The Puppet had already kicked out the instant the man swung his clawed hand.
He had been sitting, yet the sequence of rising, lifting his leg, and kicking flowed seamlessly and naturally, unbelievably fast. Before the other man's hand reached him, his kick had already landed squarely on the man's face.
The kick carried tremendous force. Given the big man's build, it should have been enough to send him flying, yet it merely made him lean back slightly. Behind his damaged skin, rows of dense, resilient artificial Mutated Tissue were exposed.
A savage grin appeared on his face, but before it could fully form, the Puppet tipped his foot and gave a short burst with his heel. Another force struck the man's nose and mouth, making him involuntarily raise his head and freezing the movement he had been about to make.
The Puppet then smoothly grabbed the Hand Cane beside him and struck the man's head with a bang. The heavy blow knocked his head to one side, sending liquid and shredded skin flying. The violent shock also left the big man briefly dazed.
The Puppet tossed the Hand Cane, caught the end of it after it spun through the air, then swept his arm around. He hooked the cane's handle around the man's neck and dragged that massive body quickly to one side, finally smashing the man's head hard against the wall.
Since this was housing provided for Fighters, the wall had been specially reinforced and could withstand a certain amount of force. Even so, a deep crater was smashed into it.
For a moment, the big man's consciousness blurred. He was both shocked and furious. He had actually planned how to strike and respond several times in a row, but no matter what he imagined or how he