Thomas and Gor continued their staring contest until the Berserker finally pushed him away, putting distance between the two men. The shove made Gor slide for several tens of meters before finally coming to a full stop.Gor was surprised, but his shocked expression immediately made way to one of delight. Even his soldiers were stupefied by the scene that just unfolded. Their leader had never been challenged in such a blatant way before.
"HAHAHAHAHA! It"s been a long time since I"ve been all out! You better not disappoint me, boy"
He tilted his head backwards and let out a roar that pierced the sky, with his already humongous body swelling and expanding further. The process finally stopped when his height reached 8"2" (2.49 m) and when his muscles were on the verge of crus.h.i.+ng his bones to dust.
Thomas was stunned by the scene, and thought at first that he was against another Berserker, only to dismiss that possibility right away. The man in front of him could still reason and his aura, although monstrous, didn"t fundamentally change like his did.
Derrick had thought him everything he knew about his cla.s.s, to the extent where he could quickly recognize his peers. The man in front of him was clearly something different, and he couldn"t wait to discover what.
One thing was for sure : he couldn"t be underestimated.
"My Lady, you can go help your companions. I"ll take care of him"
Thomas flashed a smile to Moira before advancing towards his opponent. It was finally time to test out his strength.
*CRACK*
The air around him crackled and distorted, unable to endure the sheer force that was just released. His aura, now unshackled, exploded forth and invaded the entire region around them.
All the soldiers fell to their knees, with their faces twisted in fear and agony. What the f.u.c.k was this?! The fear was so… primal… Like a prey in front of a predator so strong it could die of despair.
Even Gor was affected by the pressure, but he stood his ground, still maniacally smiling in front of his opponent.
"YES! THIS IS IT! WHAT I"VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ALL THESE YEARS HAHAHA"
He couldn"t help but roar and provoke Thomas, who still calmly walked, ignoring the noise.
When the distance between them was only ten meters, Thomas launched forward, with his body swelling up crazily and his stature transforming into a true fortress. His eyes became bloodshot and his reason started slipping away.
"See you on the other side…"
This was the only thing Gor heard before the cras.h.i.+ng impact of the two colossi.
*BANG*
The ground beneath them was blown away, and dirt flew around like a hurricane. The shock wave was so strong that the majority of soldiers were thrown like rag dolls, still under the influence of the overbearing aura that Thomas had unleashed.
Moira tried protecting the wounded men, but they ultimately suffered the same fate. They luckily didn"t aggravate any of their injuries when they landed.
When the dust settled, the two t.i.tans once again stood apart, but Gor looked pretty roughed up. His chiseled body was battered and a film of blood was falling from his lower lip. However, he still had the same crazy smile on his face.
"SO YOU"RE A BERSERKER? IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE NOW! HAHAHAHA I FINALLY GET TO MEET ONE AND IT"S FANTASTIC! YOU PACK QUITE A PUNCH, BUT IT"S MY TURN NOW"
Thomas, or rather the Berserker, roared in displeasure and heavily breathed, clearly enraged. Being mocked by a puny imitation of himself was an insult it couldn"t take.
This time, both of them leaped forward before jumping and violently colliding.
Gor managed to dodge the incoming right fist, and successfully landed his right on the face of the Berserker, who scuffed in response.
The enraged beast immediately responded with an uppercut that landed on the chin of Gor, who grimaced. The blow was so strong that he became unbalanced in the air, vulnerable.
"This f.u.c.king thing is strong as h.e.l.l"
Gor"s complaint fell on deaf ears, and the Berserker seized this opportunity to smash both his fists into the chest of Gor, sending him cras.h.i.+ng in the ground. The impact was so severe that a large crater was created, making him spit out a mouthful of blood. His internal organs had certainly taken major damage.
The Berserker still hung in the air before diving towards him, intending on finis.h.i.+ng him right away.
"Oh it won"t be that easy!"
Gor rolled to the side, barely dodging the incoming blow that would"ve clearly knocked him out.
With a swift motion, he stood up and sent two jabs at its head and finished it up with a high-flying knee that connected on its nose, instantly shattering it. The Berserker couldn"t react in time due to its downward momentum and the chain of hits blew it back, making it lose its initiative.
The man didn"t let up and continued the barrage of hits, to Moira"s dismay. This was Akata"s second strongest fighter, and it was being roughed up to this extent.
Gor targeted every weakness he knew. Groin, s.h.i.+n, stomach, liver… None survived his rampage. It continued for a long minute, and Oleo"s soldiers were starting to regain their spirits. This was their leader, the strongest man they knew.
He finally charged a huge right hook and unleashed it on the Berserker"s chin, sending him flying and cras.h.i.+ng to the ground.
Gor"s c.o.c.ky att.i.tude came back, and he threw the wounded t.i.tan a look of contempt.
"I expected more…"
This last sentence was one he immediately regretted.
The Berserker, who had just suffered tremendously, raised its head from the ground, and it felt as if time had stopped. Its previously bloodshot eyes were now black, as if devoured by the void. His previously overbearing aura was now replaced by one of absolute strength that commanded submission. He was now the ruler of the battlefield.
Gor"s face changed and his bravado disappeared, instantly replaced by fear. A fear so strong that he was now paralyzed, glued to his spot.
"This… can"t… be… happening!"
No matter how hard he tried, it was pointless. His body had completely stopped responding to his commands, only allowing him to spectate what was coming next.
The soldiers and Moira"s group were in a similar situation, unable to do anything. There was one thing that everyone knew however : the thing in front of them had been truly angered. To make one feel fear to the point of making it lose control was unheard of. This was why Berserkers were used to win wars.
The Berserker raised himself from the ground and slowly walked forward, finally arriving face to face with Gor. The colossus had finally given in and was terrified and what would come next.
He knew Berserkers were terrifying, but not to this extent. This defied all logic and common sense.
It raised its arm and grabbed Gor"s neck before lifting him off the ground. The two t.i.tans were of the same height and seeing one simply play around with another left deep scars on the minds of everyone watching.
"You… mocked… me… Now… It"s… my… turn…"