at the sound of Royer's taunt. He was a man who thrived on the psychological games of war. Leaning back in his chair, he patiently awaited the arrival of the blind one. Julius had no doubts about what they were planning; he had eyes and ears everywhere, keeping him informed of every action his enemies intended to take.

As Royer and his troops waited for Julius's response, a voice suddenly spoke from very close by, though there was nothing around them. "But we are already here," it said, sending a chill through the soldiers. They had no idea how to react, as they could see nothing, so they drew their weapons and listened carefully to their surroundings.

Without warning, the enemy appeared out of thin air, and they were much closer than anyone expected. Worse, they were in their beast forms. The creatures had completely surrounded the FBI forces. Some even stood atop the cars, staring the soldiers down with eyes full of malice.

The voice that had spoken earlier belonged to a beast that now stood directly in front of General Royer. This creature was twice the general's size, with the body of an enormous rat, a head shaped like an iron, and human-like skin stretched tight over its grotesque form. The sharp ridges along its spine looked like tiny mountains, and its mouth was filled with perfectly arranged, lizard-like teeth. The beast was draped in a dark grey sheet that appeared ancient, like fur, leaving its forearms and lower legs exposed. Long, slippery black hair cascaded down its back, and its bright green eyes gleamed with a terrifying intensity, even in the daylight.

Royer was caught off guard, as were his troops. Before he could react, the beast backhanded him with monstrous strength, sending him flying until he crashed into a tree, falling chest-first to the ground. When he raised his head, he saw his team being slaughtered. Despite their best efforts, they were being overwhelmed. It hadn't even been three seconds, and already more than ten trucks were engulfed in flames, with countless soldiers lying dead on the ground. In a very short time, the entire area was shrouded in smoke.

Royer knew they couldn't hold out much longer with what they had, so he quickly called for military reinforcements. But he didn't sit and wait for help. Despite the pain coursing through his body, he forced himself to his feet and charged back into the fray, determined to fight. He set his sights on one of the beasts that was busy smashing a car with its powerful fists. Leaping into the air, Royer aimed a punch directly at the creature's face. The force of his punch was so great that it drove the beast two steps backward. But that wasn't the only thing strange about Royer's attack—his jump had been inhuman.

The beast, surprised by the strength of the blow, sneered. "I'm surprised you can even stand. I meant to kill you with that blow. Tell me, are you even human?"

Royer, catching his breath, responded, "Honestly, I don't even know what is what anymore."

Infuriated that a human had managed to land such a powerful punch, the beast decided to protect its pride as an Overwhelm holder by killing Royer with its next attack. It spread its long, clawed fingers with deadly intent and swiped at Royer's head with blinding speed, hoping to decapitate him. But Royer dodged by leaning backward, then evaded several more strikes by swiftly shifting left and right. His movements were so quick that the beast began to take him seriously—this human was different, extraordinary even. In the monster's eyes, Royer was no longer just an ordinary man; he was a genuine threat.

After missing with its claws, the beast swung its massive crocodile-like tail at Royer, but he flipped backward, narrowly avoiding the strike. The moment his feet touched the ground, the beast was already charging at him like a wild animal, jaws wide open, aiming to bite Royer around the stomach. But Royer sidestepped at the last second and delivered a powerful right-hand punch to the creature's lower jaw, sending it crashing into a car. The impact was so severe that the vehicle nearly split in half.

Furious, the beast placed its hands on either side of the wrecked car and pushed the halves apart before hurling them at Royer, one after the other. But Royer dodged them with ease. Obsessed with killing him, the beast charged again with the same ferocity it would use against another Overwhelm. But before it could reach Royer, two helicopters intervened, firing at the beast's head with deadly precision. Although the bullets didn't injure it, they caused the beast considerable pain, pushing it back temporarily as it tried to shield its head with its hands.

Irritated beyond measure, the beast decided to make the helicopters stop. It launched itself into the air when they least expected it, heading straight for one of the helicopters with its claws outstretched as if to embrace it. The beast plunged its claws into the helicopter's base and ripped off the guns, causing the aircraft to spin out of control. The pilot, a female officer, quickly realized that she was in grave danger. Refusing to die that way, she jumped out with a parachute, leaving the helicopter to its fate. She cut the strings of the parachute a few meters above the ground to land faster, minimizing the impact of the fall by rolling headfirst onto her back. As she stood up, she immediately drew her gun, prepared to fight.

Meanwhile, the beast continued its assault on the now-helpless helicopter, causing it to plummet from the sky. Satisfied, the beast leaped onto the second helicopter, even as it shot at him. With one hand, the beast grabbed a rotor blade, stopping it from spinning, and then pierced the helicopter's bulletproof body with its other hand, staring down the male pilot inside. Together, they fell to the ground in a deadly embrace.

Despite knowing the beast was still focused on killing him, Royer stood his ground, waiting for its return. When the beast finally emerged from the wreckage of the helicopter, Royer was ready. The creature observed him from the left, grinning wickedly. "I've never seen a human this resilient before," it said. "You make killing you even more amusing."

With that, the beast grabbed the tail of the helicopter and, with a powerful turn, hurled it at Royer like a missile. "Now die!" it bellowed.

Royer froze for a split second, unable to fathom how to evade the oncoming helicopter. He watched in horror as it barrelled toward him, smashing through anything in its path, and just as it was about to hit him, a tank rolled in front of him, taking the impact. The helicopter exploded upon contact, sending flames and debris flying everywhere. The blast knocked Royer off his feet, but he quickly scrambled to his knees, eyes fixed on the burning wreckage.

Even in the chaos, Royer knew the fight was far from over. Reinforcements had arrived, but so had the full wrath of the beasts. The battle had only just begun.