If there was one reaction people expected from each other after hearing the na of the person they were supposed to go up against was Luke Fern, it was panic. That was how it always went. People with fire abilities, especially the Ferns, were dominant, aggressive, and destructive. Facing soone like them was enough to make most mutants freeze before the fight even began.
But Axel did none of that. He was unfazed. He stood calmly with a very relaxed posture. In his mind, he had ford a certain reasonable question.
"Why does Luke Fern need to fight in the pit? Isn’t he like the heir to Pyro? Isn’t he supposed to be super rich?"
"Sotis, people just want the thrill of the fighting pits. The money isn’t that important to them," Dasha explained. It made sense to Axel. So people were just power-hungry.
Well, since Axel wasn’t showing any form of panicking, Kinsey did it for him.
"Axel," she said quickly. "Luke Fern is an Apex. Do you understand what that ans?"
Axel nodded. "I do," he said.
"He isn’t like the Orion Prince, who’s just a Spectra."
Axel turned to her, calm to the point of being irritating. "Relax," he muttered with a shrug. "I’ve beaten Luke Fern before. I can do it again."
"You beat him once, yes, but that was different. You used Infernal Overload. That was luck. Right now your Infernal Core is inactive, your active skills are down, there’s no Infernal Overload this ti. If you fight him like this, he’ll kill you in seconds," Aurora said to Axel.
Well, it’s a good thing abilities aren’t allowed in the cage.
Dasha, who had been listening quietly, straightened in her chair.
"You said you defeated Luke Fern before," she said with a shocked expression. "What exactly do you an by that?"
Axel opened his mouth to answer, but she spoke again before he could.
"A month ago, there was a hot topic circulating about a first-year who defeated Luke Fern during a school combat session. Most people called it a rumor. I didn’t believe it either because it sounded impossible."
Her eyes narrowed as she studied Axel properly for the first ti. "Don’t tell that was you."
Axel didn’t respond. He didn’t even need to, because Dasha smiled.
"You might just be the most prized fighter I’ve ever had," she said. "If you defeat Luke Fern one more ti, your life in the Oval Academy will change forever."
Below them, the current fight in the pit ended abruptly. The crowd roared as the loser was dragged away, and the noise echoed through the glass room.
"Get ready! You’re next," Dasha said.
Kinsey’s jaw tightened as she walked closer toward Axel, but she directed her voice to Dasha.
"Luke might recognize him. He’s vindictive, and if he realizes his opponent is Axel, he’ll try to kill him."
"The mask will cover his face," Dasha said calmly. "That’s what it’s for, and that’s enough."
"No! It’s not. When they announce his na, Luke will hear it. He’ll know."
Dasha exhaled slowly. She was clearly getting tired of answering Kinsey’s questions. "You’re really starting to get on my nerves, Lumina."
"I generated a stage na for him," she said flatly. "His identity will stay hidden."
"What stage na?" Axel asked suddenly.
Before she could answer, the announcer’s voice bood through the pits.
"Entering the arena is an Apex-ranked fighter! The Pyro Tyrant himself! LUKE FERN!!"
The crowd exploded in cheers and screams as Luke erged from the crowd and walked into the cage, looking very confident. The sound from the crowd pulsed through the entire pits, and it was almost violent. It made people wonder if the world up above could hear the cheers.
"And facing him tonight... a new challenger," the announcer continued.
Axel lifted the demon mask and placed it over his face.
"Known only as—THE RED IMP!"
The crowd roared again, but not as loud as Luke’s.
Aurora’s voice sounded inside his head in an amused way. "What the infernal hell kind of na is that?"
---
The cage doors slamd shut, and Axel and Luke stood on opposite sides of the arena. Steel bars surrounded them, sealing them in. The ground beneath their feet was rough and dented from countless fights.
Luke cracked his neck slowly. His red hair swayed as heat rolled off him in faint waves of steam.
Luke laughed and pointed at Axel’s face.
"Nice mask," he said loudly. "What are you hiding under there? Too scared to show your face?"
The crowd laughed with him.
Axel narrowed his eyes. He could see the steam clearly now. It was faint, but it was there. Is his ability active? Axel thought.
Dasha had said there was a dampener in the pit. Abilities were suppressed, but why was there steam coming out of Luke’s body?
Axel didn’t have ti to dwell on it when the bell rang, and the comntator’s voice exploded through the speakers.
"AND WE’RE OFF! THE RED IMP VERSUS THE PYRO TYRANT! LET’S SEE HOW LONG THE MASKED RAT LASTS!"
Luke dashed forward with speed that shocked Axel. It was not ability-driven speed. It was raw physical power.
Shit! He’s fast, Axel thought.
Luke swung an uppercut. Axel raised his arm and blocked it. The impact felt like a hamr. A loud crack rang out on impact as pain shot through Axel’s arm.
< [–3 HP] >
Three HP vanished instantly as Axel stumbled back, biting down hard.
"So that’s how strong he is..." he muttered.
"You blocked that attack like an idiot," Aurora voiced out. "You can do better. Strength alone doesn’t win fights. Use your brain. Your opponent is proud and arrogant. He won’t even see you as competition. Make him chase you."
The comntator laughed. "OOOH! LOOK AT THAT! FIRST HIT AND THE RED IMP IS ALREADY SHAKING! DID SOONE FORGET TO EAT TODAY?"
"What’s wrong? That all you’ve got?" Luke grinned.
Axel rushed in low, slipping under Luke’s next punch. He twisted his body and slamd his fist into Luke’s ribs.
Luke grunted, and Axel wasted no ti. He followed up with a quick kick to the thigh, then a sharp punch to the side of Luke’s jaw.
"OOOOH!" The crowd reacted loudly.
"HEY! THE MASKED ONE LANDED A HIT!" the comntator shouted. "MUST HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT!"
Luke now started swinging wildly. Axel ducked, rolled to the side, and drove his elbow into Luke’s stomach.
Axel stayed close. He punched Luke’s ribs again, then again, then sent a kick into his knee.
Axel really wanted to know if his attacks were doing anything to Luke’s HP, but he couldn’t use his ID skill.
’Still not working?’ Axel thought. ’Damn it.’
Luke roared in anger and charged. Axel slipped past him and struck his back. Since Axel had a small fra, he used that to move easily.
Luke’s breathing grew heavier, and the comntator’s tone changed, turning harsh.
"HEY! PYRO TYRANT! YOU LOSING TO A SHORT KID IN A MASK? WHAT IS THIS? AMATEUR NIGHT?"
Luke’s face twisted with anger as he stopped swinging wildly.
He stepped in and drove a heavy punch straight into Axel’s face. Unfortunately, Axel didn’t see it coming, and the hit landed clean. Axel felt his head snap back.
< [HP: 10 / 20] >
Seven HP disappeared instantly.
Seven HP wasn’t the only thing that disappeared. The demon mask cracked and flew off his face, skidding across the floor.
Axel placed a hand over his face when he realized the mask had co off. His face was now in full display for the entire crowd to see... Including Luke.
"Oh shit..."
***
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