CHAPTER SEVEN

The Will of Self-Sacrifice, Part 1

Wait for your moment…

Sam watched as Dr. Hearthstone—his body encased in armor formed from the surrounding rock—endured the continuous assault of the terror’s fist to give Thunder more time to mold the thunderbolt in her hand.

“She’s taking too long now,” Sam realized.

Thunder must finally be nearing her limit, which meant this battle had almost hit its climax.

The Terror sent out a bone-chilling screech that caused sweat to drip down Sam’s face. Just the sight of the thing made him shudder.

“Styx! Get it together,” he chided himself.

Here’s lesson number one, kid. Believe in yourself. You do that, and I guarantee you’ll show them what you’re made of.

While Sam thought about the master’s words, he watched Thunder charge forward with a thunderbolt crackling in her hand. However, before she could send it flying at the terror, the alpha-level horror unleashed a power it hadn’t shown off before.

It let out a mighty bellow that was brimming with so much energy Sam could feel the biting cold from where he hid behind the SUV. This energy caused the temperature to drop instantly, allowing icicles to form on the ground around the terror.

“Argh!” Dr. Hearthstone cried as two large icicles broke through his rock armor and pierced him in the gut and leg.

“Oh no,” Sam gasped, his eyes widening as he watched the scene unfold before him. “She won’t make it!”

Thunder had already committed to her attack, and she couldn’t avoid the freezing shockwave that slammed into her mid-air. She fell backward and crashed hard onto the now frozen street.

Despite its grievous injuries, the terror didn’t miss this opportunity to pounce. It reared back on spindly legs and threw itself into the air—but it wasn’t the only one to do so.

Sam would later say that he hadn’t even thought about it. His body just moved on its own.

Instinctively, he’d reached out for the hammer below him while simultaneously screaming, “Herculean!” into the sky.

[Herculean (ζ)] is now active. Based on probability and threat assessment calculations, your current Strength is temporarily tripled. [STRENGTH: 60]

Sam felt pain wrack his body as what seemed like a thousand volts of electricity was suddenly surging through his veins.

Notifications popped up before him, and it was a struggle just to browse through their contents.

WARNING! Your body isn’t strong enough yet to wield this power. You will accumulate damage while it is active. WARNING! Your SP is rapidly depleting. You will earn more fatigue with each action you take. ALERT! [Regeneration (ζ)] is working to counteract the damage. Refrain from taking action while this is in progress.

Sam couldn’t very well listen to this suggestion as he’d just seen the terror leap forward while Thunder was too winded to notice.

His hand grasped the hammer’s handle while he recalled the master’s earlier words.

Wait for your moment… and when it comes, don’t be afraid to leap.

Sam bent his knees, and using the new energy coursing through him, he launched himself forward.

“Holy Zeus,” he said as he was propelled forward at a speed he’d never experienced before. Then he screamed, “Ah~~h!”

Pain exploded out of Sam’s right foot. It rose to his leg.

The part of his brain that could still think guessed that he’d broken his bones when he’d made the jump using a strength that went past his limits. He knew he was still conscious only because of his rapid regeneration.

“Godsdammit!” Sam screamed through gritted teeth.

Alert! Wielding [Onus, the Load Bearer] provides you with the following temporary bonuses based on your current burden’s value: Strength +10 and Will +2.

Sam could feel the muscles in his body explode with even more power, and he honestly wasn’t sure if he could handle this much. But there was no time to think as mere seconds had passed while he bridged the distance between himself and the terror.

When challenging an opponent far more powerful than you, a single chance or two may be all you’ll get…

These were the words the master had said earlier.

…but these kinds of odds are what will make your actions truly shine.

Sam grasped Onus with both hands.

Thunder was just beginning to get back on her feet. The terror was about to land right next to her. Its sharp-nailed fingers outstretched.

In that millisecond before their fates would be decided, Sam recalled the last piece of advice the master had given him.

So grit your teeth and unleash all the resolve hiding in your heart…

He swung the hammer forward just as the Terror reached out for Thunder’s back.

…Go beyond even the extraordinary—and become super!

“No, you don’t!” Sam yelled.

The force of Onus striking the terror’s chest caused the very air around them to explode outward.

There was an audible boom, and then, to Sam’s great surprise, the terror was blown back by his attack with such force that it landed hard on a gathering of rubble a full fifteen yards away.

The explosion of power also threw Sam back, his weakening concentration causing Herculean to automatically deactivate. He would have been blown away himself if Thunder hadn’t caught him.

“What took you so long?” she asked while she carried him in her arms, princess-style. “Did you stop for takeout or something?”

“Ouch...” was all the response Sam could give. The muscles in both his arms felt like they’d been torn over and over again. He felt extremely fatigued, too, and he guessed this was because of the penalty of using Herculean.

“Buck up, hero,” Thunder warned, although her bloodied lips had reformed into a wide smile. “Battle’s not over.”

Sam just barely had enough strength to turn his head to the side so he could watch the terror struggle to its feet.

“It’s wounded,” Sam realized.

The terror’s emaciated body shuddered while it attempted to stand on wobbly legs. Many of the weapons that had pierced its flesh had been blown away in the previous attack, causing the wounds they’d plugged to leak even more dark ichor down onto the icy floor.

“Yeah, you dealt it one hell of a critical hit,” Thunder said, sounding very impressed.

“But it didn’t die,” Sam sighed.

Thankfully, he could feel his muscles beginning to heal. His broken leg had reset itself, although the pain was still excruciating.

“I’ve hit it enough times to shave off its health by a lot, but we’ll need one last nail to shut that horror down,” Thunder explained. “Luckily, all I need is a hammer.”

Both their gazes drifted to the ground a few feet ahead of them where Onus now lay.

Without warning, she dropped Sam on the icy ground, causing him to wince in pain some more.

“Ouch,” he complained.

“Aren’t you already regenerating?” Thunder asked with one bushy eyebrow raised in his direction. “How much longer do you need?”

“I’d say an entire day wouldn’t be enough,” Sam grumbled.

He picked himself off the floor, wincing at every one of his injuries. At least he could stand despite the pain lancing up his leg.

Sam glanced over his shoulder and discovered the force of the last attack had also blown away Dr. Hearthstone. He was lying unconscious on the ground behind them.

“Guess it’s just the two of us,” he said.

“Can you use the power you showed off earlier?” Thunder asked.

Sam faced forward, his brow furrowing. “Probably just one more time…”

“Perfect.” Thunder walked over to the glowing object she’d left on the ground. “None of my attacks have penetrated that horror’s core.”

She reached down and picked up the five-foot thunderbolt that leaked out so much energy Sam guessed it had enough oomph in it to level an entire building.

“I’ve poured all my remaining power into this nail,” she explained while her gaze drifted toward the enemy that was stalking toward them once again. “I’ll stick it in, but I’ll need you to hammer it down.”

Sam's brow creased because he wasn't sure what Thunder meant by that. He only knew that she was up to something dangerous, and he'd be front and center for it.