Soon.
In the basement, aside from Fenric and Nami, only Tom and his daughter Amy were still alive.
Fenric frowned as he noticed the blood staining Nami's body.
"Nami, clean yourself up."
At his command, Nami's skin rippled. The blood coating her body slid off and splattered onto the floor. In moments, her figure was once again pristine, ethereal—like a fairy untouched by filth.
Fenric nodded, satisfied. "Remember, you must always keep yourself clean."
"Understood, Master," Nami replied softly.
Fenric then turned his gaze toward Tom and Amy.
Sensing his eyes, Tom instinctively pulled his daughter behind him.
"W-what are you people?" Tom demanded.
"Hey! Watch your mouth when you speak to Master!" Nami snapped.
Fenric spoke evenly. "I'm human. She may be a robot, but she follows my orders and causes no trouble. It was your friends who insulted her first."
Tom fell silent for a moment before finally asking, "Then… why did you come here?"
Fenric shrugged. "To borrow some clothes, of course. I already told your daughter."
"Just clothes?" Tom still sounded doubtful.
"Of course. Clean ones, preferably."
A few minutes later, Fenric was dressed in a fresh outfit: a fitted leather jacket and jeans that highlighted his tall, model-like frame. He checked the fit, nodded with approval, and said, "Perfect. Thank you for the clothes. Nami, let's go."
"Wait!"
Amy stepped forward, her eyes shining with hope. "Sir, you're so strong… could you take us with you?"
"Amy!" Tom yanked his daughter back. He could feel the danger radiating from Fenric and Nami—getting too close to them was like stepping into a lion's den.
Fenric smiled gently at the girl, but his tone was decisive. "No."
The word had barely fallen when—
Whoosh!
A sharp sound split the air outside.
Tom's face paled. With the instincts of a seasoned survivor, he immediately threw himself over Amy.
"Down! Now!"
The next instant, a missile smashed through the basement vent and clattered inside.
Fenric reacted instantly, his mind power flaring outward as a shimmering shield enveloped himself and the father-daughter pair. His Armament Haki was more than enough to protect him, but he had just changed into clean clothes—he wasn't about to let them be ruined so soon.
Boom—!
The missile detonated, a violent shockwave tearing through the basement and flames shooting skyward.
But Fenric's psychic barrier easily absorbed the blast. He, Tom, and Amy remained unharmed.
Nami, however, was less fortunate. The explosion ripped her body apart, her frame collapsing into a pool of molten liquid.
Yet she was no ordinary machine. Her body, made of liquid memory metal, quickly reformed. In seconds, she was standing once again, flawless as before.
"Amy, are you hurt?" Tom frantically checked on his daughter.
"I'm fine, Dad."
Relieved, Tom turned a grim gaze toward Fenric. "That gunfire earlier… it must have drawn the Terminators here."
"Oh?" Fenric smirked. "Then leave them to me."
After all, hunting Terminators was his mission. Traveling to 2029 was for this very purpose. If the machines delivered themselves to his doorstep, he would be a fool to let them slip away.
Fenric vaulted out of the basement and onto the ruined street above. Sure enough, two Terminators were descending from a low-flying aircraft.
Thor's Hammer materialized in his grip.
Without hesitation, Fenric charged. With a single swing, he brought the hammer crashing down.
CLANG! CRASH!
In the stunned eyes of Tom and Amy, the fight was over in minutes. The aircraft lay in twisted wreckage, and the two Terminators had been smashed into mangled heaps of scrap metal.
You have killed a Terminator T-800. Current progress: 5/2.
You have killed a Terminator T-800. Current progress: 6/2.
Only two? Fenric clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.
But it hardly mattered. He still had Nami, and she would know where the main nest of Terminators was hiding.
"Nami, let's go. Take me to their base."
"Wait, sir!" Tom called from below.
Fenric turned, brows furrowing. "What now?"
Tom swallowed nervously, then asked with desperate respect, "Do you… need food?"
Fenric blinked. For a moment, he had forgotten. The world was in ruins—food was rarer than gold. Unlike in peaceful times, no amount of money could fill an empty stomach.
He could endure days without eating thanks to his enhanced body, but not forever.
"You have food?" Fenric asked.
"I don't," Tom admitted quickly, "but I know where some is! A storage base—tons of supplies! But… it's a trap. The Terminators guard it, cutting down anyone who tries."
Fenric's eyes lit up. "How many machines?"
"No one knows the exact number, but there are many. Only someone as strong as you could possibly fight through."
"Fine." Fenric nodded. "Lead me there. If you do, I'll share some of the food with you."
"Sir, thank you!" Tom said, bowing with relief.
"Don't thank me yet," Fenric warned coldly. "If you're lying to me, you'll die a fate worse than your friends."
Tom shook his head fiercely. "I swear, I wouldn't dare deceive you!"
That night, Tom guided Fenric to the foot of a mountain.
"Sir," he whispered, pointing ahead, "that cave—behind the iron gate—that's the entrance to the reserve."
Fenric narrowed his eyes, studying the massive steel door from afar.
He wasn't reckless. The last time, in the Transformers world, several B-rank Samsaras had nearly killed him. That bitter lesson had taught him caution.
For safety's sake, Fenric decided to send Nami in first to scout the situation.