Desperation(chapter 5)

prevoius in chapter 4

"50% muscle strength, 50% blood flow improvement, and 50% increase in endurance, and the effect lasts longer." It was safe to say that he was more than happy as he held the small tube. Although he was tired, he was not that tired as he had been popping some Vitality Elixir, getting rid of his fatigue. Just as he was admiring his greatest creation so far, as if the world suddenly stopped, Henry, who was busy admiring his creation, suddenly felt something. His body moved by instinct as he suddenly fell forward onto his table, as something passed over his head—something fast, something sharp, and something that would have definitely killed him.

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Chapter 5

After falling forward as his instincts pushed him, Henry, confused, looked up only to see one of the figures he saw killing the guy standing behind the sofa, holding a kunai. The figure, also confused at the supernatural speed this seemingly ordinary potential witness suddenly revealed, quickly dismissed his shock and immediately lunged toward Henry. The figure stabbed at him, and Henry instinctively put up his hand, which the kunai pierced. Despite the adrenaline coursing through his body, Henry still felt the sharp pain as the kunai went through his palm.

The figure didn't stop there. With lightning speed, he kicked Henry so hard that the wind was knocked out of his lungs, sending him tumbling back and hitting his furniture along the way. The figure moved toward Henry at a speed that looked like a blur, before punching Henry with the thenar space in his hand, nearly breaking Henry's windpipe. The figure then grabbed Henry by the face and threw him toward his bedroom, causing Henry to hit his nightstand with his back, knocking him unconscious for a brief second before he woke up.

The figure then threw his kunai at Henry, who barely managed to get up and lean against the nightstand. Henry moved slightly to the left, causing the kunai to miss and hit right beside his head. "I am going to die," a single thought suddenly generated in Henry's head, causing an unexpected reaction in him. Instead of feeling fear, he felt anger. "I am going to die just as I arrived, to a fucking nobody, nonetheless." This thought alone angered him to no end, causing him to grit his teeth as he got up.

"No," he steeled his resolve as he got up, surprising the figure. He then quickly consumed the newly made strength tunic potion that he still managed to hold in his hand. The figure wanted to throw another kunai at Henry to break the bottle, but curiosity got the better of him as he let Henry finish the bottle. This was a mistake and a grave one as Henry's muscles noticeably grew larger, causing him to feel light and capable of anything. More blood flowed through his body, and more blood reached his brain, causing his senses to heighten, his pupils to dilate, and his heart to race. His endurance also increased, which he could feel.

Henry, with increased speed, attacked the figure. He lunged at the figure and punched, which the figure guarded by crossing his arms. However, he underestimated Henry's increased strength as the figure suddenly felt a force so hard that his hands went numb. Henry wasn't stopping; from his eyes, there was a clear goal: to kill. The figure, specialized in killing, knew this too well. He got serious, dodged Henry's hook, but Henry followed with a body shot. The figure deflected, but Henry grabbed him, which the figure didn't expect as he anticipated Henry to continue throwing attacks.

However, Henry didn't have much time as he grabbed the figure and pushed him against the wall. The figure wanted to punch Henry again, but Henry brought down his chest, tanking the punch, and then headbutted the figure. Henry then picked up the figure over his head, who continuously punched Henry in the head. Henry ignored the punches as well as the pain from the blows raining down on him and slammed the assassin into the wall with all his might. The sickening crack of the assassin's neck signaled the end of the fight.

Henry collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily, surrounded by the wreckage of his apartment. His body was bruised and bloodied, his hand still throbbing from the stab wound. But he had won, barely, with the skin of his teeth. The apartment was a testament to the violent struggle, a battlefield of broken furniture and shattered belongings. Henry's victory was hard-earned, and the cost was visible all around him.

He then stood over the corpse of the figure, draped in red ninja clothing, but strangely enough, there were no emotions on his face—no regret, nothing, no overwhelming nausea. "I should probably sort this out," he thought to himself as he sorted his wound first before putting the figure in a trash bag after cleaning any fingerprints and traces that could be linked back to him. He then sorted his house so that nothing looked tarnished before carrying the figure out of the house. Since it was still late at night, Henry was not that concerned about being seen he though hard and while before a crazy idea popped onto his mind, "its risky but i should be able to figure some information about the people behind him" he pondered before deciding to dump the body in a dumpster, yes, a dumpster, before he returned home.

Back in his home, Henry, frowning, could be seen sitting in a chair as he thought, "Guess Goldie wasn't lying when he said this world was dangerous." He didn't look like someone who had just killed, which he himself realized before shaking his head. "He wanted to kill me, so I killed him. Simple. There is no need to feel remorse for someone who wanted my life in fact, i should be pissed" he sighed as he picked up his phone. "But this forces me to change my newly formed plan. If he belonged to an organization which i am 90% sure, then they would probably keep coming, so I need to be on the move," he pondered to himself. "But I was already planning to do that, so all this does is force my plan to change a little," he sighed as he looked up.

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A/N: Well, what do you guys think of the first fight in this fanfic? Don't worry, just because it says it's an alchemy fanfic doesn't mean there won't be any action. There will be a lot. In case it wasn't clear, Henry will kill, no matter who they are, as long as it benefits him. In the meantime, enjoy your day.

PS: you can say its a plot armour that allowed henry to kill an experienced assassin and i say, you right, its also luck and potions, mostly potions.