From under the audience, the two red-eyed guests sat on the floor, catching their breath.
"Oh god, I'm bleeding from my nose, everything hurts." Isabelle sniffled and whined, "Hard to believe she's not an esper."
"Either way she's a monster." Nero remarked as a small stream of electricity crackled on his head. He then turned his head towards the arena and sneered, "How much you wanna bet one of them dies?"
"You're joking, I just hope none of us get killed just by watching." She responded.
"We'll get to see what the strongest esper is really made of." The blond man grinned with high expectations.
As the two watched intently, their hearts skipped a beat as a cold voice spoke from behind them, "Is it that hard to tell which one is gonna win?" Maria asked from behind the both of them.
A bead of sweat slid down Nero's face as an immediate thought crossed his mind, 'This girl, how did I not notice her come up to us?'
"She may not be an esper, but she's CHIMERA's number one." The dark-haired woman smiled confidently, "But Felix kills criminals and doesn't afraid of anything."
"When did you—?" Isabelle turned around, only to see that Maria was already in front of them, walking closer towards the combatants.
"A fight between the Black Cat and the Golden Lion." The chief adjusted her glasses with an amused expression, marching closer to the front, "It'll be fun seeing my two headaches beat the shit out of each other."
Kaitlin turned to her and responded in a small voice, "Ah, Chief… that's not a nice thing to say."
Felix kicked off any clutter left on the ring. His gaze shifted towards the audience slightly below him, a few in particular caught his eye. At the very front stood Maria, just outside of the ring. Another was his sparring partner, Lance. A woman with maroon red-hair and rabbit ears.
And then there were the other two, Rico and Kaitlin.
If the two rookies are watching, I should at least make this entertaining to watch.
"Kick his ass, Allison!" One of them shouted.
Felix moved to the edge, "Lance, you dick, you're lucky you're not the one here!"
"Just fight already!" The red-haired woman shouted.
He rolled his shoulder and gave a soft smile. "Alright… mats cleared of debris. We can start."
Allison took her stance, two hands in front like a grappling pose. Her overwhelming presence took over, emanating strength and experience.
Felix began to bounce around the mat, waiting for the first move. Even if it was just a spar, taking the first strike against the lion would be a fatal mistake.
Maria raised her voice from the edge of the ring, "Ready?"
"ENGAGE!" Kaitlin screamed from the crowd, making Maria's eye twitch.
Felix let out a sharp exhale through his teeth, and the battle began as Allison initiated the first attack. A fast, sharp jab. Felix, confident in his own physical strength, had that confidence shattered as she destroyed his guard.
Pushed back by the blow, his hands trembled down to the fingertips.
She followed up with consecutive vicious jabs, which made Felix's feet dig into the floor mats.
He adapted to her jabs little by little, following the pattern of her fists, and inching towards her, looking for the chance to counter. As he slid in and under her arms, he struck. Allison arched her back, inches near the ground, escaping his fist and the gust of wind that followed.
The lioness grabbed his head with her legs and threw him across the room.
He rolled over the ground and he quickly got on all fours, sprinting like an animal to avoid a fist that came crashing down.
"Felix!" Maria shouted, "Two legs, not four!"
The black cat got back up as soon as her fist cracked the ground.
Standing on two legs, he followed up with a rapid barrage of his own, only for each of blow to get easily parried. Instinctively, he threw another kick, whipping his leg upward. Not learning from last time, she grabbed him by the ankle and slammed him straight to the ground.
His vision turned pitch-black for a moment.
When he opened his eyes, there was a sharp ringing in his ear, but even in spite of it, he heard Maria's voice counting upward, "Six… seven…"
A sharp ache radiated throughout his neck and head as he looked ahead. In front of him, he saw his opponent's unchanged, dull expression. A memory replayed in his mind, and a voice in his head told him to get back up.
"Eight… And he's back on his feet, everybody!" Maria announced loudly, to which the crowds responded with an explosion of cheers and excitement.
Felix staggered to stay upright, but he grit his teeth and raised his fist, signaling that he was ready to continue.
Allison once again raised her fists, not allowing her opponent any mercy. She followed and struck once again, but as she did, Felix made an opening for himself, avoiding her strike and followed with a counter.
Her golden locks dragged against the wind as her feet tore through the floor mat.
"That attack…" Allison muttered.
Felix followed with a flurry of attacks. His arms were like weapons, striking and whipping at every turn, and yet— Fast as they were, they were caught in her hands, and she threw herself towards him with a rock-hard headbutt.
He reeled a step back as his head wobbled. His forehead was marked red.
"Alright, serious time." Allison muttered to herself.
She lowered her stance, not dissimilar to the one he had used against her earlier. She appeared as a carnivorous animal, tensing up moments before it springs to its prey.
The Phantom, in turn, took back control of his body and firmly planted his feet, digging his heels and toes with desperate strength. He lifted his arm above his shoulder and tightened his fist, there was an imaginary weight as he held the shaft of an invisible weapon.
"What's he doing?" Isabelle's brow curled curiously.
"A spear…" The red-eyed man beside her mumbled.
She turned to him and asked, "What?"
"That pose... It looks like he's holding a spear." Nero remarked.
"Come on... work…" Felix muttered as both of his eyes beginning to radiate a cold, azure light. A crisp, thin blue ribbon manifested from his hand and spiraled up his arm.
Allison took a step forward, and though his senses were heightened, she had vanished in front of him.
His eyes widened as they gradually grew accustomed to her movements, and saw that she was crouched against one of the pillars that made the ring. But before his body could even turn around to face her, she already landed on the other one, and was preparing to jump once more.
She moved from one pillar to another, weaving together a golden thread across the arena.
Nero and Isabelle's heads kept turning as they followed, yet Maria's expression remained unimpressed, her irises reflected every single one of Allison's movements.
When she finally reappeared, for just a split second, cat ears sprouted from her hair.
His eyes quickly narrowed as the inescapable blow was less than a few inches from impact.
His memory flashed to earlier and remembered what Nero did to escape.
A hazy blue vortex shot out from Felix's fist and spiraled throughout the hall. The crowds became deafeningly silent after a loud crackle reverberated across the room.
Everyone watched with stunned expressions.
The two combatants took a step back. Allison nearly toppled over, gasping and covered in scratches, while Felix —