Hiro the Spider
Episode 8 — When Gods Bleed
The courtyard had no shape left.
Stone folded into rivers of molten glass, stairways twisted into dead ends, towers leaned like drunk giants. And at the heart of it all stood the Sunburst Commander—gold armor cracked but glowing brighter than ever, blade raised like a second dawn.
[Commander Health: 60%.]
[Rage Protocol Active — Aura Amplification: 300%.]
The air grew heavy. Survivors dropped to their knees, choking, clutching their chests. Even the crimson-armored heroine faltered, teeth bared against the pressure.
Hiro didn't kneel. Couldn't. Wouldn't.
He staggered upright, blood slicking his hoodie, body trembling from fractures his bones hadn't signed up for. But his grin? Still sharp. Still filthy.
"Holy shit," he coughed, spitting red into the rubble. "That aura smells worse than my old man's cigars."
The commander's helm tilted, voice flat and merciless. "Your resistance is irrelevant. The anomaly will be erased."
Hiro chuckled low, cracked his knuckles. "Erase this, glowstick."
And he ran.
⸻
Second Clash
The commander swung, blade wide enough to split reality. Hiro's thread-sense screamed, silver outlines flickering. He ducked low, sprinted across the fractured courtyard, boots hammering sparks. The commander's blade missed by inches, cleaving three factions of survivors into dust.
Screams cut short. The HUD blinked:
[Elimination Count: 962 Combatants Remaining.]
Hiro leapt high, flipping over the commander's shoulder. He hammered both fists into the back of the helm. Metal dented. The giant barely flinched, then spun, blade slicing the air.
Hiro twisted sideways, the edge grazing his ribs, blood spraying. He laughed through the pain.
"Fuck yeah! That's a real cut!"
⸻
Betrayal
A squad of black-and-silver anti-heroes circled the chaos. Their leader sneered. "Let the Spider soften him. Then we strike."
But one broke ranks—a gaunt boy with pale eyes and trembling hands. He shouted, "No! If he falls, we all fall!"
The leader silenced him with a blade through the chest. Blood gushed. The gaunt boy collapsed, choking.
Hiro saw it. His grin snapped into something sharper, uglier.
"You scavenger pricks," he growled. "You think I'm doing this for you?"
He grabbed the corpse's fallen dagger, hurled it with lethal precision. The blade split the leader's skull like rotten fruit.
[Kill Registered. +1 Level. Current Level: 30.]
Hiro spat on the dirt. "I fight so I get to kill you myself later. Don't steal my fun."
The commander's blade came down. Hiro rolled, barely clearing the shockwave that leveled another building.
Spider's Limits
The fight dragged brutal. Hiro darted, thread-sense flickering, but the commander's rage aura shredded his advantages. Every dodge took more effort, every counter cost more blood.
A golden fist hammered his chest. Ribs crunched. He flew into a wall, coughing red, vision flashing static.
The HUD blinked: [Vital Stability: 32%.]
He staggered up, clutching his side. "Fuck… okay… maybe leg day wasn't skipped."
The crimson heroine carved through enemies, sprinted to his side. "You're insane! You can't do this alone!"
"I can," Hiro wheezed, grinning. "But it's funnier with an audience."
She growled, but took position at his flank. For the first time, their eyes matched—not rivals, not allies, but two lunatics trying to outlive the apocalypse.
The commander raised his blade, aura cracking the sky.
"Then let's die trying," she muttered.
⸻
Spider's Bite
The commander lunged. Hiro's thread-sense pulsed one path—straight into the attack.
He sprinted headfirst, ducked under the swing, and slammed a fist into the commander's knee joint. Armor buckled, sparks flared.
The heroine followed, sword slicing the same joint, widening the crack.
The commander roared, staggering. The aura flickered for a heartbeat. Hiro's body screamed, but he leapt, clinging to the titan's chest like prey that refused to die.
He hammered blows into the sunburst insignia, fists splitting metal, blood coating his knuckles. "This mark took my parents!" he bellowed. "Now I take it back!"
The insignia cracked. The commander staggered, aura faltering.
[Critical Weak Point Identified.]
[Damage Amplification Increased to 200%.]
Hiro's grin widened, manic. "Now we're fucking talking."
⸻
Blood in the Water
Factions saw weakness. Blue-armored heroes fired volleys at the crack. Bone-and-fire villains hurled molten spears. Anti-heroes lunged with knives.
The commander's aura flared, vaporizing half the attacks. Survivors screamed as they were obliterated by backlash.
But Hiro stayed latched on, pounding fists like sledgehammers, ignoring the fractures in his arms.
The commander roared, slamming a hand into Hiro's chest. Pain exploded. Hiro flew across the courtyard, bones snapping.
He hit the ground, blood pooling. His body refused to rise. For a heartbeat, the Spider looked broken.
The HUD flickered: [Critical Condition. 12% Vital Stability.]
The heroine ran to him, screaming. "Hiro!"
He coughed, spat blood, and grinned through crimson teeth. "Still… not done."
The Web Tightens
Thread-sense pulsed again. Every line. Every path. Every survivor.
He saw it: the battlefield itself was a web. Factions, weapons, bloodlines, cracks in the commander's armor—all threads leading to one point.
Hiro forced himself upright, trembling, veins burning white fire. "C'mon, you golden fuck. Time to tangle."
The commander charged, blade raised. Survivors screamed, scattering.
Hiro sprinted forward, every nerve screaming, every bone splintering. His grin carved his face in half.
"Let's see if gods bleed!"
He vaulted high, boots hammering air, flipping mid-spin. His fists glowed with thread-fire. He slammed both into the cracked insignia with every ounce of hate he'd carried since Sector Zero.
The insignia shattered. Gold split. Aura faltered. The commander roared in pain, stumbling back for the first time.
[Commander Armor Integrity Reduced to 30%.]
⸻
Cliffhanger
The battlefield froze. Survivors gasped. Whispers spread:
"He hurt him—!"
"The commander can bleed—!"
"The Spider broke the sun!"
The commander's roar split the sky. His blade ignited, crimson firestorm engulfing the ruins.
[Final Phase Engaged.]
[Commander Health: 30%.]
[Aura Amplification: 500%.]
The world shook under his fury. Survivors dropped dead from pressure alone.
Hiro swayed, bleeding, body broken, but his grin burned brighter than the fire.
"Fuck yeah," he whispered. "Round three."
And he charged again.
To be continued…