The robe Yusuke wore fell behind him. His eyes glowed red, his breathing was heavier, and his arm that he used to punch the orc... turned into something else. Something inhuman.
Where once hung his right arm, a black carapace-like structure shaped like an arm replaced it. A red shell coated the forearm, akin to a greave, lined by a hard gold substance.
Yusuke looked at the changed arm once and understood. This was his power, which originated from an ancient civilization. To fight monsters from an ancient past, revived.
Now, he must use it to protect the priest who brought him in, and the nun who was the only other youth of this ruined village.
He hit the orc again and again: punches, kicks, everything he had learned as this formidable warrior for the past year, he used against the orcs. With every hit, more of Yusuke's body changed, morphing him into the ancient warrior he had once been. The monstrous club-wielders stumbled back, surprised and in pain.
After the final hit that sent the orcs tumbling back, his entire body changed. Wilhelm, still on the ground on his back, had his eyes widened in shock. Joanna froze in place, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Where once Yusuke stood, an insect-like warrior took his place.
Black carapace-like body with clawed hands and feet. A red shell encased his forearms, shoulders, and torso—two gold horns on his head, resembling a stag beetle's mandibles. The face resembled a helmet or a mask, with two red compound eyes and a metallic mandible-like mask where the mouth should be. A red, ruby-like circular gem rested on his waist, held firm by an ornate buckle-like ornament and a belt-like band.
When this warrior turned around to face the two humans, they were terrified. They silently prayed to Theitomme that this... being would not kill them. They found it hard to comprehend that Yusuke was the same as this insect-like being.
Then, the being spoke in a familiar voice.
"Joanna! Take Father Wilhelm and go!"
That snapped them out of their stupor, the commanding voice of Yusuke from the being spurring the nun into action. Joanna took Wilhelm to her shoulders and carried him away.
Now, Yusuke was able to fight these orcs freely.
One orc lunged and swung its spiked club from above. He rolled away, dodging the attack. Another orc swung to his side, and he jumped over.
He went for the offensive by dashing at the orc on the back, waiting for its turn, and punched it rapidly. The blows weren't fatal, but extremely painful. The orc roared and swung its club at Yusuke.
The attack knocked him to the side, but he managed to roll to his feet. He winced, rubbing his chest where the club connected.
Then, two orcs rushed him. He dodged one orc swing, only to be hit by the other behind it. An upwards swing sent him flying to a nearby burning house.
Yusuke emerged from the rubble, transformation intact, but in increasing pain. "Ugh, they're weaker than the monsters I used to fight, but their numbers.... Have to end this soon."
There were only four orcs to deal with, relatively weak on their own, but their combined strength was formidable. With only himself, all he could do was soften them up for the killing blow. His limbs could only do so much unless he focused his energy to strengthen one.
He never understood how his killing blows worked on monsters other than the ones he resembled, because he never tried it. But he had to give it a shot or four.
So, he jumped back in. He hit and was hit in conjunction. Dealing and receiving pain in near-equal measure. An experience he wished to leave behind after that night in the snow, but had to endure once more.
Finally, the orcs were weakened enough. They became less coordinated, their swings sloppier, and their grunts heavier. Yusuke flipped back to give himself some space. Space to charge up his killing blow.
He focused his energy on his two feet. Usually, he focused only on one foot, but he had gathered energy in both of his feet once for one enemy. With four in his sights, he might as well experiment.
His calves and feet became blazing hot, and a small tongue of fire came out from beneath his soles. It had never happened before, but he was too focused to kill these orcs to care.
He ran full speed towards the orcs. He jumped and gave a flying kick to the frontmost orc's chest. The orc roared in pain, but Yusuke didn't stop. He used the first orc as a platform and kicked the second orc beside it right in the stomach with his other leg. Rolling to the ground, he kipped up and kicked the third orc on the stomach. He pivoted on one hand, rotated his body, and kicked the last orc with his other leg.
The orcs were spread out a fair distance from Yusuke at the center. At first, nothing was happening. But moments later, the orcs writhed in agony. The spots they were kicked at began to glow brightly, a strange sigil at the center of each. Bright cracks were forming around their bodies, and their pained groans intensified.
Then, after the cracks spread enough, they exploded in balls of fire and viscera.
Yusuke, holding his crouched stance after landing his kicks, stood up. He took this time to reflect on what the village had become, what he had done, and how his life would change after returning to fight as this ancient warrior.
He desired to travel the world again, but he now knew that this world wasn't his world.
The only constant for him... was the power of Kervagta within him.