So the regular Nemesis soldiers had joined the fight. Good. Franks didn’t have the time to go looking for them. The demon leapt over the edge, dropped smoothly to the floor, and landed in a crouch. This Nemesis soldier was several inches taller than Franks, and so broad he probably had to turn sideways to fit through a door.

“Remember me, Franks?”

“No.”

“You cut my legs! You blew me up with fire! You blew up my sister! You broke our good bodies. Franks is mean!”

Force . . . That meant Violence was around here somewhere. “You’re dumb.”

“Don’t call me dumb! I am Cratos!” He looked at the rifle in Franks’ hands as they both judged the too short distance between them. The huge Nemesis demon grinned. “Little gun won’t do no good. Now I hurt you like you hurt me!” Cratos bellowed and charged.

Franks stepped on the halberd shaft. The spike lifted. Cratos’ red eyes widened with realization just before it impaled him through the chest. His weight and momentum drove the big blade right through his center of mass.

“You should pay more attention.” Letting the rifle hang from its sling, Franks took up the shaft in both hands and drove Cratos back, smashing him through the sheet metal of a machine, and then wrenching the spike out in a spray of blood. For being so damned big, the demon was still incredibly fast, and was already tearing himself free, so Franks smashed his face in with the halberd shaft. Cratos bit the wood in half. Franks stepped back, looking at the splintered ends of the hard wood. “Impressive.” Then he planted the ax blade deep into the center of Cratos’ forehead.

Cratos shrieked and got up, flailing about, trying to adjust to having the hemispheres of his brain forcefully separated. Franks stepped aside as he thrashed and lashed out. A solid hit from this monster could possibly render Franks combat-ineffective, so he needed to end this quickly. Supposedly these things were based on him, which meant that no matter how much traumatic brain injury they received, the backup systems along the spine would keep all of the basic systems functioning and the body alive. There was one way to test if that was the case . . .

Franks dodged a wild, uncoordinated swing, got behind Cratos and clamped one hand onto the demon’s neck. His other hand caught hold of his belt. Franks couldn’t believe how much Cratos weighed, but he still hoisted the thrashing demon up, arms fully extended, until he was extended far over Franks’ head. By the time Cratos realized what was happening, it was too late, but it was hard to think clearly with a chunk of steel cutting your brain in half. With a roar, Franks hurled the demon’s back down against his knee.