Issue #3: X, The Fated.

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(General P.O.V)

"Captain, now!"

Lyra exclaimed, her voice under tension as she and Arissa struggled to restrain X.

"Move for the kill!"

Alkyone commanded the others, wasting no time herself. She charged in with a battle cry, axes swirling in a deadly dance.

"For Themiscyra!"

The bladed edge of her weapons blurred into a frenzy of lethal motion.

X's odds of escaping, physically bound by two formidable Amazons, were close to zero.

Even if his skills allowed him to evade Alkyone's charging assault, her sisters trailed close behind, poised to thrust their spears into the man without mercy.

The very air crackled with the inevitability of the impending confrontation.

In the face of all this, X remained silent, except for a subtle snort that slipped out.

The two Amazons had a firm grip on each of his wrists, and he begrudgingly acknowledged their effective strategy.

Had it been him prior to the spider bite, lacking his gear, he would unquestionably have faced certain death.

But now...now he had something new to play with.

Taking a powerful step forward, he spun, jerking both of his hands, thereby pulling on his restrainers.

Surprised, Arissa let out a shout as X effortlessly lifted her into the air with sheer strength.

How was this possible? How was a single man stronger than Lyra and her combined?! She was a millenia year old warrior.

Her cry was echoed by Lyra who was similarly sent flying. The lasso she was holding onto snapped taut through the air with a resounding crack.

Judging by Lyra's trajectory, she was on a collision course with...

"Captain! Watch-"

Arissa's warning was cut short as Lyra smacked into Alkyone, throwing the both of them away into the jungle, tumbling through the undergrowth in a mess of limbs.

""" Captain! """

"Alkyone!"

Came the horrified cries from her sisters.

Arissa slammed into a tree, the impact sending shockwaves through her.

It wasnt the most powerful hit she'd ever taken, but it still left her gasping for air and disoriented as she slid down to the ground.

Despite her blurry vision, Arissa kept a fixed gaze on their opponent. He didn't spare her a glance, systematically taking down each of her attacking sisters with ease.

"Curse you."

Izah hatefully directed at the enemy.

No. Stop... Arissa extended her hand, aware that Izah's anger would cloud her judgment, leading her to charge in recklessly. They had to come up with a plan.

Alkyone, who was easily the strongest fighter among them, had been taken out too quickly.

Thus the chances of them beating X had fallen to an astronomical low, yet Izah was determined to make him pay.

"Archers-"

She signalled.

Before she could finish the order, her own spear narrowly missed her, the blade stabbing into a boulder behind her and shattering it into smaller stones.

Izah stumbled and fell, shocked at the close call that nearly cost her life.

The other Amazons came to an abrupt halt.

"Alright, that's it," X warned, lowering his hand after tossing his only weapon at the Amazons.

"Keep going, and I might have to get rough with you."

Groaning, Arissa tried to get to her feet.

They were Amazons, there was no way they were giving up.

She unsheathed her sword.

"The price for your transgressions, intruder, is death."

Arissa, holding the weight of her position as second in command, delivered the verdict.

Her grip tightened on the sword in one hand, the other instinctively cradling her cracked ribs from the recent clash.

"Even if you kill us all,"

She bit out, conviction apparent in her tone,

"Our sisters will gladly take our place and avenge us!"

X's eyes found hers, and she could see the annoyance in his gaze.

"Man, your society is unnecessarily hostile," he quipped, shaking his head.

"Your thinking is just narrow and kinda dumb. You still need men around to keep things going. How do you even grow the population with just women? Living forever is cool, but you gotta bring in new minds and ideas, or you're missing the whole point – to keep things going."

Arissa said nothing. Her spirit renained undaunted. After centuries of carrying a heavy grudge, it was going to take more than a few words to change her stance.

X knew this. He could see the same spark of defiance in the rest of them.

There was simply no avoiding it. 'They're itching for a fight, so it's time to dish it back.'

"I'm starving and exhausted. Let's wrap this up. All of you, bring it on."

He declared.

"Attack!!"

Izah gave the order.

And Arissa witnessed a scary scene.

This time, the Man chose to attack with his bare fists.

And the skill difference between wielding a spear and fighting barehanded was like night and day.

He weaved through the onslaught of arrows by using the environment; hiding behind the trees, or positioning himself where the risk of friendly fire was heightened.

When that failed, he merely used his hands to block or out right snatch the arrows off the air.

One would think he might have escaped after thinning their numbers.

However, X seemed determined to see the battle through.

(X's P.O.V)

What a pain.

I snatched another arrow from the air, flicking it back with precision.

It collided with two more arrows trailing behind, altering the course of all three in a swift, calculated move.

Please, this is child's play. I literally learnt how to catch knives and arrows by the time I was 14.

And with danger sense warning me, I might as well have done it blindfolded.

The archer responsible took unsteady steps backwards, going for the sword on her hip, but she had gotten too close and was done for.

My fist swung out, finding her cheek and smacking her to unconsciousness.

The hail of arrows came to a halt. Given my proximity to one of their own, it was logical for them to exercise caution, avoiding potential friendly fire.

Before her body hit the ground, I was whirling around with a kick, hooking my leg on the shaft of a spear aimed for my midsection.

The Owner turned out to be the dark haired brunnete from earlier- one of the two that had tried to restrain me with lassos.

She tensed her muscles, trying to wrench the weapon away.

I effortlessly overwhelmed her, the power surging through my body pulling her closer, and with a swift strike, I drove the heel of my palm into her nose, delivering a decisive blow.

She rocked back with a cry, blood spraying from her nostrils. My right hand whipped out, backhanding her.

Thwack! The sound was especially loud and I think I might have dislocated her jaw with that move.

Knees buckling, she crumbled to the ground before me. I grabbed her hair, wrenching her head back.

Once again, the Amazons came to an abrupt stop.

"Arissa!"

A chorus of cries echoed out from them, full of concern for their sister.

"I could end her."

I declared, fingers rhythmically tapping the side of her neck, tracing the path of her carotid artery.

"A precise strike right here, and she's gone."

They tensed.

My foot slammed onto her back, driving her to her friends.

Within minutes, the bustling group had dwindled down to a mere seven Amazons, their breaths heavy, eyes fixed on me with a heightened sense of caution.

They stood protectively befire me and their injured sisters.

"Curse you."

The blonde I heard the others call her Izah, bit out.

"You shall pay for this. I swear it."

And still they refuse to listen. Maybe I went too easy on them. I held up my fists.

"Make me."

******

In less than a couple more minutes, I had every single Amazon groaning on the ground around me.

The ones that were still conscious at least.

I twirled another spear I had 'procured' from them, snapping it in two and throwing the pieces away.

It was done. The totally unnecessary battle was over.

More than a few had dislocated bones. The worst of the injuries being a shattered knee and broken ribs.

All this could have been avoided if I was careful about where I was going.

Ultimately, the fault was theirs, but my actions were most definitely going to have consequences.

I cut off the train of thought, that's for future Kane to deal with.

I stopped before Izah who was on the ground, crouching down to her level.

Her hands were putting pressure on her bleeding thigh.

She backed away in fear, the glint of defiance from before contaminated by terror. A little too late for that.

"S-stay back."

And now she was throwing sticks and dirt my way.

"I know this is far from over."

I started. Understanding that retribution was on it's way.

"It's true I can't kill my way out. So why don't you help me out and save me the trouble of hurting your sisters?"

Her face said it all. She would rather die than assist me.

"How do I leave the Island?"

Nonetheless I questioned. It wouldn't hurt to try.

Spit landed on my shoe.

"Get fucked by an Empousa."

Jesus. What a mouth.

An Empousa was was a shape shifting monster in Greek mythology.

It was usually female and had two strange legs, one of a donkey, the other made from brass.

And she was telling me to get railed by the thing.

"That's really disappointing to hear."

I shook my head, generally feeling let down.

She would rather I kill my way out than help me escape without causing chaos?

My hand swung out, and a chop landed on the back of her neck. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she immediately passed out.

"Like I said, narrow minded."

I tsked, rising to my feet.

The strain of dealing with 16 armed and well-trained women was finally catching up to me. It had taken a slight toll, evident in my slightly elevated breathing.

There was another reason I had finished the fight quickly, something was happening to my body.

Perspiration coated my skin despite the cold air of the night.

I was also hit with a sudden bout of dizziness, which caused me to lean on the side of a tree for support.

I had a suspicion on what was happening.

The Spider Bite's effects were kicking in, a delayed reaction similar to what happened with Peter.

Unlike him, though, my side effects surfaced a bit later, considering it had been nearly an hour since the encounter with the spider.

Now, in the thick of things, the weight of the dead spider in my pocket felt particularly pronounced.

Escaping was going to be an issue with the current state of my body.

And my problems didn't stop there, the sky was already dark by now, making the jungle doubly dangerous.

It was a beautiful night however, a myriad of stars sprinkled across the heavens.

Maybe it wouldnt be a bad end to an otherwise interesting life if I died on this island.

I had managed to live to 25. That was longer than some people I grew up.

I took an unstable step forward. What a joke. There was no way I was going to die here.

I would survive no matter what was thrown my way. That was my new mission. Everything else was inconsequential.

With the stars and a crescent moon lighting the treacherous jungle around me, I started the trek, body swaying but determined to not pass out close to my enemies.

I pushed through the trees, instinctively following the sound of the river.

The plan was to cross it, from there it would be easier to cover my tracks until I arrived somewhere safe.

But damn, making it there was a challenge on its own. I had a running fever and shivers occasionally rocked my body.

It had now been a few minutes and the sound of rushing water was not getting any closer.

The darkness and unfamiliar terrain was too disorienting, causing me to walk in circles.

I also sensed an eerie presence observing me—something Inhuman but not quite an animal.

"At this pace, I'll be a snack for whatever's tailing me way before I hit the river..."

I grumbled, the corners of my vision going dim.

That's when something heavy and loud landed behind me, causing a tremor and shaking the ground.

Resting against a tree, I pivoted, summoning the last ounces of my energy to raise my hands in readiness for a fight.

My breath left me as I gazed upon her. She was a wonder.

The moonlight shining through the trees hit her body perfectly, highlighting all the best features you could expect from a woman.

Saying she was beautiful wouldn't cut it anymore. All these women were unbelievably gorgeous. But her beauty was on a class of its own.

But perhaps what made her stand out was her presence. It was in a word, electrifying, instantly sending whatever had been watching me running for its life.

With one glance, I could tell that she had everything on me.

Skill, strength, speed, endurance...

This could only be one individual—the woman who posed the greatest threat to me on this Island.

Diana. The Wonder Woman. A demigod whose father was the king of Olympus, Zeus himself.

I was meeting a Future Justice League member. One of the founders at that.

She looked not exactly young but...untempered and inexperienced. This must be years before the DC timeline I was familiar with.

Shit, does that mean the First World War is still going strong? Or was I even further back in time?

Hard eyes cast my way, the princess of Themiscyra unsheathed her sword. The blade whistled, the sharp edge glinting in the moonlight.

"A man."

Diana muttered in a strange tone, one that lacked the hostility I was expecting.

While her weapon was pointed my way, I could tell she had no true intent to harm me.

"What is a man doing in Themiscyra?"

A little relieved she wasn't attacking first and asking questions later, I allowed myself to slide onto the ground, back leaning on the trunk of the tree.

This was as far as I was going. My limbs were locking down. I needed to let my body adjust to the new changes.

"Listen."

I called out to Diana, whose wariness was replaced by interest as she came forward, stopping before me.

The tip of her blade came to rest under my chin.

"Talk, intruder. Who in Hades are you?"

She demanded.

"Watch your words. I witnessed what you did to my sisters, and my patience is wearing thin today."

"How...scary," I chuckled, unable to take her forced hostility seriously.

Her threat was adorable at best, ineffective at worst. I'd stared down scarier foes.

"Tch."

Gritting her teeth, the tip of her sword nicked my skin, drawing a little blood.

"Do you even realize the danger you're in? Men aren't allowed on Themiscyra. Your presence risks angering the gods and jeopardizing the island's immortal blessing."

"Got it."

And I genuinely did. Nevertheless, that didn't justify the attempt on my life. Especially when I wasn't to blame for washing up on their shores.

The Spider bite was really kicking in. My chest felt all tight, making it a struggle to breathe, and my wrist itched like crazy from where the spider bit me.

Well, there was only one option left now.

I raised a hand.

Diana simply looked on, curious to see what I was planning.

"You're different from the others."

Time to butter up the princess in hopes of survival.

"You don't look ready to kill me because of my gender."

I pushed the tip of the blade to the side, facing her gaze head on.

"Help me live and I'll owe you a favor."

If I remember correctly, she should be curious about the outside world, or as they called it, Man's world. I could use the promise of knowledge to survive this.

At least until my body was back to its peak condition.

Diana gazed down at me contemplatively, as if weighing her options. Before I could grasp her decision, my face collided with the ground, and unconsciousness swept over me.