With a low growl that sounded like the whisper of insects crawling from a grave, Saddler stepped forward.
The monstrous black insect legs struck the iron platform of the wharf, each impact echoing like the toll of a death bell marking the end of an era.
Rian and Ada didn't wait. They turned instantly, sprinting along the edge of the platform, searching for distance and an opening to strike.
But suddenly, Saddler's four insect limbs bent inward. In one explosive motion, his colossal body launched into the air—shooting upward like a panicked froghopper fleeing from a predator.
BRANK!!
The massive creature came crashing down right where Rian and Ada had been running side by side—a deadly ambush from above.
Yet, just before impact, Rian acted without hesitation. He grabbed Ada by the waist and hurled her clear of the platform with a swift, precise motion.
At the same time, his right foot slammed into the steel floor, generating a force so immense that the metal surface bent slightly under the pressure.
Rian dodged just in time, darting to the side before Saddler's massive body crushed the spot where he had stood moments earlier.
Meanwhile, Ada—flung clear of the platform—fired her grappling hook midair, the cable hissing as it latched onto a steel beam. She swung gracefully through the air, narrowly escaping death with the effortless elegance of a true spy.
"Romantic move, sweetheart," Ada quipped as she swung up and landed lightly atop a lattice boom crane—its long steel arm stretching out from one of the nearby derricks.
On the opposite side, Rian landed smoothly on another section of the platform, relying solely on the explosive strength of his legs.
"Of course," Rian replied casually, eyes still locked on Saddler, whose insectoid leg had gotten caught in the steel framework. "A handsome man like me has a soft heart too, you know?"
Then, after a brief pause, he turned his head toward Ada and flashed a sly grin.
"But let's set that aside for now. If you're feeling indebted… now's the perfect time to pay me back."
Before Ada could respond, Saddler's monstrous body lurched upward once more—leaping high into the air with murderous intent, aiming to crush Rian beneath his colossal weight.
But Rian was already prepared. With a single push of his foot, he propelled himself into the air, narrowly dodging the deadly strike. He landed perfectly on a steel beam not far from where he had been standing.
"You seem to know quite a bit about me, Rian Andromeda," Ada called out teasingly from a distance. "Are you my fan? Sorry… I didn't bring a pen for autographs."
"The handsome man before you isn't your fan, miss," Rian replied, eyes still locked on Saddler with sharp vigilance. "I just… happen to know a little about you. Why? Because I am—"
WHRASH!!
A massive bio-organic leg whipped toward him like a living spear. Saddler attacked without warning.
But to Rian, the movement seemed almost slow. His Six Eyes caught every detail—each muscle contraction and shifting joint of the monstrous creature.
With trained reflexes, Rian twisted his body backward, flipping several times to evade the strike, before landing flawlessly atop a steel cargo container.
"Haah… the life of a handsome man is never easy," Rian muttered, brushing off his shoulder with exaggerated calm. "Even talking to a beautiful woman turns into chaos like this!"
Rian turned sharply toward Ada, his tone casual yet edged with urgency.
"I remember spotting a rocket launcher around here—strong enough to blow through an armored vehicle. Mind finding it for me?"
His gaze returned to Saddler, the monstrous cult leader now charging forward, his colossal frame and insectoid legs pounding against the steel platform like a death march.
"As for this parasite-worshiping boss…" Rian said confidently, tightening his grip on the fire axe. "Let the handsome man handle it! But remember—I'm not Leon. So even though I'm strong and amazing… luck might not exactly be on my side."
Ada, still perched on the crane's lattice boom, simply shrugged with her usual calm charm before leaping off. Her grappling hook fired with a click, and she swung gracefully to the far side of the dock.
While gliding through the air, she murmured with a smirk, "Well… maybe you're right, Chainsaw Prince. I suppose it's time I pay back that favor. As for you being Leon? I don't quite see it that way."
Meanwhile, Rian now stood alone before Saddler—no cover, no allies. Just him… and the towering mutant, as tall as a three-story building.
Saddler roared, a guttural blend of human growl and insect hiss. Then he charged, his bio-organic legs slamming into the steel platform with thunderous force.
Each step shook the platform as if the world itself were on the verge of collapse.
Yet Rian remained calm. With a swift motion, he raised his revolver, his Six Eyes instantly locking onto a single target — the exposed eye on one of Saddler's insectoid legs.
BANG!!
The bullet struck with brutal precision. Thick, dark fluid burst from the wound as Saddler roared in agony, momentarily halting his advance. Rian didn't waste a second.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three more shots tore through the same joint. The leg gave way, collapsing under the monster's own weight.
The colossal creature staggered violently, nearly toppling over.
With an explosive burst of momentum, Rian dashed forward and leapt high into the air—straight toward Saddler's towering head.
Landing with perfect balance on the creature's long, chitinous jaw, he gripped its left side tightly with his left hand.
His right hand was already ready—his silver revolver pressed hard against the gaping eye embedded in Saddler's maw.
BANG! BANG!
The final two shots thundered out, blasting apart flesh and sending a spray of viscous fluid splattering across the air.
"GRAAAARGH! FOOLISH HUMAN!!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!!"
Rian's body shook under the violent thrashing, yet his left hand refused to let go. He held on with the ferocity of a predator that would never release its prey.
Once the bullets were spent, Rian swiftly holstered his revolver in a single, fluid motion.
With a smooth swing, his right hand drew a combat knife from his belt—a flash of cold steel that gleamed with bloodlust.
Without hesitation, he drove it straight into Saddler's wounded eye.
STAB! STAB! STAB!
Again and again—brutal, relentless. The knife danced in Rian's grip, slicing through every part of the grotesque eye with precise, merciless strikes.
Saddler howled louder, his voice distorting between insectoid shrieks and human agony. His colossal body convulsed, insect legs smashing into the iron platform, even sending the nearby crane swaying out of control.
But Rian stood firm atop the monster's head, his expression cold and unwavering—
the face of a true hunter who would not stop until the beast before him was utterly slain.
Saddler's blood—a grotesque mix of dark green, blackish red, and sickly yellow—burst into the air, splattering in a foul rain that soaked Rian's face and black shirt.
The fluid was thick and rancid, reeking of decay—a vile testament that the creature before him had long abandoned its humanity.
Rian ceased his stabbing. His breathing was steady, yet his gaze remained cold and sharp.
In one savage motion, he snapped Saddler's arthropod jaw, tore free a jagged shard of bone, and drove it straight into the mutated eye within Saddler's mouth.
"GRRAAAAAAGHH!!"
Saddler screamed—a distorted chorus of insect shrieks and human agony, echoing like the death cry of something that should never have existed.
Rian leapt back, flipping several times in midair to gain distance before landing lightly on the opposite platform.
In a movement almost silent, he reloaded his revolver with calm precision.
From afar, the colossal form of Saddler swayed violently. His insectoid legs stomped aimlessly, and his gaping maw continued to roar in fury and unbearable pain, the sound rolling across the steel docks like thunder from hell.
Rian fixed his gaze on the creature, his Six Eyes gleaming sharply like drawn blades.
"Lucky for you, your body's that massive," he muttered, snapping the revolver's cylinder shut with a clean click. "At least you make a decent punching bag for a handsome guy like me."
The eye that had been destroyed in Saddler's mouth had completely regenerated. The torn jaw reformed, bones creaking as it clenched again.
Even one of the four insectoid legs that had been severed moments ago was now whole—blackened, pulsing, like cursed flesh reborn.
Rian exhaled slowly.
"Not sure why," he said casually, "but I'm starting to hate insects. If I go back to the Infinity Room after this, I might end up with entomophobia."
Before he could finish his breath, Saddler roared and swung one massive leg vertically toward him.
But to the Six Eyes, the attack unfolded like a slow-motion scene in crystal-clear 4K.
Rian simply shifted to the side, almost lazily, letting the strike sweep past just a few centimeters from his body.
...
Notes: Add me favorite/Collection and Comment, then give me some power stone and Rate my fanfic. Don't forget that!