Before Rock Man could react, Hex swung his entire body like a pendulum and smashed his heel right into the side of Rock Man’s torso. The kick landed with a resounding thud, knocking the giant back two steps.
"Damn!" Rock Man growled, his face twisting in frustration. "I can’t let him keep this up!"
He roared and charged again,his muscles tensing, arms wide to grab Hex. But Hex, now lightning fast with the booster, ducked low and twisted away with inhuman speed. He slid between Rock Man’s legs once more, then bounced back up and spun around.
Rock Man turned just in ti and dashed towards Hex.
Using the man’s weight and motion against him, Hex caught one of his arms and threw him over his shoulder with a clean, fluid motion.
"That’s Aikido!" soone gasped. "A pre-apocalypse martial art!"
Rock Man’s body twisted in the air and slamd hard into the ground. His head spun. And before he could regain his footing, Hex leapt and drove his knee into the man’s face, smashing it with deadly precision.
BOOM!
Rock Man’s vision burst into red static. Pain exploded across his skull. But still, he laughed through the blood, "You can’t break my rock body...!"
Hex, panting heavily, felt sothing shift inside him.
The pounding of his heart, the crack of fists against flesh, the chaos of battle all ca together in a strange, electrifying mix of fear and thrill.
A manic grin crept onto his face.
"Then let’s test it again."
Hex launched forward like a storm.
He weaved around Rock Man’s sluggish swings, stepping inside every opening and smashing his fists repeatedly into Rock Man’s ribs, chest, and face. His fists were already bloodied,and his knuckles torn but he didn’t stop. The pain only made him move faster.
Rock Man swung a wide left hook but Hex ducked but what followed was a right jab Hex spun under it.
He slipped past every blow, his body now moving with terrifying grace. It wasn’t clean fighting anymore, it was vicious.
Hex jumped, twisted, and slamd his elbow into Rock Man’s temple.
Then he grabbed his head with both hands and began slamming it down again and again...against the cracked tal floor.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Blood sprayed. Rock Man’s nose cracked. His breath turned ragged. Panic seeped into his face.
His arms tried to lift, to grab Hex, but he was too slow now. His hardened body, once a fortress, was cracking under the unrelenting storm.
Hex felt one of Rock Man’s wild punches connect with the side of his head, and the impact made his ears ring but he didn’t stop. His head throbbed, blood dripped down his temple, but sothing primal had taken over as he returned the heating.
Summoning all his strength he slamd the guy with a loud blast.
The rock trembled as he was trying his level best to keep hardness.
Rock Man looked up with his vision blurry, his limbs shaking. He saw the look in Hex’s eyes.
It wasn’t fear.It wasn’t anger.
It was pure, feral euphoria.
The kind of look that makes predators back down.
"Enough!" Rock Man finally shouted, panic and pain in his voice.
"I give up! I GIVE UP!"
The arena fell into stunned silence—before erupting into chaotic cheers and howls.
"He made the Rock Man beg!"
"Holy crap, that kid’s a devil!"
"Fuck..What is this shit show.."
"Who nas himself Hellfire and uses fists and punches.."
"Damn!I lost a buck.."
"This is cheating..This is pure cheating.I want a refund."
Hex stood above his fallen opponent, chest rising and falling like a beast just pulled back from the brink. Blood streaked his face. His fists dripped red.
But his eyes?His eyes were calm burning with fire.
The crowd was still buzzing, but there was a montary pause, one of collective awe when they looked at the blood-splattered ring. Even in a place where violence was the norm, where bones cracked and sotis lives were lost for the sake of bets and pride, this fight had stirred sothing different.
That raw, primal assault... it wasn’t just about winning. It was domination.
"Damn..."
"That was brutal even by our standards."
"I’ve seen people get their limbs snapped and spines twisted.This can’t be compared to that, however it was a good match for newbies" one grizzled man muttered, taking a puff from his glowing cyberpipe.
Another leaned over, whispering with a tinge of fear, "I wish that had been a deadly match... and he was my enemy.I might be able to get this power.It’s quite useful.
His brows furrowed.
’No... I can’t have that kind of mindset. Wishing soone dead—what the hell’s wrong with ?’
The ability to copy powers... was it starting to twist him?The more he used it, the more he wanted. Power. More, and more.
But he wasn’t so mad dog.
Hex, still seated by the edge of the ring, caught the trace of that sentint in the murmurs around him. His fists, still sticky with blood most from his.
His skin on fingers was torn and there was a dull ache.The bones seed to have minor cracks and his hands trembling.
He shook his head, slow and grim.
The adrenaline was fading now, and what replaced it was pain that had stirred after the fight.
He had to rember that.
With a soft groan, Hex stood up, body aching and shoulders sore. As he stepped out of the ring, a wave of silence followed him—one of shock, then hushed respect. All eyes were on him.
A staff mber quickly guided him aside and handed him a small tal box.
Inside was a cold pack, a strip of muscle repair gel, a few bandages, and a tube of high-energy juice.
He sat near the benches lining the inner chamber of the arena, wrapping his arm and pressing the ice to the side of his head. The buzzing in his skull hadn’t stopped, but he welcod the sting. It grounded him.
Around him, the murmurs continued.
"Did you see that kick? He fought like a beast."
"No, like a trained freak did you notice? He never even used his ability."
"Wait, for real?"
"Yeah. Not even once. Pure strength and speed. Who fights like that these days?"
So nodded silently, others turned away nervously. A few were quietly reassessing their own chances.
The tension made Hex uncomfortable. It wasn’t fear or hostility yet but it was the kind of quiet watchfulness that said: this one’s different.
Luckily, before it could fester any further, a staff mber appeared and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Co with , sir."
Hex stood, limping slightly but keeping his back straight, and followed the man to the reception corner. A woman with soft purple lipstick and mirrored contact lenses smiled at him with professional politeness.
"That was an entertaining match," she said smoothly. "Quite the show."
She reached under the counter and slid a thin, transparent data cheque across the table.
"Here’s your reward."
Hex nodded and picked it up.
His eyes scanned it. Once. Twice. A third ti. His hands tightened around it.
Eighty thousand credit points.
He blinked hard.
Is that... is that an extra zero?
"You won big," she smiled knowingly. "Almost the whole crowd bet on Rock Man. Odds were in his favor. You flipped the table."
Hex let out a quiet breath. That amount... It wasn’t just fighting for money. It was enough to survive for years—maybe even live comfortably if he played it smart.
He looked up. "How many tis can I fight?"
"As much as you want," she replied. "But if sothing happens in the ring... your responsibility. We don’t guarantee your body stays in one piece."
He nodded. "Got it."
Stuffing the check into his pocket, Hex turned away. He was drained—physically, ntally, and emotionally. There was no rush now. He’d earned enough. All he wanted was to sleep.
"I’ll co another day."
He left without another word.
Behind him, the scar-faced man from earlier leaned back with a crooked smile.
"Hellfire," he muttered. "Interesting kid."
One of the younger staff raised a brow. "What’s so special about him, boss? There are a dozen like him every week."
The older man chuckled. "You saw the force behind those punches, right? That speed? If I had to guess... that kid’s Mutation Index is above 50."
The staff mber blinked. "Above fifty? For real?"
"If he’s not already knocking on the door of 1-Star, he will be soon."
And with that, they watched the lean figure of Hex vanish down the neon-lit tunnel, leaving behind whispers, blood stains, and a trail of shaken expectations.
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