"Pfft… HAHAHA! Alright then!!"
Boldly proclaiming thus, the youth—nay, the Enemy of the World itself, leapt into the air, [Hanging] tied around his waist. Whilst the servants leapt through the air, he was the only one who was truly unbounded.
Not confined to gravity, he flew within the air, side-stepping their forward attacks and attacking them from the side, kicking them down onto the streets below.
—How utterly unexpected.
Having been told, having experienced his own newfound weakness, "fear" was the only natural answer. He was outnumbered, outmatched, and with an existence surpassing the world against him.
And yet, even in such overwhelmingly terrible odds,
"I am the Failed Star, the Red Mist and the Enemy of the World, he who will dramatically destroy each and every one of you foolish cretins! Make no mistake—that is RILEY WOODS!"
Bold. Utterly bold and evocative, Riley's obscured grin grew wider. His heart was racing, as he was several thousand feet in the air. The servants, who had leapt from one building to the other with their overwhelming strength, turned towards him.
"Don't be afraid to declare my name! C'mon, you cowards! Scream my name and beg for mercy!"
Flying down, Riley went towards the one servant in whom he had delivered a powerful blow to. Upon the city streets, that servant looked up, only to see a white unicorn zooming towards him. At such speeds it felt more akin to a bullet than a human being, he was assaulted by a shoe crashing into his skull.
The force sent him plunged into obliterated asphalt, his brain jolted with such intensity that—
"Die."
Unceremoniously whispering, far removed from his emboldened speeches, Riley summoned [Bleeding] and utilized the knife's omni-sharpness to remove the first servant's head at the brain, killing them instantly.
First one down.
From those above, it was impossible to believe.
The idea that Riley, in his weakened state, still had the strength to kill one of their thirty-two men with such speed—utterly ridiculous.
In truth, whilst the omni-sharpness of [Bleeding] played a major role, it was at least partly rooted in strategy. There was a common idiom, "Divide and Conquer." Not in relation to just separation via a two-dimensional plane, Riley had explicitly chosen to be so high up for this very purpose.
Not only did the positioning, that of being atop a skyscraper, reduce risk of civilian casualties, it also allowed for the advantage of being able to place the servants, in whom most could not fly, at different levels.
Looking back up, Riley maniacally laughed. Indeed, it was the laughter of a complete and utter lunatic—the belly-laughs, the wheezing, all because of his killing.
"CHANT MY NAME!! ——RILEY WOODS, THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD!"
…
Leaping off the skyscraper, the hordes of servants were unleashed upon the city. To which, Riley summoned [Bleeding], and threw it. Having practiced his aim some, his first attack did not land—the handle made contact.
Then, he simply summoned it once more, and went for another attack. With this throw, the blade struck a servant's leg. [Bleeding] was administered, causing a roar of blood which splashed those behind the first servant, blinding them momentarily.
That one hit was enough. Riley just needed to fly away, and—
"—Don't get so cocky, brat."
An ability was activated. The pyromancer of Miami, Freddy Downs, unleashed a turret of fire. The belt-fed gun of ash rained down upon Riley, who was not caught up in the overwhelming blasts. Combustion, force great enough to shake the skies had struck the grounds, their intensity causing Riley's heart to race.
To which, he flew off into the air, looking at Freddy as he stood along a heated orange star, looming within the air.
Got it. He's going to be a problem.
"My, what a dramatic ability!" Riley cried out, his voice reaching the servant. Underneath his helmet and balaclava, there was a grin. A twisted grin, enthralled by battle, as the youth took off into the air, arriving overhead.
"HIYAH!!"
Calling out his attack, the Enemy of the World utilized [Falling]. Rapidly gaining in speed, he shot feet-first, smashing into the pyromaniac's nose and breaking it, knocking him off of his ball of flames.
"Yes, that's right!!"
Grabbing Freddy by his pitch-black hair, Riley summoned [Shooting] and jammed the barrel into his mouth, pointed towards his brain.
With the pull of a trigger, the gunshot rang true—piercing through the cranial base, it was a lethal blow.
"KAH! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Snickering, wildly laughing like a hyena, Riley saw the bloodshed and used [Hanging] to keep himself in the air. Spinning around, he hurled the corpse down onto the streets below. The body crashed into the asphalt, to which the servants looked at it with surprise.
"WOW! Even after all this time, you all weren't able to get strong enough to endure a 44. Magnum to the skull?! There's nothing I get to brag about once I kill you all—just a bunch of weaklings!"
Throwing his insults onto the crowd, Riley was vastly overhead.
Naturally, even though they had gotten stronger, the truth of the matter was that the placement of a powerful handgun is important.
Their reactions varied, but there was still yet a growing sensation of anger stirring among their forces.
—The main criteria for selection as one of Ghira's servants was mental unwellness. Whether it was cannibalistic urges, insecurity, victimhood, trauma, suicidal thoughts, difficulty returning home after war, or otherwise—Ghira took the strugglers of society and turned them into monsters.
To be so openly mocked, naturally, did not sit well with any of them. With one notable exception—
"You can drop the act, you idiot!"
So cried Scott Tobey, his voice clear and heard by all.
"I know what you're really like, Riley. I chatted with you—and I know you're not actually like this. So, if that's the case, then I'll do what I do best."
The servants were on the ground. And, as the many passerby's of the city were present, Scott simply grabbed one of them. And, without any words—
"Hk."
The snapping of bone and of ripped flesh. Liquids spilled to the floor, and there was a sadistic laughter.
"Well?! C'mon, we're all just a bunch of weaklings, right!? Come stop us if you're so strong!"
Hell broke loose upon the city, as a mass slaughter was executed.
"YOU, WAIT!!"
His eyes widening, the tables had entirely flipped upon Riley. Without thinking, he flew down, getting rid of [Hanging] and summoning [Bleeding]. Clutching the knife tightly, so tightly that he felt it might break under his grip, Riley exploded off the ground towards the heaps and hordes of—
"—Heh, you're so predictable, 'Hero.'"
Scott merely swiped his hand, and a torrent of blood sprayed from Riley's chest.
Hot. It was overwhelmingly hot. Or, perhaps that heat was simply pain. Regardless, Riley had come to a standstill. Bad move.
Groups of servants—around four, piled upon him. Attacking from all major directions, they wielded their abilities against him. Riley felt a great gravity thrust upon his shoulders, the "weight of despair."
Overwhelming frenzied strength, the air of decay that stemmed from unrelenting wrath, the imaginary constructs formed to reality—attacked Riley all at once. A fist was buried to the wrist into the sides of his stomach, violently breaking his ribs open.
It was a hard blow that rang in the air, the result of effortless talent against weakened hardwork.
Yet, even still, there was still a face beneath that intentionally silly helmet. A face, with lips.
"——Fantastic."
A smile curved across his bloody teeth, as Riley turned his trembling vision towards the attacker. It had been the man exuding pure, tangible rage upon the youth.
Moving through the heightened gravity, Riley raised his arm. Acting in accordance with the newfound weight placed upon his body, [Falling] amplified the downward force.
Combining those two, Riley unleashed a sword—nay, a cleaver, which crushed and split apart both bone and flesh. The sound, there were two sounds.
The second had been the impact itself, which rang like a gunshot. The first, however, had been the speed of the attack, which surpassed some gunshots. Obliterating the sound barrier with his overwhelming force, Riley cleaved the opponent's skull with a downwards elbow, staining his unicorn crimson with human viscera.
"AHH~~! HOW GRATEFUL I AM, HOW OVERWHELMINGLY GRATEFUL!"
Wailing the howl of the wendigo, Riley shot forward, grabbing the frenzied servant and using his gravity to his advantage. As if he was a heavier person up against a lighter person, the takedown was easier, as Riley lifted them up and slammed the back of their head upon the concrete with visceral bloodlust.
His opponent went full-scorpion, and Riley did not allow them to remove themselves from that position. The back of their neck and skull were still on the ground, yet their body was lifted up.
"K-KGH, HAHAHA! TEE-HEE, HEHEH, HAHAHAHA…!"
Maniacally laughing, Riley found the situation utterly hilarious. Humorous, funny, exhilarating.
"If I do this~!"
Grabbing his opponent's legs, resting his body above them, using the amplified gravity to keep them pinned without the ability to move—,
"Yeah, that's just right… how uncouth, how unsightly for a martial artist~"
It was hardly an official grappling technique. As his opponent tried to "wrestle," trying to roll back, Riley fought back against their struggles. As they tried to roll out of their position, he did now allow them. He clenched his fist and bashed his knuckles into their nose.
"No. No, no, you're not moving anywhere. Kgh, I've got you riiii~ght where I want you… I won't let you escape. You're mine, so just sit there and take it like a good little boy."
Enthralled, his voice growled as he used [Falling] and his heightened gravity. With great, intense force, he pressed their lower body down upon their unmoving, bent neck.
Crushing, crushing, driving them into the ground, folding their body, compressing their hips into their neck—
"SHIT! STOP! AA-AGHH, STOP, STOP!"
The opponent tried to kick and punch and crawl—but Riley's current abilities overpowered their strength. His larger body would not allow them to leave. Then, and then, even despite their allies' attempts to beat Riley, to kick him away, he did not hold back, continuing to—
Crunch.
"Hehe~"
The snapping of their very own neck pierced their eardrums. Numb. Without even a tingling to be felt in their body, it was simply pain and total loss of control.