[New Ability Detected…]
'Copy it.'
Hex didn't even glance at the panel flashing before him. His focus remained razor-sharp.
Previously he had cut his air and freed the slot possessing the hair growth power.
Across the ring, Rock Man cast a wide, savage grin. His body began to shift, skin taking on a dull gray hue as the texture coarsened spreading like growing scales of stone.
"It's over," the brute boomed, slamming his fist into his granite chest like a war drum.
THUMP!
THUMP!
"I'm gonna muscle you into dust."
Without another word, Rock Man charged forward.The metal beneath his feet screaming under the pressure of his footsteps.
Hex darted to the side, narrowly evading a wide hook that sliced through the air like a wrecking ball.
SWISH!
The punch missed, but the wind alone grazed Hex's cheek like a blade.
Hex crouched low and slipped past the giant's legs again, spinning behind him.
He wasn't fighting to win, not yet. He was fighting to survive.
"Stay in one place, damn it!" Rock Man snarled, spinning and trying to grab him.
"In your dreams," Hex muttered, dodging with a hop-step before flipping over the corner post like an acrobat.
The crowd roared with laughter and excitement.
"Bastard did all you know how to run..!"
"Oi Rock, you can't catch a guy half your size?!"
"Boooo! Did your brain turn to stone too?!"
A section of the pit crowd started mocking Hex as well.
"Hey Hellfire! Show us some flames or go sell tissues!"
"FUckkk!"
"Aren't you Hellfire..What is this stupidity?"
"Quit prancing! Throw a punch!"
Hex ignored the insults. He had no intention of getting caught. Not yet.
Rock Man snarled, red-faced. "Fight like a man if you've drunk your mother's milk!"
Hex somersaulted backward, landing smoothly. His lips curled into a crooked grin.
"Sorry," he said dryly, "I'm an orphan. So you're right…I haven't been breastfed."
The arena exploded in wild laughter.
Even Rock Man paused, blinking, caught off guard by the brutal comeback.
But Hex wasn't wasting the moment. He inhaled deeply, mind racing. 'I need a plan… If I use a copy now, I waste the slot. That body-hardening is too good to waste on this brute.'
'My MI of 30 should've ended this already—but his defense screwed everything up… He's burning energy to maintain that ability. Can't be sustained without proper cosmic control.'
Hex steadied himself. 'I should try to outlast him. Make him waste his energy. That's the plan.'
Rock Man roared again and rushed forward, this time even faster.
Hex darted backward, preparing to slide but then
BOOM!
The entire platform shook violently.
"The fuck—!"
Even Hex couldn't contain the curse this time.
The Rock Man had raised one enormous foot and slammed it into the arena floor like a pile-driver instead of running.
A crunching crack split the stage apart. Metal snapped out and the ring fractured.A section of the platform collapsed inward like a sinkhole.
Hex lost his footing with his leg sliding off and in the next instant, he was falling.
CRASH!
Dust and debris flew everywhere as Hex tumbled into the darkness below.
The crowd screamed half in awe, half in disbelief.
"He just broke the f*cking floor!"
"Yo! Is Hellfire DEAD?!"
"No way the kid's getting up after that."
Above the ring, Rock Man cracked his neck and flexed his arms.
"Hah! Little sh*t should've stayed home!"
But down below, amidst the smoke and shattered debris, a quiet breath escaped Hex's lips.
Blood trickled from his forehead. His chest heaved. His eyes glinted with fire.
He wasn't done yet.
As Hex crashed down onto the lower level of the broken ring, his body ached all over. Dust and broken slabs of metal surrounded him. His vision was hazy, and just as he tried to stand up, a massive shadow loomed overhead.
The Rock Man didn't give him a moment to breathe his fist came swinging like a boulder crashing through a building.
Hex crossed his arms just in time, bracing for impact.
CRACK!
The blow landed hard, sending Hex flying like a ragdoll. He bounced once against the ground, then slammed violently into the ring's corner post. His back arched in pain, but before he could even think, the elastic ropes bounced his body forward like a slingshot—and waiting for him was Rock Man's fist, ready to crush him head-on.
"Now die!" Rock Man howled, his punch speeding toward Hex's face like a rocket.
At that moment, something clicked in Hex's brain. A surge of raw panic turned into adrenaline, and with gritted teeth he activated the Agility Booster.
Time around him slowed.
The air thickened like syrup. The fist coming at him turned sluggish, inching closer in slow motion. Hex's pupils narrowed, his body suddenly light and responsive. Floating in mid-air, he shifted his weight. In one smooth, precise movement, he grabbed the man's fist with both hands, twisting in mid-air.
To the audience's utter shock, Hex balanced himself upside-down on top of Rock Man's arm, doing a handstand on his massive fist.
Rock Man's face was frozen in disbelief.
"What the hell is going on?!" someone from the crowd shouted.