Ki Horizons - [Litrpg, Adventure, Power Levels]

My heart was burning bright as I smashed myself against the Mecha-Rex. I needed to destroy this damn thing and go help Cooler.

Which made it all the more annoying that it was so tough!

"RAGGHHH!"

My eardrums shattered and I grit my teeth against the sonic roar, feeling blood leaking down them. If I made it out of this not deaf, it'd be a miracle!

I dodged its bite, only prediction saving me from suffering the same fate as the floor as it had a massive bite taken straight through it. The Rex didn't have much intelligence in its empty mind but more than made up for it with pure killing power!

It was faster, I had to dodge before it even moved.

It was stronger, I couldn't afford to be hit.

But the worst part was…

"How do I even hurt you?!"

If I could use Ki, maybe there'd be a way but all my fists did even with all my strength was maybe push it back a little. I felt impotent as I hammered blow after blow into it, so fast that a normal human wouldn't even be able to see and so hard that this fifty ton monster began to scoot back, but not a mark was left on its cold metal exterior-

I ducked, not even realizing why, as a tail came spinning around, breaking part of the wall. I grimaced. Noted, it had more it hadn't shown yet.

I ducked down rapidly and my dodges became full blown dives and jumps, constant movement my only saving grace as its head seemed to practically teleport, taking massive gouges from the floor and a tail spun around constantly, trying to eat me alive. A foot connecting with its descending head helped take me away from it, gaining some distance.

A decidedly bad idea. Gravity, to my dismay, was slow.

That tail came back around and I crossed my arms to brace for the blow.

It hit like a train.

I spit blood and I felt my damaged lung fully collapse inside me. My mind didn't have time to think before I felt the hardest impact I'd ever experienced to date. This time, I felt my back break, part of my spine nearly snapping, as my shoulders cracked. I felt the skin split and screamed in raw agony, even as I dodged away the moment I bounced off the wall from the force.

A giant metal head bit where I'd been not moments ago.

Even in searing white pain, I felt nostalgic of all things. It reminded me of not long ago, when Master had nearly broken my head with his foot after doing the same. His training was not for waste.

Now if only it could help a bit more!

It was getting hard to think, all the injuries piling up, and I was nowhere close to winning this massacre of a fight. I needed, I needed something. A sure killing blow. Something that could-

That's it!

Inspiration struck like lightning, my feet finding their path already. I knew what I needed to do! I knew how to kill this thing!

I needed my pants!

I ran and it chased, anger seeming to course through its every circuit and metal plate. My speed was slower, my movements sloppier, and the pain all encompassing. I wanted to fight, I wanted to win, I wanted to be the best. But this just… wasn't my fight.

But that didn't mean I can't win.

This thing wasn't an opponent, it was an obstacle. It was in the way. Maybe I can't beat it right now in a fight. But I can still kill it.

A wave of fire came for me and I felt danger unlike anything before. My back was already a ruined and cracked and burnt mess, pain nearly making me shatter apart despite the tolerance. Another direct hit and I'd-

I dove backwards, taking the Mecha-Rex by surprise as I dove beneath it and the fire. It turned, but I'd already run right back down its legs, confusing it as it turned around to no one for a single moment. A moment I took advantage of to gain distance, even as I dashed through fresh fires, burning more of my body than I'd like.

Back through the daycare, the offices, the now dead giant brain, and more. Back to where my pants had first been burnt away. I saw it, my eyes lighting up, diving for the items I needed. The Mecha-Rex roared and my balance… slipped.

I fell and turned, seeing gleaming silver teeth, even as I reached towards what I needed. My eyes widened in terror and then-

The mouth snapped shut.

*****

"How strange." Cooler murmured, clawing at the Director.

The room had been destroyed. Ki blasts, beams, and more had destroyed everything that had once been in it. It was now barren, along with all the lives their battle had destroyed. It was sad and Cooler had done his best to try and bring the fight away but the Director hadn't allowed such a thing.

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"That's what I should be saying." The Director humphed, breathing heavily. "You fight like a wild animal, then a complete novice, all while acting like the perfect scholar. You growled at me not more than five seconds ago. What a waste of personality in you. How I wished over the many years that my researchers could adopt your cold mannerisms Seventy Four. You were in many ways, the perfect subject. Such a shame it has to end like this."

"Hmm. I suppose you would say that."

"You disagree?"

"I find this conclusion perfect if I'm being honest." Cooler said, a drop kick from the Director nearly slamming into his body while he blocked a dozen more blows that came for his face from that single opening.

What a well trained man. His style was odd but seemed to work for him, Cooler's sore body could attest to that.

"It's odd." The Director said, somehow doing two rapid spins that somehow formed a pincer elbow drop from both above and below. "That you would think your death is a good conclusion."

"Ah. I see the confusion." Cooler said, his own breath even heavier as he felt his body nearly crack from the blows, despite blocking both with his palms.

"I find it strange, that I still believe I am going to win."

"Are you actually delusional?"

"I do not know, only that-" Cooler's body suddenly moved, biting directly on the knee that rose to meet him, nearly shattering his teeth in the process, yet preventing what he felt was a truly dangerous blow somehow. How he wish he knew how to fight. He felt like he was puppet to his instincts and sometimes… they took over more fully than he liked.

He growled, the Director's knee in his mouth, and then twisted, pulling at it as his teeth raked it.

An actual punch came, knocking him through what was left of the broken machinery.

He grunted, prepared for a follow up that didn't come. The Director was cautious, if nothing else.

Cooler was learning a lot, however. For example, the actual wounds from this fight were shockingly light. Information was sparse on battles between power levels of this height but he'd seen how injured Mutai was earlier and seen others battle online. He had long come to a conclusion.

Damage must follow strength at an odd parallel.

To be clear, he was bleeding lightly, and his organs were in shambles. There were cuts and burns and a few holes, as well as cracked bones, but nothing truly terrible.

Yet his stamina and ki were running out.

These heights of power are almost more about resources than battlefield injuries.

"What were you saying?" The Director's voice came, able to seen from the hole he'd found himself in.

"Ah. Right. I was saying only that I still have a good feeling."

"A feeling? A hunch? A terrible way to base a prediction."

"And yet I believe it."

"Hmm. Well, we all lose our touch when death approaches I suppose."

The Director began to charge up a beam… and Cooler realized he was having trouble moving.

He frowned and tried again, only to barely move out of the hole he was in.

Ah. My Ki destabilization… has gotten quite bad.

He could see the black ki in his veins now, tracing his blood flow for some reason despite not having anything to do with it. His body was breaking apart. He was stronger than the others but it seemed his time had come. His body could no longer handle the influx of power. Unfortunate. He truly thought his hunch was correct.

Unfortunate.

He turned towards the airlock doors that had long been destroyed. At the very least, Mutai managed to escape. Hopefully he could get far away from the city. The Director would most likely not hunt him down to the ends of Vega. It had been quite a while now. Cooler was sure he would be fine-

He saw it. With his higher perception, it almost seemed in slow motion. A nearly naked, heavily damaged Mutai, bleeding badly, running for his life. Burnt, half melted, looking to be in so much pain. Chased by a giant metal creature. Mutai dashed for a few items and then… was no more.

Oh.

"Goodbye Seventy Four. You were an excellent experiment."

A massive beam of purple headed his way from the outstretched hands of the Director.

A beat like reality's heartbeat echoed outwards.

Mutai… was dead. He was… dead. Dead like the others. Dead like everyone else. Dead like Seventy Five. The only truly innocent person he'd ever known, was dead. Just another victim, another result, another data point, another tragedy.

Thump

Thump

Thump

A heartbeat echoed, heavy and loud. Time seemed to freeze as that beam came towards him and yet, his eyes only had that beast and the end of his ally stuck in his mind, playing on loop.

Dead. He's dead. Dead. Always Dead. All Dead. All taken from me. Everything… is always taken from me.

My…

My…

A force unlike anything else erupted from him, a black aura engulfing him. The red markings across his tails and hair turned pitch black, along with the white of his eyes. He rose, his emotions bubbling over as he growled deeply from his chest, having nothing to do with his instincts for once. From deep, deep within, it all came up and up and up. Bubbling over, exploding!

"Goodbye Seventy Four."

And yet only a cold indifferent look of hatred and disdain made its way to his face. His voice echoed out, carrying more than thirty years of pain and suffering and hate and more than anything else, his denial.

"My name… IS COOLER!"

A roar that shook the air was unleashed as Cooler unleashed a black beam, meeting the purple one head on. The machinery around him that was still in one piece disintegrated as he roared with the pain of loss.

The Director's eyes widened, his all suddenly needing to be put into this one beam! If he lost this struggle-!

"Where were you hiding this much power?!"

Cooler only roared louder, his beam growing stronger, larger, thicker. Every drop of his Ki, poured into this!

******

From deep within the mouth of the Mecha-Rex, came the sound of a voice.

"I'm not… fucking… dying here."

Slowly…

Ever so slowly…

The mouth began to open.