Point of View – Gérald
I stared at the wreckage of the room — walls still blackened from the last explosion, cracked stones, pulverized bodies… except for the personal guard of Salazar, whom I had reduced to a bloody pulp in an uncontrolled fit of rage. Not ideal.He would've been useful to track down his twin, but all that's left are pieces too damaged for the factory to make anything of use from them.I lifted my eyes toward the vaulted ceilings of the castle.This nest of vipers is in dire need of a purge.
My Gunters are efficient… too efficient for what they are. But after their battle with the giant and their assault on the ramparts, only about thirty remain. They're tough, but not immortal.This castle is crawling with fanatic vermin, ready to blow themselves up for a rag-wearing prophet. And the interior — narrow corridors, twisted alcoves, gothic ceilings — demands a different kind of predator.
I need something else. Something fast. Silent. Relentless.I smiled as the perfect creature came to mind.The Lickers.
With a sharp snap, the creatures burst from the factory, appearing around me.Two hundred standard Lickers crawled and leapt from the production lines like a red tide. Their flesh was no longer exposed, thanks to the factory's optimization processes for captured specimens.
Behind them came seventy G-Lickers, covered in black and red scales, their slicing tongues whipping the air, claws scraping the floor like razors."Eliminate anything that isn't with me," I ordered simply.
They clustered briefly at the hallway leading to the great hall, their low growls forming a bestial chorus, then scattered in all directions through the castle — a living cloud climbing walls and ceilings with terrifying speed.I left the room in silence, my footsteps barely audible behind the crawling chaos.
Outside, the wind greeted me with an icy gust.My Aquila waited on the roof, talons still stained with blood. As I approached, I saw its claws were cracked, feathers bent from the strain of battle. It wouldn't last another round.I placed my hand on its beak."Rest now. The factory will repair you."
I dismissed it in a blue shimmer and summoned another — identical, but fully restored.In one motion, I jumped onto its neck and took off with a powerful screech.From above, the castle looked different: immense… but restless.Screams, footsteps, gunfire, muffled roars — my Lickers were already hard at work.The ramparts were drenched in blood and scattered with body parts, with partially collapsed sections revealing just how effective the Gunters had been.I turned the Aquila toward the northern flank.
Then I spotted it — a discreet recess along the northern cliffside, almost invisible from the ground: a small hidden dock, sheltered within a rocky crevice.Several boats were ready, already boarding hooded figures attempting to flee unnoticed."Nice backup plan... Shame it leads nowhere."I leaned into a steep dive from my Aquila, the wind howling in my ears. My body cut through the clouds, the air slicing against my skin like a blade. Then — the icy shock of water.I plunged into the depths of the dark sea, eyes already scanning.
Through the turbulence, I saw the shapes of boats that had departed from the hidden dock, trying to escape into the shadows.A silent whistle left my throat — a mental and organic call.
"Neptune. Come."A massive shadow cut through the depths.Neptune — my sea giant. A shark the size of a bus — emerged from the deep with a rumbling swell.
Since his capture, he had gained more than strength — he had developed human-level intelligence, like Zeus.Even in the game, he could play dead, able to wait patiently, and now, he fully understood human language — at least English.I saw his pitch-black eyes meet mine. He knew."Those ones are fleeing without Lisa. Destroy them."
Neptune vanished beneath a burst of foam, allowing me to resurface and send a few large sharks to back him up.Seconds later, the splintering crash of shattered hulls rang through the air.The jaws of Neptune and his pack of mutant sharks crushed the fleeing boats in a symphony of screeches.
Wood, steel, flesh… all of it was torn to pieces.On the surface, nothing remained but brown stains, reddish trails stretched by the current like bloody fingers reaching out to sea."You can run, Saddler…" I muttered, watching the stains swirl across the water. "But wherever you are… I'll wipe you off the map. Neptune!!" I shouted from the dockside.
The sea giant burst from the water in a surge of foam, sending a gentle wave over me — but I didn't flinch under the weight of it.I placed my hand on his forehead, transmitting a new directive:"Search for other boats in the area. But if Lisa is on board… you slow down. Got it?"The look Neptune gave me confirmed he understood the order.
Then I summoned three clones of Pascal, appearing at my side, clad in full tactical gear.
(Author's Note: I feel like I might run into copyright trouble with Disney because of how close this is to Star Wars stormtroopers, but hey — at least my clones can aim, I thought as I stepped forward with a grin.)
Next, I summoned three Aquamoths — massive fish with pearlescent skin, their wide fins like sails and strong jaws perfectly suited for coastal missions. The clones mounted them without hesitation."Find Lisa and eliminate anything associated with the Plagas," I said, handing one of them a radio more powerful than any of my phones. "Call me if you find anything too strong to handle."A crisp "OK" and they dove into the sea behind Neptune, their silhouettes merging with the marine shadows — a comforting sight, especially knowing the radio was waterproof.
I slowly made my way back toward the shore, letting my Aquila glide freely across the skies, drifting toward the castle.Ahead of me, a stone tunnel led into the castle itself, its entrance hidden by vines and seaweed. Perfect. I stepped into the darkness.
The underground passage reeked of moisture and mold, but it led me to an old watchtower — empty and unremarkable, with crumbling stairs leading into the void. I continued climbing until I reached a stone bridge suspended above a chasm, crossing it without slowing.
And then... I entered a vast hall — something straight out of a grotesque opera.The ceiling was so high it vanished into darkness, held aloft by massive arches.The black marble floor was polished to the point it reflected the colossus at the room's center: a monumental statue of Salazar, over fifty meters tall, its grotesque smile frozen in time.
Flimsy scaffolding clung to its body, climbing to its shoulders, and a spiral staircase coiled around it like a viper on a throne.
I narrowed my eyes.Ah… so this is the Remake version.A sigh of relief almost escaped me.No giant kabuki puppet-style statue fight this time? Good. I had no desire to battle a giant version of that little creep, I thought to myself.
Still, I kept my senses sharp.This silence — stretched like a rope about to snap — reeked of ambush.And I wasn't disappointed.At the very top of the spiral staircase, Salazar's second personal guard stood alone, like a forgotten sentinel.
His tall, chitinous frame already looked ready to pounce.
I didn't hesitate. A Blood burst from the factory, yanking me off the ground and propelling me instantly to his level.But before I could even engage the fight, a nasally voice, dripping with fake disdain and twisted superiority, echoed through the stone walls:
"So, you've returned to your human form, Mr. King?" Salazar sneered, his voice bouncing from hidden speakers embedded in the columns and arches, making it impossible to locate its source."I must admit… I preferred you as a hairy beast. Easier to tame."
I didn't respond. My attention was locked on the guard.In a split second, I had him wrapped in my vines, crushing his arms against his torso.My legs coiled around him, slamming him to the ground.He couldn't move — I was neutralizing him.
Then, suddenly, the massive Salazar statue slowly turned its head 180 degrees.Its hollow eyes lit up with an unnatural red glow before its gaping mouth spewed a torrent of searing flames at our position.
I had only a moment to brace myself.The blast engulfed me. My clothes evaporated in a burst of heat, but my skin was barely affected.Maximum thermal tolerance: still intact.
No such luck for the guard.He thrashed briefly in my vines… then stopped moving, blackening under the heat.A perfectly crisped body, ready for recovery.
"Missed me, bastard," I muttered with a wicked grin, sending his barely-living corpse to the factory for assimilation.
I was about to move when a flash of light high above caught my eye.Ada.Behind a reinforced skylight, she watched me, amused, her smirk laced with curiosity.She raised an eyebrow, clearly more interested in my nudity than the current battle.
I didn't have the luxury of reacting. A mechanical rumble rose within the hall, followed by a maddening metallic screech.The statue… began to move.
Its massive arms swept across the scaffolding, pulverizing the spiral staircase in a crash of broken stone and torn beams.I narrowly avoided the collapse, leaping toward the vaulted ceiling, my fingers digging into the stone like claws.A mental impulse, and a black tracksuit materialized on me from my inventory.
In a flash, I also conjured a modified grenade, pulled the pin mid-air, and hurled it at the statue's torso.But the automaton's left arm, already raised, swatted it aside.The grenade exploded against a wall. I lost my grip and crashed to the ground, rolling painfully.
"Oops! Looks like someone's having balance issues!" Salazar cackled through the loudspeakers, his voice shrill and gleeful.
I dodged a crushing stomp, jumping five meters sideways just in time to avoid a human-pancake ending.Then… the statue's torso opened.Behind bulletproof glass, Salazar himself sat comfortably in a cockpit, surrounded by levers.His face, lit by red lights, wore the grin of a child at a carnival.
"Mr. King, allow me to present the Salazar family's most expensive investment: the Inquisitor," he announced with a laugh."Because no one escapes my inquisition."
I clenched my teeth.I summoned my mutant lioness — agile, fast — who appeared at my side with a roar. Together, we dashed toward the entrance.
But two hooded minions locked the doors at the last second."Tch. Not today."
Behind me, the Inquisitor moved, each step shaking the entire hall.The lioness dodged a colossal kick with a leap.I wasn't so lucky.He was too fast. Too close.
I summoned a mutant rhinoceros — reinforced bone plating on its sides, ramming-horn formation on its head.It charged at full speed toward the giant, aiming to knock him off balance.I summoned a second one, which rammed toward the door to break it down.
The first rhino never reached his legs.It was flattened by the Inquisitor's open palm.The statue's immense mobility — and the ease with which Salazar piloted it — made me think I should steal everything I could from this castle and build my own Mechas.
Salazar was still cackling through the speakers."Dance for me, Mr. King! After all, this is the ballroom!" he squealed, his voice echoing off the cracked columns.
He could gloat all he wanted — I had achieved my goal.The mutant rhino, still alive despite the shattered marble and shockwaves, had smashed through the door with a deafening crash, its hooves pounding the ground like war drums.
I had already leapt onto my lioness, calling to her mentally for cover. Together, we sprinted at full speed toward the shattered exit.
But Salazar, in a burst of sheer hysteria, screamed through the loudspeakers:"NO! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE! THE INQUISITOR ISN'T DONE WITH YOU!"
Behind us, the giant statue was tearing through everything in its path — its torso smashing arches, its feet reducing walls to rubble.The building's facade exploded outward, and the stone bridge crumbled into pieces under the force of the vibrations.Then… the titan's forearms opened with a sinister metallic snap.My eyes widened.Rocket launchers had just emerged from its wrists.
"SURPRISE, YOU MORON!" Salazar shrieked, laughing maniacally."A LITTLE FIREWORKS TO END THE SHOW!"
A volley of rockets burst forth, screaming through the air.I instantly recalled my lioness to the factory to spare her certain death, then dove off the bridge, the heat of the explosion licking at my heels.
Just before I plunged into the abyss... Aquila appeared.My loyal giant eagle cut through the sky, catching me just in time and lifting me into the air.
"Thanks, big guy…" I exhaled, catching my breath mid-flight.But I still had a message to deliver.
I had Aquila circle above the statue, bringing us to fifty meters — just within visible range.And then… I did something absolutely childish.
Turning around, I pulled down my pants and mooned him, bathed in the glow of the full moon."THIS ONE'S FOR YOUR PRECIOUS INVESTMENT!" I shouted with a huge grin.
Radio silence shattered into a storm of hysterical screams:"YOU BEAST! YOU UNCIVILIZED BRUTE! DEGENERATE! YOU CAN'T HUMILIATE ME LIKE THIS!"
In his fury, Salazar pulled the wrong lever inside his cockpit.The statue, shaken by the flurry of commands, took one step too far.Beneath it… the bridge was gone.
"NO NO NO WAIT—" he screamed one last time through the loudspeakers, before the statue toppled into the void.A shriek of panic, followed by the abyssal rumble of a titanic fall.
The ground shook as the Inquisitor crashed into the ravine below, a shockwave of fire, stone, and metal rocking the entire valley.
I flew over the scene."And there you go, Salazar… not exactly a high-return investment," I muttered, steering toward Ada, who was waving at me from a distance.
"Gérald, look out!" Ada's voice rang out from the top of the building — just as a massive shadow passed overhead, eclipsing the moon with its sheer size.
(Author's Note: And there you go — one week to find out the twist ^^ If you enjoy my work, feel free to leave a comment or a review to support me!)