'It must've reached my angel waifu by now.'
Unfortunately,
*Step!*
Nero had absolutely ZERO fucking time to think any further about rescue plans or whatever strategic retreat bullshit he was cooking up…
*WHOOSH!*
Because Marcus decided that talking time was officially over.
The big bastard immediately launched himself forward like a goddamn angry bulldozer.
His enhanced fist came screaming toward Nero's face with enough force to turn any normal human into a sorry meat paste.
*CLANG!*
Nero's Dawnbreaker met the punch with a metallic sound.
"!!!"
The impact sent shockwaves up his arm that almost made his teeth rattle.
But his month of hellish training with Aurelia paid off.
'No way in hell, I'll fall from just this.'
His stance held firm, his grip stayed steady as a rock, and his Valkyria Swordsmanship foundation kept him from getting pancaked into human flour.
"Not bad for a wimpy-ass guy!"
Marcus pulled back and immediately threw another haymaker towards Nero.
*CLANG!*
Another parry, but this one nearly launched the shortsword from Nero's hands into the stratosphere.
'Holy shit… This guy has gotten stupid strong!'
Nero cursed internally but immediately steadied his posture, anticipating whatever punching hell this musclebound lunatic was about to unleash.
"But you're still too fucking slow!"
*WHOOSH! CLANG! WHOOSH! CLANG!*
Marcus started throwing combinations like he was trying to do a full-combo arcade fighting game on Nero.
Left hook, right cross, uppercut, jab.
Each strike came with the force of a wrecking ball and the speed of lightning.
Nero's Greater Instinct was working overtime, his brain was trying to render the world in slow motion as he desperately tried to keep up.
Block high, parry left, dodge right, counter with a thrust.
'Jesus Christ, Just what did this musclebrain do to get this kind of power?!'
He was dead certain that the first time they met, Nero could see this guy moving at normal human speed even with his enhancement buff.
'Maybe this is his normal strength…'
That was the only explanation that made any sense since they didn't really throw any fist properly on day one.
*PANG!*
Nero pulled another parry as he retaliated at the small gap he was given when the big guy was trying to recover his fist.
But,
*BLOCK! WOOOSHH!*
'Tch.'
…Every counterattack he threw, Marcus either dodged or swatted away like an annoying fly.
"You know what's funny?!"
Suddenly, Marcus cracked a psycho grin.
*BAM!*
His fast fist grazed Nero's cheek, leaving a burning sensation.
"I used to be an underground boxer before all this apocalypse shit started!"
*WHOOSH!*
That was another punch that almost took his head off if he didn't duck under.
"Back then, I thought I was hot shit. Won maybe thirty fights in some sketchy basement rings."
His movements were getting more fluid, more professional.
"Undefeated for two whole years! Everyone called me the Bloody Fist of Downtown!"
*CRACK!*
His enhanced fist shattered a chunk of stone wall when Nero rolled away.
"But then one night, some punk-ass nobody landed a lucky shot!"
The grin on Marcus's face twisted into something that would even make demons uncomfortable.
"That punk knocked me out cold in front of everyone… He made me look like a complete joke!"
*JAB! CROSS! HOOK!*
The combination came faster than what Nero could process.
He managed to block the first two with his sword, but the hook caught him in the ribs.
*Crack…!*
"Ughh!!"
The sound of breaking bones echoed through the stone maze.
Pain exploded through Nero's chest like someone had set off fireworks in his lungs.
Needless to say, it's a not-so-pretty experience.
… It's a good thing that his armor blocked some of the force and he managed to reduce the damage by pulling his body back.
"You know what I realized after that humiliation?!"
Marcus's voice turned darker as he struck forward.
"Why the fuck should I challenge people stronger than me when I can be the king of everyone who's weaker than me?!"
The bozo laughed like he had discovered the secret to happiness.
"So that's exactly what I did! I started picking fights with those under me! And sooner than later, I found the pleasure of destroying office workers, college kids and any kind of weaklings who couldn't fight back!"
*Whoosh! Clang! Whoosh! Clang!*
Nero was getting pushed back, step by step.
His Greater Instinct was screaming warnings, but his body couldn't keep up with the speed of the attacks.
"And holy shit! It felt better than winning any boxing match I've ever done!"
Marcus's eyes got terrifyingly crazy at this point.
"Being treated like a king by people who were scared shitless of me? That was pure fucking ecstasy!"
The big guy moved like a professional fighter now.
Every punch of his was perfectly timed and calculated.
"Then the apocalypse came, and man, it was the best Christmas gift ever!"
*BAM!*
It was another punch that Nero barely deflected with his A-tier sword.
"No more cops, no more rules, no more consequences! I could do whatever I wanted to whoever I wanted! HAHAHAHA!!!"
Marcus was enjoying this way too much.
His predatory grin was getting wider with each successful hit.
"My first kill after getting powers? Of course, it's the asshole who knocked me out that night!"
He licked his lips in the most disgusting way possible.
"I crushed his skull like a watermelon… Then I went after everyone who ever laughed at me!"
"... You're sick in the head, alright."
Nero spat blood and tried to create distance, but Marcus was relentless.
"Sick in the head? No, I'm free! For the first time in my boring life, I'm actually feeling the freedom that I've always wanted!"
*Parry! Block! Dodge! Counter!*
Nero's sword work was getting more desperate at this point, but his Greater Instinct was slowly picking up the patterns.
Marcus favored his right hand.
He dropped his guard slightly after throwing combinations.
His footwork have a slight lag before he lunged forward.
Nero's eyes glinted, but the big guy was still busy narrating his flashback filler,
"But then I met Vincent Cross."
His expression shifted slightly.
"Now that guy? He's leagues stronger than me… He could probably snap my neck before I blink."
"... So you became his little bitch."
"I'd consider it a smart move, actually! He lets me rule over all the weaklings in camp as long as I keep it quiet!"
Marcus grinned like he'd made some brilliant business deal.
"It's the perfect arrangement! I get to be king of those chumps from the Camp, and he gets a loyal enforcer, while also controlling everything under his 'good guy' guise."
*JAB! JAB! CROSS!*
Nero parried desperately, using every technique Aurelia drilled into his body.
"But then your angel bitch humiliated me in front of everyone!"
The memory made Marcus's enhancement abilities flare brighter.
"That bitch me look weak! She made those weaklings around me think they could disrespect me!"
Marcus gave another punch, releasing his shitload of rage to the guy who that angel always keeps safe.
"So I gotta thank you and that silver-haired whore!"
Marcus laughed as Nero stumbled backward, clutching his side.
"Because of you two, I remembered every single technique I used to know and improved on all of them!"
They were small things, but it's enough for him to know the taste again of acquiring what he wants by the means of strength.
'So that's why he suddenly got stronger and why this musclebrain has been quiet all this time.'
Nero had to give it to him.
The big fella actually bidded his time instead of charging ahead on the first few days they were at the Camp.
He has to give his credit that this dumbo… might not actually be so dumb, after all.
However…
"If that's all you got, then I'll be happy to turn you into scraps right now!"
Marcus suddenly exploded forward with his most vicious combination yet.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Three devastating punches that came like thunder.
Nero barely managed to deflect the first two, but the third one was coming straight for his skull.
… This big guy might not have enough brain cells to foresee the next shit that was about to unfold in front of him.
'Got you.'
At the last possible second, Nero finally spotted it.
The opening he was looking for.
Marcus had overextended on his final punch, letting his guard down, and exposing his neck.
If there's anything that Nero learned during his one month training, it's the fact that you need to be patient and wait for the right timing against your opponents.
But this time, Nero didn't wait, but rather he created the opening.
It's by letting the opponent think he's handling his ass one-sidedly, leading to a bigger motion of attacks for Nero to exploit.
And that's exactly what happened.
*STAB!*
Nero lunged forward with everything he have, like a hound pouncing on a deer.
The sharp point of the Dawnbreaker aimed straight for Marcus's throat.
"..."
However, the big bastard just grinned in response.
"You really think you can beat an experienced boxer by swinging that piece of metal around?"
The opening was a trap.
*WOOOSHH…*
Marcus's other hand was already moving.
His enhanced fist was making the air screech as it basically teleported towards Nero's face with enough force to shatter his skull into brain matters.
There's no way to dodge, block or retreat.
No doubt about it.
Nero could say goodbye to the world the moment it directly connects.
However,
"..."
Nero stayed eeriely calm.
"I know I'm not a professional at anything besides trying my best to imitate others and trying hard…"
His laid-back voice cut through the chaos loud and clear.
"... But that's exactly why I can do this."
*WHOOOM!*
The Dawnbreaker in Nero's hand suddenly shifted during mid-thrust.
"Flowing Slice."
Nero timely activated his active skill.
The half-assed attack that Marcus was prepared to dodge suddenly curved like liquid metal.
"!!!"
The blade flowing towards Marcus caught him completely off guard by the unexpected trajectory of the attack.
The sharp shortsword didn't spare any being as it sliced toward his thick neck with deadly precision.
*BOOM!*
Then an explosion happened.
And…
"..."
Nero's sword connected with Marcus's neck, while his head was leaning a bit sideward.
Just enough that made his upper body shift his head from the momentum of the midshift slice, making Marcus miss.
But nonetheless, there was still damage on Nero, as his body was bruised from parrying all of those combo attacks, especially those landed hits on his body.
At this point, Nero expected Marcus's head to fall, finally ending the battle.
But instead of the feeling of flesh being cut,
*CLANK!*
There was a loud clank… It's like metal hitting metal.
"!!!"
Nero's eyes widened as he saw what just happened.
Marcus's entire neck transformed into some sort of armored steel scales.
The sword that should have separated his head from his body… completely bounced off like it hit a tank.
Marcus's eat-shitting grin slowly spread across his face.
It's the kind of grin that was completely intentional for mocking his opponents.
"It looks like your thin needle can't even tickle my steel scales."
'... Looks like this would take a while, huh.'
Nero evaluated after a hint of realization.
He made a tired sigh as if expecting the amount of shitload of exhausting shenanigans that's about to transpire between him and this big fella.
Needless to say…
The real battle had just finally begun.
***
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