"Mr. President, this is bad..."

  Inside a closed, gray room, many people observed a giant screen. Seated in front of a computer, seated in front of buttons, heat maps, devices, but all with their eyes fixed on the same place.

  Everyone was wearing a suit, men and women, in the famous control room. Although their expression revealed a few drops of sweat running down their foreheads, it could be defined as worry.

  In the back, in a position that gave him a clear view of everything, especially the big screen—the first position when opening the main door right behind him—a man sat down.

  "What you mean 'bad'?"

  That man was Tobias Marques. President of the Portuguese Association of Exterminators.

  He was extremely young for his position; almost all of his subordinates were older. A 27-year-old man with straight black hair, his feet rested on the table, displaying his utter contempt for the institution.

  "B-But sir..." said the secretary clutching a folder of documents, "48 out of 50 participants are dead. This is inhumane! What will the press think of this? We should have put in more security!"

  "Are you dumb?" Tobias's voice was cold and calculated. "When you want to kill a demon, you're not concerned about what it means to be human. The same logic should apply here; being an Exterminator means living without rules in battle."

  "B-But sir... At least some reinforcements to stop whatever that monster is. That thing can't get out of there."

  "At most we can send some security guards outside. But only outside. Don't you dare interfere in the Recruitment area."

  "Yes sir."

  The woman flew out of the control room as fast as she could, desperate to find help.

  But, now without any eyes on him, Tobias made a small smile.

  "Anyway, we were lucky. Our strongest man is already there."

  ※ ※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

  "Damn it!!"

  The hand of the man with the backwards shirt sank into the ground. A huge cloud of dust spread everywhere, obscuring his view.

  The crater that opened up with his punch was slightly larger than his fist, destroying the bricks that were there and revealing brown, wet earth and mud.

  It took a good few seconds for the smoke to completely disappear, but slowly it revealed the silhouette of a man.

  "You..." The man crouched down, grabbing a white beanie that had fallen to the ground. "You're quite the liar, aren't you?" The man was HeraCrox, wearing a smirk and a beanie.

  "Liar? What a hypocritical statement for you to say. Don't you think, kid?"

  And when the dust settled on the other side, Teco was revealed. His face was cold, his eyes almost closed. The typical face of someone holding a grudge after being betrayed.

  "Eh, wait a second." HeraCrox questioned, wiping the bruises from the punch on his face. "You're the guy from before! And hey, I'm no kid."

  "I know. Those stats, it doesn't lie."

  A blue box was shining on top of HeraCrox's head. It glowed: Lvl. 57.

  If level 25 was already totally unthinkable for the recruitment phase, level 57 was from another world. The expectation was to be level 0, that of a civilian fighting for the prize of evolving to level 1 and being a real Exterminator.

  But Teco's status didn't lie either.

  "You shouldn't talk too much," HeraCrox spat. "You're a big liar too, aren't you?"

  "I just wanted to become a real Exterminator. You, on the other hand, are a murderous smurf!"

  Teco tucked down his chin, left foot forward, knees slightly bent, hands clenched at the cheekbone level and determined eyes.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Betrayal is unforgivable."

  "Heh, whatever you say." HeraCrox positioned his entire body similarly, but since he only had one hand, he decided to put it in his pants pocket, alongside a glance of pure ego and confidence. "I've warmed up. So it's time to really test myself."

  Let the battle begin.

  "What the—" HeraCrox barely had time to wonder, as Teco was already unleashing a barrage of punches on his body.

  HeraCrox only had one hand to defend two, a practically impossible task that even he himself couldn't accomplish.

  I-I saw his foot being propelled! Air came out? Like a jet?! What the hell—

  But all his thoughts were suddenly erased, as his mind began to fade along with his consciousness.

  "Damn it!!" HeraCrox swung his body to the left. On his back, a tail made of human flesh and skin came, with just the metal tip.

  But Teco jumped upwards, dodging the attack.

  Seeing an opening, HeraCrox quickly jumped back until he was at a safe distance. His tail twisted until it became just his back again.

  T-That guy... HeraCrox's eyes trembled, his teeth chattering unconsciously. Was he really human? What kind of human fought without any kind of weapon? What the hell was this in front of me?!

  "So? What is wrong?" Teco asked, his face still serene. "Did the little murderer get scared?"

  "None of that." HeraCrox's response was immediate, cracking a smile. "It's just... it's a bit unchivalrous to fight someone who only has one arm and almost no mana, don't you think?"

  "Yeah, I fully agree."

  "Oh? Then—"

  "That's why I healed you."

  HeraCrox looked down, and his eyes nearly bulged out when he saw his left arm intact. Only his coat hadn't regenerated.

  And he could perfectly feel it: his Mana bar was back at 100%.

  HeraCrox concluded that, in his more than 300 million years of existence, he had never seen such power.

  "Well, how about now? Are we fair?"

  "Hehehehhe!!!" HeraCrox began to laugh hysterically. "What an idiot! What a true idiot you are! Don't you know rule number 1 of your own group? Never negotiate with a demon! You did me the favor of breaking it, hehehehe!!"

  Teco's purple pupils contracted. "W-What did you just say?"

  "YOU HEARD IT!!" HeraCrox's madness was as big as the entire tower they were in. "Now there's no turning back! And don't think I'll thank you!"

  "S-So you are a demon? A parasite one?"

  "I said no turning back!!"

  "Pff, hahahha!!" Now, the roles inverted. Teco began to laugh as if he just won the lottery, and HeraCrox looked as if he was struck by lightning, shocked.

  "This whole time, you were just a parasite-type demon? You weren't really acting before, were you? You just got possessed, right? Ah, that explains everything!"

  For a reason that HeraCrox couldn't explain or comprehend, Teco seemed to be having the best day of his life.

  Until finally, after some good seconds of only laughing, Teco decided to use all he had.

  "Alright, demon. Let's do it."

  "Hehe, don’t start crying when—"

  HeraCrox was in Teco's face.

  "Eh?—"

  And now, kissing the ground.

  "Look at you, what a cutie," Teco said to HeraCrox while this one was lying on the ground right in front of his feet.

  Without gentleness, Teco placed his right shoe on HeraCrox's ear, making sure he felt the pressure against his head as he broke through the asphalt.

  "So? What is wrong? You would make a good pillow."

  This is impossible! HeraCrox thought, feeling true humiliation. What level is he truly?! What class is he?! This bastard...

  "HOW DARE YOU!?"

  Three thorns emerged from his head. Pointed and sharp, made of metal, they were aimed at Teco's own head.

  But they all shattered long before they could even threaten him.

  "Look at this."

  Using the same foot, Teco delivered an extremely powerful kick to HeraCrox's stomach. So powerful, in fact, that it instantly made him spit blood, and his eyes went white for a moment.

  "You damaged my precious shoes. !!!"

  HeraCrox flew 100 meters until he smashed against the ceiling. At no point did he come close to losing speed.

  The impact was so great that it created a second crater, this time in the ceiling. Exactly on top of the first one, even though it was much deeper.

  Even with the dust from the crater he indirectly caused completely blocking his vision, Teco decided not to move a muscle and passively wait for the enemy to make a move.

  And it didn't take long to come.

  "Die you maggot! God of the Blade: THREE WEEVILS!" The moment the dust settled and Teco's silhouette became visible, HeraCrox didn't hesitate, and three metal wires rushed towards Teco. In the air, they curved and shaped into various 45o right angles, gaining more speed with each turn. A blade to the left, right, and center, all with the same objective. Proving that HeraCrox could also attack from a distance.

  "I don't need to scream."

  But it was all futile.

  "Ah?"

  When HeraCrox noticed, his body was slamming against the wall on the right. Another crater was made.

  But then, his body made another crater in the ground, close to the previous one. But then, another on top, one on the left, one on the right... His body had become a walking crater-maker.

  "Should I heal you again?"

  Beneath, still without taking any steps, was Teco. A small grin on his face, a hand on his hip, and the other had the index finger stretched. Whenever his finger moved to the left, HeraCrox bounced and a crater appeared in the wall on that side. If his finger moved to the right, at the same time and speed, a hole appeared wherever he pointed. From his fingers, only a small, almost invisible burst of air was visible with each movement, which made the air slightly distorted.

  "Are you doing ok? You tell me if you want me to slow it down, please."

  Even with Teco's provocative request, HeraCrox simply couldn't answer. His eyes were completely colorless.

  "G-Goddammit..." In a brief second, he regained consciousness, using it to quickly construct a metal cocoon around himself. Like a shield, but protecting his entire body.

  But it proved useless because upon reaching a wall, all the iron was immediately destroyed, only creating another crater.

  And once again, HeraCrox had lost the ability to think.

  Teco continued in this loop, without showing the slightest sign of being bored. The only thing heard was the sound of walls collapsing about 30 times in a few seconds.

  Until finally, Teco noticed that HeraCrox's HP bar was 12/7223. That meant he basically couldn't use Mana, given the fact that with so little health left, trying to use mana was like driving a car while extremely drunk.

  So, Teco deactivated his power and casually put his hands in his pockets.

  With that, HeraCrox plummeted over 100 meters in freefall until crashing to the ground. This time, he didn't create any new craters, only enlarged one that his body fell on top of.

  Teco took a good look around, to the 48 dead bodies around him. He looked away for a mere second, feeling a little guilty, but then spoke matter-of-factly, "Hey guys, you should thank me. I think there are enough graves already prepared for each of you."

  Teco was slammed on the head by a brick.

  HeraCrox was still alive. And with strength enough to throw a brick-punch.

  "Hey, you know, they say who gives the last hit is the one who wins."

  Teco instinctively assumed the fighting stance with a back dash, activating the alert mode in his brain. But he quickly deactivated it. HeraCrox was covered in dirt, worn down, and severely injured. He had more scratches on his body than clean skin. It was practically impossible for someone to remain standing in that state; only someone extremely determined to achieve something could do so. Or a demon.

  "Heh, that means I won."

  HeraCrox dropped the brick. And slowly, his borrowed body fell forward.

  "That means I'm gonna die as a winner."