Teleportation Complete.
Location: Tokyo, Japan.
The once vibrant megacity was eerily quiet and still—a tomb of brick and ash.
Simmering fires dotted the horizon, releasing thick pillars of smoke into the sky.
Charred, mangled vehicles littered the streets. Tilting skyscrapers poked through rubble like bones through skin. The famous Tokyo Tower had snapped from its base and impaled Mt. Fuji like a toothpick through a sandwich.
I flexed my wrist, fingers drifting to where Jay had stabbed me. The Med-Kits from Blady’s loot had worked wonders. I had 3 left.
The Skybotron projected across the sky. Blink’s multi-eyed face grinned down like a deranged god.
“Welcome to the Slayer Bowl Championship Round! After a shocking Sudden Death Final that saw the defeat of our defending champion, Dom Blady—“
“May he rest in peace,” Gill interjected.
“—we now have the opportunity to witness history as SackUpSam faces the Final Boss!” Blink continued. “Will we actually have our first human Slayer Bowl Champion?!”
“Hopefully not!” Gill added.
I knew ERNI was with me, but I still felt alone amid the wasteland.
I missed Count B and G. Man, what I wouldn’t give for a ’Leaf!’ or a ’YAAAAAAH!’ right about now.
Hell… if I was being honest, I even missed Jay.
Mission: Defeat Final Boss.
I blinked as the Veil-Rift Visor automatically entered—
Targeting Mode.
I activated my jetpack’s standby controls—another spoil from Blady’s inventory. Metallic thrusters hummed against my back, ready to blast off at a moment’s notice.
ME: Okay, ERNI… what are we looking at here?
ERNI: Unfortunately, I am not sure. Each Slayer Bowl has featured a unique final boss monster. The only common trait has been their overwhelming power and size.
ME: That is wildly vague and unhelpful.
ERNI: I do what I can.
ME: Look… uhh, ERNI… if I don’t make it…
ERNI: Sam, you will make it.
ME: Right. Right.
KOOM!
A seismic tremor cracked the pavement beneath my feet. Debris skittered across the fractured concrete.
KOOM!
The quakes grew stronger, a rhythmic cadence building like… monster footsteps? Yeah. Something massive was approaching from the distance.
KA-BOOOM!
A gigantic fireball bloomed above the skyline.
KRISHHH!!
Steel and glass rained down as an immense shadow tore through a skyscraper four blocks away.
KOOM! KOOM!
More and more buildings collapsed as the creature stomped a path of destruction straight towards me.
SHIIING!
“Showtime, fellas…” I whispered, drawing Slice and Dice.
I got my first look at the final boss.
It was enormous—a towering kaiju the height of a skyscraper.
It was black and rippling as if made of molten tar. It had a muscular, humanoid physique with razor-sharp claws and glowing slits for eyes.
Dreadrazer. Level 20.
The beast opened its X-shaped maw—revealing four sets of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.
SKRREEEAAAAKK!
It unleashed a roar so savage, that it must’ve shattered every intact window within a ten-block radius.
The monster spotted me—a speck on the ground—its colossal head cocking to one side. The Dreadrazer’s mouth dropped open and a thick black haze billowed down.
SHNK!
The orange Veil-Rift Visor sealed my helmet, but not fast enough.
I gagged as a putrid vapor entered my nose and mouth. The mist felt humid and slimy. Rather than flowing into my lungs, it slithered up my sinus passages, invading my brain.
Warning: Symbiotic Entity Detected!
Something squirmed inside of my skull.
I felt a tickle in my mind as if tiny claws were slicing through the fatty layers of my cerebral cortex—digging their way into neural pathways.
KRIIING!!!
The mental shriek fried my consciousness. A white-hot pain flared behind my eyes.
“GAAAAAH!”
I felt the entity pulsing within my head as if rifling through file cabinets of my memories. What I didn’t know was each throb was sending data back to the massive creature staring down at me.
ME: ERNI… what is that?!
ERNI: The Dreadrazer appears to be scanning your mind using some form of parasitic neural connection.
ME: Well, do something! Get it the fuck out of there!
ERNI: I am afraid we do not have an effective countermeasure.
ME: What the hell?! With all of the cool shit we looted from Blady… there’s no ‘Evict the Giant Monster From My Brain Play’?!
ERNI: No. But I do have a coupon for a free spaceship wax at any participating star station.
The ’Mind Leech’ burrowed deeper, slithering through my grey matter, coiling itself around memory clusters, tasting my emotions and experiences.
I could feel it sorting and selecting moments from my life—not randomly, but with a methodical purpose. Its tendrils tore through membranes like cobwebs, jacking into my hippocampus.
KRIIING!!!
The monster’s eyes flashed as the mind leech dug deeper, clamping down onto a specific patch of neurons.
“GAAAAAH!”
I clutched my head in agony as I felt memories of Jay being forcibly extracted—the mind leech transmitting the information back.
The monster lurched forward—its body rippling and shifting. Within seconds, it had transformed into—
Jay.
He was as tall as a high rise, with claw-like appendages and serrated teeth—but, still unmistakably him.
“Brothers for life.” He laughed, his voice a thunderous mockery. “Still mad that I stabbed you?”
He reached down, grabbing a city bus like it was a toy.
ME: Oh shit—
ERNI: Now Playing ’Move Bitch’ by Ludacris.
I thumbed on the jetpack, rocketing sideways as—
KROOOOOM!
— the bus crashed down where I’d been standing.
Dreadrazer-Jay seized an 18-wheeler, hurling it like a fastball.
I dodged, but he was already grabbing more items—cars, trucks, chunks of buildings. He launched them all, slinging a volley of deadly projectiles.
KRUNCH! BOOM! KRASH!
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
I weaved through the assault, the jetpack responding sharply to my mental commands—but Dreadrazer-Jay was relentless.
A sedan spiraled by close enough to feel the rush of air on my face as it sailed past.
“Whoa-ho! SackUpSam has gone airborne!” Blink exclaimed. “A bold strategy, but one that might be necessary to counteract the Dreadrazer’s mental warfare!”
“Sounds like my ex,” Gill smirked.
I banked behind a skyscraper, but the Dreadrazer had already hurled a fuel tanker with lethal accuracy—
SHHHHHKA-BOOM!
The shockwave flung me through the air.
“GAAAH!”
I flailed my arms, stabilizing.
KRIIING!!!
Inside my skull, the mind leech squirmed into a different section of my brain. Its tentacles punched down like roots into my amygdala, wrapping around my fear center, probing deeper for emotional trauma.
KRIIING!!!
The pain folded me over mid-flight.
I felt memories of my mother being siphoned away—intimate details torn from locked trunks of my mind.
The kaiju was morphing again—its body rippling like poked water—black liquid forming something new.
A titan-sized version of—
My mother.
“How could you, Sammy…?” She whimpered, rising to a ground-rumbling scream, “HOW COULD YOU LET ME DIE?!!!”
Buildings rattled, glass panes shattered as the words boomed across the ruined city. It was a twisted, near-perfect mimicry of my mother’s voice.
“I was all alone when I died. It’s all your fault. YOU’RE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER!!!”
My stomach knotted.
I knew it wasn’t my mom, but the sight of her still hit me like a bat to the gut. The mind leech gyrated with satisfaction, sipping my emotional despair like nectar, sending fresh intel back to the Dreadrazer.
“YOU’RE NOT REAL!” I screamed, accelerating toward the beast’s face.
Dreadrazer-Mom reached for me with scaly, elongated fingers. I barrel-rolled, evading her grasp, slashing her arms with both cutters as I flew past.
SHKROOCH!
My blades bit deep, flinging black goo. The creature shrieked and clawed at me.
I zipped left with the jet pack, but her second hand snatched me from behind.
WHUMPF!
Her fingers closed around me—squeezing. My bones cracked under the pressure.
“I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!” The monster brought me close to its face as it screamed. “AND YOU LET ME DIE! YOU’RE A TERRIBLE SON, SAM!”
“YOU’RE… NOT… HER!” I roared, driving Slice into her left eye.
SHKLITCH!
Black fluid gushed as the beast released me with a shriek.
I fell towards the ground—
SHOOOM!
—the jetpack thrusting me up and away just before impact. I rocketed through the air as the mind leech writhed angrily—its limbs scratching into unexplored parts of my temporal lobe.
KRIIING!!!
The beast morphed into a man in a football uniform. I instantly recognized him from old photos and videos—
My father.
I hovered for a moment—frozen by the sight of a dad I never knew.
The hesitation almost killed me.
KRACK!
A building-sized fist rocked my face. I spiraled through the air—
KRUMM!
—smashing through an office building—
KLOOM! KLOOM! KLOOM!
—plunging downward, floor after floor, finally slamming against a steel support beam.
KRNCHH!
Warning: You Are Hurt. Seek Cover Immediately!
My heartbeat pounded in my ears. My eyes pulsed with a blurry red haze. Pain short-circuited my body. I spat blood and a few teeth.
I popped a Med-Kit.
I was thankful that the relief was immediate—pain dulling… bones mending… gashes closing.
But the mind leech remained, unaffected by the healing magic—its invasive body wriggling as it continued to probe my brain.
SKRISHHH!
I wheeled around to see Dreadrazer-Dad ripping skyscrapers apart, searching for me. It called out to me using a warped version of my father’s voice.
“WINNERS NEVER QUIT!” the monster taunted. “AND QUITTERS NEVER WIN!!!”
I tried to remain quiet, but something inside of me was triggered. “YOU QUIT ON EVERYONE! YOU QUIT ON MOM AND ME! YOU QUIT ON YOURSELF!!!”
ERNI: Sam, that is not your father. Do not fall under the enchantment.
KRUMBLE!
I scrambled to my feet as the wall behind me crumbled from a claw swipe. The monster’s gigantic eye locked onto me.
“You are weak… like me. You’ll die young too.”
“FUCK YOU!!!”
I dove at the beast, plunging Slice and Dice into its torso, holding the handles as I fell below, slashing a huge gash down the monster’s chest.
I dropped to the ground as the creature wailed.
SKREEEEE!
Its skin melted like wax.
The mind leech convulsed inside my skull, lashing out multiple feelers—each strand worming through different memory clusters.
KRIIING!!! KRIIING!!!
The mental shrieks drove me to my knees.
My vision swam as the mind leech harvested more memories, relaying them back to the Dreadrazer.
The monster melted down into five bodies that I immediately recognized. Sola. Jackie. Todd in his rat costume. A warrior basil plant. And a pepperoni pizza monster with arms and legs.
They all converged on me.
“Come here, funny bird!” Sola-Monster called, her voice a perfect imitation, save for the echoey, monster modulation underscoring it.
“TIME TO DIE, MMM’KAY?!!” Jackie-Monster growled, her double chin rippling as she charged.
I leapt backward, jetpack igniting, as ToddRat-Monster lunged at me with gnashing teeth.
KRACK!
I punched him in the rat mask. It split open, revealing a bloody neck stump burping out maggots.
KWOOSH!
I blasted off, flying through the remains of an executive office building, trying to create distance. But the black, tar-like essence of the five creatures liquified, flowing through cracks and vents, squelching through air ducts, keeping hot on my tail.
ME: Jeez! What the hell’s that thing made of?!
ERNI: I am unsure, but will investigate a solution. It is clear that the Dreadrazer is weaponizing things found in your mind. Try to remain calm.
ME: Yeah… sure. Stay calm. Just ignore the giant shapeshifting, mind-fucking kaiju that’s chasing you!
ERNI: Speaking of calm, why didn’t you ever tell me about Sade’s Lovers’ Rock album? It really sets me in a peaceful place.
I didn’t have time to touch that.
The black liquid separated back into the five monsters. The Plant-Monster whipped vines at me as the Pizza-Monster charged up a grease missile.
I backed up towards the window and raised a finger.
“For the record, I ordered calzone.”
FOOM!
The pizza monster fired the missile. I ducked as it flew over my shoulder, wiping out the wall behind me. The shadows surged forward in unison.
KRSSSHHH!
I crashed through the window, tumbling down in a shower of glass, plummeting toward the street below.
KA-PYOOOMMM!
The jetpack ignited—
WHOOSH!
—I rocketed forward, scraping the pavement, arcing upward in time to see the shadow wraiths pouring from broken windows like black smoke.
SKREEEEEAAAARRRGH!
The shadows formed a Dreadrazer dragon. It flapped humungous wings, flying after me. The mind leech jiggled in my brain, tapping into my visual cortex, examining what I saw as I flew.
ME: No way! This fucking thing is spying on me!
ERNI: Now Playing Spies by Coldplay.
ME: ERNI!!!
I accelerated, zipping up and down, angling sharply between skyscrapers. The dragon followed, smashing straight through buildings rather than weaving around them.
KRASH! BOOM! KRUNCH!
I banked hard around a corner when something snagged my boot. The Dreadrazer dragon caught me. Its claw clamped down, digging into my ankle as it changed course, dragging me like a ragdoll through the air.
“AAAAH!”
KRISH! CRASH! KOOM!
Upside down, I slammed through building after building—smashing through glass, concrete, and steel.
Bones snapped.
Skin split.
Each impact sent fresh waves of agony through my body.
The mind leech thrashed within my cranium, feeding on my pain signals, greedily lapping up the neurochemical cocktail of adrenaline and cortisol.
ERNI: Sam—
CRASH!
ERNI: —try to—
WHAM!
ERNI: —cut yourself free!
KRUNCH!
I twisted, stabbing Slice into the claw that held me. The creature shrieked, dropping me through the glass roof of a shopping mall.
KSSSSH!
I crashed down through a row of kiosks before skidding to a halt in the empty food court.
Cough.
ME: …ow…
Warning: You Are Hurt. Seek Cover Immediately!
I wheezed—heartbeat throbbing, vision flashing red. Pain fired throughout every nerve ending.
I was pretty sure my left knee was dislocated. Blood seeped from a few dozen lacerations. I felt bone chips sloshing as I moved.
“GAAAAH!”
I popped another Med-Kit.,
The worst injuries begin to stabilize.
ME: Not gonna lie… DNF’ing sounds pretty sweet right now.
ERNI: Remember who you are and why you are here.
ME: Really, ERNI?! Did you have to go full Mufasa on me?!
Back in Dreadrazer form, the monster circled the building, searching for an entry point large enough for its bulk. Finding none, it began tearing off the roof.
KRRRRRUNCH!
Light poured in as the ceiling ripped away.
Five black columns poured down, reforming into the recognizable nightmares from my psyche.
I staggered to my feet—pizza cutters spinning. My knee hurt like hell, but it would have to do.
The Sola-Monster attacked first, her face peeling back to reveal wet ridges of fangs.
SCHLIK!
I slashed across her midsection—cleaving her in half. But the two pieces simply melted into black ooze, then reunited.
ME: ERNI?!
ERNI: Physical damage appears temporary. The entities appear to have regenerative abilities.
ME: Yes. You’ve stated the problem brilliantly. Now, how about a solut—
WHAM!
The Jackie-Monster barreled into me, knocking me across the food court—
SMASH!
—sending me crashing inside of a pizzeria.
“TIME TO MAKE THE PIZZAS, MMKAYYY!!!”
I rammed into an industrial oven, denting its metal frame.
The ToddRat and Plant-Monsters were on me in seconds. The Plant held me while—
THWHACK!
—ToddRat clocked me in the chin.
“CATCH THESE PAWS, LOSER!”
The blow spun me around. I doubled over a prep counter.
“WHO ORDERED THE PEPPERONI?!” I shouted.
FWIP! FWIP!
I flung pepperoni slices into ToddRat’s eyes, temporarily blinding him.
WHAM!
I batted Plant-Monster in the leafy head with a rolling pin.
It stumbled forward.
KROONCH!
I slammed the pizza oven door on its head. I kicked ToddRat away, buying just enough space to blast free with the jetpack. I burst through the ceiling, back into the main atrium.
The Dreadrazer regathered, punching fist after fist through the mall. Concrete and steel rained down.
ME: Oh shit!
I jetted out through the gashed roof as the entire complex collapsed.
The Dreadrazer burst out of the mall’s remains, its form rippling yet again.
The mind leech twitched in my brain. It felt like scissors poking through the back of my eyes.
KRIIING!!!
The gigantic monster split vertically—dividing its mass into two pepperoni pizza kaiju.
Both dripped with gooey cheese. Pepperoni boils festered a reddish oil that mixed with tomato sauce, creating a slimy orange grease.
Each monster had six, glowing, pearlescent white eyes—devoid of pupils. Their heads were round, with wide hinged jaws full of sharp, spindly teeth—in between, which, flicked long, pointy tongues.
What was really messed up was how goddamn good they smelled!
They reminded me of Furios… a pizzeria my mom used to take me to as a kid.
“Uh-ohhh!” Blink exclaimed. “Double Trouble Alert as the Dreadrazer splits into twin pizza kaiju!”
“Gotta love buy one get one free.” Gill hiccuped.
The Skybotron flashed with reaction shots from across the multiverse. Alien viewers were flipping out. Taverns erupted in chaos. Betting boards lit up like Christmas trees.
I was gonna say a smartass quip about our odds to Count B, but then I remembered… he wasn’t here.
The twin pizza kaiju attacked in tandem—one firing globs of boiling cheese while the other flung razor-sharp pepperoni like throwing stars.
SPLAT! SPLAT! SZZZT! SZZZT!
I dodged the projectiles, zig-zagging through the air. But the monsters coordinated their attacks with alarming precision. They spread out in a flanking formation, herding me toward a gas station.
I realized their plan too late.
KA-BOOOOOOM!
The station exploded as a molten cheese missile struck the fuel tanks. I spiraled through debris and flame—
THUNK!
—smacking into the pavement—crumpling in a bloody heap of shattered bones. I wheezed, tasting copper in my lungs.
Warning: You Are Hurt. Seek Cover Immediately!
My heartbeat raced. My eyes flashed red. The jetpack sputtered—a damaged thruster coughing white smoke.
The mind leech writhed ecstatically, feeding on my pain, gorging on my despair.
I unharnessed the jetpack, dropping it from my torso. I laid there, heaving for air, feeling a stabbing pinch with each inhalation.
The monsters inched closer, staring down at me like curious children watching an ant die.
I staggered to my feet, cutters in hands, and popped my last Med-Kit. Slice was damaged—blade bent—wobbling with a lopsided whir.
KOOM! KOOM!
The pizza kaiju closed in on me from opposite sides.
ME: ERNI… I need something… anything…
ERNI: Now Playing ”I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
