Apocalypse Baby

But Alex, unshaken, simply raised a hand.

Then a spark.

A single, fleeting flicker of energy—small, almost insignificant.

But then...

WHOOSH!

Black flames erupted.

Not just fire—a living beast, an all-consuming inferno that roared to life, hungry and wild.

And it didn't just spread. It lunged.

Like a bolt of pure destruction, it surged forward, twisting and writhing like a shadow given form towards the tank like Gnoll.

The heat alone was suffocating, warping the air, devouring light itself.

Doomcrusher's instincts screamed.

Danger.

His muscles coiled, his fangs bared in a snarl as he snapped his massive tower shield up, its steel plating catching the fire's unholy glow.

He dug his feet into the ground, the earth cracking beneath his sheer weight.

A wall of steel against an abyssal blaze.

He braced for impact.

But...

It was useless.

BOOM!

The black flames collided with the shield, but instead of stopping—it flowed around it.

Like they had a mind of their own, the inferno split apart—flowing around the shield like water, slithering over and under, wrapping around the gnoll's armored body.

And then—

It engulfed him.

And consumed.

Ssssshhhhhhh—

The sickening sound of metal sizzling and flesh searing filled the air.

Then...

"RAAAAAAHHHH!"

A piercing, guttural scream ripped from Doomcrusher's throat, shaking the battlefield like a war horn of pure agony.

The black flames ate into its body, devouring its fur, melting through the steel-plated armor.

His muscles twisted, his flesh blistered, his bones creaked under the heat—but he didn't stop.

Instead—He roared forward.

Like an unstoppable juggernaut.

Like a beast that refused to die.

Every step was a thunderous quake, sending tremors through the ground.

A towering inferno marching toward Alex, the gnoll's once-gray fur now a blazing coat of blackened embers.

His armor glowed red-hot, molten lines splitting through its surface, but he didn't slow down.

Didn't stumble.

Didn't even hesitate.

The pain should have crippled him. Should have brought him to his knees.

Yet, Doomcrusher charged.

And then—the Gnoll laughed.

At first, it was low, a deep, guttural growl rumbling from Doomcrusher's throat, vibrating through his burning chest.

Then—It twisted.

The sound crackled and snapped, breaking apart into something else—a crazed, hyena-like cackle.

A sound that didn't belong to something in pain.

But something that enjoyed it.

Something that thrived, in the agony, in the chaos of battle.

Alex's expression didn't change.

Not even a flicker of surprise.

Instead, he simply shook his head.

"Fine...I'll try something else."

But first—

Alex's eyes flashed.

[Omni Gaze]—Active.

A pulse of energy rippled through his vision.

Nothing could hide from him.

Not in the smoke.

Not in the chaos.

Not in the shadows.

Something moved behind him.

Fast.

A flicker of motion—silent, precise, deadly.

A mottled gray shape, slithering through the battlefield like a phantom.

A gnoll.

Lean. Wiry. Ruthless.

A shadow given form.

The fourth Warbringer.

[Warbringer Snarltooth, the Shadow Stalker]

Snarltooth struck—fast, ruthless, precise.

Its venom-dripping claws slashed toward Alex's exposed back.

One scratch. That's all it needed.

And the poison would do the rest.

But Alex...

Alex was already three steps ahead.

At the last second—

His hand shot up like a viper, fingers closing tight around the gnoll's wrist mid-strike.

The attack stopped cold.

Not even a drop of poison touched him.

Snarltooth's glowing yellow eyes widened in disbelief.

It's perfect ambush was ruined.

The gnoll panicked, its free hand darted to its belt, yanking out a jagged dagger—aiming to stab Alex in the side and break free.

To disappear. To try again.

A desperate move.

A futile one.

Alex did not give it a chance.

And Snarltooth wasn't fast enough.

Alex's grip tightened—then he yanked the gnoll upward by the hand.

Hard.

The sudden force ripped Snarltooth off the ground, in a swift motion.

And then—

SLAM!

He drove the gnoll into the earth like a meteor, bones snapping on impact.

CRACK!

Then again—

BOOM!

The ground shuddered.

Again—

SPLAT!

The battlefield trembled with every brutal, earth-crushing impact.

Snarltooth's body twitched violently, every broken bone grinding against the other—a sickening symphony of cracks and shatters.

But Alex wasn't done.

One more time.

BOOM!

The gnoll let out a choked, garbled wheeze, blood dripping down its lips.

Alex ripped Snarltooth's now-limp body off the ground, his grip still firm.

He was about to finish the Gnoll off—But Doomcrusher was right was right behind him.

Its axe raised.

Alex then smirked as he muttered.

"Two problems. One solution."

And with a single, monstrous swing—He hurled Snarltooth's battered body like a club.

The broken gnoll spun violently through the air—a blur of fur, blood, and shattered bones.

And then—

BOOM!

Snarltooth collided headfirst into Doomcrusher.

The shadow gnoll slammed into Doomcrusher—And both hulking gnolls were sent flying like ragdolls, their massive bodies crashing into the ruined remains of a crumbling fortress wall.

BOOM!

The stone shattered under the impact, sending a cloud of dust and debris billowing into the air.

Then—

Alex realized he was still holding something.

His fingers flexed.

Fur. Coarse. Matted with blood and sweat.

Warm.

He glanced down, and in his grasp was the Gnoll severed arm.

He had ripped it clean off Snarltooth's body without even realizing it.

The severed stump was a mess of torn flesh and exposed bone, the wound still wet and slick with fresh blood.

The bone jutted out, twitching slightly, as if the limb itself hadn't yet realized it was no longer attached to its owner.

A thin sheen of venom oozed from the gnoll's claws, dripping sluggishly like thick, green resin, sizzling faintly as it met the dirt.

Alex stared at it for a moment.

Then—he let it drop.

THUD!

He flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulder.

The raw strength he had just displayed was no joke.

He hadn't just wounded Snarltooth.

He had disabled the humanoid hyena—permanently.

Alex exhaled, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Well..." His gaze flicked toward the crumpled heap that was Snarltooth's body.

"I might as well make it permanently dead."