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Chapter 13: The Unleashing of Compound-X
The city lay in ruins. Buildings crumbled, streets were littered with overturned cars, and the once-busy metropolis was now a ghost town. The reason? One being.
Kael-X.
His silver hair swayed in the wind, always covering his eyes. He stood motionless in the middle of the destruction, his breathing calm despite the chaos around him.
The humans had fled—those who were smart enough, at least. The few who remained were either too slow or too foolish to escape his wrath.
The sky above rumbled as military helicopters hovered in the distance. The last remnants of Earth's defense forces were gathering for a final attempt to stop him.
Kael-X tilted his head slightly, listening. The sounds of their nervous heartbeats. The faint hum of their weapons. The way their fingers trembled on the triggers.
Then, a voice crackled through a loudspeaker.
"Kael-X! This is General Stratham of the United Earth Defense Force! Surrender now, or we will be forced to use Compound-X!"
At the mention of the name, Kael-X's smirk faded. Compound-X?
That name… it felt familiar. Too familiar.
A memory flashed through his mind. Chains. A laboratory. Needles piercing his skin. The feeling of burning power coursing through his veins.
He clenched his fists. The veins in his arms pulsed with raw energy. "You're wasting your time," he muttered.
The general gave a sharp nod to his men. "Deploy it."
A canister launched from one of the hovering helicopters. It exploded mid-air, releasing a strange, glowing mist that descended upon Kael-X.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—pain.
Kael-X gritted his teeth as a surge of unknown energy rushed into his body. His muscles tensed, his vision blurred, and for the first time since arriving on Earth—he felt slow.
The soldiers saw it. His movements, once effortless, were now sluggish.
"Now! Open fire!"
Bullets rained down on him.
But even weakened, Kael-X was still Kael-X.
He moved. Not at his usual impossible speed, but still faster than any human could comprehend. He dodged, weaved, and in an instant, he was behind the first squad of soldiers.
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward as Kael-X struck the ground. The force of his attack sent soldiers flying like ragdolls, their weapons shattered upon impact.
But something was wrong.
Kael-X felt… different.
His strength wasn't just returning. It was growing.
The pain? Gone.
The sluggishness? Vanished.
Instead, he felt more powerful than ever before.
His red eyes gleamed from beneath his silver hair. A twisted smile crept across his face.
"You fools…" he whispered. "You just made me stronger."
The soldiers froze in horror.
Kael-X vanished.
Then—the massacre began.
A second shockwave ripped through the battlefield. Helicopters spun out of control as Kael-X leaped skyward, slicing through them like paper. Flames erupted in the sky, raining metal debris upon the city.
On the ground, soldiers scrambled, screaming orders, but Kael-X was already everywhere.
One by one, they fell.
Then—silence.
Kael-X stood alone. His body was still glowing. His hands trembled, not from exhaustion, but from the overwhelming power now coursing through him.
He lifted his gaze to the heavens.
If Earth had something like Compound-X, then what else were they hiding?
His grin widened.
"Looks like I'll be staying a little longer."
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