The Strongest Human

Chapter 3: Gate of Torture

"What are your names?" Alden asked without slowing his pace. His eyes, sharp as razors, cut through the darkness of the cold, damp stone corridor. Behind him, the sound of hesitant footsteps followed in a panicked rhythm.

"I-I'm Cael, sir... And this is my little sister, Eli," the scrawny young man replied, his voice trembling. He clutched his sister’s shoulder as she shivered in terror. "We're slave miners from a group of humans captured five months ago at the edge of the Deadlands."

"Don't call me sir. My name is Alden," Alden replied coldly. His gaze remained fixed on the dimness of the Abyssal Chasm tunnel. "You said you know the way to the surface?"

"Yes, Alden," Cael nodded quickly, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "But the main path to the Deadlands is heavily guarded at the Torment Gate Outpost. Commander Vorgan of the Daemonicus race is there with a dozen Alvari elite soldiers. They fortify the only gap in the cliffs that connects to the surface. No human slave has ever managed to cross that place alive."

"Commander Vorgan?" Alden frowned as he continued to walk. "How strong is that bastard’s magic?"

Eli, who had been silent, finally gathered the courage to speak through trembling lips. "He's... he's a mid-tier fire mage! Vorgan can summon Aetherium fire spears capable of melting mountain rock! Last month, thirty humans tried to revolt and run for that gate. Vorgan burned them alive into ash in mere seconds!"

Alden stopped for a moment. He studied his own palms under the faint glow of the cave’s wall crystals. Beneath his skin, marred by dried cuts, he could feel his veins pulsing rapidly. The raw Aetherium energy he’d absorbed from Vaelen’s troops had settled into his cells, maturing his basic-level Somatic Resonance. His bone density felt as hard as steel, and his muscles were coiled with kinetic energy, hungry for impact.

"Fire spears that melt rock?" Alden smirked—a cruel expression that made Cael and Eli shiver. "That means he has a massive supply of Aetherium. Excellent fuel for me."

"But Alden... you have no magic!" Cael cried out hysterically as he watched Alden continue walking forward. "You have no magical shielding! If one of those spears hits you, a pure human body will be destroyed!"

"Their magic is just brittle, artificial energy manipulation," Alden said without looking back. "My body is its predator. Watch closely from behind, and don't get near if you don't want to get caught in the aftermath."

The three of them crossed the final bend in the narrowing stone passage, arriving at a massive cavern lit by glowing greenish-blue magic torches. At the end of the cave stood a gigantic black iron gate embedded into the cliff. Dozens of chained human slaves were hauling Aetherium rock shards under the whips of Alvari soldiers.

On a raised obsidian guard platform stood a towering figure with dark red skin and curved horns protruding from his head. It was Commander Vorgan. Clad in black plate armor etched with magical runes, Vorgan held a copper staff that radiated intense, scorching heat.

"Get to work, you useless trash!" an Alvari guard roared, lashing a lightning-tipped whip across the back of an old human woman.

"Aaargh!" the woman screamed, collapsing into the muddy ground with blue-bruised burn marks.

Before the whip could land a second time, a shadow blurred across the open area.

CRACK!

A sickening sound of snapping bone echoed throughout the room. The lightning whip flew into the air, accompanied by the Alvari guard’s arm, twisted a full hundred and eighty degrees. The guard hadn't even had time to scream before a palm strike landed square in his chest.

BOOM!

The Alvari’s light armor shattered into pieces. His body flew ten meters, slamming into the stone wall before falling lifeless, his chest caving inward into a gaping hole.

Eerie silence fell over the Torment Gate Outpost. The human slaves stared in shock, while a dozen Alvari and Daemonicus soldiers frantically drew their magical weapons.

"Who dares create a disturbance in my domain?!" Commander Vorgan bellowed from his platform. His eyes blazed red as he glared at Alden, who stood calmly in the middle of the arena.

Alden flicked the blood off his fingers with a look of boredom. "You ruling races always say the same things. 'Trash', 'Worms', 'Inferior humans'. Don't you have any more creative vocabulary, you bastards?"

Vorgan’s eyes widened as he noticed the shoulder guard piece from Captain Vaelen’s uniform on Alden. "Wait... that’s Vaelen’s gear! How do you have that, you wretched human?!"

"Vaelen is mincemeat. His body is destroyed, and his troops are carrion at the bottom of the tunnel," Alden replied flatly as he took a step forward. "And now, I’ve come to take the key to this gate."

"Arrogant dog!" Vorgan snarled. A boiling aura of heat radiated from his body, warping the air around him with scorching waves. "Soldiers! Fire at this bastard! Burn him until there’s nothing left!"

Six Alvari soldiers on the ramparts drew their magic bows. Arrows made of pure Aetherium crystal pulsed with light, aiming for Alden’s head and chest.

"Die, trash!" one of the archers shouted as he let loose.

Six magic arrows streaked through the air. Instead of dodging or finding cover, Alden casually crossed his arms over his chest.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Elemental explosions pounded against Alden, creating thick smoke and flashes of magic that shattered the ground around him.

"Hahaha! What a fool! He didn't even try to dodge!" a Daemonicus soldier laughed triumphantly.

But the laughter died instantly as the smoke cleared.

Alden was still standing tall. Not a single burn marked his skin. Instead, the sparks of fire and lightning from the arrows were being drawn into his pores like water into dry earth. The veins in his neck and arms glowed a deep gold as his cells assimilated the magic into physical power.

"W-what happened?!" the Alvari archer trembled. "My magic arrows... they were absorbed?!"

"Thanks for the energy," Alden muttered coldly. In a flash, he stomped the ground, cracking the stone floor dozens of centimeters deep.

BOOSH!

Alden’s body shot forward like a cannonball, splitting the air so fast it created a sonic boom. Before the archers could reload, Alden had leaped ten meters, landing right on the guard platform.

"First Style of Apex Arts: Iron Grip!"

Alden crushed the face of the first archer, slamming him into the stone floor until his skull shattered. Without wasting a second, he spun, unleashing a roundhouse kick laden with raw physical force at three other soldiers.

THWACK!

The three soldiers were flung into the air like ragdolls, their ribs and internal organs pulverized upon impact with Alden’s absolute physical output.

"Bastard! What are you?!" Vorgan roared, panicking. He raised his copper staff high. The runes on his armor blazed. "Level Four Fire Magic: Ignis Retribution Spear!"

A giant spear made of Aetherium fire flared above Vorgan’s head. The surrounding air grew so scorching that small stones melted into lava. With a roar of fury, Vorgan slammed his staff down, directing the two-meter-wide fire spear straight at Alden’s chest from point-blank range.

"Die in hell, you piece of shit!"

The massive fire spear roared toward him. Cael and Eli screamed, closing their eyes, certain Alden would be obliterated.

But Alden didn’t flinch. His gaze remained cold and rational. He pulled his right fist back to his hip, focusing all the absorbed Somatic Resonance into his forearm muscles. The raw Aetherium energy inside him merged with the pure punching technique practiced thousands of times in his world of origin.

"Second Style of Apex Arts: Reality-Breaking Punch!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Alden’s fist slammed into the tip of the giant fire spear. Instead of exploding, Vorgan’s high-tier fire magic shattered like glass struck by a sledgehammer! The energy structure disintegrated, and the entire torrent of flame was forcibly sucked into Alden’s fist.

"H-how is this possible...?! My strongest magic... broken with BARE HANDS?!" Vorgan’s eyes bulged. His face turned ghostly pale; his arrogance replaced by overwhelming terror.

Alden stepped through the heat waves. His body emitted an aura of physical pressure so dense the air felt hard to breathe.

"Your magic is just a cheap trick in the face of human physical evolution," Alden said in a heavy voice that echoed inside Vorgan’s skull.

Before Vorgan could cast a protection spell, Alden grabbed the Daemonicus commander by the neck with his left hand, lifting the hundred-and-fifty-kilogram giant as if he were weightless.

"Ugh... p-please... human... help..." Vorgan’s neck was locked tight, his eyes turning red from lack of oxygen. His heavy plate armor began to crack under the pressure of Alden’s grip.

"Tell me," Alden said, staring into Vorgan’s eyes. "What is behind this gate? And where can I find the group called the Ashen Vanguard?"

"D-Deadlands..." Vorgan choked out. "Behind this gate... is the Deadlands desert... The Ashen Vanguard... they are in the western territory... near the ruins of Ironclad fortress... Please... let me go..."

"Thanks for the information," Alden said flatly.

CRACK!

Without hesitation, Alden snapped Vorgan’s neck. The Daemonicus commander went limp. Alden tossed the carcass aside and grabbed the copper staff and crystal key from Vorgan’s belt.

The remaining Alvari soldiers dropped their weapons and fled into the side passages. Alden didn't bother chasing them. He walked to the gate’s mechanism and inserted the crystal key.

RUMBLE!

The massive iron gate shuddered and creaked open, revealing a sight that had been hidden for so long. Golden-red sunlight flooded in, illuminating eyes that had spent too long in the abyss’s dark.

Before them stretched a vast, barren wasteland of gray sand, rocky deserts, and a red sky fractured by magical energy. This was the Deadlands.

 The remaining slaves knelt, weeping hysterically at their liberation. Cael and Eli ran to Alden, eyes tear-filled.

"We... we actually made it..." Cael whispered in disbelief. He looked at an old veteran slave who stepped forward to meet Alden.

"Young man... you just did the impossible," the veteran said, his voice trembling. "If you’re seeking the Ashen Vanguard to the west, be careful. The Deadlands desert is crawling with Aetherium-eating monsters and Sovereign Concord aerial patrols."

"I know," Alden replied, gripping Vorgan’s copper staff and draining the remaining Aetherium crystals until the staff crumbled to dust. "Get everyone to hide in these secure tunnels until things quiet down."

Alden stepped out of the Abyssal Chasm, planting his feet on Deadlands soil for the first time. The desert wind whipped his cloak.

In the distance, the floating fortresses of the Sovereign Concord loomed arrogantly above the clouds, radiating oppressive, magisterial magic. Alden clenched his fists, feeling the Somatic Resonance in his body vibrate as it devoured the atmospheric energy of the Deadlands.

"First step is complete," Alden muttered, staring at the red sky of Vaelhart. "Now it's time to find Garrick Ironwill, unite the Ashen Vanguard, and tear down the thrones of those bastard mages, one by one."