"Everything is dust and will return to dust."
The flames spread, devouring the roof, while the wind carried the heat towards me. As I fell from above, I was in the prime spot to watch my house go up in smoke. Sigh... I didn’t even have time to create any memories there before it was already gone. You could say it didn’t last long. What a sick joke life is. I don’t even have time to mourn it. As soon as I hit the ground, in a few seconds, the deadly game will begin again.
The fall certainly wouldn’t kill me thanks to my body reforged by the Awakening, but I wouldn’t land unscathed. Maybe a few broken bones along the way... But something down below caught my attention. An idea crossed my mind: it might work.
With a sharp tug, I pulled the chain, bringing the shooter towards me. She struggled, but I easily disarmed her. I grabbed her in my arms and whispered in her ear:
"After you, my lady."
Then I released her towards the old man who was still napping. I used her body to slow my fall. Her form cushioned the impact, and I landed with relative gentleness.
"Now that’s what I call a soft landing."
Just then, a rat perched on my shoulder couldn’t resist making a sarcastic comment:
"If you keep this up, you’ll be single for life."
"It’s a man’s duty to show gallantry towards a woman," I replied, stepping off her.
"And aren’t you single yourself?" I shot back at the rat.
"If you’ve got time to chat, it means you don’t need me."
"So, what’s going on?"
Its tail twitched slightly, as if hesitating.
"Congratulations, you’re now a target to be eliminated."
Perhaps realizing my confusion, it continued:
"You must have noticed already, your attackers have no combat experience compared to the enforcer you fought."
I nodded, already suspecting who they were.
"Not long ago, they were just ordinary men and women. They’ve gained powers that make them superhuman, and even though they know how to use them..."
Its tone suddenly grew heavy.
"However, their mentality hasn’t changed. You can’t expect a retired baker to have the experience and temperament of a killer. To them, you’re just a Calamity, a monster they have to eliminate for some ideal that a parasite has them believe in."
"Ah hah hah, no one ever believed me when I said the one and only Victor might one day feel sorrow for a stranger."
"Ah hah hah, to think I’m still human," it said, its rat teeth forming a sinister smile that could scare off even the bravest of children.
Its words, coming from a fat rat’s mouth, lost all meaning.
I might have found it funny if a fireball wasn’t heading my way at that very moment. How did it descend so quickly? I looked up. A figure stood in the air, as graceful as a bird, with my favorite pyromaniac on their back. Well, that’s an original move. It’s giving me ideas.
This time, I didn’t retreat from the fireball.
"Hey kid, you shouldn’t move," the rat complained.
"No, I’m feeling good here," I replied dryly.
"A roasted rat doesn’t smell too good," it added.
"Well, we’ll see. Given your fat, what’s the difference between you and a braised rabbit?"
"Tsk, you’re such a cat."
Just as the flames were about to turn Victor into a roasted rat (though I wouldn’t have minded), I leaned towards the ground, grabbed the muscular old man, and launched him with all my strength at the fireball, like a baseball. The old man passed through the flames and went straight towards the flying duo.
"Hold on tight," I warned Victor.
Bending my knees, I jumped as high as I could, an arm in hand. Meanwhile, the pyromaniac threw another fireball to hit my "human baseball" back like a batter. But at that moment, I was already a few meters from their position.
"Nephele," I whispered, summoning as thick a mist as possible to block their view.
I fired two consecutive shots, aiming for the one who could fly. Then, using the old man as leverage, I launched myself at the pyromaniac and landed a powerful punch that sent him flying backward, knocking him out of the fight.