Odyssey Of Survival

The four-tailed Gorvak's eyes gleamed with caution as it stared Nate down. The first punch had not been effective, but it had told the beast something important—Nate wasn't weak. He wasn't like the others.

So this time, it didn't hesitate.

With a guttural growl that echoed across the battlefield, the four-tailed launched itself forward. Its fist came faster than before—so fast it blurred, cloaked in an intense green energy that pulsed with a sickening rhythm. The strike held nothing back. No deception. No testing the waters.

Pure power.

Nate met it head-on.

He raised both arms and coated them in roaring flames, forming a fiery shield just in time. The Gorvak's fist collided with Nate's arms, and a deafening BOOM erupted. The shockwave blew chunks of concrete into the air, cracked the ground for meters, and sent both of them flying backward.

Nate's boots scraped hard against the asphalt, sparks trailing as he finally dug in and stopped. Smoke curled from his arms, but he stood tall, smirking.

He looked up just in time to see the Gorvak charging again.

Even the people watching from the bunkers—leaders, families, strangers—could barely follow the speed. Their monitors blurred as the camera auto-tracked Nate and the beast.

Nate grinned wider. The flames in his hand surged and shifted, now golden, casting light so brilliant it seemed to paint the battlefield in a glow more intense than the sun.

He didn't wait.

Nate surged forward, meeting the Gorvak with a thunderous collision. Their fists struck. Fire and green energy clashed like gods were warring. This time, Nate didn't just block. He struck with force that carried the weight of Earth's survival.

The Gorvak's arm reeled back, flames licking at its green skin. It hissed and extinguished the fire quickly, but Nate could see it now.

He had hurt it.

The Gorvak growled again, louder, angrier. Then it did something unexpected.

Its four tails began to whip and curl unnaturally, spinning in impossible patterns. They glowed a deep emerald, and the sky above darkened for a moment.

Suddenly, green spears of energy rained down from above.

Nate dodged, flipping backwards, fire jetting from his feet to launch him mid-air. The energy spears struck the earth like missiles, exploding in flashes of green that left smoking craters behind.

"What the hell is that?" Nate muttered, twisting in the air to avoid another strike.

The Gorvak didn't let up. It opened its mouth wide, and a concentrated beam of pure green light shot toward Nate. He crossed his arms, forming a fiery dome around him. The beam struck—and for a second, nothing happened.

Then everything happened.

The dome shattered. Nate was blasted backward, smoke trailing from his body as he crashed into a nearby building. Concrete rained down. The building tilted and partially collapsed.

The watchers gasped.

But Nate didn't stay down long.

Flames erupted from the rubble as Nate burst out, coughing but grinning.

"Damn. That one had bite."

He summoned the flames again—this time forming a fireball that hovered beside him. It expanded and condensed at the same time, a molten sphere humming with potential.

He threw it.

The Gorvak raised its arm, but the fireball didn't just explode on impact—it detonated in a spiraling pillar of fire that engulfed the Gorvak entirely. The shockwave shattered nearby windows, and flames danced upward into the sky.

When the fire faded, the Gorvak stood, breathing hard, its skin scorched.

Then it changed tactics.

The creature slammed its tails into the ground, and the battlefield quaked. Cracks spiderwebbed across the concrete, and thorn-like green spikes erupted from beneath. Nate leapt, dodging them, but the Gorvak wasn't done.

It shot forward, tail whipping toward Nate like a blade.

Nate ducked, twisted, and slammed his fist into the creature's ribs, fire trailing the strike. The Gorvak staggered.

Nate pressed the advantage.

He jumped, kicked off the Gorvak's knee, and spun mid-air, driving both fists—now flaming meteors—into the creature's skull.

It screamed, tails flailing.

One tail caught Nate in the side, sending him skidding across the ground. He coughed up blood, rolled, and rose, fire still burning in his eyes.

"You're tough," Nate muttered, wiping his mouth. "But you're not tougher than Earth's will to survive."

The Gorvak didn't care for speeches.

It leapt, green energy swirling around its body like armor. Mid-air, it flipped, its tails spinning like a hurricane.

Nate raised his arms and focused all his power into a flame shield again. He couldn't dodge this one.

The Gorvak struck—

BOOOOOOM!!

A crater formed beneath them.

When the dust cleared, Nate was still standing.

His flames dimmed… but they weren't gone.

"You're not the only one who evolves," he whispered.

The flames around him flickered—then roared.

Golden fire burst outward. It wrapped around Nate like a cloak, took the shape of a flaming lion roaring into the sky. It wasn't just fire. It was living fire. The air rippled around it.

Nate dashed forward, fire lion cloaking him.

The Gorvak tried to dodge.

Too slow.

Nate punched.

Not just any punch—this one ruptured the air. The golden lion roared as the impact connected with the Gorvak's chest. The green armor shattered, the beast's ribs cracked, and it was launched backwards.

It didn't land.

It crashed through three buildings before finally collapsing in a heap.

Still, it twitched, trying to rise.

Nate approached slowly, fire still burning in his hand.

The Gorvak growled, tried to lift an arm.

Nate raised his fist. "Stay down."

And then he slammed it into the creature's skull.

With that final blow, the four-tailed Gorvak stopped moving.

The watchers cheered. The fighters nearby paused and stared. Another monster down.

Nate exhaled slowly, flames dying around him.

He looked toward the horizon.

Three more.

Then Zoro.

And whatever else was coming.

"Bring it," Nate muttered.

---

The dust hadn't even settled from Nate's last explosive clash when two more four-tailed Gorvaks lunged into the battlefield. Their massive frames landed with tremors that cracked the earth beneath. These two looked far more menacing—their auras twisted and wild. One pulsed with violet electricity while the other oozed thick black smog from its body like it was breathing poison.

Nate barely had time to catch his breath before the first of the two roared and struck. Unlike the last Gorvak, this one used its tail like a whip, cracking it toward Nate's midsection with deadly speed. Nate spun out of the way just in time, but the tip still grazed his arm, sending a jolt through his body that numbed his muscles.

The second Gorvak moved like smoke itself, vanishing and appearing behind Nate. Its claws were raised, dripping with corrosive liquid, but Nate dropped low and swept its legs before it could strike. The beast flipped through the air and landed with grace no creature its size should possess.

The crowd in the bunkers watching the livestream were silent. Then the first Gorvak slammed its hand into the ground, and purple energy exploded in waves. Nate was thrown into the air, but he twisted midair, flames erupting from his hands as he steadied himself.

"That's new," he muttered, eyeing the pulse of violet energy that still lingered.

The second Gorvak growled low, smoke curling from its nostrils. It opened its mouth and released a thick black cloud. Nate held his breath and coated his body in fire, burning the smoke away, but it slowed his movements.

One of the Gorvaks reappeared behind him again, this time faster. Nate turned just in time to block its punch with a fiery palm, the shockwave blasting a hole through a nearby building.

Then, in a flash, the first Gorvak's tail came crashing down from above like a comet. Nate raised both arms and caught it, gritting his teeth as his feet sank into the cracked pavement. He spun and hurled the creature through a concrete wall, but the second leapt toward him again.

It opened its mouth mid-air, unleashing a torrent of acidic liquid. Nate crossed his arms, and a fire wall ignited in front of him, absorbing the liquid. Still, the heat and force behind the acid pushed him back.

The battlefield was chaos—roaring fire, crumbling buildings, and the sounds of titans clashing.

Then a beam of frost carved through the sky.

Alice landed beside Nate, her armor glinting, her ice sword in hand, and her presence immediately changed the tone of the battle. She didn't say a word. She just nodded.

Nate grinned. "Took you long enough."

Together, they charged.

The acid Gorvak sent another wave of sludge, but Alice froze it in mid-air, shattering it with a flick of her wrist. Nate leapt through the shards, flame bursting from his fists as he landed a direct hit to the creature's chest.

The second Gorvak tried to blindside them, but Alice turned and stabbed her sword into the ground. An icy shockwave erupted, coating everything within twenty feet in thick frost—including the Gorvak's legs. Nate capitalized instantly, fire coating his body as he spun into a flying kick that shattered the ice and sent the creature toppling.

They were unstoppable—fire and ice in perfect sync.

The violet-powered Gorvak began to gather energy in its chest. Purple bolts danced along its skin as it opened its mouth for a devastating energy blast.

Alice stepped forward, runes glowing on her armor. Her hand raised. "Not today."

An enormous ice wall formed, and at the same time, Nate summoned twin columns of fire that twisted like dragons around the wall's edges.

The Gorvak fired. The beam struck the wall, and for a second it seemed like it might break through—but then Alice whispered something. The runes pulsed and the beam froze solid, inch by inch.

Nate then thrust his hands forward. "My turn."

The frozen beam exploded into shards as a wave of golden fire shot from Nate's palms, engulfing the Gorvak.

The monster screamed and fell, convulsing under the heat. Then it was still.

One remained—the smoky, acid-dripping beast.

It didn't wait. It charged, claws glowing with black energy.

Nate met it with a flame-coated punch while Alice moved behind it. It tried to spin, but Nate grabbed its face with both hands and unleashed a torrent of fire. It screamed as its body melted in parts, trying to resist.

Then Alice appeared above it. She spun in midair and brought her sword down on its skull. A single perfect cut.

The creature dropped.

Silence fell.

The bunkers erupted in cheer.

Alice stood straight beside Nate, her breath calm, sword dripping with frost. Nate rolled his neck and dusted off his burned jacket.

The cameras zoomed in on the duo. They looked unstoppable.

And yet… Nate still hadn't used his lightning.

The people watching didn't know. This wasn't even his full strength.