"I've got it! Just find an opening to use the virus!" Seven shouted before sprinting right towards the self-regenerating entity.
[...Accelerated heart rate recognized. Anxiety levels rising…]
[Increasing serotonin levels.]
[All physical capabilities at one-hundred percent.]
A step faster than the others, he confronted the entity before its attention could be focused on anybody else. As he attempted to cross the distance, the blue-skinned figure's right arm twitched, suddenly extending to several times its length.
Without any tell, the elongated limb suddenly whipped around, coming in on his left. It was fast enough that it cracked the sound barrier, yet his reflexes guided him in such a way he could react.
He slipped beneath the limb, feeling the force behind it bring a wind brushing through his hair. A direct hit would undoubtedly be fatal for the average person, and unmistakably an unpleasant feeling for him.
He closed the gap, sliding his boot against the concrete to stop himself, delivering his fist forward. Once more, he produced a momentous impact that threw the Regenerator back.
This time, the self-healing lifeform caught itself on the wall before it could splatter into blue chunks. It underwent an instantaneous shift, swelling its mass to twofold its previous size.
"Comin' in on your left!" Alexander announced as he stepped right past the newcomer.
Right as the Regenerator sprung itself from the wall, the shotgun wielded by the strongman stood in its path. The trigger was pulled, giving way to a flash of cerulean fire as the high-speed projectiles shot in a lethal spread.
A force of destruction born of human desperation; the cry of Mjolnir. The sound of the air sizzling from the potent shells was only equaled by the sheer kickback as Alexander slid several feet away.
"Haaah…!" The massive man exhaled with a smile as the tri-barrels exuded azure smoke.
A rainfall of blue flesh followed as the chunks of the entity converged, quickly forming once again.
"It's healing—!" May shouted, holding her pistol out as she fired rounds into it.
Of course, the gunfire was hardly meant to kill the creature, though it slowed down its healing process.
From a safe distance, the pink-haired girl was pulling out a grenade-resembling device—
Seven noticed, seeing the puddle left of the Regenerator pulse as the girl prepared to toss the object.
"Wait!" He shouted.
As Lily stepped closer with the intent of tossing the grenade, the pool of blue flesh suddenly emerged into a humanoid form. It was too fast for any normal person to react; the faceless entity lunged for the girl with its limbs rapidly growing.
[Enhancing strength, allocating into legs.]
He kicked off the concrete, shattering the spot he stood as he practically shot himself across the parking lot. It was within a meter of reaching the petite girl, reaching for her with its widened hands—
"Ngh!"
Putting his shoulder forward, he intercepted the alien with raw strength and momentum behind him. The impact blew the creature against the side of the truck behind it, crushing the vehicle's exterior as the glass shattered.
With its body caved into the beige truck, the Regenerator's limbs were left contorted with its neck twisted. It unraveled itself as the bones in its body cracked, resetting to their normal structure.
'I knew what these things were capable of, but seeing it in person is something else—it heals impossibly fast,' he watched.
As it healed, a white mist was sprayed onto its body. Seven looked over, tracing the odd substance coming from the capsule that Lily was attempting to throw previously.
The pale haze emitting incurred a layer of frost to ingrain itself in the flesh of the alien, halting its movements entirely.
"Kreeeee…!" A hiss sound escaped the Regenerator's mouth as if attempted to break free from the cold hold.
While it was bound, the alien suddenly jolted before going limp. Seven squinted, only noticing then the translucent figure standing on the roof of the truck.
"Phew."
Emerging from the unseen, Shin revealed himself, kneeling down on the truck as he withdrew the needle. It was a bit jarring to see, requiring a few blinks for Seven to even understand how his comrade suddenly appeared there.
[You have defeated a [3.0 Magnitude] threat to humanity. The appropriate experience will be instilled into your frame.]
[EXP: +100] [303/500]
'I didn't deal the finishing blow. I guess it's fine if I contributed enough? This system isn't exactly clear as day to me,' he thought, breathing out.
Shin hopped off with a slight huff, looking at the encased, limp alien, "Looks like the stuff is effective."
"How'd you like that cryonade? I developed it a couple nights ago–it totally worked as I thought on these freaky Regenerators!" Lily proudly claimed.
It was the stoic drone that responded, scanning the body of the lifeless alien with his arm, "I'll give you passing marks, Lily–no, a C- is in order."
"What?!" The pink-haired girl reacted.
Just as the chemical specialist retorted the appraisal, the ice that held the entity shattered, letting its body flop down onto the parking lot.
Haoyu retracted the light from his metallic forearm, "There is your answer. By my calculations, if Shin was a moment delayed in delivering the virus, it would have broken free."
"Yeah, well, that's totally just your theory! No proof!" Lily protested, sticking out her tongue.
"I believe the broken ice is sufficient evidence, but I digress," Haoyu changed the topic, turning the steel proxy's vision to the newcomer. "You are certainly a wonder, Seven."
"Yeah?" Seven responded, not sure how to respond to the sudden remark.
"I'd like to study your body after this mission, if that's fine with you," Haoyu requested, tapping away at the digital keyboard on his forearm.
Shin stepped in, sliding his specialized bowie knife into the pocket on his chest, "Yeah, that offer totally doesn't sound suspicious at all, man. Don't let Haoyu poke around your body, Seven."
"...Ignoring that, understanding what your body is now capable of would benefit humanity greatly. I doubt anybody would dismiss what you've shown already," Haoyu explained.
May placed her hands on her hips with a begrudged sigh, "Hate to admit it, but I'd have been when that thing first showed up. Lily, too."
"What? Me? I was totally fine!" Lily rejected, shaking her head adamantly.
Even though he was unable to finish it with his own strength, looking around at the comrades he had and what he was able to do, he felt confident in what was accomplished.
"Seriously though…" Shin said, looking at Seven as if inspecting a foreign object. "Remind me not to spar with you."
"I can pull my punches," Seven laughed off the comment.