How in the Hell does crap always go from zero to a hundred so quickly in my life?
A certain white-haired boy lamented his fate, once again utterly baffled by the sheer madness his life had become. How was it that he, who up until three days ago was your average friendly neighborhood street rat; now a fighter standing in a full-blown coliseum-like arena, about to go toe-to-toe with a literal hometown champion?
And the best part of it all.
Was having a grand total of two whole days of combat experience under his belt.
********
Wynn gazed at the stands from the center of the stadium wondering how amazing the technology on Helios truly was. It was downright surreal for someone like him who had yet to even own a proper smartphone; to suddenly watch a full-blown arena popping out from the ground with just a few taps on a display.
The stands he gazed at were alive with energy, there was a blend of cheering, chattering, and the occasional crunches and gulps of popcorn and soda being devoured and flushed down the throats of the children. Some spectators were leaning off at the edge of the railings–shouting out encouragement at the top of their lungs.
Of course, none of it was for Wynn.
"Let's go, XAVIER! Show this handsome little bitch who's the boss!" yelled Gabriel, pumping his fist in the air.
I thought that kid was supposed to be nonchalant.
Hold Up!
Did he just call me handso-
Wynn's train of thought derailed as a sudden roar erupted from the crowd.
His eyes darted back to the center of the arena, where Xavier stepped forward, rolling his shoulders with the ease of someone entirely at home in the chaos. The hometown champion looked every bit the part: lean, and athletic, with those bandaged wrists hanging loosely at his sides, exuding a relaxed confidence that made Wynn feel like an awkward toddler wielding the worn-out katana he had grabbed from the weapon rack.
Jaxon, grinning from ear to ear, stepped on the podium at the side of the ring.
"Alright, everyone! Quiet down!" He raised his arms.
"It's the moment you've all been waiting for folks! Xavier, our undefeated drop-dead gorgeous champ, versus uhhh....Wynn, the new guy from Zerith! Place your bets people, but remember, no refunds!"
"I repeat, NO refunds."
"Just start the damn fight already!" Emma shouted, rolling her eyes.
Jaxon winked. "You got it. FIGHTERS! ARE WE READY?"
Xavier's gaze settled on Wynn.
It was friendly yet calculating. "Ready?" he asked, his tone teasing, as though he'd already won–he wasn't exactly at fault, there hadn't been anyone his age that had ever given him a proper fight after all.
Wynn didn't respond with words, instead nodding once and taking a steady stance, his grip tightened on the worn-out katana.
"BEGIN."
Without as much as a warning, Xavier moved. Fast. So fast Wynn barely had time to process before he was forced to dodge a punch aimed straight for his jaw. The air crackled with tension as he narrowly avoided the blow, his body twisting to keep up.
But Xavier was already behind him. Wynn felt the rush of wind as Xavier's fist came down on his back, sending him stumbling forward, pain radiating through his spine.
"LET'S GO, Xavier!" a certain jealous pink-haired boy shouted. "I've got two golds on you taking him out in under 5 minutes!" he continued, slamming his bet down with a triumphant grin.
"Pfft, you're dreaming," Alyssa retorted, sliding down her own bet into the growing pile. "Fifty seconds, tops. The new kid's toast."
"Nah," Jack chimed in, holding a handmade sign that read Xavier the Dawnbringer. "He'd be lucky if he lasts thirty seconds."
*******
Focus.
Xavier's form flickered, almost like he was everywhere at once. Wynn spun to face him, just in time to catch another blur of movement. This time, he wasn't quick enough.
Xavier's fist connected with his ribs, and Wynn's breath was knocked from his lungs. He staggered back, fighting to regain his footing as the crowd roared.
"XAVIER! XAVIER! XAVIER!"
Wynn gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain. He wasn't going to just roll over like a dog.
He spun around, swinging the katana in a wide arc but Xavier dodged without as much as a hitch, as if he were entertaining the tantrum of a mere child.
Shit does this guy actually benchpress planets and snort uranium up his nose?
*********
"Ladies and gentlemen! This seems to be a true nightmare for the foreign white rodent of Zerith! But is it possible for this rat to have what it takes to handle the Dawnbringer of Apoillitus? or is he just another rat in a trap that fights like crap?"
Came a voice from over the loudspeaker. It was loud, energetic, way too peppy for Wynn's liking. Not to mention straight up insulting.
It made his skin crawl.
Seriously? Rat, Trap and Cat? What are you six?
Xavier didn't seem to care much about the commentary as he was already closing the distance again, throwing a series of lightning-fast jabs and low kicks that Wynn had to backpedal to avoid.
But then
He suddenly stepped back.
Huh?
For a split second, there was a shift in the air. Wynn barely had time to register it before Xavier suddenly lunged forward, his movements faster and more fluid. His whole body seemed to hum with precision.
What the hell?
Xavier's punch connected with his chest, making Wynn fly back with a sickening thud, the wind knocked out of him. He crashed into the ground hard, barely managing to roll and push himself up again.
The crowd erupted, shouting with excitement. "XAVIER!!"
Blood had begun to trickle from Wynn's lip. He wiped it away, shaking his head to clear the dizziness.
I can't let him keep this up.
**********
Xavier stood tall, cracking his knuckles, his eyes glittering with anticipation. "You're not bad, Wynn. But unfortunately, you're not gonna win this."
With a deep breath, he clenched his fists, resulting in a high luminosity light erupting from within him. It was a dazzling mixture of light purple, cyan, and white that flooded the arena, sweeping swiftly over the ozone.
The crowd gasped, their cheers deafening as the mana rolled around Xavier, wrapping around his bandaged hands in glowing waves.
"Whoa… his element Dawnshiner!" someone shouted from the stands. "He's finally using his ignite core!"
The light around Xavier even further intensified, his body pulsing with even more vigour.
The crowd was losing their minds.
"XAVIER! XAVIER! XAVIER!!"
"Dawnshiner's insane!" Alyssa shouted, her voice barely audible over the frenzy. "None of us has ever been able to withstand it at full power. Arghh, guess you've won the bet, Jack."
Wynn's hand tightened around his katana. The multicolored light was overwhelming.
How the hell am I supposed to fight THAT?
But before he could fully process his thoughts, Xavier was in motion again.
This time, there was no dodging.
He moved so fast, that the light around him left behind afterimages, blinding Wynn in the process. His first strike was a blur—a punch that connected with Wynn's stomach like a freight train, sending him crashing to the ground with a guttural grunt.
"Damn…" Lucy's voice was almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd. "He's done-done."
The force of the punch left him gasping for air, his vision swimming. He barely had time to roll to the side as Xavier's foot then came rushing down like a hammer, barely missing his ribs.
"Slow," Xavier said, his voice low, yet cool. The energy around him continued to flow in waves as he moved again, faster this time,
Wynn's instincts screamed at him to move, to keep up, but his body just wasn't reacting in time. Xavier's fist landed on his side again, and this time, it felt like Wynn's bones had shattered.
"Ugh…" Wynn managed to grunt, the taste of blood in his mouth. His body slammed into the floor again, the stadium around him spinning. He struggled to rise, barely managing to get to one knee before Xavier was on him again.
Wynn's eyes darted around, searching for some kind of opening, but there was nothing. The light around Xavier was blinding, his movements too fast, too precise.
"FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM!"
"It was nice fighting you Wynn," Xavier said condensing his mana into a dense, multi-colored spherical fist that hummed with power.
The crowd's roars reached a deafening peak, the realization dawning on what was about to happen.
"Here it comes!" someone shouted, excitement lacing their voice.
Xavier's eyes constricted as he thrust his fist forward. His arm shot out like a comet, streaking toward Wynn with blinding speed.
"SUPERNOVA!" He roared, his voice booming across the arena.
The blast collided with where Wynn lay, creating a massive pillar of smoke and dust, the force of the explosion shaking the entirety of the Colosseum.
**********
The crowd fell silent, holding their collective breath as the dust began to settle.
"Is it over?" someone whispered.
The air was thick with tension, dust swirling in the breeze, hiding the outcome that everyone so desperately was waiting for.
Then,
A sound pierced through the silence,
A Deafening roar.
BOOM
It was not the roar of a beast, but of something far more primal. The temperature in the arena began to rise, the very atmosphere shifting palpably.
The dust parted, but revealing not the crumpled, broken body of Wynn.
*********
A figure stood amidst the dissipating smoke. A boy with white hair, his eyes ablaze with an unnatural crimson-red flicker. Scarlet and black flames roared around him, snapping and crackling in violent, sentient tendrils. They writhed in the air, hungry and chaotic, as if alive, bound only by the boy's will.
Wynn's hand was outstretched, glowing with a ferocious mix of red and black mana, whilst gripping Xavier's Supernova fist mid-flight, halting its vibrant descent with an impossible display of crimson. The air crackled with tension as the energy from Xavier's attack collided with the might of Wynn's unique element.
This was what Wynn had been struggling to unleash the entire fight— his very own version of raw power—His very own materialized Wrath.
And now, in a single, defiant moment, he had done it. The flames of his soul, the force he had held back, had come alive once again.
"Hellfire."
He whispered with a grin.