Infinite Survival: My 10,000x Return System

The heavy loading ramp hissed open, slamming against the cracked cobblestones with a heavy thud.

"I am Korgath of the Scavengers!" the warlord roared.

His voice was amplified by mechanical speakers bolted directly into his throat. The sound violently shook the very ground beneath their feet.

He slammed his four axes together.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

The impact created a massive shower of orange sparks that rained down on the wet pavement.

"I claim this territory! Bow, or be ground into meat!" Korgath bellowed.

The surviving pirates and thugs pouring out of the landing crafts cheered, banging their weapons against the scrap metal walls of the alleyways. They were a pack of rabid dogs waiting for the alpha to give the order to feed.

Vane did not bow. He did not retreat.

The scarred frontiersman stepped forward, his boots splashing in the acidic puddles. His heavy broadsword was already drawn. His chest heaved with exhausted, angry breaths.

"This is my city," Vane growled. "You want it?

Come take it from me."

Arthur stood a few feet back, his dark coat shifting in the foul wind. He did not draw his sword. He just watched.

He looked at Vane with a clinical, evaluating stare. The man was running on fumes. He had just fought a High Auditor, survived a collapsing reality vault, and battled his way through a street-level war.

But Vane was a classic hero. And heroes didn’t care about stamina bars. They ran on pure, unadulterated grit.

"I will mount your skull on the front of my ship!" Korgath laughed.

The cybernetic warlord charged.

For a creature so massive, he moved with terrifying speed. His hydraulic legs pumped, tearing up chunks of the street with every step.

"HAAAA!" Vane roared, his voice completely raw.

He lunged forward to meet the twelve-foot giant head-on.

"BOOM!"

The clash was deafening. Vane swung his heavy broadsword upward in a brutal two-handed arc, meeting two of Korgath’s descending chain axes.

The sheer kinetic force of the impact created a shockwave that shattered the windows of the nearby buildings.

Vane’s boots dragged backward across the stone, carving deep trenches into the street.

The muscles in his arms bulged, his veins threatening to pop under the absurd strain.

"You are weak!" Korgath spat.

The warlord’s remaining two arms swung around in a deadly pincer movement, the chain axes revving loudly as they aimed directly for Vane’s ribs.

Vane didn’t flinch. He didn’t try to block. He violently twisted his broadsword, letting the teeth of the chain axes slide off his flat blade.

"SCREEEECH!"

Sparks flew directly into Vane’s face. He used the deflected momentum to spin out of the pincer trap.

He stepped inside the giant’s guard and drove the heavy pommel of his sword directly into Korgath’s cybernetic knee.

"CRACK!"

The metal joint buckled. Korgath let out a furious grunt, his massive frame dipping slightly.

Vane didn’t stop. He was a brawler. He fought for every inch of ground. He brought his blade around in a rapid, horizontal slash aimed at the warlord’s exposed stomach.

"SQUELCH!"

The sword cut deep through the reinforced leather and synthetic muscle, drawing a thick spray of dark, oily blood.

But the strike wasn’t deep enough.

Korgath laughed. He simply ignored the wound.

"My turn," the warlord sneered.

One of Korgath’s massive hands shot out. He didn’t use an axe. He just punched Vane directly in the chest.

"BOOM!"

Vane was launched backward like a cannonball. He slammed through the rusted remains of a hover skiff and crashed into a brick wall. The wall completely collapsed on top of him.

"Vane!" Cassia yelled from the rooftop. Her sniper rifle barked instantly.

"PEW! PEW! PEW!"

Three hyper-condensed plasma rounds shot toward Korgath’s glowing optic sensors.

The warlord didn’t even bother dodging. He raised one of his chain axes, the revving teeth swatting the plasma bolts out of the air like annoying flies.

"Annoying gnats!" Korgath roared.

Down in the rubble, the bricks shifted.

Vane pushed himself up. He coughed up a thick glob of blood. His face was bruised, and his left eye was swelling shut. His armor was dented directly over his ribs.

But he didn’t drop his sword.

Arthur watched from the sidelines. A genuine flicker of respect settled in his chest.

Vane was the ultimate employee. The kind of guy who would defend the storefront with a baseball bat against an armed robbery just because he cared about the neighborhood.

It was bad business. It was mathematically stupid. But Arthur couldn’t deny the sheer quality of the man’s willpower.

"I am not done," Vane grunted. He stepped out of the rubble, his heavy blade dragging against the ground.

He looked down at his weapon.

The edge of his broadsword was heavily chipped. The metal was groaning. It couldn’t take another direct hit against those augmented chain axes.

"Then die!" Korgath bellowed, charging forward again.

The warlord swung all four axes in a chaotic, overlapping whirlwind of rusted metal and revving teeth. It was an inescapable meat grinder.

Vane didn’t back down. He gripped his sword with both hands. He didn’t go for a block. He went for a trade.

He dove directly into the whirlwind of blades.

"SHAAAAANK!"

An axe tore through Vane’s shoulder pad, slicing deep into his flesh. Another grazed his thigh, ripping his pants and drawing a heavy stream of blood.

Vane ignored the agonizing pain. He used the momentum of his dive to slide right under Korgath’s primary guard.

With a guttural, desperate roar, Vane swung his chipped broadsword upward with every single ounce of his remaining strength.

"SQUELCH! CRACK!"

The heavy blade bit directly into the shoulder socket of Korgath’s lower left arm. Vane pushed, his boots slipping in the mud, forcing the blade straight through the cybernetic joints, the wires, and the synthetic bone.

The massive, heavily augmented arm was cleanly severed!

It hit the ground with a heavy metallic thud, the chain axe still revving in its dead grip.

"AARRRGH!" Korgath shrieked. Black oil and blood sprayed from the stump.

But Vane’s momentum was entirely spent.

His muscles locked up. His lungs burned.

Korgath’s eyes flashed with pure, unadulterated hatred. He didn’t retreat. He simply used his massive upper right arm and brought the flat side of his chain axe down like a club.

"CRACK!"

The heavy metal slammed directly into the side of Vane’s head.

The impact was absolutely brutal.

Vane’s eyes rolled back. His grip on his broadsword finally failed. The heavy weapon clattered to the ground.

The hero of the Frontier collapsed face-first into the muddy street, entirely incapacitated. He was bleeding heavily, his breathing shallow and ragged.

The pirate crew erupted into massive cheers.

Korgath stood over the fallen defender. He was panting, black oil dripping from his severed stump, but his three remaining arms were raised in absolute triumph.

"This is your protector?!" Korgath mocked, looking at the terrified civilians hiding in the ruined buildings. "A weak, pathetic insect!"

He looked down at Vane.

"I will chop him into pieces and feed him to the hounds!"

Korgath raised his primary chain axe high above his head. The motor screamed, the jagged teeth spinning rapidly. He aimed the killing blow directly at the back of Vane’s exposed neck.

Cassia cursed violently on the roof, desperately trying to line up a shot, but the angle was blocked by the warlord’s massive shoulder plating.

The axe descended.

"WHOOSH!"

It never hit the ground.

Arthur Sterling didn’t use a flashy spell. He didn’t use his Transcendent Spatial Velocity. He just moved with perfect, hyper-efficient muscle memory.

He stepped directly over Vane’s unconscious body.

He didn’t draw his sword.

Arthur just raised his bare left hand.

"CLANG!"

The descending chain axe stopped dead.

The entire street went completely silent. The cheering pirates froze, their jaws dropping in absolute disbelief.

Arthur was holding the blade of the revving chain axe with his bare hand. The jagged teeth were spinning furiously against his palm, spitting out a shower of orange sparks.

But they couldn’t cut him.

His Dimensional Breaker Physique, even without the system multiplier, was an anomaly. His skin was harder than refined titanium. The rusted pirate weapon was completely useless against his base stats.

Arthur didn’t even blink. His pitch-black eyes were locked onto Korgath’s terrified face.

[Ding!]

The crisp sound of the system chimed in Arthur’s mind. The blue text was a welcome sight.

[Notice: Hostile entity is attempting an unauthorized acquisition of Host’s territory.]

Arthur’s lips curled into a cold, predatory smile.

He squeezed his left hand.

"CRACK!"

The thick metal blade of the chain axe shattered into a dozen pieces. The motor violently short-circuited, smoking and sparking in Korgath’s grip.

Korgath stumbled back, his glowing eyes wide with sudden, gripping terror. He looked at his broken weapon, and then at the man in the dark coat.

"What... what are you?!" Korgath gasped.

Arthur slowly reached over his shoulder. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Ebonheart Sword.

"You’re trying to steal my intellectual property," Arthur stated, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that carried across the dead silent street.

He drew the pitch-black blade.

"That’s a suable offense."