Breaking Point

Chapter 27: Breaking Point

In the middle of the laboratory, beneath the flickering lights of broken lamps, two figures locked eyes. The data running across the monitors on the wall, the cracked floor, and the chemical scent permeating the air all seemed to speak of decay. Magnus stood tall, like a god on the threshold of immortality. His skin was coated in an unnatural glow, his eyes had transformed into fiery pits, glowing in the darkness. Facing him, Luca was trying to regulate his breath, controlling the fury that burned inside him.

"This world is my creation," Magnus began. "You and your kind survived only through my will."

Luca furrowed his brows. "We survived because we learned not to bow down to people like you. My purpose is for no one to endure what we suffered. Unlike you, I learned from pain."

Magnus laughed mockingly. "How naive. Throughout history, you've seen who holds the power. Power is mine. And you... you're just chasing a great delusion."

Luca stepped forward. "And those like you always fall. Today will be no different."

Magnus's body began to twist as though witnessing the birth of a demon. The veins beneath his skin expanded like boiling tar, spreading throughout his body. His muscles bulged with every breath, and the air around him swirled like a vortex. There was no trace of humanity left in his eyes, only the savage desire to consume. Magnus's muscles tensed. Suddenly, the ground shook, and then Magnus lunged. Black-veined spines shot from his body, aimed at Luca. Luca leaped sideways, dodging the attack, and instantly swung his fist covered in red energy. Magnus blocked the blow with his arm, but the metal-plated wall behind him shattered and was sent flying.

As Magnus regained his balance, blood dripping from his wounds, he continued to smile. "You're starting to affect me. But it won't be enough to win this battle."

Luca, fighting to keep the rage in his eyes under control, charged again. With every clash, with every blow, the walls crumbled, and the laboratory slowly began to break apart. Chemicals spilled, and explosions began to erupt sporadically.

Luca paused for a moment, staring at Magnus. "I feared becoming like you. But I won't become like those who are twisted like you. My world will not be ruled by fear."

Magnus's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Fear keeps people alive. You've stayed alive because you're afraid to die," he said, then unleashed a barrage of spiny projectiles from his body, aimed directly at Luca.

Luca was purely defensive. He hadn’t made an attack yet. He was studying Magnus’s grotesque transformation. His body had changed so much. The attacks Magnus made were injuring him, but slowly his body was healing. It was as if it was a well-controlled cancer.

Luca’s analysis began to bear fruit. The soul energy that made Magnus immortal was limited. As an unfinished stone, its effects diminished unless it absorbed a new soul. Magnus, overconfident and reckless with his attacks, saw his regeneration speed decrease with each passing second. What once took 58 milliseconds for his skin to heal now took 3 seconds.

"I think I've learned your secret, big man. You’ll be a great hunt for me. Together, I'll root out all evil with you." Luca's confidence grew, and his eyes glowed with fury.

He made a swift move forward, attacking in the same way he had with Sarah. He aimed for Magnus’s blind spots, darting in and out so quickly that Magnus couldn’t track his movements. It was like a ball bouncing from wall to wall.

Magnus, though momentarily caught off guard, had learned Luca’s fighting style from his battle with Sarah. He moved cautiously, thinking back to that fight. Luca noticed Magnus had adapted and began retreating. An impulsive move could cost him his life. He took a deep, steady breath.

He scanned the chemicals around him, looking for something he could use for an attack, but they were all broken.

"Where’s all that bravado now? Looks like you’re out of options," Magnus's ego was taking full control of his body.

"Maybe you’ve forgotten something?" Luca reached into his bag and threw something forward.

Magnus looked at the object. It was a flash grenade. Magnus felt the effect much more intensely than a regular human would. While under its effect, Luca continued his attacks. He couldn’t deliver a killing blow yet.

Finally, as the effects of the flash grenade wore off, another bomb appeared before Magnus’s eyes. This time, Luca was wearing a mask and threw a chemical bomb into Magnus’s face.

"Here's what you forgot: You took me to your hidden laboratory by your own will. And there, you let me study all your experiments. You signed your own death contract, you fool." Luca laughed as he tore at Magnus's monstrous body parts. Magnus’s regeneration rate had dropped drastically.

Just as Magnus began to recover, Luca made one final move and decapitated him.

Victory seemed to be within Luca's grasp. But as Magnus’s headless body began to move again, Luca realized the fight was far from over. Magnus’s body moved on its own, delivering a brutal blow to Luca’s back. He felt several ribs crack as sharp pain seared through his lungs. As his body was dragged across the shattered floor, glass shards cut into his skin. His hand, burned from the chemicals, numbed as he could no longer feel his fingers. Luca had taken massive damage with a single blow. Broken glass embedded in his arm, and his hand, exposed to acid, was severely wounded. His t-shirt tore in places.

Magnus’s skin had become as tough as armor, his muscles swelling unnaturally, and veins spreading across his body like poisonous tree roots. He no longer resembled a human being—he had fully transformed into something else. Having learned to control his horrific new form, Magnus let out a terrible laugh.

"Just as I wanted," Magnus laughed. "I am unstoppable. Bow before me and beg for mercy, little insect."

Magnus’s dreams had come true. He had forgotten the loss in the battlefield. In this form, he believed no one could stand against him. Everything he had wished for since the death of his wife had now come to fruition.

Luca’s pain-filled gaze brought Magnus joy. As Magnus's wild laughter echoed through the walls of the laboratory, Luca knelt for a moment. Breathing itself was painful. But Magnus didn’t notice—the expression on Luca’s face had changed. In his eyes, there was no longer pain, but absolute resolve.

Slowly, Luca brought his trembling hand to his belt, fixing his gaze firmly on Magnus.

"I’ll show you true fear now."