Ashlem raised his eyes, the green in his gaze now more intense than ever. He stood up with difficulty, but there was something different about his posture, something more dangerous.
"Are you sure this is over, Nero?" he murmured, his voice low but filled with power.
"I can see, you... Your memories..." before Nero could finish his words, his eyes widened as Ashlem shouted.
"SURNATOY!"
His fist glowed with a golden light, and in an explosive motion, he delivered a punch straight to Nero’s chest. The impact was devastating.
A shockwave spread throughout the place, destroying the walls and bringing down the ceiling. Nero was hurled like a projectile, his sword flying from his hands. He smashed through several walls before being thrown outside the building, which began to collapse entirely.
Outside, Nero hit the ground with a deafening thud, raising a cloud of dust. He tried to get up, but his body was exhausted and the sword had fallen far away, faintly glowing in the distance.
Inside what remained of the building, Ashlem stood among the rubble, his fist still glowing with the power of SURNATOY. He was breathing heavily, but smiled.
"You chose your opponent poorly, Soul Devourer," he said, then clenched his fists and the bracelets shattered simultaneously. "I am James Ashlem, The Hunter. The only bearer of the Viko." The feared eyes stopped glowing green and returned to normal.
One of the memories of using the SURNATOY came back to his mind:
...
"I no longer have my weapons, so I am forced to use my SURNATOY," the Hunter said.
The faint light of the moon and the city illuminated the right side of his face while the other side was swallowed by darkness. His eye was dark brown. He was staring at the creature through the window he had entered from.
The creature’s drool fell with near light-speed, like a rain from the gods, so intense. The creature’s gaze and the Hunter’s gaze met faithfully.
James already had all the ideas in his mind, only needing to execute the action; slowness was a synonym of perfection for the great African Hunter. He ran his right hand through his stubborn hair, which refused to be tamed by a comb, while his other hand stroked his chin. The illuminated eye of the Hunter twinkled, and the creature’s two eyes twinkled as well.
"Now, let's get to the final point," said Ashlem, chewing his gum and then spitting it out.
He removed the glove from his right hand, clenched his fist, and examined it thoroughly while Jack anxiously waited to see the Hunter crush the Dogmpire.
The Dogmpire rushed toward the Hunter. James observed the Animpire coming at full force. Jack, impressed, watched silently while feeling the ground vibrate with every march of the massive creature.
Ashlem slowly took the ring off the ring finger of his left hand and placed it in the back pocket of his jeans. The object was one of the sources of poweroy, so that action meant a lot — it was the opportune moment to have the mind of an avenger.
"Arrrrg," roared the Animpire, leaping as if propelled by a trampoline.
"Let's do this," said Ashlem and then jumped as well.
The Dogmpire opened its mouth to swallow the Hunter. Ashlem organized his right arm to deliver a violent punch. The two seemed to float in a slow and eternal movement, each preparing their best move to eliminate the other.
Jack watched them, lifting his chin to keep them in his line of sight.
The distance closed. Ashlem punched the Dogmpire’s skull directly, the impact so strong that the Animpire fell at the speed of light, its enormous head buried into the concrete ground. The Hunter skillfully landed. His expression conveyed seriousness.
...
Outside, Nero tried to get up again, his mind spinning between hatred and disbelief, but he couldn't rise.
Ashlem walked outside and saw his opponent lying helplessly on the ground.
"You are right, my memories are returning and I will come back to haunt you," he said seriously and calmly.
Nero could not respond; he just remained on the ground with closed eyes, unconscious.
Minutes passed as Ashlem walked around, thinking he was outside the prison, when in fact he was still inside — it was enormous. His massive shoulder wound ached, but at least the bleeding had stopped, as he had tied the injured area with his own torn shirt.
His memory lapses still fluctuated, but at least he had recovered what could be called the basics: he remembered who he was and his brutal attack, something Nero hadn't anticipated, because no one expected the Hunter to still be alive at that moment. He had lost a lot of blood, and a hellish dizziness struck him just as soldiers were walking toward him — though they had not yet seen him.
A vision visited his mind: he saw a white blade with golden details that shone like rays of dawn. The hilt was adorned with small crystals that emitted a soft, comforting light.
He grabbed the sword and threw it into the hands of a man he couldn't immediately recognize, but it brought back a memory he vehemently hated.
After the quick vision accompanied by a headache, Ashlem fell to his knees and then forward, powerless.
Suddenly, a boot approached the Hunter’s body.