Awakening My Enemies
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” said the man who had been standing by the door. He was a tall and burly-looking fellow with long hair tied back in an unkempt ponytail—a biker type of guy if ever there were one. His eyes glowed red as he glared at me, his face twisted into a sneer. “You’re not going to be able to get away from here alive.”
He spoke like someone who knew how things worked around these parts. But it wasn’t just him; everyone else present seemed to have some sort of combat experience or other. They all looked tough enough for their own reasons. There was no way they’d fall prey so easily to my tricks…or would they?
It didn’t matter what kind of people we were dealing with right now. It only mattered whether or not I could win this fight. And winning meant doing whatever was necessary to achieve victory. That was why I couldn’t give up on any means available to me.
If I did, then I wouldn’t be worthy of being called a hero. So even though I felt bad about using them against each other, I decided to go ahead anyway.
“Do your worst!” I shouted defiantly. Then I took out the metal box that held the Magic God’s power and opened its lid. The light inside shone brightly once more, bathing us all in dazzling white radiance. As soon as the blinding flash faded, however, the men surrounding me began to glow too.
Their armor flashed brilliantly before fading away completely. In fact, most of the equipment lying scattered across the floor also vanished without a trace. Even their weapons disappeared! All that remained were empty spaces where they should’ve stood.
The first thing I noticed when everything went dark again was how quiet it suddenly was. No longer blinded by the light, I turned toward the source of the sound: the man whose voice I’d heard earlier. Now he was surrounded by nothingness instead of darkness. A single eye stared down at me through a hole in space.
So this is what it feels like to die, huh…?
My heart skipped a beat upon realizing that I might actually meet my end here today. Fortunately, that feeling passed quickly thanks to the realization that I still hadn’t lost yet. With a grin, I reached for another piece of equipment hidden within my bag. This time I grabbed something small and round: a magic stone.
This particular item was made specifically for use during battles such as this one. Its main purpose was to boost the user’s stats while simultaneously increasing their resistance to physical attacks. However, its secondary function was to create a temporary shield capable of deflecting projectiles.
And since it was a magic gemstone, it required mana to activate. Well, technically speaking, it needed both mana and divine energy, but I figured that I could probably manage to squeeze in a little bit extra. After all, I’d already used up quite a lot of my own reserves.
With a flick of my wrist, I activated the stone and focused its power directly onto myself. The result was immediate. My body grew slightly lighter, and my muscles bulged noticeably beneath my skin. I could feel every inch of muscle fiber stretching and growing stronger than usual.
I was also able to move faster and jump higher, which gave me a real advantage over my opponents. Not that I really cared much about beating them, mind you. What I wanted was to take control of the situation so that I could escape safely.
But unfortunately, it appeared as though my plan was doomed before I’d barely begun. Before I realized what was happening, several shadowy figures materialized behind me. One after another they stepped forward until their outlines filled my vision.
They were wearing black robes similar to those worn by monks, complete with hoods pulled low over their faces. Each wore a large pair of scissors tucked under their arms, ready to cut me down at any moment.
As soon as I saw them, I remembered the last words spoken by the old priestess. She told me that she had sent her disciples to kill anyone who came looking for the Magic God. Apparently, that included me.
Oh well, guess I’ll see how good they are.
At least, that was what I thought initially. But I was wrong. These guys weren’t nearly as skilled as I expected. Of course, I suppose that was to be expected given that they were supposed to be the best assassins in town. Still, I shouldn’t have underestimated them so badly.
I mean, come on, they were just kids. Or maybe young adults, depending on how old they actually were. But regardless of their age, they were clearly nowhere near as strong as I was.
I glanced back and forth between the three of them, trying to figure out exactly what to do next. At the same time, I tried to keep an eye out for anything that might help me get away. Unfortunately, there was nothing in sight except for the four walls closing in around me.
What should I do? Should I try to run away from them or fight them head-on? I honestly didn’t know. Which option would lead me to safety? Wasn’t that the whole point of fighting in the first place?
In the end, I decided to go with the latter. It wasn’t because I feared death—far from it. If I died now, then at least I wouldn’t have to worry about being captured by these thugs. And if things got bad enough, I could always use my magic to make sure that none of them survived either. That way I could save my life and theirs at the exact same time.
That said, I couldn’t afford to underestimate them. I knew full well that even a quick death was better than spending the rest of my days locked up in some dungeon somewhere. So I kept my guard up and prepared to strike whenever necessary.
“Hmph! You’re pretty tough,” one of the boys sneered. “You must’ve been trained hard.”
His comment surprised me somewhat. He sounded almost impressed. In fact, his tone suggested that he was more interested in watching me fight rather than killing me outright. Maybe I was underestimating him too.
Still, I refused to give in to my curiosity. Instead, I continued to stare straight ahead, waiting for the right opportunity to attack. Then, when the perfect chance presented itself, I sprang forward without hesitation.
The boy who spoke first took a step backward. His eyes widened in surprise as I rushed toward him. Without thinking, he raised his scissor blades overhead and swung downward. Just as I suspected, however, the blow never landed.
Instead, I ducked underneath the swing and slammed my fist against the side of his face. The impact knocked him off balance, causing him to stumble backward and fall flat on his rear. As he did so, I kicked him square in the stomach, sending him flying through the air.
He hit the ground with a loud thud and lay still for a few moments before slowly getting back up again. By this point, two other boys had joined him. Now, instead of standing together, they stood shoulder to shoulder, each holding a pair of scissors under their arms.
“This is going to be fun!” one of them exclaimed, grinning widely.
It seemed like they were enjoying themselves. Well, not that I minded. After all, I was having a great deal of fun myself.
I let loose with a barrage of punches, kicks, slashes, and thrusts. All of my attacks were aimed squarely at the center of their bodies, where most vital organs resided. This allowed me to deliver powerful blows while minimizing the amount of damage done to my own body.
My strategy worked perfectly. With each successive attack, their clothes began to tear apart, exposing more and more flesh. Soon, their entire forms were covered in blood. Their skin was red and swollen, and their movements grew sluggish as they struggled to stay upright.
Eventually, they collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
With that, my battle with the three thugs was finally over.
***
When I returned home, I found my mother sitting alone in the living room. Her expression was grim, which made sense considering everything that happened today.
“Mom?” I asked hesitantly. “Are you okay?”
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears. “Yes… I’m fine.”
Her response came far quicker than I anticipated. She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to look outside. There she saw something that caused her to break down once again.
“No…”
There, lying motionless on the grass, was our family’s horse. Its neck was twisted unnaturally, its mouth opens wide in agony. A large pool of blood surrounded it, soaking into the earth beneath.
As I watched in horror, my mother ran to the animal and cradled it in her arms. For several long minutes, we both stared silently at the lifeless form of our beloved pet.
Then, suddenly, my mother broke free from her trance and screamed.
“Mamaaaaaaa!!”
A moment later, my father appeared behind us. When he caught sight of the dead horse, he dropped to his knees beside my mom and held her tightly.
“Oh no! Oh God, oh God, please don’t take him from me! Not after all he has meant to me!” My dad cried out.
For a brief moment, I thought he might start crying himself. But then, just as quickly, he regained control of his emotions and started shouting angrily at someone.
“What do you mean by this?! What kind of monster are you?!”
We followed his gaze to find another man standing nearby. He was dressed in black clothing and wore a hooded cloak that concealed his face. From what I could tell, he was around thirty years old. It wasn’t clear whether or not he was human, but judging by his height and build, I assumed he probably was.
After staring at him for a few seconds, my father let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head. “Who are you? How dare you come here and kill our horse like this?”
The stranger didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he simply glared coldly at my parents and continued to walk away. Once he reached the edge of town, however, he stopped abruptly and turned around.
“You have nothing to say about this?” he shouted incredulously. “Nothing at all?”
My father remained silent.
“Well, if that’s how things stand,” the mysterious figure declared, “then I’ll leave your house now. However, know this: If I ever see you again, I will make sure that you suffer every bit as much pain and misery as you inflicted upon me.”
And with that, he disappeared into thin air.
Once he was gone, my father sat down heavily next to the corpse of our horse and buried his face in his hands. Then, with a heavy sob, he fell forward onto the ground.
“Dad!” I yelled. “Come on! We’re gonna get help!”
But even though I tried to pull him to his feet, he refused to move. Eventually, I gave up and left him there, kneeling beside the body of our dearly departed friend.
The End