Chapter Nineteen — Prime Instinct, Awakened
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
The orc attacked without mercy.
There was no hesitation, no wasted motion—only violence refined into purpose. Its massive frame moved with terrifying efficiency, each step compressing the ground beneath it, each strike carrying the intent to break, not test.
I barely reacted in time.
The first punch tore through the space where my ribs had been a heartbeat earlier. I twisted, the wind of the blow scraping across my skin. The second slammed into my raised forearm, the shock racing through my bones and numbing my fingers instantly.
The third connected.
Pain exploded across my side as my vision warped for a fraction of a second.
I was hurled backward.
My feet skimmed the ground as I bounced across the grass, dirt and shredded roots erupting in my wake. I rolled once, twice—then dug my heels in hard, carving twin trenches as I forced myself to stop.
Silence followed.
Not peace—anticipation.
The orc stood where it had struck me last, one arm still extended, fingers slowly curling back into a fist. It hadn't chased.
It hadn't needed to.
Its gaze stayed locked on me, unblinking, predatory, as if measuring how much fight I had left.
I inhaled.
Deep. Controlled.
Pain flared in protest, but I ignored it and dropped into a low stance, knees bent, spine aligned, center of gravity anchored. My muscles trembled—not from fear, but from accumulated strain.
Then—
BOOM!
We launched at each other simultaneously.
The ground between us detonated as if struck by a falling star, spiderweb cracks racing outward as the earth failed to contain the sudden collision of force.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Our fists and kicks met in rapid succession, each exchange a test of timing rather than brute strength. His punch slammed into my guard, rattling my shoulder. My counter scraped across his chest, the dense muscle beneath his skin absorbing most of the impact.
A kick followed—fast, heavy.
I blocked, shifting my stance just enough to disperse the force, then fired back with a sharp punch aimed at his exposed flank.
BAM!
The orc deflected it with the back of his forearm, the impact forcing him to slide backward several meters. Grass tore loose beneath his feet as he came to a stop, posture still balanced.
His pupils flashed red.
Pressure rolled outward from his body like a living thing, bending the grass and tugging at my senses. It wasn't wild—it was restrained, deliberate.
Then he came again.
Faster.
BAM!
A fist snapped toward my face.
Blocked.
Another followed instantly.
Dodged.
A kick tore toward my ribs.
Blocked—but not cleanly. The force still bled through, rattling my organs and forcing air from my lungs.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
The barrage intensified.
Attacks came from impossible angles, each missing me by millimeters. Wind pressure brushed my skin, tugged at my clothes, whispered how close I was to being overwhelmed.
Yet—
Something shifted.
I wasn't reacting late anymore.
My body moved before my thoughts could interfere.
There was no panic.
No calculation.
No hesitation.
Only motion.
Prime Instinct.
Not power.
Not technique.
Efficiency.
My mind was empty—yet sharper than it had ever been. Every unnecessary movement vanished. I wasn't thinking about victory or defeat. I wasn't thinking about strength.
I was responding.
The orc struck again.
I caught his fist calmly between my palms.
The impact echoed like suppressed thunder, shockwaves rippling through my arms and down into the ground. My feet sank several inches as I redirected the force through my stance instead of opposing it outright.
For the first time—
The orc's expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!
The roar tore through the clearing like a living weapon. Pressure exploded outward as its aura surged violently, red lightning snapping around its body. The ground beneath its feet shattered further, cracks racing outward in jagged lines.
Its power climbed.
Not recklessly.
Intentionally.
I didn't wait.
BBBAAAAAAMMMM!!
I struck first.
A focused side-force slammed into its abdomen—not fueled by raw strength, but timing and leverage. The moment its aura surged, its balance shifted.
I exploited it.
The blow sent the orc flying backward, its massive frame tearing through the air before crashing into the earth with a thunderous impact.
But it wasn't finished.
BOOM!
It vanished.
Reappeared.
A wide left swing.
Dodged.
An uppercut followed immediately.
I leaned just enough for it to graze past my jaw, the pressure snapping my head sideways.
BOOM!
BAM!
Red lightning intensified, crawling across its limbs as power condensed inward. A punch slammed into my guard—hard enough to force a grunt from my chest as my arms screamed under the strain.
My stance broke.
I was driven backward, my feet carving deep, continuous trenches into the ground as I skidded for dozens of meters.
Then—
BOOOOM!!
A massive red blast detonated around me.
Light swallowed everything.
The explosion vaporized grass, scorched earth, and left behind a crater rimmed with molten cracks. Heat tore through my senses as my body was hurled through smoke and debris.
When the chaos settled—
The orc stood at the edge of the destruction, palm smoking, red pupils fixed on the devastation.
The air reeked of ash, scorched soil, and burnt wood.
ROOOOOAR!!
Lightning danced wildly as it condensed another sphere of energy in its palm, the glow pulsing with lethal intent.
Danger.
Danger.
I moved.
Using the lingering smoke as cover, I twisted sharply aside as the sphere screamed past my previous position.
BOOOOM!!
The explosion behind me launched me forward—
Straight into a blur coated in red lightning.
BAM!!
The impact crushed into my chest, pain detonating throughout my body.
I forced myself to move.
Countered.
My fist slammed into its face as I anchored my feet into the ground, carving a wide crater beneath me to stop my momentum.
Trees shattered in the distance.
BAM!
A fist missed my face by inches.
BAM!
A kick tore toward my head.
Blocked.
BAM!
Another energy sphere flew toward my chest.
I twisted aside at the last instant, letting it scream past before detonating behind me.
I exhaled slowly.
My body burned.
My energy reserves thinned.
My muscles trembled.
But my mind—
Clear.
Prime Instinct wasn't about domination.
It was about survival.
Adaptation.
And for the first time since entering the Tower—
I knew.
This fight wasn't ending with my defeat.