Chương 41: Deathmatch

Mochi's dark aura surged violently around him. In an instant, he disappeared. Hogsthawts' eyes widened. Mochi appeared directly in front of him. Hogsthawts stumbled backward several feet.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Mochi smiled. He began walking toward him slowly.

"Thalum na vekh." Hogsthawts froze.

"W-What is that language?!" His eyes narrowed.

"It must be your Dough Demon tongue!" He clenched his fists.

"Don't speak such foul language in my presence!" Hogsthawts charged. His fist came straight toward Mochi's face. Mochi simply tilted his head aside. The punch missed by inches. Before Hogsthawts could react, Mochi drove his fist upward into his chin. Hogsthawts was launched into the sky.

"W-What?!" Mochi vanished again. He appeared above him, nearly 500 feet in the air. Hogsthawts looked up.

"No..." Mochi's leg pulled back.

"See you at the bottom doctor..." He drove his foot into Hogsthawts. Hogsthawts plummeted toward the ground and crashed into the earth with tremendous force. The impact tore through the landscape for miles, leaving behind a colossal crater stretching across the land like a miniature mountain had been carved into the earth. Still in the air Mochi grinned..

"ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU A MOVE USED BY THE DOUGH DEMONS!!"

"It's their main technique!" He cocked his arm back as it turned to a giant white mochi substance..

"HERE IT COMES!"

"MISSILE JAB!" He launched it downwards with so much force.. Hogsthawts eyes widened in pure fear Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"W-WHAT IS THAT!"

"NOOOOOO" The attack collided causing the crater to increase in size.. Mochi descended and landed at the edge of the crater. He crouched down.

"Aww, c'mon, Doctor." He grinned.

"Don't tell me that's all it took to take you out?" Hogsthawts laid motionless at the bottom.

"I was hoping to enjoy this for a little longer..." Silence. Then Hogsthawts' fingers twitched. His memories flooded back. The village. His friends. The three of them standing together as children.

"We'll make this world better."

"No human will ever have to live in fear again." Hogsthawts slowly pushed himself up. Blood trickled down his face.

"You..." He forced himself to stand.

"You will die..." Mochi's grin faded slightly.

"You must." Hogsthawts clenched his fists continuing...

"It's part of our plan." His voice trembled with conviction.

"Humans are biologically the weakest of the five races." He stared at Mochi.

"We live the shortest. We age the fastest. We have no natural regeneration. No tough skin." He reached into his coat.

"We're lucky we even have access to magic." He pulled out a syringe filled with a strange substance.

"But if everyone else is removed..." His grip tightened around it.

"Humans will finally stand at the top." Mochi tilted his head.

"Ooh..." He stared at the syringe.

"What's that you've got there?" His smile returned.

"That's your Zee, right?" Mochi shook his head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hogsthawts grinned.

"You still don't understand." He raised the syringe.

"This is Semi-Complete Zee." Mochi's eyes narrowed.

"I may lose my human body..." Hogsthawts injected himself.

"... but I'll retain my mind." His body began violently changing. His muscles expanded. His limbs twisted. His face stretched forward into a grotesque snout as coarse hair spread across his body. Hog-like features formed across his face as his body transformed into a monstrous new form. Magic energy erupted from him. Hogsthawts threw his head back and screamed.

"I AM ALL POWERFUL NOW!" His voice echoed across the wasteland.

"YOU CAN'T BEAT ME, MOCHI!"

"YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED!" Mochi stared down at him. Then smiled.

"Ah..." He tilted his head.

"So you really did keep your mind." Hogsthawts snarled.

"Of course I did!"

"That's actually a relief." Mochi's grin became darker.

"Because if you'd lost your mind..." He stepped forward.

"... I wouldn't get to see the fear on your face when you realize you're about to die." Hogsthawts glared at him.

"You disgust me." He lowered himself into a stance.

"It is I who will be taking your life!" Mochi's eyes glowed scarlet.

"Then come take it then, I can't wait..." Hogsthawts' new monstrous body surged with power.

"Here I come!" He launched himself into the air. Mochi watched him approach, grinning.

"Come on, Doctor. Show me what you've got." Hogsthawts twisted his body midair.

"Magic Skill: Wild Hog Charge!" He shot forward with incredible speed. Mochi's eyes widened.

"That speed?!" He barely had time to react before Hogsthawts slammed into him. Mochi caught him with both hands, but the force was overwhelming.

"GH!" His feet carved through the ground as he was pushed backward. Miles passed before Mochi finally managed to stop him. Mochi gritted his teeth before throwing Hogsthawts aside. He straightened himself.

"Not bad..." He wiped his mouth.

"That Zee really did make you stronger." Mochi suddenly kicked toward him. But Hogsthawts vanished. Mochi blinked.

"He's fast..." A voice came from behind him.

"Magic Skill: Mystic Afterimage!" Dozens of Hogsthawts appeared around Mochi. Mochi looked around.

"So many of you..." Hogsthawts cackled.

"Bet you don't know which one is real, huh?" Mochi's eyes darted from one copy to another. Then.. Hogsthawts appeared from Mochi's blind spot. His fist slammed into Mochi's face, sending him flying across the wasteland. Mochi crashed into the ground. Hogsthawts grinned.

"Again!"

"Magic Skill: Mystic Afterimage!" More copies surrounded Mochi. Mochi slowly stood, blood running from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away.

"You are one annoying little shit, aren't you?" The copies rushed him. Mochi swung at one, but it disappeared. Another struck him across the face. Then another. Mochi was sent flying again before twisting in the air and landing on his feet. He breathed heavily. He spat onto the ground.

"Okay..."

"This is getting difficult..." Hogsthawts grinned"Had enough yet?"

"As I am now you stand no chance against me.."

"NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!" Neither moved. Mochi grinned"If that's what you think, you may be slower than I thought" He crouched down low"I not letting you walk away with your life.. and that was a promise.." The battle was far from over...