The GCPD didn't send detectives anymore. They sent the "Blue Wall."
As I stood in the center of the docks, surrounded by the mangled remains of the Russian syndicate, the sky began to hum. Searchlights cut through the Gotham fog, and four tactical helicopters hovered overhead. Below, half a dozen armored BearCat vehicles screeched to a halt, forming a perimeter.
"This is the GCPD S.W.A.T.!" a voice crackled through a long-range acoustic device. "Lay face down on the ground with your hands behind your head! This is your only warning!"
I smiled. My skin felt like cold marble. I looked at my hands, which were now slightly greyish from the sheer density of my Defense attribute.
"Make it count," I whispered.
The Last Stand of a Mortal
I didn't move. I waited for them to realize that I wasn't going to comply.
"Open fire! Non-lethal first!"
A barrage of beanbag rounds and rubber bullets struck me. They felt like raindrops. I didn't even sway. The S.W.A.T. commander, seeing that I was unfazed, made the call that would change everything.
"Engage with live ammunition! Snipers, take the shot!"
CRACK.
A .338 Lapua Magnum round from a rooftop sniper hit me square in the forehead. In the past, my head would have exploded. Now, it just snapped back. I felt a sharp pain, a trickle of blood, but I was still standing. My Defense was screaming for more.
I lunged forward, not at the men, but at their vehicles. I smashed my fist into the hood of the lead BearCat, the metal crumpling like paper.
"Fire! Everything! Fire!"
They unleashed a wall of lead. Submachine guns, shotguns, and tactical rifles. I stood there, absorbing the impact. I let them shred my clothes. I let the pain wash over me. I needed to die one last time to cross the threshold.
Finally, a tactical officer used an under-barrel grenade launcher. The high-explosive round hit me in the gut.
BOOM.
The world went white.
[DEATH REGISTERED]
Cause: Tactical HE Grenade + Sustained Concentrated Fire
Gains: +8 Defense
[SYSTEM ALERT: DEFENSE CAP REACHED]
Defense: 100
Status: Equal Distribution Protocol—ENABLED.
Respawning 10km away...
The Rebirth
I woke up on the balcony of a penthouse in the Diamond District. I stood up, and for the first time, I felt... balanced. The heaviness of my skin remained, but a sudden surge of speed and raw power flooded my muscles. My mind felt sharper, my connection to the Shadow Kingdom more profound.
I summoned the panel one last time to see the transition.
[CURRENT STATUS]
Strength: 16
Agility: 16
Defense: 100 (Hardened)
Spirit: 16
Note: All future deaths will now distribute attributes equally across all categories.
I looked down at the city. The S.W.A.T. team would be searching the docks for a body that wasn't there. They had just given me the final push I needed.
I was no longer just a "tank" that could take a hit. With my Strength and Agility starting to climb alongside my invulnerability, I was becoming a predator that nothing in the GCPD could stop.
I flexed my fingers, and the shadows on the balcony stretched out for miles, responding to my increased Spirit. I could command hundreds of Shadow Warriors now.
"The warm-up is over," I said to the wind. "Time to take the rest of this city."