Sometimes Zane caught Reina studying him. She was a little concerned. He was all business leading up to the fight—he was Level pretty much every hour of the day.
She tried to take it on herself to calm him down, which he found kind of amusing. Usually, it was him helping her unwind. Just being with him for a bit was enough. It was hard for him to get all that worked up when she was there with him, stroking his chest and head, murmuring to him. It was nice.
***
Elias came over one night. He and Reina had a drink before they got down to business. It was to finalize the negotiations for what they were billing the 'Fight of the Century'—Reina was just trying to squeeze him for every last percentage of revenue split.
"We're making the posters now," said Elias. "I'm thinking—'Blood feud!' Get it? 'Cause you're brothers? Eh?"
He grinned and jostled Zane with an elbow. "…Anywho—right," he said, coughing awkwardly. "About the split…"
Zane let Reina handle it. He knew she would do right by him. He just had to make sure he took care of business on his end.
***
His Level sessions with Reina also got longer and more intense, a change she was quite happy with.
Soon—
𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟛𝟡 -> 𝟙𝟜𝟘
That, plus all his dungeon raiding, plus drinking treasures every day—including the ones Reina started bulk-buying him with all the money coming in—meant his Level just kept skyrocketing…
𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟜𝟘 -> 𝟙𝟜𝟙
𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟜𝟙 -> 𝟙𝟜𝟚
𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟜𝟚 -> 𝟙𝟜𝟛
His World Rank went from #7 to #6.
***
One day about a week out from the fight, he came back from a long day of dungeon raiding. And found someone waiting for him in the sparring room.
Reina had brought in a partner to help him prepare.
"I've studied twenty-one hours of footage of Jason Walker," said Emeka Eze, polishing his gauntlets with a silk handkerchief. "I can emulate his style with relative precision."
When Zane asked why he'd done that, Eze frowned. "Since we last fought, I've analyzed every fighter in the top 30," he said. "You caught me off guard last time. I did not know your style. I won't make that mistake again."
His eyes narrowed just a tad. "I do not like being caught off guard."
Zane wasn't sure why Eze agreed to do it, but he didn't ask. They walked to opposite sides of the arena. They agreed since it was a stylistic matchup practice—no Laws or Skills, Signature or otherwise. Just pure essence. It was intended to help Zane get a feel for Jason, that was all.
A notification popped up.
𝕊𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝟛… 𝟚… 𝟙… 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋!
Eze was telling the truth. He wasn't playing the slow, calculating, precise fighter Zane was used to—he went straight for Zane's throat. He came with vicious gouging tearing movements, lunging like a rabid dog. Zane tried fending him off at first, but it just let the guy build momentum.
Soon Zane figured the best way to deal with him would be to fight back just as vicious.
Zane could do that. So he opened up, loaded his fists, and threw.
Explosions of raw force rocked the stadium.
Sparring ended with them both heaving. In the end, Zane came out on top, very narrowly. In Critical Health. Eze had to beat Zane down, and then rain blows on Zane's twitching body. It was like he had to knock Zane out nine or ten times in a row to finish him off. Zane just kept getting back up.
He probably should have lost, he felt. But even when he was crushed so badly he shouldn't have been able to think, much less move, he just kept going. He felt kind of bad; Eze's face just got more and more incredulous every time Zane staggered back up. Like he was thinking, what is this bullshit?
It made sense the fight was so close. Zane's big advantage was his comprehension. That meant Stormfire and Sage Mind. Without that, Eze would just have a big Level advantage. Jason even more so.
Two main things helped Zane win. First, Eze wasn't used to fighting this way—he was trying to be Jason, so he wasn't playing to his true strengths. Second, Zane had his Indomitable Hide, which had reached Level 5. It was so powerful it hurt Eze's fists to punch him. Even though Eze had some monster passive Skills of his own.
"Good," said Eze, panting heavily. "That's the right strategy, I believe. Fight fire with fire."
Zane thanked him for coming. Eze nodded and left. "Same time tomorrow."
Then Eze hesitated. Snorted. "You are such a pain to fight, Zane Walker." Eze left.
Zane liked him.
***
On the second day, Zane found another training partner waiting for him. A training partner who was sitting crisscross reading a comic book when Zane came in. He perked up, beamed, and ran over to tackle Zane in a hug.
"I'm here to help!" Evan declared. He nodded all determined.
One thing Eze couldn't emulate was Jason's speed. So Reina brought in Evan for that. Zane's issue had always been speed. Even with Sage Mind, if something was fast enough, Zane could know it was coming a mile off and still not be able to dodge.
But he could at least roll with it or partly block it. Blunt most of the force as he came back with his own shots. Evan helped him practice.
Evan really didn't want to attack Zane, even in a sparring simulation. This was until he realized unless he threw his hardest, nothing he did could even scratch Zane's skin.
It became almost a reactions test for Zane. Evan came at him from a bunch of weird angles, overwhelming bursts of light, and Zane had to work through it.
It helped.
***
Avery was also around. She couldn't really do much to help since none of her powers overlapped with Jason's. She just lazed around, bumming food off of him. She pretty much only showed up for mealtimes to steal things that looked yummy off Zane's plate.
To be fair, Zane ate so much he rarely noticed.
He wondered what she was even doing here over dinner.
"Hey! I provide invaluable moral support," Avery informed him through a mouthful of his sausages.
"…"
She gave him a pat on the head and wandered off to take a nap.
***
Zane's trips went even farther. He headed out to Australia to clear an A-ranked diamond mine, where he swallowed an A+-ranked steel treasure, the 'Heart of the Mine.'
After Indomitable Hide grew to a high-Level skill, Level it had been slow going. Finally—
𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
𝕀𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕍 -> 𝕍𝕀
A few days later, he took down Hephaestus' Abandoned Laboratory, an A-ranked dungeon near Greece. He feasted on steel treasures that day.
𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
𝕀𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕍𝕀 -> 𝕍𝕀𝕀
𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
𝕀𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕍𝕀𝕀 -> 𝕍𝕀𝕀𝕀
In terms of Level and skill, Zane was sure he was growing faster than he ever had…
When the time came, he would be ready.
***
Jian Shi Ming, World Rank #5, A.K.A. the Spitfire Monk, might've been the second hardest-hitting man in the world by sheer explosive raw power. He ran through A-rank dungeons with ease. He fought well above his Level—and his Level was considerable. A whopping Level 151.
He was a potbellied, bald monk who looked a little like those smiling buddha statues. He came stumbling out of the Tower of Empires' sparring arena, sweating and gasping.
A notification popped up.
𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕣: 𝕁𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕎𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕖𝕣!
The Spitfire Monk slapped his bag of holding, produced what must've been the world's biggest flagon of wine, and started drinking. He didn't stop for a while. Then he belched, wiped the sweat off his face, and gave his opponent a side-eyed look.
"I did not even get you under 50%, did I?" he sighed.
"No," said Jason Walker, faintly amused. "You didn't."
"Pah!" The Monk took another swig. Then he wagged a finger at Jason, eyes narrowed. "You have a demon inside you."
"Do I?" said Jason. He smiled. "You have it wrong. My brother has a 'demon' inside of him, as you say… I am that demon. That's the difference between us, you see."
"I don't understand."
Jason paused. "When I tear into him in three day's time," he said slowly. "You'll see the difference."
***
"It's been billed as the Fight of the Century!" said Tyler Saunders. He was sitting at a big oak desk today, wearing black silk robes. A recording crystal was clipped to the lapel.
Behind him there was a massive poster. It showed two men with nearly identical faces posed to face each other. There were subtle differences. Under the word 'Zane,' the man's jaw was a little more square, with stronger, more powerful bones. Under the word 'Jason,' his features were a little sharper, more vicious. And he wore a mocking smile.
"Brother against brother—just three days away! Joining me is Becca Dwyer, senior analyst. As well as promoter, businessman, and a World Ranker in his own right—Elias Ventor! Let's kick it off with you, Elias. Can you tell us what you find so compelling about this bout?"
"Thanks, Tyler—I'm delighted to be here." Elias smiled, turned to look directly into the camera. "We're about to witness the most powerful clash in the history of mankind! And how crazy is it that it's between two brothers? Zane Walker and Jason Walker—one's more brute power, one's savage finesse!"
Elias nodded. "They're both killing machines. We're talking pure violence! It's unstoppable force against an unstoppable force!"
"An exciting prospect for sure," said Becca. "How did this match come about in the first place?"
"Well," said Elias, chuckling. "You heard Jason say it first! He's the one who issued the challenge. I understand there's a bit of a messy history between them. He used to bully Zane as a kid—there was some older brother syndrome going on there. It's hard to believe that stone-faced killer Zane Walker has a tender side, but it's true! The question is—will those old demons come back when he faces his older brother on the battlefield?"
Elias shook his head. "It doesn't take all that much. Just a little sign of weakness and Jason will be on you like a pitbull—and you'll never recover! The Reaper's power takes your power and uses it against you. The more he lays into you, the stronger he gets… you don't want to get in deep with this guy, no matter who you are."
Tyler whistled. "The way you're putting it it sounds like Zane could be in some serious trouble, Elias."
"Well, Zane's got a lot going for him too," said Elias. "Zane Walker's the hardest-hitting man on the planet, no doubt about it! That Stormfire can blast through anything. And have you seen the guy lately? That body's a hunk of steel! He's a juggernaut in every sense of the word… breaking him won't be easy. For Jason to do that, he'll have to break him here first."
Elias tapped his head.
"For my money, it's fifty-fifty. And the betting odds agree, they're almost dead even!"
"That's remarkable," said Tyler. "And another angle to this is the Level gap—tell us about that, Becca."
"Tyler, at first there were nearly thirty Levels between them. But Zane's been chipping away at it day and night!" said Becca. "My sources say he's up to the mid-150s in Level now, passing the Spitfire Monk for World Rank #5—that's a huge leap in a little more than a week! Jason's grown too, but there could be as few as fifteen Levels between them by the time of the fight."
"Lots to consider there," said Tyler, nodding. Then he paused, pressed a finger to his ear, frowning. "I'm being told we have a surprise caller—it's Jason Walker, the man of the hour! I'm being told he has a special message for his brother. We're putting him through now…"